A week in review

Monday:
 Gary didn't have school plus our fabulous Aunt Nancy was in town. She helped drive my furniture back from my house in MD (loooong story!). Originally we thought we would like to take her to see the lighthouse in Menor, OH and play on the beach so we all got dressed in swimsuits in set off. When you get off the exit Menor is to your left and Kirtland is to your right. We went right and I'm so glad we did. Kirtland is SUCH a beautiful, spiritual place full of our church's history. I am so grateful we could share it with Aunt Nancy. She has been a member of the church for 1 year now and has grown so much. It's amazing!

Tuesday: 
 Aunt Nancy left to drive back to MD and we got started on our first day of homeschool for the year. We start our days with scripture reading as a family and discussion on what we read. I LOVE that Gary is home to be part of this with us. It's truly a blessing! After morning devotional, the kids asked if we could do history. They love our history program, "Story of the World". After history, I introduced Zech and Gabe to their new math levels. I decided to try Gabriel on "Teaching Textbooks" this year since I bought it for Zech but he didn't like it. I also made this decision b/c Zech needs my help with Math and I'm bringing Ammon into full schooling. I needed one kid to not need as much of my help in math. Gabriel loves it! Gabriel's math doesn't take nearly as long as Zech's so I started him on Individual Reading. After everyone was done with math, we started Grammar. Zech graduated from "First Language Lessons' and is now on Shurley's Grammar level 6. So far, so good. Gabe is using FFL 3 this year. I decided to test Ammon to see if he remembers any of the reading program we did last year. I just picked up from where we left off and I he seriously blew my socks off! Ammon hated and resisted learning to read last year. He would tell me he couldn't remember the sounds of the letters and his focus would wonder terribly.  He is totally different now! He is rocking a rolling through his reading book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". I used this with Zech and he is a great reader! Gabriel is good too but not as strong as Zech was at his age. (I'm going to fix that though!) This first day of school took me ALL day! I didn't finish until 2:30 or 3! This was mainly due to Emma's multiple breakdowns, fits, and distractions. She did NOT like having everyone busy and not playing with her! Elijah wanted to do school too so I would give him workbooks to work in, playdough to play with, and books and puzzles to look at. Too bad Emma wouldn't do those too! :(

Wednesday: HOMESCHOOL CO-OP DAY
Remember that post about homeschool discimination? Well...I really liked what this one group that meets at the Akron Fossil and Science Center was going to offer this year. I had contacted the liaison for the group who told me she didn't think the group would be a good fit for me. After a couple of weeks, I decided not to let one person decide for me and anyone else what was or wasn't a good fit. So, I told her that since her group did not have a Statement of Faith that had to be signed and was open to all homeschool families, I would be joining! Bright and early Wednesday morning (8AM!!!) We met for co-op. First was Science. It was great! The kids loved it! Next was music. The teacher was the typical school-marm. She was strict and demanded perfection from the kids. While the older boys said they did not like her, they learned a ton and were VERY well behaved! Ammon just got out of there as fast as he could :) We had about 1 1/2 hours before the next class, History started. Hisory was 2 hours long! Science was too!
The good: Because the science and history classes are so intense, I will not have to do these subjects at home-at all!
The bad: They are lengthy and intense! 2 hours?!? These are homeschool kids! I secretly love it though. It's all about expectations. ---that is the name of my next post.

Thursday:
Back to homeschool! We had a pretty good day except Elijah started running a fever and my stupid renter in MD makes me want to scream and hit something!

Friday:
 we had a playdate with my BFF, Beth Adams and her little girls in the AM so we started school after lunch. It was SO nice! Emma was asleep so I got a TON done! I may have to make this our new schedule! Gary was home and helped Zech with math. I could get used to that too!

Overall, I would say our week was good and successful. Here's hoping next week is even better! 

Faith in every Footstep

Most people who know me well, know of the adventure we are on. A year ago in June, I moved my house and family to the Griesmyer farm. It was a huge change at first. I lived in the middle of nowhere. The church was 45 miles away. There were no friends for me or the children close enough to visit and play with. I went through some trials of my faith but eventually settled into the wonder and luxury that the simple farm life affords. I had many interesting experiences along the way that I'll have to save for another post. In January of 2013, Gary quit active duty military life. We had another trial as we figured out how to manage the depression of separating him from his previous life as well as the depression of now being dependent on someone else. July 2013 brought us to Akron, OH where Gary has been accepted to attend law school. After more trials of faith, we found a small house to rent in our price range.  We love the area. We love the ward. We love our new friends. I LOVE that I now live about 1.5 miles from my college roomie and best friend, Beth Adams. She and I have a great history together and get along splendidly. She's awesome! I feel blessed. Yet trials of faith continue to come in and out of our lives. A major concern for us right now is of course, money. Or the lack thereof. I received notice that the renter that just signed another year lease with us in July, will be moving out in 30 days! This is a blessing in disguise even though my faith is being tested AGAIN! Will we get another renter in? Will we have to sell and lose a ton of money on the house? There are many questions that are unanswered right now. But here are a few things I have learned about faith over the last year or more:

• Faith is an Action-there has never been a time in my life that I have not been asked to DO something that tested my faith.
• You can have faith and still be worried or concerned-I used to think that if I had enough faith I would not worry about things, I would have total confidence that everything would work out. I have learned though that I can be acting on faith and still have concerns that I take to the Lord and my husband.
• Trials of Faith make us stronger and wiser- I was sitting in RS last week while we were having a lesson on faith and one woman made a comment that there was nothing in her life that has ever been 'hard' because she had faith. At first I thought that maybe she just hasn't had hard things happen to her in her life. But then I thought, trials of faith make us stronger so that things don't seem so 'hard'. Some people think my life as a military wife has been hard. I guess it has but in the moment, you just do it because your faith in God helps you through. 
• Faith is a journey- it is not something you become perfect at ...EVER! I think I will always freak a little bit when a new major trial come into my life. It doesn't matter that I've learned this lesson over and over again: God knows me and loves me and will take care of me. I know that! I really, really do! It doesn't mean that I am prefect in my faith though. It is a journey that I am still on.   

I too find my lack of faith disturbing but continue to work on it each and everyday. I think that's the whole point though, don't you?

Homeschool Discrimination

Today I received an email from a woman that heads a homeschool group in our area. I was told to contact her from another source whom I spoke to at length about who I was, my faith, my desires as a homeschool Mom, etc. I was excited about the possibility of joining an established co-op that offered classes, playgroups, field trips, and support. I wrote her a week ago and finally received a reply today. To sum it up she said she did not think their group would be a good fit for me because they were Christian based and I was LDS. This is strike 3 in this area. I have been turned down by 2 other groups who require a statement of faith that while I understand, I cannot sign. This group, however, does NOT have a statement of faith yet still decided for me that I would not fit in. I'm not mad. I'm hurt. I'm not shocked. I'm appalled! So, you say you are an inclusive group just not to people who you think aren't Christian. Where does that leave me? Protestants do not believe I'm Christian so I can't join any of their groups so that leaves me to the REALLY inclusive groups like LGBT, Wiccans, and Satanists.  Like I belong there!?! I knew homeschool would be hard, I knew it would mean I were different. I knew I would be left out, excluded from some activities of other women my age. I guess I didn't know that I would be left out, excluded by other homeschoolers! It sucks. I feel like I have been on my own my whole life and now more than ever I feel like I am in this alone. Yes, I have friends and family members who homeschool but none live close enough to do anything with. Times like these make you question, ya know? It makes it that much more important for me to know my Why! I know I am doing this because it is BEST for my family. Period. The End!

Today's Gem:

My oldest asked me again today, "Mom, when are we going to start homeschool again?" 

Awesome! I love when they do this! It means it is time! 

Children crave structure and routine. They need to know what to expect each day. Giving them clear expectations and goals to achieve and work towards betters their attitudes, increases their confidence, and makes them more independent people. 

How to set up a homeschool daily routine:

-Be Realistic

Dictating what will be done every hour and minute of the day will only frustrate you when it doesn't happen. Life happens! Sometimes we sleep in. Sometimes we get a phone call that just can't wait. When setting up your schedule, make sure you give yourself room to breathe, juggle, and change if needed. 

-Don't forget the chores

Many people think it is impossible to do both. Sometimes it is! Chores, like laundry, often times get put on hold when first starting out on the homeschool adventure. Don't worry! There is always more laundry that needs to be done. I would often laugh at my Mom when she would come to visit. She would want to help with laundry. I'm pretty good at keeping up with it so it was never a huge need for me, it may be for you. I would laugh because once my mom finished the laundry, she was so happy! But in my mind I would think, there's more getting dirty as we speak! That's pretty rude of me huh?! I'd much rather someone cook me dinner! Lol! 

Kids need chores too!

If your kids aren't doing chores, you are not teaching them the most important thing in life, work. You MUST teach them how to work. Plus, there's no way you can do all this yourself! 

