A Bridal Shower

We thought about going roller skating this morning but changed our plans because none of our other homeschooling friends were going. I have so many things on the schedule for today that I need to stay at home anyway. I want to devote a good part of the day to cleaning, decluttering and organizing our bedroom. I am also hoping to spend time working on homeschooling plans for the fall.


This evening, the girls and I will be attending a bridal shower for a young lady that I have never met. The future youth pastor of our church is getting married in January and his fiancee will be here for a few days. For once, I actually have already bought and wrapped the gifts. Yesterday, Hannah, Holly and I made cards. Mine is completely blank on the inside. I wanted to write something inspiring but my poem writing ability seems to have deserted me at the moment. Hopefully I'll think of something. Meanwhile, my lunch break has been too long and I need to get back to my room.

This week is destined to be as busy as the month that is essentially over. Our church met at a park for services today and had a picnic lunch afterwards. I was so blessed that it was shady and we enjoyed a breeze now and then. After eating too much pork barbecue, we had our second service. It's normally in the evening but we did everything at the same time since we had rented the pavilion. Holly was excited to be able to help in the makeshift nursery. They had a mosquito net tent far enough away so the little children could play to their hearts' content.

A good part of this week will be spent preparing for summer camp for Holly and myself. I am going as one of the counselors. It is rumored there is no A/C in the cabins. Pray for a cool front to come through! I realize that it will be the middle of July but I believe in miracles. On Saturday, we will be found at a local festival. Our church will be giving out water, face painting and other activities. I have never been to this festival before but I am envisioning extreme heat and a complete lack of shade. I hoping to be one of those passing out the water, dipping my hands into the ice cold cooler to find temporary relief.

Other projects for the week include the never ending organizing of this tiny apartment and working on homeschool plans for the fall. I have almost everything I need for Holly. I have a running start for Gabriel and Hannah but I am still looking for World History and World Literature. Anyone have any good ideas?

Questions and Answers

After my last entry,Carol asked, "Are you a trained teacher or a teacher from your years of homeschooling?" Yes and yes. I have a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Liberty University. I was certified to teach here in Virginia and then in Alabama. Sadly, my certification has expired. I taught 2nd-4th grades at a small Christian school and then I taught kindergarten in the public school for a little over 2 years. And of course, I've gained even more experience from the many years that I've been homeschooling

"How will that affect your homeschooling? Are you still home schooling?" Yes, I will still homeschool. We are blessed that John is working evening shift and can be home with the children during the day. The fact that they are older makes the scenario more feasible. Gabriel and Hannah do most of their work independently. Holly needs a little more help but not constant attention. I am considering having Hannah work with Holly in math and maybe even helping me in my classroom and giving her high school credit for it. It would be something like an internship or practicum in elementary education. Anyone have any good ideas as to what I should officially call it?

School is ALMOST Out!

Public school ends here in Virginia on June 13th. I have two days already scheduled for subbing next week but I doubt that I will get much more than that. The bad part about that is I won't be getting a paycheck until the end of September. I am hoping to sell some things on e-bay. Hopefully I can earn enough to buy a tank of gasoline.


Holly is finished with 4th grade! She took her state required standardized tests last week and we are anxiously awaiting the results. Gabriel and Hannah also took their tests but they have one more class to finish up. We are trying to squeeze in as much algebra as we can so that they can be done on the 13th. They are going to summer camp the following week.


While we may be done with "school", we'll still find lots of opportunity for learning. Holly and I are planning on working on several Girl Scout badges. I've promised the girls we will find time for crafts. And of course we'll read. I have to include myself there. Perhaps I should challenge my kids to see if they can read more than me. There's a thought worth thinking on some more. . .

Right now, I promised Holly that I would take her swimming. Maybe while I'm there I can think of a more interesting blog entry.

Nothing to Do

One thing I love about living in Virginia is all the history that is within a couple hours' drive. Last Thursday we went to the the Mariner's Museum in New Port News. We were able to see a replica of the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. We were also able see parts of the actual USS Monitor, most of which was submerged in a solution for conservation.


