I Love My Kids

It's amazing how they have just taken off with their reading and math. I have been spending several hours a day just reading up on curriculums. I am so excited about school this year. I am much more comfortable. I think I really have it down. I get rid of all of my over-achiever guilt by reading the unschooling blogs. I'm not unschooling, but I'm more relaxed than last year. School is going to be so much fun for them this year! I hope they love it. So far I think our year is going to look like the following.

Reading

1. Explode the Code online (Phonics)

2. Five in a Row with lapbooking

3. They read to me from the reader

4. I read something fun to them

6. The new writing program from Susan Wise Bauer. She is awesome!

7. First Language Lessons

8. Daily Language Practice

Math

1. Math u See - Check out his website. I learned from the demo. Wish I'd known some of that last year!

2. Math games

3. Daily Math Practice

Social Studies

Story of the World with Workbook (LOVE THIS!)

Daily Geography Practice

Science

Scott Foreman?

Science Club

Mad Science (This is fun)

also play-well.org once a month - cool real working Lego cars and robots!

I'm also teaching science to a group of homeschooling kids. I'll probably just use the 1st one.

Foreign Language

Chinese School starts again soon!

Extra

Art Classes - We have a real art teacher. I'm trading art for Science

Field Trips - King Tut and Monterrey Bay already booked!

Soccer and tons of playdates this year.

I may add a Bible study program too. I'll have to see how it goes!

:) :) :)

Many questions - Not many answers

It's time to catch up -

About JJ -

The boy who was raised with sisters and home schooled saw his first light saber, and his world was changed forever! I picked him up from Chinese school the other day. His face was covered with scrapes and bruises. What happened in just two hours of reciting the Pin Yin? JJ grinned from ear to ear as he excitedly told me how the other boy had mashed his face into the dirt during recess. The other little boy smiled proudly as he pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. They were both so proud. Should I get involved if no one cries?

About Boo -

Beautiful, I think she is prettier everyday. She gets frustrated easily, and is gifted in language and reading, but struggles with math. At the beginning of the year JJ was trying to cheat off of her paper in math, as he was a young kindergartner and she a 1st grader. Now she is trying to cheat off of his paper. She loves art, clothes, and parties.

About Taz (Not Shown) -

Taz developed hormonal brain damage, and now spends her days text messaging and her nights on the phone using her free minutes. The only subjects of interest pertain to meeting boys, being with boys, or talking about meeting and being with boys. Everything else warrants eye rolling. When kept from the possible presence of a boy, sulking will occur.

About me -

I'm in perimenopause! To take artificial hormones or not to take artificial hormones? That is the question. Whether it is nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of becoming pudgy and hairy, or to take arms against threat of cancer causing chemicals. To dream to want to sleep a lot! Oh,to take medical advice from Suzanne Sommers or Robin McGraw who both look better than me, or perhaps figure something else out. I just don't know.

About School -

It's a constant worry that my kids will be behind or won't do well on standardized tests. I'm just not sure what really matters, and I don't want things to slip through the cracks. I really want my kids to have an advantage, and I try to think out every educational move carefully. There is so much to learn. What really matters most?

I have many questions and not many answers.

Finally a Moment to Say Something...

... And I have nothing to say. I am busy every day from 5:30 in the morning until around 8:30 at night. The laundry is still always behind, and the house needs to be cleaned. Why is it so hard to get five hours of school in every day? Actually, I get five hours in, but it never seems like it was enough. Are they learning anything?

I thought I would just run school from 7 to noon everyday, easy! But then there are clubs at the actual school that start between 11 and 1. We have to leave an hour early to get there, and usually getting ready takes 30 minutes to an hour, and then an hour home, unless we have to stop for gas, food, or errands.

The most noticeable change is in JJ's handwriting. It has dramatically improved since the start of kindergarten.

I think I spend too much time on science. It's our favorite subject, and just goes so smoothly. As for every other subject and teaching, I wish I were smarter.

