I take June, July, and August of every year to immerse myself in preparing for the next homeschool year. We generally homeschool year-round, but we take the month of August completely off. I'm counting down till August. I love homeschooling, but I also love that break and the enjoyment of missing it. I spend the summer reading and re-reading books, researching, evaluating, praying, learning, re-learning, and un-learning.
Here is my current syllabus for the summer, I haven't thought it entirely through so it's subject to change, but here's what I've got so far:
Must-reads every summer:
The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible Based Homeschooling
What Your Child Needs to Know When: According to the Bible, According to the State: with Evaluation Check Lists for Grades K-8
Educating the Whole Hearted Child
The Well Trained Mind
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I take my job as educator of my children very seriously, and am in many ways indebted to the state for allowing me to educate my own children, remember many countries don't have that choice, privilege, and right! I have a responsibility to the state to do what I promised to do. Although my educational goals are loftier than the No Child Left Behind Act, or our state's Standards of Learnings; I do research and refer to these when setting benchmarks for my children.
It's been fascinating to read the 2009 PISA results. PISA (Program for International Assessment) is an test given to 15 year olds in about 65 countries. The results have been very interesting, and quite informative. I am currently reading Lessons from PISA for the US. amd gaining meaninful insights into international educational reforms, all of which will be useful over the duration of my years as an instructor.
So the tooth fairy announced that due to the recession, she would no longer be leaving money but candy instead. My daughter lost her first tooth a couple of months ago, and candy was a big hit. Last week she literally lost her tooth, we didn't see it come out, she didn't feel it; in fact I have strong feeling that she actually swallowed it! Nevertheless I assured her that the tooth fairy knew that she lost her tooth and she was sure to get some candy come morning. Except...not only is this tooth fairy broke, she's forgetful. How pitiful. My daughter woke up so disappointed, she came into my room and announced that the tooth fairy, did in fact need her tooth in exchange for the candy, and she was sad that she really lost her tooth. The tooth fairy felt awful I assure you, but she's a quick thinker. I assured my daughter that tooth fairy's have impeccable memories, but poor eyesight. Perhaps she thought the covers, or the stuffed lion was the pillow and put the candy under there instead. Oh, how delighted she was to come back with a fistful full of candy. Priceless!! I am somewhat glad and a little disturbed to know that there is more than one unreliable tooth fairy in the world. Michelle over at My Blessed Home understands. 
We had soccer this morning. For the first time I didn't bring the baby because he had just fallen asleep, so he stayed home with daddy. Kaden woke up wanting to invite his soccer coach to church. He begged me for an invitation. Why did the thought cross my mind, "these people are going to think we're lunatics?". Kids don't care what people think about them. Perhaps that's one of the many reasons Christ exhorts us to "become like little children." I pray for ever-increasing boldness to please God and not man.
I hosted a baby shower at my house. I was thankful to do it, but boy I was NOT expecting everyone to bring their children. There was about 20 kids at a baby shower. Imagine that.
Kason is potty-training. None of my other kids every got potty-treats. I was that mom, that didn't want to bribe my kids with candy. Not anymore, I'd bribe him with money if I'd thought it would send his tushy to the toilet. So when you walk in my bathroom and see a bottle full of candy, you know the deal.
We ate baby shower food for dinner. I tried to convince the kids, "wouldn't it be fun to eat Cheetos for dinner?" Didn't have any takers, so I had to actually feed them. My amazing mother did however by me a pressure cooker recently. She's fantastic like that, everyone should have one of her. However, the manual is a little lengthy so I haven't read it yet, and still don't really know what a pressure cooker actually is. Stay tuned... I may read the manual this week, and use it, and have something to report.
I played video games with my oldest son tonight to encourage him. I'm not really a video game fanatic, but I'm trying to become "all things to all people". I had fun with him, and I try to pick games that I like and won't give me a headache.
I hosted a baby shower at my house. I was thankful to do it, but boy I was NOT expecting everyone to bring their children. There was about 20 kids at a baby shower. Imagine that.
Kason is potty-training. None of my other kids every got potty-treats. I was that mom, that didn't want to bribe my kids with candy. Not anymore, I'd bribe him with money if I'd thought it would send his tushy to the toilet. So when you walk in my bathroom and see a bottle full of candy, you know the deal.
We ate baby shower food for dinner. I tried to convince the kids, "wouldn't it be fun to eat Cheetos for dinner?" Didn't have any takers, so I had to actually feed them. My amazing mother did however by me a pressure cooker recently. She's fantastic like that, everyone should have one of her. However, the manual is a little lengthy so I haven't read it yet, and still don't really know what a pressure cooker actually is. Stay tuned... I may read the manual this week, and use it, and have something to report.
I played video games with my oldest son tonight to encourage him. I'm not really a video game fanatic, but I'm trying to become "all things to all people". I had fun with him, and I try to pick games that I like and won't give me a headache.
