Ah, it's back to school time. This time of year brings me joy for a reason unlike most parents'... Most parents are happily sending their little ones off to spend the day at school. No more worrying about childcare, or how to entertain kids all day, or day-long-gigantic kid messes to clean... It's kind of like a hard-earned vacation for most parents.
For me though, it means I can go to the zoo, the park, the store, the library, the museum, etc, etc, etc, without forcing my way through a crowd of hundreds & stressing over losing sight of my own kids. It also means back to routine (since we took the summer off, unlike I originally planned). Knowing what will happen each day, knowing what expectations I have for my kids & they for me, knowing that we'll get to have fun & play once school work is done.
I've struggled at times with accepting my calling to homeschool. Some days are hard & I just. don't. wanna. Other days are wonderful love-filled, fun-having, glorious reminders of why I chose to make sacrifices so that my kids could be with me all day. While I wish I had days of peace & quiet, and the ability to bring in some extra income so we could eat out more/vacation/buy all the things... I also appreciate how quickly childhood passes & how special it is that I'm able to play such an active role in my kids' lives every day.
Kman's anxiety is pretty much nil most days, and he's so very happy homeschooling. Sweetiepie Sparkles has had the chance to build a closer bond with his brother. With a 5 year gap, their relationship wouldn't have been able to reach its full potential if they didn't spend all their days together. (Do not get me wrong, they fight - A LOT - and make me crazy, but it's worth it!)
Next week we'll start back to actual, planned-out schooling (as homeschoolers know, education is a 24/7/365 thing in our families) & KMan is actually pretty ready for it. Sweetiepie Sparkles will be doing some school stuff too this year & he is VERY excited about it.
We already miss our mainstream-schooled friends, some went back before this week (why do private schools start so early?!), and others started back yesterday. We will miss the lazy days of summer. (As we trade them in for lazy days of fall, haha!) We will miss getting to spend time at the pool & splashpads. We'll miss all the fun things that summer brings. BUUUUUT, we will not miss the crowds, the heat (well, eventually it'll go away), and the chaos summer can bring.
So, here's to back to school, in whatever form school takes for your family. Let's all have a fabulous year!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Ketchup
Ketchup, ketchup, ketchup... (now I want some fries!!!)
Where to start? How about with KMan - he's 8 y'all. EIGHT. I have no idea how that happened, but it did. He loves Minecraft and, well, Minecraft. haha! His favorite part of Minecraft seems to be coding, so I think that might be a segue into learning more about computer programming & such this year. He's very into American Ninja Warrior stuff (and he's actually pretty good, being part monkey & all). He goes to a gym once a week to work on his monkey skills & he just gets better & better every week! I can't wait to see how good he is at that stuff in a few more years! He still enjoys Legos & Bionicles, but not as much as he used to, even just a year ago. He has really found a desire to be with daddy & be like daddy lately. He gets so very happy when he gets to do special things with him. One of their favorite things to do together is fossil hunting. KMan actually has a good eye for finding cool rocks & fossils, so it stays pretty exciting for him. On his birthday we took him to Six Flags, where he rode his first roller coaster (plus a few more). We spent the day with just him (left little brother with his grandparents & Auntie), and he loved having all the attention. It was a HOT, exhausting day, but we all really enjoyed it. He has a birthday party this weekend & he's really looking forward to his last birthday celebration of the year. Seriously though, he's 8!!
Sweetiepie Sparkles is 3. Also pretty crazy to believe! He has been showing his independent side & a bit of his rebellious attitude lately, but he's still a pretty sweet kid most of the time. He loves action figures, Legos, Bionicles, playing the Wii, PlayDoh, coloring, playing in water, and cuddling with mom & dad. He's still quite attached to mommy, but he's starting to latch on to daddy at times too. He is pretty funny & while he's not as fearless as his brother, he's still pretty adventurous.
Both boys (and our neighbor friends) went to VBS this year. I volunteered with the Smilemakers so that KMan would have me with him this year (last year was a nightmare), and he did pretty well. He even asked to pray for his class one day, which is such a huge deal! Hopefully next year he'll be able to be in a class without me... (thought I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering & will do so again!) I think we've had a pretty fun summer so far. We've been to the beach, we've gone swimming & played at splash pads, played late into the night with neighborhood friends, and taken a couple of trips up to Dallas to see friends & family. We are starting school back up on 8/31, so we still have lots of summer fun ahead of us!
