E, in first grade, is flying right along. She has completed 200 pages in her math book, 12 of which she did this week. She continues to learn a concept immediately, which I'm thankful for. Her handwriting is still a bit sloppy, but I have been correcting her more, and she can write beautifully when she takes her time. She also completed 8 pages in her English this week, and LOVES finding word opposites, and counting syllables. She is still reading well, but her spelling is not doing as well as I would hope. She spells more phonetically, than correctly, but for being only 6 she is normal in that area.
C, in 5th, has now completed 99 out of 120 lessons in math, and still earns A's with each assignment. If she would consistantly double check her work she would get A+'s. We finished her unit on pronouns this week. Somehow they had 2 extra lessons, so Monday and Wednesday she did 2 English assignments. Again, all A's. A+ in Spelling, as always, and a very imaginative journal entry for her this week. Not the best writing she has ever done, but I love her imagination. C also did 4 lessons in Bible, and 2 pages in geography.
She and E completed chapter 9 in Zoology. I'm amazed at how fascinated E is with science. It is the only class she is never bored in, and actually sits still to listen, and answers comprehension questions.
As for myself, I learned what antecedents and reflexive pronouns are. I'm not really sure why they are important, and have never heard of them before, but always nice to learn new things. LOL
D and I have come to an agreement with the attorney, and signed all the papers Friday. We both must attend mandatory parenting-of-children-going-through-a-divorce classes next month, and then it will be final. Still waiting on child support. For the first time in my 38 years of life I've had to get my home phone disconnected, and cable TV is next on my list of cutting back on expenses. I have also had to apply for assistance with my power bill, so we still have power for another month or two. Thanks to my friend, M, the girls and I have been eating very well, though. So, even though I am having to make adjustments, and dont like things such as applying for assistance, God is, as He always does, providing, and the girls and I are very blessed.
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Finally Able to do an Update (very long post)
Wow. I just realized I have not done an update for over 2 months. I suppose, as tomorrow is our last day of school until after the new year, I should. First, though, Let me explain WHY I have not been posting. D and I are in the process of getting a divorce. We officially seperated Oct. 23, and he moved out of our home Nov 13. For a few of you that read this blog, this was not a surprise, as you have known D and I the entire length of our marriage. For those of you that I've met through the homeschooling community, I imagine this is quite a shock, as I keep my private life just that...PRIVATE, and this is the first time I have brought it up. I will not go into the reasons on a public blog, but this is for the best. D and I just have too many problems that could not ever be resolved. He and I both are in agreeance that we would like me to be able to continue homeschooling the girls, therefore I am trying to make plans to find an at-home job that will allow me to keep the girls here at home, and yet earn some income to survive. D is NOT contributing at this time in any way financiallly. Thankfully, the Lord has been providing, and we are making it.
Now for the update on school-related topics.
C, in 5th grade, is doing WONDERFULLY. She has completed Saxon 65 math through lesson 93, earning A's in all her tests and assignments, She will be finished with the book within 3 months. We are wrapping up Unit 8 in BJU English tomorrow, which is exactly half-way. I STILL can not say enough good things about this english program, as she is finally getting straight A's in English, too, and has actually written several good pieces this year, in addition to cementing her grammar skills, and learning to diagram sentences. She's even written some poetry, and is currently working on a play for her sister, and their friend to perform. C has also finished book 3 out of 5 in her Bible for this year, and is loving this subject. She is on unit 24 (out of 36)in Spelling. All this adds up to my daughter will be done with her 5th grade work within 3 more months.
E is doing wonderfully with her first grade material. There was quite a long period that we did not do any formal schooling....for almost 4 weeks. E is so active and high strung, and I was feeling unable to cope well with all that is going on in my life that we took an extended break. It's easy to do this, when we school year-round, and she is still ahead for her year. When we finally got back to school for her I was afraid she would have forgotten everything. To the contrary...the break was the best thing I've ever done for her! Not only did she remember everything, she has been doing a far better job in her schoolwork than before. Instead of math boring her, she whizzes thorugh her math facts, and is into adding 3 numbers at a time, and double-digit addition. Instead of whining about having to write a few words, she is now writing several sentences per day, and up to doing 2 pages a day in English, as opposed to 1/2 or 1 page a few months ago. Her had-writing has improved TREMENDOUSLY, and she is reading fairly fluently, although her spelling is still more phonetic, than correct on many words. She has only 6 lessons left in Bible, and will be done with the entire first grade Bible curriculum. As I've mentioned before, E does school on no set schedue, other than when she asks to, so I anticipate accomplishing a lot with her over the Christmas "break". As long as she keeps progressing well, and enjoying her work, I see no reason to change what we've done and has worked for 2 years now.
Both girls have still been doing science together. I had hoped to have finished Zoology 1 by Christmas, but science was laid by the way-side for awhile, while I was feeling overwhelmed just trying to get the basics, reading, writing, and 'rithmatic done, so we are only half way through the book. Science, is one subject we will probably continue with through our "break", also, as both girls ask for it frequently, and usually during the hour or so before bedtime, which actually works out very well.
C and E have both also been working in their map skills/geography books, but we have not done any FORMAL history since September. We have done quite a bit of INformal history through reading "living" books, documentaries on TV (C just loves the show, "Cities of the Underworld" on the History Channel), and looking up places and events online.
My hopes are to be able to still somehow afford Sonlight's Core 5, Eastern Hemisphere for her upcoming school year, along with SL's core 5 science. Both are reportedly THE BEST in Sonlight's line-up, and cover very extensively areas of study I feel imperative for her to learn. However, you get what you pay for, and for these 2 programs alone, the cost will be a little over $800. Add in her English and Math, and I will need to come up with $1000 for her full 6th grade year. That is my dream for her next year, but time and finances will tell the reality. Paying for a divorce from a father that does not contribute, trying to find some work that will still allow me to be home, and still keep up with normal bills and groceries, does not leave me with money for the EXCELLENT programs I've had planned for over a year now.
Thankfully, E's 2nd grade curriculum won't be nearly as expensive. No Sonlight for her, and although I have not researched enough on all her subjects, I am tentatively planning to at least use R&S English for her 2nd grade year, which is thorough, rigorous, and yet, very inexpensive. I will not decide on her math until she is closer to finishing her first grade book, and as she is such a whiz in math, it is a difficult choice among all the many good math programs out there. All I know for certain regarding math for E is that it is time to move away from Abeka, and she is too young to start Saxon; I won't begin her in Saxon until 4th grade. She does not need repetition, as she grasps concepts very quickly, although a small amount of review would be good for her. I have not even had the inclination this year to even look ahead for her other subjects.
Another quick thing to update on, we were able to have a week-long visit with April and Lance the first week of December. Lance's father suffered 2 heart attacks, and underwent cardiac surgery. Lance obtained emergency leave, and he and April stayed here at out house. Although they spent much of their time at the hospital and with his father, we were still able to see a lot of each other, and had a nice visit. They even worked in a special afternoon with just C and E, going out to lunch and bowling, which meant a lot to the 2 little sisters, who have missed them greatly. I am impressed with how mature April has become in just 6 months of being a married young woman. (Although her housekeeping skills need work!!!! LOL) We are so thankful Lance's dad is recovering well, and even though the reason for the visit was scary, we are thankful for April and Lance making it safely here and back home, and for the nice times we had.
One last thing I'd like to mention, a HUGE thank you to two of my friends. Denise, thank you for being tolerant of my going days/weeks without e-mailing, you, only to barrage you with my problems and moods. Thank you for listening to me, and being there for me, and for your many kind invitations. You are awesome! And M...I can't begin to list the things I have to thank YOU for. You are one super-special friend to all 3 of us.
My apologies for such a long post, but there's been a ton of changes in my life the past few months, and I haven't felt like writing until now. Wishing everyone who read this far a great Christmas and New Year.
Now for the update on school-related topics.
C, in 5th grade, is doing WONDERFULLY. She has completed Saxon 65 math through lesson 93, earning A's in all her tests and assignments, She will be finished with the book within 3 months. We are wrapping up Unit 8 in BJU English tomorrow, which is exactly half-way. I STILL can not say enough good things about this english program, as she is finally getting straight A's in English, too, and has actually written several good pieces this year, in addition to cementing her grammar skills, and learning to diagram sentences. She's even written some poetry, and is currently working on a play for her sister, and their friend to perform. C has also finished book 3 out of 5 in her Bible for this year, and is loving this subject. She is on unit 24 (out of 36)in Spelling. All this adds up to my daughter will be done with her 5th grade work within 3 more months.
E is doing wonderfully with her first grade material. There was quite a long period that we did not do any formal schooling....for almost 4 weeks. E is so active and high strung, and I was feeling unable to cope well with all that is going on in my life that we took an extended break. It's easy to do this, when we school year-round, and she is still ahead for her year. When we finally got back to school for her I was afraid she would have forgotten everything. To the contrary...the break was the best thing I've ever done for her! Not only did she remember everything, she has been doing a far better job in her schoolwork than before. Instead of math boring her, she whizzes thorugh her math facts, and is into adding 3 numbers at a time, and double-digit addition. Instead of whining about having to write a few words, she is now writing several sentences per day, and up to doing 2 pages a day in English, as opposed to 1/2 or 1 page a few months ago. Her had-writing has improved TREMENDOUSLY, and she is reading fairly fluently, although her spelling is still more phonetic, than correct on many words. She has only 6 lessons left in Bible, and will be done with the entire first grade Bible curriculum. As I've mentioned before, E does school on no set schedue, other than when she asks to, so I anticipate accomplishing a lot with her over the Christmas "break". As long as she keeps progressing well, and enjoying her work, I see no reason to change what we've done and has worked for 2 years now.
Both girls have still been doing science together. I had hoped to have finished Zoology 1 by Christmas, but science was laid by the way-side for awhile, while I was feeling overwhelmed just trying to get the basics, reading, writing, and 'rithmatic done, so we are only half way through the book. Science, is one subject we will probably continue with through our "break", also, as both girls ask for it frequently, and usually during the hour or so before bedtime, which actually works out very well.
C and E have both also been working in their map skills/geography books, but we have not done any FORMAL history since September. We have done quite a bit of INformal history through reading "living" books, documentaries on TV (C just loves the show, "Cities of the Underworld" on the History Channel), and looking up places and events online.
My hopes are to be able to still somehow afford Sonlight's Core 5, Eastern Hemisphere for her upcoming school year, along with SL's core 5 science. Both are reportedly THE BEST in Sonlight's line-up, and cover very extensively areas of study I feel imperative for her to learn. However, you get what you pay for, and for these 2 programs alone, the cost will be a little over $800. Add in her English and Math, and I will need to come up with $1000 for her full 6th grade year. That is my dream for her next year, but time and finances will tell the reality. Paying for a divorce from a father that does not contribute, trying to find some work that will still allow me to be home, and still keep up with normal bills and groceries, does not leave me with money for the EXCELLENT programs I've had planned for over a year now.
Thankfully, E's 2nd grade curriculum won't be nearly as expensive. No Sonlight for her, and although I have not researched enough on all her subjects, I am tentatively planning to at least use R&S English for her 2nd grade year, which is thorough, rigorous, and yet, very inexpensive. I will not decide on her math until she is closer to finishing her first grade book, and as she is such a whiz in math, it is a difficult choice among all the many good math programs out there. All I know for certain regarding math for E is that it is time to move away from Abeka, and she is too young to start Saxon; I won't begin her in Saxon until 4th grade. She does not need repetition, as she grasps concepts very quickly, although a small amount of review would be good for her. I have not even had the inclination this year to even look ahead for her other subjects.
