Sunday, September 02, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Another addition to our Family
...if you know me at all...you would wonder what was wrong with me...I wondered myself...but we did it...
We got another pooch.
BUT it is actually OK. It's not another bulldog. It's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We name her Coco. She super cute, quite the snuggler, playful, and loves ME...which scored her big points. It was the main reason I kept her. She loves me and she can snuggle. She's a lap dog which I reallly like. And she's SMALL...which is a bonus. Next to BlackJack she's a piece of cake to take care of.
Blacky is still my boy but she fulfills needs he can't. He's not a snuggler and he's definately not a lapdog. He can't get on the couch nor in our bed. He's just too big, stinky, sheddy, all the above. But we love him. He's got enough personalitly for a million dogs (when he's awake). He's a hoot.
So that's our big news.
For more info on her and Cavaliers go to www.jadelyncavaliers.com
Coco is on everypage at the top except the opening page. She's the brown and white one.
I'll post some pics real soon. Not tonight though because I'm so tired.
Ruff Ruff.
We got another pooch.
BUT it is actually OK. It's not another bulldog. It's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We name her Coco. She super cute, quite the snuggler, playful, and loves ME...which scored her big points. It was the main reason I kept her. She loves me and she can snuggle. She's a lap dog which I reallly like. And she's SMALL...which is a bonus. Next to BlackJack she's a piece of cake to take care of.
Blacky is still my boy but she fulfills needs he can't. He's not a snuggler and he's definately not a lapdog. He can't get on the couch nor in our bed. He's just too big, stinky, sheddy, all the above. But we love him. He's got enough personalitly for a million dogs (when he's awake). He's a hoot.
So that's our big news.
For more info on her and Cavaliers go to www.jadelyncavaliers.com
Coco is on everypage at the top except the opening page. She's the brown and white one.
I'll post some pics real soon. Not tonight though because I'm so tired.
Ruff Ruff.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Riding the Waves of Indecision
Please say a prayer for my husband. He lives with the most up and down, manic depressant, on again off again, roller coaster riding, indecisive wife. I really don't mean to be, but this home school journey has made me this way. All year I have been on again off again about home school. Weekly it changes. My husband has given up trying to lead in this situation. He says the ball's in my court.
Since I said, "...I should post also about why I [am continuing] to home school this year if this past [year] was so hard," two posts ago I have went and visited a charter school. I was really thinking I was sending them to school in a couple of weeks.
BUT I went there and I got a sick-to-my-stomach feeling. That is my "gut feeling". I know when I get this feeling the decision what ever it may be is not right. I knew then they wouldn't be going to school this year at a school. That's it. I will (God Willing) be homeschooling this year.
SO...I must add (for my fellow Christian folk) that last year when I made the decision to home school it was simply because and ONLY because I felt God led me to do it. I had no convictions of my own as to WHY, only that's what He wanted me to do. I had already signed them up for private school. Then one night I got the "gut feeling"...the next day I cancelled their registration and began the adventure of homeschooling.
This year I have not been led by God to send them to school. I have just been a rebellious little child of God and took the matters into my own hands. Thus, the up and down emotions. I haven't really prayed about it too much because I kind of knew what God wanted and didn't want to hear it. I was trying to see if I could do it differently and somehow be at peace about it.
Homeschooling is a commitment and it's challenging, and frankly I'm a WIMP. When things get tough and there are schools out there and teachers who do this sort of stuff for a living I think, "Why am I making life so difficult. I could be enjoying a few hours all to myself everyday, reading a good book, going to the gym, going out to coffee etc, while someone else teaches my kids."
But today's trip to the "regular school" confirmed what I already knew. It's just not time for that yet. Maybe someday I don't know. I'll take it year by year and PRAY and see where God is leading.
I am excited to home school another year. It's in my heart. I just hope since it's my second year that I'll do a better job than this past year. That I can make it more enjoyable for my kids and be more consistent.
