For now, I’m just making a list of what I’m doing to make sure I keep my priorities straight.
Priority # 1: God.
If I’m not paying attention to my relationship with my Savior, everything else seems to fall apart---so my biggest two actions to make sure I’m staying in touch are:
Reading my scriptures BEFORE I get out of bed. My phone is my alarm clock in the mornings and I have the Old and New Testaments as well as The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price on the phone as well, so it’s super easy to pick it up and read after I’ve turned the alarm off. I can just flick through, find wherever it was I left off the last time, and keep reading. Even if I only read a verse a day, I feel I’ve accomplished something. I have more energy during the day and I am more patient and optimistic.
Morning prayers. I’m pretty good about remembering to get on my knees before bed and offer a prayer, but I’m not so good about starting the day with prayer—but I’ve found that when I do, my days go better. I’m more patient, I have more energy. Huh. That sounds like what happens when I read my scriptures…and I’m all for a double dose of patience and energy!
Priority # 2: Husband.
Right now, I think the best thing I can do to nurture my husband is to go to bed at the same time my he does. It’s a simple thing, really, but it’s one way to avoid living completely separate lives—and going to bed at the same time gives us a great chance to wind down together, talk, or…well, do other stuff….
Also, taking ten minutes to tidy up the house before Julio gets home, and making sure dinner is ready to eat when he walks in is a good thing for my marriage. I recently implemented a ten minute cleaning blitz about half an hour before I expect Julio home. It’s pretty simple, and so basic, I wonder why I didn’t think of it sooner. A tidy house makes for happy people—and who doesn’t love to come home to a neat space? It sets a good tone for the evening.
Meal planning—or at least dinner planning is a good thing too. It takes the stress out of trying to figure out what we’re going to eat and gives me a chance to plan for the evenings when we’ll be gone all day (crock pot!) or gone in the evenings (picnic style!) Julio always comes home hungry, so having dinner ready to go as soon as he walks in makes for a smooth transition from work to home! Last Sunday evening, I sat down with Ellen (who was in charge of kitchen chores for the week) and we planned dinners together. She wrote down our menu for the week and posted it on the fridge. It was wonderful. Everyone knew what to expect, and I had a visual reminder about what I’d need to prepare on any given day.
How does cooking and cleaning nurture my marriage? It makes me a nicer person to be around, and frankly, it just makes Julio happy. I like to make him happy.
Priority # 3: Kids.
I need to spend more face time with each of my kids. It’s so easy to treat them as a herd. It’s easy to ignore them or push them away with schoolwork or chores or TV and computer time. We’re in the car a lot and it’s easy to tune them out via the radio or an audio book or CD. I need to be more intentional in my time with my kids. They love to be read to—even the big kids. We need to sing together more—doing it in the car would be great---but of course, I’ll have to start with goofy kid songs to ensure participation! I definitely need to hug and cuddle my kids more. I’d like to be the kind of mom that just randomly hugs a kid, but I have to really make an effort to remember to do that. And when I tell myself “I need to give each kid five hugs today” it gets done. If I don’t tell myself things like that, it’s easy for me to go all day without really connecting physically—and kids NEED that. My kids love it when I hug them, and they behave better and act happier when I “randomly” grab one of them and hug them and say, “You know, I think you’re a great kid and I’m glad you’re mine.” I mean it when I say it, too—even if only ten minutes ago I was harping on someone to get their room clean or quit dawdling over the math assignment.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Priorities
One of the reasons I chose to homeschool my kids was because I was sure it would make me a better mother—not a “better-than-you” mother, but a “better-more-engaged-person-with-my-kids” mother.
In some ways, I think I have accomplished this—I, with my temper so bad my siblings actually refer to anyone having a hissy fit as “pulling a Marissa,” complete with claw-fingered hand gesture—have learned quite a bit of patience. I admit, I still pull an occasional “Marissa,” but I have mellowed a LOT.
I have let go of a lot of my tendency to want to control every. single. aspect of the kids’ schooling. They are allowed a lot of freedom and creativity and they are allowed the responsibility of cleaning up after said freedom and creativity.
I have learned to laugh. This one came a little slower than the other two—but I’m much better now at finding the humor in less-than-humorous situations. (After I pull a Marissa.)
In other ways, though, I’ve realized I need some crucial work. We are always on the go---I feel pulled in so many different directions. I am so BUSY. And I’ve had a few experiences of late that have combined to make me realize that “busy” doesn’t equal “important.” I have a tendency to think it does. When people ask me what’s going on in my life or what I’ve got going on for the week, I rattle off my list of “to-do’s” and “to-go’s” and I FEEL important---and that feeling carries me for awhile through my days.
But here are my recent experiences that made me realize that busyness does not equal importance:
It is fairly normal for me to try to cram my preparations for my Sunday School class into a Saturday night or even a Sunday morning before church. I skim the lesson, look for the main points and main scriptures and wing it in class. Sometimes this works fine. Sometimes it doesn’t. But—I’ve had enough “works fine” classes to keep me going with what I know are lousy preparation techniques. So, in cramming on Saturday night to prepare for my Sunday School lesson, I read 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon. In this chapter, Jesus comes to the people in the Americas and begins to teach them. He explains who He is, why He is come, and lays out the basic principles of His gospel—faith, baptism, repentance, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. As I was skimming, it hit me that this is probably THE most significant thing I’ve EVER read. I went back and really read the chapter. And I was overwhelmed with the love Jesus has for me. And then I realized how precious the scriptures are—how much hope and love and peace are in them, and how now I just didn’t have time to really dive into the scriptures for myself in time for class, much less for the teens in my class. Why had I not soaked this up sooner? Why hadn’t I been reading and learning and absorbing the scriptures every day?
