And..... I'm back!

Wow! Today is literally the first day of the rest of my life.
Yesterday I told Caleb I was so excited for today. "Why?" He wondered...
Because I get to do laundry. And dishes. And scrub the toilets. And mow the grass. And chop some wood. And. And. And...
Yes, after ten months of diverting my attention to the cause of paying tuition for Hailey, I am returning to my assigned role of stay-at-home-mom and homeschool teacher.
I'd like to think that I am wiser. I know for sure that I am stronger. (and thinner) :-)
When I emerge from the mountain of chores that have awaited my attention for so long, I will share what led me to this place, and details of the growing I have done this past school year.
I have missed you all, almost as much as I have missed my children.
But not quite. ;-)

About That Cliffhanger

I know I left you hanging, and I didn't mean to. I just didn't know the answer to my dilemma until today.

I have been homeschooling for some time now. In fact, this is our fifth year. I have loved it. I have enjoyed it. I have hated it. I have groaned some mornings when the sun rose. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes.

But there was one thing I was always sure of until now. This was what God wanted me to do. This year I have been struggling with a certain young lady, who shall remain nameless. She has whined, complained, thrown tantrums, begged, pleaded, etc. to get out of doing school. I am worn down by the battle. And since I am easily swayed by all such methods, this year has been very difficult.

But all that changed with a single text. Someone in my sister's office quit. Someone who did a job that I knew I could do. So I hit my knees and sent out prayer requests to my friends, asking God what to do. If it was time to send the kids to private school, I needed a job that would pay for it. I have been a stay-at-home-mom since Hailey was a tiny baby. I don't have many marketable skills. Besides, I didn't want to leave my cushy life as a kept woman. But I needed to do what God wanted me to do, so I prayed and dove into the Word, looking for an answer.

I got one.

It wasn't the one I expected, but since it's even better, I'm okay with that.

Shawn got two job offers in one week. He wasn't even seeking employment from these companies, but they came looking for him. The first offer was good, but the second offer was too good to pass up. He accepted it and will start in a few weeks.

It will pay for Hailey's tuition and I will stay home, continuing to homeschool Caleb.

Isn't God good?!?!

**Lest anyone think I'm banishing my daughter, I think she will flourish in school. She needs interaction with other kids more than she has in the past, and she filters her attitude better with other teachers. I wish she would with me, but I know she will do fabulously.

Meanwhile, Caleb needs to work on building a few good character qualities before I subject a teacher to him. I'm hoping a little one on one will help him learn a little tenderness and compassion, as well as respect for his elders.

Safari!

Where can you go to eyeball an emu?

Where can you gaze at a zebra?

Where can you speak to a spider monkey?

Where can you observe an ostrich?

Where can you consort with a camel?

Where can you gratify a giraffe's appetite?

Where can you wander with wildebeests?

Where can you be dazzled by deer?

Where can you look at a llama?

Why, Tennessee Safari Park, of course!

Diane = pumpkin

Last night I went to our homeschool meeting without my sister.
It was really hard not being together. We have been on this journey for the past four years, and we've both been each other's side-kick in the dynamic of our group.
She meets needs that I sometimes don't even really articulate, like finding us seats where I won't be in the middle and feel claustrophobic. It's not like I can't find my own seat, but it's really nice not to have to explain that, "no, I can't sit next to you because then I will be smooshed for the entire evening because I'm really self-conscious of the fact that I'm large and take up more space than I should, but thanks for asking." (I have a thing about sitting on the end of the row, because of that.)
It feels like I'm setting out on this journey of homeschooling all over again. So now I have to figure out how I fit into the group without my fellow groupie. Due to the fact that I'm really cutting back on my extra stuff since Shawn is back in school, I have resigned from the group board, and am unsure of my place anymore. Chris and I did all the volunteer things together. We organized the year end event and brought the snacks to the October meeting. We were both on the board together...
But I dragged my sad hiney to the meeting last night anyway. And by the time I left, I knew where I would be serving. I will be helping a dear friend with the girls cooking club. I'm really glad I get to work with her, because I love her, and she is fun to be with. She's about the only one to be able to get away with saying to me what she said last night, in front of a room full of people and have it not hurt my feelings.
"I would LOVE to have you work with me in the cooking club! Did you know you look like a pumpkin?"
( I was wearing a rather bright orange shirt with a bright green tank layered under it.)

Make it so Number One

Captain's log: Day 2; Stardate 8409.
So far, the local beings have been amenable to our endeavors to assist them in learning. There have not been many signs of an uprising, but I hesitate to believe they will continue to acquiesce to our demands. Surely they will revolt. The only question that remains is how long will they continue to comply.
It seems that periodic offerings of unfamiliar supplies and trinkets is sufficient to keep the locals distracted and peaceful.
We will continue to update as our research progresses.
Captain out.

Coming out of Going into the closet

After much hard work and preparation, our classroom is finally finished. I would have liked to have painted the room, but money is tight these days, and I needed to get other things.
Like books.
We have an actual school table and chairs. They came from a public school that was being demolished. I also have a few desks and some pull-down maps (that still need to be hung... Oh, ShaaaaaaaaAAAAwwwwn!) that came from the school.
I like having a room to school in, so it is all contained.
Boy, Howdy! Is it contained!
On the end of the room is a wall with three doorless closets, in the middle of which is my computer desk. The other two have been storing two of the student desks, among other things. On a wild hunch, I emptied these closets, turned the desks sideways, hung a few shelves and a light in each, and ta-da! They are cubicles! (complete with curtains so that at the end of the day, the chairs gets pushed in, the rolling drawers slide behind the chairs, the curtains get pulled shut, and I DON'T HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM!!!!)
So tomorrow we begin.

