Today I finally got my garden in order and we now have greenery! YEAH! No more brown soil in empty boxes to look at. LOL I have some seedlings and I planted some seeds as well. Right now I have garlic, basil, thyme, tomatoes, yellow squash (seeds), zucchini squash (seeds), green peppers, sweet orange peppers and cucumbers (seeds). I still have a few empty spots and I'd like to plant some carrots, just because I think they would be fun for Brenna and she LOVES carrots! I did not plant any corn because there was no room but maybe tomorrow I'll get a wild hair and dig another ground bed for Brenna's corn. That is a lot of work though. It will more likely happen IF she helps me do it. So far I have not had much help from her. I told her that I better not be like The Little Red Hen and have her only help to EAT the fruits of my labor. She has promised to help me water as well as weed so we'll see what happens there. I'm very close to MAKING her do some good, hard manual labor. No quitting from her. It'll be good for her. LOL Maybe I will teach her a good lesson and NOT plant corn this year if she doesn't help. Maybe she'll want to help a little more next year if I do that. HAHA!
Tomorrow I will take some pictures of my garden boxes and post them. It will be fun to post them every week to see the progression IF I remember.
Today I said a little prayer after I planted everything. My Grandpa, who just passed away, was a master gardener and had a HUGE garden when I was a little kid (well, up until about 6 years ago). He grew THE BEST tomatoes, okra and green beans. I remember being a kid and going to my Grandma's house and eating his homegrown veggies. To this day fried green tomatoes remind me of him -- my Grandma made the best!!
I prayed and asked my Grandpa to please help me with my garden and to grow good, good vegetables. :) I'm sure I won't have plants as good as he did but maybe he'll lend a helping hand. I might have some good luck though because I did ask my Grandma if I could have this old wooden sign that he used to have in his garden that says, "Grandpa's Garden" and she said of course.
I really, really miss him A LOT.
Wish me happy gardening!! :)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Lazy Day
Today was pretty lazy and very uneventful. Don't even know why I am posting - guess out of boredom. The house is very quiet - Brenna is in bed and Brendon is with a friend at a concert in Corpus Christi. Brenna went to bed pretty late last night because she stayed at my Mom's house so she's in bed early tonight. We were all sick over Valentine's Day weekend, so Brendon and I had our night out last night. Not much of a night out though - just to a movie. We went and saw "Twilight" which I had been wanting to see since I read the books. There are four 700+ page books and I read them all in one week. Best books I think I have ever read. I just could NOT put them down! I read while I cooked, I read while I cleaned - I read every minute that I possibly could. Poor Brendon and Brenna saw Mom doing nothing but having her face in a book. I noticed that Brenna did a lot of reading that week too. It is true about kids doing what they see their parents doing. Nothing better then my kid mimicking my reading though. LOL She sure does impress me with all the words that she can read.
My garden beds are still brown and empty. No green in them yet. I did plant some garlic cloves yesterday so we'll see what those do. On Monday I am getting some plants from my friend, Mieree, as well as transplanting our tomatoes from the pot that they are in. Brenna is insisting on one of the boxes being just hers so we'll see how much I can get away with planting what I want to in both boxes. She has her heart set on planting corn. That girl LOVES corn! Corn is kinda a pain though because their root system is so shallow (they blow over easily). And you don't get that many ears per stock. I think I will make another place along the fence for her corn. At least we can tie it up on really windy days and it won't take up so much space in our small beds.
Anyway, today Brenna and I did a lot of math stuff. She got out her math curriculum that I hastily bought last year and we did a few pages in her book. She did really good and thought it was a lot of fun. She made up a few games using her Littlest Pet Shop pets. She tried that once when I was in my "school at home" mind frame and I knocked it down. Today I realized that she learns just as much doing it HER way and by playing then she did doing it MY way and sitting at the table all serious-like. But it is sooo much more fun! I have come such a long way. LOL
Ok, I'm getting tired of sitting at the computer. I'm off to play Guitar Hero and pretend that I'm a rock star!! :) LOL
My garden beds are still brown and empty. No green in them yet. I did plant some garlic cloves yesterday so we'll see what those do. On Monday I am getting some plants from my friend, Mieree, as well as transplanting our tomatoes from the pot that they are in. Brenna is insisting on one of the boxes being just hers so we'll see how much I can get away with planting what I want to in both boxes. She has her heart set on planting corn. That girl LOVES corn! Corn is kinda a pain though because their root system is so shallow (they blow over easily). And you don't get that many ears per stock. I think I will make another place along the fence for her corn. At least we can tie it up on really windy days and it won't take up so much space in our small beds.
Anyway, today Brenna and I did a lot of math stuff. She got out her math curriculum that I hastily bought last year and we did a few pages in her book. She did really good and thought it was a lot of fun. She made up a few games using her Littlest Pet Shop pets. She tried that once when I was in my "school at home" mind frame and I knocked it down. Today I realized that she learns just as much doing it HER way and by playing then she did doing it MY way and sitting at the table all serious-like. But it is sooo much more fun! I have come such a long way. LOL
Ok, I'm getting tired of sitting at the computer. I'm off to play Guitar Hero and pretend that I'm a rock star!! :) LOL
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Gardening Time
Sickness is finally winding down in our house. Brenna got over her flu surprisingly fast and was much better by Sunday. Brendon was sick during the time that Brenna was so I had my hands pretty full for a couple days. By Sunday I was completely down and out. I got it much worse than the two of them and am still fighting off head stuff today. I slept ALL DAY Sunday and had not felt that bad in years. Thank goodness Brendon was well enough to take care of me and Brenna. Hopefully tomorrow I will be better - that's what I've been saying for three days though so we'll see.
I can't wait to feel 100% again because Brenna and I need to get started with our garden. Last week I made two 4x4 raised beds and got some compost/soil mix delivered. I spent a good two days hauling that stuff from the front to the back. We are going to do square foot gardening. We've already started our tomato plants in a pot and they sprouted about 4 days ago. We are going to grow those as well as cucumbers, yellow squash, basil, garlic and carrots. We are looking forward to it and can't wait to get started.
Here's some pictures I took last week.
I can't wait to feel 100% again because Brenna and I need to get started with our garden. Last week I made two 4x4 raised beds and got some compost/soil mix delivered. I spent a good two days hauling that stuff from the front to the back. We are going to do square foot gardening. We've already started our tomato plants in a pot and they sprouted about 4 days ago. We are going to grow those as well as cucumbers, yellow squash, basil, garlic and carrots. We are looking forward to it and can't wait to get started.
Here's some pictures I took last week.
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Flu...and other dreadful things
So Brenna has her first case of the flu. Poor girl is feeling absolutely terrible. I took her to the doctor today and they tested her and confirmed it. She started feeling bad this morning and I just had the urge to make her an appointment - which usually doesn't happen for me at the first sign of illness but I just had a gut feeling I guess. The doctor is kinda the last resort because they end up telling me what I already assume or know (lots of rest, fluids, ect...).
So anyways, the test came back positive and the doc suggested that she take TamiFlu since we caught it early. I said okay because I love, love her doctor and trust everything he says. Big mistake. I never, ever recommend ANYONE to take that stuff - it is horrible!
I gave it to Brenna as soon as we got home and within 30 minutes she was feeling ten times worse and vomiting all in my kitchen sink (couldn't make it to the bathroom). Okay, yes, the side affects said vomiting may occur as the body adjusts to it but what happened was just ridiculous. Not only did she throw up about 6 times but she had excruciating stomach cramps for the rest of the evening. Any "medicine" that does that throws up a red flag for me.
After all that drama I sat down at the computer and researched this TamiFlu. I came across a web site (click to read) that had a forum on it and started reading what people had written. Terrible stuff. There was a lot that described exactly what happened to Brenna and then other stuff that was much, much worse. So no more of THAT crap! Too bad I paid $50 for it.....ugh! It's not like a "miracle cure" for the flu anyways - it only shortens it by about one day. To be honest - I'd rather have my daughter sick for one more day then to feel the way she did after taking that medicine.
Anyway, she went to bed pretty early tonight. She still has a pretty high fever of course but hopefully she'll feel a bit better in the morning. Nothing but rest and forcing down fluids for that little girl tomorrow. I already have the couch made up for her with lots of books, magazines, drawing pads and her colored pencils. I even hung big, heavy blankets on her windows in her bedroom in hopes that she will sleep in a bit. She's going to miss her basketball awards ceremony in the morning and I'm kinda bummed about that but what can you do?
Anyway, more tomorrow if I can get on here. Brenna and I are starting a garden and I have lots of pictures to share!!
So anyways, the test came back positive and the doc suggested that she take TamiFlu since we caught it early. I said okay because I love, love her doctor and trust everything he says. Big mistake. I never, ever recommend ANYONE to take that stuff - it is horrible!
I gave it to Brenna as soon as we got home and within 30 minutes she was feeling ten times worse and vomiting all in my kitchen sink (couldn't make it to the bathroom). Okay, yes, the side affects said vomiting may occur as the body adjusts to it but what happened was just ridiculous. Not only did she throw up about 6 times but she had excruciating stomach cramps for the rest of the evening. Any "medicine" that does that throws up a red flag for me.
After all that drama I sat down at the computer and researched this TamiFlu. I came across a web site (click to read) that had a forum on it and started reading what people had written. Terrible stuff. There was a lot that described exactly what happened to Brenna and then other stuff that was much, much worse. So no more of THAT crap! Too bad I paid $50 for it.....ugh! It's not like a "miracle cure" for the flu anyways - it only shortens it by about one day. To be honest - I'd rather have my daughter sick for one more day then to feel the way she did after taking that medicine.
Anyway, she went to bed pretty early tonight. She still has a pretty high fever of course but hopefully she'll feel a bit better in the morning. Nothing but rest and forcing down fluids for that little girl tomorrow. I already have the couch made up for her with lots of books, magazines, drawing pads and her colored pencils. I even hung big, heavy blankets on her windows in her bedroom in hopes that she will sleep in a bit. She's going to miss her basketball awards ceremony in the morning and I'm kinda bummed about that but what can you do?