As for hubby & I... well, I feel like I haven't had lots of time to just sit & relax, but I'm not complaining. We stay so very busy & there is always a pile of laundry & a sink of dishes waiting for me. Always. Hubby is just super busy with work & he finally gets to take over the full territory on 8/1, so I imagine he'll be even busier! We sat down this past weekend & wrote up a budget & we're now using the envelope system for our normal expenses. It's going to be a big adjustment (especially grocery shopping!), but we want to chip away at our mortgage so we can be debt free. How great that feeling will be! So many things to look forward to with no debt, my favorite being all the traveling we'll be able to do! We made it through The Year Without (follow the link if you didn't know us then, we were CRAZY), so we can certainly do this! As Dave Ramsey says, "Live like no one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow". I can't wait to live like no one else tomorrow! I also spent a lot of time planning our first month of school, and I'm excited to get started. KMan will be doing 2nd grade work until we take our winter break, then (if all goes well) he will be promoted to 3rd grade. Really, grade levels are kinda sill in homeschool, but if he should ever want to go back to (or if we ever have to put him back in) public school, he will be with the "correct" age group.
Everything else in our lives is good. We're settled into the house (it's been a year now!), and loving our neighborhood. We've mostly got a new normal down, with the homeschool thing, and all being in the same house 24/7/365. Life is certainly hard at times, but for the most part, we're all good.
Where to start? How about with KMan - he's 8 y'all. EIGHT. I have no idea how that happened, but it did. He loves Minecraft and, well, Minecraft. haha! His favorite part of Minecraft seems to be coding, so I think that might be a segue into learning more about computer programming & such this year. He's very into American Ninja Warrior stuff (and he's actually pretty good, being part monkey & all). He goes to a gym once a week to work on his monkey skills & he just gets better & better every week! I can't wait to see how good he is at that stuff in a few more years! He still enjoys Legos & Bionicles, but not as much as he used to, even just a year ago. He has really found a desire to be with daddy & be like daddy lately. He gets so very happy when he gets to do special things with him. One of their favorite things to do together is fossil hunting. KMan actually has a good eye for finding cool rocks & fossils, so it stays pretty exciting for him. On his birthday we took him to Six Flags, where he rode his first roller coaster (plus a few more). We spent the day with just him (left little brother with his grandparents & Auntie), and he loved having all the attention. It was a HOT, exhausting day, but we all really enjoyed it. He has a birthday party this weekend & he's really looking forward to his last birthday celebration of the year. Seriously though, he's 8!!
Sweetiepie Sparkles is 3. Also pretty crazy to believe! He has been showing his independent side & a bit of his rebellious attitude lately, but he's still a pretty sweet kid most of the time. He loves action figures, Legos, Bionicles, playing the Wii, PlayDoh, coloring, playing in water, and cuddling with mom & dad. He's still quite attached to mommy, but he's starting to latch on to daddy at times too. He is pretty funny & while he's not as fearless as his brother, he's still pretty adventurous.
Both boys (and our neighbor friends) went to VBS this year. I volunteered with the Smilemakers so that KMan would have me with him this year (last year was a nightmare), and he did pretty well. He even asked to pray for his class one day, which is such a huge deal! Hopefully next year he'll be able to be in a class without me... (thought I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering & will do so again!) I think we've had a pretty fun summer so far. We've been to the beach, we've gone swimming & played at splash pads, played late into the night with neighborhood friends, and taken a couple of trips up to Dallas to see friends & family. We are starting school back up on 8/31, so we still have lots of summer fun ahead of us!
As for hubby & I... well, I feel like I haven't had lots of time to just sit & relax, but I'm not complaining. We stay so very busy & there is always a pile of laundry & a sink of dishes waiting for me. Always. Hubby is just super busy with work & he finally gets to take over the full territory on 8/1, so I imagine he'll be even busier! We sat down this past weekend & wrote up a budget & we're now using the envelope system for our normal expenses. It's going to be a big adjustment (especially grocery shopping!), but we want to chip away at our mortgage so we can be debt free. How great that feeling will be! So many things to look forward to with no debt, my favorite being all the traveling we'll be able to do! We made it through The Year Without (follow the link if you didn't know us then, we were CRAZY), so we can certainly do this! As Dave Ramsey says, "Live like no one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow". I can't wait to live like no one else tomorrow! I also spent a lot of time planning our first month of school, and I'm excited to get started. KMan will be doing 2nd grade work until we take our winter break, then (if all goes well) he will be promoted to 3rd grade. Really, grade levels are kinda sill in homeschool, but if he should ever want to go back to (or if we ever have to put him back in) public school, he will be with the "correct" age group.
