All About Etiquette

From Emily Post's Book of Etiquette:

 

~ It is a flagrant violation of good manners for children to call their natural parents by their first names ~

 

Catching Up

Jeff & I (Summer 2008)

After having my quiet morning alone on Monday, things are getting back to normal around here. Having half the day to myself was very nice and refreshing. I had hoped to sleep in but my biological clock just will not let me sleep much later than 7:30 on most mornings. I did get several things done around the house and I finally have a handle on our homeschool schedule. Logan is enjoying her co-op classes and is balancing those pretty well with her additional studies at home. One of her friends told me that all she did while at co-op was study. That's my girl! I've been able to help with Spanish a lot and that's been really fun for me. I love languages so being able to help her study is icing on the cake.

I've loaded Caroline down with language arts material this year. She loves to write and is constantly asking me if she can get a new notebook for her "stories." It's quiet amusing and I want to encourage her to develop her writing skills. Now, if I could just get her to work on her organizational skills! We are constantly having to search high and low for her pencil or her pencil sharpener. And shoes.....the child can rarely ever find her shoes! It's good to have a child who is nothing like me as far as organization goes. I'm not the neatest person in the world but I have ordered chaos. I put things in piles and usually know where everything is. I'll find Caroline's stuff under beds, couches, outside, or somewhere that you'd never think to look.

She's very eager for me to teach her to cook certain things. The problem is, she's so scared of the stove. She's afraid of being burned and because of that, it makes it hard to really teach her to make things. I'm going to try a few easy recipes next week and see how she does. I'm not sure why she's so scared of being burned. Maybe it's because we taught her that it was hot when she was small. I hope she'll overcome that quickly though because I would love to have more help preparing meals. Ok, I'll just fess up. I'd love to have someone else cooking the meals a few nights a week!

Not much else going on around here. Last weekend a girlfriend and I did get a night out. We went to Red Lobster and ate the most wonderful shrimp! We were kind of celebrating the weight we had lost since February. After supper we went to see The Women. The movie kept us laughing although it did have more language than I would have liked. The movie theater was packed and there were only seven men in the show. Yep, I counted. I wondered how many dedicated hubbies would accompany their wives to see this one. It's an all gal movie and it was fun.

I'm hoping that my blogging slump is over and that I'll start to write more each day. It seems like this happens to everyone at some point in their blogging life. I'm reading a good book right now and I've seen several pretty good movies lately so I'll be back with reviews real soon!

Until next time......

 

The Beginning of A New Year

We finally started our new school year on Monday. It is my habit to start right after Labor Day but we were delayed an extra week this year due to being on vacation. The week has gone pretty well. We've been able to pick up our full schedule without many glitches. Caroline is a 4th grader this year and Logan is a 9th grader. The only change in our schedule has been the addition of a co-op day for Logan. She's taking IEW (Institutes for Excellence in Writing), Apologia Biology w/lab, and Juntos Uno Spanish . She seems to like all the classes and is doing well. She is at co-op from 8:45 until 3:30 each Monday. I worried that she'd be really tired and looking for the nearest exit sign out of there after such a long day. However, she surprised me and really is enjoying it.

In addition to these three classes, she will be using AO Lifepacs to round out her English credit, Saxon Algebra I, and TruthQuest history. She is also leading the Latina Prima class we started with our neighbors up the street. She'll be earning some extra credit for doing that. The only thing we have left to figure out is what to do for the PE credit she needs.

It's a little strange to have a high schooler. It seems like only yesterday we started homeschooling her but it has been eight wonderful years. Before we know it, she'll be finished with school, married, and out of the house! Until then I'm going to enjoy these last few years of teaching her and pray that she will be a blessing to everyone around her. She's a special young lady and I'm proud to call her my daughter.

 

Confessions of A Homeschool Mom

I have to confess that I have a new fix. First, let me say that I really love teaching my children at home. I enjoy every aspect of teaching them and would not trade it for anything in the world. I know there is no better place for them than right here with me....all day long.