Anyway, more tomorrow if I can get on here. Brenna and I are starting a garden and I have lots of pictures to share!!
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Parenting
I have been reading a lot (no surprise there!) on what is called peaceful parenting. It makes a lot of sence to me and I love the whole concept of it. I found something that someone wrote and thought it was worth posting on my blog. Those of you who don't have small children will probably find no interest at all in this, but even if just one person reads this and gets something from it it will make it worth posting....
Stop thinking about changing "for good" and not just for days or moments. That is just another thing to overwhelm you and you don't need that!
Just change the next interaction you have with the kids.
Stop reading email right now and do something "preventative"— something that helps build your relationship with them. Fix them a little tray of cheese and crackers and take it to them, wherever they are, unasked. Sit down on the floor and play with them. If nothing else, just go and give each of them a little hug and a kiss and say, "I was just thinking about how much I love you."
Okay—so that is one good, positive interaction.
Again—just change the next interaction you have with the kids.
Focus on making the next interaction another one that builds up your relationship. If the next one is because the kids are fighting, STILL keep in mind that you want this interaction to do something positive for your relationship with the kids and stretch your thinking as to how you can make that happen.
In other words, you kind of think from their point of view about yourself. Consider what thoughts you want going through their head. Do you want them thinking: "She never takes time to even find out what the problem is?" Or "She always blames me?" Or "She's such a hypocrite, doesn't want to hear us yelling, but then she yells at us." "She hates me." And so on. What do you want them to be thinking—what words (articulated or not) do want tumbling around inside their head?
Maybe "She understands how I feel." Or "She really cares about helping us solve our problems." Or "She is trying hard to be fair." Or "She's calm even when I'm not." Or "Mom is the best listener in the world." "Mom loves me even when I'm causing problems."
And, eventually, you want them to think like this:
"Mom will help us find a solution."
"I can stay calm like mommy does even when I'm mad."
"I can listen carefully like mommy does when there is a conflict."
"I can recognize feelings, like mommy."
"I can come up with new ideas, like mommy does when we have trouble."
There is no substitute for being authentically "there" for them—for genuinely trying to help them resolve problems. For putting your relationship with them at the forefront of every interaction, whether it is playing together or working together.
None of us are perfect; we'll all have some regrets. But with my kids 19, 16, and 13, I can now say that I will never say anything like, "I wish I'd let them fight it out more," or "I wish I'd punished them more," or "I wish I'd yelled at them more." I will only ever say that I wish I'd been more patient, more attentive, more calm and accepting of the normal stresses of having young children.
One interaction at a time. Just make the next interaction a relationship-building one. Don't worry about the one AFTER that, until IT becomes "the next one."
Stop thinking about changing "for good" and not just for days or moments. That is just another thing to overwhelm you and you don't need that!
Just change the next interaction you have with the kids.
Stop reading email right now and do something "preventative"— something that helps build your relationship with them. Fix them a little tray of cheese and crackers and take it to them, wherever they are, unasked. Sit down on the floor and play with them. If nothing else, just go and give each of them a little hug and a kiss and say, "I was just thinking about how much I love you."
Okay—so that is one good, positive interaction.
Again—just change the next interaction you have with the kids.
Focus on making the next interaction another one that builds up your relationship. If the next one is because the kids are fighting, STILL keep in mind that you want this interaction to do something positive for your relationship with the kids and stretch your thinking as to how you can make that happen.
In other words, you kind of think from their point of view about yourself. Consider what thoughts you want going through their head. Do you want them thinking: "She never takes time to even find out what the problem is?" Or "She always blames me?" Or "She's such a hypocrite, doesn't want to hear us yelling, but then she yells at us." "She hates me." And so on. What do you want them to be thinking—what words (articulated or not) do want tumbling around inside their head?
Maybe "She understands how I feel." Or "She really cares about helping us solve our problems." Or "She is trying hard to be fair." Or "She's calm even when I'm not." Or "Mom is the best listener in the world." "Mom loves me even when I'm causing problems."
And, eventually, you want them to think like this:
"Mom will help us find a solution."
"I can stay calm like mommy does even when I'm mad."
"I can listen carefully like mommy does when there is a conflict."
"I can recognize feelings, like mommy."
"I can come up with new ideas, like mommy does when we have trouble."
There is no substitute for being authentically "there" for them—for genuinely trying to help them resolve problems. For putting your relationship with them at the forefront of every interaction, whether it is playing together or working together.
None of us are perfect; we'll all have some regrets. But with my kids 19, 16, and 13, I can now say that I will never say anything like, "I wish I'd let them fight it out more," or "I wish I'd punished them more," or "I wish I'd yelled at them more." I will only ever say that I wish I'd been more patient, more attentive, more calm and accepting of the normal stresses of having young children.
One interaction at a time. Just make the next interaction a relationship-building one. Don't worry about the one AFTER that, until IT becomes "the next one."
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Homeschooling Doesn't Necessarily Mean You're at Home All Day! LOL
We've had a pretty full day so far and left this morning at 10am and didn't get home until 4pm. I have a lot to do tonight like catch up on laundry, so I thought I'd take advantage of the quietness I have in the house and post real quick. Brenna is outside playing with Ben and William, the twins that lives across the alley from us. Sweet kids - very polite and very considerate. Brenna gets along with them soooo good.
Anyway, Brenna and I left this morning to meet with a few families from our homeschool group. The group will not be doing co-ops this Spring so a few of us have taken it upon ourselves to get together and do projects and play dates. It is a very small group with only 5 parents and about 10 kids. I kinda like it though because it seems a lot easier and a lot more personal. All the kids get along great and had fun playing today while the parents planned the stuff that we will be doing. We'll be going weekly for the next five weeks. If things go smoothly, which I'm sure they will, then we'll do it again after Spring Break.
After our picnic lunch with the group, Brenna and I went to my Mom's and took care of Keira while my Dad and her went to my Grandma JoJo's for a couple hours. Keira is in day care now but my Mom takes care of her every Thursday. She is such a joy to be around and is so cute and so smart. Brenna just loves her dearly and does a wonderful job taking care of her. She took her in the backyard and they played for quite a while. After we left my Mom's Brenna went to her last basketball practice of the season. Her last game will be this Saturday and then they'll have a little party at the park.
Well I better go get dinner started and put a load in the washer.
Hope everyone else had a wonderful day too!
Anyway, Brenna and I left this morning to meet with a few families from our homeschool group. The group will not be doing co-ops this Spring so a few of us have taken it upon ourselves to get together and do projects and play dates. It is a very small group with only 5 parents and about 10 kids. I kinda like it though because it seems a lot easier and a lot more personal. All the kids get along great and had fun playing today while the parents planned the stuff that we will be doing. We'll be going weekly for the next five weeks. If things go smoothly, which I'm sure they will, then we'll do it again after Spring Break.
After our picnic lunch with the group, Brenna and I went to my Mom's and took care of Keira while my Dad and her went to my Grandma JoJo's for a couple hours. Keira is in day care now but my Mom takes care of her every Thursday. She is such a joy to be around and is so cute and so smart. Brenna just loves her dearly and does a wonderful job taking care of her. She took her in the backyard and they played for quite a while. After we left my Mom's Brenna went to her last basketball practice of the season. Her last game will be this Saturday and then they'll have a little party at the park.
Well I better go get dinner started and put a load in the washer.
Hope everyone else had a wonderful day too!
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Brenna's blog
Here's the link to Brenna's blog.
http://brennasblog09.blogspot.com/
I will also put it on the side bar under the "Links" section.
http://brennasblog09.blogspot.com/
I will also put it on the side bar under the "Links" section.
Fun Times (with Lots of Learning!)
What a fun day we had yesterday! Brenna and I spent all afternoon playing board games. You should have seen the pile of boxes that we accumulated in the living room. I think we brought out just about every game we own. Brendon was home from work and was at the dining room table on his laptop most of the day catching up on things that he missed while he was in Connecticut. The only thing he heard pretty much all day was laughing and giggling and squealing. I'm sure we were pretty distracting but I know he loved it. :)
Brenna learned how to play Monopoly yesterday and she was actually quite good at it. I never realized what a wonderful learning tool that game is. She counted out her money, first with a little help and then she progressively became better at it and she added the dice in her head to determine how many spaces to move (all of her games have only one die). She learned strategy and also how valuable it is to save money for important things and not be so frivolous. Very good 'life lesson'. LOL
We never did finish the game because she became a little bored after almost an hour but we determined that she won because she had the most money as well as the most expensive property. I guess one reason the game is marked for ages 8+ is because of how lengthy it can be. When we started it I did not expect her to finish. I thought she did pretty good for lasting as long as she did.
We also played Battleship (good at teaching rows, columns, strategy and grids!), Sorry!, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Connect Four and Littlest Pet Shop. We didn't get around to playing all the games we pulled out (we have tons!) but we're planning another game day today at some point.
It was nice yesterday putting off any kind of housework and doing things that I thought HAD to be done. Guess what? It will still be there tomorrow. And it is. LOL I need to start doing that a little more often I think and not be so anal about my house always being perfect - there are more important things then that. I think I've come to the conclusion that there are 'good messes' and 'bad messes'. Good messes consist of Brenna's toys and games and art stuff cluttering our house and bad messes, of course, are dishes, laundry, ect... LOL Today though I DO need to get some dishes done. :)
Anyway, so far today Brenna has created, drawn and named her own animal species (very interesting and creative!) and we made a four generation family tree. She's also made a Barbie museum and set up little scenes with her Barbies along with labels such as "Cowgirl" (Barbie dressed appropriately riding a horse), "Bath Time Barbie", "Fishing Time"(she made a boat out of paper), "Where's That Skateboard?" (with Barbie searching in her closet) and "Your Majesty" (Barbie dressed as a princess in her castle with another Barbie bowing toward her). She had a lot of fun doing that and she says that she's going to do a lot more today.