Everything else in our lives is good. We're settled into the house (it's been a year now!), and loving our neighborhood. We've mostly got a new normal down, with the homeschool thing, and all being in the same house 24/7/365. Life is certainly hard at times, but for the most part, we're all good.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
The Truth About Homeschooling Is...
Most people I run into lately have the very same first question for me... "how's the homeschool thing going?" I generally respond with a mumble of something about it being mostly good, but me being exhausted. That's true most days, of course there are also bad days (and I'm *really* exhausted on those days!), and super great days (where we all end up exhausted! Okay, maybe not KMan, but, you know...). The other night though, I sat & really thought about the question, and what the deep-down truth is.
You want to hear it?
Homeschool is going fantastically! Sure, it's frustrating to juggle a 7 year old with zero ability to focus & a 2 year old who wants to trash the room & be as loud as possible, all while trying to read some silly poem about caterpillars, *BUT*!!, it's also amazing. KMan is thriving. His anxiety is almost non-existent most days and his stress level is so much lower!! He's still learning plenty, but he's learning it in his way & it's things he wants to know, not just things he "has" to know.
I spend my days watching my children learn about the world around them.
I spend my days getting to really know who my children are.
I spend my days amazed that these children grew inside me not that long ago.
KMan & Sweetie Pie Sparkles are building a relationship with each other that they wouldn't have been able to build without homeschooling.
KMan & Sweetie Pie Sparkles are making memories with me (and for me, because one day they actually will be grown & leave me - or so I hear) that they wouldn't have had the opportunity to make if not for homeschooling.
I am learning new things & meeting new people.
I am looking forward to future trips to places I've always wanted to see - and now I'll get to experience them with my children!
I could list the hard things about homeschooling. I could tell you all the reasons my life would be "easier" if I could ship my kiddos off to school for the day & just have some me time. I could tell you the enormous sacrifices we're making to have KMan at home instead of school... that wouldn't do justice to the awesomeness of homeschooling though. It's hard, and it's certainly not for every one (not for every parent, not for every child - we all need different things in life!), but it's certainly worth it!
I will encourage those of you who have said "I wish I could, but..." or "I want to but I'm scared because..." or whatever other line you've said to me, to really stop & consider taking the leap. I was scared. SO scared. I'm actually still scared some days, when I ponder if this is what KMan will do "forever" & if we'll also do it "forever" with Sweetie Pie Sparkles... but fear shouldn't hold you back from trying out all the options you have in life. Take the plunge! If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. If it does though... It does!
On that same note, those of you who say "I could NEVER!", that's fine too. I mean, you actually could if you had to, trust me!, but it's fine if you don't. Whether you don't want to, or your child is in the best place for them, or you don't have the financial or emotional support to do it, or whatever the reason is, don't feel like what you are doing for your child isn't best. It is. Whatever works for YOUR CHILD and YOUR FAMILY is what's best. Just because the best thing for MY CHILD is to not be in a typical school setting doesn't mean that it's not the best place for plenty of other kids. Don't ever think I feel differently! I think there are some serious problems in our schools today & I absolutely hate that teachers have so little control over what to teach now, and that classes are so large that it's hard to teach each child in the way that's best for them, but the school system works for a lot of kids. It's just that the kids (or families) that is doesn't work for, it really doesn't work for. I really think it's no different than deciding to breastfeed or formula feed; to work outside the home or be a stay at home mom/dad; to only feed your family organic foods or to feed them the cheapest, yummiest food you can afford... it's all about personal preference & environmental factors that we sometimes can't control as mush as we'd like to. We are all doing the best we can with what we have. I wish more people would be open to the idea of homeschooling, but I don't wish that because it's the best option for all, only because it's such a FREEING option.
So, there. That's how homeschool is going.
I may feel differently tomorrow (for real), but there's my answer today. KMan is doing wonderfully & that means homeschool is a success!
