I've been messing with my template some more...

So I hope it works! I think the picture of the oak leaves ties in nicely with our school name, which we've finally settled on, by the way - Oak Leaf School. It's simple, so it fits, and the letterhead I am designning is looking really good with that title. Academy ended up just sounding a little wrong. I don't know why - it just didn't fit, and all the searches I did for "school" synonyms didn't help!
 
C.O. has his first real soccer game tonight - he's pretty excited! He's made a couple of friends on his team too, which is always nice. In other C.O. news, we have our first meeting with his "teacher" next week - she says she's more of a guidance person than a teacher. She taught in public elementary schools for over 20 years, but hated a lot of how they worked, so for the past two years she's been doing the homeschool program.
 
We've been working on letter writing lately. C.O. wrote a thank you letter to his grandpa, and I'm looking at getting him at least one penpal, since he absolutely loves to get mail. I am hoping C.J. can get a penpal too.

I've been tagged!

1)       One homeschooling book you have enjoyed. - Can't limit it to one, so I'll list two - Homeschooling for Excellence by David & Miki Colfax; The Relaxed Homeschool by Mary Hood
2)       One resource you wouldn't be without. - The internet! Seriously, I have found so much information, and gotten lots of good advice, ideas, and feedback!
3)       One resource you wish you had never bought. - A stupid cheap workbook for C.O., back when he was three. It was completely dumbed down, and he found it very discouraging. I'm just glad it was cheap!
4)       One resource you enjoyed last year. - The library!
5)       One resource you will be using next year. - www.enchantedlearning.com - very inexpensive, and a lot of stuff to play around with!
6)       One resource you would like to buy. - a really good set of math manipulatives
7)       One resource you wish existed. - free delivery (and pickup/return) service from the public library
8)       One homeschooling catalog you enjoy reading. - Rainbow Resource, absolutely tons of items to browse and choose from
9)       One homeschooling website you use regularly. - Again, I'll list two, homeschool reviews, and the homeschooling message board at iVillage
10)    Tag 5 people... ummm.... jennyberm, jakikoripiba, mleecash, jengresak and promama

Visited one of the nearby charter schools today

to see what their homeschooling program is all about, and we really liked them! They said they are really only there for any needed guidance, and to provide access to supplies, plus they're offering all the books I have in my e-shopping-carts, waiting to be bought! Also, C.O. can go to an art/story time/music class every Monday morning, and then, if he brings a lunch, he can have some play time with the other K-2 kids. They seemed very relaxed, and very willing to go with child-led, parent-directed education. I think it will work out well for his kindergarten year, then we'll fly solo most likely. I have to fill out a couple of simple forms, mail them back in, and we're good to go! I'll have to check in with a teacher every couple of weeks, but that doesn't seem like too much trouble.
 
I know there are a lot of people out there that believe going through a charter school is not really homeschooling. While I think that may be true of some charter school programs, I don't think it holds true for all. With everything I heard today (and believe me, I ask a lot of questions), I will still be the one leading him on this path - they are there as backup, not the guiding/ruling force.

Just got a call - UPDATED

from M. My fingerprints cleared, and tomorrow I go back for my TB follow-up. The bandaid they used left more of a mark (well, a rash really) than the shot, so it looks like I am good to go with my new job! Now they want to schedule an orientation with me, so I am waiting for them to return my call returning their call!

Still waiting for any news on the job front for M. Good news - he finally almost has his own transportation. His mom loaned him the money to buy a second-hand motorcycle. Now he just needs his license and insurance. It'll be nice - it's kind of hard having a husband that doesn;t drive. I'd rather him not drive a car since he's terrified of doing it, though he's always been fine on motorcycles.

