My Little Girl is a Reader!

So Brenna and I went shopping with Grandma Dawn a couple days ago. Grandma likes to buy Brenna stuff whenever we go and this trip it was a new book. Brenna got to pick it out from about a dozen 'Easy Readers - Level 1' that they had and of course she fell in love with a SpongeBob book. She was so excited and asked if she could look at it while she was sitting in the shopping cart. So Mom and I are looking at stuff and all of a sudden I hear Brenna reading this book out loud. I glanced at it to see if she was making up words and was shocked to see that she was reading it word for word! I mean, I knew she could sound out a lot of words (and has many sight words memorized) and she has read a couple books with my help (pointing to each word helping her keep track of where she was) but never has she held a book and just READ! I was so proud of her! :)
For about the past 6 months or so I have been trying to make her read books at bed time to practice but she absolutely refuses most of the time. So I wasn't going to push it and just figured that she would start reading when she was ready. Well I guess all it takes is to let HER pick out a new book that SHE wants to read (why didn't I figure this out sooner??). So I guess what I will start doing is going and buying her a new book about once a week and letting her pick them and just telling her, "Okay, if you want to know what the story is about then YOU are going to have to read it to find out."

She was so proud of herself and received so much praise from Brendon and me.

WAY TO GO BRENNA!!! :)

Fun at the Beach

Today Brendon, Brenna and I went to the beach and we had such a blast! We had not been in quite some time - in fact the last time I think Brenna went was when she was three. That's pretty sad. Well after today though we are definitely going to start going more.

Brenna just loved the waves and actually learned how to boogie board today! I was so proud of her. Brendon would take her out to where the waves were breaking and wait for a nice big one and then give her a push. She would hold on to that board with her little hands as tight as she could and ride the wave the whole way in! She would go a good 30 feet and then fall off the board and yell, "Wipe out!" I tried a couple of times to do it but I just wasn't as good as Daddy at letting her go just at the right time. When I was out there with her though she would look behind her while she was waiting and tell me, "Mom, that wave has got my name written all over it!" Oh I laughed so hard! She is such a funny little girl. :) By the end of the summer she will probably be going out there and catching waves all by herself.

Homeschool Meeting Delivers Big Relief! :)

So my friend and I went to a homeschool meeting Tuesday night. The Homeschool group here in town organized it. It wasn't a huge turn out (it was their first year doing it) but I did get to meet and talk to a few people. I didn't really learn anything new that I already hadn't read in a book or on the Internet (people have no idea how much stuff I read!!!) but it was very reassuring to actually listen to a PERSON talk and tell me these things instead of reading about it.

I think the best thing I got out of that meeting was a one-on-one conversation that I had with a homeschool Mom of six years with four children. She came over to introduce herself and asked me how old Brenna was. We started talking about Kindergarten and I found out that she had a degree in Early Childhood Education so I proceeded to pick her brain. :) I told her about my plan of not getting a curriculum for Kinder and I thought she was going to tell me that I was crazy. After going on about my reasoning (Jenny just recently informed me that it seems like I am always trying to explain myself and that I have to stop - need to work on that I guess) she told me that what I was going to do was perfect. She said that Kindergartners need FUN stuff to do and pretty much validated my thinking on the whole issue. So I feel much better about that now and a lot more confident in my decision about curriculum. I came home and told Brendon what she had said and I think it made him feel a lot better as well and we are on the same page with things now.
One thing I did learn that I did not know (ok, so I lied about not learning anything new *haha!*)was that you really can't determine a child's learning style until they are about seven or eight. I just recently bought a book on different learning styles (The Way They Learn - How to discover and teach to your child's strengths) and have been struggling to identify what type Brenna is - auditory, visual or kinesthetic. So now that I know it will be a couple years before I am able to really determine I can relax a little.