I do have more of an answer as to WHY I am homeschooling this year, in addition to it being God's will for us. Because I heart homeschool. I really do. It's an adventure, it's neat, it's fun. When it's good, it's soooo good. It's nothing like I thought it'd be when I first started out (Thank God) but so much more. There is so much one can do as a homeschool mom for her kids. The sky's the limit. There is so much to offer your children. And it's not cookie-cutter. It can be so creative. It a good feeling when you figure out a way to teach your child something that is normally boring in a fun, exciting way. Overcoming the challenges is fulfilling.
So ONWARD I go into the 07-08 school year.
God forgive me for my rebellious heart. Give me what I need for this upcoming year I pray.
Since I said, "...I should post also about why I [am continuing] to home school this year if this past [year] was so hard," two posts ago I have went and visited a charter school. I was really thinking I was sending them to school in a couple of weeks.
BUT I went there and I got a sick-to-my-stomach feeling. That is my "gut feeling". I know when I get this feeling the decision what ever it may be is not right. I knew then they wouldn't be going to school this year at a school. That's it. I will (God Willing) be homeschooling this year.
SO...I must add (for my fellow Christian folk) that last year when I made the decision to home school it was simply because and ONLY because I felt God led me to do it. I had no convictions of my own as to WHY, only that's what He wanted me to do. I had already signed them up for private school. Then one night I got the "gut feeling"...the next day I cancelled their registration and began the adventure of homeschooling.
This year I have not been led by God to send them to school. I have just been a rebellious little child of God and took the matters into my own hands. Thus, the up and down emotions. I haven't really prayed about it too much because I kind of knew what God wanted and didn't want to hear it. I was trying to see if I could do it differently and somehow be at peace about it.
Homeschooling is a commitment and it's challenging, and frankly I'm a WIMP. When things get tough and there are schools out there and teachers who do this sort of stuff for a living I think, "Why am I making life so difficult. I could be enjoying a few hours all to myself everyday, reading a good book, going to the gym, going out to coffee etc, while someone else teaches my kids."
But today's trip to the "regular school" confirmed what I already knew. It's just not time for that yet. Maybe someday I don't know. I'll take it year by year and PRAY and see where God is leading.
I am excited to home school another year. It's in my heart. I just hope since it's my second year that I'll do a better job than this past year. That I can make it more enjoyable for my kids and be more consistent.
I do have more of an answer as to WHY I am homeschooling this year, in addition to it being God's will for us. Because I heart homeschool. I really do. It's an adventure, it's neat, it's fun. When it's good, it's soooo good. It's nothing like I thought it'd be when I first started out (Thank God) but so much more. There is so much one can do as a homeschool mom for her kids. The sky's the limit. There is so much to offer your children. And it's not cookie-cutter. It can be so creative. It a good feeling when you figure out a way to teach your child something that is normally boring in a fun, exciting way. Overcoming the challenges is fulfilling.
So ONWARD I go into the 07-08 school year.
God forgive me for my rebellious heart. Give me what I need for this upcoming year I pray.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Learning to Read
About a week ago I bought Hooked on Phonics and a Leap Pad letter video from Costco. My daughter loved the video and watched it over and over again. She was learning sounds and not even realizing she was "schooling". So anyways, she watched that over and over and all we did with the HOP is learn the letter names. Today she decided she was going to learn to read, so she got her books out and proceded to sound out words. Among some of the words she sounded out were "tag", "rag", and "lots". It was really neat to see and she was pretty happy about her accomplishment.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Phew...I've been busy & School Plans
OK so I have been busy, although it doesn't look like much **my side bar people** (see previous post) but adding stuff to these blogs is tedious, time consuming work. At least it is for me. But it's fun. I feel like I have a real blog now. I just have to learn now how to blog about stuff people want to read. Well I'll get to that eventually, I kind of like to ramble anyways so I'm in no hurry.