On Friday we had an impromptu field trip to see Prince Caspian. I had planned on seeing it eventually but a homeschooling friend called me up and asked if we wanted to go with them. Who could pass that up? Friday night we had to go to church to help set up for our Carnival.


Saturday morning, John, Gabriel and Hannah headed out early for more Carnival set up. Holly and I stayed home to make cakes for the cakewalk and joined them at 1. Hannah, Holly and I helped with the games. Gabriel was in the youth room. John had to go to work. Afterwards we helped take down and put away lots of paraphernalia and then we enjoyed dinner with the youth group at CiCi's Pizza.


Sunday morning found me at church, singing with the praise team and teaching children's church. Holly had play practice immediately following the service and then on to a birthday party at the skating rink. While she was occupied, we went to look at a house for rent. It had 4 bedrooms and the rent was only slightly higher than what we are paying now. Unfortunately, it would be a step or two down from where we are now. I didn't think it was possible to find bedrooms smaller than what the kids have now. The kitchen was disgusting and small. There was only room for a table for 2. Who builds such a tiny kitchen for a four bedroom house? And there was no central air. Sad. The neighborhood was nice.


Monday I had a substitute job. Then I had to rush home and prepare for girl scouts. We brought SWAPS ("Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere) to make with the troop. It was a lot of fun. I was going to include some pictures but Blogger is not letting me right now. Here is what we made. John took Gabriel to court. Here in Virginia, minors must appear before the judge in order to get their driver's license. He is now an official licensed driver!


It's been a staggeringly busy weekend. Tonight I am home with "nothing" to do. Perhaps I will fold a load of laundry and just enjoy some down time with my kids! How has your week been going?

Swimming, Sailing, Swaps and School

Today was one of those days where I did not spend much time on "academics" with Holly. She read a book and wrote a story. One could say that was pretty much "school" for her today. Here are some other things that were accomplished:

We started the morning out by finishing up her SWAPS for Girl Scouts. -Arts and Crafts


We went to the mall and looked for a bathing suit. PE because we walked around the entire mall and in and out of stores at a very quick pace. Life Skills because we discussed how stores were just now putting the new bathing suits out for the new season and the $40 bathing suits did not fit in our budget. The last store we went to was Old Navy and they were having a 40% off all children's and baby clothes. We found her a bathing suit for $9.50! That was all before lunch. When we were done eating, we had family devotions. - Bible and Listening Skills.

Our Girl Scout meeting was in Timbuktu today. I left plenty early because I did not know exactly where we were going. Map Quest was vague and confusing. I did not get off at the correct exit and I practically ended up in Constantinople. So I turned around and we made it to right place on time - another lesson in Life Skills. My dad taught me well "Leave 15 minutes early or you're late."

Holly had a great time at the meeting. - More PE time with 1.5 hours of swimming and lots of socialization (if you insist).


Here is a picture of Holly getting ready to launch her pine derby sail boat. She did not do so well against the experienced sailor next to her but she had fun all the same.

Early Birds and Night Owls

Shhh! My girls are still asleep, here in my room. We stayed up late last night and so I'm letting them sleep in. But I thought I would try to blog while I have a quiet moment.

Monday was a busy, on-the-run kind of a day. I was up before the sun in order to get ready to take John and Gabe to the airport. I sat in the back and wasn't paying attention to the way to the airport and nearly panicked that I wouldn't be able to find my way home. (I am terrible with directions!) Thankfully it was as simple as going straight and taking the interstate entrance. Three or more turns and I would have been lost. After the airport we had time to run home. Hannah wanted to take a quick shower and I read my Bible. While home, I found out the phone was not working. Something always has to happen when John goes away. Well, at least I still had my cell phone. Hannah had archery lessons and then the three of us went to lunch at Cracker Barrel - one of my favorites- and then shopping for groceries. We didn't get a lot because I had left my coupons at home. I can't stand to buy something when I know I have a coupon for it sitting at home. When we returned home, Hannah put the groceries away while Holly and I cleaned out the car. Then we had a bit of time to relax before we had to leave for drama. Drama is still in the same county that we live in but it takes 25 minutes to get there. So Holly and I have to figure out what to do on that side of town. Thankfully there is library just 5 minutes away. Time goes by rapidly at the library! Finally we went home for a late dinner and relaxation while watching something useless on TV. I can't even remember what it was now.

