Keep your fingers tightly crossed...

M sent in a resume yesterday for an arborist position, which he is very well qualified for, considering they only want a year's experience working with chainsaws, chippers, etc., and he has much more than that. So please, send positive-job-getting vibes this way!

I think I have next year mostly figured out...

Though there are some issues I am still resolving with science and history, as you can see below.

Math - We'll stick with Saxon Math as it has been working out very well for us.

Language Arts - I hope to continue with Houghton Mifflin Spelling & Vocabulary Phonics in Action, another program that's been working well for us. C.O. enjoys it and it is well put together.

History - I have the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, but am debating between following the original plans as outlined in the Well Trained Mind, and buying the Story of the World. Then, should I but the SOTW Activity Guide, or get some Dover Coloring books (which are gorgeous) and design my own activities?

Science - I have gotten a lot of recommendations for this topic! The top three I'm looking at are: My Pals Are Here from Singapore Math; Noeo Science, which looks really cool, but would I need to buy the experiment kits, or could I put together experiments myself; or the series Let's Read & Find Out, which I can get many of from the library. I am going to steal an idea from another hs'ing mom, jennyberm (hope you don't mind!) and integrate science and history studies in later grades, but for now I want to build a solid foundation of the basic principles of each science discipline as outlined in WTM.

I think we're going to stick with the charter school for next year too. C.O. really enjoys his enrichment classes, and I do like having such a range of choices of supplies, etc. without having to dump out loads of money to try new things. I need to meet with his "teacher" before then and figure out if they have any of the resources mentioned above - if I am not mistaken, some of the handouts she gave me were from Noeo Science, so I'll have to dig those out and see.

As for current time, today we're going to do some math, HM Spelling/Vocab/Phonics, and some work with Easy Lessons for Teaching Word Families. Plus, M is taking C.O. fishing for the first time later this afternoon, so I may take C.J. to a park. Looking at the short-term future, C.J. seems eager to return to gymnastics in a couple of weeks, but C.O. says he might like to try martial arts. I think I can take him in for a free Aikido lesson before he decides. At this point, I don't mind them trying new things on a regular basis as they're still very young. Neither of them need to focus exclusively on one physical activity over another. C.J. did mention that she might like to try dance classes, which she can do inexpensively through the city parks & rec department. So, physical ed is kind of up in the air right now.

After some internal debate...

I have decided to keep this blog going. I have, however, moved my homeschool blog. Homeschoolblogger was nice in many ways, but thanks to multiple "upgrades" I can't post to it anymore without a lot of difficulty. So, here it is... From The Roots Up. I want to keep it separate from my general ramblings, so I'll keep this one too.

We had a pretty good Christmas. The morning (of Christmas Eve) went well with my in-laws, and dinner with my dad later that evening went well too. I got some lovely presents, and the elflings got loads of stuff! Christmas Day was fairly quiet, other than the kids playing with all their new toys. Our only company was our friend W, which was fine, though it would have been nice if he could have stayed longer!

I am glad this semester of school is done - just waiting for my grade now! I have already signed up for my classes next semester, starting in mid-January. I'll be taking a poetry class (for my major), physical anthropology & the accompanying lab (for general ed), a library resources class online (also gen ed), and I'm retaking the biology lecture series. It sounds like a lot, but with the online class and the infrequency of the bio lectures, I think I'll be okay with it.

Hah! I did it!

I transferred & correctly dated all my archived posts from homeschool blogger! I also updated my sidebar links.

Christmas was very, very good! We went to my mother-in-law's Christmas Eve morning, and spent a couple of hours just hanging out, drinking tea, and watching the kids play with all their new toys. Then, in the evening, we had my dad, sister and brother over for dinner and presents. The children had a blast all day, and they really raked in the presents! C.O. got tubs of LEGOs, Magic Treehouse books (set 1), a Superman action figure, HotWheels race tracks, superhero pajamas, "cars" (the movie) & "Robin Hood" (the Disney animated version). C.J. got Calico Critters stuff, pink candy-themed pajamas, "The Little Mermaid" (Disney),the "Curious George" movie, outfits for her Cabbage Patch baby, an Olivia book, a "paper doll" magnet set, and the laundry room set for her dollhouse. Together they got a huge bucket of TinkerToys, and an in-home planetarium set-up. We had a nice relaxed dinner, then the kids went off to bed willingly, as they were hoping Santa Claus would come!

Yesterday, it was just Christmas for the four of us. We stayed in pajamas until early afternoon, when the kids had to go test out their new scooters from Santa! We opened presents in the morning - a magic set, a couple of books, a shake-&-go car and a few stocking stuffers for C.O.; a bakeware set with a handmade apron, a couple of books, a kitchen dollhouse set & stocking stuffers for C.J., plus a set of Magnetix and the movie "Nanny McPhee" for both of them (which is a pretty good movie, BTW).

At least they won't run out of new things to play with anytime soon!

We're planning on sitting down to do some schoolwork later this afternoon - math, phonics, and some work in Maps, Graphs, Globes. C.J. will probably work on writing some letters and numbers - she said she wants to know how to write her name, so I'll try working on that with her once I get C.O. going on his work!

Edited to add: C.O kept complaining during Maps, Graphs, Globes (which was the first thing we sat down to work on) that his stomach really hurt, so he went to lie down, threw up, and has been mostly asleep ever since. I'm putting it down to too much excitment & too many cookies over the last few days. C.J. on the other hand was very focused - she wrote her name, her brother's name, "mommy" and "daddy" by copying what I wrote out for her! So far, her handwriting is very tidy. I guess I'll try with C.O. again tomorrow, if he's feeling better. C.J. has been sounding like a frog for the last couple of days, but other than her voice, she's acting normal and seems fine.

Lazy days...

Well, to be honest, we are very busy, but haven't been so busy with lessons! We've been cleaning, baking cookies, wrapping presents, etc. We are off to my MIL's Sunday morning, then my dad, brother & sister are coming over in the afternoon for dinner & gift exchanges. The kids decided their gift to everyone would be gingerbread cookies, so we have been baking & decorating cookies like crazy! Thankfully my finger is feeling somewhat better, so I think I just sprained it. Plus we've been getting down to the nitty-gritty of cleaning and tidying.

We did do some actual sit-down schoolwork yesterday though. C.O. did 4 pages of math & read one of his readers out loud. C.J. traced the numbers 1-10 in her workbook, which took a while, but she did a great job!

We have a few weeks of time off - C.O. doesn't go back to his enrichment classes until after New Year's. My classes don't start until mid-January. Gymnastics won't start again until January. I work only 3 days a week for the next couple of weeks (only 3 hours a day as usual) I hope we can make some good progress through C.O.'s math & phonics books over this time period.

Off to clean some more!

Can't write much...

The middle finger on my right hand is broken or sprained, and in a finger splint, so my typing abilities are minimal. Still debating whether or not to attempt copying my archives from homeschoolblogger. Here's the link to my "old" site for now: From the Roots Up

A better week (Dec. 10-15)...

Okaaaaay, I had this whole entry typed out, and something went wrong, and it didn’t post, so I’ll try again!

My children are not sick anymore! We took it fairly easy when they got sick, spent a lot of time watching “Curious George” and “Little Bear”, drank lots of hot tea, and just tried to keep things mellow.

Sunday: We did some schoolwork - math, a little in Easy Word Families, and a few pages in Maps, Graphs, Globes. We also read “The Nutcracker” again, along with a few other holiday books from the library.

Monday: C.O. worked on math and phonics, while C.J. drew “letters” on her Magna-Doodle. Then we headed off to gymnastics, which went really well! C.O. was very excited because he did a couple of back-flips on the rings, and C.J. worked on the high beam again. When we got home, they spent the rest of the evening drawing pictures at the kitchen table - we go through an amazing number of crayons in this house! I’m always glad to find them on sale. We also baked cookies for a 4-H party.

Tuesday: Great day! We went to a 4-H party, and it was just so much fun! There were all kinds of activity tables, holiday display tables, presents, food, etc. C.O. played LEGOs with other boys of all ages (up to I think about 13), building & racing all kinds of fantastic creations, made a beeswax candle, and a clove orange (what fantastic smells!). C.J. made a paper snowflake (with lots of my help), a beeswax candle, and a clove orange too. She stayed fairly close to me at the party, though she did enjoy playing with a couple of other little girls, and a baby. We also had a cotton ball “snowball” fight - at first the kids played against each other, but then we had adults versus children, and I think the children won! There were two rounds of present exchanges, first the little kids, then the older ones. C.J. got one of those neat wiggly wooden snakes, which she has been carrying around ever since, and C.O. got a flashlight with 3 different bug-printed lenses, which he loves! He also got to enjoy some wrestling with one of the other boys! I had a good time too - I got to talk to some other moms, and I didn’t feel quite as awkward and out-of-place as I usually do at gatherings. We’re now officially going to join 4-H, since the kids had so much fun!

