Winter Celebrations

I just talked with the kids about a winter project for us to do. Now let's see if we can really make it happen. More details to come as things unfold.

Just A Thought

The thought just came to me - 'You were meant to be something more.'.

Life has been hard lately - I feel like I'm being pushed to places I don't want to go. I haven't felt up for it. I feel inadequate and overwhelmed. This thought came while I was thinking about something completely different than the 'where do I go from here?' question I have been asking myself lately.

The thought reminded me that I have choices to make - but, that Heavenly Father will be with me as I do so. I will somehow be able to rise above what I am now and become more. I got the impression that He wants me to be more and will help me do just that.

Kids' Opinion of Homeschool

Just this past week - one of the boys told his sister that she needed to change her behavior or she would 'have' to go to public school and sit at a desk all day.

We saw a friend from the charter school we used to be a part of today. She asked how homeschool was going. I answered that I loved it, while a couple of the kids chimed in that they liked it and it was 'going good'.

I mentioned the possibility of getting a job and asked the kids what they thought about it. The first line of questions was about school and that they'd have to go back to public school. They even said that they liked being homeschooled better and that they liked having me be their teacher.

I'm grateful my kids like what we're doing and feel good about it. It was great today to have a chance to hike and be out in nature with some other homeschool families. I'm sure a couple of people that saw us wondered why 'those kids' weren't in school. I'm also glad that homeschool is getting more acceptable.

Organized Learning

One of the things I wanted to address on this blog is how we attempt to stay organized around here. Or, maybe I will just share about the lack of organization around here. We have both - depending on the day. Although, I typically feel like I'm more on the 'not so organized' end of the spectrum. It just might be because I think I'm on the 'spectrum' and have issues with executive functioning.
I want to share more about what we're doing and some of the learning opportunities our kids have these days. It's been fun to enjoy adventures together.

Be Real

This is something that came in an email newsletter that I get from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. It's support/ideas for homeschoolers. One thing we try to do as homeschoolers is live with the idea that we do lots of things different than most people we know. We also are not doing what the 'norm' was a few decades ago. I'm glad there are more homeschoolers than there used to be. Sometimes we realize people aren't familiar with what we do. So, this made me chuckle.

The Familyman     

Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries    

As long as there are homeschoolers, there will be non-supportive family members. If you're fortunate enough to have supportive family members, you need to thank them. Thank them for believing in you and in homeschooling. Thank them for keeping quiet when they could be critical. Thank them for the encouragement in what you believe.

Now if you're like most of us, who have a few non-supportive family members in the closet, then let me say, "You're not alone." We've all had (or have) relatives who say critical, hurtful, discouraging comments. To give them the benefit of the doubt, I really believe they don't mean all that much by it. They are just "status quo" people. They like normal, they lived normal, and they don't know what to do with non-normal ... so they say dumb things.

I think the temptation is to get defensive, quote successful homeschool statistics, or get argumentative. I think that's the wrong approach. Instead, let your children do the talking ... not literally, but let their homeschooled behavior/character speak for your efforts.

Homeschooling and being at home has positive effects on your children. Your non-supportive family members will see it, and they will come around. I've seen it in my family. We had some who were skeptical ... and then they watched our kids grow up and you know what? They say nice things to us now because they see the difference.

So again, to recap:

1. Don't be surprised; you're not alone.
2. Don't get defensive.
3. Let your children do the talking.

Oh yeah, and although you might think you need to have it all together ... don't pretend to above all.

Be real,

Todd

Today

Today we did some learning items, danced to music, and have enjoyed a little bit of down time. Oh, and made cookies.
I loved the part where the kids were in the front room enjoying some music. I could hear them from the kitchen. (Anyone who has been in our home knows that I could have heard it from anywhere in the house...because our house is just a bit 'space challenged'.) It was fun to hear them enjoying the music and the moment. I remember thinking that we didn't have a formal lesson on music today - but, how great it was that the take away for today as far as music is concerned is the opportunity to enjoy it, sing it, act it out...whatever. All of that while making memories with your siblings. I was grateful to have the kids home. If they were all in different classrooms (and on different campuses) - they wouldn't have been able to have that experience or make that memory. I had a gratitude in my heart for kids who have memories with each other, despite the age differences. There are times I know that they would not 'hang out' with each other even if they all were home because it wouldn't be 'cool' to do so. I know someday I will miss those moments - but, I am grateful the opportunities for memories have been there. It made me want to be present as much as possible in my kids' lives. Today, 'music is a good thing' was reinforced.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3...