Brenna's had a cold the past couple days along with a fever so today we're not doing much and will probably relax at home again. She does have her Musical Theatre class tonight that she will probably go to because she has not had a fever since yesterday afternoon. She really, really enjoys it and so far it's been her favorite thing that she has tried. Her last basketball game is this weekend but she has no plans on returning to it next season. She will do kickball starting in a couple weeks so we'll see how that goes. I'm just happy that she tries as many things as she does, even if she ends up not caring for it too much. So far she's been in gymnastics, ballet, tap, karate, soccer, basketball and musical theatre. At least we can never say she didn't try things. LOL :)
Okay, I'm off to play with Brenna!
Till fingers and keyboard meet again.....
Brenna learned how to play Monopoly yesterday and she was actually quite good at it. I never realized what a wonderful learning tool that game is. She counted out her money, first with a little help and then she progressively became better at it and she added the dice in her head to determine how many spaces to move (all of her games have only one die). She learned strategy and also how valuable it is to save money for important things and not be so frivolous. Very good 'life lesson'. LOL
We never did finish the game because she became a little bored after almost an hour but we determined that she won because she had the most money as well as the most expensive property. I guess one reason the game is marked for ages 8+ is because of how lengthy it can be. When we started it I did not expect her to finish. I thought she did pretty good for lasting as long as she did.
We also played Battleship (good at teaching rows, columns, strategy and grids!), Sorry!, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Connect Four and Littlest Pet Shop. We didn't get around to playing all the games we pulled out (we have tons!) but we're planning another game day today at some point.
It was nice yesterday putting off any kind of housework and doing things that I thought HAD to be done. Guess what? It will still be there tomorrow. And it is. LOL I need to start doing that a little more often I think and not be so anal about my house always being perfect - there are more important things then that. I think I've come to the conclusion that there are 'good messes' and 'bad messes'. Good messes consist of Brenna's toys and games and art stuff cluttering our house and bad messes, of course, are dishes, laundry, ect... LOL Today though I DO need to get some dishes done. :)
Anyway, so far today Brenna has created, drawn and named her own animal species (very interesting and creative!) and we made a four generation family tree. She's also made a Barbie museum and set up little scenes with her Barbies along with labels such as "Cowgirl" (Barbie dressed appropriately riding a horse), "Bath Time Barbie", "Fishing Time"(she made a boat out of paper), "Where's That Skateboard?" (with Barbie searching in her closet) and "Your Majesty" (Barbie dressed as a princess in her castle with another Barbie bowing toward her). She had a lot of fun doing that and she says that she's going to do a lot more today.
Brenna's had a cold the past couple days along with a fever so today we're not doing much and will probably relax at home again. She does have her Musical Theatre class tonight that she will probably go to because she has not had a fever since yesterday afternoon. She really, really enjoys it and so far it's been her favorite thing that she has tried. Her last basketball game is this weekend but she has no plans on returning to it next season. She will do kickball starting in a couple weeks so we'll see how that goes. I'm just happy that she tries as many things as she does, even if she ends up not caring for it too much. So far she's been in gymnastics, ballet, tap, karate, soccer, basketball and musical theatre. At least we can never say she didn't try things. LOL :)
Okay, I'm off to play with Brenna!
Till fingers and keyboard meet again.....
Friday, January 30, 2009
Being very open about my feelings right now...
So I was informed last night by my Mom that I need to stop writing things on my blog like, "...reminding myself..." and "...trying to convince myself..." that what I am doing is right. She said that she gets very upset when she reads those words when it comes to me homeschooling. And yes, I agree.
I need to be totally and utterly comfortable in what I am doing and most importantly HOW I am doing what I'm doing.
I keep waiting for that to happen - to be completely sure and not have those twinges of doubt. It doesn't happen every day or even once a week or once a month. Very seldom do I doubt what I am doing is right but it shouldn't happen AT ALL.
Do I love homeschooling Brenna? Absolutely.
Is it the best thing for our family? Without a doubt.
Would I change anything right now? Not on my life.
I guess I don't necessarily question the whole homeschooling thing itself. I totally feel at ease about not sending my daughter to school and I do not hesitate one bit. I could not fathom her going to school. I am passionate about the entire idea of homeschooling and I love the lifestyle that we have that it gives us. We are not tied down to strict school schedules and homework. Our time together doesn't just consist of weekends and evenings during the week when everyone is tired from a long day, trying to get dinner made and homework done and bath and bed before a certain time. Oh that stresses me out just thinking about it! LOL I really don't know how some people do it. Our evenings are so relaxing and we don't feel pressure at all. So I guess to sum it all up, yes I am totally in love with homeschooling and have no uncertainty about it.
To be honest, I guess the thing that I question sometimes is HOW we homeschool. I don't know why I do because I have so much proof everyday that what I am doing is right for Brenna. Everyone who frequents my blog knows that I have a very relaxed approach to homeschooling and that we do not use any type of curriculum at all (been there, tried that, not good for my child). It has been a struggle and a roller coaster ride these last two years to get to this point and to feel (somewhat) at peace with it. It is hard to put so much trust in your child that they will learn without you pushing them. It is hard to feel comfortable in the fact that you are not sitting your child at the table everyday, drilling facts into their head and making them perfect their writing or learning math by writing it down repetitively on paper as proof of what they learned that day. It's not for the child's benefit that these things get done. It's for the teacher's (or in my case, the parent) to have a hard copy of what the child has supposedly learned that day. It's not natural for children to learn that way.
Do people force their children to walk? Do they send them to a school that teaches them to walk or even talk? Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? So is forced learning - it's the same thing. Children are natural learners. They were born to learn and they were born with the instinct to learn. Look at how much children learn before school age. They learn because they WANT to and because they crave it. A child gets sent to school (or even structured homeschooling) at the age of 5, forced to sit at a desk and learn things that they have absolutely no interest in and pretty soon it becomes boring and they begin to hate anything to do with learning.
Yes, I have tried sitting Brenna at the table and "doing school". You know what happened? She shut down. Learning stopped being fun and became a struggle. She started to pick up reading at age 5 and I forced her to sit and read to me everyday whether she liked it or not - and believe me, she didn't like it one bit! She hated it. There were tears and it just seemed so forceful and unenjoyable and unnatural so I stopped. (Yes, many of you have heard this story but bear with me.) Six months after I stopped forcing her to learn how to read she acquired a passion for it and now at 6 she's reading at a 3rd grade level and reading for pleasure.
Spelling was the same struggle. We started a curriculum, she resisted and stopped learning "on her own", we stopped and now she is learning to spell everyday just by making books and IM'ing her Dad on the computer and making cards for people.
You want to hear a conversation Brenna and I had just last night? We were talking about brushing teeth and I told her that you have to brush for about two minutes. She has a little hourglass timer that is for 30 seconds.
Brenna: "So if I got my timer then it would have to go four times for that to be two minutes because it is for half a minute."
Mom: "Yes, you are completely right Brenna. Good job!"
Brenna: "So if my timer was only a quarter of a minute then it would have to go eight times for that to make two minutes."
We continued the conversation and I asked her more complicated questions, which she got right.
My 6 year old is doing fractions....in her head.
And we don't use a math curriculum which teaches her this. She learns this because she wants to and because it's interesting to her. Amazing concept. Don't we do that as adults?
Oh how I wish I could just go on and on and about how many math conversations we have like this and how much she can do in her head. It is a part of our everyday life. Why do I need textbooks to teach her things that she will naturally learn by using it in everyday life?
So after all this, I STILL doubt sometimes that what I am doing is right. Why?? Can't I see the proof right in front of me?
Every once in a while I will have the urge to sit her at the table and drill spelling words into her head and prove to me that she can spell this word and that. But I don't. Every once in a while I will have the urge to make her perform math problems on paper just so that I can see what I know she already knows. But I don't.
Believe me, it's hard. It's hard not conforming to what school should be like and what people say a child should learn at a certain age. It's hard not having that "proof" written down on paper. It's hard trusting her and trusting that she will learn things. She may not grasp certain things at the same age that school children do but her learning experiences are much richer I think because it's things that SHE is interested in that she will remember better. She is also learning certain things that are way beyond her grade level, like fractions. It kinda evens out.
But I have a philosophy on that whole thing.....
Who's to say what they should learn at what age? Really, who comes up with that stuff???
What difference will it make if my kid learns how to tie her shoes when she's 4 or when she's 6? She's still going to learn right? She's not going to be 15 and not know how to tie her shoes.
I think that applies for a lot of things. Reading, spelling, writing, ect.... Why not let them learn it when they are ready and when it is easier for them to grasp the concept instead of when "so-and-so" (books, government, teachers,ect...) says that they should? Is there any difference at all between a 7 year old learning to write cursive and a 10 year old learning to write cursive??
I'm sure that I have written similar arguments on here before and I apologize for being repetitive.
I need to listen to my Mother (don't we all??) and stop doubting what I am doing with Brenna because I SEE it. I see that she IS learning and that she is so smart. I see how much she loves learning new things and how many questions she asks everyday (that I have to find answers to!! LOL). I also have seen how much she resists when it comes to any kind of structured learning and how she just completely shuts down. Maybe I just worry too much about what other people think? I really do I guess. As my brother always tells me , I worry too much about what other people think and I need to just be myself. Oh how I wish I were more of a "free spirit" like he is. (I love you PJ!!) How different a brother and sister can be....
I need to realize that Brenna is MY child and that as her mother, I know her best and know the way that she learns best as well. I am not harming her in any way by not being a sit-at-the-table-and-do-your-work type parent. I actually have her best interest at heart and I have come to realize what kind of learner she is. She thrives on natural learning.
That, right there, is the absolute beauty of homeschooling.
I need to be totally and utterly comfortable in what I am doing and most importantly HOW I am doing what I'm doing.
I keep waiting for that to happen - to be completely sure and not have those twinges of doubt. It doesn't happen every day or even once a week or once a month. Very seldom do I doubt what I am doing is right but it shouldn't happen AT ALL.