I'm always looking for ways to incorporate interesting videos, books, tv shows, and such into our learning. Sometimes I happen upon these things without really searching. Such was the case last night. We don't watch tv much but lately we've had it on for March Madness. I was flipping to see if there were any games on when I came across the Discovery Channel. There I found a show called How It's Made and was hooked when I heard them explaining how panty hose were made. I left it on and for the next hour, I learned the process of making panty hose, toilets, RVs, styrofoam packaging, pottery, hard candy, decorative candles and erasers. Oh....My.....Goodness. It was so neat! I made a mental note to set the DVR to record this show when it comes on so that we can use it for science. If you haven't seen the show, you owe it to yourself to sit down and watch it. In fact, I'm going to do just that. The current episode will show how to make prepared mustard, violins, nuts and bolts, and toilet paper. Pretty soon, I'll know how everything is made!

Wuzzles and Puzzles

The Mom Blogs tipped me off to this cool place called Wuzzles and Puzzles, that my kids are going to enjoy! Go check it out!

The Jubilee Academy Online Curriculum

When we started homeschooling seven years ago, textbooks and workbooks were very popular. Most of the people we knew used them and we started out using them. However, a few years ago, we used an online curriculum for the first time. We loved the freedom that it brought to our schooling. Our oldest daughter really enjoyed moving through her assignments at her own pace and because her work was graded by the computer, my job was much easier. I could devote so much more time to our reading sessions or having craft time. It was wonderful.

Online curriculum has really taken off over the past few years. There are so many available options and one of those is The Jubilee Academy. Jubilee is a bible based homeschool curriculum for students from Pre-K to twelfth grade. The curriculum is Christ-centered and encourages students to focus on Him in all aspects of their education. With Jubilee's curriculum, you can work anytime, anywhere. It is available online twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This makes it very versatile. Need to take a quick out of town trip? No problem. You can access Jubilee's curriculum from anywhere!

If you are looking for an online bible based curriculum, check out The Jubilee Academy and see if it's right for your family.

Separating My Material

At the suggestion of a friend, I have decided to separate my homeschooling information from my other blog material. When I started this blog, it was primarily to keep my family and friends, in other states, informed about what was going on with us. I will continue to blog here regularly about our family and various other things. I will use my new home, My Thousand Loves, for homeschooling material. I've just started posting over there and so I do have a few random posts up right now. From here on out, you can go over there to read about our homeschooling adventures, successes, and of course, our failures. I hope to share some things that will be helpful to many, like book reviews, curriculum reviews, as well as all things pertaining to the journey of homeschooling. I hope you'll join me! In fact, head over there and enter to win the children's book I'm giving away.

Mayor Update

I made it to the library yesterday to hear my friend's talk on homeschooling. See this post to get details. This is a particularly small library and not one that I use since I do not live in this county. It is a neighboring county though and the library is within twenty minutes of our house. When we arrived, we noticed a packed out parking lot and saw WCQR's (our local Christian radio station) van among the cars. My oldest daughter and I headed into the library, to a small room that was filled to overflowing with people. I grabbed a seat in the back and recognized many local homeschooling moms in the crowd. There was some local media there doing their reporting.

The topic for the program was homeschooling methods. Sonya did very well covering the Classical, the Charlotte Mason, the Montessori, and the Eclectic methods, along with talking about unschooling. It was very informative, even for someone like me, who has homeschooled for several years. It's always good to reevaluate. She also did very well keeping the crowd under control and not letting discussions, debates, or comments get out of hand or carry on forever. There were a handful of people there who did not currently homeschool but were looking into it. Questions were asked and answered for them and it was very successful.

I have to admit, I am thankful that the local media has been involved in this situation. Many people have such misconceptions about homeschoolers. I think this has been a wonderful opportunity for much of that to be clarified. Another thing is that this has exposed a government official who tried to use his power to infringe on the constitutional rights of citizens who just happen to homeschool. Also, the statement the mayor made about the public schools "loosing" money for each child who is homeschooled just blows my mind. It seems simple to me. How do they "loose" it if it was never given to them in the first place? Maybe the mayor needs a lesson in logic...I'm just sayin'. Sonya also made this statement. There are roughly two million kids that are registered as homeschoolers in the US (there are many more that are not registered). If it takes $7000 to educate a child (more in some states) and you multiply that times two million, you learn that it would take an ADDITIONAL fourteen billion dollars to educate them. Where's that going to come from? Aren't we saving the school system and our government money? Let me also make clear that homeschoolers pay taxes and we also purchase books for our children. We DO NOT get any kind of tax break, credit, or reimbursement for books, supplies, registration fees, etc. We don't get free lunches. We are absolutely ok with that. It's a very small price to pay for the enormous benefits we receive. It's just a fact that not many people are aware of. The money comes from our pockets.

