The Only Constant is Change

Get up, eat breakfast, get dressed and start school work by 8:30a. After school work was complete, I am completely exhausted and barely have enough energy to throw something together for dinner. Focusing solely on homeschooling in attempt to do all I could without perceiving myself as a failure, I forgot about everything else. Basketball season has arrived and with it comes the run here for practice and run here for a game cycle.

What is the mom to do? SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE and more SCHEDULE. I have seen schedules that are planned down to the minute. Not ours. Our schedule is in 30 minute increments and consists of grouping. Example, 7:00-7:30 eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth. My decision to utilize grouping is to provide the child with a couple of things to do within a specific time frame while allowing him/her the choice to which they want to complete first and it provides each child with a little lee way. Chores are completed prior to starting school work and after school work is complete.

In the morning, there is NO TV time for the children. TV in the morning causes the children to become distracted and behind schedule. Behind schedule, is not what we want. Our schedule has been in place for two weeks. Not a lot of time, though you can see the difference and impact scheduling has made in our day to day life. For ideas on creating a schedule, search daily schedules in your search engine. There are many, find one that best suits your needs or create your own.

Having a schedule is a tool in managing your daily life. Will everyday go directly according to schedule? NO! Will you make changes to your schedule? Definitely! The only constant in life that is guaranteed, is change. We will always have change. Some good, some bad. The trick is to accept the change and make it work for you.

Take A Break

During a recent tutoring session with our paraeducator, I mentioned how frustrated I was becoming with homeschooling and what seemed like a never ending battle. Mrs L mentioned that it is OK to take a break and have a couple of days off to regroup. I politely responded with "that sounds like a good idea." All the meanwhile I was thinking to myself, NO we can't take a break. We will just get further behind and then we will constantly be playing catch up to keep us on schedule. That was on a Wednesday.

Friday morning comes along and I awake feeling sick, sore throat and heavily congested. I just could not believe it, here I was sick with no energy and not up to teaching. I managed to complete our lessons for Friday. Saturday was spent on the couch hoping to get better. Sunday comes along and I stayed in bed all day. Nothing got done. Sunday is my prepare for the week day and guess what? Nope, that didn't get done either. Learning from previous weeks.... I am not a jump in and wing it type gal when it comes to teaching. I need my lesson plans ready to go Monday morning, otherwise, the week starts off on a bad note.

Not having any lessons prepared for the week I agreed we would take Monday off and I could use Monday to prepare lessons for the rest of the week. Praying to get better each day and I seemed to only get worse. Then, it dawned on me, the light bulb goes off in my head. Here I was at my last straw and was given the suggestion to take a break. Did I listen? No! Instead of voluntarily taking a couple of days off to regroup, I get sick and am forced to take time off. Coincidence?  Not at all.

I have been praying for days and weeks asking GOD to help me and point me in the correct direction. He was telling me what to do all along and I was missing what it was he wanted me to do. Funny how something can be so black and white, yet, grey. I looked up and said, "I get it now. I hear you." GOD was telling me it was OK to take a break and regroup. Once I "got it", I felt so much better and was able to focus on having some fun time with the kids.

I decided to give us the entire week off. The kids and I hung out for the week and even took a trip to Adventure City in Buena Park, Ca. We had a fabulous time. It was great to see them smiling and enjoying themselves. I felt so replenished and ready to take on the world again. We were once again back on track.
The following week went absolutely wonderful. Mr C had a couple of minor meltdowns, but we were able to quickly move past them. Both of the kids were able to stay on task and got along pretty well. It was a great week and it reminder me of all the positives that come from homeschooling.

Many homeschool for the flexibility and I feel that many moms that are new to homeschooling get so overwhelmed that they forget that. We forget that we don't have to stick to a conventional schedule. So if you are new to homeschooling and are feeling a little overwhelmed, take a couple of days off and not think about it. Clear you mind and enjoy enjoy some fun time with the kids. Remember, If mom is happy, everyone is happy.

Reality......

Sitting at the computer enjoying a cup of my morning decaf as the overwhelming urge to cry takes over my body. I try desperately to find an answer, to get to the bottom of what it is that has brought me to this weaken state. But there is no one answer.  This is becoming a daily if not multiple times a day occurrence. Wanting to cry that is.  Each time I fight the urge and find something else to bury myself into. After all, I am a homeschooling mom and I don't have time for crying.

