Turn, Turn, Turn

Fall is here and the weather is decidedly cooler. Goodbye backyard pool days & flip flops, Hello chai tea, pumpkins, & knit sweaters! Fall is a favorite time of year for me. I got engaged in the fall. I got married in the fall. It's safe to say I more than like it.

In an ode to warmer days that have passed, I wanted to post some pics of the kids enjoying the sunshine.

One of our favorite things to do as a homeschool family is learn OUTSIDE. There's something about Creation. Even worksheets can be done in the great outdoors, especially on a gorgeous day.

Must.have.snacks. :)

I also wanted to share a classic song that's fitting for these days of seasonal change. It's an oldie but a goodie, and based on some Bible verses from Ecclesiastes. :) Enjoy!

Bending with the Wind...

Today was rainy. And dreary. And windy. And rainy. And outside the norm. (Is there a norm?)

Today was a classic example of the need to be flexible in homeschooling. This is definitely something that is still a work in progress for me. I like regularity. Predictability. Don't get me wrong. I'm pretty laid back with a lot of things and I'd guess that most people wouldn't view me as Type A. Because I'm definitely not. (My close friends are laughing out loud right now.) I like order, but I'm not nutso about it. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) ;)

If you're a mom, you know all about having to deal with interruptions. And if you're a homeschooling mom, it can be a double whammy. If you let it be. Me? I'm learning to let go and bend with the wind. Go with the flow. Roll with the punches. Literally. My third born is very aggressive and likes to tackle. But I digress.

Today, I had to head over to our church to prep for co-op. We have a homeschool cooperative at our church (it's fantastic! -- more about that in another post) where the kids take classes once a week, and I had to get the preschool class in order and setup for the first day of school on Thursday. Which meant hauling the kids with me and putting our schoolwork on hold. Lydia and I had started our day with Bible and reading, doing what the curriculum assigned. Usually this would be done in the afternoon, after seatwork in the morning, and then whatever else was on the agenda...including Silas's school time, some outside time, and possibly a craft. But I had other things that had to get done. And I had to switch it up a bit. So we had to bend. The kids had a great time playing with the toys in the classroom while I organized, and it was actually a really nice change of pace for them.

For me, the key to days like today is, I have to get home and get back on track. I can't let the day slide away. Even if I want to. Like today.
It was rainy. It was dreary. It was windy. Did I mention it was rainy? Yeah.

So...we ate lunch. Then we got back to work! Silas even asked to do his school sheet! (Say what??!!) Lydia didn't ask to do hers. No shocker there. But it got done! And we had a great day... bending with the wind.

Here are some pics from last week and today:

Learning about how vegetables grow!

Fun with (washable) paint

He's become very serious about his school

Con-cen-tra-tion.

Let the Games Begin!

It's a new school year! Which means I will actually blog!

Last year, I didn't fully commit to journaling my experiences. Now, I want to make sure I write it all down as I take it all in. Mostly for myself. But, if someone wants to read my ramblings, that's cool too. This is my homeschool forum: documenting the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between... I'm going to try and be consistent!

First week of school? Successful overall, thankfully. Partly because I was prepared and knew what to expect. Mostly because of God's grace. Kindergarten was a good learning ground and we had a lot of fun, but I'm finding this year to be a bit easier already. Naomi is older and Silas is a better communicator. I'm finding it easier to engage all three of the kids because they're able to do more. 

Another HUGE help? Daddy not working nights anymore! Woohoo! It was difficult last year homeschooling during the morning while Tim slept. I'm realizing that now. There was lots of, "Ssshhhhhh....let's be quieter. Stay downstairs while daddy sleeps. Keep your voice down." What a change! Is this what homeschool life is like when your husband works during the day?! Wow. Over 4 years of night shift really made our lives different from most. Now, Tim gets home in the early afternoon and our mornings are soooo much easier. The kids can learn and play all over the house at any given time, which is awesome. My stress levels are lower too as a result, which is good for the kids! Shocking, right? ;)

Silas has really developed an affinity for building and exploring by himself, which means lots of LEGO creations. We do a worksheet a day and also review his numbers and letters through songs, flashcards, and crafts. I try to keep it limited though since he's only 3 and picks up a lot just from watching and listening to Lydia.

Naomi enjoys just being around Silas, which is nice. Most of the time. Except when she tries to destroy his masterpieces. We're working on that. 

She likes crib time, and it keeps her contained for part of school time. I give her LEGOs in there, and she's surprisingly good for an 18 month old! Dry beans are a big hit, too. I lay a big sheet down under a plastic bin and she goes to town, scooping and shoveling.

My biggest hiccup this last week has been making sure I'm rested enough and up early enough to be ready for school.  Today I was tired from the weekend and had to really force my brain to engage fully. This morning, especially, I was glad we start each school day with Bible time. It's God's very necessary way of resetting my mood/attitude/outlook as I teach my children. 

Here are some pics from our first school week:

 

Do-overs

Today started off lousy. Real lousy. I was late getting dressed, late getting breakfast, and late getting in the groove for pretty much everything. In turn, the kids were late in getting the message-- that mommy was not prepared for antics of any kind. My patience was suffering and everyone else was too as a result. 


L's school time was behind schedule which made me agitated because I hate when I'm not on the ball with that. S was acting up and not wanting to do ANYTHING constructive. Add to that a pile of laundry glaring at me while the dishes yelled my name. Ay carumba, my blood pressure was rising by the second.


Needless to say, at about the 11th hour (literally 11:00am) I could feel myself getting ready to toss in the towel for the whole day..... and then I remembered it. The do-over. I could do it all over. Namely, my attitude and outlook. I could choose to stop the madness. Relax, Michelle. Start your day over. Breathe. Pray. Breathe again. Now apologize to your kids. 