Anyway, I can't wait to spend next week talking about this and using this as a lesson with my children next week. I'm hoping to pull together a little unit study on the First Amendment and how this situation relates to that. I also want to throw a few facts out to you. Sonya pulled these together and I believe they apply nationwide. I believe these statistics came from NHERI.

Homeschooling grows at a rate of 7-12% per year in the US.

65.3% of homeshool students watch one hour or less of television per day.

1.6% of homeschool students watch 4-5 hours of television per day, as opposed to the nationwide average of 19.5%.

In a study of over 7,000 students who were homeschooled, NONE were unemployed and NONE were on welfare.

In closing, I just want to say that I know many of you have children in public school. That was your decision. At one time, our oldest was in public school (for kindergarten). It was there that we noticed the decline in the public educational system as a whole. From there, we prayed and studied which led to our conviction to homeschool. It was a spiritual decision. Our lives changed forever with that decision. We went from being a two income family to one. Looking back, that was such a minor adjustment to all of the things we've gained. My kids are at my side 24/7 and I love, love, love that. I know they're safe. I know they are learning. I know they've been given many opportunities and avenues to explore that they normally would not have had. I know that I am fulfilling my role as a parent every single second of my life. Are there days when I'm tired? Of course. Are there days when I feel inadequate? You bet. Are there days when I feel that someone else could teach them better than myself or my husband? Absolutely not. God gave us these two beautiful girls. He trusted us to raise them and teach them His commands. The best thing I can do to honor God is to do exactly what I am doing. I hope I never live in a world where that is compromised.

Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. 21 Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. 23 For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life....

Proverbs 17:6 Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

 

The Mayor Is Knee Deep In It

A friend of mine wrote a wonderful homeschooling book recently. I was hoping to finish reading the last part of the book so that I could post a review about it. I think it's a wonderful resource and as soon as I finish reading it, I'll tell you all about it and how you can purchase it. If you homeschool, you'll want a copy of it. I felt I should write and tell you of the challenges this friend has faced this week because she homeschools her children.

My friend and I share the same name. She has five children and has written several books about local places. She started writing this homeschool book some time ago but recently it was published and she started doing things around town to promote the book. One way she does that is by holding book signings at various locations in our area. She's done them at the local homeschool bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and the public libraries in surrounding cities. She had a book signing and informational meeting planned this week at a local library near her home. Some time during the week, she received a call from the librarian telling her that the program had been cancelled. When she inquired as to why, she was told that the city mayor suggested the library to cancel it. She was outraged and proceeded to call Home School Legal Defense to ask about the legality of such an act by the mayor. She also contacted a local newspaper to get the word out. Once the local paper did an interview, other news stations in the surrounding area started to call her for an interview.

Basically, the mayor told the public librarian that they shouldn't sponsor programs that did not support the public school system. The librarian says that the mayor suggested the library cancel the program and that's what the library did. Now the mayor says he never meant for the library to cancel. He just suggested they think about their sponsorship of programs like this. He went on to say that the local county school looses $7000 a year for each child who is homeschooled. We are all baffled at that statement since the school system was never given money for our children in the first place. That money is never on the table because our kids have never entered the school system. So, how do you lose something you were never given? Go figure. And what do they do with $7000 a year? If I were to purchase a full curriculum homeschool package for BOTH of my children, it would only cost around $1100 for the year. Since we never purchase full curriculums, we spend around $500 for both children each year. You see my point? Where does all that money go? Further more, it's a public library, for use by everyone. It's paid for by taxpayers, like you and me, no matter the school status of our children.