Do I love homeschooling Brenna? Absolutely.
Is it the best thing for our family? Without a doubt.
Would I change anything right now? Not on my life.
I guess I don't necessarily question the whole homeschooling thing itself. I totally feel at ease about not sending my daughter to school and I do not hesitate one bit. I could not fathom her going to school. I am passionate about the entire idea of homeschooling and I love the lifestyle that we have that it gives us. We are not tied down to strict school schedules and homework. Our time together doesn't just consist of weekends and evenings during the week when everyone is tired from a long day, trying to get dinner made and homework done and bath and bed before a certain time. Oh that stresses me out just thinking about it! LOL I really don't know how some people do it. Our evenings are so relaxing and we don't feel pressure at all. So I guess to sum it all up, yes I am totally in love with homeschooling and have no uncertainty about it.
To be honest, I guess the thing that I question sometimes is HOW we homeschool. I don't know why I do because I have so much proof everyday that what I am doing is right for Brenna. Everyone who frequents my blog knows that I have a very relaxed approach to homeschooling and that we do not use any type of curriculum at all (been there, tried that, not good for my child). It has been a struggle and a roller coaster ride these last two years to get to this point and to feel (somewhat) at peace with it. It is hard to put so much trust in your child that they will learn without you pushing them. It is hard to feel comfortable in the fact that you are not sitting your child at the table everyday, drilling facts into their head and making them perfect their writing or learning math by writing it down repetitively on paper as proof of what they learned that day. It's not for the child's benefit that these things get done. It's for the teacher's (or in my case, the parent) to have a hard copy of what the child has supposedly learned that day. It's not natural for children to learn that way.
Do people force their children to walk? Do they send them to a school that teaches them to walk or even talk? Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? So is forced learning - it's the same thing. Children are natural learners. They were born to learn and they were born with the instinct to learn. Look at how much children learn before school age. They learn because they WANT to and because they crave it. A child gets sent to school (or even structured homeschooling) at the age of 5, forced to sit at a desk and learn things that they have absolutely no interest in and pretty soon it becomes boring and they begin to hate anything to do with learning.
Yes, I have tried sitting Brenna at the table and "doing school". You know what happened? She shut down. Learning stopped being fun and became a struggle. She started to pick up reading at age 5 and I forced her to sit and read to me everyday whether she liked it or not - and believe me, she didn't like it one bit! She hated it. There were tears and it just seemed so forceful and unenjoyable and unnatural so I stopped. (Yes, many of you have heard this story but bear with me.) Six months after I stopped forcing her to learn how to read she acquired a passion for it and now at 6 she's reading at a 3rd grade level and reading for pleasure.
Spelling was the same struggle. We started a curriculum, she resisted and stopped learning "on her own", we stopped and now she is learning to spell everyday just by making books and IM'ing her Dad on the computer and making cards for people.
You want to hear a conversation Brenna and I had just last night? We were talking about brushing teeth and I told her that you have to brush for about two minutes. She has a little hourglass timer that is for 30 seconds.
Brenna: "So if I got my timer then it would have to go four times for that to be two minutes because it is for half a minute."
Mom: "Yes, you are completely right Brenna. Good job!"
Brenna: "So if my timer was only a quarter of a minute then it would have to go eight times for that to make two minutes."
We continued the conversation and I asked her more complicated questions, which she got right.
My 6 year old is doing fractions....in her head.
And we don't use a math curriculum which teaches her this. She learns this because she wants to and because it's interesting to her. Amazing concept. Don't we do that as adults?
Oh how I wish I could just go on and on and about how many math conversations we have like this and how much she can do in her head. It is a part of our everyday life. Why do I need textbooks to teach her things that she will naturally learn by using it in everyday life?
So after all this, I STILL doubt sometimes that what I am doing is right. Why?? Can't I see the proof right in front of me?
Every once in a while I will have the urge to sit her at the table and drill spelling words into her head and prove to me that she can spell this word and that. But I don't. Every once in a while I will have the urge to make her perform math problems on paper just so that I can see what I know she already knows. But I don't.
Believe me, it's hard. It's hard not conforming to what school should be like and what people say a child should learn at a certain age. It's hard not having that "proof" written down on paper. It's hard trusting her and trusting that she will learn things. She may not grasp certain things at the same age that school children do but her learning experiences are much richer I think because it's things that SHE is interested in that she will remember better. She is also learning certain things that are way beyond her grade level, like fractions. It kinda evens out.
But I have a philosophy on that whole thing.....
Who's to say what they should learn at what age? Really, who comes up with that stuff???
What difference will it make if my kid learns how to tie her shoes when she's 4 or when she's 6? She's still going to learn right? She's not going to be 15 and not know how to tie her shoes.
I think that applies for a lot of things. Reading, spelling, writing, ect.... Why not let them learn it when they are ready and when it is easier for them to grasp the concept instead of when "so-and-so" (books, government, teachers,ect...) says that they should? Is there any difference at all between a 7 year old learning to write cursive and a 10 year old learning to write cursive??
I'm sure that I have written similar arguments on here before and I apologize for being repetitive.
I need to listen to my Mother (don't we all??) and stop doubting what I am doing with Brenna because I SEE it. I see that she IS learning and that she is so smart. I see how much she loves learning new things and how many questions she asks everyday (that I have to find answers to!! LOL). I also have seen how much she resists when it comes to any kind of structured learning and how she just completely shuts down. Maybe I just worry too much about what other people think? I really do I guess. As my brother always tells me , I worry too much about what other people think and I need to just be myself. Oh how I wish I were more of a "free spirit" like he is. (I love you PJ!!) How different a brother and sister can be....
I need to realize that Brenna is MY child and that as her mother, I know her best and know the way that she learns best as well. I am not harming her in any way by not being a sit-at-the-table-and-do-your-work type parent. I actually have her best interest at heart and I have come to realize what kind of learner she is. She thrives on natural learning.
That, right there, is the absolute beauty of homeschooling.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Good Story
I love this story. I found it while doing my quarterly search of reasons to make myself feel better about choosing to unschool Brenna. LOL
It is a little long but the writer does such a great job at keeping it interesting, at least for me. Some might find it interesting, some not so much.... I just copied and pasted it here instead of posting a link.
Home Education Magazine
March-April 1998 - Articles
Unschooling or School-At-Home?
by Chris Sims
I didn't start out to be a home schooler. Nope, I was going to "give up" seven years of my career for the sake of my children, then jump straight back into the workforce and lead "my own" fulfilling life as soon as both kids hit school age. The change crept upon me slowly, from having a homeschooling friend whose enthusiasm was virulently infectious to finally interviewing the principal of my daughter's would-be elementary school and asking him how the school would deal with a child who was still quite hyperactive and destructive, even at the ripe old age of four and a half.
"No problem," the principal told me with a smile. "We'll just put her in a class for behavior-disordered kids and get her on medication and she'll be fine."
"Not my daughter, you won't," I announced, and at that very moment, I became a home schooler.
The principal shouted, "Well, I have to protect my teachers, you know," just added fuel to my newly stoked fire.
So I went home to see if we could do it.
I hang my head in sheepish bemusement to recall how I sat my preschoolers down on child-sized chairs while I knelt beside a child-sized blackboard and even (gulp) used a pointer to begin their first week of lessons. That week was a dismal failure. Somehow, I just couldn't seem to get either child to sit still!
At that point, I didn't know that school could be anything other than the classroom type of experience my husband and I had endured all of our schooled lives. I'll always be grateful to a friend who gently directed me to the John Holt section of the library. She also introduced me to confident, homeschooled teenagers who happily answered all my questions. It's a good thing I was blessed with resilient children, too. They were the ones who ultimately had to teach their parents what education is really all about.
So, armed at last with a headful of unschooling book-learning, my family relaxed and just hung around together. We hiked, we read, we went to museums and art galleries. We cooked, sang and painted. While my husband and I worked on home remodeling projects, the children handled real tools and learned what they were for. Unschooling was the way to go!
But then we moved to a new school district and my daughter absolutely begged to go to kindergarten. Having come full circle, my husband and I truly believed in the unschooling philosophy and couldn't imagine why our daughter wanted the prison-like atmosphere of school. On the other hand, we had to admit that Emily thrived on structure, while the rest of us simply don't live that way. Figuring school might fill that gap in her life, we let her go. While Emily did enjoy the predictability of her day, she didn't like being told what to learn and when to use the bathroom. She especially didn't like being set aside with a pile of busywork while the teacher taught the other kids their colors, letters and numbers-things that Emily had already known almost half her life. (When she was two, she had me read Dr. Suess' ABC so often that I could recite it in my sleep. At two-and-a-half, she started sounding out words on her cereal boxes at breakfast. I'm all for delaying academics, but I believe it's even more important to listen to nature!)
After five weeks of kindergarten, we discovered that Emily was learning that "I am different and different is not okay." The teacher, principal and school psychologist agreed that she would be better off homeschooled. They offered all the resources and support we could ever have asked for.
Back home, Emily insisted on maintaining a school-like routine. Balking a little, I went along with it. She loved it! So did our son, who was almost four at the time. It didn't take long, though, to slip into a pattern of interruptions, field trips and "special situations" that precluded getting our routine done. Thus, we began a years-long yo-yo ride: chaos was fine until I succumbed to peer pressure within the homeschooling community and decided the kids needed to be able to write as neatly or recite history as well as their agemates. We'd return to a structured approach only to sink back to merely living life. Whining and bickering would then besiege our un-"school" and the kids would once again insist on doing school at the table like we used to. Even when fights and tears ensued, we'd stubbornly hold our course until everybody was so miserable that we had to step back and re-evaluate. Deciding to pitch the schedule and just keep to a loose requirement that something academic be accomplished every day usually led to a great, collective sigh of relief.
And guilt. "Oh, so you don't really do anything," a librarian once observed. "You just keep your kids home." But since the compromise between total unschooling and rigid school-at-home seemed to be working, we stuck to it, convinced that we had finally found our family's best method.
