2013-14 School Year :-)

It's hard to believe that we are now on our 4th year of homeschooling!  FOUR YEARS and surprisingly, J and I are getting along even better than before.  We team up quite often against T ;-)  Of course he has SP on his side, so we never win. 

Since everyone is showing their back to school pics on Facebook, I figured I'd finally show ours :-)

Taking his first math test on first official day of school...we started math again in July

 

1st big puzzle with little man :-)  He loved it.

We started the first Monday of August, however, so we are actually on week 4 of school already.  And it's been very smooth so far, I think we are finally catching on to the joys of homeschooling and leaving the "have to make it like a regular school day" times behind.  sort of.  I mean, I was private and public-schooled my entire life and I'm a certified teacher K-8th so some things are hard to get out of my system, but we are strides ahead of where we were 4 years ago!

Our base curriculum this year is Year 2 of Sonlight's 2 year World History core. 

Thanks again to my wonderful friend Mindy we received our history, bible and reading books in July. 

The readers and read-alouds for World History Year 2, in the green basket is our Spelling continued from last year (IEW's Phonetic Zoo level B)

This first month, as well as the next 3 weeks, we started off a bit more slowly.  We've been doing Bible, bible study, poetry (Painless Poetry), spelling, history, math, computer programming and reading.  We will be adding in science, writing, grammar and a research paper in 3 weeks (working on them independently but also with co-op friends so waiting for that to start).  We decided to give Spanish a year off...while it was so fun to watch J argue with the computer all the time, it was not really working for him ;-)  We will be adding that back in next fall and using a different program.  Course I'm thinking Russian might be fun!

This year, J is responsible for checking off his own assignments in the calendar above.  I'm slowly working him towards being completely responsible for his work, baby-steps!  He is doing a fantastic job, much to my surprise.  By the third day he was already looking ahead and finding what he needed to accomplish as well as deciding what subject he wanted to do first, etc...  I think that has helped a lot in how smooth our days are going.  He feels a bit more in charge of his learning, even though I'm still writing the actual assignments in the book.  We will move to a computerized one in the next year or two when his typing improves.

For Bible, we are still reading through the whole book.  We are currently in Nehemiah, a book I don't think I've ever read in it's entirety.  This as well as bible study (there are several in the curriculum this year we will go through), I think, have made the biggest impact on J.  He is starting to see and actually talk about how he sees God working...putting us in certain situations to share with others, be there for friends, etc... It has been amazing to watch! 
For science, we are sticking with Apologia, this year is Physical Science.  The older group at co-op will be doing the labs every two weeks and some of us will be doing the reading and chapter work during the weeks at home.  
For J's writing, my friend Robin and I will be continuing year 2 of Writer's Block.  This is a grammar and writing class we started last year for the older kids in our co-op using IEW's Writing plan and Fix-It Grammar.  Last year went very well and we both saw a lot of improvement in all of the students' work!  We will hold the class every two weeks starting September 13th.
For math we are continuing with Math-U-See, this year going through Epsilon (fraction work), which has been much easier for J.  And surprisingly to him, his multiplication facts are coming faster to him as he masters fractions!  I can see it all coming together, that is exciting for this mom!
For reading, he spends anywhere from 45 min to 1 1/2 hours a day reading (not including his personal reading at night).  Every other book is a Sonlight book.  In between, he gets to choose his own book.  In his own words, "mom, they are all history based and someone is always dying." Ok, so I give him a break on the whole dying thing.  He's getting quite a bit of history so we're good :-)  We are starting read-alouds this week, where T and I will take turns reading some of the Sonlight books at night with him.  I'm giving him choices in which books he prefers this year, I think that will help him stay interested.  There are several he has loved, but sometimes they bore my "I only like funny stuff" kid. 
 
Two days a week we spend on computer programming, working through a program I purchased 2 years ago. One day a week he works on typing skills or other computer skill such as sending e-mails, power point, etc...

Much to his and his Zeta class's chagrin, I will be taking them through writing a beginning research paper this fall using IEW's Writing Research Paper curriculum.  We have been neglecting this task for a couple of years so I figure doing it in co-op where he is not the only miserable kid will help :-)  It's actually a pretty great program, I'm excited to see how it progresses.  (yes, as you can see, I LOVE everything IEW produces...LOVE it)
 
Now on to SP's "school" :-)  Well, potty training tops our list right now, it's a slow process but I have high hopes!  We are also working on puzzles (wooden and blocks to large floor puzzles), continuing to learn our colors, counting and working on the important skill of blowing bubbles. And he is already on his way to being completely versed in Despicable Me.   

For our "socialization", the part that everyone who doesn't homeschool (or understand it) always worries about...J will continue in 4H in photography, horse riding, food and nutrition and food challenge.  He is also going to attempt archery this year!  We will continue to be a part of co-op every two weeks and he makes ME go to church every Wed. night now.  Yep.  I no longer have to ask him to go ;-)  He has also been offered the chance to try and learn to play the guitar from a fellow youth group friend!  He's thinking that might be pretty cool ;-) And as anyone who knows J and SP will realize...these two have and will never have any problems socialzing, they are quite the chatty boys.

