Another one bites the dust

Another week gone. I don't know how it happens, but it does. And this week, specially today, has been a doozy. Hubby has still been working a ton of overtime, and I am feeling it. Isn't it amazing when that happens?

The week itself started fine. The big girl started her dance class this week. She was so happy. She also looked like she was tired as all get out when we got there. She had fallen asleep in the van on the way, and wasn't really ready to get up. She has lots of people in her class from last year, but she also has new people. One of them is a friend of ours so that's good for her.

At one point, she looked like she was going to cry. That broke my heart. But after about 15 or 20 minutes, she perked up. She was bebopping, or should I say hip hopping, right along with the music. She loves her class so much. I think most of that is her teacher. Miss Tiffany rocks. She has choreographed some really great numbers that have been "borrowed" by other dance schools in the area. How crazy is that? But the big girl loves to dance. She is ready for Monday so she can go back.

The baby and I had some issues on Tuesday. She decided, rather tearfully, that she didn't want to learn to read anymore. I could have wrung her little neck. She and I just decided to butt heads and neither one of us was backing down. She yelled at me, which I do not tolerate. I yelled at her. I even called hubby at one point and told him that I was done. She is four and she doesn't have to learn right now. Know what he did? He yelled at me. I told him where he could stick his attitude and it wasn't a very comfortable spot. I told him if it was that important to him he could teach the blah, blah, blah to read.

After we both calmed down and talked about it, we worked it out. I decided to give her a day and let her calm down, too. It worked because we did another lesson today. And she read a whole sentence. She was so proud of herself. It was like the connection was finally made. So tomorrow, we do one more and see how it goes.

And what can I say about the boy? He is the one and only and he knows how to push all of our buttons when he is in a creative kind of mood. He didn't stop running his mouth today until I put the wooden spoon on the table with us. It was driving me crazy. My comment as I did it was something along the lines of I'm not scared to use it. He knows it, too. He shut his mouth for a little while, but that was all I needed. Some days he has to comment about everything that comes out of anyone's mouth. But I love those kids.

I have taken on a role at our church working with our after school Wednesday program. We no longer have a Children's Director, Christian Education Director, or Youth Director. And boy, do we ever need them. Anyway, we are a little late getting the program started and haven't even done that yet. The big girl is having a bday party this weekend, and I need to focus on her for now. So Monday morning, I go to church to get all the forms done and ready to be printed and sent out. Some have to be delivered to the elementary school that is close to us. Then I get to do a quick inventory of supplies we already have, and supplies we need and, oh man, do I feel like I got in over my head sometimes. But one step at a time is all I can do.

Thankfully, tomorrow is park day. I love Fridays! I get to hang out with some really great people and so do the kids. We have dance tomorrow night, a bday party on Saturday, and the big girl's party on Sunday. We will be busy, but I'm praying for fruitful.

Have a great day!

Here she is

They just do not get any more beautiful than my babies. Her is my baby at dance class. This is actually the second class. I forgot the camera last week. She absolutely loves it. I hope she enjoys it as much as her brother and sister do. It has done so much for them in regards to self confidence and balance and strength and socialization and I could go on and on. And it's tons of fun. Enjoy!



Have a great day!

Weekly Update

We have had a busy week. It has been productive, eventful, challenging, and glorious all at the same time. So, in a nutshell, here's the rundown.

School went really well this week. We had a little bit of a challenge during our history one day. Our history is done as a read aloud, by me, and then a set of questions follows, and then activities. Apparently, Wednesday of all days, the kids weren't really listening. So this week we are changing the format for that. This week, the kids will be reading with me. We will share the responsibility. That way, they will have to pay attention to read their part of the passage. So, there ya little scalliwags!

I have taken to making a short question and answer page for our science. It has basically the same format as the history. When we use our text book (for lack of a better description), it's only one page. That is followed by a series of questions, along with vocabulary words. When we use our book, attention spans are not a problem. But I printed some of our on line stuff before I realized that I really didn't have to. When we do those, the kids have a tendency to zone out. This was not a problem last year. So now, I glance through the reading the night before and do a quick 7 question follow along. They have to listen to the text to find the answers. We treat it like a scavenger hunt and the kids have really enjoyed it. I know they are listening and I know that they are engaged. Thishas been a learning process for all of us.

We started dance again this week. The big girl has to wait until Monday, since last Monday was Labor Day. She is champing at the bit to get started. She's watched her little brother, little sister, and her mama dance and she feels like it's her turn. Well, hang on honey, your turn is coming.