Tuesday was a much slower paced day. Not only did I get my dining room table decluttered, but we managed to get some school work done. Gabe is technically on spring break while in Romania. So I told the girls that we would take it easy but I did want to catch up on some math. So we did several math lessons yesterday afternoon. We managed to spend the entire day at home until time for my ladies Bible study. Hannah and Holly go to a single mom's home to babysit for her during the Bible study. Afterwards, I spent some time on Instant Messenger with John trying to figure out what was wrong with the phone. I did not want to call the company and be charged with a customer service bill if it turned out to be a problem in the apartment and not with the company. Well, if you think I am bad with directions, you ought to see me around mechanical/technological devices. It's not a pretty picture. Thankfully, John was able to talk me through the procedure and now we have phone service once again!

Today I am planning on another easy day at home with a little more decluttering/cleaning and a couple of lessons in math. Hopefully, we won't have to go anywhere until church tonight. We very well may stay up late again (hey, we are "night owls" and my very early "early bird" men are not here) but I plan on having a reading/writing time instead of vegetating in front of the TV. That's the plan. We'll see what actually happens!

The girls are still sleeping and I'm off to start my day - shower and Bible reading. Are you a night owl or an early bird?

Gabriel Takes Driver's Ed

Today Gabriel finished the classroom portion of his Driver's Education class. It was 3 hours long each day for 2 weeks. He had a lot of homework, studying and tests. The course was given by a private driving school and there were 6 or 7 others in the class, all homeschoolers. This was his first experience in a classroom setting since 3rd grade. I am not sure who was more nervous, Gabriel or me. He had to pay for half of the cost of the course. We live in a day and age where kids are just given everything. John and I are firm believers that if someone has the privilege to drive such a dangerous machine, they should earn it. So he paid half. Anyway, one of the reasons that he was nervous was because he knew that if he failed, he would have to pay the entire cost of the course to take it again.

I have to wonder if other moms, homeschool or not worry like I do. Is my child ready? Have I done enough to prepare him to take classes from others (AKA "the real world")? I am glad to announce that he did really well and passed with flying colors! Congratulations to Gabe! Now on to the Behind the Wheel portion and a new set of concerns for a mom. My blogging friend, Karen from Surviving Motherhood, asked not long ago which stage of mothering was the hardest. I told her that I was loving the teen years. It was far easier than the sleepless nights with infants or dealing with the reading struggles that we had during the elementary years. But I might just have to change my mind. Watching them grow up, and all my fears that come with it, is a very difficult thing indeed.

Homeschool 2008 Begins

We started back to school this week and today went well even if we didn't accomplish all that was written down. Hannah has been wanting to take an archery class for a long time. We've been unsuccessful in finding a homeschool class for teens so far. Today a class started at a huge, nearby sporting goods store. It was mainly young children, five, six and seven year olds. There were a couple of 10-12 year olds there. We knew that would be the case but Hannah said that she wanted to go anyway. So off we went. There was one girl there who was 12 and taller than Hannah so she didn't feel terribly out of place. She had an awesome time and can't wait to go back. We also found out that we can go there anytime to practice.

After archery, we went home and worked on some more school work and one of Holly's Girl Scout projects. Then it was time to get ready for drama which is on the other side of town. I decided that it would be good to save on gas and leave early so that we could stop at the library. Right before we arrived at the library exit, I remembered that it was rush hour and that particular exit is always backed up. (I know because I took that exit once at rush hour!) So we passed it up and went to another library that is just minutes away from the drama theater. That's one of the good things about living near a big city- there's so many libraries to choose from.

On the way home from drama, Gabe wanted to get something at Target and Holly needed something for Girl Scouts. We stopped by the jewelry section and found some gorgeous seasonal earrings on a fantastic clearance sale. 90% off!! Many things were Christmasy but there was also a good selection of snowflakes and wintery items too. Both girls picked out a few. At $.69 a piece, they were just too hard to pass up.

