Taking a day off...

After running late everywhere today (seriously late), we decided to take a day off from lessons - we'll make it up Saturday. Altogether it was not a great day. I have one whiny coworker (older woman) who drives me crazy, and today was one of her prime days for making me nuts ("Could you clean out the coffee pots today? I would, but my hand hurts."... "Can you fill the paper in the copier?"... "While you were filling the paper the phone rang and now I think there's a message." [why couldn't she pick it up?!?]) AAARRRGGGHHHH! Anyhow, then I got M to work 10 minutes late, because said co-worker needed to ask me about bladder infections; went to the gas station where all the debit machines were down for 10 minutes, and finally picked up C.O. from his enrichment class half an hour late, finding out when I got there that a bigger boy had pushed him into a puddle during free play time, and he was soaking from the waist down. Went home, changed C.O. into something a bit drier, missed a rental showing, picked up my mom for her dr's appointment, and so on, and on, and on. I am honestly really glad the day is over, and I'm heading off to bed in a few minutes.

In other news, my baby will be FOUR in just a few days. Suddenly she's hit that stage where they do a lot of growing up (emotionally/mentally) overnight. She can cook, run a VCR and DVD player, use the computer, do some basic math, etc. She's just growing up so quickly. Luckily she's still a bit shy, and very cuddly, so she is still my baby. Tomorrow she's helping me make cupcakes for a park gathering, then we'll have her birthday party for family on Sunday. Saturday, I'm taking her out for a girls-only lunch, and to maybe get her ears pierced. She's also decided that it's high time she that she "does homeschool" just like C.O., so she sits down, very seriously, at the kitchen table/living room/wherever, and demands more schoolwork. She's developing beautiful handwriting, which I was a bit nervous about since I am not familiar with left-handedness.

Okay, enough rambling for one long day.

One day down...

4 to go, on my homeschool lesson plan chart, that is. Yesterday, it went pretty well. Instead of saying "we'll do some of this, some of this, and maybe that", I just looked at my lesson plan, got everything together, and then we did it! Is that what lesson plans are for? LOL. Anyhow, we started with math - C.J. did a printout on coloring and then counting from Enchanted Learning, while C.O. worked on a page of mixed math (Saxon) and a page of addition/subtraction drills (also Saxon). The mixed page included counting by 2's to 20, and then by 10's to 100, which he nailed on the first try! We are officially 1 lesson away from moving into workbook 2 for Saxon 1, so I think that will help motivate C.O. today. Then they did some jumping jacks to get their blood flowing (good idea I stole from one of Jenny's posts), and we moved into language arts. C.O. did 3 pages from his HM Phonics/Vocab/Spelling book, including a maze to review the entire alphabet, while C.J. worked on a printout for letter 'A' sounds. A few minutes of magnetix and we moved right into social studies. Both kids colored American flags and U.S. maps (again thanks to Enchanted Learning). Then we were done! After each lesson, the kids were very eager to check it off on the chart, then they each got a star for finishing. C.J. did take frequent breaks, but she has less work than C.O. so that went well, and C.O. did drag his feet with the language arts, but got through it.

We'll see how it goes today! BTW, for anyone curious, I aced my midterm!

Will it work for us?

I know a fair number of homeschooling families out there actually have lesson plans - we don't, until today that is! I decided to give lesson planning a try, one week at a time. I made myself an easy chart to fill out, with boxes where the kids can check off what they've done. It goes into place Monday, so we'll see how that works out.

Friday we went to "preschool" park day - I put preschool in quotes because several of the kids are beyond the preschool stage. We had a great time. The kids played happily (for the most part), though C.J. was quite shy at first... by the end she had warmed up to some of the other kids. Both C.O. and C.J. are able to easily tell male ducks from female ducks now, mainly from their coloring, also male duck tails curl up whereas female duck tails are straight (just so you know). I actually got to chat with a couple of the moms which was kind of nice! The weather was iffy, sprinkling now and then, but we toughed it out, and were glad we did. Some sad news: they're tearing down the absolutely fantastic playground structure in another month, to replace it. Hopefully they'll do at least a halfway decent job. When we got home, C.O. worked on a couple of pages from his phonics book, covering a few frequently used words (to, is, for), and words that rhyme. C.J. spent about 45 minutes on Starfall, playing alphabet games.