Another quick thing to update on, we were able to have a week-long visit with April and Lance the first week of December. Lance's father suffered 2 heart attacks, and underwent cardiac surgery. Lance obtained emergency leave, and he and April stayed here at out house. Although they spent much of their time at the hospital and with his father, we were still able to see a lot of each other, and had a nice visit. They even worked in a special afternoon with just C and E, going out to lunch and bowling, which meant a lot to the 2 little sisters, who have missed them greatly. I am impressed with how mature April has become in just 6 months of being a married young woman. (Although her housekeeping skills need work!!!! LOL) We are so thankful Lance's dad is recovering well, and even though the reason for the visit was scary, we are thankful for April and Lance making it safely here and back home, and for the nice times we had.
One last thing I'd like to mention, a HUGE thank you to two of my friends. Denise, thank you for being tolerant of my going days/weeks without e-mailing, you, only to barrage you with my problems and moods. Thank you for listening to me, and being there for me, and for your many kind invitations. You are awesome! And M...I can't begin to list the things I have to thank YOU for. You are one super-special friend to all 3 of us.
My apologies for such a long post, but there's been a ton of changes in my life the past few months, and I haven't felt like writing until now. Wishing everyone who read this far a great Christmas and New Year.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
What's New With Our Kittens?
Abby, Ashley, and Little Spot are now almost 4 months old. Abby has discovered the joy of paper towels. Please note the shredded kitchen stool on the left... 
And here is the boy kitten, Little Spot, and a new game he and C like to play:
And here is the boy kitten, Little Spot, and a new game he and C like to play:Thursday, October 1, 2009
Feeling Nostalgic
These pictures were taken within the first month my husband and I knew each other. The one of the girls and I dancing, I was 25, April (in front) was 6, and B was 3. This is just one of my all-time favorite pictures. Those 2 step-daughters of mine and I used to have SO much fun!
Anyone recognize THIS handsome guy? Yep, that's how D looked when I met him. (Excuse my finger in the picture...I had a tendency to always do that. LOL) Easy to see the attraction. Well, that and the fact he would NOT leave me alone once he met me, so I finally agreed to go on one date with him just to shut him up. LOL
Anyone recognize THIS handsome guy? Yep, that's how D looked when I met him. (Excuse my finger in the picture...I had a tendency to always do that. LOL) Easy to see the attraction. Well, that and the fact he would NOT leave me alone once he met me, so I finally agreed to go on one date with him just to shut him up. LOL
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Kittens
The kittens are 5 weeks old today. They are, of course, adorable. They are also very smart. The little boy kitty is named Spot III (His father would be Spot II, and his grandmother is a feral cat we only catch glimpses of out our back windows, named, obviously, Original Spot.) Had I known we would end up keeping these kittens I would have better names for them. However, my intentions had been to find them all good homes, and I let my daughters name them.
Spot understands English, because as soon as my husband told me it was up to me, this cat can not leave me alone. He cries at the gate until I come pet him. If I step over the gate to go in the girls' room, he climbs up my legs. If I sit down for a minute, I'm stuck for half an hour because he climbs in my lap and cuddles with me. Here's how he helps me do History with the girls. We've been doing History as a bedtime story, so please excuse the raggedy, old nightgown. That's Spot on my back.
Because Spot was smart enough to worm his little way into my heart, I began feeling guilty about the 2 little girl kitties. After all, it's not fair to keep one, and send the other 2 off to someone who might not love them as much as we do. Now I know why I made it 37 years with never having kittens around me. I'd have 37 cats if I'd been around kittens all my life. Look how much C loves them:
The 2 female kittens each have their own personality, too. Ashley is the runt, and hard to get a picture of because she thinks she's a might lioness. This little girl is FAST, and she loves to pounce and attack anything that catches her eye. I took this picture a few days ago. She WAS sitting still in the center of the photo, but in the split second between the flash going off, and the picture actually being taken she was off!
Abby is timid. She doesn't like to be picked up, but she will ease her way over to cuddle on her own time. The least little thing scares her, and she likes to hide under the bed, or behind the door. At least I don't have to worry about Abby tearing up my house like her sister. LOL As you can see she is a GORGEOUS long-haired calico:
They just began eating solid food a few days ago. (kitten chow softened with water)
So it looks as if we may be keeping all three. My next door neighbor might possibly take one, but I'm not going to look much farther for any homes. Next door is okay, because we can visit.
For any of you who read my blog and have a daughter that is in daily e-mail contact with C tell your daughter not to mention this little post because my girls still think we won't be keeping any kittens. C's birthday is next week. One of the things she asked for was to keep the kittens. I'd like it to be a surprise.
Next post: taking up a collection to pay for neutering/spaying fees. LOL I called the vet yesterday, and it's a bit more expensive than I recall from years ago. $285!!!! EACH!
Spot understands English, because as soon as my husband told me it was up to me, this cat can not leave me alone. He cries at the gate until I come pet him. If I step over the gate to go in the girls' room, he climbs up my legs. If I sit down for a minute, I'm stuck for half an hour because he climbs in my lap and cuddles with me. Here's how he helps me do History with the girls. We've been doing History as a bedtime story, so please excuse the raggedy, old nightgown. That's Spot on my back.
Because Spot was smart enough to worm his little way into my heart, I began feeling guilty about the 2 little girl kitties. After all, it's not fair to keep one, and send the other 2 off to someone who might not love them as much as we do. Now I know why I made it 37 years with never having kittens around me. I'd have 37 cats if I'd been around kittens all my life. Look how much C loves them:
The 2 female kittens each have their own personality, too. Ashley is the runt, and hard to get a picture of because she thinks she's a might lioness. This little girl is FAST, and she loves to pounce and attack anything that catches her eye. I took this picture a few days ago. She WAS sitting still in the center of the photo, but in the split second between the flash going off, and the picture actually being taken she was off!
Abby is timid. She doesn't like to be picked up, but she will ease her way over to cuddle on her own time. The least little thing scares her, and she likes to hide under the bed, or behind the door. At least I don't have to worry about Abby tearing up my house like her sister. LOL As you can see she is a GORGEOUS long-haired calico:
They just began eating solid food a few days ago. (kitten chow softened with water)
So it looks as if we may be keeping all three. My next door neighbor might possibly take one, but I'm not going to look much farther for any homes. Next door is okay, because we can visit.
For any of you who read my blog and have a daughter that is in daily e-mail contact with C tell your daughter not to mention this little post because my girls still think we won't be keeping any kittens. C's birthday is next week. One of the things she asked for was to keep the kittens. I'd like it to be a surprise.
Next post: taking up a collection to pay for neutering/spaying fees. LOL I called the vet yesterday, and it's a bit more expensive than I recall from years ago. $285!!!! EACH!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
My Girls Have Fallen in Love....
....with these:
I think I've mentioned in a prior post that our kitty, Minnie, was expecting. She gave birth yesterday morning to these 3 adorable kittens. Two females, and one we aren't sure if it's a male or female. I think it's male. My husband thinks it's female. That means it's male because I'm always right. LOL!!!
Unfortunately, Minnie chose to have her babies in my 6 year old's bed. E was thrilled to have that honor. I was not quite as thrilled, as I had to spend the day doing umpteen extra loads of laundry. I was already going on only 4 hours of sleep yesterday, so 7 or 8 extra trips down the basement stairs and back up again didn't help my mood or my knee. LOL
E could not stop crying when she first saw the newborn kittens. I asked her if she was okay, and she clasped her hands and replied, "I'm fine! These are tears of JOY!" She was just completely enthralled at the new lives. (And yes, that is her bed. E keeps everything but the kitchen sink in there...including, it seems, mother cats and newborn kittens. LOL)
All seem to be doing well. Minnie is used to the girls, and will be staying in the girls' room. I have moved her from E's bed, though, and we bought a baby gate to keep the dogs out of their bedroom. Here they are just five minutes ago:
I think I've mentioned in a prior post that our kitty, Minnie, was expecting. She gave birth yesterday morning to these 3 adorable kittens. Two females, and one we aren't sure if it's a male or female. I think it's male. My husband thinks it's female. That means it's male because I'm always right. LOL!!!
Unfortunately, Minnie chose to have her babies in my 6 year old's bed. E was thrilled to have that honor. I was not quite as thrilled, as I had to spend the day doing umpteen extra loads of laundry. I was already going on only 4 hours of sleep yesterday, so 7 or 8 extra trips down the basement stairs and back up again didn't help my mood or my knee. LOL
E could not stop crying when she first saw the newborn kittens. I asked her if she was okay, and she clasped her hands and replied, "I'm fine! These are tears of JOY!" She was just completely enthralled at the new lives. (And yes, that is her bed. E keeps everything but the kitchen sink in there...including, it seems, mother cats and newborn kittens. LOL)
All seem to be doing well. Minnie is used to the girls, and will be staying in the girls' room. I have moved her from E's bed, though, and we bought a baby gate to keep the dogs out of their bedroom. Here they are just five minutes ago:
Monday, August 3, 2009
C and E's Fist Catches
We haven't really fished much the past 5 years, so C and E are a little late in learning. We went last week, but I was the only one who caught anything. Tonight they each caught small Bluegills. I did, too, but for some reason no one thought it momentous enough to photograph me. LOL
C did very well. She fished for 3 hours non-stop, and was determined to catch more.
I love E's face in the second picture. : ) She's so delighted, yet scared to get the fish too close to her.
C did very well. She fished for 3 hours non-stop, and was determined to catch more.
I love E's face in the second picture. : ) She's so delighted, yet scared to get the fish too close to her.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Whew!
Just a quick update for now. C is finished with her 4th softball season. Her team won the first game of the tournaments, and lost the next two, so her team finished in 4th place for the season and the tournament. In the very last inning of the very last game she was injured. C is the pitcher for our team, and was hit in the ankle bone by a line-drive grounder. Although it is bruised and swollen, she refused to sit out, and finished pitching the game. Our team pizza party is this Sunday, and the entire softball league's annual potluck/coach softball game is the following week.
C was also busy with Bible school, and her enrichment classes at the college. Those are finished now, too. E participated in Bible school again, too.
My husband's transmission went out in his truck, so he has spent the last 2 weeks riding his bike to work. It will be quite awhile before we have enough spare money to work on getting a new transmission, or fixing this one.
We're close to meeting our goals for the summer with our schoolwork, and have even exceeded our plans in some areas. I'll try to make that a separate post.
The girls have learned a few extra "life-lessons" this summer, too. They are still grieving over the loss of their friend across the street. At the same time they (and me) are anxiously awaiting the arrival of kittens. Minnie, an abused stray, has decided she likes being fed and loved enough to stay here. One of our outside cats decided he liked her, too, so sometime in the next month we will be caring for newborn kittens. I've had cats all my life, but always had them spayed/neitered, so this will be a new experience for me, too.