To sum it all up, the mayor is trying to back his way out of this one by saying he didn't imply this or didn't mean that. He would not speak on camera with local news crews and his comments came via the local city attorney. Funny if you ask me. The program was rescheduled and is on for today. Alot of us in the homeschooling community are hoping to show up in support of our friend. We want to show the library that we appreciate their sponsoring programs of all sorts that many can benefit from. Not just as homeschoolers but as citizens. So, off we go in a few hours to show our support. It should be an interesting meeting and I can't wait to see the community turnout. I'll leave you with a link to one of the interviews my friend did with our local media.

Need A Tutor?

Is your child having trouble with math? Have you tried to find a tutor? We've been thinking of doing just that. Caroline has been having trouble in this area and it is becoming apparent that she may need additional help. Over the years, tutoring has evolved from a personal one on one tutor coming to your home, to online tutoring. This is more convenient for most people since the help can be accessed any time, day or night. TutorVista is no exception. You will receive help 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

How does it work? Well, it's simple. You sign up for TutorVista's monthly service and you'll receive as much help as you want in all subjects. Need help with algebra? No problem. Does your child need homework help? You'll find that too. One of the things I like is that you can schedule tutoring sessions any time you want. The tutors with TutorVista have graduate degrees and are equipped to help in various subjects for K-12 students, as well as for students seeking preparation for SAT, ACT, PSAT, GED, and a number of other tests.

If you're looking for a tutor, stop by and give TutorVista a try. You're sure to find the help you need.

Homeschool Day at Rocky Mount

Last Monday, the girls and I went to our local living history museum. They have an annual homeschool day so we decided to take advantage of it. The museum itself is a self-guided tour that takes about an hour. They have several exhibits throughout the museum, which gives alot of historic information about Tennessee and specifically, our part of the state.

We met up with a family from our church and were able to tour the museum and the grounds with them. The grounds consist of several original structures including the housing quarters, a kitchen, a dining room, and a spinning room. These were all separate buildings, which was the way things used to be. I think it is genius that the kitchen was separated from the dining area and main house. All that heat stays down in the kitchen and the food was brought up to the dining room by servants. We enjoyed hearing the history of the Cobb family, seeing how food was cooked in the 1800s, learning how people dined, and watching a lady do some spinning. The children didn't seem happy to learn that back then, when it was time for the meals, the adults came to the table and ate first. The children were made to sit along the wall and wait until the adults finished their meals. Then, the children were fed. Boy, things sure have changed!

We spent about three hours there and had a wonderful time. I forgot to pack a picnic lunch for us so we had to leave early to go home and eat. We did manage to snap a few photos while we were there. Here I am with a few of the children. We were at the barn looking for the sheep when my oldest took this pictures.

.We had a great time and we'll be going back at least once this year. The museum has a special Christmas event each year. I want to go and try to enjoy since the one time we did go, I stayed outside throwing up in the bushes! LOL! The Candlelight Christmas event is one that you have to have reservations for. We made them one year and about a week before we were to go, my youngest got the flu. She ended up staying with her grandparents so that Jeff and I could take Logan. I was going right along until we started the GROUP tour through the grounds. We got inside the main house and the little lady was giving her presentation. I think she sensed something was wrong with me because she kept looking over at me with concern on her face. Remember, this is the dead of winter and it was cold! I broke out in a cold sweat...the worst of my life. I started to feel dizzy and started to sway. Jeff realized something was wrong and whispered to ask if I was ok. I managed a short answer but as soon as I got it out, I had to head for the door. I made it just outside the door when I had to barf. It was awful. Thank goodness I was able to shut the door on my way out! Can you imagine all of those other people who paid to see the Candlelight Christmas presentation only to see my barfing in the bushes! LOL! I still laugh about that night! Oh, I guess you're wondering what was wrong with me....I had the flu as well! Oh the memories......

Apologia General Science ROCKS!

I mentioned that we've started our new school year, which simply means we're using new materials since we homeschool year round. We opted to use a few new things this year and one was Apologia science. I've wanted to use Apologia for a couple of years, but had science curriculum that was given to me, so I felt inclined to use it. Since the age difference between the girls is little over four years, they are using different Apologia science subjects. Logan is using General Science. So far, we are enjoying it! We're halfway through the first chapter and have already completed two experiments! This is progress for us! We have been studying atoms and the purpose of the first experiment was to prove the existence of atoms.