So Brenna and I have been trying to stay pretty busy this summer. I ended up not enrolling her in summer gymnastics because it was outrageously expensive and had all sorts of fees involved. So we will wait until September and she will start with her combo class again. I am trying to get her to start karate - she's been talking about it for months. A couple weeks ago I told her that I would call the teacher and see if she could go that day (she can go once and try it before I sign her up) but all of a sudden she decided that "karate is for big kids" and she didn't want to go. I know she is a little apprehensive about it. She has always been that way - very afraid to try new things, but once she does it she loves it. I am a lot like that too - I wish she were more like Brendon when it came to things like that. So maybe I can see if we can go and just watch a class and she might feel better about it. She likes to take baby steps. :)
My Mom was so sweet and signed Brenna up for the library summer program. I had no idea they were doing it. So now we are going three days a week to the library and they do crafts and have story time and puppet shows. They show a movie every Thursday and we get to take our blankets and pillows and camp out in the auditorium with snacks and watch a movie, so that is pretty fun. They said that parents don't have to stay and that you can just drop the kids off but I have not felt very comfortable with that and have been staying with Brenna. There are just so many kids there and not very many adults. There are quite a few parents who stay though so I don't feel too much like Mrs.-Over-Protective. :) She likes that I am there with her too.
Brenna will also be taking private swimming lessons this summer for two weeks with one of my Mom's friends so I am excited about that. Again, she is unsure of it and doesn't seem too excited but I told her that it is something that she HAS to do and that it is very important to learn how to swim, especially since Grandpa Kim has a boat and we go out on it quite a bit and spend lots of time by the water (she ALWAYS wears a life vest on the boat though!).

Well I have been on the computer long enough. Brenna and I are going to play a couple board games and maybe attempt to go outside and play, depending on how bad the mosquitoes still are. They have been horrible since we got all that rain a couple weeks ago.
Till fingers and keyboard meet again.....

Pictures from our trip

Here are a couple pictures I wanted to share. We went to visit family last weekend and had a wonderful time. The first pictures are of Brenna with her Great Grandparents, GeeGee and Smitty. We also saw Great Grandma Carol, Great Grandpa John, Aunt Susie, Uncle George, Ashley, Aunt Barbara and David. I posted a picture of all of them as well. Ashley graduated from High School and we are all soooo proud of her!! This was the first time that Brenna met Uncle George and the first time I had seen him in about 7 years.

As you can see from the pictures, Brenna got a haircut. It looks so cute on her and is much more manageable for our hot summer weather.

Another day

Well I have not posted in a while but things here have been busy. We are going out of town this weekend because my baby cousin is graduating High School - I seriously can NOT believe that. I remember when she was just a little bitty baby. Yeah, we all say that about someone though. I guess it is just part of life - but it makes me feel so OLD! It makes me feel old too telling people that my daughter is five. Sometimes I just can not get over how big she is now. I will go in her room at night and check on her (about 15 times!) and she is more then half of the bed length now - I guess I just don't realize how tall she is until I see her laying in bed. Sometimes I will sit on her bed to say good night and I'll practically sit on her knees when I am thinking that I am closer to her FEET. I am so ready for another baby! My "baby" is growing up so I need another one. ha ha! She is very ready to be a big sister too and talks about it all the time. Brendon and I have been trying for a while so we'll see what happens. My brother and his wife are expecting their first baby and I am just so excited to be an Aunt! The baby (a GIRL!) is due in September and I just can not wait for her to come. It has been so fun seeing Jenny get big and pregnant - I think she looks beautiful and fabulous!

Anyway, I have still been doing so much reading on homeschooling and have purchased a couple more books on Amazon.com. One of them is very good and talks about different learning styles. I am finding it very useful and full of wonderful information. I tend to get a little over-whelmed sometimes though because of all the information I am trying to acquire. I am the type of person that needs to know so much in order to feel that I will succeed in something and make the right decisions. I will sit at the computer sometimes and just read things about homeschooling for hours. And if I don't have much time then I will search for things and just save it to my Favorites and come back to it another day. I really don't think that I have felt this passionate about something in quite sometime. It makes me feel pretty good but it also drives me crazy at the same time. ha ha! Maybe I am doing TOO much and I just need to go with my instincts. They say that every family is different when it comes to homeschooling and that you need to find your own style and way of doing things. The first year is usually the toughest and then you kinda figure out what works for you.
I am going to a homeschool conference on Tuesday with my good friend who is homeschooling too. I am looking forward to that. It will be at the church here in town that has the big homeschool group that I would like to join. It will be nice to meet other homeschool parents and find out what they do during the year (field trips, lunches, ect...).

Well I have got to start packing - we are leaving this afternoon and it takes me forever to get things done before we go out of town. It all starts with a list (actually many!) and then I have to pack and then my whole house has to be clean. I hate coming home to a messy house.
Until fingers and keyboard meet again........

Dance Recital

Brenna had her dance recital yesterday and I am sooooo proud of her! She did great! It was so cute seeing her up there on stage. My Mom and I have been going to these recitals for a very long time (we always know someone who is in them) and it was so weird having MY little girl up there. I did not burst into tears like I thought I would though. I did start to tear up a little when she came out the first time, and I probably would have started crying, but one of Brenna's little classmates lost her tap shoe as they were all coming out on stage so that took my mind of the whole crying thing. ha ha! I felt so bad for her but she recovered nicely and did the whole dance with one shoe on. Everyone clapped for her which was nice.