I'm Baack I hope!

I don't think I've written since I started homeschooling. I've been feeling really good about it. I found a nice reading program called Five in a Row. Basically, we read the same classic book for five days, and explore it fully. The lessons involve maps, art, history, literature, math, and science.

I try to blend low tech and high tech learning. Sometimes we do basic low tech writing and hands-on work, but we use Google Earth quite a bit for mapping. I try to show them pictures of places around the World, and go to museums when possible.

In addition to the subjects I teach such as reading, math, science, and social studies, they are also enrolled in the following school-offered programs: Spanish, Science Club, Reading Club, Drama, Circle Time, and various other field trips and workshops. In addition to all of that, they go to Chinese School once a week, and Boo is enrolled in soccer. I'm still driving too much, and looking for things to cut out. I just hate them to miss an opportunity.

Well, time to go finish that model we are building of a dinosaur, and eat lunch!

School Is Going To Start Again

I'm getting excited and nervous for the kids to start school. I hope I'm doing the right thing homeschooling. I want to see the curriculum already, but nobody has been at the school all summer.

I was feeling a little sad this morning, thinking of Boo's school from last year starting up again without her, and her missing her old friends. She has been making new friends. I have been taking Boo and JJ to every church activity, community event, and several sports workshops this summer.

I've been trying to look at global curriculums. Finland is supposed to have the best schools in the world, but all of their info is in Finnish I guess?

I think I should do some work this week with the kids to introduce the Summer Olympics.

Good Enough

As I was hiding peas under cheese in my son's quesadea tonight, I was thinking about my friend Denise, who just had a baby. Denise has been in the corporate world a long time. I used to be a type-A driven career woman too. That's how we met.

Denise keeps asking me, "What's next? What are your dreams? What do you want to be?" I never know quite how to answer. I had all of that angst when I first started staying home. I couldn't get used to the feeling I wasn't accomplishing anything, but I have to say that I'm over it. I don't know where we got it in our heads that being a mom just isn't enough. I remember thinking as soon as I had a baby, I'd have time to write a novel. What did those stay-at-home moms do with their days anyway?

I still have goals and dreams, but they just aren't career oriented. I want to get my kids to eat vegetables, and I'd like to go on a trip to Washington D.C. when they are old enough to appreciate it. I want them to get a great education, and I want to be a part of it, so I'm homeschooling them.

Well, my daughter watched me hide those peas, and tipped off my son, so he is going through the quesadea, and picking out every pea, and placing them on the steps outside. I'll be busy cleaning those up, and wondering if Denise really will reach her goal of inventing at least one product while she is on maternity leave. I'll be proud of her if she does it, and becomes one of those million are moms that I saw on Oprah, but for me, I've decided to be happy and personally unaccomplished. I just don't know how to get it all done.

I Can't Drive 55

I can't drive 55 mph in a golf cart, and that is all I am driving these days. Since it's the 4th, I'll make it my tribute to America. I'm going green, conserving oil, reducing pollution. Acutally, I would love to stay I'm avoiding my car for the betterment of mankind, but I just can't stand to get in that hot tin box anymore. I live about 20 miles out of town, and I drove at least three hours a day this last winter. We only have a little store with high prices across the street, so I've decided to go to the internet.

I ordered my groceries from Safeway.com last week. I was happy with it. They were delivering for free last week on orders of $150 or more. The driver refused to take a tip per company policy. They had next day service available, and the driver brought all my groceries up the stairs.

I also needed school supplies, so I went to Staples.com. I think I ordered enough for the year. They also deliver quickly and for free on orders over $50.

I haven't received my Hanes.com order yet, but I needed underwear, and I never get to underwear shop with two kids. I keep putting it off, so I might as well just get that on-line too.

The upside of this is I had extra time for some recreational walking this week. I am going to try to find even more ways to not leave my little community. If I can order it in, I'm going to. Maybe by the time I need to go to town again, there will be an electric car that can go 55. Happy 4th of July.