And what would an update be without letting everyone know how the newlyweds are doing? They seem to be enjoying life, spending money like it grows on trees, and behaving just like any other newly married teen couple. I've had some interesting phone calls...."How do you make green beans?" "Mom, Lance is at the store, and he called me to ask you where the instant mashed potoatoes might be?" "What does it mean when the directions says to grease a cookie sheet? And what IS a cookie sheet? All I have is those big, flat pans you bake cookies on." (ROFL!!!) You get the point. This child stood in the kitchen myriad times talking to me while I was making dinner or baking, and obviously didn't notice a single thing. She's catching on, though, and at least she calls. : ) I'll be nice, and not even post in public the checking account drama....
As for myself, I'm fine, just glad to have some down-time finally, to prepare and organize for the new school year. Both girls are already ahead for their grades, but there are still boxes of books I need to put in order, and figure out some semblance of lesson plans for 5th grade. I might even stick to them for 2 weeks this year....
C was also busy with Bible school, and her enrichment classes at the college. Those are finished now, too. E participated in Bible school again, too.
My husband's transmission went out in his truck, so he has spent the last 2 weeks riding his bike to work. It will be quite awhile before we have enough spare money to work on getting a new transmission, or fixing this one.
We're close to meeting our goals for the summer with our schoolwork, and have even exceeded our plans in some areas. I'll try to make that a separate post.
The girls have learned a few extra "life-lessons" this summer, too. They are still grieving over the loss of their friend across the street. At the same time they (and me) are anxiously awaiting the arrival of kittens. Minnie, an abused stray, has decided she likes being fed and loved enough to stay here. One of our outside cats decided he liked her, too, so sometime in the next month we will be caring for newborn kittens. I've had cats all my life, but always had them spayed/neitered, so this will be a new experience for me, too.
And what would an update be without letting everyone know how the newlyweds are doing? They seem to be enjoying life, spending money like it grows on trees, and behaving just like any other newly married teen couple. I've had some interesting phone calls...."How do you make green beans?" "Mom, Lance is at the store, and he called me to ask you where the instant mashed potoatoes might be?" "What does it mean when the directions says to grease a cookie sheet? And what IS a cookie sheet? All I have is those big, flat pans you bake cookies on." (ROFL!!!) You get the point. This child stood in the kitchen myriad times talking to me while I was making dinner or baking, and obviously didn't notice a single thing. She's catching on, though, and at least she calls. : ) I'll be nice, and not even post in public the checking account drama....
As for myself, I'm fine, just glad to have some down-time finally, to prepare and organize for the new school year. Both girls are already ahead for their grades, but there are still boxes of books I need to put in order, and figure out some semblance of lesson plans for 5th grade. I might even stick to them for 2 weeks this year....
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Best Kind of Day
See that picture above in my header? The girls and I went out there yesterday for a few hours between C's Astronomy class at another session of College for Kids Enrichment classes, and her softball game last night. We:
fed the geese,
looked at pretty scenery,
played in the river,
and found lots of interesting rocks.
We also found tons of tadpoles and baby frogs, but those were a little difficult to get a picture of. My favorite picture of all, though, is this one. That's my right hand in the photo, and I was afraid it wouldn't turn out well, but I love it! : )
I hope you all can have great days like this sometimes! : )
fed the geese,
looked at pretty scenery,
played in the river,
and found lots of interesting rocks.
We also found tons of tadpoles and baby frogs, but those were a little difficult to get a picture of. My favorite picture of all, though, is this one. That's my right hand in the photo, and I was afraid it wouldn't turn out well, but I love it! : )
I hope you all can have great days like this sometimes! : )
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Wedding
Saturday was my daughter's wedding. C was a junior bridesmaid. E was the flower girl. Dad walked her down the aisle. As of right now I have no pictures of Dad walking her down the aisle, because he had the cameras in his pocket when he did! LOL
Here are my 3 girls shortly before the wedding: E took her job as flower girl very seriously. She behaved perfectly, and went so far as to stop and try to pick the flower petals BACK UP after the wedding.
The bride and bridesmaids. April chose the colors; they chose their own dresses.
Dad with his oldest daughter just prior to ceremony.
Ring on her finger:
Praying before lighting their unity candle....
JUST married!
The entire wedding party:
The obligatory photo of the newlyweds "shoving" a pice of cake into each other's mouth. They did it very carefully and neatly because Lance was worried about getting so much as a crumb on his Air Force dress blues.
My daughter, April, and my new son-in-law, Lance:
I pray that God will bless them both in this new life together.
Here are my 3 girls shortly before the wedding: E took her job as flower girl very seriously. She behaved perfectly, and went so far as to stop and try to pick the flower petals BACK UP after the wedding.
The bride and bridesmaids. April chose the colors; they chose their own dresses.
Dad with his oldest daughter just prior to ceremony.Ring on her finger:
Praying before lighting their unity candle....
JUST married!
The entire wedding party:
The obligatory photo of the newlyweds "shoving" a pice of cake into each other's mouth. They did it very carefully and neatly because Lance was worried about getting so much as a crumb on his Air Force dress blues.
My daughter, April, and my new son-in-law, Lance:
I pray that God will bless them both in this new life together.
Monday, May 18, 2009
It runs in the family....
First my mother. Then me. Now C. Too many people don't value animals, but not in our family!
Here is C with our 2 indoor-only cats: Mitsy, the grey and white kitty, is 16. Pepper, on C's lap, is 4 1/2.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRIL!
A is 18 today! (So I can use her name now.)
I met April when she was 6. She's not my daughter in the true sense, in that I didn't give birth to her. When I met her she was pretty messed up over her mother leaving her Dad, her sister, and her. She was fiercly loyal to her biological mother, and I was fine with that. I wasn't going to try to be her "new mommy" or something like that. After several years of her loyalty to someone who never showed up for visits, never remembered to call or even send a card on birthdays, and never even called on Christmas I started to get tired of it. I understood she loved her mother, but after years of raising her, teaching her, trying to do the best I could at parenting her, I did grow tired of it. I thought April would never see that I loved her.
When she was 12 her mother kidnapped her and her sister. We didn't hear from them for over 2 weeks. We had no idea where they were. I could barely sleep for worrying about her that time. I wasn't worried about her sister, because her sister always had tons of attention from her mother, but I was frantic about April. When we finally found them, and went to pick them up I was furious. Not at the girls, but at the situation. I started crying in the car, and told April how worried we'd been, and how much I loved her. She said she'd tried to call me, but her mother had caught her, and she'd gotten in trouble. From then on April and I became the best of friends.
Four months after the kidnapping, I left my husband for awhile. I begged him to let me take April with me, but he wouldn't allow it. When I left, April climbed in the back of the U-Haul, and bawled the entire time I packed my things. I was bawling the entire time, too, but I couldn't stay due to marital issues that were pretty bad at the time.
I moved across the country. It was like I'd never left. EVERY morning at 5, as soon as I woke up, I'd turn on my computer. I wouldn't even have coffee poured, and April was "buzzing" me on instant messenger. She would talk to me all day. We had web-cams, so we could just sit and talk like we were right there. I told her she drove me nuts that summer, but in reality it was sweet. She called me once in a panic. Her dad was at work, she was home alone, and there was a tornado warning. I had to calm her down, talk her through it till her dad got home. I tried to get her to go to the basement, but she was too scared. I think I was more frantic than she was...from 1.000 miles away all I could do was talk to her, worry, and then REALLY worry when they lost power for 3 days, and I didn't know if she was all right!
After 2 months, I missed my husband too much to stay gone, so I came home. I will never forget pulling into our driveway. April was on the phone, watching for me. She saw me, THREW the phone across the yard, and LEAPED a good 15 feet from the porch steps to my arms as I stepped out of the van. LOL She jumped into my arms like a little kid, screaming. "Mom's home! Mom's home!"
As I write this I want to cry. I have so many memories of April growing up. I remember I thought she'd NEVER get over her first boyfriend. I remember her struggles in school. I remember her heartache over her real mother. I remember when she was 14 she and I had an "unofficial" adoption ceremony. I remember spending hours playing "Guitar Hero" with her. I remember all the movies we watched together, because we were the only 2 in the house wanting to see them. I remember all the books we've shared. All the videos I've made of her dancing; she's a complete goofball. : ) I remember the bad times, too...but won't mention them here. SHE knows.
April took her sweet time to warm up to me, but 12 years later I can't ask for a better friend or daughter. I think she's an idiot for getting married in 9!!!! days, but I'm happy she has a good guy who loves her, and will be good to her. I'm sad she isn't going to college, but she never was cut out for school. I'm happy she has found a church, and is interested in the Bible. I'm SO proud of her for being the first one ever in her entire family (biological parents, not me) to graduate high school.
She's 18 now. Free to do anything. She will soon be 1,000 miles away from me. : ( I'm going to be the typical mother, and bawl my head off through her wedding. I will bawl even more, as this time SHE is the one driving away, and I know she won't be back.
April...pookie...I love you. You are just as much a daughter to me as C and E, even though I missed the first 6 years of your life. Happy birthday.
I met April when she was 6. She's not my daughter in the true sense, in that I didn't give birth to her. When I met her she was pretty messed up over her mother leaving her Dad, her sister, and her. She was fiercly loyal to her biological mother, and I was fine with that. I wasn't going to try to be her "new mommy" or something like that. After several years of her loyalty to someone who never showed up for visits, never remembered to call or even send a card on birthdays, and never even called on Christmas I started to get tired of it. I understood she loved her mother, but after years of raising her, teaching her, trying to do the best I could at parenting her, I did grow tired of it. I thought April would never see that I loved her.
When she was 12 her mother kidnapped her and her sister. We didn't hear from them for over 2 weeks. We had no idea where they were. I could barely sleep for worrying about her that time. I wasn't worried about her sister, because her sister always had tons of attention from her mother, but I was frantic about April. When we finally found them, and went to pick them up I was furious. Not at the girls, but at the situation. I started crying in the car, and told April how worried we'd been, and how much I loved her. She said she'd tried to call me, but her mother had caught her, and she'd gotten in trouble. From then on April and I became the best of friends.
Four months after the kidnapping, I left my husband for awhile. I begged him to let me take April with me, but he wouldn't allow it. When I left, April climbed in the back of the U-Haul, and bawled the entire time I packed my things. I was bawling the entire time, too, but I couldn't stay due to marital issues that were pretty bad at the time.
I moved across the country. It was like I'd never left. EVERY morning at 5, as soon as I woke up, I'd turn on my computer. I wouldn't even have coffee poured, and April was "buzzing" me on instant messenger. She would talk to me all day. We had web-cams, so we could just sit and talk like we were right there. I told her she drove me nuts that summer, but in reality it was sweet. She called me once in a panic. Her dad was at work, she was home alone, and there was a tornado warning. I had to calm her down, talk her through it till her dad got home. I tried to get her to go to the basement, but she was too scared. I think I was more frantic than she was...from 1.000 miles away all I could do was talk to her, worry, and then REALLY worry when they lost power for 3 days, and I didn't know if she was all right!
After 2 months, I missed my husband too much to stay gone, so I came home. I will never forget pulling into our driveway. April was on the phone, watching for me. She saw me, THREW the phone across the yard, and LEAPED a good 15 feet from the porch steps to my arms as I stepped out of the van. LOL She jumped into my arms like a little kid, screaming. "Mom's home! Mom's home!"
As I write this I want to cry. I have so many memories of April growing up. I remember I thought she'd NEVER get over her first boyfriend. I remember her struggles in school. I remember her heartache over her real mother. I remember when she was 14 she and I had an "unofficial" adoption ceremony. I remember spending hours playing "Guitar Hero" with her. I remember all the movies we watched together, because we were the only 2 in the house wanting to see them. I remember all the books we've shared. All the videos I've made of her dancing; she's a complete goofball. : ) I remember the bad times, too...but won't mention them here. SHE knows.