Our homeschooling journey has been ongoing for about 2 months. We have been experiencing more downs then ups. I believe I am doing something wrong. How can this be? Homeschooling is suppose to be fun. I should be able to enjoy my time with my children and helping them learn. I have done what I thought to be a good amount of research before beginning and I honestly thought I was prepared. What I was, was clueless. Clueless to the reality of what really happens. Many if not most of the homeschool blogs and websites I looked at depicted homeschooling as this constant loving, warm environment. So what am I doing wrong. I want that glorified homeschooling experience that many of the bloggers post about. I want that! 

Why don't I have that? The answer is two parts. First, I honestly am coming to the conclusion that homeschooling is NOT what it is being portrayed as. I believe that all homeschool families have ups and just as many downs as the next person. They just choose not to air their problems or issues and to focus strictly on the good. As for myself, I wish I was a little more prepared for the battle of homeschooling. I wish I had come across a blogger who blogged the truth about the daily struggles of homeschooling. 

Gone are the days of waking early, getting the kids ready and dropping them off at school for most of the day. Gone is the time I had to run my errands and get all the things accomplished on my to do list. Gone is the life I had and as hard as it is to admit, I am mourning the loss of that life. I miss my sanity. I miss being in control. 

My reality is this... Homeschooling is hard. I have put so much focus on Mr. C and helping him to get to where he needs to be, that I have neglected giving Miss C the help and attention that I want her to have. Reality is, my house is not as clean as I would like. Reality is, even though I don't feel stressed, I am. Reality is, I have lots of fun things I want to do with the kids, but we can't find the time. Reality is, cooking dinner has become more of a chore than something I love to do. Reality is, Miss D and I don't get the time together that we use to have. Reality is, I am exhausted. 

But he said to me, "My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Reality is, I am weak. Reality is, there are only one set of footprints in the sand. Reality is, this experience is bring me closer to GOD. Reality is, this is all a work in progress. Reality is, Mr C despite our many ups and downs is making wonderful progress and I believe he is beginning to have a love for reading (sshh don't tell him I said that). Reality is, my kids love being homeschooled, despite us having bad days. Reality is, this is the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life and as hard as it is, I don't regret it. Reality is, I am finding out a lot about myself and am working on changing me. Reality is, this is my reality. This is my life. 

I have always said that I live my life with no regrets. Everything that happens, good or bad, is a learning experience. I am closing the door on the way life was and embracing life the way it is now. I am not alone in this journey and GOD has brought me here for a reason. It is not my place to know what his reasoning is, but I shall embrace this journey and keep an open mind. 

Starting on the Right Foot

We are starting our third week of homeschool this week. I took time today and figured out my lesson plans for Mr. C and Miss C. I also included activities for Miss D. It feels good to be prepared for the week and hoping I won't have a repeat of my "uhm" day I had last week. Tomorrow is Labor Day and a holiday, however, we will be doing school work to maintain our schedule and not have to double on on other days.

Homeschool Days- Field Trips

Happy Friday everyone. One of the benefits to homeschooling is the amount of resources that are available to you. One of the benefits is the ability to take field trips to various places for either free or low cost admission. Many places provide curriculum that is downloadable from the websites for a great learning experience, while having fun. Here are a few that I have come across recently.


Aquarium of the Pacific
Homeschool Days
September 19-20, 2012
Cost: $6 per person, children under 3 free
Parking $8

2012 L.A. County Fair
Homeschool Days
Wednesday-Friday, September 5-28, 2012
**MUST PREREGISTER AND ARRIVE BEFORE NOON

*All info subject to change. I am not in control over this. I am just sharing the offers.*

That was Painless

It is Saturday evening and I am reflecting on this past week. I find myself looking back and laughing at myself. Before the week begun I was feeling so overwhelmed and was doubting our decision to homeschool. I admit, I definitely made a mountain out of a mole hill.

The week went by quickly and each day was a learning process. The first couple of days we mainly focused on LA (Language Arts) and Math. As we got comfortable we added in a little Social Studies. Next week if all goes well we will add Science. I am enjoying my time with the kids. We are trying to work out a system so that we have the least amount of interruptions as possible. But, I am not sure that is conceivable with an almost 3 yo (year old) running around. We stayed on schedule, completed everything we had planned and I was able to do some baking in between.

From what I can tell the kids like being homeschooled. Thursday morning I was shocked when I came into the living room and the kids were all sitting there patiently waiting for me and my son had the ipad waiting for our morning reading of the Bible. Hold on a minute though, the kids also completed all of their morning chores and I did not have to say one word to remind them. I was ecstatic. I reinforced their wonderful behavior with praise and thanked them for being responsible. Crossing my fingers they keep this up.