Wrong!
My son made his view of the situation perfectly clear when it was his turn to find out for himself what went on in that big, brick building up the street. One of his first assignments in second grade was to write about his previous education. "In homeschooling," he wrote, "I do math and stuff and mostly just try to keep from getting bored." He got a check-plus on top of the paper. I felt as though I'd gotten a D-minus.
After a year of school, Reed and I were dissatisfied with the quality of our son's education and made the decision to continue homeschooling. How was another question. What, I asked myself in the middle of many nights (the only time when many a homeschooling mom can complete a thought) is the correct method of homeschooling for our particular children? I could see all kinds of benefits to the unschooling philosophy. Why, then, did my children yearn so for classroom education and demand structure at home, even to the point of wanting spelling tests and, even worse, having them graded? "No, mom," my daughter once told me, "I don't get to try again, you just mark it wrong and put minus whatever at the top." Note that I said, "once." The notion that mistakes were permanent and uncorrectable rather than helpful tools for learning just didn't go over too well with ol' Mom.
Experiential learning is the kind that sticks. It also lends itself to extrapolation into other fields of knowledge, according to numerous studies on how both adults and children learn. The self-taught tend to be more creative, innovative and motivated, better organized, and happier with themselves and their world. How could I not want those benefits for our children?
On the other hand, I can see plenty of advantages to the school-at-home style. Some things, for instance, can only be learned and improved upon with practice. Take piano, tae kwon-do and sign language for instance. Even long division is a skill that gets rusty without regular use. Foreign languages are still most easily acquired by the young, so it makes me nervous to wait until the children develop their own desire to learn one. Memorization is thought to stimulate the growth of gray matter-the usable stuff-in the brain. That, too, is a feature most true of a brain that is still young and developing. Memorization of rhythmic, rhyming poetry instills an innate math sense, something especially important to my daughter, who has an awfully hard time understanding the relationship between numbers. She's not too keen on memorizing, however. Brushing her teeth doesn't thrill her either, but what kind of a parent would I be if I didn't insist on brushing now to ensure better health later? Then there are the studies of schooled children that have shown that gifted students who are not intellectually challenged tend to actually lose IQ points over time.
Both extremes of educational style have merit, though I have to admit I still lean toward the unschooling style. It seemed most logical to sit down with each of the kids, talk about all of the options and hear what they had to say. Both of them wanted structure. School at home.
All right. If structure was what the children wanted to "try to keep from getting bored," structure they'd get. I, being the one to stay home most of the time, really tried.
The trouble is that in life, interruptions happen. If the chickens get out in the middle of a math lesson, they need to be put back in the pasture before we can give much attention to what three eights make. If a friend needs emergency babysitting, then loving service to others takes precedence over a page of grammar exercises. If the snow is going to fly tomorrow, the garden gets taken in today. If the kids have been involved since dawn in building a complicated series of cardboard stables, who am I to suggest that they adjorn to the table to do measuring exercises on paper?
Eventually, the books lay forgotten in the dining room under piles of other, more immediate projects and concerns. Once again, guilt struck. They wanted structure. They said so. They begged for it! Why, oh, why couldn't I be a good mom and provide it?
Then again, they didn't look unhappy.
My son asked me one day when he accidentally caught sight of a semi-buried math book, "Shouldn't we do some schoolwork today?"
"Yeah," chorused his sister. "We haven't done any for days and weeks!"
"Well, I'm not so sure about that," I said. "Remember when we were out walking the dogs and had that big discussion about space habitats?" They nodded. "Science," I said. "And you know all those space ships you've been building out of Legoes? That's math."
The kids thought about that for a minute and liked what they heard. For the next week or so, they assured me they were doing Lego math and didn't need to do anything else. Just when I thought I had them convinced that they could unschool, they wanted lessons at the kitchen table again.
A great light of realization finally broke through my barriers of guilt and set us all free. The homeschooling method that works best for us is to bounce back and forth: Unschooling until creativity wanes and boredom sets in. School at home until that has satisfied the moment's need and created a desire to relax and do something else. Balancing chores, information, service, art, household projects and work so that everybody's needs get met at least some of the time. "A change is as good as a holiday," someone once said.
How very true!
© 1998 Chris Sims
Chris Sims has been homeschooling for five years, officially. Ten, if you consider that her children began learning the day they were born! She lives with her husband, two children and two dogs on a miniature farm in Vermont where they raise goats, chickens, herbs, vegetables and perpetual chaos.
It is a little long but the writer does such a great job at keeping it interesting, at least for me. Some might find it interesting, some not so much.... I just copied and pasted it here instead of posting a link.
Home Education Magazine
March-April 1998 - Articles
Unschooling or School-At-Home?
by Chris Sims
I didn't start out to be a home schooler. Nope, I was going to "give up" seven years of my career for the sake of my children, then jump straight back into the workforce and lead "my own" fulfilling life as soon as both kids hit school age. The change crept upon me slowly, from having a homeschooling friend whose enthusiasm was virulently infectious to finally interviewing the principal of my daughter's would-be elementary school and asking him how the school would deal with a child who was still quite hyperactive and destructive, even at the ripe old age of four and a half.
"No problem," the principal told me with a smile. "We'll just put her in a class for behavior-disordered kids and get her on medication and she'll be fine."
"Not my daughter, you won't," I announced, and at that very moment, I became a home schooler.
The principal shouted, "Well, I have to protect my teachers, you know," just added fuel to my newly stoked fire.
So I went home to see if we could do it.
I hang my head in sheepish bemusement to recall how I sat my preschoolers down on child-sized chairs while I knelt beside a child-sized blackboard and even (gulp) used a pointer to begin their first week of lessons. That week was a dismal failure. Somehow, I just couldn't seem to get either child to sit still!
At that point, I didn't know that school could be anything other than the classroom type of experience my husband and I had endured all of our schooled lives. I'll always be grateful to a friend who gently directed me to the John Holt section of the library. She also introduced me to confident, homeschooled teenagers who happily answered all my questions. It's a good thing I was blessed with resilient children, too. They were the ones who ultimately had to teach their parents what education is really all about.
So, armed at last with a headful of unschooling book-learning, my family relaxed and just hung around together. We hiked, we read, we went to museums and art galleries. We cooked, sang and painted. While my husband and I worked on home remodeling projects, the children handled real tools and learned what they were for. Unschooling was the way to go!
But then we moved to a new school district and my daughter absolutely begged to go to kindergarten. Having come full circle, my husband and I truly believed in the unschooling philosophy and couldn't imagine why our daughter wanted the prison-like atmosphere of school. On the other hand, we had to admit that Emily thrived on structure, while the rest of us simply don't live that way. Figuring school might fill that gap in her life, we let her go. While Emily did enjoy the predictability of her day, she didn't like being told what to learn and when to use the bathroom. She especially didn't like being set aside with a pile of busywork while the teacher taught the other kids their colors, letters and numbers-things that Emily had already known almost half her life. (When she was two, she had me read Dr. Suess' ABC so often that I could recite it in my sleep. At two-and-a-half, she started sounding out words on her cereal boxes at breakfast. I'm all for delaying academics, but I believe it's even more important to listen to nature!)
After five weeks of kindergarten, we discovered that Emily was learning that "I am different and different is not okay." The teacher, principal and school psychologist agreed that she would be better off homeschooled. They offered all the resources and support we could ever have asked for.
Back home, Emily insisted on maintaining a school-like routine. Balking a little, I went along with it. She loved it! So did our son, who was almost four at the time. It didn't take long, though, to slip into a pattern of interruptions, field trips and "special situations" that precluded getting our routine done. Thus, we began a years-long yo-yo ride: chaos was fine until I succumbed to peer pressure within the homeschooling community and decided the kids needed to be able to write as neatly or recite history as well as their agemates. We'd return to a structured approach only to sink back to merely living life. Whining and bickering would then besiege our un-"school" and the kids would once again insist on doing school at the table like we used to. Even when fights and tears ensued, we'd stubbornly hold our course until everybody was so miserable that we had to step back and re-evaluate. Deciding to pitch the schedule and just keep to a loose requirement that something academic be accomplished every day usually led to a great, collective sigh of relief.
And guilt. "Oh, so you don't really do anything," a librarian once observed. "You just keep your kids home." But since the compromise between total unschooling and rigid school-at-home seemed to be working, we stuck to it, convinced that we had finally found our family's best method.
Wrong!
My son made his view of the situation perfectly clear when it was his turn to find out for himself what went on in that big, brick building up the street. One of his first assignments in second grade was to write about his previous education. "In homeschooling," he wrote, "I do math and stuff and mostly just try to keep from getting bored." He got a check-plus on top of the paper. I felt as though I'd gotten a D-minus.
After a year of school, Reed and I were dissatisfied with the quality of our son's education and made the decision to continue homeschooling. How was another question. What, I asked myself in the middle of many nights (the only time when many a homeschooling mom can complete a thought) is the correct method of homeschooling for our particular children? I could see all kinds of benefits to the unschooling philosophy. Why, then, did my children yearn so for classroom education and demand structure at home, even to the point of wanting spelling tests and, even worse, having them graded? "No, mom," my daughter once told me, "I don't get to try again, you just mark it wrong and put minus whatever at the top." Note that I said, "once." The notion that mistakes were permanent and uncorrectable rather than helpful tools for learning just didn't go over too well with ol' Mom.
Experiential learning is the kind that sticks. It also lends itself to extrapolation into other fields of knowledge, according to numerous studies on how both adults and children learn. The self-taught tend to be more creative, innovative and motivated, better organized, and happier with themselves and their world. How could I not want those benefits for our children?