Last week, I spent a few minutes with an elderly couple that I just adore. I hadn’t seen them in a while and just dropped in between the kids’ lessons and dance class. We had a nice visit, but I kept sneaking peeks at my watch. My friends noticed and commented on how busy I am. I agreed and launched into my list of things going on that day. They listened quietly until I’d finished, and then my friends spoke, “Well, we sure miss seeing you and the kids. But we understand, you’re busy.” There was sadness in their tone. I didn’t know how to address their comments, and it was time to go pick up my big kids from their piano lesson. So, I hugged my friends and headed out. But their words—and their tone---stayed with me. Why did they make me so sad?
My five year old has been asking me every day for the last week for cuddle time. But every time he asked, I was in the middle of something important—I was wrist deep in pizza dough, or updating the announcements for a homeschool group I’m a part of, or trying to read through my Sunday School lesson. My boy made himself a nest of blankets in his room, where he likes to sleep (why he won’t sleep on the brand new, awesome double bed mattress we just bought is beyond me.) Anyway, he wanted me to come snuggle with him in his nest. He had arranged his pillow and his collection of blankets just-so for me. After days of him pestering me, I finally went to cuddle with him in the nest. I admit, I went more to get him off my case than because I was looking forward to laying on a lumpy bunch of blankets with a wiggly little boy. But as I angled myself down next to him, he looked me in the eyes, and said through his thumb in his mouth, “I love you mommy, thank you for cuddling with me.” I melted. We had a nice long snuggle and we both fell asleep, my littlest boy curled up against me, with his head on my arm. How could I have put this sweet little guy off for days?
Last Friday was the first day in a long time that we haven’t had somewhere we had to be—there was NOTHING going on—no classes, no shopping to do, no errands to run. And it was WONDERFUL. I spent the day with the kids reading to them, taking a walk, hanging out on the couch with the big kids while the little ones played with blocks and Barbies and Spider Man toys. I rocked the baby. I haven’t rocked her since I quit nursing (don’t get me wrong, I’ve held her lots and lots, but not sat down in the rocking chair and just—rocked.) Usually, she naps in the car as we’re running around town. She was dozy---her eyes were fluttering, she was sucking her bottom lip, and she was twirling the hair on top of her head with her fingers. As soon as she was in my arms, she konked out. At first, I was tempted to just take her to her crib, so I could get something else done—but on the way to her room, I realized I didn’t want to put her down. I walked over to the rocking chair, sat down, and began rocking her. I was flooded with love for her—and for all my kids—and for all the time I spent rocking them—before life got so busy. How did I let this sweet, tender activity with my baby girl get away from me?
Last night, after the kids were in bed, I sat down with Julio while we ate a late night meal together. We were catching up with each other, and I told him about all the projects I had going on, all the places and classes the kids had to be at, all the things that were making me feel a little crazy and that were stacking up. He got this look on his face---the one where he wants to say something that he’s pretty sure is going to upset me, but that we both know I need to hear. (I HATE that look.) Then he says:
“I’m worried that you’re spreading yourself too thin. I’m afraid you’re getting so busy that the most important things are starting to be neglected.”
I couldn’t even disagree with him. Had I not just been complaining that we weren’t getting through all the schoolwork and the house was a mess and I felt like I was hardly even making eye contact with the kids each day?
He gave me that look again, briefly surveyed the kitchen. “That, too, I guess, but I don’t mean that stuff.”
I thought back to cuddling Blythe and rocking Evelyn. “I know,” I said. “I’m with the kids all the time, but I’m not really present with them!”
Julio smiled a sad little smile at the tabletop. He wasn’t talking about the state of the house, the kids’ education, or even the kids themselves.
I am so stupid. He meant him. He meant US. I was starting to neglect him. I was starting to neglect us.
I can’t even express the sorrow I felt, realizing I was leaving my husband, my best friend! out of my life. My busy, busy, stupid-busy life.
We had a pretty significant heart-to-heart talk that reminded me what an amazing, long-suffering, good-humored, kind, affectionate, intelligent, astute, compassionate man I had the good fortune to marry.
How do you know when your priorities are out of order? When you start thinking “busy” means “important.”
Well, I’m taking back what is truly important. My God. My husband. My kids. These are what matter most. These are the most important things. THESE are the most important things.
Tomorrow, I’ll post what I’m doing to reorder my priorities from the “busy” things to my most important things.
In some ways, I think I have accomplished this—I, with my temper so bad my siblings actually refer to anyone having a hissy fit as “pulling a Marissa,” complete with claw-fingered hand gesture—have learned quite a bit of patience. I admit, I still pull an occasional “Marissa,” but I have mellowed a LOT.
I have let go of a lot of my tendency to want to control every. single. aspect of the kids’ schooling. They are allowed a lot of freedom and creativity and they are allowed the responsibility of cleaning up after said freedom and creativity.
I have learned to laugh. This one came a little slower than the other two—but I’m much better now at finding the humor in less-than-humorous situations. (After I pull a Marissa.)
In other ways, though, I’ve realized I need some crucial work. We are always on the go---I feel pulled in so many different directions. I am so BUSY. And I’ve had a few experiences of late that have combined to make me realize that “busy” doesn’t equal “important.” I have a tendency to think it does. When people ask me what’s going on in my life or what I’ve got going on for the week, I rattle off my list of “to-do’s” and “to-go’s” and I FEEL important---and that feeling carries me for awhile through my days.
