Removing the Myth of Homeschooling

As all of my friends head back to school, I start to get a little bit of nostalgia and wonder whether or not my choice to resign at the end of last school year was the right one. Right now, I could be decorating my classroom, preparing my lists, and doing last minute items to help prepare to meet the crew. Even better, to prepare to handle the group I had last year and move them even more!

However, I am not doing that. Instead, I am stuck at home, with my own two children, being one of THOSE moms. You know them, one of those mom’s who are scared of what their kids might learn in public school (is my child going to be challenged, what will other students teach my kid, etc). One of those mom’s whose whole life revolves around the kitchen and crafts. (Looking around then whispering)… one of those mom’s who wears a jumper and dresses her children in matching clothes.

Ok, really, I am not nor will I ever be one of those moms. This blog is really about putting all of those homeschooling stereotypes to rest, and let the world look at what this “transition” mom is doing.

1. I am NOT the traditional homeschool mom. My school is not based on religious beliefs and focused around prayer. Yes, we do this, but not during school! My school is not STANDARDS BASED and focused on a test at the end of the year. (Gasp, a teacher really said this?)
   
2. I do NOT spend hours in the kitchen, wear a jumper or match my kiddos. I also do not focus on cleaning the house. During school, we focus on learning something new, all of us!
3. I am NOT isolating my children or preventing them from experiencing what other kids experience.

Off the I am NOT stance, this is what we accomplish during the day:

1. We learn time management. This is your schedule, you will have this finished or it will be homework. (Yes, even homeschoolers can have homework!)
2. We learn, I CAN, and I WILL. I do not accept less than the best from my children (nor did I from my students) and send him back to correct it when it is not right.
3. We blog, facebook, and plan events to share what we have learned. This puts the control in my kids hands, and makes them have control over their learning and who they share with.
4. We set goals: Goals for what we want to learn, what we want to do, and who we want to become.

Ultimately, we focus on the skills he is ready to work on and needs to be successful in life. Life is full of questions and discoveries and we spend time fostering it.

Mommy's Project 52: 2 Silly

Silly

We love silly,

and do silly everyday.

From playing and coloring

to changing into Smurfs

Silly is just the way we like to be.

Even when Daddy has a headache,

He is silly, too!

We like Silly!

MADE IN CHINA

Ever have a divine revelation? I am a believer in signs and being told by a higher being, we will say "God" (for the non believers in my life substitute your word for the higher being), what is the right choice. It all started in a whole different story. For the sake of time and your patience, I will get to this revelation and the signs pointing to it!

It all started about a year ago, when we were reading the side of a juicy juice box given out with kids meals and it said the apples were China apples. Wayne busted out in his infinite wisdom, "Well, duh, all things are made in China!" Clue number one taken.

A few months later, I bought a stuffed animal for my daughter from Toys R Us, after letting her love on it and look at it, my husband noticed a warning label. Not only was the item made in China, and good for children 0- adult, it had a label that said it COULD contain LEAD! Wow, really, so our kids get blood work to make sure they are not exposed to lead from old houses, but it is ok to sell toys with lead if there is a warning label? WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!! Clue Number 2, taken and received loud and clear!

As I started to look at things around our house, and thinking about how many toys are recalled because of lead found in them, it hit me, China has no standard, all of the toys we grew up with that were made in the USA are now outsourced to China. Exploring more, I realized, my son who is autistic, played with lots made in China, my daughter a little less.

Then there was the silly band craze. I had a dream that the Peoples Republic of China were slowly poisoning our kids through the silly bands slowly making the entire US population sterile while laughing at finding a way to make the most self absorbed and dumbest population become extinct. (Nice trick, God, attack the subconscious, clue 3, received).

Recently, My uncle sent out a mass email about clearing out of your house what was made in China and replacing it with American made or just doing with out... How subtle are you, God? Clue 4,heard, laughed at, and then listened to!!

Then I went shopping, well registering. I looked at every single toy in Babies R US, not a single toy was made in the US in fact all of them were made in CHINA! I am not sure when America became part of the Chinese Republic, but I do not want my child poisoned or made less of a person than he was when he was born because of the environmental factors the leaders of our country seem to ignore! (I not only hear you, but am with you God!)

So, I am now on a quest, to stop supporting China and start supporting hard working Americans, to stop supporting big business that sells out and start support small businesses who care, to ignore what the alphabet soup offices and politicians try to tell me is safe, and to do what my heart, and God is telling me is right and healthy for my kids. For those of you who have kids, keep this in mind when you buy your next toy: A toy made in China is made in a sweat shop by people who do not care and the materials are the cheapest they can find, even if they contain harmful chemicals; furthermore, for a toy to be made in the USA it has to be mostly manufactured in the United States, and meet our standards of safe materials. Now, ask yourself this question, if it has to be made with the finest materials to be made here, why doesn't it have to be made of the best to be sold here? This is my political statement for the week, Check into what your kids are playing with, I know I will!

How to Be the Perfect Wife

When I started to make the transition from professional, to stay at home mom, I realized quickly that I had a lot on my plate. Aside from prayers of a smaller house, maid, and personal assistant, I had to figure this little world we live in on my own.

Those of you who know me, know I am far from a house wife or house keeper. In fact, the idea of "keeping a house" is why I ran to work, and spent lots of time on work on the weekends.