On the other hand, I can see plenty of advantages to the school-at-home style. Some things, for instance, can only be learned and improved upon with practice. Take piano, tae kwon-do and sign language for instance. Even long division is a skill that gets rusty without regular use. Foreign languages are still most easily acquired by the young, so it makes me nervous to wait until the children develop their own desire to learn one. Memorization is thought to stimulate the growth of gray matter-the usable stuff-in the brain. That, too, is a feature most true of a brain that is still young and developing. Memorization of rhythmic, rhyming poetry instills an innate math sense, something especially important to my daughter, who has an awfully hard time understanding the relationship between numbers. She's not too keen on memorizing, however. Brushing her teeth doesn't thrill her either, but what kind of a parent would I be if I didn't insist on brushing now to ensure better health later? Then there are the studies of schooled children that have shown that gifted students who are not intellectually challenged tend to actually lose IQ points over time.
Both extremes of educational style have merit, though I have to admit I still lean toward the unschooling style. It seemed most logical to sit down with each of the kids, talk about all of the options and hear what they had to say. Both of them wanted structure. School at home.
All right. If structure was what the children wanted to "try to keep from getting bored," structure they'd get. I, being the one to stay home most of the time, really tried.
The trouble is that in life, interruptions happen. If the chickens get out in the middle of a math lesson, they need to be put back in the pasture before we can give much attention to what three eights make. If a friend needs emergency babysitting, then loving service to others takes precedence over a page of grammar exercises. If the snow is going to fly tomorrow, the garden gets taken in today. If the kids have been involved since dawn in building a complicated series of cardboard stables, who am I to suggest that they adjorn to the table to do measuring exercises on paper?
Eventually, the books lay forgotten in the dining room under piles of other, more immediate projects and concerns. Once again, guilt struck. They wanted structure. They said so. They begged for it! Why, oh, why couldn't I be a good mom and provide it?
Then again, they didn't look unhappy.
My son asked me one day when he accidentally caught sight of a semi-buried math book, "Shouldn't we do some schoolwork today?"
"Yeah," chorused his sister. "We haven't done any for days and weeks!"
"Well, I'm not so sure about that," I said. "Remember when we were out walking the dogs and had that big discussion about space habitats?" They nodded. "Science," I said. "And you know all those space ships you've been building out of Legoes? That's math."
The kids thought about that for a minute and liked what they heard. For the next week or so, they assured me they were doing Lego math and didn't need to do anything else. Just when I thought I had them convinced that they could unschool, they wanted lessons at the kitchen table again.
A great light of realization finally broke through my barriers of guilt and set us all free. The homeschooling method that works best for us is to bounce back and forth: Unschooling until creativity wanes and boredom sets in. School at home until that has satisfied the moment's need and created a desire to relax and do something else. Balancing chores, information, service, art, household projects and work so that everybody's needs get met at least some of the time. "A change is as good as a holiday," someone once said.
How very true!
© 1998 Chris Sims
Chris Sims has been homeschooling for five years, officially. Ten, if you consider that her children began learning the day they were born! She lives with her husband, two children and two dogs on a miniature farm in Vermont where they raise goats, chickens, herbs, vegetables and perpetual chaos.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
I'm sitting here missing my sweet husband who is in Hartford, CT right now for work. Lucky duck gets to experience actual winter weather in January! He just called me from the airport after he landed and said that there is snow on the ground outside. And I just went outside to feed my cats in shorts! Yes, I do love my warm Texas weather but come on! It's supposed to be winter right now, not feel like Spring!
I am waiting impatiently for him to email me with his hotel phone number so that I can call him. His cell phone does not work up there and he used Jason's (the guy he's traveling with) phone to call when he landed. It's after eleven and I am getting tired so hopefully he will email soon. I do not like this one bit. Brendon and I have been married for almost 9 years and I love him more than the day I married him. I don't like him being gone. It really, really sucks. He'll be back Thursday though so that's not too long I guess.
Brenna went to bed earlier then normal tonight because she's just been so darn grumpy and emotional lately. I think it's because she's been going to bed a little later then she used to - about 9:30. Back to 8 - 8:30 for that girl! She's just one who really needs her sleep I guess. It doesn't really matter what time she goes to bed, she wakes up around the same time every morning. She does NOT sleep in and sometimes she could really use it. If the sun is up then so is she. She's camping out in our bed while Dad's gone and I have our thick curtains drawn back so maybe she'll get a really good nights sleep tonight and not wake up at the crack of dawn. :)
I've been on the computer for the last couple hours. I like to get on and read my boards that I belong too. They are all about homeschooling of course. It's nice being able to connect with other Mom's who homeschool and read about things that they are going through and questions that they have. There are posts pretty much about everything from curriculum to relationships. I don't read them as much as I used to just because I don't spend as much time on the computer. So when I do get on there's lots to catch up on. Sometimes it's bad though because I guess you tend to compare yourself with other Mom's who homeschool. I've got to learn to NOT do that. My child is completely unique and I'm not going to do 4 hours of school work with her just because some other mom of a six year old is doing that - that just does not fit her. Holy cow, she would FREAK OUT! LOL :) I just need to remind myself that she is learning plenty and is doing very well right now.
Well Brendon just emailed me and I got to talk to him for a few minutes. It's almost 1am there and he has to get up at 6am. He's sounds so exhausted. He's been traveling since 10 this morning so I guess I would be too.
Brenna and I will be keeping ourselves busy while he is gone. We have a zoo trip planned (I love having a membership!), a beach clean-up and a couple of "girl nights" with manicures, movies and popcorn so I am really looking forward to that. She's a lot of fun to hang out with. :)
Till fingers and keyboard meet again......
I am waiting impatiently for him to email me with his hotel phone number so that I can call him. His cell phone does not work up there and he used Jason's (the guy he's traveling with) phone to call when he landed. It's after eleven and I am getting tired so hopefully he will email soon. I do not like this one bit. Brendon and I have been married for almost 9 years and I love him more than the day I married him. I don't like him being gone. It really, really sucks. He'll be back Thursday though so that's not too long I guess.
Brenna went to bed earlier then normal tonight because she's just been so darn grumpy and emotional lately. I think it's because she's been going to bed a little later then she used to - about 9:30. Back to 8 - 8:30 for that girl! She's just one who really needs her sleep I guess. It doesn't really matter what time she goes to bed, she wakes up around the same time every morning. She does NOT sleep in and sometimes she could really use it. If the sun is up then so is she. She's camping out in our bed while Dad's gone and I have our thick curtains drawn back so maybe she'll get a really good nights sleep tonight and not wake up at the crack of dawn. :)
I've been on the computer for the last couple hours. I like to get on and read my boards that I belong too. They are all about homeschooling of course. It's nice being able to connect with other Mom's who homeschool and read about things that they are going through and questions that they have. There are posts pretty much about everything from curriculum to relationships. I don't read them as much as I used to just because I don't spend as much time on the computer. So when I do get on there's lots to catch up on. Sometimes it's bad though because I guess you tend to compare yourself with other Mom's who homeschool. I've got to learn to NOT do that. My child is completely unique and I'm not going to do 4 hours of school work with her just because some other mom of a six year old is doing that - that just does not fit her. Holy cow, she would FREAK OUT! LOL :) I just need to remind myself that she is learning plenty and is doing very well right now.
Well Brendon just emailed me and I got to talk to him for a few minutes. It's almost 1am there and he has to get up at 6am. He's sounds so exhausted. He's been traveling since 10 this morning so I guess I would be too.
Brenna and I will be keeping ourselves busy while he is gone. We have a zoo trip planned (I love having a membership!), a beach clean-up and a couple of "girl nights" with manicures, movies and popcorn so I am really looking forward to that. She's a lot of fun to hang out with. :)
Till fingers and keyboard meet again......
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Zoo Time
Brendon, Brenna and I went to the zoo last Friday. It is very nice going during the week because it's not crowded at all. Another perk of going during that time is that Brenna is usually the only kid around and she gets to do really cool stuff, like feed a baby camel! I posted a while back about her feeding Noel, the last one they had there, but I did not have my camera at the time. I was so bummed out about that but I got another chance last week. :) The baby camel, Merry, was born right before Christmas and was a lot smaller then the last one. She was not even a month old yet. We knew that feeding time was at noon so last week we made sure to get there right in time and crossed our fingers that Brenna would be able to do it again.
Sure enough the zoo lady came out with three HUGE bottles and looked around and nonchalantly asked if there were any short people who would be willing to feed a camel it's lunch. Brenna's little eyes lit up and she got soooo excited. Here's a couple good pictures I got....
Sure enough the zoo lady came out with three HUGE bottles and looked around and nonchalantly asked if there were any short people who would be willing to feed a camel it's lunch. Brenna's little eyes lit up and she got soooo excited. Here's a couple good pictures I got....
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Great Weekend
Brendon, Brenna and I went to my Dad's hunting lease this past weekend. We hadn't been there since Brenna was two and we had a blast! They have a really great set up with a nice cabin that sleeps about 7, an outdoor kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and hot water and a nice big covered deck to hang out on. Brenna had a really great time and did not even play with all the games I brought or her Nintendo DS - which was great! She was out climbing trees, taking Mazzy for walks, talking to cows (LOL) and just exploring. She's a very outdoorsy little girl. We got very spoiled too by my Aunt RuthAnn - that woman can cook!! :)
I'm hoping that we will be going back very soon. We will definitely NOT wait another 4 years like we did last time.
I took quite a few great pictures and posted some of them.
If you click on them they should get bigger. 
I'm hoping that we will be going back very soon. We will definitely NOT wait another 4 years like we did last time.
I took quite a few great pictures and posted some of them.
If you click on them they should get bigger. 
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
I sure hope everyone had a great Christmas - we sure did! Brendon's whole family came down and we had a wonderful time. It had been a while since we had seen some of them.
Christmas Eve was spent at my parent's house and we had dinner and opened gifts. Christmas morning Brendon, Brenna and I opened our gifts here at the house. Brenna was ecstatic about her Nintendo DS! I was worried about her playing on it too much but so far it has not been a problem at all. She regulates herself pretty well so I have not had to step in as of yet. She got a lot of other really cool stuff this year too. She now has her own pink acoustic guitar and loves to play around with it. She wants to take guitar lessons but she won't be able to until she's 7 - which is actually right around the corner! She also got a digital camera and was very excited about that. Now she can quit using mine! LOL We went to Lisa's house Christmas Day and spent pretty much all day there with Brendon's family and had a wonderful traditional turkey and ham lunch.