Wednesday: A much quieter day. We worked on pen-pal Christmas cards, math, phonics, and studied our book on insects, discussing all the parts of the body, and different groups of insects. C.O. now has 4 pen-pals, and C.J. has 3, ranging from Tennessee to Canada! One of them (Canadian) apparently primarily speaks French, so now the children want to learn French. I took 3 years of it in high school, but really don’t remember all that much of it now!

Yesterday: Back to the dentist, for another filling for C.O. He was so good! He stayed very still, and only cried when they gave him the Novocain shots. I’m working really hard on positive reinforcement with him, so we stopped at a toy store on the way home, where he got a small die-cast metal bi-plane. Then, we stopped at my mom’s house to pick up C.J. and ended up staying for a couple of hours to work on a gingerbread house. Then we came home, the kids helped me make soup, and C.O. read one of his phonics books out loud to me. They spent some time playing with C.O.’s math manipulatives, and we finished off the evening with family movie night - we watched “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”. Naturally, C.O. is now a hobbit!

Today: We hope to finish Christmas shopping and get all the pen-pal cards out in the mail! We may also see Santa Claus. C.O. wants to do some math, so we’ll definitely work on that, and we want to finish reading our holiday library books so we can return them.

I’ve been preparing for next year’s home schooling. I have decided after much research and thought, that we will be following the basic ideas and guidelines of the Well-Trained Mind. I may be a bit geeky, but I am really excited about this, as I can see it working well for our family. I am now looking at all the many. Many options of books to supplement the history and science aspects of the program. I plan to blend it with a Charlotte Mason approach, using “living” books and nature walks/journals.

General update

I had a whole post in mind earlier today, but thanks to sick elflings, I have temporarily lost my track of thought. O well, probably wasn't all that great anyway!

We are trying to get ready for the holidays here. My dad is insisting on coming here Christmas Eve instead of us coming to his house, so I am doing more cleaning than normal - our house is always cluttered with a million projects, not dirty, but definately not tidy. So I am trying to make things tidy. Plus, we've been going through books, clothes, toys, etc. trying to weed out what we can donate, so that we just have less stuff, so now that's all over the place too. I do have most of my Christmas shopping done, so that's a relief. Still waiting for a couple of things to arrive in the mail/UPS, and I need to order one more thing for my dad. The kids are each getting a scooter this year (that's what they asked Santa for), C.O. is getting a magic set, and C.J. is getting mini cookware along with a handmade apron. I know, that's very much a typical girly gift, but she loves helping out in the kitchen! I also ordered some gorgeous books from Daedalus Books, which has great prices and very low shiiping costs. I have to say I am thankful for the Internet this shopping season because I was able to find a lot of gifts at reduced prices, like a book for my dad. At the bookstore it was marked $29.99, but I found it online for $12.95, plus $1.50 shipping. Not too bad!

This week promises to be busy. We are going to a 4H party Tuesday. Wednesday I am off to my department's Christmas party. I think I came up with perfect gifts for both - at the 4H party it's a $5 limit, unisex gifts, for 2 different age groups, so I decided on something I think will go over well. For the office party, it's a "White Elephant" gift. I didn't have anything good at home, so I went to the closest mall, which has a sock store, and got some moderately hideous & very silly socks . Then, next weekend, we are off to see a local production of "The Nutcracker", partly as a treat for the kids, and partly as a treat for my birthday. I'll be an impressive 34 on the 18th. Can't really complain though - my 30's have been good so far!

School is almost over for the season. I am doing my presentation on Wednesday, so I plan to spend tomorrow working on that. Most of the presentations I've seen have been fairly simplistic, so this project won't be as hard as I originally feared. I need to sign up for spring classes soon too. I want to take art history, an art studio class & maybe a lecture series, maybe.

I guess that's enough of an update for now!

Since Monday...

It's been a so-so week. Right now both kids have miserable colds, so we missed out on yesterday's park day & today's playdate. We did make it to the library briefly yesterday, to return the one-week holiday books & to quickly get more. I also got a few "new" books in the mail this week: the Usbourne Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Natural World; Eyewitness Insects; & the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, which is a pretty darn cool book!
 
As far as education this week, C.O. has been going like crazy through HWOT, and C.J. is starting to realize that she too can write letters, so during lessons I make sure she has her Magna-doodle at hand for practice. It's different with her because she's left-handed, unlike anyone else in the family, though I think my sister may have been left-handed until kindergarten when her teachers began making her use her right hand. I just tilt the paper/whatever the opposite way for C.J. than I do for myself, & it seems to be working well. In math, C.O. did his first whole page of straight addition problems, and got them all right! He's really proud of that page, which is now in a place of honor on the fridge door. He also got back into Maps, Graphs, Globes this week, working on the four directions (North, West, East, South and Top, Bottom, Left, Right). We also started work on some holiday books from Enchanted Garden - C.O.'s involves copywork & coloring, C.J.'s is just coloring.
 
We'll probably do a little in schoolwork today. I plan on reading "The Nutcracker" to them again in preparation for going to the ballet later this month, and C.O. wants to do another page of straight math problems. Other than that, we'll just take it easy today, so my poor little sick babies can get better quickly!
 
HAD TO EDIT TO ADD:
C.O. just lost his first tooth about an hour ago! It's been very loose and wobbly for a couple of weeks, and so today out it came! He's very excited that the tooth fairy will come tonight!

Sunday & today...

Sunday - We did about a million loads of laundry, seriously. At least, for once, it's all folded and put away! It's so much easier to get dressed in the morning when you can find the clean stuff! M was at a friend's for the weekend, helping with some construction project, so the kids & I had the morning to ourselves. We made hot apple cider & watched Microcosmos. Then we read some of "The BFG" by Roald Dahl. This is the first chapter book I've read out loud that both children actually enjoy! C.O. took one of his math assessments & did really well. C.J. and I then worked on the alphabet, both singing it and identifying letters (capitol ones) by sight. Then we browsed a cool site on Christmas Around the World, and in honor of our research, made a Russian dinner - pirogi, cabbage, pickled beets.
 
Monday - C.O. had his enrichment class this morning, and they worked on poems about mittens. Afterwards, he came home and the kids played out front on their bicycles for about an hour & a half while I made dinner ahead of time. Then, C.O. did 6 pages in HWOT (he was really enjoying it), 2 pages in HM Phonics, and 2 pages of math. C.J. colored princess pictures and drew polka dots (her favorite thing to draw lately). She also practiced writing the letters "O" & "T", because those were a couple of the letters C.O. was working on. Then, off to gymnastics! I finally got smart and brought coloring books & a bunch of crayons to occupy each of the kids while the other is doing gymnastics. Now, it's after dinner, and the kids are watching an episode of Curious George before bed, after we read 2 more chapters in the BFG.
 
We got a lot done over the weekend as far as sorting out books and clothes - still more to go. They outgrow things (clothes, toys and books) so fast sometimes that it is hard to keep up with it all!

Another week...

It's my favorite time of year! I love the cool, crisp weather (especially since it's sunny right now), the sense of holiday expectation, shopping for special gifts for people, and the way people are so much nicer this time of year! The kids are really enjoying it too - long walks through rustling leaves, hot apple cider, Advent calendars, etc.
 
Right now we are working on some Christmas activity books printed out from Enchanted Learning (great site). We're also doing math - usually a lesson a day, both sides because C.O. goes through it pretty quickly. He's doing a lot of word problems and writing out number sentences. For science we're studying insects - we made some really cool insect castings with clay, plastic bugs & plaster! They came out very clear and well-defined. In reading we're still working on early readers of course. I'm looking at adding Phonics Pathways to our library of resources as I understand it is a very good book. We've been doing HWOT, but I also got a book on "modern" manuscript writing to see which is actually easier for C.O.
 
We wrote and illustrated letters to Santa this week, plus worked on pen pal letters. We've now got penpals in 4 states and Canada! The kids are very excited and love to draw pictures for their new friends.
 
We also chose a couple of names off the Giving Tree at my work - both girls wanting art supplies. Since C.O. and C.J. love art so much, they can easily understand why other kids would want art stuff too. They helped me pick out a few things, and we'll add a few more over the next few days. It's not very expensive, and it's a nice thing to do for someone else.
 
Goals this weekend - finish sorting through the kids old toys - we're getting rid of a lot of stuff that they don't play with anymore. I'm working on donating books of mine, and we have a TON of clothes to donate. I am hoping by Monday, we'll be ready to drop off a bunch of stuff!

Thanksgiving to now...