How happy and blessed I am to be able to spend my days loving, learning, and laughing with these wonderful people. I don't take my life for granted. I am hourly aware how drastically things could change. Disability, death, poverty, and myriad of other things could easily change our circumstance. Yet, God in his providence, has looked at our little family and blessed us far more than we deserve, and we can never be thankful enough. we and some other families went to the Pirate Festival tonight to share our faith/evangelize/soul-win or whatever you want to call it. It has been a challenging day for me today, impatience crept in the back door as usual,(I hate when people say how patient I am or must be) but in the car I was so humbled to think that God has entrusted His message with me. What a privilege I have to share His love, His son with a world living under judgement!
I'm back...I am recommitting myself to my blog. I do like and enjoy blogging, however I feel a philanthropic compulsion to blog...like I need to give back. I've learned sooo much from blogs, it has in fact help fortify the person that I am today. Sounds corny, but true. Long before I ever met homeschooling, cloth diapering, Little-house loving, Ladies Against Feminism real-life women; I found solace and camaraderie in my e-friends. What right have I not to give back some of what I've been given, in the hope that it might bless others. But secretly, or maybe not so secretly, I doubt my ability and validity to help others. Who am I to, what right have I to, when will I, why will I, how will I, but they do it better than I, etc. etc. etc. flood my mind and talk me right out of blogging each and everyday. But I guess more and more I'm finding comfort in my weaknesses and imperfections. Not so comfortable, that I'm complacent; but comfortable in the sense that I'm not perfect and never will be. That's fine, because I have a perfect Savior who has redeemed me, and I am living my life for Him.
St. Peter Denying Christ, by Paul Gustav Doré (1832-1883)
Speaking of living for him, I found this great article whilst helping my son with his assignment. My wonderful mother advised me to integrate current events into our school day. So my oldest has started reading Scholastic.com and I let him write two paragraphs reviewing an article of his choosing. His favorite writing assignment is the Sticky Situations. He has to find one applicable scripture for the situation, which has been a great research exercise as well as a practical approach to teaching how the scriptures are useful for all things. Well I was helping him find a scripture about pleasing God and not men and came across The Folly of Trying to Please Man by Richard Baxter-I do love Puritan sermons! Oh this one cut me deep. I would do well to memorize this entire treastie.
Richard Baxter:
1. Remember what a multitude you have to please;
and when you have pleased some, how many more will be still unpleased, and how many displeased when you have done your best. Alas! we are insufficient at once to observe all those that observe us and would be pleased by us. You are like one that hath but twelve pence in his purse, and a thousand beggars come about him for it, and every one will be displeased if he have it not all. If you resolve to give all that you have to the poor, if you do it to please God, you may attain your end, but if you do it to please them, when you have pleased those few that you gave it to, perhaps twice as many will revile or curse you, because they had nothing. The beggar that speeds well will proclaim you liberal, and the beggar that speeds ill will proclaim you niggardly and unmerciful; and so you will have more to offend and dishonour you, than to comfort you by their praise, if that must be your comfort.
2. Remember that all men are so selfish, that their expectations will be higher than you are able to satisfy.
They will not consider your hinderances, or avocations, or what you do for others, but most of them look to have as much to themselves, as if you had nobody else to mind but them. Many and many a time, when I have had an hour or a day to spend, a multitude have every one expected that I should have spent it with them. When I visit one, there are ten offended that I am not visiting them at the same hour: when I am discoursing with one, many more are offended that I am not speaking to them all at once: if those that I speak to account me courteous, and humble, and respectful, those that I could not speak to, or but in a word, account me discourteous and morose. How many have censured me, because I have not allowed them the time, which God and conscience commanded me to spend upon greater and more necessary work! If you have any office to give, or benefit to bestow which one only can have, every one thinketh himself the fittest; and when you have pleased one that hath it, you have displeased all that went without it, and missed of their desires.
READ the entire 22 reasons why it is foolish to try to please others.
The complete sermon on Man-pleasing by Richard Baxter can be found here
St. Peter Denying Christ, by Paul Gustav Doré (1832-1883)
Speaking of living for him, I found this great article whilst helping my son with his assignment. My wonderful mother advised me to integrate current events into our school day. So my oldest has started reading Scholastic.com and I let him write two paragraphs reviewing an article of his choosing. His favorite writing assignment is the Sticky Situations. He has to find one applicable scripture for the situation, which has been a great research exercise as well as a practical approach to teaching how the scriptures are useful for all things. Well I was helping him find a scripture about pleasing God and not men and came across The Folly of Trying to Please Man by Richard Baxter-I do love Puritan sermons! Oh this one cut me deep. I would do well to memorize this entire treastie.
Richard Baxter:
1. Remember what a multitude you have to please;
and when you have pleased some, how many more will be still unpleased, and how many displeased when you have done your best. Alas! we are insufficient at once to observe all those that observe us and would be pleased by us. You are like one that hath but twelve pence in his purse, and a thousand beggars come about him for it, and every one will be displeased if he have it not all. If you resolve to give all that you have to the poor, if you do it to please God, you may attain your end, but if you do it to please them, when you have pleased those few that you gave it to, perhaps twice as many will revile or curse you, because they had nothing. The beggar that speeds well will proclaim you liberal, and the beggar that speeds ill will proclaim you niggardly and unmerciful; and so you will have more to offend and dishonour you, than to comfort you by their praise, if that must be your comfort.