That was pretty much our day. Not much housework was done. If you came by, that would be obvious. Well, there's always tomorrow!

Catching Up

There's so much to write about and so little time. I have had days worse than the one I mentioned here. Three of my eleven students were suspended on Halloween. There have been days where I have come home physically exhausted and emotionally and spiritually drained. Tears have not been an every day occurrence but neither have they been unexpected.

"D" is no longer with us. They moved him to another school that is closer to his home. His mom was blaming some of his behavior problems on the 30 minute ride to school. Yesterday was his first day in his new class. I do not know how it went but that school called our school at 8:15 am. I think it's more than the bus ride. . . My heart breaks for these children. I really like "D" when he's good. He can be so good and sweet and then there's the other, quite opposite side of him.

My other dilemma, adding tension to stress, was Holly. My honor roll student - practically all A's, fell off the academic cliff hard and fast. We gave her time to get adjusted to public school but the grades were just awful. We did flash cards, practice tests, extra worksheets and oral review. She knew the information but that fact wasn't at all obvious on her tests and quizzes. We spent almost as much time on homework as we did homeschool. Part of the problem was Holly and not working well in the public school setting. Another part was the lack of discipline in the classroom. With her grades sinking at a Titanic rate, the poor behavior of her classmates and their rude behavior towards her, we decided to pull her out and homeschool her once again. John is home during the day and he is being a great homeschool dad.

I spoke with the regular teacher yesterday. We now have an official date. My last day will be December 7th. I am thankful for the extra money. And all is not bad news. We had an amazingly good day today. It could be "D's" absence, lots of prayer or maybe both. In any case, thanks for your prayers and please keep on! I have 10.5 days left and I would love to say that the worst is over.

Teaching in the Lions' Den

A comment from Big Red Driver – “That special needs class will be wild!” Yes, it is. In fact, I think that lion taming would have been an easier job today. Please don’t think I’m exaggerating! I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if today’s behavior from several students causes the teacher to go into labor. She needs to wait until after Monday because that is when she is planning on finishing the long term lesson plans.

It was so nice to arrive home to my wonderful family. Gabe and Hannah did their school work that I assigned them but I had forgotten to make the vocabulary quiz. Did that stop my awesome family? No! John made the quiz for them and they both made 100%! I suppose that I can handle 6 hours in the lions’ den when I know that I can go home to 4 amazing people each day.

Field Trip to Jamestown

On Tuesday we were able to take a trip to Jamestown. Their homeschool day fit nicely into our American History study of the Virginia Colony. We all had a great time. Holly of course was not with us since she was in school. I missed her being with us but her class is planning a trip to Jamestown next spring.

Yesterday I accepted the job as board substitute in the special needs class. It will be a challenge, no doubt about it. I will go on October 4th and 5th to "shadow" the teacher and learn the routine. My official start date will depend on her delivery date. Her baby is due on October 17th but her doctor says it will probably be sooner than later.

Today I am subbing at another school. For some reason, I am more nervous about this job than Monday's. I think it's because I knew what I was facing. Today I am traveling in new and unknown territory. I'll let you know how it goes!

Getting Busy

Although the temperatures deny it, summer is gone. School has begun in earnest. Gabriel and Hannah started today with American History, American Literature and Physical Science. Weeknights are filling up. We already have Wednesday night Bible study and Thursday night volley ball. Now we have added drama class for Gabe and Hannah. This will be a radically different schedule from our Romanian years where we had homeschool and home church. In the winter time, I could stay in the house for 2 weeks and then wonder where I had last seen my purse.

Holly began her second week of school but in my opinion, it’s the first real week. She was excited to do real work. Fourth graders typically study state history. I think it’s great that we live in Virginia for this. Virginia has such a rich history. Her entire history textbook is state history. I have to wonder about some states, Idaho or North Dakota maybe. Do they have enough to fill a chapter? Perhaps I am showing my ignorance and forgive me if that’s where you are from! I’m just curious as to what other states do. What state are you from and what exciting things could your 4^th grader tell about it?