And of course, we will continue to spend time with friends during and after our school time as well as taking great field trips with friends and quick side trips as a family.  That's one of the most fun and flexible benefits of homeschooling...schooling on the road.

So that's our year in a not so small nutshell :-) Should be full of crazy but also full of learning and fun.

 

Lego Fractions

Homeschool Year 3 is almost done!  I don't know who is more excited...me or J ;-) We are on the countdown...4 weeks to go!!

This year we worked through ancient and medieval times, division (remember we started back over with math concepts to catch J up...slowly but surely it's coming together in his brain!), general science (his favorite part was geology), Spanish, spelling, grammar, writing, bible, bible study, reading and geography.  

In co-op J has learned to play chess, backgammon, how to cut up a chicken, sew on a button, learned his design "style" is contemporary (yes the boys had to take home-ec, and they discovered it wasn't that bad!), read up on current events in God's World News, made a salt map of the continents, researched New Mexico and California, exercised, read and watched Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing and Hamlet, and the list could go on.  

Now yes, we will be working some during the summer again...Texas History, fractions and finishing up science.  But with a much more relaxed schedule ;-)  

Today was the mini-beginning of our work in fractions (which he has done in the past so I'm hopeful it will come back to him easily). We don't use the blocks that come with our math program, but today I wished we had them.  But then I realized we had something even more fun :-) 

 
 

A week in pictures :-)

Well, I've actually felt like I needed to keep up with some daily school posts but that is way overwhelming for both myself and you :-) So...I want to share a few pics from our 3rd week back after the holidays. We have had a wonderful week, tiring as always, but relaxing at the same time.  We started off with haircuts on Monday so you might be able to see their eyes better this week ;-)

looking at "wots" (rocks) that T brought back from his hunt. 

My big boy after his wheelchair exercising

Blue always meets us when we get to horses. 

Check out my boy stretching!  Wait till you see the video below!!!!!

While bubba was riding, we went for an hour long walk...ok, I walked, SP pooped out 1/2 way through ;-)

I'm trying to work on taking better pictures, was sort of proud of this one.

When SP and I arrived back at the arena, J wanted to show off what he's been working on

J doing his exercises (this time he had to hold his science book balanced on his lap during all rounds) and SP doing "kool" as he calls it ;-)

Co-op today.  We had 7 families out with illness so we combined our one nursery kid (SP) with our one preschooler, they did great!

Getting ready for Food Challenge competition.  J and his girls...but don't tell him I wrote that, it embarrasses him.

After co-op we hung out with some friends for lunch and gaming.  Such great kids!

Day 10!! 2 weeks done!

Friday Free Day!!!!

Oh, blessed Friday (this will be the one day that could encourage you to homeschool even more because it's a DAY OFF every other week!!!!).  I think I needed this day more than the kids.  SP is feeling better (I think the puking last night was more from eating on such an empty stomach than virus), J has been very successful in his lessons this week, T is home and I am tired :-)

7:30am my alarm goes off...I hit snooze.

7:40am...I hit snooze, although I do ponder getting up this time.

7:50am...I hit snooze for 20 minutes this time (my alarm has a timer you can change, LOVE that)

8:10am I decide to sneak out of bed, but SP hears me, so I fully admit here to trying to lay back down and playing "possum" in hopes he will lay back back down.  No chance.

8:15am we moved to the living room to watch some morning Jack's Big Music Show and cuddle on the couch.  SP is still in cuddle mode and I LOVE it. 

8:40am Cuddle time is apparently over :-(  And the touching of everything begins...remotes, phones, computer, you name it.  In the process, he decides he wants to watch Toy Story (surprised?).  However, apparently during his morning "I'm going to touch everything even though I know you hate it" routine, he pulled a plug loose that causes sound to come from the dvd player.  I can't figure out which one isn't working so we give up. 

9:10am - J comes in the save the day, asks for a Toy Story dvd and invites SP to his room to watch it :-)  Have I told you how much I love my boys?  But my big boy has become such a great help to me (yes, he still has his teenage moments...as in every. morning. he. must. wake. up.)  But during the day, he is always offering, not being asked much anymore, but offering to help me entertain SP.  Makes me so proud of who he is becoming.

9:15am - I get his breafkast together (powdered donuts, a treat for he and T, they love these little buggers) and get SP a snack and get on the computer.  It's time to get the weekly budget out, pay a few bills and find out just what I can spend on groceries this afternoon.  I also register J for the Angelina County 4H Youth Fair in photography :-)  (ohhh...photography...reminds me again of the Canon Rebel I want for my birthday because I want to take good pics like Mindy...and the 50mm lens...yes, I'm coveting!)

But I digress...