But here are my recent experiences that made me realize that busyness does not equal importance:
It is fairly normal for me to try to cram my preparations for my Sunday School class into a Saturday night or even a Sunday morning before church. I skim the lesson, look for the main points and main scriptures and wing it in class. Sometimes this works fine. Sometimes it doesn’t. But—I’ve had enough “works fine” classes to keep me going with what I know are lousy preparation techniques. So, in cramming on Saturday night to prepare for my Sunday School lesson, I read 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon. In this chapter, Jesus comes to the people in the Americas and begins to teach them. He explains who He is, why He is come, and lays out the basic principles of His gospel—faith, baptism, repentance, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. As I was skimming, it hit me that this is probably THE most significant thing I’ve EVER read. I went back and really read the chapter. And I was overwhelmed with the love Jesus has for me. And then I realized how precious the scriptures are—how much hope and love and peace are in them, and how now I just didn’t have time to really dive into the scriptures for myself in time for class, much less for the teens in my class. Why had I not soaked this up sooner? Why hadn’t I been reading and learning and absorbing the scriptures every day?
Last week, I spent a few minutes with an elderly couple that I just adore. I hadn’t seen them in a while and just dropped in between the kids’ lessons and dance class. We had a nice visit, but I kept sneaking peeks at my watch. My friends noticed and commented on how busy I am. I agreed and launched into my list of things going on that day. They listened quietly until I’d finished, and then my friends spoke, “Well, we sure miss seeing you and the kids. But we understand, you’re busy.” There was sadness in their tone. I didn’t know how to address their comments, and it was time to go pick up my big kids from their piano lesson. So, I hugged my friends and headed out. But their words—and their tone---stayed with me. Why did they make me so sad?
My five year old has been asking me every day for the last week for cuddle time. But every time he asked, I was in the middle of something important—I was wrist deep in pizza dough, or updating the announcements for a homeschool group I’m a part of, or trying to read through my Sunday School lesson. My boy made himself a nest of blankets in his room, where he likes to sleep (why he won’t sleep on the brand new, awesome double bed mattress we just bought is beyond me.) Anyway, he wanted me to come snuggle with him in his nest. He had arranged his pillow and his collection of blankets just-so for me. After days of him pestering me, I finally went to cuddle with him in the nest. I admit, I went more to get him off my case than because I was looking forward to laying on a lumpy bunch of blankets with a wiggly little boy. But as I angled myself down next to him, he looked me in the eyes, and said through his thumb in his mouth, “I love you mommy, thank you for cuddling with me.” I melted. We had a nice long snuggle and we both fell asleep, my littlest boy curled up against me, with his head on my arm. How could I have put this sweet little guy off for days?
Last Friday was the first day in a long time that we haven’t had somewhere we had to be—there was NOTHING going on—no classes, no shopping to do, no errands to run. And it was WONDERFUL. I spent the day with the kids reading to them, taking a walk, hanging out on the couch with the big kids while the little ones played with blocks and Barbies and Spider Man toys. I rocked the baby. I haven’t rocked her since I quit nursing (don’t get me wrong, I’ve held her lots and lots, but not sat down in the rocking chair and just—rocked.) Usually, she naps in the car as we’re running around town. She was dozy---her eyes were fluttering, she was sucking her bottom lip, and she was twirling the hair on top of her head with her fingers. As soon as she was in my arms, she konked out. At first, I was tempted to just take her to her crib, so I could get something else done—but on the way to her room, I realized I didn’t want to put her down. I walked over to the rocking chair, sat down, and began rocking her. I was flooded with love for her—and for all my kids—and for all the time I spent rocking them—before life got so busy. How did I let this sweet, tender activity with my baby girl get away from me?
Last night, after the kids were in bed, I sat down with Julio while we ate a late night meal together. We were catching up with each other, and I told him about all the projects I had going on, all the places and classes the kids had to be at, all the things that were making me feel a little crazy and that were stacking up. He got this look on his face---the one where he wants to say something that he’s pretty sure is going to upset me, but that we both know I need to hear. (I HATE that look.) Then he says:
“I’m worried that you’re spreading yourself too thin. I’m afraid you’re getting so busy that the most important things are starting to be neglected.”
I couldn’t even disagree with him. Had I not just been complaining that we weren’t getting through all the schoolwork and the house was a mess and I felt like I was hardly even making eye contact with the kids each day?
He gave me that look again, briefly surveyed the kitchen. “That, too, I guess, but I don’t mean that stuff.”
I thought back to cuddling Blythe and rocking Evelyn. “I know,” I said. “I’m with the kids all the time, but I’m not really present with them!”
Julio smiled a sad little smile at the tabletop. He wasn’t talking about the state of the house, the kids’ education, or even the kids themselves.
I am so stupid. He meant him. He meant US. I was starting to neglect him. I was starting to neglect us.
I can’t even express the sorrow I felt, realizing I was leaving my husband, my best friend! out of my life. My busy, busy, stupid-busy life.
We had a pretty significant heart-to-heart talk that reminded me what an amazing, long-suffering, good-humored, kind, affectionate, intelligent, astute, compassionate man I had the good fortune to marry.
How do you know when your priorities are out of order? When you start thinking “busy” means “important.”
Well, I’m taking back what is truly important. My God. My husband. My kids. These are what matter most. These are the most important things. THESE are the most important things.
Tomorrow, I’ll post what I’m doing to reorder my priorities from the “busy” things to my most important things.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Way to Go, Idaho: Archaeological Dig at the Cyrus Jacobs-Uberuaga Boarding House
Okay, how cool is this? Boise, the biggest city for 300 miles around, just had it’s own archaeological dig at a former boarding house downtown. The house was built in 1864 and was owned by Cyrus and Mary Jacobs (who died in 1900 and 1907, respectively.) By 1910, a Basque family by the name of Uberuaga had moved in and opened it as a boarding house. The Uberuagas bought the house in 1928 from the Jacobs family, and ran the boarding house until 1969. 
In May of this year, a well, three feet in diameter and about four feet deep, was discovered under the house. No one in recent history had even known the well was there! The staffers at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center put together an archaeological team in under two months, and in August, they began excavating.
I learned about this dig through an article in the Idaho Statesman and saw that it was open for public viewing, with a special, hands-on archaeology session for kids. Archaeologists would be on hand to give a basic introduction to their work.