First, Logan filled a tall glass with some veggie oil.

Next, we added an equal amount of water to the glass.

Then, we added an equal amount of syrup to the glass.

The end result was the layering of the three substances. The picture isn't the greatest, so I apologize!

Why is this so cool? If you look back at the way we added the liquids to the glass, you'll notice the order was veggie oil first, then water, and lastly the syrup. However, if you look closely at the last picture, you'll notice the syrup is on the bottom, then the water (although it's hard to see), and the top layer is the veggie oil. How did the veggie oil get on top when it was poured in first? The veggie oil was on the bottom of the glass and then we started adding the water. As we did this, the oil started to come to the top and the water fell to the bottom. This happened because the atoms that make up the water are more closely packed than those in the veggie oil. The atoms in the water were able to squeeze through the the atoms in the veggie oil. This holds true for the syrup also. Because the atoms in the syrup were more tightly packed than the other liquids, it was able to squeeze through both the oil and water and make its home at the bottom of the glass.

We added a few items to the liquids to see which had the largest density (how tightly atoms are packed). We added a raisin, a piece of cork, a rock, and an ice cube. Which one do you think had the largest density? You guessed it, the rock. It sank to the bottom of the glass because it was able to squeeze through all the layers of liquid. The cork floated on top of the veggie oil because it could not squeeze through it. The raisin floated on top of the syrup and the ice cube floated on top of the water.

As you can see, we're busy learning around here and having a wonderful time doing so! Maybe next week Caroline will have a project to share with you from the Apologia Astronomy book she's using!

Homeschool Open House

Homeschool Open House has been in full swing for a few weeks now and I'm just now getting around to posting about ours. I've really enjoyed reading all of the different things people do and how they conduct their homeschools. It's amazing how much you can learn from others, as well as finding lots of new resources along the way.

Our homeschool began about seven years ago with our oldest daughter, who is now 13.. She had attended kindergarten in public school and was two months into her first grade year when we decided to pull her out to homeschool. We had talked about homeschooling for awhile but hadn't taken any action until our daughter entered first grade. There were a few incidents which caused us to go ahead and pull her out and begin homeschooling. I guess I should mention that at this time, my husband was teaching fifth grade in a public school. I think alot of people thought it was strange that he was a teacher but we homeschooled our children. Anyway, like many first time homeschoolers I've talked to over the years, I was worried about following state SOL's and getting everything just right. Fast forward to now, my whole way of thinking has changed. I'm much more relaxed and that works out much better for us. Come along with me and I'll show you how we do things.

Welcome to our home. We have two daughters who are 13(getting ready for 8th grade) and almost 9 (getting ready for 3rd grade).

We homeschool year round but do take holidays and sick days as needed. We also have play dates and field trips quite often. We are late bloomers and don't start our new school year until the week after Labor day. That is due to the fact that we normally take our family vacation during the Labor Day holiday. We have a pretty flexible schedule for several reasons. We are night owls so we like to start later in the mornings. Sometimes we'll start around 9am and other times it could be much later :-o) I try to keep things as structured as possible but since my hubby works from home three days a week, things could change in an instant. I do try and make sure that we always cover math, language arts, and do some reading everyday. It's easier to catch up with history or science if you miss a day.

If I were asked to recommend some reading materials for parents who intend to homeschool, the first thing I would give them is "When You Rise Up" by R.C. Sproul, Jr. This is probably the most thought provoking books I've read in a long time. I read the book a few years ago and I've recently decided to read it again each year before the start of our new year. It's just that good folks! The second resource I really like is Ruth Beechick's "You Can Teach Your Child Successfully". There are also smaller booklets by Beechick that are very helpful including, An Easy Start in Arithmetic, A Strong Start in Language, and A Home Start in Reading.

This year, Logan used a computer based curriculum called Switched On Schoolhouse. She really loved it and I did too. It was really neat for her to be able to move at her own pace without having to wait for me to explain things. She could go from lesson to lesson without any problem and I, in turn, could work with her sister at the same time. I have decided to go back to books and workbooks this coming year because SOS had a few glitches that were really inconvenient for me. I will consider using it again in the future though. Caroline did a combination of things this year. She used Saxon math, History for Little Pilgrims, McGraw-Hill language arts workbooks, and BJU science. They were all leftovers from Logan's earlier years.