The cold going through our family is finally subsiding. I've been sleeping in the kids room the last 2 nights to listen to C.J.'s breathing - I've been worried about her getting sick ever since she had RSV at the age of seven months. Fortunately for both the kids and I, they've each been sick maybe 3 times in their entire lives. C.O. has had 2 cold now, and had the flu once. C.J. had RSV and then she's had two colds (including this one) since. I don't know exactly why we don't generally get sick, except that we do take vitamins (extra vitamin C) and every few months or so, or when we're feeling a little draggy, we take echinacea and goldenseal. Right now we're taking the extra vitamin C and a little extra zinc, and the colds are really clearing up. Both kids actually slept last night without coughing. It is bothering M more because it's gotten into his chest, probably because of his asthma. But even he sounded better on the phone today.

Been playing around with my homeschool blog - I think I switched templates 6 or 7 times!

UPDATE - I go in for orientation next Tuesday and start next Friday! WhoooHoooo!

Votes please!

Which name do you like better?
 
OakLeaf School
 
OakLeaf Academy
 
I'll be registering as a private school next year - this year we're considering going through a somewhat relaxed charter school, just to get off to a good start. My son came up with the OakLeaf part, so I'm just finishing the name and can't decide between the two.

I have a new blog...

just for homeschooling purposes - something I can send to family members, etc. Here's a link...

A Homeschool For Two

Introduction

I am a mother of two, a wife, an artist and avid reader, part-time college student, and a part-time administrative assistant, living in beautiful California, just a bit north of the bay. My children, C.O. - my 5 year old son, and C.J. - my 3 year old daughter, are the lights of my life. I have planned on homeschooling them prior even to C.O.'s birth, following a literature-rich, semi-classical, semi-Charlotte Mason, quite eclectic approach. We love the arts, nature, hiking, and gardening. C.O. also loves airplanes, cars, trucks, tractors and trains. He recently started playing soccer, and so far really enjoys it! C.J. also loves cars, etc., plus fairies, dancing, digging in the dirt, and having pretty things to play with.

I am homeschooling for a variety of reasons: 1 - I feel that schools today focus too much (though not necessarily through their own fault) on testing, instead of looking at education as an exploratory journey. 2 - I enjoy having my kids around - I don't really want them to be gone 5 to 7 hours a day, then still having homework. We wouldn't get much family time that way. 3 - I like the idea of my children being able to pursue topics that really interest them in more depth than schools are able to allow. I truly believe that when a child gets involved in their own education, they get more from it. There are more reasons that I'll probably think of later, but right now I have a head cold and can't think any more clearly!

This weekend...

M & I took both the elflings to the Wings Over Wine Country Airshow on Saturday. C.O. was absolutely fascinated by everything he saw - he watched the show, he sat in the cockpit of a jet, he sat in a race car, and got a race car poster (now in a place on honor on above his bed, next to the signed airplane poster from last year). The look of awe on his face the whole time was wonderful to see. Even with a minor cold (we're all sick now), he had a lot of fun! C.J. wasn't quite as thrilled, though she did like sitting in the plane and the race car. She is not really very fond of loud noises. Both kids enjoyed climbing in and out of army vehicles, and meeting a pilot. They went back with my sister on Sunday, and I spent a lot of the day in bed. I hate being sick - it just seems like such a waste of time! Plus I got sunburned on Saturday, so I think I had minor heat exhaustion in addition to a nasty head & throat cold. I feel a little better today, after about a million hours of sleep, just very fuzzy in the head.

School around here started today - I could hear kids around the apartment complex on their way out. C.O. says he's really glad he doesn't have to go somewhere everyday. I finished reading "Homeschooling for Excellence" and think I'll pass it on to my mom. Maybe she'll read it! She and my sister came up with the hare-brained idea that I should go ahead and put C.O. in the public school for the two weeks before the charter schools start. I did find yet another charter school to think about too... Orchard View Charter School. They have much higher testing scores than Pathways. This is if I go with the charter option - I don't know. This stress is all pointless. There's a comment on my previous post that I have to agree is completely reasonable.