April took her sweet time to warm up to me, but 12 years later I can't ask for a better friend or daughter. I think she's an idiot for getting married in 9!!!! days, but I'm happy she has a good guy who loves her, and will be good to her. I'm sad she isn't going to college, but she never was cut out for school. I'm happy she has found a church, and is interested in the Bible. I'm SO proud of her for being the first one ever in her entire family (biological parents, not me) to graduate high school.
She's 18 now. Free to do anything. She will soon be 1,000 miles away from me. : ( I'm going to be the typical mother, and bawl my head off through her wedding. I will bawl even more, as this time SHE is the one driving away, and I know she won't be back.
April...pookie...I love you. You are just as much a daughter to me as C and E, even though I missed the first 6 years of your life. Happy birthday.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Please excuse Rebecca from her blog for a few weeks....
She has:
1.) Spent the past week helping her husband clean out over 3,000 pounds of garbage/junk/things-hubby-brought-home-from-jobsites-that-he-thought-were-useful, and-then-never-used from the garage. After living here 8 years I realize we actually have a 2 car garage. Who knew?
2.) Also spent the past week weeding, breaking up ground, planting seeds and flowers on the south side of our house. I do NOT have a green thumb, but the girls wanted flowers, and I decided we could try. It actually looks quite pretty, and will look more so in a few months. I might take a picture and post it, but then...you all know how I am with actually posting photos. : )
3.) Finalizing wedding plans for my eldest daughter. She is only 18, but has been engaged over a year now. The wedding has been planned for June 6th, and suddenly 2 weeks ago was moved to the 23rd of May due to her fiance's leave from the Air Force. In addition to the date change, dear daughter has somehow gone from a simple, family only, wedding, to tons of people, a fancy wedding dress (after changing her mind 4 times she found a beautiful one on loan from a friend for free.) bridesmaids, millions of flowers and candles, and the whole she-bang. Always lovely to have less than 2 weeks to get all that together. I WILL post pictures of that!
4.) My husband and I are now coaches for softball. This will be C's 4th year in softball, but we have never coached before. For anything. We kind of had no choice....there are 2 teams who had no coaches, and we (I) volunteered. D is more of a coach than I am....he actually does softball stuff with the team. So far, I just print out schedules, plan to keep the stats book, and provide whatever might be needed that does not include athletic ability. : ) That's probably (definitely) for the best. I'm the least athletic person in this family, not to mention legally blind. My normal outfield mode is to duck when someone warns me a ball is headed for me.
So...I've been busy. I haven't had time for much school at all, although C 10 is plugging away at English and Grammar.
D has an MRI this evening for his back. He's already had X-rays, and been going to the doctor 3 times/week for 2 months. Hopefully they can find and fix whatever's wrong before the end of the month or we won't be able to. With A getting married, we won't qualify for health insurance anymore, and can't afford private insurance.
1.) Spent the past week helping her husband clean out over 3,000 pounds of garbage/junk/things-hubby-brought-home-from-jobsites-that-he-thought-were-useful, and-then-never-used from the garage. After living here 8 years I realize we actually have a 2 car garage. Who knew?
2.) Also spent the past week weeding, breaking up ground, planting seeds and flowers on the south side of our house. I do NOT have a green thumb, but the girls wanted flowers, and I decided we could try. It actually looks quite pretty, and will look more so in a few months. I might take a picture and post it, but then...you all know how I am with actually posting photos. : )
3.) Finalizing wedding plans for my eldest daughter. She is only 18, but has been engaged over a year now. The wedding has been planned for June 6th, and suddenly 2 weeks ago was moved to the 23rd of May due to her fiance's leave from the Air Force. In addition to the date change, dear daughter has somehow gone from a simple, family only, wedding, to tons of people, a fancy wedding dress (after changing her mind 4 times she found a beautiful one on loan from a friend for free.) bridesmaids, millions of flowers and candles, and the whole she-bang. Always lovely to have less than 2 weeks to get all that together. I WILL post pictures of that!
4.) My husband and I are now coaches for softball. This will be C's 4th year in softball, but we have never coached before. For anything. We kind of had no choice....there are 2 teams who had no coaches, and we (I) volunteered. D is more of a coach than I am....he actually does softball stuff with the team. So far, I just print out schedules, plan to keep the stats book, and provide whatever might be needed that does not include athletic ability. : ) That's probably (definitely) for the best. I'm the least athletic person in this family, not to mention legally blind. My normal outfield mode is to duck when someone warns me a ball is headed for me.
So...I've been busy. I haven't had time for much school at all, although C 10 is plugging away at English and Grammar.
D has an MRI this evening for his back. He's already had X-rays, and been going to the doctor 3 times/week for 2 months. Hopefully they can find and fix whatever's wrong before the end of the month or we won't be able to. With A getting married, we won't qualify for health insurance anymore, and can't afford private insurance.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A Typical Day Teaching 4th and K/1st
I just read a typical day in the life of Susan Wise Bauer from fall of 2000. At the time she had 4 children, ages 9,7,4, and newborn. I got a headache just reading it. I do not know how this woman has time to author so many books! For any non-homeschooling parents reading this, SWB was homeschooled, and now homeschools her children. She also teaches college part-time, and has written/co-written with her mother several books about the "Classical" method of teaching, and various textbooks. We use her "Story of the World" series as a history spine, and once E is old enough (next year) I plan to use her "First Language Lessons" and "Writing with Ease" books. C is, sadly, too old for the levels of grammar/writing that SWB has published thus far. I also just ordered the infamous, "Well Trained Mind" book for myself. I have been wanting this book for a year, and finally decided to splurge for myself for once, and buy it. My teaching doesn't fall into one, specific category, but I'm somewhere in the middle of "classical" and "Charlotte Mason". Much more classical, than CM. If you'd like more information on schooling methods, you'll have to google these terms. There are oodles of sites to find who can explain it much better than I, and I want to get on to my typical day. : )
After reading Ms. Bauer's day with her 4 young children I first want to remind myself to NEVER complain, or think I have it hard, again. She didn't complain, but, her day was just so hectic, and I could commisserate with her on the issue of her constatnly hungry, crying baby. My little E was like that, for what seemed like forever. She is still constantly hungry, but, thankfully, somewhere in the past 5 years or so she has outgrown the crying, and whining she did the first year, and turned into a sweet, gentle, intelligent, yet intense, little lady.
Our day is something like this:
I wake up anywhere from 5:00-6:30. This is my favorite time of day. I drink my coffee, as I read and reply to any e-mails, check out a couple of forums, blogs, and news sites. When it is light enough to see I pay bills, read the Bible, and begin laundry. I clean cat-boxes, start dishwater, make our bed if D's working, (otherwise he sleeps in), and deal with letting dogs in and out, giving all dogs water, feeding the inside cats and sometimes the outside cats. Most days C(10) takes care of the outside cats' food and water, and the dishes. If D works, I also try to practice my guitar for 20-30 minutes before the girls wake up.
I wake the girls up between 8-8:30. E eats breakfast, cereal, and C almost never does. We try to begin school around 9 every day, but this isn't set in stone. The glory of homeschooling is doing what works for *us*, and I can't understand people who act like their home should be run like a miltary schedule, with mom and kids fully dressed, mandatory breakfast, and sitting at a desk like a bell is going to ring and make them tardy. We are at home, and we like to be comfortable. I never shower until our basic school day is over, and chores are done. I certainly don't waste time putting on clean clothes, when I haven't showered yet, so I'm in my p.j.'s. The girls usually dress, but not first thing, and usually only when the weather is nice enough they will be going outside.
C's school takes much longer than E's. Even a full day with E takes only 60-90 minutes, and rarely do I do a full, complete day with her. C starts off doing her spelling, grammar, and Bible. She can do all these herself, except Monday's, when we do a spelling "pretest". She also does her English alone most days, but that's only because the book we're using to finish this year is really, really simple, and alll review for her. When she runs out of work she can do on her own we do math. (When she isn't done with it for the year.) Most days I run over the lesson with her, ask her the mental math problems, and sit with her while she does the practice problems to make sure she understands the new concept. Sometimes the concept requires her to write the problems, and most days she just does it orally, and I wonder why they think someone needs to practice something so simple. I do not make her write out every problem of every lesson. Saxon has 30 problems/day, and most can be done mentally. I have never skipped a single problem, but I just don't make her write them all. That's just busy-work, and a waste of time. If she *can* do them in her head, why write every, single one? I couldn't stand that when I was in school, and until she reaches Algebra I see no point in it. We can do half the problems orally in under 5 minutes, or add another 20 minutes to our day to write them all down. One day a week I make her write all the problem. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because I want to make it look like she actually did something. LOL *I* know she does them all, but if the homeschool secret police show up they'd want proof. For C we only do math 4 days/week, Wednesday's being our light day, with no math or English. As long as she continues excelling in math, and being ahead, she can keep doing it that way. If she ever slips down to a "B" , or gets behind, she will have to do it 5 days a week because I'm just mean like that.
While C does her written work, I do school with E. You must understand, though, that E is a free-spirit, and learns things the first time we discuss them, so we do NOT do school every day, and we do NOT do it on a set schedule. I try to at least have her do phonics, reading, and math 3 days a week, but those days might be on the weekend, they might be in the evening, or they might actually be in the morning when most people do school. She may also go a month between any written schoolwork. If E is happily playing or doing puzzles, or (gasp) watching TV, I'm not going to bother her. If she is bored, and wanting some school we do 2 pages of phonics, and at least 2 pages of math. If she still wants more we do Bible, more phonics, flashcards, Language Lessons, map work, or read some science or health. E is SO easily bored that I vary her schoolwork quite a bit. This is why she has so many different books. Many times I just let her pick which phonics or math book she wants to do, or we do them both. I let her pick what she wants to read aloud to me. I let her pick if she wants to write in pencil or varying shades of green colored pencils. : ) She just turned 6, and technically would still be in Kindergarten. She's been doing 1st grade work with no problems, and if we did it daily, and with only one book per subject, she'd be done with that now too. I don't WANT her to get too far ahead, and I don't WANT her to dread sitting in a chair doing busy work. So, as long as she remains 6 months to a year ahead, she can take it easy in these early years.
Another thing with E, is that she is extremely kinsthetic. That means she is a "hands-on" learner. She cannot stand being read to, but if I give her something to DO while I'm reading she is happy. She cannot stand writing, but if we break it up into short increments she does well. One day she might complete 2 pages of math and 2 pages of phonics in under 5 minutes, with perfect handwriting, and the next she might take half an hour because she is busy making up stories about the pictures, or drawing pictures because there aren't any, or somehow falling out of her chair or poking holes in her clothes with her pencil that is supposed to be on her paper. She may go along just fine, and then jump up to go run and play a self-composed song on the piano. She likes "sad" songs, and will play the most beautiful things. Then she will turn to me, and ask, "Did you like my sad song, Mommy?" and tell me an entire story to go along with the song she just played. Then, like nothing happened, she will return to her little chair and finish whatever worksheet she was doing.
I really can't tell about a typical day with E, because every day is different, but I assure you, she learns and progresses no matter how it gets done.