Summer Reading Challenge

Summer Reading Challenge

It’s sad really. Other than my Bible reading, I hardly cracked a book all summer. I started Truth Seeker and Waiting for Summer’s Return but I just did not have time for leisure reading. I did do a lot of listening to Holly read. She read 14 chapter books and over 100 picture books this summer, more than half of them out loud. I hope I’ll read more this fall! The new homeschool year starts tomorrow for Gabe and Hannah and we will start the year off by reading The Last of the Mohicans aloud.

Fiction

The Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson

The Protector by Dee Henderson

Waiting for Summer’s Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Where Willows Grow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Englisher by Beverly Lewis

Non Fiction

The Power of Crying Out by Bill Gothard

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard J. Maybury

Bible

Romans – Hebrews

Read Alouds

Flags of Our Fathers

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

What have you read lately?

More Homework for Mom

Holly came home again with another assignment for me - two more forms to sign and three text books to cover. She said that we could buy some covers at the store or use paper bags and decorate them. Being the frugal person that I am we went with the paper bags. I have done this before with both Gabe and Hannah and figured this would be a quick and easy project. We cut, measured, cut some more, re-measured, re-cut and tried taping. It wasn't working. I decided Holly should go do something else and just let Hannah and I work on the covering part. She could decorate them when we finished. I do not know if it was the cheap Romanian tape that we still have or the quality paper bags but after more than 30 minutes, I gave up.

We are blessed to live near a huge variety of stores and I figured it was worth the money to purchase book covers. Buying school supplies at this time of the year usually has two results: totally sold out or a great sale. Thankfully we happened upon the latter scenario and found a good selection of stretchy book covers for .75 cents!

This morning, Hannah and I went to a homeschool picnic. We were hoping to meet some families with teenagers but almost everyone there had elementary age children. There was one girl there that was Hannah's age and we also were given some good advice on where to find groups with teens. We had a good time and met some nice people. Settling in takes time and finding friends is part of the adjustment.

Lesson Planning

I'm still here! Just busy and I am afraid life is about to get busier. Right now I am working on lesson plans for Gabriel and Hannah. They will be doing a lot of independent study this year but still need a guide line. They will be doing American History and American Literature. I'm not using any curriculum for American Literature. I figure the best thing is to have them read something that lines up with the time period they are studying in American History. What do you think about Edgar Allen Poe? Is he a "must" or do we skip him like Stephen King? Your opinions are appreciated and I need to get back to my lesson plans! What are your kids studying this year?

Still Packing

In April, I found myself worrying about my son stepping out into the world when he started his first job at Chick-fil-A. Now, three months later, I feel relieved and somewhat proud that he is doing great and enjoying his job. He even got a raise! He gave his notice to the owner of the store that we are moving. He assured Gabe that he would give him a good recommendation and then we found out that the owner here in Alabama is good friends with the owner of the Chick-fil-A near us in Virginia! Moving is hard enough on kids and especially teens so I am thankful for this opportunity for him.

I am also excited about getting involved in a homeschool support group. Of course I have to find one first. There is a homeschool conference towards the end of July that I would like to go to. I haven’t had the opportunity to attend one since 1995. Of course that will all depend on our financial situation. Moving is not cheap and a trans-Atlantic move costs several thousand dollars.

John was able to get the moving van a day early at no extra cost. So we will start loading some things tomorrow. I am hoping to go through some of the boxes and leave things in storage that we won’t need in an apartment. I don’t like to wish time away but I just can’t wait until Wednesday. We will probably still be swimming in a sea of boxes but at least we will be moved in and on our way to getting settled.

Beginning to Think About the Fall

Our local homeschool co-op had a used book sale Tuesday evening. I rushed through dinner and headed out the door with cash in hand, not having a clue what I was looking for. We are not done with this school year and I had hardly given thought to the fall. I figured that we will probably do American History and American Literature as two of our high school subjects. I found the book Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard J. Maybury and decided that we will also do a semester on Economics. I bought some books on Ancient Egypt and will either do a unit with Holly on that subject or use some of them with Gabe and Hannah as supplemental materials when we do World History. I bought two videos to go along with the Geography we are doing this summer. They had an amazing price of 50 cents each so I couldn’t pass them up. One wasn’t even opened! Here is a picture of my acquisitions:

One sweet lady threw in the ACT book for free. Now, I just have to find a place to put them! Have you made your plans for the coming school year?