My first lesson in house keeping was that it was never going to be perfect as long as you have helpers under the age of 65! For some reason, us young folks (me and the kids), make messes through out the day. I don't understand it. Roseanne was not a domestic goddess but her house was perfect, and don't get me started on Peg Bundy! But for some reason, when I clean up one mess, there is another waiting for me. House keeping is like a carrousel, it just keeps going around in circles.

My second lesson came from a friend, who told me my house could be "lived in" as long as I kept up my husband's pet peeves. Now, I love my husband, I like to think I know his likes and interests, but I have never noticed what peeved him off about the house, and well, since no one was at home during the day, none of these places go messy. So, as a good diligent wife, I tested the pet peeves. Quickly, I learned which areas must be clean, which must be neat, and which could be lived in!

Finally, I learned one last lesson! When you are having a day where nothing is going to get done. LEAVE THE HOUSE! IF you aren't there then the places that are important cannot get destroyed, and they will if you are not on top of your game.

Ultimately, having the house "kept" to your husband's standards is what is important, not the fixing his plate, waiting on him, and being his personal assistant when he gets home. When he comes in, a kiss and "Hi, honey, how was your day?" is good enough as you are chasing a naked toddler around the house, or trying to figure out why your preteen is taking 2 hours to feed chickens!

I have not perfected this by all stretch of the imagination, but with following the little pattern of clean one area a day, keep the most important areas (to the husband) clean, and then rotate the rest, life has become a little simpler with my husband. Now, to tackle the simple life with the kids! Buhahahahahahahaha!!!!! Oh, if you feel like you are going in circles you are and this is normal! Enjoy the carrosel ride.

Mommy's Project 52: 1 Teaching

This first subject is one that is near and dear to my heart. I grew up teaching... my dolls, the pets how to be nice to each other, my little brother. While in college, I wanted to study to be a doctor, but did volunteer work at a deaf and blind school and in adult ed. While being an army wife for a brief time, I tutored others as I took classes myself.

When I grew up finally, I went back to college to become a teacher. I spent 6 years in the public school system, in which I learned that teaching is not an action but is a coaching position. I have embraced the fact that children need to learn through discovery and touching things. They also need to form their own concepts and their own ideas or we have just filled their heads with what they call useless garbage. I had learned to "teach" my students to be independent thinkers who can and will do what is expected of them. I taught by answering questions with questions or a point in the right direction to find the answer. I "taught" students who would wait on you to give them the answer, because "they were to dumb to figure it out for themselves and I knew everything" how to figure the answer out for themselves, and yes as the men in waiting for Godot, waited for it, I too would sit and wait for their answer. With praise, I would tell them what they got right and question them to fix what was wrong.

I have entered a new phase in my life where "teaching" is not teaching other people's kids how to be independent thinkers, but teaching my own children. Yes, this means that I will have challenges and have to look at the bright side, it is still the same lessons of life I am trying to instill in my kids that I have instilled in others before them. You have to think for yourself, no one can do the thinking for you. If you don't know ask questions. You have to do your own work, because no one will help you unless you help yourself. Finally, after we start thinking for ourselves and doing what we need to do in life, then the academic lessons can be learned.

Teaching to me is not about dictating what to do, it is about leaving an impression of how to survive in this world on your own. The ultimate teacher does more learning in a year than she does teaching. Go teach someone something and see what you learn!

School and Summer Fun

We are fortunate to be able to let me stay at home with the kids and find a new found passion for my family and myself. I know this sounds cheesy, but I think in the hustle of trying to be the best at everything, I lost out on what was best in life. I have uploaded the pictures and can safely say, for the last month I have been successful at all that I have tried.

Homeschooling got off to a bang with us starting on the 4th of July! Gasp, I know school on a holiday. But we celebrated the birth of the country with learning about why we celebrate and then making fireworks in a jar! We are breezing through our math book (we started with 4th grade math) and should be ready to start the 5th grade math by the first of the year. Wayne has started his blog and Eve is learning what a scheduled day is.

Along with Wayne blogging and Eve learning a schedule, Wayne is learning responsibility and how to help out in the family, and Eve is learning colors. Both kids are extremely successful at what they are doing! Wayne at times makes the mistake of thinking we are playing school. I expected that. However, he wants to do well and has set the goal for A's and B's.

It has not been all work and no play. We have also enjoyed time swimming and partying. We attended one of Eve's friends birthday party for a water fun day! Our neighbor has gotten a pool and we have made a great use of our open invitation. Wayne is a fish in the water and does not want to come out. Eve has no true fear of the water and dives right in. We have to watch her closely because she does not understand the difference between wearing floaties and no floaties.

We have also taken time to pretend and play. Eve loves her dress up clothes and has even more fun when her big brother decides to join in! Wayne and Eve pretended one day to be heading to a tropical beach. It won't be long before we get to go for real, although I don't think Costa Rica has the Hawiaan lays!

Finally, we have also taken the time each evening to swing! Eve has loved learning to swing on her big girl swing, and Wayne loves seeing how high he can fly! The kids enjoy it and I usually get a break for a small part of the day. After they unwind with a swing, we usually sit and enjoy a story. Then the kids get to go bed. Everyday is an adventure, and everyday we learn something new! I am thoroughly looking forward to the ultimate field trip this month, and next month some serious schooling! I am even going to go to a writing seminar once a month through the library.