9:45am - SP pulls on the cord by the tv that is somehow connected to the dvd player and the sound goes off.  I have no idea how to fix it, I unplug and replug to no avail.  So...J offers to come get Toy Story 2 and SP to watch together in his room.  I quickly agree to this so I can sit down and pay bills and find out just how little we have left for groceries and extras for the next two weeks.  

11:00am - I'm done, and depressed (amazing how fast it all goes away!) so I work on laundry and sweeping the floor while J and SP continue watching the movie.  T calls to ask if I want to go out to do the shopping or have him do it on the way home.  Well, let's see...he's been gone for 5 days and I've been home cleaning puke for 5 days...which option do you think I chose?

12:45pm - T comes home early from work we give SP something small for lunch.  He has kept everything down so far but we don't want to test it.  I do recall feeding J sometime in here...but since I'm now typing this on Saturday, I have already forgotten :-)  

1:30pm - SP is put down for his nap, T and I actually sit on the couch and watch a movie together! The Dilemma...it was ok.  

4:00pm - I am FREE!  T asks "So I probably shouldn't expect you home until midnight?" YES. I call and chat with my mom as I head to wash and clean out my poor, neglected van.  Then drop off the plastics at the recycle center.  I also take a bag of donations to the Goodwill truck.  Then just because I can, I browse through Old Navy (thought about Ross but that is way too tempting to spend money..which if you recall from above...we are low on this week) and I do find SP some new socks with sticky things on the bottom (not sure of the technical term for this).  And while I found a fantastic Boba Fett shirt for J, I'm hoping it will still be there in a few weeks. 

7:00pm - I finally make it to the grocery store where I slowly shop.  I stuck to my list (believe it or not!) but still took my time :-)

8:25pm - On the way out of the parking lot, I go through the Starbucks drive thru.  Thanks to several Christmas gifts I have approximately $55 in gift cards there :-)  This will last me all year!  I order a grande no fat no whip white chocolate mocha so I can heat it up in the morning before church.  Yea, then I get home and realize it's still Friday, ha!  T being home during the week has thrown me off, I keep thinking it's Saturday.  

8:45pm - SP "helps" me go through the grocery bags, one of his favorite things to do.  (And apparently while I was gone...once SP woke up, T took him outside to swing while J...played video games and Facetimed with his cousin)

9:30pm - SP heads to bed, J relaxes in his room, I begin some yoga while T and I started watching Sherlock on Netflix.  I have found a new Netflix series addiction.  If the first episode is any indicator (and the opinions of my mom, Mindy, HB, etc...) we will love this show!

And there you have it...10 days in the Life of a Homeschooler.  Each one different, each one provides it's own "off schedule" opportunities.  Thankfully 90% of our weeks do NOT include puking, but you were the lucky readers this time, huh?  

You have seen us skip Science several times (it does get made up, I assure you), you have seen us "socialize" (funny this always ends up being the biggest argument from those who do not understand homeschooling, and in reality it ends up being the one thing we all get more than we want sometimes.  And it's the one thing we can easily add more of or decrease activity in).  You have watched me do a lot of laundry, sit and just enjoy the quiet and get frustrated with my boys.  You have seen my kids in their pj's...A LOT ;-)  

But mainly you have seen that homeschooling is fun, it should be relaxing but challenging and it is flexible.  Especially when you have a toddler and a child with disabilities...flexibility is key.  Flexibility is hard for a lot of us, I am just now getting it and not completely.  

You have hopefully also seen between my posts and the posts of the other moms from GFG's blog that we are all completely different in our approaches.  We have to be, because we are all different, as are our children, even if we use the same curriculum.  That is the one lesson that was hard for me to learn because I wanted to compare myself with other homeschooling moms at first.  There are some incredible moms out there and they are WAY more organized and on top of things than I am.  They also seem to have more fun with their kids while learning than I do.  They seem to have cleaner homes (whatever)...BUT I am learning that I am who I am and God has made me mom of J and SP for His reasons.  I will keep working with what He provides :-)  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will be posting T's hunt pics in a day or two, he is sitting here beside me reminding me to do so.  He's just a bit proud of his...um...kill.
 

Day 9...2 weeks almost done!

Thursday...it's a gorgeous day outside, NO RAIN!!!!  And it's a little warmer (although I'm much different than my friend at GFG, I LOVE cold weather) but not too warm (I don't like to sweat...unless it's on purpose).  

T is home today and tomorrow since he thought his trip would take all week, that's a bonus for us :-)  He left around 8:30am to take his aoudad head in to the taxidermist.  This is an aoudad...

 

of which there is one less in West TX now.  This is not T's, but I will post pics of his hunt this weekend.  He also shot a coyote and is getting the hide done for that.  

but let's backtrack just a bit...

7:45am I finally rolled myself out of bed to have coffee and read my new Choosing Joy devotion.  These are very short so I also take some time to read a few chapters in this book, which I am loving even though it is challenging my stubborn spirit to the core.  She talks/writes like me, she gets me...er I get her?