Here is my Schedule to help you get an idea of how I work:

Wake up

Eat breakfast

Get dressed

Start a load of laundry

Direct kid's morning chores (kitchen duty)

Morning devotional ( we all join together for a mini FHE)

History/guided reading (this is one of the only subjects we do together as a whole family. So, I do it first before the little ones get too rambunctious.)

Grammar 

Piano

Handwriting

( I have one child doing Grammar with me while another is working independently on HW while the other is practicing piano. Got that?) 

LUNCH

Afternoon chores- switch over laundry, clean kitchen

Individual reading time while I Put babies down for nap

Math

Computer time- this is educational computer time that includes typing, research, and reports

(I call one child to me to do math lessons while the little ones are playing quietly and the big kids are having computer time and rotate them through math like that) 

Free play

Clean up

DINNER

Evening chores- this consists of kitchen duties, tidying up the school room, putting away folded laundry, etc.

Bedtime routine

Lights out!

Mommy time-blog, FB, pay bills, eat cookies, and watch a movie ;)

Notice there are not hours associated with this schedule. Yeah...I made that mistake my first year. It was awful! I never could start school at 8am and have everything done before lunch at 11:30am. Most themes, I would be exhausted by lunch and not start school again until after 3! No more set times for me. I know what order things need to be done in and that is more attainable for me. 

What about shopping and Dr apts?

My kids used to  take piano on Tuesdays at 10am. After their lessons, I would do my shopping. I would TRY to schedule Dr apts on this day as well. It didn't always work but trying to plan is better than not planning at all. I love that saying, "failing to plan is planning to fail!" It is sooo true! You need a plan. Even if it doesn't always work. Have one! 

~Bekah

Homeschooling: Where do I start?

Where Do I Start?

So, you have your "Why" and are gonna homeschool. Now what?!? There is SOOO much information out there that one can get tremendously overwhelmed. I STILL get overwhelmed and I've been doing it for 3 years now! Here's my thoughts for whatever they are worth:

1) Find out what kind of homeschooler you want to be. 

• Are you looking for an unschooling method? Some people love just living life and embracing any and all experiences as "learning opportunities". As a public school kid, I find I do not do this easily. I learned to test and retained nothing :(

• Would you like to teach/learn through unit studies? I love unit studies but find I need more structure than this

• Do you want a laid out curriculum that comes all boxed up with a pretty bow? (Me, Me, Me!)

• Would you like someone else to teach and direct your child but still keep them home? There are many free online homeschools that will do just that. K12, Connections Academy, and several others. Ohio has one called OHDELA they will even give you a printer and a monthly stipend to help you pay for extra curriculars. 

2) Read the homeschooling laws for your state. 
Go to http://www.hslda.org/ 
Becoming a member of Homeschool Legal Defense would also be a step that I would take if you are looking at doing this for an extended period of time. They've got your back. Always! 


3) Purchase your curriculum
There are sooo many sources to choose from! Homeschooling used to be so obscure and difficult. Now you can practically do it completely free and online. I have numerous websites pinned on my Pinterest boards, if you are interested. But for your information and since this is solely my blog and my opinion, here are my favs!

• Bekah's favorite multi-subject Curriculum in a box:                                                         

Sonlight http://www.sonlight.com . If I had the money, I would buy Sonlight. I love their readers and use their list in my own homeschool adventure. 

~You could choose instead the tried and true- Abeka  Warning: It's pricey too! 

• MATH:    

Saxon- This is what I use mainly because of peer pressure. Seriously, my hubby was taught using Saxon and swore by it and then my SIL said it was the "best" so I went with Saxon. It is a a GREAT curriculum. Pros: It is heavy on manipulatives which works for me and some of my kinesthetic learners. It is thorough. You know the student is learning the concept before another is taught. Cons: It is tedious. It is repetitive. I have to edit a lot to save my sanity and the sanity of my kids. Because I am not using the whole program the way it is written, I feel guilty, push my kids too hard, and then math becomes dreadful for us all. (sigh)                                                                                                                                      
Math U See- I ALMOST bought this whole program this year. I have a ton of friends who use it and they all love it! I was nervous to start something new and totally different at this stage plus my practical side wouldn't let me buy new stuff when I have another one that works great and is paid for! Pros: Heavy with manipulatives. Cons: each workbook is one concept heavy. Ex: Their Beta book is primarily addition and subtraction. If you were to put your child into public school after only one year, I am not sure if they would have the well rounded knowledge of their grade level math concepts.                                                                                               
 Right Start Math- I attended a LDS homeschool conference in May where the creator of Right Start Math was there and gave a presentation on the program. I was VERY impressed and enthralled! It seemed like a wonderful mesh of Saxon and Math U See. Probably would have been perfect for me IF I had let myself spend the $. Pros: Good solid math program. Heavy on mainpulatives but more cyclical than Math U See. Cons: only goes up to 5th grade. Price.
 