I talked with an elementary student just a couple of days ago. They have already begun their testing for the end of the year. I realized that there's about another month and a half of public school. So, it seems like there's about a month's worth of testing and then the kids can disengage just in time for summer break to begin. No wonder kids forget a few things during the summer - they've been given the expectation to turn off the learning. Hmm...
Actually, the first thing that came to mind while I was talking with this friend is 'that's a lot of testing'. I don't remember having a month's worth of tests when I was in elementary school. It was a week at most when we were in high school. And even then, it seemed like it was for only part of the day, and it was truly at the end of the school year. I think we had the last day to clean out lockers, sign yearbooks and then go home early.
I think our family will just keep learning, exploring, and creating - even through the summer.

Earth Day

This is an example of how organized we are NOT around here. Earlier in the week, on of our daughters mentioned that Tuesday was Earth Day and we could do something about it. She suggested something like making a place outside more beautiful or taking care of it. There was an idea about picking up trash at a local park put out there. This is a great thing, right? Child in the family realized a day is coming up when we have a chance to make a difference and show gratitude for the world around us. She offers an idea of how to make that happen. Others are on board. This is fabulous.
So, the conversation moves forward with Dad stating that if we're going to make any place outside look a little better - it's going to be our own yard. Hmm...some of the previous enthusiasm is zapped. But, there's still some energy flowing that makes us feel like it's a good thing to move forward with for the day.
The unfortunate part? We didn't make a plan. So, it never really happened.
What did happen? We were driving to dance class for the girls and the same daughter that brought it up in the first place states that it's Earth Day. I responded with regret that we hadn't done anything. She asked why we were driving a car on the freeway in honor of Earth Day. Uh, umm...she had me on that one. Good question. So, we continued our talk about pollution and ways we can be kind to the earth.
As you can guess, this is not the first time a brilliant idea has been passed up at our house just because there wasn't enough planning involved. Bugs me just a little bit.
So, as someone who has issues with this - I need to make sure I start the planning right then and there. And then commit to a specific time when I will finish up the planning and move onto the next phase. It's a nice thought, isn't it?

Kid Blog

We talked today about starting a blog for the kids. They can write about places we've been and things we've done. I think it'll be fun to hear their perspective on what they're experiencing.

Making Decisions

We have decided to homeschool our kids. There are many decisions that just keep coming. We are also constantly evaluating what works best for our kids. When it comes to other people judging our choices, I'm not a fan. This is a response I wrote to a question about homeschooling and associating with others was posted in a group that I'm part of currently. (I decided that as long as I'm sharing some thoughts - I might as well keep track of them - especially since there are times I comment and it's the first time I'm putting the thoughts together in that way.)

First of all - anyone who is LDS should understand the answer of 'This is what Heavenly Father wants us to do with our family.'. (Although, I get when they don't - we've had 'members' think we're odd and a family member that is against it.) People are afraid of what they don't understand. They might just need some questions answered. As for being able to share the gospel - most of the non-members we know are homeschoolers. (We live in Salt Lake.) We have a couple of groups we participate with in our area. I love that we are able to have close friendships with these families. The two main things from that sentence - 1. friendship and 2. families. It takes a friendship to share the gospel (not just someone you sit across the aisle from in class) - reality is that no one considers every other student in the school their close friends. The other thing I love is that we associate with families - not just the peers that are all the same age as my children. Families are the basic unit of the church - you want to share the gospel with families. It's also easier to share it with them if they've had a chance to get to know your family and can see your example. They're more comfortable asking questions. When you know the whole family it's easier to invite them to an event/meeting or to have the missionaries teach them. If it's someone your child knows from school - it's an adult contacting another adult they don't know (or don't know very well) in order to get permission for an invitation to happen. It just doesn't feel quite as friendly. The invitation tends to not go as well if it's awkward. One last thing - community involvement. I think it's easier to work community service in when we are the ones in charge of the schedule. When our kids were at school from essentially 8-4, it didn't leave much time for anything else. That would be my two cents. (Sorry it ended up a bit lengthy.)

Changes

I'm attempting to make a switch. I'm attempting to combine this blog with some other blogs in hopes that things will be more coherent. We'll see how it goes. It seems to be an uphill battle with the technology.