I promptly told L we were taking a break to chill out before lunch. She looked relieved. Then, when we were done eating, we had school. And read a story. And made tee-pees while S played with playdough (for over an hour).
And it was so much better this time around. 


The beauty of the do-over.

Divide and Conquer

One thing I've really been working on with the kids is gratefulness. Whining is a big no-no in our house. As is begging. They know mommy simply won't listen to it. If you wanna be heard, you better bring your voice down an octave or two, kid. And if you wanna throw a fit, I'm not just going to ignore you where you are. You have to go in your room (or, more often for Mr. Tantrum, be PUT there) and do that without an audience. If you try to come back out to perform, you'll simply be put back in. And honestly, after a couple times of that, it's squelched your whole goal. Irritating and time-consuming for mommy? Yes. Effective? Yes.


Lately, we've upped our chores around the house. L (5) always cleared the table of her plate, made her bed daily, and set the table on occasion, but now, since starting kindergarten, it's all more on a regular basis. She takes all her laundry back to her room and puts it away in the proper place. She helps me fold all the towels and blankets for the whole family. In addition, she dusts the living room now, and is in charge of straightening it for our small group Bible study that we host bi-weekly. She also washes the windows in the front rooms. Those are her regulars.


S (2 1/2 yrs) is responsible for clearing his plate and putting it in the sink since (yay!) he can reach it now! He also takes all his folded laundry back to his room for me and sets it by his dresser. (The boy tries to fold, he really does bless his heart, but it just isn't quite happening yet.) He's also an awesome shoe straightener, so our front room shoe rack always looks neat and orderly these days!


For now, N (9 mo.) is off the hook. :)


Tim and I went back and forth on whether we should pay L an allowance for the work she does. For now, we decided that we won't pay her. Our reasoning is simply based on the fact that we want her learn that, in this family, we all pull our weight and share the burden. Her working needs to be out of a heart of gratefulness and love for the family. Will we possibly give her an allowance in the future? Most likely yes. But for now, we want her (and S) to work simply because they need to contribute their part. I understand fully the logic of an allowance to teach proper money management. And we will get there. But for our children, and for our family, we felt the need to first instill the lesson of working just for the sake of accomplishing a task well. 


All this to say, I've found that part of teaching my kids gratefulness is being loving myself--and that includes overlooking the "kid-like" way some chores are done. That stack of clothes S took to his room doesn't need to be straight. His hands can't quite manage that yet. And L's bed doesn't need to look perfect --that's not the point (after all, she is going to sleep in it again in a few hours). The point is to cultivate good stewardship and teach them to do their best, at whatever level that may be, and to do it cheerfully. 
In teaching them, the Lord's teaching me.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," ~Colossians 3:23

Well, Hello There!

WHERE HAVE I BEEN??? Oh yes. Mostly here at my house! Ha. Well, it's been forever since I posted last and I thought this may be a good time to catch up on some of our happenings. 

I've done a whole lotta school with L. It's been great so far (much better than I had anticipated in my mind) and managing S has been much easier lately. He's a really great communicator (aka, he LOVES to talk. a lot.), so I kind of feel like I'm involved in an endless game of 21 questions most days...BUT he really loves learning new things, so for that I'm thankful. And him being 99% potty trained now doesn't hurt either.

My curriculum is really easy to work with. We decided to use Sonlight because it focuses a lot on reading to your student, something L really loves. Here's my teacher's binder: 

Looks daunting, right? Don't let the monstrosity fool you. 

I've read L 5 chapter books so far, along with a smattering of other books that cover things like poetry, missionaries, world cultures, and true stories of a farm veterinarian(!). In turn, it's helped her recognize words and put her phonics into practice. She's been reading her "beginning reader" books to Silas these days, which helps her practice. Of course, we do Bible, math (which she likes much more than her mommy ever did) and handwriting. Science and history are covered on Tuesdays when she attends our church's homeschool co-op. The students also have chapel and PE on those days, as well as lunch and recess. The whole approach to schooling so far this year has been, dare I say, enjoyable!

I will admit, the colder weather has made it hard to have any quality "recess" time that bodes well with mommy's idea of an "enjoyable" outside experience. I did just purchase them rainboots for the season from a recently opened consignment store in our area so they can enjoy the puddles outside without getting their socks wet. L would go outside in a windstorm if she could. This girl is gonna be a mountaineer one day. She could care less how cold it is, or how rainy. She'd climb a tree even if it were covered in ice. Just send her outside and she's happy. Same goes for her brother, actually. And her sister. 

Come to think of it, buying a farm would really make sense for my daily routine--well, as far as the vast, open expanse of land is concerned. 

I could really do without any farm animals in my life right now thankyouverymuch.

You Call That a Mess?

Sometimes learning is messy, and usually, if I've done a good job teaching, things are definitely out of place. And often, it "messes up" my house to some degree for at least some length of time. But learning is what I've gotta be all about. It's what I signed up for.


One thing I've learned is that messy is relative.
Things that I used to consider messy when I had no children (or one child) are no longer messy. Undone dishes for a couple hours? Meh. Laundry heaped on the living room couch? At least it's clean. Sparkly remnants of craft time strewn on the dining room floor? I've got a vacuum for that.
C'mon Michelle. Life is good. Life is great. Relax a little. (says my husband) And stop worrying about what others might think in that imaginary world you've created in your head.


I must credit my mom for being a living example of enjoying God's goodness in the little things and not stressing over mess that can be cleaned up, even if it means that, in the end, I will be more tired than I'd prefer. She was always so positive. Thanks mom!