By this time, C will be finished with math, and most likely she has done the dishes for me, and fed the outside cats. If I'm still busy with other things, C will read a book or occassionally watch TV, although most of the time I discourage TV until school work is done. Lately, C likes to get on the computer and write e-mails to her e-pal. Our longest subjects are science and history, and I learned early on to leave these till the end of our school day. We get carried away talking or looking things up, and if I began our day with science or history we'd probably never do the 3 R's. Whenever we get to them, we sit on my bed and read together science and history. We read the textbooks, and about half the time I have her do the review questions, or make a list of vocab terms for science for her to look up. If she has any experiments we do them. For history we either take turns reading aloud, or I assign her a section to go to her room and read, and then have her narrate back to me what she studied. Once a week or so I have her do mapwork, which she loves. If History seems to be in one of the chapters the publisher just skims, and leaves most of the interesting, or important stuff out, she just gets to listen to me ramble on and on until I notice her stomach is growling, and it's almost noon, which is lunchtime. : )We add many read-alouds to history. I choose appropriate books to coincide with the time period we're learning in her textbook. If the book seems a little "difficult", or has things in the story I want to discuss with her we read it aloud. If it's just a fictional story or biography she reads them on her own. C loves biographies, and they are excellent learning aids.
I always try to finish C's schoolwork by lunchtime. In 3 hours we have no problems completing grammar, spelling, english, Bible, math, and at least one of science or history, and usually both. The girls eat at noon, and when they finsish I take a shower or bath. (I'm paranoid about one of them choking on food while I'm in the shower, so I won't go in the bathroom until they finish lunch.) While they eat I check my e-mails, and talk to D on the phone if he's working. After lunch and shower time we either have "quiet time" or the girls can go out to play in nice weather, or sometimes visit the neighbors across the street. If it was up to them they would go visiting everyday, but I don't want them to be pests. : ) C enjoys talking to her friends on the phone, but only one of them is homeschooled too, so usually C has to wait till after 3 to get her phone time. Now that E has a girl her age on the block she usually runs down to this girls house to get her to come over here to play for the afternoon. When we have quiet time one of the girls goes to their room for an hour, and the other one can play at the kitchen table or watch TV. After an hour they switch area's. C likes to play "Guitar Hero", which I allow because it REALLY helps her learn to read notes and learn basic music topics such as rythym, melody, and timing. C is awesome at this game, and the only one in our house that can beat her is me...because I'm even more awesome at it. LOL D and I have even discussed letting her compete, but most people that play it are teenage boys, not little girls or middle aged housewives.
One of the reasons I bought my own guitar is because I intend to teach C how to play after I get better. Real guitars are far different than plastic video game ones. I also have recorders for both girls, but I don't want to start them on those until I teach E such basics as time, counting, and reading notes on a staff. She knows a little from piano, but I'm sort of lazy on giving piano lessons. E makes such pretty songs without me interferring, and C has no interest in the piano at all.
I'm sure many people reading this (if many people actually do read this, which I doubt.) are by now probably thinking what a horrid mother I am letting my children watch TV or play video games. D and I both think all the people who carry on about how dangerous video games are ridiculous. If someone thinks a video game corrupts the mind of a child into a serial killer then they probably should spend more time with their children, playing WITH them, and teaching them the difference between cartoony images for entertainment, and real life. I don't let my girls play any games with killing, or violence, or sex. (And yes, there are tons of those, but seriously parents...pay attention to each game, and if you think it's bad don't let them play those. ) They play the Wii games, and C will play GH. Wii is about as tame and innocent as they come, and gives great physical exercise, in addition to one of our favorite games, "Big Brain Academy". BBA is basically critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills on a TV that the whole family can compete in for better scores. As for TV...the girls are limited in WHAT they watch, but I don't limit amounts of time they spend watching. If it's raining, or cold, and school is done, chores are done...they can watch. C adores the "Animal Planet" channel, and learns tons from watching real life surgeries, animal rescues by the A.S.P.C.A, and specials on different breeds of animals. Why in the world would I NOT want her to watch that? I could never in a million years teach her all that. C also likes game shows, in particular, "The Price is Right". I don't see any harm in that. They also watch plenty of junk, but I hope I've raised them to see how stupid most of the junk is, and even to argue the discrepencies on certain shows. C enjoys watching the "History Channel" with D and I too, and seeing the places is much better than reading about them in a book with maybe one or two photos. We've actually gotten her up out of bed before to see a show on the Roman aqueducts, Great Wall of China, or the Pyramids of Egypt. Our family has had great discussion and Bible study over a certain show that airs disputing Biblical prophecy. There's nothing like pulling out the Bible, and laughing at how the government sponsored show only tells 1/3 of the story.
So...there you have it. My long-winded account of a typical day in our home. Summer is far different, because we spend so much time outside. We swim daily, C does softball for 3 months 4-5 evenings a week, and we only work on school very lightly...2 or 3 subjects, 2 or 3 days a week. E's schedule doesn't change...in summer we still do school when she asks, or when I feel it's been a while, and we should do some. They watch far less TV in the summer than during the cold months, and in fact, we sometimes go days only watching the news or weather channel.
If anyone read all this you deserve an award. : ) I began this blog as a journal and a place to write my own personal opinions, mainly on homeschooling,. although sometimes I digress. It remains that way, but I imagine it is only interesting to myself, and even then, it will only be interesting years down the road. *I* don't even want to go back and read what I just spent an hour writing, so as usual, please excuse the typonese, and have a great day!!
After reading Ms. Bauer's day with her 4 young children I first want to remind myself to NEVER complain, or think I have it hard, again. She didn't complain, but, her day was just so hectic, and I could commisserate with her on the issue of her constatnly hungry, crying baby. My little E was like that, for what seemed like forever. She is still constantly hungry, but, thankfully, somewhere in the past 5 years or so she has outgrown the crying, and whining she did the first year, and turned into a sweet, gentle, intelligent, yet intense, little lady.
Our day is something like this:
I wake up anywhere from 5:00-6:30. This is my favorite time of day. I drink my coffee, as I read and reply to any e-mails, check out a couple of forums, blogs, and news sites. When it is light enough to see I pay bills, read the Bible, and begin laundry. I clean cat-boxes, start dishwater, make our bed if D's working, (otherwise he sleeps in), and deal with letting dogs in and out, giving all dogs water, feeding the inside cats and sometimes the outside cats. Most days C(10) takes care of the outside cats' food and water, and the dishes. If D works, I also try to practice my guitar for 20-30 minutes before the girls wake up.
I wake the girls up between 8-8:30. E eats breakfast, cereal, and C almost never does. We try to begin school around 9 every day, but this isn't set in stone. The glory of homeschooling is doing what works for *us*, and I can't understand people who act like their home should be run like a miltary schedule, with mom and kids fully dressed, mandatory breakfast, and sitting at a desk like a bell is going to ring and make them tardy. We are at home, and we like to be comfortable. I never shower until our basic school day is over, and chores are done. I certainly don't waste time putting on clean clothes, when I haven't showered yet, so I'm in my p.j.'s. The girls usually dress, but not first thing, and usually only when the weather is nice enough they will be going outside.
C's school takes much longer than E's. Even a full day with E takes only 60-90 minutes, and rarely do I do a full, complete day with her. C starts off doing her spelling, grammar, and Bible. She can do all these herself, except Monday's, when we do a spelling "pretest". She also does her English alone most days, but that's only because the book we're using to finish this year is really, really simple, and alll review for her. When she runs out of work she can do on her own we do math. (When she isn't done with it for the year.) Most days I run over the lesson with her, ask her the mental math problems, and sit with her while she does the practice problems to make sure she understands the new concept. Sometimes the concept requires her to write the problems, and most days she just does it orally, and I wonder why they think someone needs to practice something so simple. I do not make her write out every problem of every lesson. Saxon has 30 problems/day, and most can be done mentally. I have never skipped a single problem, but I just don't make her write them all. That's just busy-work, and a waste of time. If she *can* do them in her head, why write every, single one? I couldn't stand that when I was in school, and until she reaches Algebra I see no point in it. We can do half the problems orally in under 5 minutes, or add another 20 minutes to our day to write them all down. One day a week I make her write all the problem. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because I want to make it look like she actually did something. LOL *I* know she does them all, but if the homeschool secret police show up they'd want proof. For C we only do math 4 days/week, Wednesday's being our light day, with no math or English. As long as she continues excelling in math, and being ahead, she can keep doing it that way. If she ever slips down to a "B" , or gets behind, she will have to do it 5 days a week because I'm just mean like that.
While C does her written work, I do school with E. You must understand, though, that E is a free-spirit, and learns things the first time we discuss them, so we do NOT do school every day, and we do NOT do it on a set schedule. I try to at least have her do phonics, reading, and math 3 days a week, but those days might be on the weekend, they might be in the evening, or they might actually be in the morning when most people do school. She may also go a month between any written schoolwork. If E is happily playing or doing puzzles, or (gasp) watching TV, I'm not going to bother her. If she is bored, and wanting some school we do 2 pages of phonics, and at least 2 pages of math. If she still wants more we do Bible, more phonics, flashcards, Language Lessons, map work, or read some science or health. E is SO easily bored that I vary her schoolwork quite a bit. This is why she has so many different books. Many times I just let her pick which phonics or math book she wants to do, or we do them both. I let her pick what she wants to read aloud to me. I let her pick if she wants to write in pencil or varying shades of green colored pencils. : ) She just turned 6, and technically would still be in Kindergarten. She's been doing 1st grade work with no problems, and if we did it daily, and with only one book per subject, she'd be done with that now too. I don't WANT her to get too far ahead, and I don't WANT her to dread sitting in a chair doing busy work. So, as long as she remains 6 months to a year ahead, she can take it easy in these early years.
Another thing with E, is that she is extremely kinsthetic. That means she is a "hands-on" learner. She cannot stand being read to, but if I give her something to DO while I'm reading she is happy. She cannot stand writing, but if we break it up into short increments she does well. One day she might complete 2 pages of math and 2 pages of phonics in under 5 minutes, with perfect handwriting, and the next she might take half an hour because she is busy making up stories about the pictures, or drawing pictures because there aren't any, or somehow falling out of her chair or poking holes in her clothes with her pencil that is supposed to be on her paper. She may go along just fine, and then jump up to go run and play a self-composed song on the piano. She likes "sad" songs, and will play the most beautiful things. Then she will turn to me, and ask, "Did you like my sad song, Mommy?" and tell me an entire story to go along with the song she just played. Then, like nothing happened, she will return to her little chair and finish whatever worksheet she was doing.
I really can't tell about a typical day with E, because every day is different, but I assure you, she learns and progresses no matter how it gets done.
By this time, C will be finished with math, and most likely she has done the dishes for me, and fed the outside cats. If I'm still busy with other things, C will read a book or occassionally watch TV, although most of the time I discourage TV until school work is done. Lately, C likes to get on the computer and write e-mails to her e-pal. Our longest subjects are science and history, and I learned early on to leave these till the end of our school day. We get carried away talking or looking things up, and if I began our day with science or history we'd probably never do the 3 R's. Whenever we get to them, we sit on my bed and read together science and history. We read the textbooks, and about half the time I have her do the review questions, or make a list of vocab terms for science for her to look up. If she has any experiments we do them. For history we either take turns reading aloud, or I assign her a section to go to her room and read, and then have her narrate back to me what she studied. Once a week or so I have her do mapwork, which she loves. If History seems to be in one of the chapters the publisher just skims, and leaves most of the interesting, or important stuff out, she just gets to listen to me ramble on and on until I notice her stomach is growling, and it's almost noon, which is lunchtime. : )We add many read-alouds to history. I choose appropriate books to coincide with the time period we're learning in her textbook. If the book seems a little "difficult", or has things in the story I want to discuss with her we read it aloud. If it's just a fictional story or biography she reads them on her own. C loves biographies, and they are excellent learning aids.