Cool, right? So, of course, we had to go.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we got there—but our visit started with a lot of paperwork---safety waivers and whatnot. I had to fill out forms for each kid before we did anything else. While signing our lives away, I met a bubbly, enthusiastic woman by the name of Stacey Camp, who I learned later is a professor of anthropology at the U of I, and was one of the leaders of the work on the well. Stacey was excited to have kids arrive, and told us all about her work there and at another dig north of Kooskia, Idaho in a former WWII Japanese Internment camp. She told us how much she enjoyed having her own kids on site with her, and she invited us up to get involved in that dig as well, if we were interested in making the long trip up past Kooskia. (Um, YES!)
After the paperwork, we were given a brief history of the house, and taken to the dig site. We got to watch the workers in action!
We got to see bits of dishes, pieces of mortar from the house, and a couple of ink pots that had been dug up. We got to handle the inkpots (one of which was stoppered and still had ink residue in it!) and the broken crockery. Calvin really wanted to get down in the well and really do some digging—but--- “authorized personnel only!” He was disappointed, but---
fortunately, they weren’t kidding when they said it was a “hands-on” activity. We moved on to these giant screens that are used as dirt sifters. After a demonstration, the kids each got to put on gloves and give the sifters a few shakes. The kids “found” buttons, mortar, and pieces of glass. They were all pretty excited at what they found and wanted to know if they could keep it. (No.)
After sifting, we were led to a table of artifacts and we learned about how the items are catalogued and cleaned.
Look at the porcelain doll head in this gentleman’s right hand! The doll head was featured in the newspaper article about the dig. I think that MADE the experience for me—seeing this cast-off part of a child’s toy—something a little girl had played with, and perhaps lost. I wondered what the doll had looked like when it was new, and I wondered who had owned it. What was her name? How old was she when she received the doll—did she play with it? What was her childhood like? It was fun to contemplate, and made me think about the toys I kept from my childhood for my kids to play with (an embarrassing number of them, actually) and what they might look like, dug up a hundred years from now!
We even got in on some of the cleaning action—with toothbrushes, and a bowls and buckets of water. The kids actually spent a LOT of time at this station. Gloria was especially thorough---and I couldn’t help observing that each of the kids’ time and focus cleaning the artifacts correlated to their individual attention to their own oral hygiene! (Gloria’s my most dedicated brusher.)
When the kids had finished cleaning their “artifacts,” we were at the end of the session and it was time to go home. On our way out, Stacey Camp gave the kids some cookies and cups of water—a reward for all their hard work unearthing all that history!
In May of this year, a well, three feet in diameter and about four feet deep, was discovered under the house. No one in recent history had even known the well was there! The staffers at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center put together an archaeological team in under two months, and in August, they began excavating. I learned about this dig through an article in the Idaho Statesman and saw that it was open for public viewing, with a special, hands-on archaeology session for kids. Archaeologists would be on hand to give a basic introduction to their work.
Cool, right? So, of course, we had to go.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we got there—but our visit started with a lot of paperwork---safety waivers and whatnot. I had to fill out forms for each kid before we did anything else. While signing our lives away, I met a bubbly, enthusiastic woman by the name of Stacey Camp, who I learned later is a professor of anthropology at the U of I, and was one of the leaders of the work on the well. Stacey was excited to have kids arrive, and told us all about her work there and at another dig north of Kooskia, Idaho in a former WWII Japanese Internment camp. She told us how much she enjoyed having her own kids on site with her, and she invited us up to get involved in that dig as well, if we were interested in making the long trip up past Kooskia. (Um, YES!)
After the paperwork, we were given a brief history of the house, and taken to the dig site. We got to watch the workers in action!
We got to see bits of dishes, pieces of mortar from the house, and a couple of ink pots that had been dug up. We got to handle the inkpots (one of which was stoppered and still had ink residue in it!) and the broken crockery. Calvin really wanted to get down in the well and really do some digging—but--- “authorized personnel only!” He was disappointed, but---
fortunately, they weren’t kidding when they said it was a “hands-on” activity. We moved on to these giant screens that are used as dirt sifters. After a demonstration, the kids each got to put on gloves and give the sifters a few shakes. The kids “found” buttons, mortar, and pieces of glass. They were all pretty excited at what they found and wanted to know if they could keep it. (No.)
After sifting, we were led to a table of artifacts and we learned about how the items are catalogued and cleaned.
Look at the porcelain doll head in this gentleman’s right hand! The doll head was featured in the newspaper article about the dig. I think that MADE the experience for me—seeing this cast-off part of a child’s toy—something a little girl had played with, and perhaps lost. I wondered what the doll had looked like when it was new, and I wondered who had owned it. What was her name? How old was she when she received the doll—did she play with it? What was her childhood like? It was fun to contemplate, and made me think about the toys I kept from my childhood for my kids to play with (an embarrassing number of them, actually) and what they might look like, dug up a hundred years from now!
We even got in on some of the cleaning action—with toothbrushes, and a bowls and buckets of water. The kids actually spent a LOT of time at this station. Gloria was especially thorough---and I couldn’t help observing that each of the kids’ time and focus cleaning the artifacts correlated to their individual attention to their own oral hygiene! (Gloria’s my most dedicated brusher.)
When the kids had finished cleaning their “artifacts,” we were at the end of the session and it was time to go home. On our way out, Stacey Camp gave the kids some cookies and cups of water—a reward for all their hard work unearthing all that history!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
And So We Begin….Again!
I had originally planned to homeschool year round—it seemed more organic that way, or something. Maybe I thought I would need to teach year round so my kids wouldn’t get “behind.” But alas, I have taken to a pretty traditional school year schedule.
Frankly, it’s hard to “do school” when all the neighbor kids are out for the summer and knocking on your door/peering in your window/laughing and squealing as they run through the sprinklers and play on the trampoline and eat popsicles. My kids just cannot focus through that! So---we bagged school for the summer.