Thanksgiving was a great day - I got up early so we didn't have much stress over getting everything cooked. I just drifted in and out of the kitchen for half a day, doing a bit here and a bit there. Everyone ate tons of everything, so I guess it turned out well! The kids had a lot of fun making construction paper turkeys (from hand tracings) & hearing Thanksgiving stories again.
 
Now the kids are getting very excited about Christmas. We're moving into insect studies (science) and Christmas Around the World (social studies) this week. I should be getting Microcosmos on Monday or Tuesday, plus we'll be making a library trip in the next couple of days for both subjects. I want to build on something C.O. did in his enrichment class, which was a casting of an animal track, by doing insect castings - just have to figure out the insect part (maybe fake ones to make the impressions?).
 
This week we're also starting to make Christmas gifts for family members... we're doing castings of the kids' hands to frame shadow-box style along with a picture for their Grandma (M's mom); painting pottery (Friday evening) for their Nonna (my mom); and coming up with a project for their Grandpa (my dad). We like to do a lot of homemade gifts as opposed to just buying things - one: they're meanigful, two: the kids love making things, and three: they're less expensive.

The day before yesterday, yesterday & today...

Monday: Day off from C.O.'s art class, so he spent the morning playing with Play-Doh. I've finally gotten the kids to stay at the kitchen table while playing with it. He flew through another math lesson when I got home from work, and then worked a bit on HM Phonics while C.J. colored a maze. After that, we went to C.O.'s first gymnastics class, which he loved! He had to climb a rope, do some work on bars, and some balance beam work. He said it's way more fun than soccer. Then C.J. had gymnastics, which she still adores. She did a lot of balance beam work. The other girls were goofing off and amazingly, C.J. behaved, so she got an extra couple of minutes on the trampoline! They couldn't wait to get home to show off to M. Now, as long as I can keep squeezing out the money for this!

Yesterday: We started working on housecleaning for Thanksgiving. The kids played with Play-Doh while I did dishes, scrubbed countertops and mopped the floor. There's still a few final things to be done, but at least I got a good start on it all! Then we read a Babar story, a Thanksgiving story, and talked about what we're thankful for. C.O. is thankful for HotWheels, RC airplanes, and Legos. C.J. is thankful for the color pink, cats, dirt/sand and stories. I'm glad my kids have their priorities straight! Then we did some math, and both kids practiced counting out loud to 100. We also worked on pictures for pen pals.

Today: Other than story-time, we are taking the day off educationally speaking (well, except I have class tonight). We're going to bake the pies today (apple for tomorrow, pumpkin for Friday), finish folding the huge clean laundry pile, vacuum, etc.

 

  HAPPY THANKSGIVING TOMORROW!

The past week...

I'll admit, the last week has been busy with all kinds of non-school stuff - gymnastics, a dentist visit, my wedding anniversary weekend, etc. C.O. did do a couple of math lessons this week, and he's practiced his reading skills. He also made a casting of a chicken foot in his science enrichment class that was really cool. I signed him up for a 4 week gymnastics session to try out. C.J. is still loving her gymnastics, so she'll keep going for now. She's been singing the alphabet song for days on end.
 
One neat thing this week - the other night we were all cuddling on my bed, watching a cartoon, when C.O. suddenly asked me if I'd like to hear a story. He then told me "Goldlilocks & the 3 Bears", even giving all the bears different voices. C.J. then told me a (slightly abbreviated) version of "The 3 Little Pigs". I thoroughly enjoyed both!
 
We spent Wednesday afternoon, all of it, at the dentist. C.O. had a couple of cavities that had to be drilled and filled. C.J. got her teeth cleaned - thankfully no cavities there!

Friday, Saturday & today...

Friday: We actually did get the lesson out of the way in the morning! C.O. worked on math - the problems are increasing in complexity, but he still seems to enjoy it. More word problems, which involve drawing (always a plus), some coloring (to determine most & least), and counting to sixth place. Then he read "The Dump Truck" out loud, with very little sounding out. A couple of pages in HWOT rounded off the morning's work. In the meantime, C.J. practiced writing her name, and drew & colored in some polka dots. After all that, we headed off to the Super Playground in Sebastopol - totally cool place! It's all made of wood, some tires, etc., and looks like a castle. What's really nice is that there are built-in benches everywhere, so I could be close to the kids the majority of the time. The elflings got to play with lots of other kids too. C.J. played with Cassia, and we discovered both are left-handed (they are so similar in so many ways that it is kind of freaky). C.O. loved playing Civil War boat with C.J., B, J, and B & J's dad, R. All in all, it was a good afternoon, and we didn't leave the park until it just got too cold. I met a couple of the other homeschooling parents too. What I like is that (once the other hs'ing parents know kind of what you and your kids look like) the kids can spread out and there's always a parent keeping an eye on them.
When we got home, I cooked dinner while the kids played with their Magna-Doodles. C.O. spelled out Daddy, Mommy, his own name, and C.J.'s name just by sounding them out! He did struggle a little with C.J.'s name, but got 5 of the 6 letters! C.J. traced her hand about sixty times.
 
Saturday: Did some lessons in the morning - math and reading, then we read Green Eggs & Ham to see how much of it C.O. could sound out. He got a fair bit, but naturally words like "couldn't" and "wouldn't" threw him off. Then, we went off to the tire shop, and C.O. watched in absolute fascination as they raised the SUV up, took off the old tires (which were getting waaaay too bald for comfort) and put on new ones. We're going to fill out a field trip form for that, so it'll really count as school. Then at home, C.O. described the whole thing to M, while C.J. helped me make a big pot of turkey chili.
 
Today: If it wasn't for the fact that we are nearly out of milk, I wouldn't leave the house today. We're going to clean a lot today! C.O. has already asked if he could do school, so I think this evening we'll finally finish the Family Tree. I'm going to sort through (or at least try to) the clothes in my closet. There are these great drop-off bins in Petaluma for old clothing, shoes, etc., so I'll be donating a bunch of stuff. I like these bins because you just driop the bagged stuff off, without having to deal with snotty people sorting through it and not wanting half of it (had this experience at Goodwill a few times.. "well, we have too many x so we're not taking these right now"). The kids are going to start sorting out toys soon too, to get rid of half (I hope) before Christmas comes.
Tomorrow we're off to the symphony - they're doing a special shorter show for school-age kids, and C.O.'s charter school got free tickets! There were just enough tickets that the whole family gets to go.
 
Edited to add: I'm reading "The Well-Trained Mind" (got it at the library on Friday) and love it! This is so much the education I wish I had had - it makes sense. I'm taking copius notes so that I can use the basic ideas though I will be tweaking them a bit. If you haven't read this, I do recommend it, but as recommended to me, get the older version (apparently the newer one is more about the author's products than a variety of resources). I love the way they tie history segments to science segments, and it all seems to flow very sequentially.

Things are slowing down again...

One secretary came back last week, and the other returns tomorrow, so I think by the end of the week, things at work will be back to normal. Plus C.O.'s soccer season is officially over. Thus I'll have more time to do all the other stuff, like homeschooling, going places (I keep meaning to take the elflings to the zoo but haven't had time), housework (I'm a bit behind), doing homework for English lit ahead of time, not last minute... you get the picture. Right now I am supposed to be creating/forming a 10-15 minute presentation of Isabel Allende for class - I've got the bare bones done, but need to take some time to flesh it out. I hate doing oral presentations, but my job at the Marin Conservation Corps several years back did help me get past the worst of my public speaking fears.

I am trying, at home, to get rid of things. I have too much stuff - too many books (is that possible though?), too many old clothes, too many baby clothes (it is hard to part with something your baby wore), just too much. We'll be at the end of our lease in a few months, and I don't want to have to move as much junk this time. I know we'll be looking for a place with more space, but I'd like some of it to remain just that, space. Ideally we'll get a rental house with a garage for all of M's projects - he makes wooden toys, starship models, etc. in his spare time and needs a place where he can spread out his tools and projects, where they won't be in the way, or right where the kids want to play. C.O. is talking about wanting his own room too, though in all honesty the kids still both sleep in my bed most nights, and then M sleeps in C.O.'s bed. Eventually they'll outgrow cosleeping, right?

Next weekend is my 11th wedding anniversary. I personally am having a difficult time believing it's been 11 years already. We're going to go stay in a hotel for 2 nights, while the elflings stay at my mom's. Just a mini-vacation really, which I think will do us both good. I feel somewhat guilty about spending the money on it, but it is my money, so there!