In other homeschooling news, I got my Rainbow Resource catalog yesterday. When I ordered their free catalog, I thought it would be another regular, thin, little catalog - nope! It's got over 1,100 pages of homeschooling goodies! I spent a couple of my quiet in-bed hours yesterday looking at nearly everything in it. It is so much fun to look at all the things that are out their for families that choose to educate on their own. I saw a lot of books listed that I had read as a child and enjoyed, but that had slipped my mind. I also gave C.O. the math placement test from Saxon yesterday, out of curiousity more than anything, since Saxon doesn't look all that interesting. He scored right into higher first grade! C.J. took it too, because she has to do everything her brother does, and she scored high on the kindergarten test! I must be doing something right!

Yesterday was so much fun!

Okay, the driving part wasn't - I logged over 400 miles yesterday, but the rest of it was great! First, when we got there, there was a long line, but thanks to the ticket-sender, we got to go through the members entrance, which is great because neither of the kids are really all that good at waiting in long lines yet. Also, in addition to maps, etc. for the adults, they gave out little information booklets for the kids, which both C.O. & C.J. loved, and carried with them for the rest of the day. We got in just in time to see the feeding in the giant main kelp forest tank, and they loved seeing the man in full scuba gear go in to feed the fish. The sardines in the tank were actually really beautiful, like a moving silver cloud, constantly shifting. We managed to see the entire place, with one break for lunch. The kids got to pet rays, and to feel starfish. They saw everything from sea turtles to anchovies. C.O.'s favorite - jellyfish! There were a number of tanks, and an art exhibit, related to jellies - just incredible. If you have never really looked at a jellyfish, you should - they are incredibly beautiful, kind of alien. C.J. liked the sea turtles and the otters a lot, especially the otter playing with a frisbee. Both love the manta rays, and are in fact, today, making cloth manta rays at my mom's house. C.O. was also very interested in the sharks. I think we may have to do some studies on sea creatures now! They both spent most of their lunch time drawing fish that they had seen - C.J. did an amazingly accurate picture of a sunfish, not a pretty fish, but she did draw it very well.

The drive back did seem to take forever, and was the only part of the day that was not fun. My mom and sister were in the car too, and at one point, started questioning me, again, about the whole homeschooling thing. Why do I want to do it? (I can think of a dozen reasons without trying). Didn't I like school? (Not really, thank you). The schools here are so good. (They said that about the school I went to as a child too, which was the school that didn't ever teach my sister to read - I taught her when she was in third grade). What if C.O. falls behind? (He's already ahead, so unless I stop him from learning at all...). Do I really want to spend my time with him working on school stuff? (Yes, I enjoy it). What about friends, field trips, sleepovers, etc? (Weren't we essentially on a field trip going to the Aquarium?) The charter school I mentioned doesn't have fantastic test scores (like that's all that matters as far as a school's accountability). What about supplies? Finances? Don't I want to work full-time? (NO). I feel like I am stuck in a loop - I keep trying to explain to them they hows, whys, and so forth, but I'm not sure they're hearing any of it. Even when I mentioned that I may have found a local homeschool playgroup, they were very unenthusiastic ("that's not the same as having recess everyday"). They also said I misrepresented school to the elflings. Yes, I did tell C.O. he would have to spend a portion of each day sitting at a desk/table. I don't think that's a warped version of the reality of school. I never said that he would spend all day stuck at a desk. I did tell him he would have to listen to the teacher, and ask to go to the restroom, but that's true too, and he has to listen to me at home too (though I can't say I've ever made either child ask to go to the bathroom). Yes, he would be given homework to do in addition to spending all that time (5.5 hours) at school every day - they do give kindergarteners homework these days - I asked the local public school about this. It isn't a lot for someone that age, but it still exists! Basically it all comes down to their assumption that I am going to make my children into uneducated freaks, who will have no friends, and no ability to get along in the real world. My mom wants to go to the charter school meeting with me to see what she thinks. I haven't had the heart to tell her yet that just because I am going to the meeting, it doesn't mean I will enroll C.O. I very well may still choose to do it all on my own, and that is my decision, and my husband's decision, not anyone elses. It's just so frustrating! Why can't anyone other than M & myself really see that C.O. and C.J. are already learning a lot, that C.O. already knows a lot of what they would be taught in kindergarten, which by the way, isn't even mandatory as far as I know, since C.O. won't be six until next year! Maybe after the next year of homeschooling, just maybe, they will come to realize that I am not mistreating my son by not sending him to a public school.