What I love about starting up in the fall, is that because “everyone else” is also going back to school, there’s a thrum of energy in the air---a sense of new beginnings---and new school supplies! I like to capitalize on that energy---we hit the school supply sales, replace back packs (yes, homeschoolers need them, too,) pick up dozens of packages of paper, crayons, colored pencils, etc. We stock the school room (I have a school room this year! Woohoo!) and I spend a couple of weeksin panic mode planning lessons and going through our curricula.
This year, I have four kids “in” school. Last year, I was still trying to figure out how to do THREE, so I knew I’d have to be really on the ball this year. We’ve just completed our first week and a half and I have to admit, it’s going pretty well.
The hardest part so far has been figuring out our dynamics. Gloria (7) and Blythe (5) are NOT keen on doing anything academic—they’d rather play with toys and bicker with each other. I was totally stressed about how to get them to do anything remotely academic---but we discovered over the summer that reading together is FUN (it helps to have the prizes and treats from the library’s summer reading program to dangle in front of them!) so I thought when school-time came, I’d start there—with reading to the “middles.”
So far, so good. Even the baby gets in on the action. After we’ve read, I take Blythe upstairs to work on handwriting, math, and grammar. This takes about forty-five minutes—then he’s free to play with the math manipulatives or look at books.
On to Gloria’s turn--- We do math, spelling, and grammar (which includes a lot of handwriting practice.)
While all this is going on, the baby is wandering around or I have one of the big kids tag-team keeping an eye on her while also working on their own projects---namely practicing the piano, or working on their assignments in math, Spanish, and writing.
When Gloria is through, she’s free to go play and I bring the big kids up for grammar and spelling and to check their math and reading.
We usually break for lunch between 12:30 and 1:00. After lunch, we finish up anything that didn’t get done before lunch (including chores) and then head out for our extra-curricular activities (dance, karate, etc.)
This has worked out so far, but this week, we start back with our homeschool co-op. We meet with six other families twice a week for a “one room school house” approach to history (ancient history through the fall of Rome, this year,) geography, science, and math games. And once a week at co-op, we’ll have an art class (I’m teaching that one.)
I’m excited about co-op. Ours is really focused on academic subjects, and the moms take turns teaching the classes. (I’m helping with science this year.) It’s nice to be able to “share the burden” of teaching with other moms—it adds some variety to the kids’ school experience, and co-op offers them a chance to spend time with their friends.
But, since co-op will take up two days out of our week, I need to figure out how to fit the other stuff we need to get done (namely, piano, Spanish, and their regular math assignments, and for my little kids—handwriting and reading.) That’s where the “how do I figure the dynamics?” comes into play. Co-op will go from 11 AM to maybe 1:30, 2:00-ish—not including the once a week art class. By the time we get home—it will be about 3:00—just enough time to grab a snack, change clothes, and head out to whatever activity is going on (dance, karate, choir, etc.)
I’m thinking we’ll have to get up earlier in the morning—and by “we,” I mean “me,” because my kids are all up by 7 AM in order to watch PBS until Mom gets up between 8:30 and 9. I expect my kids to be dressed, combed, fed, and have their chores done by 9:30 AM, so we can start school. I like this arrangement, because then I can be leisurely about getting up and getting ready. Or, when I’m feeling ambitious, I can get a half-decent jog in before my shower.
Getting up earlier does not thrill me—but neither does allowing the kids to stay up later to get their work done. I love my kids and I love homeschooling, but by 9:30 PM my brain shuts down and the only noise it can tolerate is whatever TV show my husband and I have decided to watch.
I’m also trying to figure out how to deal with the inordinate amount of time we’ll spend on the road in the afternoons and evenings. We live on the outskirts of a tiny town in the boonies now, and while I LOVE my house and my neighborhood, we are at least 30 minutes away from civilization. I realize that some readers may be playing the world’s tiniest violins at that statement, but when you consider I moved from town, where everything was literally within ten minutes—that extra 20 on either end of a drive adds up. I need to find a way to occupy that time—besides mindlessly listening to the radio and making threats to the kids about “If you don’t stop fighting back there…!”
Also—food. Mealtimes and snacks---hmmm. On co-op days, we’ll need to bring lunch—the idea of packing a lunch for six people twice a week makes me shudder. It’s not so much the packing of the lunches, but trying to decide what to put IN the lunches. My kids have this crazy notion that they CAN’T eat PBJs every. single. day. Life would be so much easier if they did. Of course, I would hate to eat PBJs every day, too—but I’m not very original or creative, so I will have to do some research to find easily packable, varied items for lunches. I'm sure this is probably the great dilemma for anyone in school.
Another dilemma is what to do for dinner each night. Except for Monday nights and weekends, we are on the go from about 4:00 to 8:00. I don’t love this—but I think it’s just the stage we’re in. I need to figure out how to feed everyone---either on the road, or at home (but if we eat at home, which is preferable, it needs to food that is already cooked and ready to go---so the house can be tidied and kids in bed before my brain turns to mush at 9:30.) I suppose I’ll have to look into crockpot stuff and freezer meals. And I’ll have to do it quick, because those run-around evenings are HERE!
Okay—so this was more rambly than I thought—but whatever—I think better when I write stuff down. I’ll update as we go along. My goal is to function with more structure and purpose this school year—and I think so far, so good. (But does anyone want to be my personal chef?)
Frankly, it’s hard to “do school” when all the neighbor kids are out for the summer and knocking on your door/peering in your window/laughing and squealing as they run through the sprinklers and play on the trampoline and eat popsicles. My kids just cannot focus through that! So---we bagged school for the summer.