 8:45am - SP wakes up so we gather forces and wake J up...which takes a bit of jumping, crawling and loving by SP ;-)

9:30am - We get some pancakes going and J helped by trying out this new amazing tool Grandad gave us...the EZCracker.

Sometimes, "as seen on TV" products are completely worth buying!  For people with disabilities or weak hands, (or who just stink at cracking eggs), this tool is awesome.  J loved it!

 

10:15am - SP was done eating and down playing so J and I caught up on our bible reading.  T came back home and had some pancakes while we finished, then J hit his math book.  I gave him the choice of taking the Lesson 19 test or going one more day with a worksheet and he actually opted for another worksheet first.  I was proud of him, he really wants to master some of this.  SP, T and I sat down to watch Brave since T hadn't watched it yet.  

10:55am - J headed to his room to listen to his history CD, read his second history book and for spelling today he had to go over the past 11 lessons "jingles" and preview words.  (The Phonetic zoo comes with little cards that the student "collects" as he finishes a lesson, they are fantastic for review days.  We keep them in a folder inside baseball card trading plastic pages). This was a spelling review day since he mastered list 11 yesterday.  

12:00pm - T took SP outside to help him clean his truck and to swing and I worked on dishes.  I wish I had taken a picture...he was so adorable in his pj's, jacket and tennis shoes.  His smile is back after 2 days of the blahs!

12:40pm - J headed outside with the boys to do his PE (wheelchair time).  Today he had to keep a book in his lap through all rotations.  He planned on reading once he was done but because T is home and they have some time, around 1:15pm they headed into town for lunch and some gift card shopping together :-)  

1:40pm - SP went down for his nap after asking for "B" and "wite" (turn off the light)

2:20pm - I got on the treadmill for some jogging/walking.  I've been trying to do some cardio every other day since Christmas and yoga/stretching in between.  So far I've only missed a couple of days and it does make me feel better inside and out.  I am not losing weight (of course) but I feel better.  Especially the yoga, I'm working on trying to loosen my right shoulder/arm.  In between exercising and showering, laundry continues on...(here are T's piles from his trip...notice how he creates his own hampers...in the living room...)

5:15pm - I realize I haven't started supper yet and J and I need to leave in 30 min for the 4H Food Challenge workshop.  Taco Soup was on the menu tonight (bonus recipe at the end of the post as a THANKS for following these 10 days!) so it was together and cooking right as we were ready to head out the door.  I left T in charge of adding the cheese and in charge of SP :-)

6:00pm - Food Challenge Workshop.  Last year, J was asked to step in last minute as a replacement for the Food Challenge district contest and while it wasn't his favorite thing to do (he loves doing the fall Food and Nutrition group and entering his own recipe into a contest but the group thing has a lot of down time and it gets a bit boring), he agreed to give it a full try this time around.  Ok, well, he is still not excited about it but it's one of those things I know he will be good in (he has a great 14 year old speaking voice) and it's always good to work in teams with a single goal.  In Food Challenge, the kids gather in teams of 3 to 5 participants (same age group is best but they can be mixed).  They have a box full of cooking/prepping items and are given ingredients and a clue as to what the end result recipe should be.  It's always fun to see what each team comes up with.  (Last year at district, the end result was a gazpacho...none of our teams figured that one out, pretty sure I wouldn't have either!).  Last night's was French Toast.  They were given bread, eggs, milk, powdered sugar and oranges.  One team made the french toast with a lot of powdered sugar and sliced the oranges as a side.  Another team made the french toast and then juiced the oranges in a cup for drinking.  J's group made their french toast with orange juice in the batter as well as orange zest.  Yes, he is with 4 friends who all happen to be girls (because his two male counterparts had to step out of the challenge this year) and they all know how to cook.  However, three of them know him pretty well so they will make him work ;-)  

J had to stir the batter before eggs were added, I promise he did some of the work, lol!

8:05pm - J and I ran to Target to pick up a few groceries and in hopes of finding warmups and another pair of pajama pants for J but the groceries were all we ended up buying.  I am too budget-conscious right now (ok, cheap, whatever) to pay $19.99 for warm-ups when I can get the same quality at another superstore for $12 so we move on.  And while we see a nice warm pair of pj's on sale from Christmas for $4.50, they had beer bottles on them so again, we moved on.  

8:50pm - SP threw up again all over the wood floor (ironic...same exact spot he did two days ago) so while T took him for a bath, I cleaned the floor and grabbed clean pj's.  J, surprisingly, wasn't deterred from eating his soup and reading a magazine while this was all going on, apparently we are a bit too used to throw up ;-)

9:20pm - SP was in bed, J was reveling in the fact that Friday is no school day (Free Day!) and I continued laundry.  oh laundry.  Our water bill will be crazy.

'holley's Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use a serving of this, much better for you)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use a serving a this, much better for you and tasting!)
1 can Rotel
1 can Vegal
1 "can" water (I use the Rotel can) 
2 handfuls noodles
8 oz Velveeta

Brown the ground beef and drain (with a little taco seasoning if desired), add to soup pot with all other indredients EXCEPT Velveeta.  Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until noodles are cooked. Take off heat and stir in Velveeta, serve with tortilla chips!  Best taco soup ever.