On a related note, KMan has switched meds ((again!!)), but the latest combo seems to be pretty amazing so far! I'm beyond thrilled for him (and us), and I'm hopeful about so much now. He is also doing play therapy which seems like it will be super beneficial in the long run, and I think his therapist is great, so I'm hoping he forms a really great bond with her. He's also making new friends, playing (too much) on his tablet, spending lots of time outdoors, learning even when he doesn't realize it, and just growing up so much! There's this amazing guy hiding behind the cover his ADHD/ODD has created & he's starting to come out, ever so slowly. I can't wait to see what the months ahead bring out in him. I can't wait to watch him grow into the guy I knew he was supposed to be.
You want to hear it?
Homeschool is going fantastically! Sure, it's frustrating to juggle a 7 year old with zero ability to focus & a 2 year old who wants to trash the room & be as loud as possible, all while trying to read some silly poem about caterpillars, *BUT*!!, it's also amazing. KMan is thriving. His anxiety is almost non-existent most days and his stress level is so much lower!! He's still learning plenty, but he's learning it in his way & it's things he wants to know, not just things he "has" to know.
I spend my days watching my children learn about the world around them.
I spend my days getting to really know who my children are.
I spend my days amazed that these children grew inside me not that long ago.
KMan & Sweetie Pie Sparkles are building a relationship with each other that they wouldn't have been able to build without homeschooling.
KMan & Sweetie Pie Sparkles are making memories with me (and for me, because one day they actually will be grown & leave me - or so I hear) that they wouldn't have had the opportunity to make if not for homeschooling.
I am learning new things & meeting new people.
I am looking forward to future trips to places I've always wanted to see - and now I'll get to experience them with my children!
I could list the hard things about homeschooling. I could tell you all the reasons my life would be "easier" if I could ship my kiddos off to school for the day & just have some me time. I could tell you the enormous sacrifices we're making to have KMan at home instead of school... that wouldn't do justice to the awesomeness of homeschooling though. It's hard, and it's certainly not for every one (not for every parent, not for every child - we all need different things in life!), but it's certainly worth it!
I will encourage those of you who have said "I wish I could, but..." or "I want to but I'm scared because..." or whatever other line you've said to me, to really stop & consider taking the leap. I was scared. SO scared. I'm actually still scared some days, when I ponder if this is what KMan will do "forever" & if we'll also do it "forever" with Sweetie Pie Sparkles... but fear shouldn't hold you back from trying out all the options you have in life. Take the plunge! If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. If it does though... It does!
On that same note, those of you who say "I could NEVER!", that's fine too. I mean, you actually could if you had to, trust me!, but it's fine if you don't. Whether you don't want to, or your child is in the best place for them, or you don't have the financial or emotional support to do it, or whatever the reason is, don't feel like what you are doing for your child isn't best. It is. Whatever works for YOUR CHILD and YOUR FAMILY is what's best. Just because the best thing for MY CHILD is to not be in a typical school setting doesn't mean that it's not the best place for plenty of other kids. Don't ever think I feel differently! I think there are some serious problems in our schools today & I absolutely hate that teachers have so little control over what to teach now, and that classes are so large that it's hard to teach each child in the way that's best for them, but the school system works for a lot of kids. It's just that the kids (or families) that is doesn't work for, it really doesn't work for. I really think it's no different than deciding to breastfeed or formula feed; to work outside the home or be a stay at home mom/dad; to only feed your family organic foods or to feed them the cheapest, yummiest food you can afford... it's all about personal preference & environmental factors that we sometimes can't control as mush as we'd like to. We are all doing the best we can with what we have. I wish more people would be open to the idea of homeschooling, but I don't wish that because it's the best option for all, only because it's such a FREEING option.
So, there. That's how homeschool is going.
I may feel differently tomorrow (for real), but there's my answer today. KMan is doing wonderfully & that means homeschool is a success!
On a related note, KMan has switched meds ((again!!)), but the latest combo seems to be pretty amazing so far! I'm beyond thrilled for him (and us), and I'm hopeful about so much now. He is also doing play therapy which seems like it will be super beneficial in the long run, and I think his therapist is great, so I'm hoping he forms a really great bond with her. He's also making new friends, playing (too much) on his tablet, spending lots of time outdoors, learning even when he doesn't realize it, and just growing up so much! There's this amazing guy hiding behind the cover his ADHD/ODD has created & he's starting to come out, ever so slowly. I can't wait to see what the months ahead bring out in him. I can't wait to watch him grow into the guy I knew he was supposed to be.
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