I am very glad that it is a new year. Last year kinda stunk. I'm ready for new stuff and new goals. My best friend, Mieree, and I are going to come up with a a weekly schedule for the girls and us. Park days, field trip days, ect... I have to find some sort of structure or I'm afraid that we will just spend too much time at home. We have still been going to see my Grandma - not every day like I had anticipated, but about 3-4 times a week. She really likes that because I think she is starting to get a little lonely.
Brenna is still doing basketball and loves it. She is getting much better and wants to continue it next season. Her last game this season is in February. I'm not sure when the next one starts. I finally got a call yesterday about the Musical Theatre class that we looked into last year and after a very long waiting period, they will be starting next week! YEA! I really, really think that this will be something that Brenna will be VERY good at and really enjoy. I am already planning to sign her up for the theatre class they do here every summer. It is quite extensive and lasts pretty much the whole summer and is Monday thru Friday. I think Mieree is going to sign Rhiannon up too, so we can take turns taking the girls, which will make it easier. I wanted to do it last summer but it just wasn't possible with me taking care of my Grandpa.
Well that's pretty much it for an update. I will post again soon. :)
Christmas Eve was spent at my parent's house and we had dinner and opened gifts. Christmas morning Brendon, Brenna and I opened our gifts here at the house. Brenna was ecstatic about her Nintendo DS! I was worried about her playing on it too much but so far it has not been a problem at all. She regulates herself pretty well so I have not had to step in as of yet. She got a lot of other really cool stuff this year too. She now has her own pink acoustic guitar and loves to play around with it. She wants to take guitar lessons but she won't be able to until she's 7 - which is actually right around the corner! She also got a digital camera and was very excited about that. Now she can quit using mine! LOL We went to Lisa's house Christmas Day and spent pretty much all day there with Brendon's family and had a wonderful traditional turkey and ham lunch.
I am very glad that it is a new year. Last year kinda stunk. I'm ready for new stuff and new goals. My best friend, Mieree, and I are going to come up with a a weekly schedule for the girls and us. Park days, field trip days, ect... I have to find some sort of structure or I'm afraid that we will just spend too much time at home. We have still been going to see my Grandma - not every day like I had anticipated, but about 3-4 times a week. She really likes that because I think she is starting to get a little lonely.
Brenna is still doing basketball and loves it. She is getting much better and wants to continue it next season. Her last game this season is in February. I'm not sure when the next one starts. I finally got a call yesterday about the Musical Theatre class that we looked into last year and after a very long waiting period, they will be starting next week! YEA! I really, really think that this will be something that Brenna will be VERY good at and really enjoy. I am already planning to sign her up for the theatre class they do here every summer. It is quite extensive and lasts pretty much the whole summer and is Monday thru Friday. I think Mieree is going to sign Rhiannon up too, so we can take turns taking the girls, which will make it easier. I wanted to do it last summer but it just wasn't possible with me taking care of my Grandpa.
Well that's pretty much it for an update. I will post again soon. :)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Busy Times
Oh boy, have I been B-U-S-Y! Every year I wait till the last minute to do Christmas shopping but this year has been the absolute worst for me in a very long time. I usually start my shopping about the first week in December (end of November) but this year I did not start until this past Saturday (the 20th). I did not buy one single thing before then. It really had a lot to do with my Grandpa being in the hospital and passing away the beginning of the month. I just did not feel like doing much of anything. I still miss him dearly and my days are not quite the same without seeing his sweet, sweet face. :)
Brendon and I went out and purchased about 90% of our gifts for everyone this weekend - I still have a few to get. Usually we get into a few little spats during our shopping but this year we did pretty good. We even congratulated ourselves for a bicker-free experience. LOL Brendon hates shopping and during Christmas it really shows. It is the one and only time during the entire year that he goes. We did not buy Brenna very much this year - just because she already has a bunch of stuff already but we did splurge and got her a Nintendo DS, which she has been wanting for a very long time and it is at the top of her list (she has made it quite clear!!). I had issues about that but I think I will be very strict about the amount of time that she spends on it.
Brendon and I have disagreements about the big stuff being from Santa. He thinks that the main gift should come from Santa and I say that the big gift should be from us. I guess I have a hard time spending so much money on something and letting a big fat guy take all the credit. Brendon says that she'll figure it out when she gets older and be thankful but I guess I am a more of an "instant gratification" kinda person. So after much debate the Nintendo DS will be from Santa. *ugh* Why should HE get all the credit?
I don't even know how I feel about the whole "Santa thing". It's all such a huge lie. Yes, I believed in Santa as a kid and my parents went along with it but when I found out there was no Santa I was kinda bummed. I know quite a few families who don't do all the pretend stuff (Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, ect...) and I think that I would be quite fine with that but it's a little too late now. Brenna is obsessed with all that pretend stuff and it drives me crazy every time I have to answer questions about what the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth or how Santa delivers all the toys in one night. What a deception. I hate lying to her. I am so honest about everything else so how did all this Santa and Tooth Fairy thing happen???? Maybe I am being a little too weird about it all. That's all a part of childhood, I guess. I just don't like it too much.
Anyway, Brenna and I have still been going to see my Grandma almost daily. It's so weird how much my life has changed in the past couple weeks. Today has been exactly two weeks since my Grandpa died. When you are used do doing something for three years it's kinda weird when it all of a sudden changes. Honestly, my life seems very empty right now. I know that seems impossible to say when you have a six year old, who is home schooled none the less, but I miss taking care of my Grandpa. There were quite a few times during those three years when I just got so burnt out and I complained to Brendon (but no one else) about having to go over there every day and missing so many field trips and play dates with our friends and home school group, but I am so grateful. I am so grateful for getting to spend so much time with him and getting to know my Grandpa. I am so grateful for my daughter getting to spend so much time with her Papa and knowing who her Great Grandpa was. I am hopeful that she will have wonderful memories of him. I will try to do a good job at reminding her and keeping those memories alive in her.
I came home for a few minutes on that day before he died and completely broke down as soon as I saw Brendon. I told him that I felt so bad about all those times that I complained about having to go over there and take care of him and that I wished I could have more time with him. Brendon reminded me about all the time that I DID get to spend with him and that I should be thankful. And I am. I truly have no regrets. I told him almost everyday that I loved him as I kissed him on top of his bald head. :) That was my daily ritual for three years. He knows I loved him and that gives me peace. My Grandma is doing good. Yes, she misses him but she told me that she is happy that he is not suffering anymore and that makes her content. She is such a strong person and I look up to her so much.
As sad as I still am, I am looking forward to Christmas. Brendon's Mom, Step-Dad, Grandparents, Aunts and cousin are coming down and we are looking forward to spending time with them. My Grandma is going to my Aunt's house for Christmas so that will be nice for her - it has been years since she has been there. I am hoping that she will go and visit more people during the next year since she does not have to take care of my Grandpa anymore - it will do her good.
I'm sure that I won't post until after Christmas so I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!!
Brendon and I went out and purchased about 90% of our gifts for everyone this weekend - I still have a few to get. Usually we get into a few little spats during our shopping but this year we did pretty good. We even congratulated ourselves for a bicker-free experience. LOL Brendon hates shopping and during Christmas it really shows. It is the one and only time during the entire year that he goes. We did not buy Brenna very much this year - just because she already has a bunch of stuff already but we did splurge and got her a Nintendo DS, which she has been wanting for a very long time and it is at the top of her list (she has made it quite clear!!). I had issues about that but I think I will be very strict about the amount of time that she spends on it.
Brendon and I have disagreements about the big stuff being from Santa. He thinks that the main gift should come from Santa and I say that the big gift should be from us. I guess I have a hard time spending so much money on something and letting a big fat guy take all the credit. Brendon says that she'll figure it out when she gets older and be thankful but I guess I am a more of an "instant gratification" kinda person. So after much debate the Nintendo DS will be from Santa. *ugh* Why should HE get all the credit?
I don't even know how I feel about the whole "Santa thing". It's all such a huge lie. Yes, I believed in Santa as a kid and my parents went along with it but when I found out there was no Santa I was kinda bummed. I know quite a few families who don't do all the pretend stuff (Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, ect...) and I think that I would be quite fine with that but it's a little too late now. Brenna is obsessed with all that pretend stuff and it drives me crazy every time I have to answer questions about what the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth or how Santa delivers all the toys in one night. What a deception. I hate lying to her. I am so honest about everything else so how did all this Santa and Tooth Fairy thing happen???? Maybe I am being a little too weird about it all. That's all a part of childhood, I guess. I just don't like it too much.
Anyway, Brenna and I have still been going to see my Grandma almost daily. It's so weird how much my life has changed in the past couple weeks. Today has been exactly two weeks since my Grandpa died. When you are used do doing something for three years it's kinda weird when it all of a sudden changes. Honestly, my life seems very empty right now. I know that seems impossible to say when you have a six year old, who is home schooled none the less, but I miss taking care of my Grandpa. There were quite a few times during those three years when I just got so burnt out and I complained to Brendon (but no one else) about having to go over there every day and missing so many field trips and play dates with our friends and home school group, but I am so grateful. I am so grateful for getting to spend so much time with him and getting to know my Grandpa. I am so grateful for my daughter getting to spend so much time with her Papa and knowing who her Great Grandpa was. I am hopeful that she will have wonderful memories of him. I will try to do a good job at reminding her and keeping those memories alive in her.
I came home for a few minutes on that day before he died and completely broke down as soon as I saw Brendon. I told him that I felt so bad about all those times that I complained about having to go over there and take care of him and that I wished I could have more time with him. Brendon reminded me about all the time that I DID get to spend with him and that I should be thankful. And I am. I truly have no regrets. I told him almost everyday that I loved him as I kissed him on top of his bald head. :) That was my daily ritual for three years. He knows I loved him and that gives me peace. My Grandma is doing good. Yes, she misses him but she told me that she is happy that he is not suffering anymore and that makes her content. She is such a strong person and I look up to her so much.