 

Day 8...A Day in the Life of a Homeschooler...

And things were improving...

SP had a great night, slept well, no sickness.  But when he woke up he wouldn't eat anything and didn't want anything to drink but milk.  Yes, I succumbed, but didn't give him much.  He wanted to just be held and was very tired.  

10:15am - J started his math while SP and I hung out on the couch.  

11:25am - We took J to horses for the first time since the holidays :-)  Of course, he'd rather have stayed in the warm house but off we went and he tried to remind me that "but we are doing more PE now with my wheelchair"!...nice try.  (It's only 4 miles down the road, rough, huh?) He always loves it when he's done.  Here is a previous post on our wonderful horse teacher and program.  

He started leading Sugar on his own last fall! 

11:40am - SP and I headed for a very quick trip to the grocery store in the small town just south of our house.  About 1/2 way there, he threw up all over his carseat.  Since I was close to Sonic (and in Texas, really, when are you not close to a Sonic?) and he had fallen asleep just seconds after I cleaned up the bit I could...I drove on for a couple of Sprites since I couldn't get to the store.  

11:55am-2:00pm - While J was at horses, SP and I watched the end of Toy Story 2 and started Brave.  I got a load of laundry going and the dishes done.  

2:00pm - Ms. Joy and Justin graciously brought J home for me so SP didn't have to get back in the car again.  J showed off his room and Vita to Justin and then tried to beg out of school.  tried.  I put SP in bed after he nodded off in my arms on the couch.

2:20pm - 3:45pm J worked on handwriting, spelling and read his 2nd history book while I cleaned the carseat outside.  Lunch of bean and cheese nachos was served. Then I helped J take a shower (we have a shower seat now thankfully, so I don't have to do much anymore.  But I do still have to help him get on the seat and wash his back and start his hair.  He does the rest and calls me when he is done.  He has really been trying to do as much on his own lately as he can, especially in the bathroom.  It's been so helpful!  This is huge perk of homeschooling for us...working on life skills.  Not just learning to cook, although he can now use the microwave more on his own, but to use the restroom independently, shower more independently, learning to put on his socks and braces, etc... When he was in public school he was so tired after getting home, doing homework, etc...we never took the free time we had to work on these things as much because he was just so tired.  And he offers everyday to help with SP, I am so blessed with my teenager (yes, you will have to remind me I said that tomorrow I'm sure, it varies day to day...)

4:10pm - J did Spanish, I folded laundry and cleaned up some clutter in the kitchen (following this easy "8 Weeks to Less Clutter in your Home" list :-)  and so far so good.)  He read a bit in his Samurai's Tale book and we read science together.  

6:05pm - SP woke up and J had been begging for me to drop him off at youth group tonight since I couldn't go with my sick one so we all put shoes and socks on, I re-dressed the carseat (had to wash all of that off) and got him there just 15 minutes late.  Thankfully, they started a bit late this evening so he only missed a little music.  SP and I strolled the grocery store for a few minutes to grab some crackers and sprite and ran into a friend who used to live behind us who has two adopted sons.  She told me they are moving back!  I'm very happy about that!!  Not that any of us do much out here together, but it's nice to be next to people you know and enjoy.  I also got to spend a little face time with a close friend of mine while we were waiting for our boys to get out of youth :-)  That was an unexpected gift.

8:06pm - We head home from church, picking up a pizza on the way.  I made chocolate chip cookies for J and T as a welcome home for T.  SP definitely feels better, he is not nearly as tired and is running around (well, not his usually bouncy run because he is low on energy but still a good effort) happy as can be and touching things he shouldn't.  I see that my last two days of sitting on the couch cuddling with my baby boy are alas...over :-(  Plus T is home so I'm chopped liver anyway.  But I have J :-)  He's my boy now that he's older.  As T says...he is just a playtoy, I'll get SP back when he's older too...lol!

10:20pm - J and I have a late night reading of Bronze Bow and thankfully it was a short chapter, then we both hit our beds and T puts SP to bed as well.   




 

Day 7...A Day in the Life...

Ok, we are supposed to be sharing the good and bad of our days in these 10 posts...and I finally have some truly bad to share.  See, as a homeschooling mom, we don't get teacher workdays kid-free, all of our students are continually exposed to illness if one has a virus because there is really no getting around it, and on the parent side, you don't get a break from one kid when another is sick...especially when the hubby is out of town. No, I'm not complaining because homeschooling is a choice I would make over and over again, I'm just saying...it's sometimes hard and um...smelly...

In yesterday's post I mentioned that SP began throwing up around 8:45pm...and continued throwing up through the night.  So as Day 7 started, here was the scheme of things...

12:30am - SP and I finally head to bed, we were on the couch most of the evening for quick access to the bathroom which we needed approx. every 30 minutes.