What I love about starting up in the fall, is that because “everyone else” is also going back to school, there’s a thrum of energy in the air---a sense of new beginnings---and new school supplies! I like to capitalize on that energy---we hit the school supply sales, replace back packs (yes, homeschoolers need them, too,) pick up dozens of packages of paper, crayons, colored pencils, etc. We stock the school room (I have a school room this year! Woohoo!) and I spend a couple of weeks
This year, I have four kids “in” school. Last year, I was still trying to figure out how to do THREE, so I knew I’d have to be really on the ball this year. We’ve just completed our first week and a half and I have to admit, it’s going pretty well.
The hardest part so far has been figuring out our dynamics. Gloria (7) and Blythe (5) are NOT keen on doing anything academic—they’d rather play with toys and bicker with each other. I was totally stressed about how to get them to do anything remotely academic---but we discovered over the summer that reading together is FUN (it helps to have the prizes and treats from the library’s summer reading program to dangle in front of them!) so I thought when school-time came, I’d start there—with reading to the “middles.”
So far, so good. Even the baby gets in on the action. After we’ve read, I take Blythe upstairs to work on handwriting, math, and grammar. This takes about forty-five minutes—then he’s free to play with the math manipulatives or look at books.
On to Gloria’s turn--- We do math, spelling, and grammar (which includes a lot of handwriting practice.)
While all this is going on, the baby is wandering around or I have one of the big kids tag-team keeping an eye on her while also working on their own projects---namely practicing the piano, or working on their assignments in math, Spanish, and writing.
When Gloria is through, she’s free to go play and I bring the big kids up for grammar and spelling and to check their math and reading.
We usually break for lunch between 12:30 and 1:00. After lunch, we finish up anything that didn’t get done before lunch (including chores) and then head out for our extra-curricular activities (dance, karate, etc.)
This has worked out so far, but this week, we start back with our homeschool co-op. We meet with six other families twice a week for a “one room school house” approach to history (ancient history through the fall of Rome, this year,) geography, science, and math games. And once a week at co-op, we’ll have an art class (I’m teaching that one.)
I’m excited about co-op. Ours is really focused on academic subjects, and the moms take turns teaching the classes. (I’m helping with science this year.) It’s nice to be able to “share the burden” of teaching with other moms—it adds some variety to the kids’ school experience, and co-op offers them a chance to spend time with their friends.
But, since co-op will take up two days out of our week, I need to figure out how to fit the other stuff we need to get done (namely, piano, Spanish, and their regular math assignments, and for my little kids—handwriting and reading.) That’s where the “how do I figure the dynamics?” comes into play. Co-op will go from 11 AM to maybe 1:30, 2:00-ish—not including the once a week art class. By the time we get home—it will be about 3:00—just enough time to grab a snack, change clothes, and head out to whatever activity is going on (dance, karate, choir, etc.)
I’m thinking we’ll have to get up earlier in the morning—and by “we,” I mean “me,” because my kids are all up by 7 AM in order to watch PBS until Mom gets up between 8:30 and 9. I expect my kids to be dressed, combed, fed, and have their chores done by 9:30 AM, so we can start school. I like this arrangement, because then I can be leisurely about getting up and getting ready. Or, when I’m feeling ambitious, I can get a half-decent jog in before my shower.
Getting up earlier does not thrill me—but neither does allowing the kids to stay up later to get their work done. I love my kids and I love homeschooling, but by 9:30 PM my brain shuts down and the only noise it can tolerate is whatever TV show my husband and I have decided to watch.
I’m also trying to figure out how to deal with the inordinate amount of time we’ll spend on the road in the afternoons and evenings. We live on the outskirts of a tiny town in the boonies now, and while I LOVE my house and my neighborhood, we are at least 30 minutes away from civilization. I realize that some readers may be playing the world’s tiniest violins at that statement, but when you consider I moved from town, where everything was literally within ten minutes—that extra 20 on either end of a drive adds up. I need to find a way to occupy that time—besides mindlessly listening to the radio and making threats to the kids about “If you don’t stop fighting back there…!”
Also—food. Mealtimes and snacks---hmmm. On co-op days, we’ll need to bring lunch—the idea of packing a lunch for six people twice a week makes me shudder. It’s not so much the packing of the lunches, but trying to decide what to put IN the lunches. My kids have this crazy notion that they CAN’T eat PBJs every. single. day. Life would be so much easier if they did. Of course, I would hate to eat PBJs every day, too—but I’m not very original or creative, so I will have to do some research to find easily packable, varied items for lunches. I'm sure this is probably the great dilemma for anyone in school.
Another dilemma is what to do for dinner each night. Except for Monday nights and weekends, we are on the go from about 4:00 to 8:00. I don’t love this—but I think it’s just the stage we’re in. I need to figure out how to feed everyone---either on the road, or at home (but if we eat at home, which is preferable, it needs to food that is already cooked and ready to go---so the house can be tidied and kids in bed before my brain turns to mush at 9:30.) I suppose I’ll have to look into crockpot stuff and freezer meals. And I’ll have to do it quick, because those run-around evenings are HERE!
Okay—so this was more rambly than I thought—but whatever—I think better when I write stuff down. I’ll update as we go along. My goal is to function with more structure and purpose this school year—and I think so far, so good. (But does anyone want to be my personal chef?)
Friday, August 10, 2012
Tea in the time of, well---TIME.
Ever have one of those days where you’re mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or Pinterest so busy you are nearly flattened by the fact that you are missing out on the most precious moments of your life?
Last week, Gloria kept pestering me about playing with the little ceramic tea set we have, which I had purchased a couple of years go with the vision of enjoying many cozy tea parties with my girls. I was doing something on the computer (I’m sure it was hugely important…) and I kept brushing the kid off.
“Not now, babe. In a while.”
“Later on, okay?”
“In a bit, kiddo, in a little bit.”