There were quite a few people who came to see Brenna - Grandma and Grandpa, PaPa and JoJo and Nanny and Kastine. She was so happy to see everyone after the recital and was just grinning from ear to ear. She received flowers from Brendon and me and also from Grandma and Grandpa. The big red rose in the picture was from her best friend in dance class. I thought that was real sweet. :) We all went out to dinner afterwards and had a nice time.

Brenna is a little disappointed that there is no dance class today (she went every Monday) but she is excited to start again this Fall. I am going this week to sign her up for Summer gymnastics so she'll have something to do in the mean time.

Again on Curriculum....

After reading my last post I came to the conclusion that some people might assume that just because I'm not buying a curriculum this year I will not be teaching Math and Language Arts. The reason I am not buying one for Kindergarten is because Brenna is ahead of the typical Kindergarten level (not MY opinion - I have researched the things they do in Kinder) and is doing a lot of 1st grade level things. I am not starting a 1st grade curriculum because I don't think she is completely ready for that right now and like I said before, it would be very stressful for both of us. So we are kind of 'in between' right now which is what made me decided to not get either one this year.

Even though I am not purchasing a math textbook, for example, with worksheets and tests, does not mean that she will not learn any math this year. There are sooo many ways to teach things without the help of a textbook. Just having her help me cook and measure things teaches fractions; going to the grocery store and weighing fruit and/or sticking to a budget teaches math concepts that are way above Kindergarten level. When it comes to Language Arts, MadLibs (story telling game) helps teach nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives in a fun way - some of the stories you create are a hoot!
She is doing well with her reading and I feel that right now just reading books together is sufficient enough for a 5 year old. No need to make reading a chore or force her to learn more with a curriculum. If reading is pushed and not enjoyable then that could really turn her off to reading and this family has lots of bookworms so that would just be unacceptable! ha ha! :) We will be taking many trips to the library and checking out educational books as well as easy-to-read ones for her to practice.

I actually found a web site that really describes what I am wanting to do. If you have time and if you are interested then check it out - it's not very long at all. http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/art/kmg/kindergarten.html

Like I mentioned before, this year we just want to have fun learning and make our first year of homeschooling an enjoyable one.

Mommy? What's a.....?

My goodness! I did not think that my daughter was capable of asking anymore questions then she already had been doing for about a year. It seems like since she turned 5 years old they have doubled! It's everywhere - in the car, outside playing, in the house, when we are shopping - non-stop. And of course I do not know ALL the answers so I told Brendon that I have to start carrying around a little notebook so that I can jot down her inquiries and we can look them up on the Internet when we are home. Most of her questions are fairly simple and I can answer them right then and there with no problem but some of them need the help of GOOGLE! She can come up with some pretty tough stuff! ha ha! Thank goodness for the Internet! I couldn't imagine homeschooling without it. :)
We have been doing a "word of the week" for quite some time now, which has really helped her vocabulary (kudos to Grandma Dawnie for starting that). Some of the words she has learned (and uses correctly!) are monstrosity, tabernacle, zone, inquisitive, abstract, nocturnal and gaggle. She loves words and we will sometimes sit with a dictionary and she will chose a word randomly and we'll learn it. I also talk to her like an adult and use big words in our daily conversations. She'll interrupt and ask what that word means and I'll tell her. You can imagine how long our chats last sometimes! :)
I really do love it that she has so many questions (ok, it does drive me crazy every once in a while - don't let me fool you!). With her being so inquisitive though it is going to make my job as her teacher THAT much easier.