I belong to a couple of homeschooling groups on Facebook and am grateful for their support and the amount of resources that the groups' leaders and members share with one another. I am by no means alone in my adventure. There is someone else out there that has the same shoes on as I and is walking the same path. It is comforting to know that I am not alone. Thank you to these groups for giving me ideas to keep the little one busy. It certainly did help.

We Survived!!!!

I spent a little bit of time yesterday working out a few assignments for today and Tuesday, focusing on Language Arts and Math. Once we get the hang of it we will incorporate other subjects as well. I didn't want to bombard the kids or myself with overload.

1 Math page front and back for both kids. Our Language Arts curriculum has an online component which is nice. I will admit that I fumbled around on the online component trying to figure it out. Still not sure I got it down all the way, but I do have enough figured out to get us going. Both kids enjoyed their LA online. My son had 3 LA worksheets and he did a spelling pretest. He missed 2 out of 13. So proud of him. My daughter had 4 LA worksheets.

We began our day at about 8:30a starting off with running a few errands, including the grocery store. We got down to business about 10:30a and had a nice lunch break. At this time the kids began their LA worksheets. However, my son began to have a melt down and I made a deal with him, finish the worksheet he was on and we would take a break and treat ourselves to a dip in the pool. Forty minutes in the pool and back to studying for 20 minutes to finish their work.

All of that and I was able to squeeze in a some housework and dinner is cooking in the Crockpot. I am thankful today went over well. Our adventure has started off on a good note and the kids are looking forward to tomorrow. I enjoyed the flexibility of our day and being able to spend time with each one of my children helping them with their work.

All in all............. TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY!

What was I Thinking

Woke up yesterday morning feeling anxious. We were scheduled to meet with our Para-educator to receive our books, lesson plan and to have my son's reading ability tested. I was scared and second guessing my decision to homeschool my children. I continually asked myself, "What were you thinking?"

Seeing all of the books made me want to faint. (Once I got home and sorted by student edition and teacher edition it wasn't so bad) My son tested lower than I expected in reading which took my anxiety and feeling of drowning into anger and frustration. I have been working really hard with him and he has made improvement, but it just proved to me how his school failed him and that I made the correct decision to school him at home. 

My lesson plan that I received was beyond basic. Do Chapter One and related workbook pages. Our program does allow us to use a variety of teaching methods and decide what we teach, I was just hoping for a little more guidance since this is my first teaching gig. I have spent the last four hours looking at workbooks, teacher editions and student editions to grasp some sort of sense where to begin. I finally had to walk away from literature, LA, Reading etc. and took a look at Science, Social Studies and Math. Now it is all starting to seem a little more doable. I did learn one thing, I need a good lesson planner to get me organized.

I spent the better part of the evening looking for a good planner to help keep the kids and I on some sort of schedule so that we don't slack off. One would think that finding a planner to use would be easy, right? Wrong! At least not for me. I read on another blog how she used sticky notes for each day in her planner that way if she had to move something to another day it was easy. Sounds like an interesting idea. This morning, I will be making a trip to my local Target to see what they offer and make a decision.

Yesterday is behind us!!! Woo Hoo..... I had a great night's sleep and I am feeling much better. So, What was I thinking? I was thinking that traditional school was not working for us and that we needed to do something different. I was thinking that my son required more one on one learning and that the school he was in was not able to provide that to him. I was thinking that I want my children to have more positive influences in their day to day life. I was thinking that I want to be closer and have a closer relationship with my children. I was thinking this is the right decision for us at this moment in time.

I am blessed to have found a wonderful group of homeschoolers on Facebook and Yahoo Groups. I am grateful for all of the support, advice and resources that they have shared. Most importantly, I am thankful to know that I am not alone in this journey and that there will always be someone out there to think we homeschoolers are crazy, but also that there are a lot of people who think we homeschoolers are doing what is best for our children.

Making the Right Choice

First off, for anyone who is thinking about homeschooling, check with your State Department of Education. Each State has it's own set of rules and guidelines to follow. You can also find many resources out there to help you decide what the proper path is for you to take.

We have decided to give homeschooling a try. With that decision comes a million more decisions. In California we have a variety of options when it comes to home schooling. Since I am new to this myself, I will not make any claim as to knowing all the facts. When I began my research I came across California Homeschool Network and was thankful to find out a lot of what I need to get me going. I mentioned options earlier and there are a few to choose from. Reading over Just the Facts will give you a much better understanding.