I got the job!

There was a message on my answering machine when I got home yesterday offering me the county office of education job! So, the next few weeks will be very busy, once I get my fingerprint clearance. I'll be temporarily working TWO jobs, both part-time, through September 15th. I want to finish my job at the AHA, which is assisting with the annual Heart Walk, scheduled for September 17th. I already cleared things with my boss at the AHA to work 25 hours a week in the afternoons. After that though, I'll be down to a very part-time job just in time to really start up homeschooling for the year! I think it's a tiny bit ironic that I'll be working for the educational system I'm avoiding.

M got a call too, telling him that they may have filled the position, but that they will be calling him in the next several days. So, I am still keeping my fingers crossed on that.

Other than that, I got an "A" in my humanities class and am taking 7 units this fall - English, History, and a biology lecture series. C.O. has his second soccer practice tonight, if it doesn't rain - it's very overcast and kind of damp out here today, not summery at all.

I am still debating math programs for C.O. - I'm looking at Singapore, Saxon, and Horizons. Saxon I am afraid may be too time-consuming and repetative, though I understand it works, and with Horizons, I love the layout, the way it's taught, but am afraid it may have too many religious references for my family. I moved the meeting with the Pathways teacher to next week, as this week is just too full! One of my mom's friends sent us passes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, so I am taking Thursday off to head down there with the elflings. I think this will be sooo much fun, except for the long drive! I may have fingerprinting this week. Busy, busy, busy.

Do you ever feel really unsure...

about something having gone either as well or as poorly as you think? I'm not at all sure how that interview went yesterday - I either did quite well or very badly, I really am unsure which. They said I would find out Monday or Tuesday next week, so I am in anticipation! I'm at the AHA for one more week I guess, and then I'll find another temp job, unless I start with the office of education.

C.O. had his first soccer pratice yesterday evening. He looked adorable, and kind of too grown-up, in his soccer gear! He seemed to mostly have fun with it, except when another kid borrowed his ball, but we talked about that afterwards, so hopefully next week, if it happens again, he'll feel better, knowing he will get the ball back. He has really good kicking skills - he can run and kick for quite a distance in a very straight line. It was great to see him interacting with so many other kids. The coach's wife commented that when they were introducing themselves (the kids that is), that C.O. was the only one saying hi to each of them clearly - I guess everyone else was kind of mumbling. Well, I certainly can't say either of my elflings are shy - they'll talk to anyone about anything... and everything! I liked the coach too - his daughter is on the team, and he seemed very gentle, firendly, and patient with the kids. At this age, their team is basically non-competative, which I think is for the best. C.O. will have 45 minutes to an hour's practice two evenings a week now.

Pathways Charter School called and they want to meet with C.O. and I next week to see if their program will be a good fit for us, and vice versa. I'm curious to see how this meeting will go - I have a lot of questions about exactly how much of the planning I would get to do, versus how much they have laid out already. Guess I'll just have to wait and see!

I guess I was wrong...

about how my dad would react to homeschooling. Background first - when we mentioned it years ago, he seemed okay with it. Maybe he thought we weren't serious? Anyhow, now he's really against it. Gave me an earful yesterday about all these articles he's read that show how homeschooled students fail compared to their public school counterparts, academically and socially. I wonder who came up with these "studies"? Perhaps the public school system? It just made me angry, and more determined than ever to go ahead with my plans.

C.O. starts soccer tomorrow! I took him to buy shoes, shingards and socks last night - a relatively simple task that ended up taking over 3 hours at 5 stores. One store had only one pair of cleats his size, for $45! I ended up spending less than $30 total at another store, and got nicer stuff. C.O. is definately excited, but a little nervous!