Today, I have worked on getting caught up on housework. I still have a ways to go, but I'm getting there! I also developed the above-mentioned lesson plan for the next week. The kids have been pretty well-behaved today. They're out playing with neighborhood children right now - yes, I know it's damp, but they have many layers on, and needed some physical activity. I plan to read a couple of library books to them later. I also need to work on my homework, for art history. I had someone ask yesterday how I go to work, college, and do homeschooling, and truthfully, I don't know. I always feel like I am playing catch-up, hence the attempts at actually organizing things. The first thing to suffer is always the housework, which is why I unfortunately spend my weekends cleaning far too often! ;)

Getting behind...

on housework, again. Oh well, there are other things in life! I blame it on the flu - honestly, it's not my fault (even though I could be cleaning instead of typing this). C.O. got it at 3 in the morning on Friday - starting puking practically nonstop, and had horrendous stomach pain. It was actually bad enough that I took him in to Urgent Care to get something to stop the vomiting, and they got all panicked that it might be appendicitis. You can imagine how that made me feel! So we came home, with anti-nausea meds, and went back later that evening to make sure it was really just the flu. Anyhow, long story semi-short, he is better now.

Sunday we went to Howarth Park for the day, since the kids seemed back to normal. They rode the train, the merry-go-round and the ponies! C.J. looked so tiny on top of the big pony she specifically asked to ride. Both children loved the ponies best. We also took a slow walk around Lake Ralphine. This tired them both out so much that they actually took naps when we got home! When he woke up, C.O. read aloud a Superbook to me - he is getting a lot better when he's not whining about reading!

Monday, we went to look at a rental. Found a really cute Craftsman style home out in the country, on 2 acres... ducks, chickens & peacocks everywhere. We love it, but our income might be a little low for their standards, so we'll see! We also did math and some handwriting (both kids). I got Saxon Math K for $12, for C.J. to start on next year for "preschool" work, so I've been pouring over that.

Today, I had class and have to study for Thursday's mid-term. I'm also baking a gazillion cupcakes for a work-thingy tomorrow. I have a feeling that the next few weeks will involve lots of cupcakes - C.J. wants them both on her birthday and at the park day and/or 4-H meeting closest to her birthday. C.O. is playing with a friend from another apartment at the moment, then while dinner finishes cooking we'll do math and a lesson from Easy Word Families.

That's it for now!

Always something going on...

We’ve been busy, busy, busy, as usual. This week we had our 4-H meeting on Tuesday (C.O. is now officially a member), where we listened to reports and did a community service project (cookies for a soup kitchen). C.O was asked to go up in front of everyone to help give a report on the Lego Engineering project – poor boy couldn’t think of a thing to say! Nonetheless, I congratulated him for just going up there, as did some of the other moms. I know how hard it is to speak in front of people – I still have a hard time with it! He is now designing a poster for the upcoming 4-H fundraiser, and I think he stands a good chance of winning in his age division!

Wednesday was a little quieter – we spent a lot of the afternoon reading our library stash, going to the grocery store, and so forth.

Yesterday C.J. was invited to be a buddy at a gymnastics class, so off we went to that. The kids played all afternoon and had loads of fun – it is always hard separating them from their friends at the end of the afternoon! I had an upset stomach yesterday, and C.J. got carsick on the way there, but was fine after a few minutes at her friend’s house. Yesterday they also told me, for the first time, that they miss gymnastics, so I need to contact the place we go to get them back in. I think I’ll wait though until after C.J.’s birthday next month, because then she can go to a class at the same time as her brother, which will make things so much easier!