I get my crown on Monday. Can you hear the excitement in my voice? I know that they want to schedule a deep cleaning, but with our benefits, that may have to wait until the new year. But who knows what our benefits are going to be then. With the issues the company has had with benefits, and delaying the choosing of benefits for next year indefinitely, I'm not sure where we are going to stand with that one. If you stop and are thinking about me at 9am Monday morning, say a quick prayer.

I get to take the kids with me to the dentist. Hubby is working. And working. And working. And did I mention that he is working? He had 48 hours of overtime last week. Not the last two weeks. Just last week. But he worked all seven days of the work week. He had one day off, Sunday, then was back at it. He has 23 hours of overtime for this last week. He was supposed to be off today, but he's working. And his day off next week has already been cancelled. We are not complaing by any means. We were able to make a couple of pretty hefty payments on some credit cards. I get to go do our household shopping tonight all by myself when he gets home tonight. He understands that while he's been working so have I. And I need some time to myself.

I got our Pizza Hut Book It stuff in the mail yesterday. Homeschool families are able to participate in the program which I think is fantastic. I sat down and created a form for the big girl and the boy so we can keep track. They have to read 10 books each month to get their certificate. I love the fact that we are included in a program like that.

We've been listening to "Eragon" on CD. I started this thing last year where we read a book that has been made into a movie. After we read the book, we watch the movie and try to find the things that are different, things that are the same, and things that were not what we thought they would be. That has been fun. Anyway, we started reading "Eragon" last year, but what a huge book it is. There was no way we could have finished it. So we have had a really good time with the books on CD. The movie, by the way, is so completely different. We have also done "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". And after "Eragon", which has fourteen discs that take at least an hour apiece, we are going to do "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". We've seen all the HP movies that are out, so we list things with that after the disc is done. "Eragon" is so different, we quit listing, and just listen.

Last night we finally did the big girl's birthday dinner. Bless her heart, she gets dumped on so bad during her birthday. Specially since it was last month and we hadn't done it yet. But with hubby's overtime, we finally had the money. She wanted to go to the Outback and have ribs, so we did. Earlier this year my mom and stepdad came to visit and we went to The Outback. The big girl had a bite of her Uncle Jessie's ribs and thought they were fantastic. She kept that with her until her birthday and that's where she wanted to go and that's what she had. We were so glad to finally be able to do that for her.

Next Sunday we are doing a friends and family cake and ice cream day for her. We did a "just us" cake and ice cream, but we haven't done a big one yet. I don't expect much family to actually show up. Hubby's brothers suck when it comes to committment like a birthday party. It's alright when it's their child. Oh, don't get me started! Sunday is going to be fun for us anyway. When is cake and ice cream not fun?

We are all a little bummed that this weekend we didn't get to go to Disney's Night of Joy. It is a weekend long event at Disney that features concerts from some of the country's best Christian bands. We all would have loved to go. Hubby and I tried several times to win passes, but there was no way we could have afforded to take all five of us. But, hopefully, next year.

So there is the run down. I hope everyone is enjoying this look into our family. And for those of you who are a little nervous, upset, or generally not happy with the decision to home school, I hope that this gives you a little piece of mind. For those of you who are pleased with our decision, I hope this gives you comfort and we thank you for all your support.

Have a great day!

I did it!

I got through the baby's first dance class. She was so good. And how adorable is that sweet face when her hair is in a bun. You can see all the goodness and light. It sure brought back memories.

When the big girl started dancing, her brother was three, she was five. They put these adorable girls in pink leotards and pink tights and their hair pulled back in the same room. I always said the dance teacher went out back before a class and slammed a beer. And when the classes were over, she slammed another one. When I told her that, she laughed and said that was probably how she should do it. She says it's the thought that all the kids get to go home when the 45 minute class is over.

The big girl was so cute in her pink leotard. Because she started a little "late" for dance classes, she only had to take one year of the next class, half and half. No, it's not the stuff you put in your coffee. It's half an hour of ballet and half an hour of tap. She didn't much care for that class. She was ready to move on. But she did really well, anyway.

The next year she took jazz. She really loved the movements in that class. We used to walk through the store, or the park, or wherever, and one of us would go, "Jazz hands!". Then we would all do jazz hands. It was kind of funny. Sometimes we still do that. Her next class, and the one that she is in her third year of, is hip hop. She loves that class. I am so glad. I would love for her to take a ballet class. But the money isn't growing on trees anymore, so that's out.