We chose Option 3-Public School ISP or Charter Schools. This is still a public school and it is funded by the State of California. With this option, we are provided with all of our books and materials needed, we are still subjected to the STAR Testing and we are required to meet the California Department of Education guidelines. The only difference for us is we teach and learn at home. This is the choice that I felt would be best for our family. That doesn't mean it would be right for yours. This is a very personal decision that is made and while others may not agree with my choice, it is just that, my choice. We are just in the beginning stages of our homeschooling adventure and later on my choice may change. Right here, right now, this is what we are doing.

"Why take your child out of a public school to put them into another public school?" This is a popular question I am asked. I believe that there are to many children and not enough teachers in your tradition school. By utilizing a charter school, my family is assigned to a teach that is available to provide any support we need. We meet with this teacher once a month to turn in assignments and to get next month's lesson plan. My son requires more one on one attention when learning and I am able to provide that to him by homeschooling. I am also able to control the outside influence that my children are exposed to. Both of my children have been bullied and I am not going to allow that to happen again. I am not against our school system, I just don't like what I am seeing and it is my responsibility as a parent to put my children and their needs first.

Homeschooling is done for many reason. If you are curious about homeschooling, ask questions, keep an open mind and never judge.

This is the first in a series of posting to come regarding Children and Education. I am not an expert, just a parent trying to do my part.

People come in our life for a reason

New sports seasons brings new families and the possibilities of new friendships. Years ago, I tried to get to know all the parents on the team and chat with them in hopes of making new friendships. I was often left with the feeling that people just didn't like me. I generally would be the one initiating the conversation. And then I would here the stories about the various families on the team getting together, hanging out and having BBQ. Our family never being invited. I was hurt that we were not invited.

My solution was to stop trying to befriend everyone. For the last two years, we have kept to ourselves. We would say hello and be cordial. During practices, I would be found at the playground playing with my other two children rather than sitting with other parents. During game times, we would sit away from everyone. It was a different experience that is for sure. I was able to enjoy the game more and didn't have to listen to parents complaining about the coaches or any other B.S/gossip going around the field. Also, the parents didn't have to listen to me trying to start a conversation with them. I admit, I can be a talker.

This summer session of Basketball was no different. I was cordial but kept to myself. But a funny thing happened this season. We were at a Basketball game and my neighbors should up to support my daughter and watch her play. As we were enjoying the game, my neighbor mentions, "There are my neighbors that live behind us on the next street over." I was surprised. I mentioned that they were on our team. I am not sure why but I seized the opportunity. I walked over to the parent and asked if she lived on "such and such" street. (I don't want to name any names of people or streets to keep things confidential). The parent replied, "Yes we do." I mentioned that we live right around the corner from each other and that it would be great if we could get the kids together for a play date. Our kids are very close in age.

I was elated when she agreed that we should get together. Our first play date went off without any problems and it was a great feeling watching all the kids getting along, having a blast and listening to their laughter. Eight kids total ranging from age ten to two and a half. Not only did the kids hit it off, but so did the other parent and I. As we were talking during our first play date the subject of school came up and I found out that the kids were being home schooled. (No these kids were not socially awkward or pale in color. They looked and acted like typical kids but better behaved and respectful. But that is another topic).

My husband and I had previously discussed home schooling for the simple fact that my son struggles in school. Neither my husband or I felt confident that it was something that I could handle and we moved away from the subject at that time and I hadn't thought about it. I had done a little bit of research and spoken to many online friends that home school. Hearing these kids were home schooled made the wheels start rolling again in my head. I have to say that being able to sit with someone face to face, get your questions answered and be able to interact with kids that were home schooled really opened my eyes and but put the topic back on the table for my family.

For the next few days there was a ton of discussion with my husband and kids about home schooling and whether or not it was right for us. My conversation with my new friend helped me to answer this question. My answer was, "I don't know if it is right for us, but I am willing to jump in with both feet and try my best. If if it doesn't work out we can always go back to traditional school."

Someone once said, "We don't know what we don't know." What a true statement. We must try new and different things to see if it will work for us. Most importantly, we all need to keep an open mind about everything. Just because we are always told something is a certain way doesn't necessarily mean it has to be that way. If you find what you are doing isn't working for you or your family then it is time to find something that does work. I am willing to find what does work. Am I scared? Of course I am. Am I worried I might fail? Absolutely. What person wouldn't feel that way going into uncharted waters?

We decided that we would be foolish not to try. And now our adventure begins............

This is the second posting in a series of posting to come regarding Children and Education. I am not an expert, just a parent trying to do my part.