•  HISTORY: 

Story of the World www.peacehillpress.com. This is a classical education based program with a 4 year cycle of History volumes. It comes with an Activity Book which is full of student coloring pages, recipes, crafts, and other readings to go along with the chapters and subjects you study in the history book itself. It also has a test book to keep tabs on retention. My kids beg for history! It is their favorite subject!                                                                          
ABEKA- This is probably the longest standing homeschool curriculum out there. Its pricey though!                                                                                                                                                   My Father's World-Christian based. Cute graphics. Fun. Pricey. 

• WRITING:

Let's face it, all kids at the elementary age REALLY need to focus on is Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.  My favorite handwriting learning curriculum is...
Handwriting Without Tears www.hwtears.com. It is SUPER fun, easy, and the kids like it instead of dreading it like I did in school. You don't even need to buy anything. There are TONS of websites where you can print off handwriting sheets for free. Google is my best friend! 

• READING/GRAMMAR:

First of all, READ TO YOUR KIDS!!! Read to them! There are sooo many studies that prove that IQs are higher in children whose parents read to them at young ages. (I start reading to mine while they are in utero!) 
We have Guided Reading, Individual Reading, and Free Reading at our house.
Guided Reading is where I read to my kids a book of my choice (usually a classic). We spend 20-30 mins depending on behaviors with the little ones. Sometimes it will be up to an hour if its at the climax and the kids just don't want me to stop!
Individual Reading is where the kids have to read at least 30 mins of a book on their reading list. (Remember the Sonlight list?)
Free Reading- this is where they can pick anything they want to read and read it. Yes, even Calvin and Hobbes, Pokemon, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid ~cringe! The point is to let them read things that are fun to them. I usually do this during quiet/nap time to help us all stay quiet!

Grammar: I LOVE Grammar!
I use First Language Lessons from www.peacehillpress.com
I also like Abeka and Shurley English. Because First Language Lessons only has 4 levels available, Zechariah has finished them all. This year he will graduate to Shurley Grammar for his middle school grammar studies.

• SPELLING: 

First of all, I believe the more you read and write, the more proper spelling will come naturally to you (at least it did to me). However, I am realizing that not everyone can just see a word and know how it is supposed to be spelled. Shocker! I have used a workbook called Spelling Workout. It's like $8 on amazon or something. This year I am starting a new Spelling program that many of my homeschooler friends RAVE about: All About Spelling. I will let you know how it goes!

• SCIENCE:

Oh science, I hate you and you hate me! I am terrible at teaching science! Why, you ask? Because I was taught out of a textbook but am a kinesthetic learning. Therefore, I have NO applicable knowledge in this field. AT ALL! My kids ask me questions and I have no answer for them. I feel stupid. I am also a bit OCD and cannot stand the mess of a science project happening in my house. :( I do have loads of science readers I make them read and I put my kids on National Geographic, NASA, and other science related websites. But that is the extent of my endeavor...until now. Realizing my disdain for science, I enrolled my kiddos in a science class taught at a Fossil and Science Center here in town. I'm ecstatic and so are they! YAY!
There are science curricula out there! My fav is Apologia. It is a Creation based approach to science instead of evolutionary, which I appreciate. We finished the Solar System book and had a blast doing it. They have many subjects to choose from and the price is fairly good.

Did I forget anything? Gosh, I hope not! Please comment, FB me, or email me with any further questions you might have. I really hope this helps at least a little.

You can do it! I know you can! Good luck on your new adventure! It is super crazy but crazy rewarding!

I'm BAAAAACK!

HI! Did you miss me? I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted on my blog! I will not even try to catch up. I just want to start anew and fresh. I am new, I am different, my life is SO not the same. So here we go!

This particular blog post is specifically to answer my many friends who are asking the questions: "How do you do it?" and "Is home-school really hard?"

How do you do it?