A few of the materials Logan (13yo) will be using in the coming year is Saxon Algebra 1/2, Introductory Logic, Exploring Creation with General Science, and Biblioplan. We're still working on language arts material but in all honesty, there are tons of resources online that I can use without having to purchase anything. I'm considering using the 9th grade Life Pacs that Jenny gave me. Caroline will be using Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Simply Grammar, Biblioplan, and SRA Spelling 3. We have not decided on a math curriculum because this is her problem area. We used Saxon this year and it just isn't working with her. We're trying to decide between Horizons, Singapore, and Math-U-See. We need something a little less textbook and alot more hands on. I also try and skim through E.D. Hirsch grade level books to cover some of the core curriculum he suggests they know by a certain grade. I have found those books to be very helpful.

.

I mentioned our schedule was pretty flexible but I try to shoot for getting the kids ready to start around 9. I do that because I have great hope that one of these days, I'll actually get started at that time and be finished early in the day! Wishful thinking maybe but that's ok! Our normal morning routine goes something like this:

Two days per week, the hubster goes into the office to work. On those days, I get up around 7:30 and see him off to work by 8. I wake the kids up then and they do a few morning chores, eat breakfast, and get themselves ready for the day (shower if needed, dressed, etc.). About 9-ish, Logan goes off with her Saxon math to do her lesson for the day. I usually check email, read a few blogs, pay bills, do laundry, and eat breakfast while Caroline works on her spelling. We continue this type of schedule (with various subjects) until it's time for lunch (usually around 12). Logan is normally in charge of lunch so that I may have a little free time to finish up emails, etc. Many times I'm still in my pj's at lunch time and I'll run off, while the kids eat, to take a quick shower. I'm crazy like that! The other three days, hubster works from home and our schedule bends to his. For the most part, things run about the same except that we may delay some lessons if he needs us to run errands or anything. It's very nice to have him around so much during the day because there are times when I need him. There have been a few times when I just couldn't explain something to the kids in "their language".

I hope that things will be a little different this year. I am trying to work out a 4-day schedule with Fridays completely open for projects, art, music, field trips, and friends. I think it will give all of us something to look forward to at the end of the week. We're going to try out a neat looking study called A Chronological History of Music and Its Composers. We will also be using G.I. Williamson's Westminster Shorter Catechism for Study Classes for our morning Bible study.

As for workspace, we don't have a designated area where we do our studies. Most of the time, it's at the kitchen table or in our den downstairs. I had thrown up a craft table several months ago and it quickly became covered with our school materials. I guess it's safe to assume that it is now our "school table" for the time being. We also love to work outside on the deck as the weather allows. Lately it's been so hot that we haven't even thought about going out there! Normally the girls don't work in the same area (because they tend to distract each other) but this week, they both managed to be at "the table" at the same time.

I'm also trying to incorporate lapbooks as much as possible this year. Caroline and I just made our first one together and had lots of fun. Lapbooks, by definition, are learning aids that are meant to take the place of worksheets. They are made from file folders. You can use anything you want but if you want them to last, using cardstock inside, as well as laminating some things, is the way to go. I think the idea is that kids have more fun learning, and retain more, when they are able to be creative. I know that I retain more information when I am able to be creative with it! Lapbooking is a serious thing to some people. I've been doing alot of research lately and I've come across some "hard core" lapbookers! My plan is to make a few lapbooks throughout our school year and at the end of it, store those. Each new year, we'll make more new ones and at the end of that year, they'll be stored. I hope to save these and give them to the girls when they are older and start their own family. It'll be like having a collection of storybooks to give them. Caroline didn't show the front of the lapbook but she had some art work on the front. Inside, we included vocabulary words pertaining to sharks, shark facts, pictures of shark teeth, colored printable of about ten different kinds of sharks, a shark diagram (it's under the shark printables), and a poem about sharks. Because this was our first one, it was more of an experiment than a keeper. We'll be using sturdier materials inside next time and we'll also use colored file folders so they look a little more fancy.

Thank you for coming along as we shared our homeschool with you. A big thank you to Tiany for hosting Homeschool Open House!