I always try to finish C's schoolwork by lunchtime. In 3 hours we have no problems completing grammar, spelling, english, Bible, math, and at least one of science or history, and usually both. The girls eat at noon, and when they finsish I take a shower or bath. (I'm paranoid about one of them choking on food while I'm in the shower, so I won't go in the bathroom until they finish lunch.) While they eat I check my e-mails, and talk to D on the phone if he's working. After lunch and shower time we either have "quiet time" or the girls can go out to play in nice weather, or sometimes visit the neighbors across the street. If it was up to them they would go visiting everyday, but I don't want them to be pests. : ) C enjoys talking to her friends on the phone, but only one of them is homeschooled too, so usually C has to wait till after 3 to get her phone time. Now that E has a girl her age on the block she usually runs down to this girls house to get her to come over here to play for the afternoon. When we have quiet time one of the girls goes to their room for an hour, and the other one can play at the kitchen table or watch TV. After an hour they switch area's. C likes to play "Guitar Hero", which I allow because it REALLY helps her learn to read notes and learn basic music topics such as rythym, melody, and timing. C is awesome at this game, and the only one in our house that can beat her is me...because I'm even more awesome at it. LOL D and I have even discussed letting her compete, but most people that play it are teenage boys, not little girls or middle aged housewives.
One of the reasons I bought my own guitar is because I intend to teach C how to play after I get better. Real guitars are far different than plastic video game ones. I also have recorders for both girls, but I don't want to start them on those until I teach E such basics as time, counting, and reading notes on a staff. She knows a little from piano, but I'm sort of lazy on giving piano lessons. E makes such pretty songs without me interferring, and C has no interest in the piano at all.
I'm sure many people reading this (if many people actually do read this, which I doubt.) are by now probably thinking what a horrid mother I am letting my children watch TV or play video games. D and I both think all the people who carry on about how dangerous video games are ridiculous. If someone thinks a video game corrupts the mind of a child into a serial killer then they probably should spend more time with their children, playing WITH them, and teaching them the difference between cartoony images for entertainment, and real life. I don't let my girls play any games with killing, or violence, or sex. (And yes, there are tons of those, but seriously parents...pay attention to each game, and if you think it's bad don't let them play those. ) They play the Wii games, and C will play GH. Wii is about as tame and innocent as they come, and gives great physical exercise, in addition to one of our favorite games, "Big Brain Academy". BBA is basically critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills on a TV that the whole family can compete in for better scores. As for TV...the girls are limited in WHAT they watch, but I don't limit amounts of time they spend watching. If it's raining, or cold, and school is done, chores are done...they can watch. C adores the "Animal Planet" channel, and learns tons from watching real life surgeries, animal rescues by the A.S.P.C.A, and specials on different breeds of animals. Why in the world would I NOT want her to watch that? I could never in a million years teach her all that. C also likes game shows, in particular, "The Price is Right". I don't see any harm in that. They also watch plenty of junk, but I hope I've raised them to see how stupid most of the junk is, and even to argue the discrepencies on certain shows. C enjoys watching the "History Channel" with D and I too, and seeing the places is much better than reading about them in a book with maybe one or two photos. We've actually gotten her up out of bed before to see a show on the Roman aqueducts, Great Wall of China, or the Pyramids of Egypt. Our family has had great discussion and Bible study over a certain show that airs disputing Biblical prophecy. There's nothing like pulling out the Bible, and laughing at how the government sponsored show only tells 1/3 of the story.
So...there you have it. My long-winded account of a typical day in our home. Summer is far different, because we spend so much time outside. We swim daily, C does softball for 3 months 4-5 evenings a week, and we only work on school very lightly...2 or 3 subjects, 2 or 3 days a week. E's schedule doesn't change...in summer we still do school when she asks, or when I feel it's been a while, and we should do some. They watch far less TV in the summer than during the cold months, and in fact, we sometimes go days only watching the news or weather channel.
If anyone read all this you deserve an award. : ) I began this blog as a journal and a place to write my own personal opinions, mainly on homeschooling,. although sometimes I digress. It remains that way, but I imagine it is only interesting to myself, and even then, it will only be interesting years down the road. *I* don't even want to go back and read what I just spent an hour writing, so as usual, please excuse the typonese, and have a great day!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Why am I writing on a Sunday Evening?
I doubt anyone has noticed, but normally I write in the early morning hours. The hours before the kids wake up, and before the coffee kicks in. Well, the official reason I'm writing at approximately 10p.m. is....I'm bored. Yep. I think I can honestly say this has been the laziest, most boring weekend I've spent since my pre-motherhood days.
First..my husband got this brainy idea that he would enjoy all his video games even MORE than the endless hours he already does if he bought a router to hook his PS3 to the internet. He bought the router, hooked everything up, and, of course, nothing worked. Well, the router worked, the modem worked, the computer worked, the PS3 worked. There was just the slight issue of the PS3 didn't work WITH the router, so he had no internet connection. SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS LATER (3 of which he spent on the phone with various tech support people in various countries around the world) he discovered that our wireless security cameras cause interference with the wireless router. Go figure. Seven and a half hours to find out that him taking 30 seconds to unplug the security camera will unblock the wireless internet interference.
That pretty much sums up yesterday. I did do a science experiment with C, which took up at least a whopping 5 minutes. We added food coloring to a cup of hot water, and a cup of cold water, to show that molecules in hot water move faster and farther apart than in cold water. I took a shower somewhere in there, read a lot, ate a lot, and that was about it.
Today. Well, right off the bat I noticed the adorable, dead, baby bunny on my front porch. One of our outside cats was quite proud of himself. We went out for brunch. We came home and buried the cute, little bunny. (Yes. We ate first, and left it on our porch. )I did dishes. I read some Bible to the girls. I read some "Farmer Boy" to the girls. I read some of my book to myself. I tried in vain to find new interesting posts on my homeschool forums to read. (That's always a lost cause on Sundays because everyone else has churches to go to and families to visit on Sundays, so why would they be posting on forums?!?)We ate supper. We watched one of the 4 shows on TV I actually can tolerate. ("Amazing Race", if you must know.)I read some more. I played with E and her Mini-Luk thingy. (an amazing educational product. If I was a better blogger I'd review it one of these days.)I watched E and C play Checkers. I put E and C to bed. And THAT is where things got interesting.
Whilst in the middle of prayers I hear A, 17, hollering for a flashlight, and my hubby actually (gasp) PAUSED HIS GAME. At 9:00 on a Sunday evening, in the middle of a span of rain reaching across our entire state, our sub-pump broke. I can't figure out why, after 50 years of the original machine working fine, it decided to rust through now. Luckily for us we have another, equally as old pump, and my husband is currently working on somehow splicing parts of one old pump to the engine of the other old pump. He's sitting in the water-filled (okay, not filled yet...just filling) basement jury-rigging ancient electrical equipment. I'm up here, because someone has to be around to call 911, right?
First..my husband got this brainy idea that he would enjoy all his video games even MORE than the endless hours he already does if he bought a router to hook his PS3 to the internet. He bought the router, hooked everything up, and, of course, nothing worked. Well, the router worked, the modem worked, the computer worked, the PS3 worked. There was just the slight issue of the PS3 didn't work WITH the router, so he had no internet connection. SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS LATER (3 of which he spent on the phone with various tech support people in various countries around the world) he discovered that our wireless security cameras cause interference with the wireless router. Go figure. Seven and a half hours to find out that him taking 30 seconds to unplug the security camera will unblock the wireless internet interference.
That pretty much sums up yesterday. I did do a science experiment with C, which took up at least a whopping 5 minutes. We added food coloring to a cup of hot water, and a cup of cold water, to show that molecules in hot water move faster and farther apart than in cold water. I took a shower somewhere in there, read a lot, ate a lot, and that was about it.
Today. Well, right off the bat I noticed the adorable, dead, baby bunny on my front porch. One of our outside cats was quite proud of himself. We went out for brunch. We came home and buried the cute, little bunny. (Yes. We ate first, and left it on our porch. )I did dishes. I read some Bible to the girls. I read some "Farmer Boy" to the girls. I read some of my book to myself. I tried in vain to find new interesting posts on my homeschool forums to read. (That's always a lost cause on Sundays because everyone else has churches to go to and families to visit on Sundays, so why would they be posting on forums?!?)We ate supper. We watched one of the 4 shows on TV I actually can tolerate. ("Amazing Race", if you must know.)I read some more. I played with E and her Mini-Luk thingy. (an amazing educational product. If I was a better blogger I'd review it one of these days.)I watched E and C play Checkers. I put E and C to bed. And THAT is where things got interesting.
Whilst in the middle of prayers I hear A, 17, hollering for a flashlight, and my hubby actually (gasp) PAUSED HIS GAME. At 9:00 on a Sunday evening, in the middle of a span of rain reaching across our entire state, our sub-pump broke. I can't figure out why, after 50 years of the original machine working fine, it decided to rust through now. Luckily for us we have another, equally as old pump, and my husband is currently working on somehow splicing parts of one old pump to the engine of the other old pump. He's sitting in the water-filled (okay, not filled yet...just filling) basement jury-rigging ancient electrical equipment. I'm up here, because someone has to be around to call 911, right?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Week in Review
C is almost finished with 4th grade. She completed her math book 2 weeks ago, so our school days are shorter. I feel like we should be doing math. Then I try to remember how often I ever completed a whole textbook when I was growing up. Never. I can not recall one year, or even one subject, that we made it through an entire book. I didn't consider that when we began our year, and it's never been an issue here. I bought the books; we will finish the books. We are even finishing a month before public schools end their year, so we have a month of lovely weather to enjoy before softball season starts. : )
This week C finished all but the final test for her 3rd "Light Unit" in Bible. We are about 1/2-way through the last unit of science. She is on Lesson 121 of 180 in Language, and should easily finish the book by the end of May. The lessons are short, simple, review for her. We are around page 80 in Grammar, and will continue working on that next year. This coming week she will complete Unit 12 (out of 36) in her 5th grade spelling, and that was my goal for this year. We may or may not complete the book when 5th grade resumes. She doesn't really need spelling help, but I can tell she is learning some valuable skills from the book. (Dictionary skills, figuring out word problems skills.) We possibly have one unit left of U.S. History. I say, "possibly" because the unit skims over WWI and WWII, and I don't like skimming. I'm not sure how I could begin to cover not one, but both World Wars in roughly 20 pages.