Scratch yesterday... AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

So I picked up the SUV - new alternator, new battery, over $500 in work. Drove it to the store to pick up salad stuff, and then we were going to get family tree supplies, but no. We came out of the store, and got in, turned the key and... NOTHING. The starter (which I knew was on it's last legs so to speak) gave out. Triple A came out and got it started again, but the guy told me "don't turn it off until you get to the mechanic". Two hours and a bunch of money later, I again have my vehicle, and FINALLY it runs! While I am very glad to have it back in working order, the money bit completely sucks, and the whole afternoon was spent waiting (for the tow truck, for the work to be done). I got home just in time to throw together dinner for the kids, then I had to head off to class.
 
Today should be better though! I have the afternoon with the kids, then we have soccer practice (I think), but an hour earlier than usual due to the recent time change, then we'll have the whole evening. So, tomorrow's plans will be done today, I hope. Tomorrow I have the day off (yippee!!!) so I figure we'll get lessons done in the morning before heading off to a playgroup at a park.
 
Oh, I asked C.O what he'd like to study next since we're finishing up with fall stuff (by Thanksgiving), and he said "insects", so I am going to follow up on a recommendation from a friend and rent Microcosmos for him (thanks Jenny!).

Saturday through Wednesday...

Saturday: Soccer was canceled as the field was too muddy. Spent most of the day running around trying to get my SUV fixed. We got a rebuilt alternator & had it put in, but it had a malfunction, so no luck. C.O. and C.J. spent another good portion of the day outside on their bikes, piling up leaves then riding through them to hear the crunching. We did some work on our nature table, and made pumpkin bisque, which turned out really yummy, although M won't eat any (he hates pumpkin anything, even pie!). We spent the evening watching Sword in the Stone together, and then the kids wanted to wear their crowns that we got last month or so at the Fairy Folk Festival.
 
Sunday: C.O. read one of his readers again, and did some math - he's getting really good at word problems - plus a couple of pages in Maps, Graphs, Globes. C.J. worked on matching numbers to groups of animals, and then she did some coloring. She also copied some of the numbers she was working on. We read A Year at Maple Farm. I even got some work done on my homework, while both kids drew pictures!
 
Monday: I got back a couple of C.O.'s projects from his art enrichment class - he did a gorgeous painting of mountains, a waterfall, a tree and some birds - I will try taking a picture of it to post; and his pinecone turkey. We worked on spelling short words (3-4 letters), math, HWOT, and of course practiced reading. C.J. wrote her numbers 1-10! Then we headed off to gymnastics. They worked on the long trampoline, which is C.J.'s absolute favorite, plus they had a race and did somersaults (another of her favorites), among other gymnastic activities.
 
Tuesday: Did our "school" work on my bed for a change. We listened to Mozart while reading, working on the letter "U", doing math (another assessment, i.e. Saxon Math lesson 20), and talking about worms. Soccer practice was canceled. This is the last week of the soccer season, and I am beginning to wonder if there will be another game or not! We also had the excitement of having my SUV towed off on a flatbed to get it fixed, since the malfunctioning alternator killed the battery completely. We read a short book about Thanksgiving, and then reread Johnny Appleseed. C.O. got a picture in the mail from a new penpal, which he was thrilled by!
 
Today; Picked up the SUV, all fixed! Right now C.O. is busily drawing trucks on his Magna-Doodle, and C.J. is playing with her "babies". We'll start in the the next reader in a bit, plus some spelling/sounding out practice, math and then we'll look up some more information on worms! C.O. may or may not have soccer practice later today, then I have my evening class. Our issues of Ladybug & Click came today too, so we'll spend some time reading those. I want to head over to an art supply store if I get the time to get supplies for our Family Tree project - I need light blue (or another light color) poster/matte board; green, red and brown construction paper, and some more glue sticks.

This week...

Monday: Both kids went to C.O.'s enrichment class, as they were hosting a Halloween/fall party. They got to wear their costumes and do all kinds of fun crafts - C.O. made a flower arrangement in a hollowed out mini pumpkin that was really lovely. He has a good eye for color and shape. They also made leaves out of colored tissue paper, and paper-lunch-bag creatures. C.J. started her new gymnastics class, and she really enjoyed it! During the recreational classes she was trying out, the gym was empty and there was always cutesy music going. This time, the gym was full of girls of all ages, practicing, no saccharin music. C.J.'s teacher seemed a little more focused on the kids too than her rec teacher. C.O. still says he'd like to try it, so when soccer ends in a couple of weeks, we'll sign him up for a month to see how he likes it! For school stuff, we worked on vowel sounds, some handwriting practice, math, and read "Johnny Appleseed".
 
Tuesday: HALLOWEEN!!!
C.O. was Buzz Lightyear and C.J. was a rag doll (Almost but not quite Raggedy Ann, though that's who she said she was). Soccer practice was canceled for the day, and we just read a couple of Halloween stories for "school". We had a great day though! We visited relatives in costume (I was Medusa and M was a zombie), went trick-or-treating (well, the kids did), and just had fun.
 
Wednesday: After C.O.'s enrichment class, and my meeting with his teacher, we ran some various errands, then headed off to the Environmental Discovery Center, which turned out to be pretty cool! After C.J. threw a few fits because I wouldn't let her climb on rocks and hurt herself, we had fun. C.J. played with Cassia, jennyberm's dd (they are just adorable together), then we went inside and looked at the tide pool table, decorated paper koi, checked out all the taxidermied animals (for some reason C.J. was fascinated by the skunk), played with animal puppets, and C.O. got a big kick out of playing in the indoor "tree" fort. My kids really like the homeschool group kids, and they liked the Center. I wish we had skipped the errands and gotten there earlier though! I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable around the other moms too, though C.J.'s tantrum was pretty embarrassing! At home C.O. read the next book in his readers series. He's getting pretty good at it! Still has to sound out a lot of things, but that is fine with me. We did some math and a couple of pages in Maps, Graphs, Globes, before I headed off to class for the evening.
 
Thursday: Soccer practice was canceled due to rain. The kids played outside for quite a while in their rain gear, and came in sopping wet and muddy from puddles, so off they went into a bath, and pajamas. We had a cosy evening at home - read a few stories from James Herriot's Animal Treasury for Children, did some math, practiced writing words from signs (like "Men", "pull", "bump", etc.) from HWOT, and practiced with the reader.
 
Today: We went to the library - this seems to be becoming a regular Friday afternoon activity. The kids played while I picked up a bunch of books I had put on hold - this is easier than searching for books while watching those two! I also came across a flyer for a live performance of the story of Johnny Appleseed on November 14th at our local library, and it's free! The kids are very excited since we just read this. After that we dropped by my mom's for a while to visit, then came home. We counted seeds from apples the kids ate yesterday for Saxon math lesson 19, checked on our celery stalk science experiment (capillary action), which we had to redo because we had it on the table, and the cat knocked it all over. Then we worked on two pages of HWOT, and the letter "U" from HM Phonics, plus C.O. read his second reader again. C.J. is learning to color inside the lines beautifully - she is very careful and deliberate when coloring. I hope to read another story or two to them before bedtime. Right now they are watching "Charlotte's Web" with utter fascination - they've really enjoyed farm/animal studies so far.

Random thoughts about planning ahead...

’ve been doing a LOT of thinking lately, about how we’re homeschooling, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I actually need some organization. Not an actual schedule, mind you, but maybe a sort of general plan. I think if we were a little more organized in our approach, we’d be more productive without additional stress. So here is my plan… First, we are cutting actual sit-down homeschooling down to 4 days a week. On those days we will do reading/writing work, story time, and math. On two of the days we’ll work on social studies, and science on the other two. That’s it! Not much of a plan, is it? I don’t want to get over-structured – too much (i.e. a schedule) wouldn’t suit our family right now. I just want a general plan so that I know I am hitting the important things! We get plenty of art, music, etc. into every day, so I am not even worrying about those right now. I also have spent some time lately looking at California Education Standards over the past couple of weeks, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. The way they organize history/social studies confuses me… for example, in 3rd grade, they study Native Americans, early settlers, and the three branches of the government as they are today. I can see how the first two subjects fit together, but then you throw in modern government? M & I have been debating back and forth if it is better to approach history through geography (study you state’s history, then your country’s history, then move outward) or sequentially through time, starting of course with ancient civilizations. If you read this, what is your opinion on teaching/learning history? Next year we are actually taking an idea from the California Dept. of Education, and will be studying countries around the globe and their customs/foods/etc (social studies, not history yet). For science we can study the country of choice’s animals, geological features, plant life, and so forth. I can see having a LOT of fun with this! Second grade is supposed to be about people that have made a contribution to the world, such as George Washington, Einstein, etc. This could potentially be a lot of fun as well, since we get to pick and choose whom to study. Maybe I am thinking too much about this whole thing! All you veteran homeschoolers out there, does it work better for your family to plan ahead a bit, or to take each day as it comes?

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & today...