Strangest thing happened after picking up M and getting home – as I mentioned I had an unhappy tummy, so I didn’t eat anything at lunch, and otherwise felt pretty much okay. But, about an hour after getting home, I started shaking, and I got the chills really badly, an immense headache came on very, very rapidly, I got very queasy and felt in general like my skin was on fire! So M sent me to bed at about 6, and I slept all the way through until my alarm went off at 7 this morning. Now I feel fine! I’m glad it passed – we have more to do today, and I didn’t want to be passing something on to another family!

Today we have Lego Engineering. C.O. is going to build something at my mom’s house for show-and-tell before I pick him up after work. They get to see their friends again, which they are both very excited about (in fact, that was the only reason I didn't have more trouble getting them to leave yesterday!).

School-wise, we’ve been taking it a little slow this week. At most, we’ve done 2 lessons on any given day, such as a page of math and a page of reading exercises. I am still trying to find that magical balance point between too much school work and too little; hoping to get it right sometime this year so I am better prepared for next year!

Well, that's out of the question...

Turns out that every low-income place around here has a strict no-pets policy. Sorry, but our pets are part of our family, so obviously that won't work. Maybe it's a sign from the universe? After looking at some of those places, I honestly can't picture us in them anyway. The nicest looking ones (kind of town-home style with tiny yards) are in the middle of what looks like an industrial wasteland. So, we'll just go on a month-to-month lease here until we find the right place. M is already looking at picking up some more hours at work, and may be getting his first raise within a matter of weeks, since his boss adores him already. I am also overdue for a raise at work, and actually coming up on when I'm supposed to get a second raise!

Definately enjoying my 3 day weekend #1. As of now, I have already done a load of laundry and a big load of dishes, made a batch of awesome oatmeal-blueberry-banana muffins, taken M to work, gotten gas and gone to Trader Joe's for a few things. The kids are sitting on the living room floor coloring while I type, and we are listening to "The Planets" by Gustav Holst. The cat is in my lap, the dog on my foot, and I have a big mug of hot green tea to sip. Perfect for this rainy grey day! After I finish on here I'm cleaning the living room, and then we'll do a couple of lessons, and then make cookies for a community project we're involved in through 4-H.

Some homeschooling pics...

Just thought I'd share!

Hard at work coloring in her activity book...



Math...


Learning to read...

Is this too young?

C.J. has been asking at random times lately if she'll be old enough soon to get her ears pierced, which gave me the idea of taking her for a girls' lunch out and to pick out earrings, get her ears pierced, for her 4th birthday in March. Is 4 too young? My mom made me wait until I was 5. I know some people get their babies' ears pierced, but I have always wanted it to be her choice. There's a place near here that does both sides at once, which I think would be good.

Also, any ideas for birthday gifts? I feel so bad, letting her birthday essentially sneak up on me this way. At least I have a few weeks left to figure it out!

A busy, busy week....

With M starting his new job and all, it's been a busy week so far! School-wise, we spent Sunday through yesterday doing a good amount of book work. I printed a few planet coloring-and-fact pages from Enchanted Learning for the kids, which they then colored according to the planet poster hanging on our kitchen wall (National Geographic fold-out posters are such great resources!). C.O. has done pages of math, a few lessons on Easy Word Families, read aloud from Dr. Suess's Fox in Socks, worked on map legends in Maps Graphs Globes, and listened to numerous books, both fact and fiction. C.J. has worked on writing letters and numbers, sorting objects, and listening to the many books we read aloud.

Today, after my meeting with C.O.'s teacher, we decided to take the rest of the day off from homeschooling (book work anyway), and instead set the timer and cleaned the kitchen! The entire floor was covered in Legos and Tinkertoys when we started, and now it has been mopped, the dishes have been washed & put away, and split pea soup is simmering in the crockpot. I also got 2 loads of laundry done, so it has been a productive afternoon. I find I have much more energy when I do things, as opposed to when I am just lazy, though lazy can be very nice too. I like the sense of accomplishment, as do my children, from getting the kitchen or bedroom cleaned. Now we'll have time to play Candyland before my evening class!