Anyone who knows me knows I love History, and my "specialty" is WWII. I am fascinated by anything in that era, the people here at home, the soldiers, the European theater, the Pacific theater, but above all the Holocaust. I began my interest working with elderly in my pre-mom days. My step-father, and others I was close friends with fought in WWII. I've spent hours looking at pictures, reading letters, listening to stories, and as interesting as I find it all, it all boils down to the years 1933-1945. Hitler's years. And what our men and women went through serving our country pales in comparison to the Jewish people in Europe. How can I begin to teach my daughters about this in half of one chapter of a 4th grade History text? I had planned to spend a minimum of 1 semester, maybe at least one full year, on the World Wars when my daughter reach 8th or 9th grade. A friend of mine lives an hour from here. She was ten years old when her entire family was taken to Auschwitz. Only she, and her twin sister survived the war, out of a family of 6. They survived only by being twins. The infamous Dr. Mengele intentionally sought out twins for his "medical" human experimentation in the camps. I can assure you, virtually any other 10 year old would not have survived a concentration camp, because only the strongest, healthiest, adults were kept alive for their work value. What saved her life was Dr. Mengele's obscene fascination with twins. This lady now lives in the U.S., not far from me, and has a Holocaust museum. I hope one day to take my daughters there to meet her first hand. I have the book she authored, and hope to let them read it, along with at least 50 other books I own on the Holocaust. And even though my C is the same age as Eva was when she was taken, I'm not sure I'm ready for C to know the full extent of WWII. I've studied it extensively for 14 years now, and even I am still deeply affected by new information, new biographies. Conversely, I don't want to just skim an overview of dates, either. I don't want WWII, or any other war, to be "just another power/land struggle" between selfish rulers. So...while we have this one chapter left in C's history book, I'm still undecided as to how we will go about doing this chapter, or even IF we will do this chapter. My family knows my passion with WWII, and C probably already knows more than I give her credit for by living in the same house as me.
Back to the Week in Review. E had a productive week. She hasn't had much interest in school since about the beginning of March, so I was pleasantly surprised when she bagan asking for it again this week. She did quite a bit over 4 days. 12 pages of Math, her second-to-the-last unit in phonics. (ETC 2), 5 or 6 lessons in her Bible book, 2 pages in her other phonics book, 4 lessons in her language book, and reading practice. She worked on 3 stories in her Reading Primer. She is becoming quite fluent. I STILL can't get over the fact that I've taught a child to read. In fact, having never been to public school, I can take credit, or accept blame, (whichever may be applicable) for all my youngest knows.
E and C also made me some spring artwork. They cut and pasted their own designs to make me some beautiful, (and in E's case, very colorful) flowers. A few weeks ago we planted apple seeds, from apples they ate, and saved the seeds from in the fall. Somehow, out of 20 seeds, all but 3 disappeared by planting time. I wasn't expecting much in the way of results. However...all 3 seeds have sprouted, and we are eagerly hoping we can keep them alive. We haven't had much luck with things we've grown in the past, but I'm hoping apple trees will be hardy enough to survive our "brown thumbs".
The last major happening here has been that my husband has returned to work. Finally, after 5 months, he worked Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We are so blessed that he has this job. So many in the country are being laid off, and losing not only jobs, but homes. It actually felt kind of weird this week without him here.
B called us last weekend twice. It was hard to find things to make "small talk" about, and no one here really wants to talk to her. Well, the 6 and 10 year old do, but none of us that understands what's going on. Hubby has to go to court again Thursday. I won't be going. No one wishes to hear what a step-mother who raised her for 11 years has to say, and frankly, I have better things to do than waste time sitting in a court room trying to refrain from opening my big mouth. Step-parents in my state have no legal rights what-so-ever. Hubby plans to officially tell the judge he gives up, and B can have her way. I'm sure they'll say that after fifteen years he is a horrible father for giving up. They don't take into consideration the other 5 people this well benefit and protect.
Have a great week, anyone who reads this! Since my posts are fairly sporadic, I'll be back in a day, or a week, or a month....
This week C finished all but the final test for her 3rd "Light Unit" in Bible. We are about 1/2-way through the last unit of science. She is on Lesson 121 of 180 in Language, and should easily finish the book by the end of May. The lessons are short, simple, review for her. We are around page 80 in Grammar, and will continue working on that next year. This coming week she will complete Unit 12 (out of 36) in her 5th grade spelling, and that was my goal for this year. We may or may not complete the book when 5th grade resumes. She doesn't really need spelling help, but I can tell she is learning some valuable skills from the book. (Dictionary skills, figuring out word problems skills.) We possibly have one unit left of U.S. History. I say, "possibly" because the unit skims over WWI and WWII, and I don't like skimming. I'm not sure how I could begin to cover not one, but both World Wars in roughly 20 pages.
Anyone who knows me knows I love History, and my "specialty" is WWII. I am fascinated by anything in that era, the people here at home, the soldiers, the European theater, the Pacific theater, but above all the Holocaust. I began my interest working with elderly in my pre-mom days. My step-father, and others I was close friends with fought in WWII. I've spent hours looking at pictures, reading letters, listening to stories, and as interesting as I find it all, it all boils down to the years 1933-1945. Hitler's years. And what our men and women went through serving our country pales in comparison to the Jewish people in Europe. How can I begin to teach my daughters about this in half of one chapter of a 4th grade History text? I had planned to spend a minimum of 1 semester, maybe at least one full year, on the World Wars when my daughter reach 8th or 9th grade. A friend of mine lives an hour from here. She was ten years old when her entire family was taken to Auschwitz. Only she, and her twin sister survived the war, out of a family of 6. They survived only by being twins. The infamous Dr. Mengele intentionally sought out twins for his "medical" human experimentation in the camps. I can assure you, virtually any other 10 year old would not have survived a concentration camp, because only the strongest, healthiest, adults were kept alive for their work value. What saved her life was Dr. Mengele's obscene fascination with twins. This lady now lives in the U.S., not far from me, and has a Holocaust museum. I hope one day to take my daughters there to meet her first hand. I have the book she authored, and hope to let them read it, along with at least 50 other books I own on the Holocaust. And even though my C is the same age as Eva was when she was taken, I'm not sure I'm ready for C to know the full extent of WWII. I've studied it extensively for 14 years now, and even I am still deeply affected by new information, new biographies. Conversely, I don't want to just skim an overview of dates, either. I don't want WWII, or any other war, to be "just another power/land struggle" between selfish rulers. So...while we have this one chapter left in C's history book, I'm still undecided as to how we will go about doing this chapter, or even IF we will do this chapter. My family knows my passion with WWII, and C probably already knows more than I give her credit for by living in the same house as me.
Back to the Week in Review. E had a productive week. She hasn't had much interest in school since about the beginning of March, so I was pleasantly surprised when she bagan asking for it again this week. She did quite a bit over 4 days. 12 pages of Math, her second-to-the-last unit in phonics. (ETC 2), 5 or 6 lessons in her Bible book, 2 pages in her other phonics book, 4 lessons in her language book, and reading practice. She worked on 3 stories in her Reading Primer. She is becoming quite fluent. I STILL can't get over the fact that I've taught a child to read. In fact, having never been to public school, I can take credit, or accept blame, (whichever may be applicable) for all my youngest knows.
E and C also made me some spring artwork. They cut and pasted their own designs to make me some beautiful, (and in E's case, very colorful) flowers. A few weeks ago we planted apple seeds, from apples they ate, and saved the seeds from in the fall. Somehow, out of 20 seeds, all but 3 disappeared by planting time. I wasn't expecting much in the way of results. However...all 3 seeds have sprouted, and we are eagerly hoping we can keep them alive. We haven't had much luck with things we've grown in the past, but I'm hoping apple trees will be hardy enough to survive our "brown thumbs".
The last major happening here has been that my husband has returned to work. Finally, after 5 months, he worked Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We are so blessed that he has this job. So many in the country are being laid off, and losing not only jobs, but homes. It actually felt kind of weird this week without him here.
B called us last weekend twice. It was hard to find things to make "small talk" about, and no one here really wants to talk to her. Well, the 6 and 10 year old do, but none of us that understands what's going on. Hubby has to go to court again Thursday. I won't be going. No one wishes to hear what a step-mother who raised her for 11 years has to say, and frankly, I have better things to do than waste time sitting in a court room trying to refrain from opening my big mouth. Step-parents in my state have no legal rights what-so-ever. Hubby plans to officially tell the judge he gives up, and B can have her way. I'm sure they'll say that after fifteen years he is a horrible father for giving up. They don't take into consideration the other 5 people this well benefit and protect.
Have a great week, anyone who reads this! Since my posts are fairly sporadic, I'll be back in a day, or a week, or a month....
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Tired....
I'm getting tired. It's nearing the end of the school year, and my first thought upon waking this morning was, "Thank God it's Saturday!" Our goals for the academic year are almost met. Only 4 days in math, 1 chapter of science, 1 in history, 3 spelling units, and that's about it. We'll finish every book we are doing, with the exception of Spelling and Grammar. Both of those subjects are intended to last through next year, so technically I can say we're just working ahead in them.
I haven't been doing much for 1st grade this whole past month. My only goals for her are to finish her current phonics level, (ETC 2), complete our Habit unit in her MBTP concept, practice math facts, and read more.
I'm tired of school. I want to begin all the new books, but we need a break first.
I'm tired of worrying about my step-daughter. At our request, she has been in foster care the past 6 weeks, which is a step up from jail the previous 5 months. After 3 years of daily therapy, counseling, medication, psychiatric hospitals, juvenile detention, and her violence, arson, and other extreme mental health disorders,it was the only thing her counselors and the court could figure out to get her help.Because of DCFS being involved we feel like we're bad parents. They talk to us for an hour, and write 40 page reports on our entire lives as if they really know us. Because B (15 now) is LOVING all this attention she is refusing to come home, visit, or even speak to us. She now wants to go back to the biological mother who terminated her parental rights, and contributed greatly to the way B is now. My husband and I are tired of it all. DCFS feels he needs to attend mandatory counseling to gain "empathy" for B. I guess no one needs to empathize with the danger and fear we live in while she is here. I guess no one empathizes with the hours of time my husband has spent dragging her around the state to different doctors, hospitals, couseling centers, etc....all while missing work, supper, time with his other 3 kids, and in many cases, sleep. No one empathizes with a 3 year getting hit, or a 17 year old (30 pounds smaller than B) getting held down on the floor, choked, punched, and being told she was going to be killed, because B got caught stealing. No one empathizes with my upstairs being literally DESTROYED....carpet set on fire, every piece of furniture broken beyond repair, windows, door frames, walls, and ceiling panels ruined. No one cares.
We're all just tired. We haven't missed B a bit the past 6 months. We know going back to her mother will only harm her, yet...we give up. For the best of 5 people in the house, we will sacrifice one. Again. The only thought I gave her on Christmas and her birthday was, "What a blessing I don't have to waste money buying nice things that always are torn up or broken within 4 or 5 days of being given to her." The only regret I have is asking for help from an agency that now feels my husband must be a horrible person for B to not want to even speak to us. Of course she doesn't. We actually have rules, and are consistent, and we care about every child doing their best. We don't fall for theatrics and violence and threats and lying. In our opinion, the child support we will have to pay to a woman who shouldn't even have the right to speak to this child will be more than worth the peace and happiness we've all had this year.
Congratulations, B. You got your way again. Don't call us crying like you did when we let you live with her before. For one, we won't believe you after the lies you told about your dad. For two, we're not into playing games. And for three...if you call us I will likely call the phone company and have our number changed, since I can't afford to move. When I was 15 I worked, excelled in school, and helped support my mom and dad. You are plenty old enough to know right from wrong, and your behavior is chosen and puposeful. It's all a big mind game to you, but guess what? You lose. I hope you think from time to time what a happy family we are, and all the fun we had. (when we weren't leaving restaurants due to your temper tantrums, or having people in Wal-Mart laugh at us upon hearing you and saying, "Look...THAT's what happens when parents don't spank their chidlren.")