Thursday: We got absolutely no school done, whatsoever. I had a nice quiet afternoon & evening planned... soccer practice had been canceled, so I though we'd actually get a bunch of schoolwork done! I left work at 2, stopped at the store to pick up milk, got back in my SUV and... nothing. Wouldn't even turn over. So I called my mom, who has Triple A (which I need to get myself), she called a tow truck, and my sister came in case I needed a ride. The mechanic jump-started the SUV (about an hour had passed now), and I started off merrily down the road, figuring I could easily make it 2 miles. Stop-light... and there it goes again. Completely dead. Not even my hazard lights would work. Thankfully, a really nice guy pulled up behind me, turned on his hazard lights, and pushed my car out of the intersection, into the entrance to a senior citizen mobile home park. I wrote a note, to let residents know it was broken down and I was going to call a tow truck, and while I was doing this, the wind blew the door shut, with my keys inside, of course. I walked to my mom's house (2 blocks away), we called the tow truck again, and I went back to wait. It has now been 2 hours since it stopped in the first place. About 45 minutes later, the same tow truck guy shows up, spends 15 minutes popping open the lock (which actually pops out of the door, oops), and recharges the battery, then follows me home. I got home at 6 pm, ehausted from the sheer stress, so we got nothing done.
 
Friday: We borrowed my mom's car and went to C.J.'s gymnastics class - the last one in the month we paid for through the city rec department. I talked to her teacher/coach afterwards, and then to M when I got home, and we have decided to enroll her in classes through the gymnastics facility itself. Bonus - they offer afternoon classes, unlike the city, so I will get to take her, instead of asking my mom to , do it. Plus, if C.O. decided he wants to try it, they have classes for boys his age right before or after the options for her classes! And then we went to the library. Returned some books and checked out a bunch more, plus Magic Schoolbus videos on bugs and plants. We got the stories of Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan, plus a bunch of books on farms, plants and farm animals. The kids were really good at the library, so we stopped and got yogurt smoothies on the way home. Meanwhile, M left for the weekend, heading down to a friend's to help with some roofing.  At home, we watched one of the episodes on bugs (bees actually), did a quick math lesson, and then the kids headed out front to ride bikes. I started dinner, and when it started getting dark, the kids came back in, and we worked on Maps, Graphs, Globes, then HM Phonics and HWOT, while C.J. colored and counted on a chart. Then we started a science experiement on capillary action. After dinner we watched "Bambi" (C.J.'s library pick).
 
Yesterday: Spent the early am reading Curious George stories. Then, C.O. had a soccer game (they lost by a long shot this time). After that, we went over to the playground, and ran into D4, H3 and their mom! She never actually went into labor the other day - the contractions went all night, then stopped. So all the kids played together for about an hour, then we headed to the grocery store, the movie rental place, and home. Both kids elected to have some quiet time after their busy morning - they wanted to watch "Over the Hedge", and C.J. actually fell asleep before long. After that, they played outside some more. We did Saxon Math 18A & B, and worked with the reader and letter cards again, then checked on their science project, which is doing well. We watched "Over the Hedge" on the couch with popcorn before bed.
 
Today: I am taking the car, if it starts, over to a mechanic friend at about noon - current theory is that the alternator has died. Currently the kids are watching the Little Einsteins Halloween episode. We made muffins this morning (cooking lesson, plus math and science!), and later on we'll sit down to do some more math, reading, etc. I also need to do some laundry and some grocery shopping. We hope to carve our pumpkins tonight as well!

Monday, Tuesday & today...

Monday: We started out with math, doing some counting exercises, where you say "43 is 40 plus 3". We were going all the way from 1-100. C.O. was doing pretty well with it, and we were going through moderately quickly, but he was getting a little tired of it by about 84. No problem though, because C.J., who was busy coloring a duck picture, piped in "84 is 80 plus 4, 85 is 80 plus 5..." and so on, up to 90! Then C.O. took back over and we finished that up. Then he did lessons 16 A & B in his Saxon math workbook. We moved on to Maps, Graphs, Globes and tied that in to local geography, so we spent some time pouring over maps of northern California and our area. After that, they just wanted to play, so they went outside and had P.E., which meant they rode bikes around on the sidewalks that circle the lawn, tried to climb trees, and played keep-away with neighbor kids until dark.
 
Tuesday: Had a playdate with D4 and H3. Their mom is due on Friday (a second girl), and partway through the playdate I realized she was being pretty quiet - turns out she had been having regular contractions for over an hour! She had planned this as the last activity of the week, and was determined to allow the kids to have a good time. After the playdate, we hurried off to soccer practice. C.O. did well with one-on-one kicking practice, but seemed a bit tired by the time they got to full-team practice. I think he might be happier with a more individualized activity, so he's seriously debating between Aikido and gymnastics for after the soccer season.
Then we came home, made a pasta dinner, sat down to eat, and C.J. got halfway through and fell asleep in her plate. So, C.J. and I had some nice quiet time after dinner to do Saxon math 17, and a few pages in HWOT, then two pages in HM phonics.
 
Wednesday: C.J. had some alone time with M today, so they repotted some succulents that M has had for about 8 years, while C.O. was at his enrichment class. This afternoon we are doing some HWOT, followed by work on C.O.'s new readers (we're starting with Dan Drum). After that, we may do some math, since that is C.O.'s favorite subject at the moment. Then I'll finally get to read them the family tree book I got from the library!

Saturday & today...

Saturday: Had a soccer game first thing in the morning. C.O.'s team won for the first time! Plus he blocked a pass once really well (with his knee), so we got smoothies to celebrate! During the game, I was talking to my dad, who shows up to watch most games... he asked me how homeschooling is going, so I told him what the kids were doing, and that C.O. got another 100% on a math assessment, and my dad's response? "So, is he going to a real school next year?"
After the game, then playtime in the playground, and smoothies, we came back home and had a fun, relaxed day. M's brother (the kids' Uncle E) was over, and we played tag and spinning out on the front lawn for a couple of hours. Then, the other local kids all came out to play, so I sat under a tree to work on my homework while they all played. Later in the evening, we got Chinese food and Uncle W came over (Uncle E was gone by this time).
Good day, very calm. We also got two packages in the mail for the kids - The Babar Treasury, and the stories of Curious George. We spent the late evening reading voraciously!
 
Today: The kids asked to draw pictures and "write" another letter to their penpals, so we did that first. Then C.O. wanted to read all the license plates out in the parking lot, so we spent about half an hour doing that. He got them all right! I figure it's good letter and number recognition practice. We might play our Dora the Explorer ABC game later, and will probably read some more. The kids have also watched 2 episodes of Little Einsteins today, which is one of the few cartoon shows I can actually tolerate.
This afternoon, we're going for a leaf collecting walk, and then I'll try pressing the leaves in waxed paper. I'm also looking through our science experiment book for fall ideas - there are a number of good ideas in there! Tonight the kids are spending the night at their Nonna's (my mom) house, and I am going to use the peace and quiet to finish my essay on stages of female emotional growth in English lit.

Wednesday, Thursday & today...

Wednesday - First I met with C.O.'s teacher. We handed in a few sample pages of his work, and got back a bunch of the arts & crafts he's been doing in his enrichment classes. We also picked up a beginning reading guide (I'll look at the name later) and 4 beginning readers to work on over the next month.
After that, we went to a pumpkin patch, with the local homeschooling group. First time we did anything with them, so as usual, I felt pretty shy around them. Groups are always a bit uncomfortable for me. Not the kids though! There was a small hay bale maze with a tunnel thing, and a bunch of kids, so mine had loads of fun! C.J. met another girl with her name, and about the same age, which she thought was pretty funny. What I liked was watching all the kids playing together, and hearing the parents (mainly moms, but one dad was there) talking about their approaches to homeschooling, and a lot of them seem to be at least semi-unschooling, much like us! We also went in a corn maze and on a tractor-hay ride of sorts. Both kids picked out pumpkins too, and both have said they can't wait to "play with all those fun kids" again!
As far as schooling goes, C.O studied the heart and blood vessel system, etc. in his enrichment class. At home we read a few stories, and worked on pattern sequencing with his math manipulatives.
 
Thursday - More pattern sequencing, and we worked on HWOT. Then C.O. suddenly threw up, everywhere, so that was the end of that. He fell asleep for about 2 hours, then woke up and threw up all over my bed, and me. After that he was fine, and he's still okay today!
 
Today - We're going to do lesson 15 in Saxon Math (which is a written assessment), some HWOT and some HM Phonics, after the kids watch an episode or two of Little Einsteins. C.O wants to finish a sticker sheet he's been working on for sequencing. C.J. is working on the letter E now, so she'll probably color a couple of pages in her giant alphabet coloring/work book. We're also going to check on the growth of our catnip, and I am hoping to read them a book about family trees I picked up last week at the library, so maybe we'll get into that!
C.J. had gymnastics again today too, the second to last of the series we signed up for. She wants to continue with it rather than move into ballet, so I guess we'll be signing up for another 4 week session.