What a week this is starting out to be...

Only midway through this week and my head is whirling. M is really enjoying his new job, and already, after only one day of being outside the home, he is much more cheerful, more like himself, which is great because in all honesty, he was getting kind of bitchy. ;) Between school, my job, his job (and transportation there & back), homeschooling & college, I feel like I am going nonstop. Don't get me wrong - it's not all bad. I'd rather be busy than bored! I also have a few events at work I am getting ready for - a small meeting today (I made the signs), another training tomorrow (signs, name tags, sign-in sheet, etc.), and Firday - a HUGE state-mandated training, over 100 people. I am handling all the signs, name tags, sign-in sheets, set-up, etc. I will be very glad when Friday morning is over, and then I get two 3-day weekends in a row! This weekend I plan on taking the kids to visit my dad, and we're hoping to visit W, as it's been a while since we've seen him.

In other news, as we are coming closer & closer to the end of our lease, we're looking at new places to move to. The rent here is pretty high for such a small space... we really need more room. We're debating between 2 low-income townhouses, one of which is okay with a tiny backyard (but on outskirts of town, no shopping, libraries, etc. nearby), and the other being brand-new, really nice, good size, but NO yard at all, though there is a creek behind the place with a pedestrian walkway, and there is a small playground. Good points (especially for the brand-new ones): they're spacious, have washer-dryer hookups, there's a garage, walking distance to a park, the library, and grocery stores. There is also a house, with a yard, that we are looking at, BUT, it is in a "bad" part of town, but it's a 15 minute walk to work from there for M, and it's a HOUSE. I am so unsure as to which direction to go on this. Maybe if I call up the police department, I can get some more information about the iffy neighborhood. We also always have the pets to consider. I am not even sure yet if pets are accepted at the low-income places. Aaarrrgh. M says it's up to me (gee thanks). Any ideas?

He has a job!!!!!

M got a job! He starts tomorrow! He's going to be the warehouse manager for a small company that his brother works for. Pretty good pay, part-time for now, full-time later (maybe by next month). I am just sooooo relieved and thankful. Grateful to the universe. This will be so much better for us!

So much fun...

The tea party Wednesday was loads of fun! I thought all the kids handled the good manners bit quite well, especially the host! After tea, we went to the park for a while - one we had never been to before, as I believe it is fairly new. Lots of exciting play equipment, which everyone enjoyed. It was a bit chilly, but I am always glad to get my two outside for some fresh air and good play time. C.O. had an incredible amount of fun playing with the other boy (the tea party host), and C.J. played well both with the other 2 girls and on her own a bit. It was really hard to get them to go home - they wanted to stay and play with the other kids forever! I got to talk with other moms which was nice - I am getting better at not feeling like an awkward moron all the time. I also got to look through the SOTW Activity Book, which actually has a lot of great ideas in it! I may tweak a few things here and there, as always, but I ordered an unrevised copy for $9. I also borrowed some outer space software, which we'll have to try out tonight.

We've been a little lax on bookwork this week. As his math has gotten progrssively more involved, I've decided to stop having C.O. do both sides of every lesson (the 2nd side is intended as "homework") unless I feel strongly that he needs the review. He's putting together a lot more sounds on his own too, trying to read unfamiliar words, which is fantastic to see. C.J. is now singing almost the entire alphabet, almost. I also got a huge compliment from my mom. If you read older posts I wrote, you might remember that no one on my side of the family was supportive of homeschooling. Anyhow, my mom told me recently that she's really impressed with how well C.O. is doing and with how much work it must take me to keep it up! That was really nice to hear after all the early questioning/doubting.

I've been working diligently on my homework - got caught up last night thanks to my mom taking the kids for the night. I have also been working on figuring out easier ways to keep up on housework. FlyLady never worked for me - too many darn emails. I had a couple of online friends send me their housekeeping master plans, and I designed my own! Now if I can just keep up with it....