So I was thinking. It's August and all and September is right around the corner which means a new school year. For a homeschool fam it could mean that and it could not. Some of us homeschool year round. Which is what we have done this summer. {Ok random question. Is "homeschool" one word or two?}
I'd like to say it's because we just love to school so much that we didn't want to stop but that's not quite the truth. This year was one of the hardest years of my life. I'll just lay it out there...that's what it was. I was up and down. One minute thanking God above that he called me to do this, looking forward and planning the years to come, the next minute looking for jobs online so I could afford private school and then the next minute thinking, "you know, public school doesn't look all that bad." {We don't need to mention the 3 or 4 near panic attacks I had this year} But anyways, we're just plain "behind" when it comes to the curriculum we're using. {Could that be because we didn't even school the entire month of April this year (March was a bad month)Maybe}
So we have schooled this summer. Before you think, "poor kids, don't even get a summer vacation," "schooled this summer" means this: about a week in June, a week and a half in July, and this past week of August. And a typical day is about 3-4 hours. So don't go feeling sorry for the little twerps.
Am I worried about being behind? No. Because what is "being behind" really? Compared to regular school is what we all think? Well my son isn't behind for a few reasons. For one, had he went to school this year I was going to have him do another year in Kindergarten (rather than first) for social reason not academic. Secondly, the work he's done this year is pretty advanced in my opinion so I think he's fine. Third, homeschool's timetable is just so different than regular school. Unless you do it, it's sort of hard to understand. And 4th, come Sept. we're abandoning our current curriculum to start a brand new one and we'll be starting my son with second grade and my daughter with Kindergarten. So when second grade starts he'll be second grade in everything but Math which we'll finish up with later in the fall and then start second. So we're fine.
So with all that said I was actually going to talk about curriculum in this post but I'll go ahead and save it for a later date. Oh and you know I should post also about why I continued to homeschool this year if this past one was so hard. I will here soon because that is a good subject.
Happy Sunday all.
So I was thinking. It's August and all and September is right around the corner which means a new school year. For a homeschool fam it could mean that and it could not. Some of us homeschool year round. Which is what we have done this summer. {Ok random question. Is "homeschool" one word or two?}
I'd like to say it's because we just love to school so much that we didn't want to stop but that's not quite the truth. This year was one of the hardest years of my life. I'll just lay it out there...that's what it was. I was up and down. One minute thanking God above that he called me to do this, looking forward and planning the years to come, the next minute looking for jobs online so I could afford private school and then the next minute thinking, "you know, public school doesn't look all that bad." {We don't need to mention the 3 or 4 near panic attacks I had this year} But anyways, we're just plain "behind" when it comes to the curriculum we're using. {Could that be because we didn't even school the entire month of April this year (March was a bad month)Maybe}
So we have schooled this summer. Before you think, "poor kids, don't even get a summer vacation," "schooled this summer" means this: about a week in June, a week and a half in July, and this past week of August. And a typical day is about 3-4 hours. So don't go feeling sorry for the little twerps.
Am I worried about being behind? No. Because what is "being behind" really? Compared to regular school is what we all think? Well my son isn't behind for a few reasons. For one, had he went to school this year I was going to have him do another year in Kindergarten (rather than first) for social reason not academic. Secondly, the work he's done this year is pretty advanced in my opinion so I think he's fine. Third, homeschool's timetable is just so different than regular school. Unless you do it, it's sort of hard to understand. And 4th, come Sept. we're abandoning our current curriculum to start a brand new one and we'll be starting my son with second grade and my daughter with Kindergarten. So when second grade starts he'll be second grade in everything but Math which we'll finish up with later in the fall and then start second. So we're fine.
So with all that said I was actually going to talk about curriculum in this post but I'll go ahead and save it for a later date. Oh and you know I should post also about why I continued to homeschool this year if this past one was so hard. I will here soon because that is a good subject.
Happy Sunday all.
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