Well, Gloria finally got tired of waiting and got the set down. I heard the clinking of the dishes and went to investigate. My first inclination was to scold the kid for getting into the tea set without permission. But when I saw her dressed in her finest, with a giant, floppy ribbon carefully tied in her hair, and setting the table with a flowered hankie as a table cloth for the tea set, I melted.
This wasn’t going to be any old tea party, casually slopping water from tea pot to cup. This was going to be the REAL DEAL.
I don’t even remember what I was doing before, or what I did after—but right then, I realized this was an opportunity to make some sweet memories. We made biscuits. We made herbal tea. We set the table. We broke out the freezer jam. We invited the other kids. We added insane amounts of sugar AND honey to our drinks. And we had a blast.
Isn’t she adorable?
Of course, things got a little less dainty and refined when the siblings joined us, but hey---good company is good company.
We decided to skip having a real lunch and just gorge ourselves on biscuits and jam and sugar loaded lemon herbal.
I love that the baby has a tea cup AND a sippy. She’ll have her tea, and drink it, too!
I love her pinky in this last picture—it appears Gloria is trying to be dainty, but the reality is that as I took the picture, I asked her a question, but she was focusing on drinking the tea—the uplifted pinky was a signal that she couldn’t respond right then and would have to wait until she finished.
Last week, Gloria kept pestering me about playing with the little ceramic tea set we have, which I had purchased a couple of years go with the vision of enjoying many cozy tea parties with my girls. I was doing something on the computer (I’m sure it was hugely important…) and I kept brushing the kid off.
“Not now, babe. In a while.”
“Later on, okay?”
“In a bit, kiddo, in a little bit.”
Well, Gloria finally got tired of waiting and got the set down. I heard the clinking of the dishes and went to investigate. My first inclination was to scold the kid for getting into the tea set without permission. But when I saw her dressed in her finest, with a giant, floppy ribbon carefully tied in her hair, and setting the table with a flowered hankie as a table cloth for the tea set, I melted.
This wasn’t going to be any old tea party, casually slopping water from tea pot to cup. This was going to be the REAL DEAL.
I don’t even remember what I was doing before, or what I did after—but right then, I realized this was an opportunity to make some sweet memories. We made biscuits. We made herbal tea. We set the table. We broke out the freezer jam. We invited the other kids. We added insane amounts of sugar AND honey to our drinks. And we had a blast.
Isn’t she adorable?
Of course, things got a little less dainty and refined when the siblings joined us, but hey---good company is good company.
We decided to skip having a real lunch and just gorge ourselves on biscuits and jam and sugar loaded lemon herbal.
I love that the baby has a tea cup AND a sippy. She’ll have her tea, and drink it, too!
I love her pinky in this last picture—it appears Gloria is trying to be dainty, but the reality is that as I took the picture, I asked her a question, but she was focusing on drinking the tea—the uplifted pinky was a signal that she couldn’t respond right then and would have to wait until she finished.
Say Cheese (and don’t forget a jar of money.)
After several failed attempts at arranging family/kid portraits with various photographers (I know I’m sabotaging it all myself, that that’s another post) this is as good as we’re going to get:
The baby had crawled up on top of a box and we hurried to cluster the other kids around her for a photo—which of course, made her want to get off the box and toddle away—so we grabbed the closest “prop” we could find to keep her interested in sitting still—the “swear jar.” (If anyone is doing the swearing in our household, it’s me, and this photo clearly explains why I’m always broke.)
The baby had crawled up on top of a box and we hurried to cluster the other kids around her for a photo—which of course, made her want to get off the box and toddle away—so we grabbed the closest “prop” we could find to keep her interested in sitting still—the “swear jar.” (If anyone is doing the swearing in our household, it’s me, and this photo clearly explains why I’m always broke.)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Courses of Study for 2012-13 (or Ooh, That Sounds So High-Falutin’!)
We are a “freestyle” homeschooling family, meaning we are unaffiliated with the local school district or any online charter schools. Thanks to very liberal homeschool laws in the great state of Idaho, (God bless Idaho!) we are free to teach our children anything we choose.
Last year, we continued with the Writing With Ease series, Spelling Workout workbooks, and the First Language Lessons series for language arts. These are all heavy on narration, recitation, memorization, and worksheets, which my kids love doing. (Who ARE these people?)
We also relied heavily on online resources for many of our classes. We used ALEKS for math and BrainPOP for social studies and science. We also began using the Rosetta Stone Spanish program (which is AWESOME, by the way.)
This year, my goal is to get the kids off the screens so much (their choir homework is also done online), so we have joined a local co-op that promises to be very hands-on. Through the co-op, we will be using The Story of the World Vol. 1 (Ancient Times through the Fall of Rome) as a basis for our history and science courses. (I’m co-teaching science and we’re going to mummify a couple of chickens while we’re studying Ancient Egypt!)
Outside of co-op, my middle and little kids will be focusing on handwriting, using the Zaner-Blozer model for both manuscript and cursive (merely because that’s what I was taught and what I prefer to teach.)
I recently invested in Saxon Math, after finding the the ALEKS program was just not enough even when using the core curriculum program (as opposed to the supplemental version available at most public schools.) I have started my two little kids in the K and 1 Saxon books and they are clipping along. In fact, I’m wondering if my 7 year old is ready for Book 2. My older kids are using Saxon 54 and 65 books. I started them a couple of weeks ago. At this point, the lessons are merely review for the big kids—which was what I wanted---they really need to cement the basics—especially as far as defining mathematical terms. Saxon is very teaching intensive, meaning unlike ALEKS, Saxon requires ME to really do the teaching. So far, I am enjoying it—I’m learning and “cementing” concepts right along with the kids. The kids are a little less than impressed with the drills, but we make it fun by turning the drills into games and even making goofy flash cards. At this point, my kids would technically be considered “behind” in math if they were in a public school, but they are progressing nicely since we switched to Saxon and they are liking math a whole lot more. (And I am liking math a whole lot more!) I have no doubt they will catch up with their public school peers within the next few months. My goal is to have them into the next books by January, putting them “at grade level” by the end of the year.