2. Remember that all men are so selfish, that their expectations will be higher than you are able to satisfy.
They will not consider your hinderances, or avocations, or what you do for others, but most of them look to have as much to themselves, as if you had nobody else to mind but them. Many and many a time, when I have had an hour or a day to spend, a multitude have every one expected that I should have spent it with them. When I visit one, there are ten offended that I am not visiting them at the same hour: when I am discoursing with one, many more are offended that I am not speaking to them all at once: if those that I speak to account me courteous, and humble, and respectful, those that I could not speak to, or but in a word, account me discourteous and morose. How many have censured me, because I have not allowed them the time, which God and conscience commanded me to spend upon greater and more necessary work! If you have any office to give, or benefit to bestow which one only can have, every one thinketh himself the fittest; and when you have pleased one that hath it, you have displeased all that went without it, and missed of their desires.
READ the entire 22 reasons why it is foolish to try to please others.
The complete sermon on Man-pleasing by Richard Baxter can be found here
9 years ago when we decided to homeschool I bought Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Homeschooling and several other homeschool books and magazines. But what I wanted more than anything else was to be a fly on somebody's homeschool wall. I joined a co-op of sorts, but didn't really fit in there. What I needed was somebody to take me to there house and show me how it's done. So these videos are just a tiny sampling of how we learn. My favorite homeschool blog is Tristan over at Our Busy Homeschool
We are exactly half way into our school year. So I'm posting our "regular" homeschool day. "Regular" is always subject to change. My oldest begins with Spanish while I do one-on-one school with the twins. Kason age 2 usually floats back and forth between the two rooms. Our Spanish resources are numerous. I finally took the plunge a few months ago and purchased Rosetta Stone. When my friend broke down the cost, it made sense. Basically, the kids need to have foreign language as part of their schooling. The cost of Rosetta Stone, albeit, expense, is cheaper than sending one of my kids to community college for a semester of Spanish. It is also cheaper than the homeschool Spanish teacher that charges $5.00 a week. Although $5.00 a week is a great price, multiply that times 3 school age children over the course of 10 months, you can see that it isn't worth it. With Rosetta Stone the whole family can learn Spanish at a fraction of the cost. It's all about perspective! And I thank my friend for giving me some, because we really enjoy the program. The only thing my oldest doesn't like is the repetition. I was worried that we wouldn't learn that much cause we all have a good basic introductory knowledge of Spanish. What I like this that it has taken all those nouns and verbs and teaches you how to use them in sentences immediately. I also have several Spanish textbooks that I purchased from the thrift store a few years ago, as well a couple of Spanish workbooks. I also get familiar books in Spanish from the library as well as videos. Slowly but surely we're learning.
Kason on Starfall! Gotta love Starfall.
Yes, it really is this loud during school. And yes he does try to read with his eyes closed. (Sigh) We use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We're on Lesson 43ish. Several years ago I made sound and word flashcards to correspond to the book. I heard about this book several years ago from my all-time-favorite-blog Keeping the Home.
This book gave me the confidence I need to begin teaching my oldest to read. He started the book at 3 and was done before 5. The twins haven't been ready until they turned five, but they are slowly making progress. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Kason is ready for the book now. I let him do whatever he wants to do in it.
I'm still a guitar novice, as is my son, but we are learning together. We have Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class I found three volumes on Amazon for a third of the price! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, it!
Please send me a link of you do a Homeschool Day picture/video post, I'd love to see it.
To be continued...
Kason on Starfall! Gotta love Starfall.
Yes, it really is this loud during school. And yes he does try to read with his eyes closed. (Sigh) We use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We're on Lesson 43ish. Several years ago I made sound and word flashcards to correspond to the book. I heard about this book several years ago from my all-time-favorite-blog Keeping the Home.
This book gave me the confidence I need to begin teaching my oldest to read. He started the book at 3 and was done before 5. The twins haven't been ready until they turned five, but they are slowly making progress. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Kason is ready for the book now. I let him do whatever he wants to do in it.
I'm still a guitar novice, as is my son, but we are learning together. We have Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class I found three volumes on Amazon for a third of the price! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, it!
Please send me a link of you do a Homeschool Day picture/video post, I'd love to see it.
To be continued...
Kissing these cheeks.
Everyone is perfect. We are so thankful for health and happiness. Life is busy and in full swing. We've been doing school all this week. I've changed some things around in homeschool, I'd like to do an updated homeschool post very soon. We had about 50 people here for Christmas Eve and 40 Christmas Day, it was fun and exhausting. I was especially happy for my oldest son who got several Nerf guns this year, he's been waiting patiently for months and months and he is the last birthday of the year. He is a wonderful boy.
Kason 2008
Kason 2008
Kason 2008
Kenny 2010
Kenny 2010
He looks so big here. 
Completely tuckered out. Yet another victim of naptime. 
I love this picture. How sweet he looks. 
A mommy in training. 