The last week...

I won't even try to give a day-by-day rundown, as it's been a week since I updated, so here are the highlights of our week:
 
C.J. is doing very well in gymnastics - Friday they did beginning balance beam work, and she didn't need any assistance! She loves the class and has asked if she can keep going, so I guess we'll be signing her up for another month!
 
We went camping at a fairly local park over the weekend. There were good, and of course, bad parts. Good: We saw loads of animals - deer, squirrels, hawks, geese, ducks, lizards, and more; we went on a nighttime hike with flashlights that the kids really enjoyed; hanging out around the campfire in the evening was really nice; we had a good time at a nearby park Sunday afternoon, where the kids played in the playground and went on a train ride. Bad: the sky never cleared up as much as the weather report promised; the kids are still in that hit-each-other-and-scream-bloody-murder phase, which by the way echoes very loudly through the woods; C.O. snuck some marshmallows out of the cabinet, and ate so many he threw up inside the tent; C.J was still getting over a cold or flu, and started throwing up too. Fortunately, both kids are fine now!
 
We haven't done much sit-down schoolwork over the last week. Part of that is that I've been trying to fill in at work for the other 2 secretaries in my department, both of whom are now out on medical leave. I sat down yesterday and spoke with the department director, and will be scaling back a bit, so we'll probably "catch up" again this week!

Went camping this weekend

A little on the cold side, but at least it didn't rain! We just went to a campground across town for 2 nights, because we wanted to go camping at least once before winter hits, and somehow we never got a chance this summer. Good parts: we hiked around a lake; the kids saw deer, hawks, lizards and sqirrels, as well as a couple of hundred ducks, and some geese; we saw some beautiful autumn foliage; sitting around a campfire in the dark was fun; and we took a cool nighttime hike with flashlights. Bad parts: the kids are still in that hit-each-other-and-scream phase; C.O. ate so many marshmallows last night that he threw up in the tent, so I had to share my sleeping bag with C.J. so that C.O. could use hers; the sun didn't shine enough; C.J. now appears to have a flu, and has been vomiting all day off and on, though C.O. seems fine now.

Work is okay. I say only okay because I took this on as a part-time job, and now with both other secretaries out on medical leave, I keep getting more and more hours, which on top of school, homeschooling, play dates, soccer, gymnastics, field trips, etc., makes me feel like I have no time at all to spare. Hopefully, one of the secretaries will be back in 1-2 weeks, and the other a few weeks after that, then things can begin to calm down. I have dropped one class (that hadn't even started yet) because with everything else, I can't take on more homework right now - I am barely keeping up with the homework I have!

Back to work momentarily - the work isn't at all bad itself. I've gotten the hang of most everything I am responsible for, and I am learning an incredible amount about the special education processes around here! I work with both program specialists and behavioral specialists. Though my kids aren't special ed, I find a lot of the behavioral techniques work with them, and would likely work with a wide variety of children.

We may have a new project coming up in the spring... my brother-in-law may go in on a fixer home purchase with us (he'd make the downpayment and a percentage of the monthly payments, we'd cover the rest of the monthly payments and the costs to fix it all up)... then we'd fix it up, sell it, and split any profits (otherwise known as houseflipping). We're talking cosmetic fixer, not something that needs to be rebuilt!

Saturday, Sunday, Monday & today...

Saturday - the Harvest Fair was so much fun! We looked at about a million goats, pet some llamas (my personal favorite) and talked with a llama breeder, went to the petting zoo where C.J. fulfilled a dream by petting a sheep, went on a couple of small rides (train, hay ride), and generally had loads of fun. C.O. liked the pigs best, followed by the deer in the petting zoo, C.J. liked the sheep and cows. We also checked out the giant prize-winning pumpkins and a bit of the art exhibit.
 
Sunday - We went shopping for sleeping bags for the kids. We're going camping this weekend, and M & I still have good sleeping bags from all our pre-child backpacking, but the kids needed them too. We let them pick them out, with a little guidance - C.O. picked out a navy blue one with bright orange trim, and C.J of course picked deep bright pink. After that, we came back, and settled down for some school work. C.O. did math, another couple of pages in HWOT, some sorting, and 2 pages in HM Phonics. C.J. sorted beads by color, then ran off to play with her daddy.
 
Monday - Had a meeting with C.O.'s teacher. She loved the pictures of the volcano experiment, and after asking C.O. about letter sounds, said she'll give us a bunch of early readers on Wednesday as she thinks he's ready! She also gave us a bunch of cool math manipulatives - geometric shapes in bright colors, interlocking cubes, etc. After the meeting we went to the library and checked out a slew of books. It's the first time we've gone to the library since we moved here, and this one is nice! They have a great play area for little kids, and tons of good books. We got "Blueberries for Sal", three "Franklin the Turtle" books, a lovely little one called "Lemon Moon" and some on farming, plus a few for me! The kids were really well behaved thankfully. In the evening, we read a few of the books, did another page and a half of math, and 2 more pages in HWOT. We also studied and colored the parts of a plant, then wrote which type of vegetable the pictures were - root, stem or leaf.
 
Today - We'll start by reading again - that worked out really well yesterday, so I think I might start each lesson period that way, then we'll probably play with the new manipulatives, check on the catnip seeds, and work on the calendar. We might do some work in HM Phonics today too. This afternoon we have a playdate with D5 and H3, then C.O. has soccer practice. C.O. requested turkey meatloaf for dinner, so I think the kids will help me cook tonight too!

Yesterday (Thursday) & today...

Thursday - C.O. was much more focused than in the past on his schoolwork, and we made our way through a lot of it! We started with math (lessons 13A & B), with sorting various objects, in this case colored paper triangles and squares, both by color and shape. We added the word "angle" to C.O.'s vocabulary. The we worked on Maps, Globes and Graphs, which does improve quite a bit after the first section! The new section we did was on looking at pictures to find objects and to notice differences. We also worked a bit in HM Phonics and HWOT.
C.J. worked on the letter A. She colored a large picture of an alligator holding a big "A", and then found & circled all 5 "A's" in another picture, followed by more coloring.
Today - C.J. had her first gymnastics class, and she loved it! I was afarid she'd be a little shy, but nope! She marched in there yelling "I'm here for dimnastics!". They did circuits of different activities, like climbing, using hands & feet to go over parallel bars, somersaulting, and her favorite, lots of trampoline work! The gymnastics center here has a play area for other kids too, with loads of toys, which was great for C.O.
Right now, the kids are making video clips with M. In a bit, we're cleaning up the back patio, and planting all of the pansies we picked up today, plus starting, finally, the catnip. I have some great worksheets on planting seeds and plant growth that we can work through later, plus we will likely work on some math and phonics.
On another note, I am seriously considering signing up as the volunteer editor for the gardening newsletter put out monthly by C.O.'s charter school. I think it might be fun!
Tomorrow we are off to a local harvest fair! This fits right in with our nature table, which we are still setting up, and the farm/plant studies we're getting into.

More on Sunday, then Monday, Tuesday & today...

Sunday - we did make it to the Fairy Folk Festival, and had a good time! C.O. and C.J. each got a crown and a pair of wings - C.O.'s are black dragon wings with blue 'jewels' and C.J.'s are pink and purple fairy wings. C.O. spent the rest of the day telling us that he is a dragon king - now he wants a sword and shield, so M and I are looking at crafting those! I think I might dig up some good tales of knights, etc., and see if this new interest goes anywhere.
Monday - C.O. took his blue teddy bear to class for a 'teddy bear tea', which he said was lots of fun. He is learning a lot of nice little songs in class. We did a bunch of school work in the evening, finishing off with doing the volcano experiment again. We also looked at, and colored, diagrams of the 4 layers of the Earth, which he now can name from memory. C.J. sat down and, for the first time, purposefully wrote a number (9)! She's left-handed, so it's a bit different teaching her to write than it has been with C.O.
Tuesday - Coming down with colds, all of us, so we missed soccer practice and our playdate. Still did school stuff though - C.O. did lessons 12A and 12B in Saxon Math, working on placement (first, second, third, etc.), which he seems to understand pretty well. It seems like math might be one of my imaginative, playful child's stronger points! I've been looking at this as a possible supplement - The Noble Knights of Knowledge. I think with a little creativity (I hear the story lines aren't all that fantastic), it could be fun. We also worked on writing a couple of letters and some more letter sounds. He is starting to really connect the sounds with the visuals, asking about words he sees while out and about. It's actually really cool watching him go through the steps of learning to read. C.J. only wanted to color and look at a book of farm animals, but that was fine.
Today - We are officially having a 'sick' day. I had to call in to work, and call C.O. in to his class. This cold is nasty! We've watched movies all morning (Shrek and Shrek 2, now Pippi Goes on Board), the kids took a warm bath, we're all drinking lots of hot tea, and just resting. We've upped our vitamins and taken echinacea this week, so hopefully this cold will pass as quickly as it came on!