And on top of all this I'm tired of my husband being laid off "temporarily" for almost 5 months now. As much as we enjoy each other, and as fun as it is to have him home all day...it's nice to have money to pay bills, food, and other neccessities, too. And, admittedly, it would be nice to have a TV free day once in a while, too.
I'm ready for a school break. I'm ready for hubby to go back to work. And I'm ready to stop taking away from our other children. They don't deserve being treated the way their own sister treated them. They don't deserve going hungry because you ate ALL the food in the house, and pay day is a week away. They don't deserve having to be sent to their room to keep them safe or for us to spend 6, 10, and in 2 instances, 14 hours straight, with crisis workers called to our home to deal with a child WE couldn't deal with. They shouldn't have to see you punch our dog, or kick our sweet cat across an entire room. My 6 and 10 year old should NOT recognize police officers by first name because of all the times they've been called to our house, and they should not look upon Norma (dear as she is) as a surrogate grandmother. She's not. She's a crisis intervention worker, who feels exactly the same about B as we do. A 6 and 10 year old should not know their way around the high school from all the time we've been called there because the schools couldn't deal with B either.
My apologies for any typos. I'm also tired of writing. : )
I haven't been doing much for 1st grade this whole past month. My only goals for her are to finish her current phonics level, (ETC 2), complete our Habit unit in her MBTP concept, practice math facts, and read more.
I'm tired of school. I want to begin all the new books, but we need a break first.
I'm tired of worrying about my step-daughter. At our request, she has been in foster care the past 6 weeks, which is a step up from jail the previous 5 months. After 3 years of daily therapy, counseling, medication, psychiatric hospitals, juvenile detention, and her violence, arson, and other extreme mental health disorders,it was the only thing her counselors and the court could figure out to get her help.Because of DCFS being involved we feel like we're bad parents. They talk to us for an hour, and write 40 page reports on our entire lives as if they really know us. Because B (15 now) is LOVING all this attention she is refusing to come home, visit, or even speak to us. She now wants to go back to the biological mother who terminated her parental rights, and contributed greatly to the way B is now. My husband and I are tired of it all. DCFS feels he needs to attend mandatory counseling to gain "empathy" for B. I guess no one needs to empathize with the danger and fear we live in while she is here. I guess no one empathizes with the hours of time my husband has spent dragging her around the state to different doctors, hospitals, couseling centers, etc....all while missing work, supper, time with his other 3 kids, and in many cases, sleep. No one empathizes with a 3 year getting hit, or a 17 year old (30 pounds smaller than B) getting held down on the floor, choked, punched, and being told she was going to be killed, because B got caught stealing. No one empathizes with my upstairs being literally DESTROYED....carpet set on fire, every piece of furniture broken beyond repair, windows, door frames, walls, and ceiling panels ruined. No one cares.
We're all just tired. We haven't missed B a bit the past 6 months. We know going back to her mother will only harm her, yet...we give up. For the best of 5 people in the house, we will sacrifice one. Again. The only thought I gave her on Christmas and her birthday was, "What a blessing I don't have to waste money buying nice things that always are torn up or broken within 4 or 5 days of being given to her." The only regret I have is asking for help from an agency that now feels my husband must be a horrible person for B to not want to even speak to us. Of course she doesn't. We actually have rules, and are consistent, and we care about every child doing their best. We don't fall for theatrics and violence and threats and lying. In our opinion, the child support we will have to pay to a woman who shouldn't even have the right to speak to this child will be more than worth the peace and happiness we've all had this year.
Congratulations, B. You got your way again. Don't call us crying like you did when we let you live with her before. For one, we won't believe you after the lies you told about your dad. For two, we're not into playing games. And for three...if you call us I will likely call the phone company and have our number changed, since I can't afford to move. When I was 15 I worked, excelled in school, and helped support my mom and dad. You are plenty old enough to know right from wrong, and your behavior is chosen and puposeful. It's all a big mind game to you, but guess what? You lose. I hope you think from time to time what a happy family we are, and all the fun we had. (when we weren't leaving restaurants due to your temper tantrums, or having people in Wal-Mart laugh at us upon hearing you and saying, "Look...THAT's what happens when parents don't spank their chidlren.")
And on top of all this I'm tired of my husband being laid off "temporarily" for almost 5 months now. As much as we enjoy each other, and as fun as it is to have him home all day...it's nice to have money to pay bills, food, and other neccessities, too. And, admittedly, it would be nice to have a TV free day once in a while, too.
I'm ready for a school break. I'm ready for hubby to go back to work. And I'm ready to stop taking away from our other children. They don't deserve being treated the way their own sister treated them. They don't deserve going hungry because you ate ALL the food in the house, and pay day is a week away. They don't deserve having to be sent to their room to keep them safe or for us to spend 6, 10, and in 2 instances, 14 hours straight, with crisis workers called to our home to deal with a child WE couldn't deal with. They shouldn't have to see you punch our dog, or kick our sweet cat across an entire room. My 6 and 10 year old should NOT recognize police officers by first name because of all the times they've been called to our house, and they should not look upon Norma (dear as she is) as a surrogate grandmother. She's not. She's a crisis intervention worker, who feels exactly the same about B as we do. A 6 and 10 year old should not know their way around the high school from all the time we've been called there because the schools couldn't deal with B either.
My apologies for any typos. I'm also tired of writing. : )
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Little E's favorite color is, was, and always will be any shade of green. This is her favorite day of the year. She was quite upset we had no green pants or skirts to wear with her lovely, green ensemble. She does have 3 green dresses, but couldn't wear those with the shirt. Please excuse the bright, green Christmas socks. If it was green she put it on this morning. C had nothing other than the old softball shirt from a team she was on 3 years ago, but green just isn't the big deal to her as it is to her younger sister. : )
And YES....E has green underwear on too!
I hope everyone else enjoys this day as much as my 6 year old. : )
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wow! Someone actually reads this; aren't I special?
Ok...I actually had a request to update this, so....
I don't have a lot of time to post much now, but in a nutshell here's what I've been up to. We had a great Christmas. Except for the rotten ham I didn't find out about until I was ready to cook it for Christmas dinner. And all the stores were closed on Christmas day. (Where are all the people who are offended by Christmas? Don't any of them work in a grocery store?!?)So we had cheese and crackers and lots of cookies.
The whole two of you that read this know about our troubles with step-daughter B, age 14. She's been keeping us very busy this month, although she isn't even living at our house right now. A few court appearances, a visit from DCFS, and about 100 phone calls and e-mails.
I've also been busy the past two weeks getting caught up on finances and schoolbooks. Hubby's been laid off since before Thanksgiving, and money was very tight. I guess the economy's hit us, even though I thought we were too poor to notice. : ) We managed to get caught up. I had a lot of debt to pay off...the power company, the water company, the phone company, car insurance, father-in-law (Thank you for helping us out for food throughout!)and sadly, even our daughters savings was dipped into, but I repaid them double what I had to borrow.
After paying off bills and debts I had to get ordering schoolbooks. Little E, 5, was sorely in need of 1st grade materials. She's been doing nothing but phonics, math, and health for 2 months. C is moving through her 4th grade much faster than I thought, and was needing 5th grade books for next year. She only has 30 lessons left in math. I also finally was able to order her more appropriate Language Arts/English books to finish out this year, as we gave up on her Abeka sometime in December.
I intend to write a post and maybe some curriculum reviews on both old and new books soon. Note....I said intend so don't stone me if it takes awhile to truly get around to doing so. : )
Another thing I've been trying to spend time doing daily is reading the Bible. I happened to start January 1st, but it wasn't even something I planned or made a resolution for. Prior to 1-1-09 I tried to make time each morning (and some evenings) to read a bit in Proverbs and the NT. I began on New Years Day at the beginning...Genesis 1:1, and have found it fascinating reading this time through. I just finished Deuteronomy this morning, and will be moving on to Joshua. I am gaining much more perspective on the history leading up to the New Testament. Many have said only the NT is important in these times to Christians, but as I read more and more I have to disagree. Read Numbers 22-24...the story of Balak and Balaam. Read carefully Balaam's fourth oracle. Clearly prophetic, and very interesting. (to me, at least). In all my life I'd never come across that story before, or if I had, I'd never noticed the prophecy in it.
Please excuse any typos in the above. : ) No time to proofread....
I don't have a lot of time to post much now, but in a nutshell here's what I've been up to. We had a great Christmas. Except for the rotten ham I didn't find out about until I was ready to cook it for Christmas dinner. And all the stores were closed on Christmas day. (Where are all the people who are offended by Christmas? Don't any of them work in a grocery store?!?)So we had cheese and crackers and lots of cookies.
The whole two of you that read this know about our troubles with step-daughter B, age 14. She's been keeping us very busy this month, although she isn't even living at our house right now. A few court appearances, a visit from DCFS, and about 100 phone calls and e-mails.
I've also been busy the past two weeks getting caught up on finances and schoolbooks. Hubby's been laid off since before Thanksgiving, and money was very tight. I guess the economy's hit us, even though I thought we were too poor to notice. : ) We managed to get caught up. I had a lot of debt to pay off...the power company, the water company, the phone company, car insurance, father-in-law (Thank you for helping us out for food throughout!)and sadly, even our daughters savings was dipped into, but I repaid them double what I had to borrow.
After paying off bills and debts I had to get ordering schoolbooks. Little E, 5, was sorely in need of 1st grade materials. She's been doing nothing but phonics, math, and health for 2 months. C is moving through her 4th grade much faster than I thought, and was needing 5th grade books for next year. She only has 30 lessons left in math. I also finally was able to order her more appropriate Language Arts/English books to finish out this year, as we gave up on her Abeka sometime in December.
I intend to write a post and maybe some curriculum reviews on both old and new books soon. Note....I said intend so don't stone me if it takes awhile to truly get around to doing so. : )
Another thing I've been trying to spend time doing daily is reading the Bible. I happened to start January 1st, but it wasn't even something I planned or made a resolution for. Prior to 1-1-09 I tried to make time each morning (and some evenings) to read a bit in Proverbs and the NT. I began on New Years Day at the beginning...Genesis 1:1, and have found it fascinating reading this time through. I just finished Deuteronomy this morning, and will be moving on to Joshua. I am gaining much more perspective on the history leading up to the New Testament. Many have said only the NT is important in these times to Christians, but as I read more and more I have to disagree. Read Numbers 22-24...the story of Balak and Balaam. Read carefully Balaam's fourth oracle. Clearly prophetic, and very interesting. (to me, at least). In all my life I'd never come across that story before, or if I had, I'd never noticed the prophecy in it.
Please excuse any typos in the above. : ) No time to proofread....
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Happy Birthday to my Husband!
D's birthday is today. I won't say how old he is, but it's younger than I am. : )
Basically, what this means is we will be having meatloaf and scalloped potatoes for dinner, and a big pan of brownies in lieu of cake.
There, honey, you made it into my blog. I'm sure you're thrilled. LOL
I love you!
Basically, what this means is we will be having meatloaf and scalloped potatoes for dinner, and a big pan of brownies in lieu of cake.
There, honey, you made it into my blog. I'm sure you're thrilled. LOL
I love you!
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