The boy had to take two years of the half and half class. He was so done with it. He was ready to move on as well. The jazz teacher took a chance on him and let him take jazz a year early. And he was fantastic. But if you know the boy, you know he is a major ham. He loves the spotlight. He certainly didn't get that from his mother or his father. I like it when I'm in my element, not when I'm in front of a huge audience. Not the boy! He's taking jazz again this year. He's another one I wish would take ballet. It is so good for your body.

So here we go, embarking on yet another journey of dance. I hope the baby loves it as much as her brother, sister, and mother. I highly recommend you take a dance class. I love my tap class. And don't worry about rhythm, or coordination, or any of those other excuses you might have. Half the people in your class don't have any either. Get off your butt, and do it. Dance, dance, dance!

Have a great day!

Today is the Day

Today is the day that our baby starts dance class. She is so excited. I am to a point, but this is one of those milestone moments. She is finally able to start, but that means she is old enough. I didn't think that she would ever be old enough. I relate this to the first day of kindergarten. With the other two, it wasn't a big deal.

The big girl started when she was in kindergarten. She wanted to be a ballerina. So I looked into dance classes and off she went. The boy watched her dance and decided that he wanted to. So he started the next year, before he started kindergarten. But this is my baby. I guess it's always worse with the baby. But I am so glad my babies dance.

I love what it does for them. Not that the boy lacks confidence about anything he does, except spelling, but it is so good for all of them. So, short post today. But as soon as I get the pictures, maybe I'll post them for you.

Have a great day!

One down...

and I don't know how many to go. We got through our first week and nobody broke a bone. I whooped a couple of butts, but other than that nobody got hurt. It has really been interesting so far. With three of them this time, I have to really stay on my toes.

We sit down and do our "together" stuff first. That's our bible study, history, and science. The kids have been very receptive to the curriculum so far, and I like that. Even the baby will sit with us until we're done.

When we're done with that stuff, it's time for the baby to sit down and do her reading lesson. We are using "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" . I have heard really good things about the program from some other moms. My sister had used it for her kids, and her kids have done great with it. I tried it with my two oldest, but at that time I didn't really have a vested interest. I knew my kids were going to school and somebody else was going to teach them to read. This time is very different.

With the baby, we sit down and do two lessons a day. She has been very receptive to this process. She has had some speech issues, but she hasn't really been challenged to correct them. This has really brought the issue to the forefront with us. But I can honestly say it has started to show progress with her already. She is supposed to repeat sounds back to me of the various letters, and I can see her making an effort. If she doesn't get it right, she seems to get a little discouraged. But I just tell her what a great job she is doing. That has been getting her back on track. I am really proud of how smart she is. Here is a snippet of our conversation from the other day:

"Will you write some small e's for me?"

"Sure, Mama." Writing two small e's occurs. "How many do you want me to draw?"

"How about five?"

"I have three left." Then Mama freaks out a little because this was spontaneous. No counting of fingers, no thinking for a minute, just the words.

"Will you write m's for me?"

"Big m or little m?"

"Which ever one you want to do." I am not concerned about the capital or lower case at this point. Let's learn to read first ok. "That is a good m. Will you do four for me?"

"I have three left." Again, Mama freaks a little. There was no hesitation, just straight to knowing how many she had left to write.

And that is what I love about homeschooling. The spontaneity of the moment, the learning that has occurred without knowing it was learning. How fantastic is it that a four year old is doing math in her head? Not on her fingers, not with the funny screwing up of the face as she thinks about it, just math. And quickly. I am so amazed at the intelligence of children when they are allowed to learn in an open environment.

The boy had a couple of issues with his reading comprehension yesterday. There are certain things I am very flexible about. And I will help my children with almost all of their work. But I will not help them with reading comprehension when they have not tried to answer the questions first. And that is what the boy wants. That is the bane of his existence. And it's not that he doesn't want to read. He loves to read. He just doesn't like to answer the questions after he's read. Yesterday was one day too many for him to push me. He did it, and he did well, he just doesn't like it.

The big girl is always so good. She had a reading comp with her vocabulary. It was about Maya Angelou, and it was a little long. Some of the questions used her vocab words. And if it didn't, the words was supposed to be in the answer. She didn't read that part of the instructions. So she had to redo some of her answers. Unhappy would describe the big girl. But she did it and didn't complain.