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & today...

Thursday - Had a good, though quiet day. Soccer practice was cancelled, so we had an unhurried evening for once. M & I took the kids to the local plant nursery during the afternoon, which was loads of fun! They looked at every fountain, spent 10-15 minutes at the Koi pond, looked at the herb selection and bedding plants, played with windchimes and more! They also spotted some tiny, new kittens that belonged to one of the nursery's semi-feral cats. I got them a catnip growing kit, so that they can plant the seeds and watch them grow, plus Donovan will probably enjoy it! C.O. did 2 pages in Maps, Graphs and Globes (we're not thrilled with this, so I think we might look for something else), and worked on more letter sounds. He's really starting to make that connection - that all letters have sounds, and that he is learning the beginning basics of reading!
Friday - Another fairly quiet day. We did math, letters and writing, plus we went to Sequoia Floral Supply to look at flowers, wreaths, and so forth. The kids really liked a basket of wicker apples they found, but we didn't quite have enough money to buy it.
Saturday - Soccer game first thing. C.O. is getting much better! He's focusing a lot more (focusing is a slight problem for him, but he's been taking EFA supplements and I think it's helping), so he got in a few good kicks! After soccer, we came home to get ready for the kids' first official playdate! We met another family at the park that is just starting out on their homeschooling journey, with a 4.5 year old son, and a 3 year-old daughter. The mom and I exchanged phone numbers so that the kids could try playing together. Before we went to the park though, we went grocery shopping and bought C.J. a leotard for her gymnastics classes that will start on Fridays. She is still very interested in ballet, but there aren't any ballet classes starting right now through the city, so she's doing 4 weeks of gymnastics in the meantime.
Then we headed off to the park, and the kids had a blast! They ran, and dug in the sand, and climbed all the things they could possibly find to climb. C.O. said towards the end that he liked playing with D because "D uses his imagination". C.J. had a great time with H too, as both love to pretend they're monkeys, dangling off any bar they can reach! We're all set to meet them at the park again on Tuesday. In the evening, my friend W came over (he's still here actually) for dinner, so it was a really good day.
Today - We are heading off to a Fairy Folk Festival for the afternoon. Admission is a little on the steep side, but the kids get in for free, so we figure it all evens out. We also need to sit down for a few lessons later.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & today...

We usually end up 'doing school' on Sundays, as it is one of the few days where we are home most of the day. This week, C.O. did Saxon Math lesson 8, made some number graphs, finished two pages in HWOT, 2 pages in HM Phonics, and dictated/helped to write a letter to his new penpal in Arkansas. He also drew a picture of a car, house and tree for E (penpal). We read some Golden Book stories before bed - C.O. liked the tugboat story, and C.J. loved the rabbit one. C.J. spends most of her school time coloring, though she likes the activities in her counting workbook - she correctly identifies the right group just at a glance!
On Monday, C.O. had his art class in the morning - they are doing a short unit on bears/teddy bears, so he made a bear card, and they read one of the Corderoy the Bear stories. Next Monday they are having a teddy bear party (the card was an invitation to one of C.O.'s stuffed animals). We did Saxon Math lesson 9, finished off the frog-jump capitols in HWOT, and worked on the letter N. Starfall has had some great activities for hearing letter sounds, plus it's fun! The kids both helped M make dinner... tofu-vegetable stir-fry and basmati rice. Yes, my kids eat tofu (but not all the time of course)!
Tuesday, I had to stay later at work, so we just did Saxon Math 10 (an assessment which C.O. aced!!!!) and a couple of pages in HWOT, then I let him do some coloring. We went to soccer practice, then the kids spent the night at their Nonna's house, which is always a treat for them.
Today, C.O. had his science class. Today's lesson was on the 5 senses, so they sipped different juices and water (taste), sniffed at lemon peels and mint (smell), shook jars full of dry beans (sound), played with the beans (touch), and looked at a variety of things (sight). C.O. really latched on to the ideas presented, and has been going around all afternoon discussing which senses he is using ("I can smell and taste and see and feel the olives, Mommy!") While C.O. was at class, C.J. helped my mom (Nonna) with grocery shopping. We're doing Lesson 11 in math, working on another couple of pages in Maps, Graphs and Globes, while C.J. works on groups of 7, and then going to the park before I head off to my evening class.
I got my local homeschoolers association discount/membership card in the mail today - I feel so official! We're actually planning on going to one of the upcoming field trips too, a trip to an organic farm in mid-October.

Great evening yesterday...

We went to my friend's (W) house yesterday afternoon, to celebrate his 40th birthday. The elflings love playing with him, and being in his backyard, so they had loads of fun! W's sister also stopped by - she has always been one of my best friends, since 7th grade, so it was great to see her again, and the kids liked her too, though C.J. was a bit shy at first, but that's normal and fine. I hope to see her again, if we can make it to SF sometime to go to the zoo.

We had a BBQ and spent some time around the firepit while there too. It was a nice evening, and I really enjoyed it!

Got my haircut all done...

I like it a lot, though it's shorter than it has been in years, just past my shoulders. But, it looks much healthier, and maybe it will dry faster (I hate blowdriers). M says it looks "pretty good", and the elflings said they love it.

New job is going well. I've picked up an additional 6-10 hours a week for now, until about November. I do have one very annoying coworker, but that's to be expected, and maybe she thinks I am just as annoying! I'm finally getting the hang of all the little tasks I have to do every day to make all the big tasks go more easily.

School is going pretty well. I'm doing my big English Lit project on Isabel Allende, whose books I highly recommend! I just need to space out my homework a little better so that I don't end up cramming it all in on Tuesday night (classes are on Wednesday). Next Friday, I also have another biology lecture, this one on environmentalism, so I am really looking forward to it.

The elflings are doing well - C.O. is maintaining his first grade level of work with school, so I am very, very proud of him. C.J. is learning her alphabet and working on counting higher (she gets to 14 now).

Other than that, things are going well. I am getting better at balancing things - educating my children and myself, work, home life, and even some time for myself, which may sound a little selfish, but I think it's healthier to take a few minutes alone here and there than to get overstressed.

Fun little quiz...

What Kind of Hundred Acre Homeschooler are You?
 
You are a Tigger Homeschooler. Tiggers jump into homeschooling with both feet, as a grand adventure. Everything is about learning, and their days (and houses) show it.

Met with the "teacher" today...

Not sure what to call her, since she insists she's not the teacher... anyhow, the meeting went well. She is very impressed with what C.O. has done, which is a load off my mind! I am still glad we're going through Orchard View for his kindergarten year, but am still looking forward to next year when we'll strike out on our own. She gave me some worksheets/coloring sheets to back up all the Earth studies C.O. has been into lately, and we built a fantastic volcano - I'll post pictures later.
 
I'm getting better at spreading out the workbook stuff we do, so that C.O. doesn't feel overwhelmed by it at any point. Now if I can just spread out my own homework that well! I should be playing catch up right now, but am taking a break.
 
Today we're doing some math (maybe 2 pages and building some block towers) then I'll let C.O. choose from HWOT or HM Phonics (usually he'll choose to do both). C.J. is getting better at identifying capitol letters from her coloring/activity book, and she loves to sing a mixed-up version of the ABC's. She is trying to decide between ballet classes and gymnastics - I think there's a place around here that will let her try out a lesson for $5, so I think we'll try that before actually enrolling her in either one. C.O. has decided he wants to try out martial arts or gymnastics when soccer ends in November, probably martial arts, which is very readily available around here. C.J. is also interested in martial arts, but I am not sure she's old enough for any of the classes around here!

Got a lot of schooling done...

C.O. did 3 pages of Saxon Math, 2 pages of HM Phonics, 2 pages of HWOT (the letters D & P), and 3 pages in Maps, Graphs & Globes the day before yesterday. C.J. was napping, and I guess we just got on a roll! On Monday we are planning on making a model volcano with M's help, since both kids have been very much into the Earth lately. C.O. is also drawing very complex buildings and vehicles on his Magna Doodle almost daily - I wish sometimes they were on paper so I could keep them! He did make some great glittery pictures for me to hang up at work - I'm taking the kids there one afternoon next week so that they can put a face on 'Mommy's work'.

Almost there!