BRING IT.

This proud momma moment brought to you by...

Last year when the kids took their satandardized (totally a typo, but too funny to delete) standardized testing, Caleb didn't score well on reading comprehension. In fact, he was far enough below average to cause me a little concern. This year he has picked up reading, and has gained a lot of ground.

Tomorrow they are going up to the school for this year's round of tests, so we are doing a little test prep work.

Caleb answered nearly every question correctly on the reading comprehension section I gave him. But halfway through his work I realized I had made a big mistake. I chose to keep it to myself until he was finished, just to see how he did.

I had given him Hailey's pages.

She's in the fifth grade.

He's in the third.

That time of year again

As a homeschool Mom, I get to this time of year and realize that we have so much still to do, and so little time.
So I spent the morning evaluating what we have accomplished, and figuring out what needs to happen in order to complete the year in time to enjoy the summer.
Here's where I realize that starting in September, with the plan to school through June was a stupid idea. What was I thinking? We have a camping trip planned for a week in May. Looks like we will be taking our school books.
But most importantly, we need to be finished in time for VBS and camp.
Hailey, whose name should be changed to "Wail-ey," is not happy about the crack down. She likes sleeping in until the sun is actually shining. Come to think of it, I do, too. But this is becoming more obviously non-efficient.
We are experiencing the cabin-fever-blues, which happen every year about this time. They lead to a re-evaluation of priorities, so they are a good tool, if I don't let them overwhelm me.
I admit, I have been wondering how long this homeschool train will run, and how far it would take us. I have even contemplated researching what school district (gasp!) we belong to. But as I lay awake last night, taking stock of our journey, both past and future, I realized I'm not ready to get off this train yet.
Where else would I have the joy of seeing my children learn everything they know, and knowing I had a part of it? Where else would I get to be laughed at by my children for tearing up during our history lesson? Where else am I going to get to repeat fifth grade without having to pay tuition and feel stupid?
I think we will be homeschooling a little while longer, yet.

Vote for me!

We had a mock election with our homeschool group yesterday. It was neat, and the kids had fun. After the results were in, I found out my son had voted liberal.
What am I raising around here?
The update went out, and Jenny suggested making a limerick out of the sentence that a boy voted for Obama, and his Momma wasn't pleased.
I took the challenge. Here are the latest results. Anyone else want to give it a try?


The children held an election,
Which would have been close to perfection,
If one boy hadn't frozen,
The wrong candidate chosen,
He wouldn't be facing rejection.

There voted a boy for Obama.
This greatly displeased his poor mamma.
In dismay she asked, "Why,
Would you make your Mom cry?
I think I'll just have to disown ya!"

Home Ec.

Convicted by my revealing statements yesterday, and truly wanting to commence with the packing efforts, we have spent the whole day studying home economics.

Of course, this means nothing more than we thoroughly cleaned the house from top to bottom. (with the exception of the laundry room. It's scary in there.)

Additionally, we have done about forty-seven loads of laundry.

What? It's school!

So feel free to drop by anytime in the next ten minutes. I promise not to be mortified.

Is it time yet?

Every year I look forward to the first day of school. The ceremonial sharpening of the pencils, the first opening prayer, the first shutting off of the phone...
Seems just last week that we couldn't wait for summer break to commence.
Oh, the human race is never satisfied!
Last night I sat with school books all around me and wrote out our lesson plans for this week. I was having so much fun that I thought of springing a school day on the kids today, but Shawn vetoed that decision. He's such a spoil sport. Or maybe just a cool dad. Whatever.
Last year both of the kids had review for several chapters before hitting anything new. This year, notsomuch. They hit it hard and fast. Caleb starts the first chapter of math learning multiplication. I had heard from several sources that odd year grades are harder. The second and fourth grades are mostly review. So this year I get the hardest, third and fifth. Yay me.
So why can't we start today?

Inspired....or Insane? You decide.

Sometimes I wonder if I have lost my mind. I got a chance to get away from it all this weekend with my sister/best friend. I had a very nice time, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. I came home to a husband who loves me, and children holding signs they had made to welcome me home. They had gotten some random things done around the house I mentioned before I left. It was nice.
Then today we got cracking on school. In case you are blind, and can't read my profile, I homeschool my second and fourth graders. We usually have a great time. Today, however, notsomuch. We couldn't seem to get the ball rolling. It took forever to actually get started. And now, at 4:48 pm, my son, the second grader, is still sitting here in the classroom trying to muster up the will power to accomplish his spelling and math assignments. I have resorted to yelling, I'm afraid. I hate that about myself. I grew up in a house with a yelling Mom, and I don't want my kids to be afraid of me. But when I am supremely frustrated, I turn back into what I know. I am a yeller. These are the only times when I wonder if I am insane for homeschooling my kids. I know all the reasons why we made this choice. I don't want someone else to have the joy of raising my kids while I try to cram homework and family time into whatever time is left in their days. I love to see the light come on in their eyes when they get a new concept. I love knowing that my son is a math whiz and Hailey has inherited my love of reading. The decision to homeschool them was inspired by the Lord, and I know it. But sometimes I feel like I am going insane.