The ABC's of Summer School

Growing up, I learned that there are rules to learning. Math has its 1 2 3’s and for Reading one must know the ABC’s. However, in the past eleven years or so I have discovered that is not true with homeschooling. There are as many varieties of homeschooling methods as there are families. I am a firm believer in doing what is right for our family. That may change in any given year, month or moment.

This summer, we are doing what I would call semi-relaxed, very eclectic homeschooling. Some days will look like unschooling and others may resemble more traditional methods. My main goal for Gabriel and Hannah is to finish Geography and Physical Science. With Holly, we are just working on reading and spelling.

Listed here are just a few of the ABC’s of our homeschooling program for this summer, at least for now. What’s on your schedule?

A. Art, Apples to Apples Game

B. Blogging, Bicycling. Book reviews

C. Croquet, Computer games, Chick-Fil-A

D. Devotions, Driving

E. Educational DVD’s

F. Free time

G. Geography

H. Hopscotch

I. In a Pickle Game, Internet research, Instant Message with friends

J. Journaling, Jump rope, Jacks

L. Library

M. Maps, Move – hopefully!

N. Newspaper reading for current events

O. Ongoing organization attempts, Outside free play

P. Physical Science, Pictionary game, Piano

Q. Quilting

R. Reading, Read alouds, Recipe book making

S. Spelling, Sewing, Scrapbooking

T. Timelines

U. Unplanned learning opportunities

V. Vacation Bible School

W. Writing, Walks, Water fights

X. X- box (It is summer and what else could I put here?)

Y. Yarn painting

Z. Zealously sleep late!

Busy Days

This week just zipped right past and we have been busy with several different things. On Monday, Gabriel took me to see Spider Man 3. That was his Mother’s Day gift to me. I wasn’t really wild about seeing an action flick, especially paying theater prices for it. Waiting for it to come out on DVD was good enough for me, or so I thought. But Gabe insisted that I would like it and surprisingly, I did! There are some powerful lessons taught in that film on bitterness, revenge and forgiveness. It’s a must see movie, in my opinion.

John has been cleaning and organizing my parents’ garage. That is quite a daunting task! I have been working bit by bit on things here on the inside. School wise I am thrilled to say that are just about finished with one subject! Gabriel asked a few weeks ago if we could just concentrate on one thing at a time and it has been a great idea. He and Hannah just have a couple of reports to do and we’ll be done with English Grammar and Composition 1! Next week, I am planning on focusing on Geography.

On Wednesday night, my blogging friend Julie and her kids came by for a visit on their way back to Texas. They arrived a few minutes after LOST was over. Great timing, Julie!! We had an awesome visit with them! I have no idea when we may cross paths again but I am so blessed to have Julie and her family for friends.

How was your week?

Arts and Crafts Photos

Thought I would share a couple of things that we did this week in the arts and crafts area of our lives. Holly is taking an art class and this week the teacher had wooden blocks for them to create and paint. We have been studying birds in school and Holly made a cardinal.

Hannah is making a recipe book for her Home Economics studies. Here she is with a couple of pages that she made.

Just Another Busy Day

Today has been a very busy day!

• Homeschool
• Library
• Laundry
• The Ultimate Homeschool Expo (Hannah and I made it the 1 PM session and I’m hoping to catch a bit of tonight’s)
• Gabe’s orthodontist appointment
• tons of ironing – John is leaving first thing in the morning. Stay tuned and I will tell you where he’s headed!

This is not my most creative post. My brain is too tired to think of much more. I think it all started with our grammar lesson today and trying to figure out why in the world my son really needs to know what predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives are. Is it on the SAT’s? Will he be able to handle college without this information? Is it simply a brain exercise and that’s why my brain is so tired tonight? If anyone has some answers to my questions, please let me know!