If by "it" you mean raise and home school 5 children while pregnant with my 6th; one day at a time. You see, the first 7-9 years of my marriage and child bearing years were full of high expectations of myself.  I kept my house immaculately clean. There was NEVER dirty laundry laying around. You would see no dirty dishes in the sink. I vacuumed every single day. (seriously, I did) I had a strict schedule for my kids. I read every parenting book I could get my hands on. I did story times and playgroups. I home schooled, then I didn't. I served in huge callings both while my husband was deployed and state side. I fulfilled my role as the supportive military wife. This meant I did everything by myself; finances, bedtimes, lawn care, home care and maintenance, car maintenance, child rearing, even hosting and caring for our numerous family members and special occasions.  ~I love to throw a party! I took many judgements and advice from others, I gave a bit of my own-sorry :( I drew close to the Lord and sometimes I ran away from Him. I have loved my husband and at times, despised my husband. I have learned. I have grown, I have changed. One day at a time. You see, I restart every day with a fresh pallet. I always tell my kids that once their punishment is over and they have apologized, its done. Its over. I do not continue the punishment or guilt trip. Its over! So I try to do this with myself, and my mate, as well. I have to. I disappoint myself everyday. I am not who I want to be. I do not act the way I know I should all the time. But I'm trying.
Now, I have learned a lot of 'tricks of the trade' along the way that I will be sharing with all of you as soon as I figure out how to make a most amazing blog! But, I "do it" one day at a time. This also means one baby at a time. They get older you guys! They grow and learn as well! Its scary and crazy cool all at the same time.

Is homeschool really hard?

Oh boy! How do I answer this? No. and Yes. Is it harder than putting your kid on a bus at 7am and not seeing them again until 3pm or later? SURE! I've done both! I can guarantee that it is harder. It takes more of your time. It takes planning, scheduling, juggling. But it is also easier in some respects. I HATED that the kids would come home from school and we'd rush off to piano, then come home for homework and dinner, then rush off to soccer practice, then get home just in time to do our bedtime routine. It was chaotic! It felt like we were constantly rushed. It felt hectic. I hated it!!! Homeschooling allows us to take our time. It allows us time for scripture study. We sit at the table longer and talk about silly things. We are forced to communicate and work together. The children have stronger relationships with one another because of being home together all the time.

The choice to home-school is a personal one.
You need to choose first for yourself, with the help of our Lord through prayer, if this is right for you. I am not going to spew all this anti public school garbage that you can get from many people. It doesn't help convince anybody to do or not to! I can share my "Why" and let you discover yours. My "Why" comes from a quote I read in Pres. Uchtdorf's talk "Of Things That Matter Most" (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/of-things-that-matter-most?lang=eng). I had prayed for many months about whether or not I should pull my kids out of public school and homeschool them. Zech had been picked up for TAG and Gabriel was doing great at the school too. I even attended a LDS homeschool convention in hopes of receiving that AH HA! moment. One day I was soaking in the tub, reading the Ensign and this hit me like a ton of bricks,

"Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in a recent general conference, taught, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.” 

There you go.  That was it.  That was my answer.  Public school was good!  But home-schooling my children was better or best because it would allow us to develop our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen my family.  I knew it.  Without a doubt, I knew it.  So I did it!  Ok, so once you've made the choice...where do you start?! That, my friends will be tomorrows post :)

Gabriel turns 7

Gabriel celebrated his 7th birthday by watching "The Amazing Spiderman" and having cake and ice cream with all his cousins at the farm for Cousin's Camp. I hope he realizes how lucky he is to have his birthday at a time when the entire family is always together.

Here's a little about 7 year old Gabriel: (interview done today actually)

Favorite movie: NinjaGo and Lego Clutch Powers, the movie

Favorite color: fire red

Favorite book: Magic School Bus books

Favorite song: Tantrum from Dog Train CD

Favorite thing to do: Play Legos with Zech

Favorite Person: Emma Lee (and Mommy and Daddy and everybody else in my family)

Least favorite thing to do: school

Favorite thing that happened last year: going to Disney World

Favorite thing learned in school: Learning about the Romans and Galdiators

Biggest accomplishments: I scored my first goal in my last game of the soccer season. Someone kicked the ball to me and I kicked it into the goal. I was so excited and happy!

Mommy's thoughts: Gabriel is so mature for his age. He is still the sweet sensitive boy he has always been. He is learning to stand up to Zechariah when Zech is wrong. I am happy to see that. I let him know that it is ok and support him as much as I can. Gabriel is a big brother and finds that the role brings a lot of responsibilty. He is more than happy to take that on when it comes to Emma Lee, he is not so willing with Ammon and Elijah. Gabe and Zech have been friends for so long that they tend to not let the younger boys play and hang out with them. Gabe is getting better about playing with and including Ammon in their circle. Gabriel is thoughtful and picks up on people's thoughts and feelings. He asks questions and listens well. Gabriel is smart. He is a fabulous reader and is doing well in Math. His talents continue to develop. He is beginning to reallize his likes and dislikes and understand that it is OK if he likes something that someone else doesn't or vice versa. I love my Gabriel. He is and always will be "My Angel".