2:10am - SP threw up again in my bed (he had also thrown up 3 times before this but they were small and easily caught in a towel, whew!).  He actually has only slept in the bed with me or T just a few times because this boy loves his crib and is completely happy on his own.  However, he did not want to sleep by himself last night and quite frankly, because he was gagging so much I was nervous to not be right next to him.  Laundry load #3 by now.

4:05am - SP wanted in his bed.  10 minutes later, I hear the sound again.  However, this time, the sound is coming from his other end.  yep.  And it went all. the. way. up his back.  So, after stripping his bed, my bed (that's where I change his diapers) and Sol-U-Guarding all I could, I took him for a quick shower and threw in load number 4 of towels and sheets to clean (along with his stuffed animals from his crib).  Thankfully Scout escaped the worst and I was able to hand-wipe him down and Sol-u-guard. 

This pretty much sums up Day 7...image appears smaller in photo... TRUST ME

4:45am - 8:00am - SP was back in bed with me, sleeping on and off, he wanted juice so badly and would get mad at me for giving him small drinks but he kept trying to throw up larger drinks.

8:10am - We head out to the front room for some Toy Story and I let J sleep in some.  As SP sits with me I doze off a few times, thankful he is too tired to cause any of his normal "antics" ;-)

9:45am - So far, so good...all liquid is staying down but he will have nothing to do with the banana or crackers.  He is so pale and his eyes are so tired :-(  J has a late breakfast of donuts from yesterday morning then listens to his history CD.

10:30am - SP power pukes a good amount of the liquid I thought had stayed down.  I rinse us both off, put him in J's room behind the "keep Jonah out" baby gate and clean the floors.  again.

J has been a HUGE help to me lately with SP and come on...how sweet is this???!!!

10:50am - J works on 2nd history book, spelling and math. 

11:35am - I get the bright idea to blend a banana with ice chips and water, call it ice cream and SP decides it's good.  He eats a few bits, has some juice and goes to get his blankets out of his crib.  I know he's exhausted.

11:55am - I pull out Ratouille (because we've been through Toy Story and Cars today), we sit in the Lazy Boy together, J comes out to sit with us and asks me a few math questions. 

12:50pm - SP starts nodding off in my lap.  He rarely sits still and while I definitely hate seeing him sick, I hold him as long as he will allow me today.

1:11pm - I put SP down for a nap and J and I go over our world map and a few US states as a review. He is thrilled to be done.  You know I sometimes say we have "light" days but in reality...everyday can appear "light" to outsiders because when you homeschool you are able to spend less time on a subject (yet still get it all done plus some occasionally) due to your smaller "class" size.  You can also throw school in wherever you are (the car) and whenever you can so 3 subjects can get completed and completed well in 1.5 hours around here sometimes.  Now, as you have read in previous posts...sometimes just math can take us that long but there are days that go faster :-)

Between 2pm and 5pm, I am able to get some exercise in, do another load of sheets/towels, feed J and myself lunch, shower (oh, blessed shower!) and enjoy some computer time while J enjoys some video game time.  He read in his Samurai's Tale book also. 

Rest of the evening was puke-free and only one other load of laundry had to be done.  SP is sleeping peacefully again and hopefully he can have milk tomorrow, that's his life's blood ;-)  J is getting ready for bed so I can read to him.  I am re-watching a Downton Abbey episode to refresh myself with Season 3 :-)

Ok...am I the only mom who is having to hold back small tears reading this?  It's not sad yet (I say yet, because MOST Sonlight readers are sad but good)...it's just the the author has made the time with Jesus's preaching so very visual, it just comes to life and I wish I had been there, amazing.

So are you bored by now?  lol!  This was not quite the riveting day I was expecting, either.  However, as you are probably noticing, homeschool days are always just a bit different, you just never know what will happen (just as with any family and illness)...the problem is you can't get away from it, ha!  But I choose to do this because I love being the one who watches my boys grow, mature and learn.  It's an AWESOME experience, truly awesome.  Even the puking reminds me (as my friend Christy wrote today to me) that I have an adorable new blessing in my life...a puking blessing, but an adorable one.  And as my friend Mindy wrote on her Day 6, because we homeschool, we can include exactly what he would be learning in public school but with our biblical worldview included in each subject.  As Christians, and with a 14 year old who wants to study the bible, that was a big part of our decision to homeschool.  It has helped clear up my own personal worldview, too.

Oh...T will be home TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!  YES!!!!


 

Day 6...A Day in the Life of a Homeschooler...

Ahhh...Day 6 out of 10 with GFG's Day in the Life postings and it's week 2 of our Spring Semester. Time to add back in a little more to get our full schedule up and running.  Well, truth be told, I didn't really pare down the first week as much as I told J I would but it makes him feel better to think he is doing less work ;-)

7:30am I finally drag myself out of out bed.  Hard night sleeping...T was out of town and I finished Ugly Betty so I was bummed (well, I loved the series so I was bummed it was over!).  I love Netflix, I don't really have time to watch any normal TV shows anymore unless I DVR them and DVRing several shows drives my hubby and oldest son crazy so Netflix is my friend.