Outside of the core classes, our kids will continue with Rosetta Stone Spanish, use BrainPOP as a supplement for science and history, and they’ll also be involved in extra-curriculars. They are currently lined up for tae kwon do, Cantus Youth Choirs, Boy Scouts, and various church youth development programs. Ellen is now old enough for volunteer work at the local library and humane society, and she’s expressed a strong desire to do both. The challenge with that will be trying to find time to serve in an already busy schedule---we want to make sure we prioritize non-school related family time.
An important component of family time is our religious devotions and study. I admit, we really still are “fly by the seat of your pants” in this area. We have gotten very good at having a Monday night devotional, which in LDS lingo is formally called Family Home Evening, but other study and devotions, including scripture study, have been hit or miss.
In an effort to bring our spiritual development to the forefront this year, I have created Personal Prayer/Personal Scripture Study, and Family Prayer/Family Scripture Study cards to use in our Visual Schedule each day. Since I implemented the schedule and these cards, we’ve seen steady improvement from each child and as a family. Of course, the average family scripture study period consists of reading a verse or two, and asking the kids to sum up the principle taught in that verse, or summarizing a favorite scripture story (Daniel in the Lion’s Den is my personal favorite, as is the Nativity story.) It’s not long and it’s not particularly deep, but it’s a start. I would like to get us singing hymns (which means we need to memorize them, which means we need to practice them—but I haven’t figured out how to get the kids excited about that yet.)
I am really looking forward to the “official” school year—so far, we’ve been taking a relaxed approach to the curriculum for this coming year—easing into it, if you will. I plan to ramp it up come August 21. This is the day that the local kids go back to school and there’s a great energy that just comes with that “back to school” atmosphere—even though my kids aren’t hopping on the big yellow bus. We’ll take advantage of everyone else’s excitement and get rolling right along with them!
Last year, we continued with the Writing With Ease series, Spelling Workout workbooks, and the First Language Lessons series for language arts. These are all heavy on narration, recitation, memorization, and worksheets, which my kids love doing. (Who ARE these people?)
We also relied heavily on online resources for many of our classes. We used ALEKS for math and BrainPOP for social studies and science. We also began using the Rosetta Stone Spanish program (which is AWESOME, by the way.)
This year, my goal is to get the kids off the screens so much (their choir homework is also done online), so we have joined a local co-op that promises to be very hands-on. Through the co-op, we will be using The Story of the World Vol. 1 (Ancient Times through the Fall of Rome) as a basis for our history and science courses. (I’m co-teaching science and we’re going to mummify a couple of chickens while we’re studying Ancient Egypt!)
Outside of co-op, my middle and little kids will be focusing on handwriting, using the Zaner-Blozer model for both manuscript and cursive (merely because that’s what I was taught and what I prefer to teach.)
I recently invested in Saxon Math, after finding the the ALEKS program was just not enough even when using the core curriculum program (as opposed to the supplemental version available at most public schools.) I have started my two little kids in the K and 1 Saxon books and they are clipping along. In fact, I’m wondering if my 7 year old is ready for Book 2. My older kids are using Saxon 54 and 65 books. I started them a couple of weeks ago. At this point, the lessons are merely review for the big kids—which was what I wanted---they really need to cement the basics—especially as far as defining mathematical terms. Saxon is very teaching intensive, meaning unlike ALEKS, Saxon requires ME to really do the teaching. So far, I am enjoying it—I’m learning and “cementing” concepts right along with the kids. The kids are a little less than impressed with the drills, but we make it fun by turning the drills into games and even making goofy flash cards. At this point, my kids would technically be considered “behind” in math if they were in a public school, but they are progressing nicely since we switched to Saxon and they are liking math a whole lot more. (And I am liking math a whole lot more!) I have no doubt they will catch up with their public school peers within the next few months. My goal is to have them into the next books by January, putting them “at grade level” by the end of the year.
Outside of the core classes, our kids will continue with Rosetta Stone Spanish, use BrainPOP as a supplement for science and history, and they’ll also be involved in extra-curriculars. They are currently lined up for tae kwon do, Cantus Youth Choirs, Boy Scouts, and various church youth development programs. Ellen is now old enough for volunteer work at the local library and humane society, and she’s expressed a strong desire to do both. The challenge with that will be trying to find time to serve in an already busy schedule---we want to make sure we prioritize non-school related family time.
An important component of family time is our religious devotions and study. I admit, we really still are “fly by the seat of your pants” in this area. We have gotten very good at having a Monday night devotional, which in LDS lingo is formally called Family Home Evening, but other study and devotions, including scripture study, have been hit or miss.
In an effort to bring our spiritual development to the forefront this year, I have created Personal Prayer/Personal Scripture Study, and Family Prayer/Family Scripture Study cards to use in our Visual Schedule each day. Since I implemented the schedule and these cards, we’ve seen steady improvement from each child and as a family. Of course, the average family scripture study period consists of reading a verse or two, and asking the kids to sum up the principle taught in that verse, or summarizing a favorite scripture story (Daniel in the Lion’s Den is my personal favorite, as is the Nativity story.) It’s not long and it’s not particularly deep, but it’s a start. I would like to get us singing hymns (which means we need to memorize them, which means we need to practice them—but I haven’t figured out how to get the kids excited about that yet.)
I am really looking forward to the “official” school year—so far, we’ve been taking a relaxed approach to the curriculum for this coming year—easing into it, if you will. I plan to ramp it up come August 21. This is the day that the local kids go back to school and there’s a great energy that just comes with that “back to school” atmosphere—even though my kids aren’t hopping on the big yellow bus. We’ll take advantage of everyone else’s excitement and get rolling right along with them!
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