As sad as I still am, I am looking forward to Christmas. Brendon's Mom, Step-Dad, Grandparents, Aunts and cousin are coming down and we are looking forward to spending time with them. My Grandma is going to my Aunt's house for Christmas so that will be nice for her - it has been years since she has been there. I am hoping that she will go and visit more people during the next year since she does not have to take care of my Grandpa anymore - it will do her good.
I'm sure that I won't post until after Christmas so I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Very Hard Week
This week has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. My Grandpa Billy, that I helped take care of for the past three years, passed away early Monday morning. He had a very long struggle with diabetes and had been on dialysis for about three years. He went into the hospital on Tuesday of last week to have his foot amputated, which was his very worst fear. The surgery went fine but a couple days later he took a turn for the worse. I think it was him giving up and just being tired of everything that he has had to go through. On Sunday my Grandma made the hardest decision of her life and stopped all treatment and decided to let him go peacefully. No more poking. No more prodding. No more medicine. No more doctors.
He was sent to his own room and was made comfortable and the whole family was with him all day. My Grandma and I stayed the night with him and he died at about 3AM. My head was laying on the bed next to his and I was holding his hand.
I am very heartbroken because he was such a big part of my life for so long - especially for the past three years. But it's comforting knowing that he is not in pain anymore. It had gotten pretty bad the last year.
Brendon and I told Brenna Tuesday morning that her Papa had gone to Heaven and she seemed to take it okay. I have always been very honest with her and she has known for a long time that Papa was sick. I cried when I told her and that sweet little child put her arms around ME and told me that it would be okay. After pondering over it a couple days though I think the reality of it is finally hitting her and she has cried a couple times. She did not want to go to the funeral today and she keeps telling me that she misses her Papa. It will be hard for the both of us for a while. Brenna and I will keep continuing to go to my Grandma's house Monday thru Friday for a little while. I don't want to change that right now. She needs us and I want to make her life as normal as I can right now.
I am so very grateful that I was able to spend as much time with him as I did. I will cherish the last three years for the rest of my life. Brenna will have fond memories of her Great Grandpa as well. Not many kids can say that.
I love you and I miss you Grandpa.
He was sent to his own room and was made comfortable and the whole family was with him all day. My Grandma and I stayed the night with him and he died at about 3AM. My head was laying on the bed next to his and I was holding his hand.
I am very heartbroken because he was such a big part of my life for so long - especially for the past three years. But it's comforting knowing that he is not in pain anymore. It had gotten pretty bad the last year.
Brendon and I told Brenna Tuesday morning that her Papa had gone to Heaven and she seemed to take it okay. I have always been very honest with her and she has known for a long time that Papa was sick. I cried when I told her and that sweet little child put her arms around ME and told me that it would be okay. After pondering over it a couple days though I think the reality of it is finally hitting her and she has cried a couple times. She did not want to go to the funeral today and she keeps telling me that she misses her Papa. It will be hard for the both of us for a while. Brenna and I will keep continuing to go to my Grandma's house Monday thru Friday for a little while. I don't want to change that right now. She needs us and I want to make her life as normal as I can right now.
I am so very grateful that I was able to spend as much time with him as I did. I will cherish the last three years for the rest of my life. Brenna will have fond memories of her Great Grandpa as well. Not many kids can say that.
I love you and I miss you Grandpa.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Yet another rant....
After almost two years of officially homeschooling, why on Earth do I let what other people say affect me so much? Why should I care what other people think about my daughter being homeschooled? How come I let others make me doubt that what I am doing is best for Brenna and our family? I know the comments that are made are out of pure ignorance and that I should not take them to heart. Some people have such nerve though, saying things about homeschooling when they just absolutely have no clue what they are talking about. Go and research and read about it before you make your snide remarks. Then if you still don't agree with it then fine. At least you know all the facts and aren't making idiotic comments about something that you know nothing about.
Today at the grocery store I was checking out with this man who has worked at HEB for ages. I have known him for a very long time - nice guy, very friendly but you can tell he is a "too the point" type person. While he handed me my receipt, Brenna was kinda climbing on the shopping cart and I told her to be careful and that I didn't want her to fall. He looked me straight in the eye and told me that I needed to read my own shirt and that's why she was acting that way. I was wearing my "Warning: Parent of an Unsocialized Homeschooler" tshirt. I looked at him and said that she is acting that way because she is a kid and she is 6 and it has nothing do with her being homeschooled. Oh that made me so mad though!!!!! I left that store fuming. Why in the hell do people think that way? So if my kid were climbing all over the cart and if she were attending school then it would be okay and normal? Because I have seen kids do MUCH worse then THAT at the store. Don't think I will be wearing that shirt out in public anymore though. Don't want the assumptions placed on my daughter and me.
I have another family member as well who is so against me homeschooling and thinks that Brenna is suffering socially because she is not in school and that I am ruining her. Do I have her locked in a closet all day? Does she not interact with other people on a regular basis? Can she hold a decent conversation with other people? Does she have friends she plays with? Socialization does not necessarily happen JUST at school. In fact, there is little socialization happening at school - or at least the kind that I want my daughter to learn.
I'm just going to stop here because it is late and I am tired and also because I am being redundant. I have talked about this on my blog before and I don't feel like going off on another tangent and repeating myself. Everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows exactly how I feel about all the socialization crap. End of story.
I know that as long as I homeschool I am going to get all the crap and all the assumptions that come along with it. I really just need to learn to deal with and not let it affect me so much.
Today at the grocery store I was checking out with this man who has worked at HEB for ages. I have known him for a very long time - nice guy, very friendly but you can tell he is a "too the point" type person. While he handed me my receipt, Brenna was kinda climbing on the shopping cart and I told her to be careful and that I didn't want her to fall. He looked me straight in the eye and told me that I needed to read my own shirt and that's why she was acting that way. I was wearing my "Warning: Parent of an Unsocialized Homeschooler" tshirt. I looked at him and said that she is acting that way because she is a kid and she is 6 and it has nothing do with her being homeschooled. Oh that made me so mad though!!!!! I left that store fuming. Why in the hell do people think that way? So if my kid were climbing all over the cart and if she were attending school then it would be okay and normal? Because I have seen kids do MUCH worse then THAT at the store. Don't think I will be wearing that shirt out in public anymore though. Don't want the assumptions placed on my daughter and me.
I have another family member as well who is so against me homeschooling and thinks that Brenna is suffering socially because she is not in school and that I am ruining her. Do I have her locked in a closet all day? Does she not interact with other people on a regular basis? Can she hold a decent conversation with other people? Does she have friends she plays with? Socialization does not necessarily happen JUST at school. In fact, there is little socialization happening at school - or at least the kind that I want my daughter to learn.
I'm just going to stop here because it is late and I am tired and also because I am being redundant. I have talked about this on my blog before and I don't feel like going off on another tangent and repeating myself. Everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows exactly how I feel about all the socialization crap. End of story.
I know that as long as I homeschool I am going to get all the crap and all the assumptions that come along with it. I really just need to learn to deal with and not let it affect me so much.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
So I am going to use my classic excuse as to why I have not posted in a long time - I've been busy!! LOL
Brenna's first basketball game was so much fun to watch - as well as the two after that. We are now parents who have a basketball game to go to every Saturday morning (until February) but I love it. It is so much better being a spectator than a coach (we coached Brenna's soccer team a couple years ago). Brenna, as well as the other girls on her team, are improving every week. They have not won a game YET but I predict it will happen very soon. :) The last game was only a one point loss. There is a picture below. Brenna is to the right.
Co-ops are now over and done with. We had Report Day last Wednesday and Brenna's class got up and sang "My Country Tis of Thee" - it was very cute. I took some pictures but they did not turn out good at all so no use posting them.
Brenna is going to lose her first tooth very soon! It has been loose for a while now and her adult tooth is already growing in behind her baby one. I called the dentist when I noticed it a few weeks ago and they said to just leave it alone and let the baby tooth fall out - then the big tooth will move forward. When I first saw her other tooth growing in I freaked out. I got online and found out that it is actually very common for that to happen. It seemed like it was taking forever for her baby tooth to get really loose until this afternoon! She bit into an apple and screamed. Apparently the apple really did a number on making her tooth pretty loose and now it is barely hanging in there. The pain finally went away and now she is obsessed with wiggling her tooth. I just really, really hope that it comes out tonight and not while she's with my Mom and Dad over the Thanksgiving holidays. But if it does then oh well. She'll be losing plenty more.
She will be leaving with my Mom and Dad tomorrow to go out-of-town to my Grandparents and Brendon and I will be headed to Dallas for the Cowboys game on Thursday. We are going with Danny and Nan (my in-laws) and then will be meeting up with my parents and Brenna on Friday. Yes, I feel bad for not being with Brenna on Thanksgiving and I am having a hard time dealing with that right now but she will be with a lot of her family. She's fine with it though.
I am very excited about going to the Dallas Cowboy game. Brendon has been quite a few times but I have only gone once. It will be really fun!
Ok, I had to take a break from writing and just got Brenna into bed. Poor thing is so worried about giving her tooth to the tooth fairy. It has not fallen out yet, but she is upset about having to give away her very first tooth. She is a very sentimental little child and has a hard time letting go of anything. She is even willing to give up money to keep her tooth. She said that she doesn't want any money - she just wants to keep her tooth. I told her that we can write a letter to the tooth fairly and explain what she wants. Yes, the tooth fairly is going to let her keep her tooth and she will probably even get a couple bucks anyways. ;) And if she looses it while she's with my parents then she's going to keep it safe and bring it home because the tooth fairly only comes to your house. LOL
I have to go finish packing. I'll make a point of writing more frequently! :)
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Cute picture of Brenna and Tantrum that she took. :)
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