Some people have been asking me what curriculum I am going to use - there are literally hundreds to choose from. I have researched Kindergarten as well as 1st grade and had really thought about starting with a 1st grade one but my good friend pointed out to me that I do not want to make our first year of homeschooling too difficult or she will start resisting and it will be stressful for both of us. I know she is capable of doing 1st grade curriculum but I don't want to push her too hard. I will probably not get a curriculum this year and do 'unschooling', which is child-led learning. You can read more about here if you are interested - http://www.unschooling.com/library/faq/index.shtml Basically if she asks me a simple question about something then that will be our 'lesson' for that day (or week!) and we will learn everything there is to learn on that subject. The example I used when I talked to Brendon about this was this (he was kinda iffy)--- If Brenna comes to me and asks me about Egypt, for example, then we would get on-line and/or go to the library and check out some books and learn all kinds of things about it - maybe even do an art project and make pyramids. It started with a simple question - but it was a question that SHE asked. I strongly believe that a child learns more and retains the information better if they initiate the learning. Now, would she learn a lot about Egypt and be excited about it if I sat her at the table and opened up a text book and said, "Ok, now let's read this and then we will do some worksheets and answer some questions about what you just read" ? Probably not. She might retain part of the information but she would not get as much out of it as she would in the example above.
Now some people do this for everything and they never even purchase a curriculum - ever. I don't necessarily agree with that. I think when it comes to things like math, reading and writing then a curriculum is necessary. Next year I will worry more about a structured curriculum for the things I just mentioned but for this year we are just going to have FUN. :) It's Kindergarten for goodness sakes! :)

Mother's Day

I had a really great Mother's Day this year! :) Brenna was so sweet this morning and very quietly said "Mommy" to wake me up. As I slowly opened my eyes there was her sweet little face about 6 inches from mine and she had the cutest little grin as she whispered, "Happy Mother's Day Mommy!". It was very sweet and such a great way to wake up. I then received breakfast in bed (cereal and coffee! :) with cards and gifts from both Brendon and Brenna. I actually got to lay in bed and watch one of my shows for about an hour, which rarely happens! It was very nice! The rest of the day was pretty relaxing too with a bar-b-que at my Aunt's house.
Tonight Brendon is giving Brenna her bath and reading books to her..... and me -- I get to take it easy! :) I love Mother's Day! hehe

I hope all the mothers reading this had a wonderful Mother's Day too!!

What about socialization? (from another angle)

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts - helps me keep track of them.
W2: (Smiles) I'm Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot?
W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.
W2: Wow. Where do you find the time?
W1: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time.
W2: Some of my neighbours home school, but I send my kids to public school.
W1: How do you do it?
W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the kids everyday after school and stay real involved.
W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the opportunity for natural relationships?
W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who're home schooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every month.
W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're so isolated from real life -- how will they know what the world is like -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?
W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we're having a woman from Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.
W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.
W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunch room on Multicultural Day.
W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.
W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit that day. It's a system-wide thing we're doing.
W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in the grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for dinner.
W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store -- certainly not people who might not even speak my language. What if that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?
W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. Before I even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.
W2: Your child talks to strangers?
W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with me, he can talk to anyone he wishes.
W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk to strangers.
W1: Not even when they're with you?
W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a big no-no.
W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.
W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health courses.
W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my number--if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meet you.

--Author unknown

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Super Mom!!

So here are a lot of things I have been hearing lately....

"Oh I could never home school - I don't have enough patience."

"You're so brave, I just could not do that."

"I would love to home school but I really need a break from my kids!"

"I am just not capable of doing that."

And then there is the look of total bewilderment that almost makes me want to laugh. One person even had the audacity to tell me to my face that I was completely crazy and proceeded to follow that comment with a huge, dramatic eye-roll. That one made me a little mad but what can you do.

To be honest, I didn't think I was capable or had the patience to home school Brenna. It wasn't until I started reading about public schools vs. homeschooling that I decided that I had to do what I had to do and if that meant mustering up enough patience to home school then so be it. Yes I was looking forward to her going off to Kindergarten and having a "break" and catching up on stuff like scrap booking but there are other ways that I can get "me time" - that's what family is for. HAHA! :) But seriously, to me it is completely selfish to not home school Brenna just because I will not get a lot of time to myself. I will have plenty of that once Brenna grows up and leaves the house and then I will probably wish that she was still here.
I am not some perfect Mom who doesn't yell or get upset - I lose my patience with Brenna just like any other parent. It doesn't take a "Super Mom" to home school and I don't want people thinking I am anything like that. I am just a regular Mom like anybody who wants what's best for their child. It is a personal choice that Brendon and I have made. I don't expect anybody to do what we have chosen to do and I don't look down on people who send their children to school.
I know what we have picked is not the norm in today's society (even though it is becoming more and more acceptable). I have heard from a lot of seasoned home school Moms that the negative comments and weird looks are not going to stop. People are going to scrutinize you when they find out that YOU are teaching your child instead of a "certified teacher". In fact, I got my first taste of it just the other day. I misspelled a word on one of my posts here and somebody left a nasty comment about it and said that they hope my daughter gets a better education then I did. (chuckle) Who in the world has never misspelled a word?! That just baffled me that somebody could judge what kind of teacher I am going to be to my child just from a typo I made. (sigh) I guess I have to learn to just let things roll off my back.
Well I had better get off my soap box now - Brenna and I have a play date! :)

Big Day at Dance/Gym Class

Today was Brenna's last day for her dance class before the big recital. They were awarded medals and the parents got to go into the classrooms and take pictures. Her recital will be May 20th and I am really looking forward to that. I think I will be one of those Moms who is going to sit there with tears running down her face seeing her little 'baby' on a big stage doing a darling little dance.