9:00am I get J out of bed and SP out of his crib.  SP has been awake for 15 minutes but I have been listening to an interesting food/weight loss video online and wanted just a few more minutes to myself :-)  Decided not to go to MOPS this morning because of yucky weather and busy afternoon.

9:30am I decide we ARE going to MOPS ;-)  I do enjoy the other moms and friends.  I'm a bit spoiled in the fact that it's held at my church also so J (who is obviously not a pre-schooler!) can stow away in an empty room to do his schoolwork while I get some mom time and SP plays with friends.  He helped out in the nursery the first time we went in the fall and by the second time he sweetly asked "Mom, can I just sit in the office with Ms. Deloris and do my schoolwork?  Those kids wore me out".  lol!  I finally found the one thing that makes him WANT to do schoolwork.  

10:00am After packing J's school stuff and SP's diaper bag and of course picking up the cereal and goldfish that SP poured on the floor (what IS IT with that?  Every time you give him snack food it goes on the floor and then back into the cup and then on the floor again before the mouth???)...oh and after snatching SP's toothbrush out of his hand...not as easy as you would think...we head out the door.

10:20am we are late to MOPS but what's new?  When you don't decide until half an hour beforehand, this happens :-)  I get J situated in the room he usually uses with his history, spelling and reading (We listened to our Story of the World CD in the car) and I take SP to the nursery to play.  The speaker at MOPS was a friend of ours (and a member of our church) who spoke to us on financial planning...something I am desperately trying to learn so we can actually have money after a paycheck goes to bills.  This is why God prompted me to get up and go to MOPS I see now, it was just what I needed.

12:00pm we leave MOPS and head home to finish school.  J tells me he didn't get spelling done because we had the wrong CD.  oops!  He then asks his DAILY question "what else do we have and please make it easy!".   Every. Day.  Anyhoo...J stays outside in the 39degree weather (finally!  a decently cold day and the rain is gone for a few hours!) to do his PE/Wheelchair work...6 times up and around the ramp, 6 times down.  He listens to his iTouch today while doing it and I'm pretty sure he lost count a few times but it was in my favor because he did more than was required ;-) SP and I get a fire going in the fireplace.

12:30pm J heads to do math (no frustrations today!really!!!), I tell SP to "get down" around 8 times (the boy loves chairs...especially when close to tables...that have pencils on them...and no one seems to be watching).  SP "hides" from me (covering one eye with his hand and hiding his face behind a bag) instead of getting down as asked.  I ask him if he wants a spanking and he proceeds to get down quickly and nicely.  (No, this does not always work...occasionally he does get a small spanking...not that THAT works all the time either).  SP has lunch while we watch a little Cars 2.  

1:30pm SP goes down for his nap.  He likes to turn off the lights now, then gives me sugars and heads happily to sleep.  No, I'm serious!  J finishes math, begins spelling.

2:00pm J and I read over the summaries of the last few chapters of Story of the World Vol 1 from before Christmas and the first few summaries in Vol 2 to get up to date and he glues his pictures and important historic events onto his timeline book (this is one thing my friend Mindy told me to do and stick with it...it's totally worth the money and effort and she was right. This will be a GREAT reference as he ages).  We do this every few weeks, usually.  We look over maps about the areas covered at the same time but tomorrow we will actually work on mapping.

2:30pm We read science together and learn about carbonization (we are learning about fossils).  We have almost an exact replica of a little fish that was fossilized via carbonization into sedimentary rock so we study that.  He has finally found a chapter in this book he enjoys!  Since we are doing General Science this year, it covers many topics (pulleys, history of science, etc...) many of which have been "boring" to J.  Yea, you know...the same kid who sits for hours in his room on a weekend playing video games...in the same chair...boring.  yep.

3:05pm J had a late lunch of pizza rolls (he had breakfast twice...a short one before MOPS and a short one after) and finishes reading what he didn't finish of his Samurai's Tale chapters at church.  I prepared for the 4H Photography meeting which is at my house this month (at 4pm today!).  I'll be showing the kids how to make a scrapbook page with photoshop :-)  Finally something I can help in 4H with that I actually know about!  

4:00pm 4H Photography meeting.  (J used to be in scouts, but once we found 4H and easily realized it was a much better fit for us, we didn't look back).  Our whole 4H group is primarily homeschoolers but we do have some public school kiddos as well.  They all seem to get along well and help each other.  Here is my friend Michelle's 4H blog of our group, it's fun to follow!!

6:10pm we let our sweet dog Bullet in for the first time in months.  No ticks or fleas that I can see and he is grateful.  SP is beside himself with excitement.  He lays down with him and tries to mimic his every move but then gets bored after 10 minutes ;-)

6:45pm Dinner is served...baked potatoes and some deli turkey for SP to go along with it. 