My "final" interview is tomorrow. I'm not nervous now, but I bet I will be then. M's interview yesterday went really well apparently - they put his application into "recommended" status, and he should hear back within a week. Still no word on what's happening at the AHA for me, so I will continue to look elsewhere.

Pathways called and said they recieved our application, and will let us know if we will be coming in for the family interview, if there's even enough space at the school right now. If not, I am throwing myself into the absolute fun of planning out my own curricula for the kids, as you can see from my just-updated sidebar.

They're finally accepting it...

So much of the "when does he go to school" question lately, but we have explained, either in person or by email, to everyone in our families, that we are homeschooling. We have been homeschooling since, well maybe not quite since birth, but you get what I mean. C.O. is a lot more relaxed now that he's sure he won't be going away 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Think about it - that's an awfully long time for a child that been away from his mom and dad only to visit with other family, and for a couple of hours here and there playing with friends! It's too long for me too. One of my major arguments against public schooling has always been that I did not have children to send them away or for them to have another adult (one we don't even know) be the primary role model they're exposed to.

My mom hasn't said anything directly to me, but I think my letter to her made an impact. She is seeing/saying that there are opportunities for homeschooling in just about every situation! For example, there was a very recent earthquake here, first one for the kids. C.J. was asleep, so she missed it, but C.O. was sitting on his bed drawing - I went in to see if he was okay, and he was just sitting in the middle of his bed, wide-eyed "what was that, Mommy?"... We took it as an opportunity to look in the illustrated encyclopedia we have, to learn about the structure of the earth and why earthquakes happen. The next day, I overheard/saw him explaining (and demonstrating with his hands) to my mom how the plates in the earth's mantle/crust shift, etc. It was so cute. She made a comment - I can't remember exactly what - something like I have good presence of mind to use something that could be scary and turn it into a learning opportunity, and she would bet not many kids his age knew anything of the scientific basis to earthquakes. Anyhow, since I wrote her the letter, she isn't questioning it, and she's not saying negative things about it. Maybe the argument that it would give all of us more time with him made a difference! I haven't gotten a response from my dad yet, but as a former public high school teacher (he's retired now) he knows the downfalls of the education system, so I think he'll be okay with it. My sister's only reaction was could she still buy him a couple of "back to (home) school shirts"?

I am waiting now to here anything from Pathways... I want to go to the family meeting with them and ask a lot of questions to see if it will be a good fit for our family. I did write the public school a letter withdrawing C.O., so at least that part's done! I am also waiting to see what, if anything, will happen with work this next week. I can't wait until I am down to part-time, plus M has his interview on Tuesday.

There's always so much going on at once!

Now I'm just confused...

Now they're telling me at work that I am still one of their top candidates! I do still really want this job if I can get it - I like it. Just confusing.

Schooling & work updates...

I'll start with work - I had an interview a couple of days ago with the local Office of Education for an admin support position. Apparently, it went well, because I go back next week for a final interview, with the director! I'm really excited about this - it's very part-time (15 hours weekly, all in 3 hour earlyish am shifts), working in the Special Ed dept., so I'd still be doing work that is beneficial. I would get to help facilitate workshops a couple of mornings a week, which is cool. On the downside, because it is so part-time, it won't quite cover my half of our expenses, so I am looking at a second job too, with a school district as a 2-evening-a-week adult education center secretary. Best of all, even with these two jobs, I won't be gone from home all that much!

School - I have finally reached a decision I feel at peace with. I will go ahead and enroll C.O. in the charter school homeschooling program for his kindergarten year. That way, when I send a letter to the public school, I can actually honestly say he's enrolled in another school. Also, it will give me a support system for his first "real" year of homeschooling, and I'll learn a lot about record-keeping, lesson planning, etc. Then, for first grade on, unless we love the charter school, we'll homeschool as a private school. M is comfortable with this idea too, which is obviuosly important.

Speaking of M, he turned in two more applications last week, so keep your fingers crossed for him!

I did write my mom a really long email, with links to articles, the charter school, etc., explaining why we want to homeschool, and that C.O. will be adequately socialized. So, I am just waiting for any response, hopefully positive.