She was so proud of her medals and wanted to go straight to Grandma and Grandpa's to show them off, which is what we did of course.

She wants to do gymnastics again this summer and then we will start in the Fall with the dance and gym combo class again. She made some great friends (and so did I!) in her dance class so I am hoping that we see them again next Fall.

Reasons Why I Want to Homeschool

This is a list I recently made of some of the reasons why I want to homeschool Brenna. I guess I wrote it out so I can have something to read whenever a time comes when I wonder why exactly I am doing this or if I really am doing the right thing. Of course these are not ALL the reasons but a nice chunk........

-To stay a close family - homeschooled kids are a lot closer to their parents and siblings.

-I am in control of what kind of socialization Brenna has.

-To teach Brenna real-life things in the world instead of her education consisting of being in a classroom seven hours a day reading and learning out of textbooks.

-It has been, and will continue to be, rewarding for ME as I see her learn and to know that I am the one who is teaching her.

-With Brendon's job hours, if she went to school there might be days that go by that he wouldn't even get to see her.

-To give Brenna a quality education and learn at HER pace instead of a whole classroom's pace.

-Brenna will be "leaving the nest" before we know it and I really want to spend this time with her before it's gone. I will really cherish it later.

-Schools have really become so dangerous now and it scares me (shootings, kidnappings, child molesters...)

And Here We Go....

So I have decided to take on the adventure of Homeschooling! I had never really thought about it before or figured it would be an option - I just thought that Brenna would go to school when she started Kindergarten and that would be that. Everyone else does that, don't they?
So what exactly made me start thinking about it? Brenna started dance class in September '06 and one of the Moms there homeschools both her kids. I really wasn't too interested but asked questions because I was a little curious and was trying to make conversation. I then started reading a little about it on the Internet and the more I read the more I thought, "I really COULD do this!" The more information I got about homeschooling the more I realized that I just could NOT herd my daughter into the public school system. Scared about it? YOU BET! But I have a great support group that consists of my wonderful sister-in-law, Lisa, who is homeschooling her daughter as well, a great friend of mine who is starting the adventure along with me with her daughter and just about everyone else in my family who I have told about this (Thank you ALL by the way!).
Another realization I stumbled on was that I am already a homeschooler. I have been staying at home with Brenna since the day she was born and I tell you what - she is a smart little thing! I have taught her so much already so I figured why mess with something that is working so wonderfully?
I still have so much to prepare for for this upcoming Fall when we will 'officially' start. Brenna is very excited about it and tells everyone "my Mommy is going to homeschool me!" She is excited about taking trips to the library to fill that brain of hers with lots of info and being able to go places like the zoo or a museum to learn things instead of just reading it out of a textbook. How wonderful will THAT be?? To be able to learn things more hands on rather then just sitting in a classroom all day?
A lot of people worry about socialization. That has been the "big question" when it comes to telling certain people about our decision. And believe me, I worried about that too. But what most people don't realize is that kids really don't get to socialize all that much with their peers at school. Most friendships are formed away from school (Girl Scouts, dance class, ect...). You know what I read in the newspaper the other day? They do a "Student of the Day" type thing and these kids they pick answer certain questions. One of the questions is What is your favorite day of the week? This little 1st grader answered "Friday, because that is the day we get to play on the playground." WHAT?! I had heard that schools have cut back on recess time but ONE day a week? That's just crazy. Brenna will have plenty of interaction with other kids of ALL AGES (which is actually better then being stuck in a classroom all day with kids all your own age). We will be joining one of the homeschool groups here, she will continue her dance class and she will also start karate soon and she also wants to be in Girl Scouts. Sounds like a lot huh? Well without the 7 hour a day public school schedule things will be A LOT less hectic and we WILL be able to do all those things.

So exactly how long will I homeschool? I have no idea - I'm just taking it year by year. But I have a feeling that things are going to be wonderful and we will be doing this for quite sometime.