One more super-crazy day to go, then the Heart Walk on Sunday (I'm working the extra hours to afford a good hair cut, which sounds really vain now that I'm typing it). Then, only 15-20 hours a week working (see below), afternoons off for the most part.... yaaaaayyyyyy!!!

I've spent a good chunk of the afternoon today cleaning out my desk here at the AHA. Feels wierd.

Enjoying my new job too. Today was the first workshop I did the set-up for, and it seemed to go pretty well. The woman running the workshop is notorious for being picky about the set-up, and she said I did a really nice job, so it must have turned out well! Not so fond of making coffee for 51 people, but I did enjoy making the flyers and signs, kind of a vaguely artsy project.

Now, while technically I am only scheduled for 15 hours a week, our senior admin is out for surgery, so I'll be picking up 4-6 extra hours a week to help out while she's gone for the next six or seven weeks.

C.O.'s first outside class...

C.O had his first 'enrichment' class yesterday - art, music, and free play... about an hour and a half long. He loved it! There were 17 other homeschooled kids there, ranging from kindergarten up to second grade. They sang a song about apples, made apple-print placemats (the kind where you cut an apple in half, dip it in poster paint & make a print), drew pictures, played legos, then had lunch/a snack outside and played in the playground. On Wednesday, it's art & science. C.O. loved playing with all the kids, and his teacher said he was really sweet!

We're having loads of fun homeschooling. We've 'studied' the planets, the structure of the Earth & how earthquakes happen, math, reading, cooking, writing, art, number patterns, suction, gravity, and more, just in the last few days... and it feels so much more flowing than school did for me. Today when I got home from work, C.O. had made a number chart on his Magna-Doodle, from 0-13, to show me - he made it all on his own, and all correctly. C.J. had made a drawing of a happy face that she said was of her (her first self-portrait).
I just hope it stays this easy, at least for a while!

5 Things...

5 Things I Couldn't Live Without Right Now...
My children laughing
Coffee, coffee and more coffee
My precious few minutes of 'me' time right before sleep each night
Milton's Granola Bread, toasted, with almond butter
My cat curling up in my lap, purring insanely


5 Things I Could Definately Live Without...
Worrying about finances
Working 45 hours a week
The kids being whiney and crabby
Me being whiny and crabby
M being whiny and crabby

Are we unschoolers at heart?

I had one of those moments this weekend... you know, those "duh" moments, where something is suddenly so obvious yet hasn't been obvious before. I spent part of my weekend devouring "The Unschooling Handbook", and realized (not sure how I missed this before), that essentially we do unschool. Until recently, I haven't done workbooks, or any kind of planned education with my kids. We just follow what they want to learn, and try to give them the tools to learn about everything. I had been worried, this year, that maybe this approach was too relaxed, but in all honesty, it's working! The kids remember all kinds of things we've talked about and/or shown them, often times surprising us with how in-depth their gained knowledge is.
 
C.O. is currently enjoying the workbooks, which honestly don't take much time, and only cover math and phonics/writing, and everything else is just an offshoot of living our lives. For example, yesterday we discussed volcanoes and earthquakes - C.O. showed C.J., using his hands, how the plates in the earth shift, which I taught him months ago after a minor earthquake. Then we dug out our fantastic illustrated one-volume encyclopedia and looked at the Earth's structure. This led to a discussion on planets, so I got out my Planets-in-a-Pouch (only mine has Jupiter instead of "The Universe", and Mars instead of Venus), and now both kids know a bit about Mercury, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. I think this subject might be something they'd be interested in pursuing further - we'll see! I am using the workbooks because I want to give him a strong foundation in math and reading skills to work from.
 
I decided to give unit studies a rest right now, unless they are truly child-initiated. I asked both elflings what they want to learn about right now, and C.O. answered "r.c. (remote control) stuff", and C.J. wants to know about sheep and pigs. So, I guess we'll plan field trips to Hobby Town and a farm!
 
Since we do sit down to learn a little from workbooks on a regular basis (well, 3-4 times a week), can we still call ourselves unschoolers?

I can't wait for it to all slow down...

Okay, two jobs, college, homeschooling and soccer is officially too much. Only one week to go though, and some of the craziness (i.e. the second job) will be at an end. My new job is going really well - I've settled into most of my obligations (prefer that to the word "duties"), and am getting familiar with how things work there.

Had my first official meeting with C.O.'s teacher/assistant this week - go to A Homeschool For Two if you're interested in reading more about that. He's had two actual soccer games now, and stayed much more focused at the second one. Even his coach noticed! I think the problem with the first one was a lack of understanding of the game on C.O.'s part, but we (M & I) did some one-on-one practice with him, which seems to have helped.

I have gotten nearly all of the kids winter clothes shopping done! Most of it is second-hand, EBay stuff (some is new), but it's all nice, and I have spent less than $75 fitting them both out for the months ahead. For example, I got C.O a corduroy coat for under $5 with shipping, and two pairs of brand-new Carhartts pants for less than $10, again with shipping. I am still searching for some more pants for C.J., and a few more long-sleeved t-shirts for both. I did a little shopping for myself off the clearance racks - some cargo-type pants, and 3 t-shirts, all long-sleeved. One of the benefits of my new job versus the American Heart Association is that the clothing guidelines are nowhere near as formal and strict, so I can get away with cargo pants, t-shirts, and even my old Docs, as long as I look presentable, clean and tidy! Nice t-shirts by the way, nothing with graphics, tears, stains... the ones I got are plain, jewel-toned ones. Plus I have cool jewelery to dress them up with!

Besides that, school is going well so far. I get to learn about pond turtles next Friday. I found my old little tape recorder so that I can record the lectures before trying to write a paper. I missed one English Lit class, so now I have make-up work to do, but maybe over the weekend.

First, let me reassure you...

It was a tongue-in-cheek comment... I don't really think I am a terrible homeschooling mom.
 
Yesterday proved I am not. We had our first meeting with our assistant/teacher, and it went really well. We discussed what we want to accomplish with homeschooling, filled out a few (semi-silly) forms, discussed the enrichment classes, and then began going through the curriculum materials they have available. I said "no" to a few things, but did come home with an entire armload of books and supplies! C.O. is in first grade math, which I admit I am proud of! I added our supplies/resources to my sidebar. Yes, after looking through the books, we did decide to go with Saxon Math, but only the workbooks and manipulatives, not the Meeting Book and all that. I do have the Teacher's Guide, but I doubt I'll be using it too much. We're supplementing with Family Math. I thumbed through it last night, and it looks like it has a lot of great games!  We meet again on the 20th, and in the meantime, I am coming up with a unit study (mostly for history/social studies/science learning) to start with that I can email to her. We're thinking of doing a fairly short one on "Our Community" - we could make a map or collage (or combination of the two) of our area, visit the fire station, library and post office, etc. Then, maybe move into a unit on Farms, just in time for Halloween preparation!
 
C.O. did his first sit-down lesson in phonics/writing during my lunch break today, and he seemed to really enjoy it! We also worked on letter sounds in the car. C.J. drew a picture during the sit-down time, which she says is a mountain coming up out of the ocean. We really need more crayons! After soccer practice tonight, we hope to sit down to do a page or so of math. I can't wait until things are a little less hectic, and I get more time at home to actually enjoy the homeschooling process.

Oh, I am a terrible homeschool mom...

Not really, but we didn't get started today! First, work is just so hectic through the 15th. Secondly, we're not meeting with the "teacher" until tomorrow, and I want to get things figured out with her before moving too far forward on my own. So, we are postphoning our first day until at least Thursday, if not Monday of next week. Oh well, this kind of flexibility is one of the reasons we wanted to homeschool in the first place! If we had put C.O. in school this year, he'd be on his third week already, gone about 6 hours a day with transportation time, with homework still to be done each evening...
 
Next Monday will be C.O.'s first class though! Art, music, and a little story time. He wants me to pack a lunch so that he can have lunch and playtime with the other kids. I'm glad he's looking forward to it. M said he might go with him (parents are welcome) since he (C.O.) has never been to a class or anything like it where someone he knows isn't there, and we think it might ease any nervouseness if one of us is there.

Had my first day at my new job...

It went really well. I have my new work email, and I'll be listed on the website as the workshop coordinator within a few days. They held an admin meeting to get me up to speed - lots to go over since Special Ed is such a huge program. I liked how casual but busy the office is. It will take me a while to get used to the keyboard at my desk! It's one of those divided ones that is supposed to help support wrist/hand function, so it's wierd. Most of the people I met seemed really friendly and approachable too.

I also had my intro to the biology lecture series today, and it's going to be really interesting. One of the career options I have toyed with for years is marine biology, and they have a very good biology department at the local community/junior college.

Off to a three day weekend!

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.