And today was park day. We all agree that park day is more about the moms than the kids. Sometimes the kids will complain a little, but the response from the moms when were talking about it was always the same. "I don't care if you want to go. I'm going. And if I'm going, you're going." We need the down time and the camaraderie and the support. We were there until almost 4 today. I had tired, filthy babies. But they loved it as much as I did.

So take heart, family and friends. The babies are doing well being home schooled. Dance starts next week, and our church after school program the week after that. We are back to being busy, busy, busy.

Have a great day!

School started today

This weekend the kids and I were talking about starting school a little early. We were getting a little tired of "sitting around". That's so funny, I need to take a minute to laugh. Anyway, we decided we would start a little early. So we started today. It's only a week, but that could mean a lot in the grand scheme of things.

It means that we finish our weather book the last week before our Christmas break. I like that. Before, we weren't going to finish it until we got back from our break. I like the fact that we can start our geology and aren't left hanging for two weeks.

The boy also finishes his first spelling book before we go. Once again he would have had 2 weeks of lessons before he started the second half of his curriculum.Not that it matters much with his spelling. Not as much as the science.

The big girl will still have a couple of weeks to finish her vocabulary curriculum. But that is like the spelling. It's independent of the other lessons in the book and doesn't matter if it gets finished by a certain time. Well, except the end of our school year. It will be done before we end our year.

We had a good day today. We did our bible lesson first. The big girl and the boy had their paper, while the baby colored the picture that came with the lesson. It was so nice to have them all at the table together. It was also a little strange. Last year, the baby only had to sit with us if she wanted to.

We did our history and science today as well. That went fairly well. We have a lot of podcasts and online articles to read with both of those subjects. I like that though, because it gives us a little break from book work. And the kids think it's cool we get to use the podcasts.

We sat down with the baby and started our reading book. I had her write the first two letters that they go over in her book. She already knew them. She also already knew how to write them. She does a pretty good S, if you ask me. But, once again, I'm biased. We actually got through our first two lessons. She did so good.

The math curriculum for the boy comes as four books. Two are student workbooks, and two are teacher's guides. I bought a 2"binder and when I make copies for the boy to use, I put the originals in the binder. It was a little expensive, the books not the binder, so I don't want him to write on it. The pages are tear out, so I just tore the pages out of the teacher's guide, punched holes in it, and put that in the binder as well. I found these great erasable subject dividers and used those to seperate the books it the binder. It took awhile, but that's ok.

We've been listening to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on CD. Today we finished it by listening to the last three. We've already seen the movie. We own it. But as we listen, we try to find the differences between the book and the movie. It's been fun, and it has given us something new to talk about at the dinner table. We are going to work our way through the series, since we own all the movies that have come out so far. Except "Order of the Phoenix". But I DVR'd it.

I like the recorded books. I don't have to find the time to actually read them aloud. Those days are few and far between. We listen to them in the van, while we clean our rooms, or while we're eating lunch. The kids have enjoyed it and so have I. Sometimes we just hang out together while we listen. I get on the library website and reserve them. I need to do "Chamber of Secrets" now that we've finished this one.

All I have left to do today is our list of books. By state law, you have to have a list of all books used for teaching. You also have to list all books read during the school year. That's cool. I signed the kids up for the Pizza Hut Book it program. that should be interesting for us. But their science and history also has a list of books that go with the curriculum. I've already told them they have to read at least one history and one science book for the week of study. Then the rest are all books that they get to choose. That means a weekly trip to the library, but I love requesting books on line.

Tomorrow the big girl wants to go to the mall and spend some of her bday money. It's burning a hole in her pocket. I told her ok, but she doesn't get to spend all of it. She wants girlie stuff. Duh! She is such a girlie girl. We went to get our ink cartridges refilled at Walgreen's today and while we waited, she wanted to look at makeup. I wonder where she got that (her mother ha, ha)?

And the best part of all- we finally named our school. I called my dad to get some info from him. Then we voted for the name we liked the best. The name we decided on is Kula a Hale Na'auao Akamai. That means The School of Wisdom. The kids are excited about telling all their friends. I am too actually. Thanks, Dad!

We had a good day and I loved it. Hubby is working a ton of overtime right now because of Fay. But that's good by me. It means I work a ton of overtime with the kids. I can do it. Now it's time to go make dinner. Hamburgers tonight. I'm making mine with shrooms and Swiss. Yum!

Have a great day!