8:30pm SP was ready for bed so off he went.

9:45pm I read a chapter of Bronze Bow with J and go off for some just mom time with the computer (and start catching up on Bunheads!) 


ok...so that's how the night was supposed to go after dinner...here's how it really went...

8:30pm SP was ready for bed so off he went...

8:45pm I hear puking.  lots of puking.  SP is puking but at least he leaned over his crib. into the carpet.

9:10pm after getting it all cleaned and the blankets are in the washer, he walks up to me and pukes again.

9:15pm we are still up, waiting for another puke fest :-)  Probably not reading to James tonight but we will see...the night is not over yet :-)  However I'm done blogging because I need a shower.


 

A Day in the Life...Day 5!

Friday!!  It's Friday!!!

Fridays are one of two things for us during the school year...Free days or Co-op Days (which are just as fun).  Our Co-op meets twice a month on Fridays and we have 19 families, over 50 kids.  This Friday was our first Co-op day of the Spring semester.  With this first class day came a few changes for our group.  We used to meet from 9:15am - 1:45pm with lunch in there for 45 minutes.  Due to scheduling issues with the church who is allowing us to use part of their building and ideas from great moms in our group, we started this spring with a new time of 8:30am and ended at 11:45am.  

This accomplishes several things...we don't have to pay the church extra for cleaning they might need to do other than the regular upkeep...moms don't have to make and pack lunches and then attempt to socialize during lunch while feeding all the kiddos...if we have a trip to take for the weekend, we can leave earlier or we can just go home earlier to chill.  

This first Friday went fantastically...here's the breakdown...

7:10am I wake up and start my new Angela Thomas devotion, Choosing Joy because I'm done with my bible study (yes, yes, after 7 months I'm done and it rocked my heart!)  

No coffee first thing this morning, just my new found chocolate-honey-yogurt-coffee mask.

7:25am I start helping J get dressed and ready (interpret this to mean...I pull the covers off he is holding onto with his dear life and force him to roll over so we can start on the socks and pants).  As he begins to come to consciousness he screams "It's a Monster" and then laughs at himself b/c he is just soooooo funny.  (I still have the mask on)

7: 35am J is eating his homemade breakfast of Kellogg's poptarts and vitamins.  I get dressed then finish packing up our stuff to take.

7:45am SP wakes up, I get him dressed and ready.  We all brush our teeth, I make coffee to go and load the car, I load SP then J comes out and gets in the car.  (Have I mentioned I've owned a minivan now for 9 months and I LOVE IT. J gets in and out by himself)


8:15am we head to co-op.  We make it with 1/2 a minute left ;-)  Oh yea.  And I'm blessed with friends who always offer to help us carry stuff in.  Not sure

8:30am co-op begins.  New changes introduced, rooms assigned, I lead a quick devotion (we all take turns at this during the year) and everyone is dispersed.  

8:45am First Classes - SP gets to play in the nursery with his 3 buddies for the next few hours.  J heads to God's World News class and I get to help in the Gamma (3rd/4th grade) class Chess Club/Games class.

9:30am Second Classes - J heads to the Zeta's new Home Ec class.  The 3 boys in the group aren't incredibly excited about this, but when it's over, they have all learned to sew a button and made a fun drawing around it (J drew PacMan and the button of course was one of the white dots).  Such a creative group of moms we have!  I head to the nursery, it's my time to play with SP and his pals :-)

10:15am Third Classes - J and I both head to Where Fore art Thou? The Zeta Shakespeare class I'm teaching.  Again, the 3 boys aren't incredibly excited about this one, but I win them over with "we will also learn a few Shakespearian insults".  Yea, I'm that kind of cool teacher ;-)

11:00am Fourth Classes - J and his Zeta group now get their turn in the Chess Club/Logics Games class and I get this 45 minutes off.  All moms get 1 class time off during the day.  

11:45am we are done!  I really, really like this new schedule.  Several of us head out to get lunch and we meet back up at a local park for an hour or so.  We can actually visit and the kids enjoy playing.  Ok, so J hasn't been a "playground" kind of kid for several years b/c it's just difficult physically but he takes his PS Vita with him and is happy as can be showing it to friends.  

2:00pm we are home, SP is down for a nap, J is relaxing in his room and I spend some time finishing a sequin ball I started the year J was born and watch a couple more Ugly Betty episodes :-)

I LOVE Fridays :-)  We have some incredible families in our co-op.  I used to pray for J to have good guy friends to come up along side of him, friends who would not just want to "help" him like they so many times did in public school (not knocking that, they just didn't have time to really get to know each other) but guys who just want to be around him because of who he is.  He has that now.  He has several incredible guy friends because of our co-op, friends he gets to spend quality time with outside of "school". And I have to add that the 3 girls in the Zeta class have become incredible friends with the guys too, it's an awesome thing to witness. God is so good.  And SP just keeps everyone at co-op giggling...and out of breath catching him ;-)