Back to School-Homeschool Style

This year we decided to not only homeschool all the kids, but to start early. We are in our seventh week. We started in July since it was so hot and since we had a two week trip planned while everyone else would just be starting their school year.





The first couple of weeks were a little rough trying to get the boys acclimated to our already established school routine, but they are starting to get the hang of it. Heath LOVES getting his phonics out and having me work with him, but is still known to give me a run for my money at times. Some days are fun and others I want to pull my hair out. Of course that is the case in everyday life anyways so nothing too new to me. Laney either plays alone upstairs or comes down to color, play with her kitchen or watch "Dora". She has also enjoyed trying her hand at Phonics too. We are mostly working on letter recognition for her, but she is like a little parrot and repeats the lessons we recite. Maybe she'll be our early reader! *fingers crossed*

We start the morning with breakfast, reading scriptures together, family prayer and personal scripture reading. Then move onto Lang. Arts, Math, 15 min. break, History and Science. We then have lunch. The younger two are done while the older two work on computer skills. Then every Friday we have quizzes to see that they have retained most of the info. we have learned and have either an Art or Religious History lesson. We are usually done by noon and earlier on Fridays, but can be flexible if need be. Sometimes I just HAVE to start that laundry right then or else I will go insane or our break needs to be a little bit longer. :)

In History we learned about the Roman Empire, its fall and the rise of the Byzantine Empire, the India, Chinese, and Japanese Empires and are now studying about Australia in the middle ages. Its great for me because I am always learning new things right along with them.

We even had the kids write their own laws for their "Empires". Heath said to "Obey mommy ALL the time and daddy sometimes." :) Have I ever said how much I LOVE that kid? :) Don't wory I did tell him that isn't really how things should go, we need to listen to daddy too, but I relished in it while I could. Cause we all know mommy isn't listened to and feared as much as daddy. At least not in this house. My kids, for some reason, assume I am always teasing or joking with them. I think I need to rethink my parenting style.

Then we made a typical Roman Soldier dinner. We put cubed potatoes, sliced carrots and onions in over a small patty of ground beef inside some foil. Then added salt and butter. We weren't supposed to add  the butter because that isn't something they would have had on them during their travels as soldiers, but I can't live without butter on my veggies. :) You put it in the oven on 350 for about 20-30 minutes then, voila, you have a meal that wasn't too much fuss and it was really good! Kind of like foil camping dinners. We also had to eat with our hands...Chad and I lasted about 2 minutes, if that.

So far the year is going fairly well with a few bumps in the road here and there, but it is nice to be together during the days. I am fully aware of what they are learning and know where they need the most help. That has been nice. I can also cater their learning towards their strengths while trying to improve upon their weaker subjects. It is also nice to plan field trips just to have a change of scenery. I consider having that kind of control and insight into their education a blessing and am grateful my heart was softened towards this alternative of schooling for them. It has been a learning experience for all of us. One that is too precious for us not to have tried. Of course I hope to remember this when my patience is worn thin and I am ready to lock myself in my bedroom with a half gallon of ice cream, but even then this will still ring true. I just may not want to admit it at that point. :)

Photostory Friday: Sisters

There are two quotes that I really like about sisters because they remind me of my relationship with my sister and what I see with my own daughters.

1. "If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child."  ~Linda Sunshine

2. "Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship."  ~Margaret Mead





Ever since my two oldest girls were little, they have played well together, fought like cats and dogs and battled for the better position in the family. As they have become older, I see that they are in the competition spirit a bit more. In some ways that worried me for homeschooling them both together, but for the most part it has gone really well and hasn't been that big of a deal.

Recently though, they were fighting over table territory and who was going to finish their assignments the quickest (Shoot me now! They aren't EVEN teenagers yet). :) I talked to them about their little problem and it seemed, put BIG emphasis on "seemed", to be resolved better than I thought it would. Then after they went off for a break I found this note to Bria:



Apparently, Alyssa had to get the last word in and she didn't want me to hear it (or didn't want to hear me again)!

Then later that day they were back to joyfully playing together with their dolls. Sisters! AND I have to admit, I completely understand it. :)



Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Snippets-Playing Catch Up

Since homeschooling, my blogging world and project world has been a bit on the slow side. Now that things are starting to come together, schedule wise, I am hoping that I can be more consistent in at least the blogging world and eventually throw in the projects again.

For now I am going to try and catch up. :)

Since Alyssa has started homeschooling, we have really been enjoying our time together. Laney is also loving the fact that she has a friend to play with.

We enjoyed the beginning of awesome Fall weather. Cool enough to wear cardigans, but not so cold that your speech slurs from a numb mouth and nose. Wish I could say that is how it still is, but that was October/November and it is now January.

We have also enjoyed taking pictures and more pictures!





We celebrated Laney's first birthday...a bit on the later side, but we did celebrate as a family on her actual birthday. We just didn't do an official one with the extended family until recently. FINALLY! We had too many schedule conflicts, MBA graduation and sicknesses that got in the way. Here's to the sweet little Laney-bug!












The lady-bugs I painted and put together for decoration. Several of the cousins wanted to keep some because they thought they were so cute! After giving some away we still had a TON left. I guess I will eventually find a use for them later. :)

They are wooden balls that I picked up at Hobby Lobby, some flat on one side. I painted them, drew little swirls down their backs and put dots all over. Then painted smaller wood buttons for the faces, gluing them and the wire antennas to the body. Then voila! We had cute little lady-bugs that we places all over the table.

She wanted nothing to do with that cake until she had a fork and didn't want to sit down at all. I sure do love all her chub-a-love!

I used some of the decorations that I had used for Bria's garden party last Spring. Such as the hanging flowers and butterfly and cake stand. I also used the Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cookie Dough centers recipe, which turned out to be a big hit with everyone.  I even threw in some of the frozen cookie dough into her cake.

 She sure is growing up way too fast for my tastes! :) But we LOVE our bug-bug!

Home Schooled

Tuesday was our first "official" day of home schooling (for Alyssa right now). It was a very busy day due to some things that I had scheduled awhile back, when I was unsure of whether or not we would actually be schooling at home.  I went into it excited, hopeful and ready to conquer the WORLD! Bwa-hahahahaha! *menacingly rubbing hands together*

Then (head hung low) left with my tail between my legs.

Seriously! I felt like I had ruined my child on the very FIRST day! There were so many things that I wanted to plan and do differently, but I am still trying to get the curriculum together. I also was only able to get some Language Arts, Science and Reading. No Math or History! *gasp* (We did get to those subjects the next day-just so you know.)

Of course it wasn't until all was quiet that I felt like I was beaten-kids in bed, house straightened and my head on the pillow. Then the fear of failure set in. I hate the darkness that enters the mind when it is literally all dark around you, but before I drag you down to the depths of despair with me, let me bring back some light &  happiness...the next day was a new day. I felt motivated again. Things were a bit smoother and I felt a little more on top of things. That night I slept really well knowing that tomorrow is always a new day.

Today was busy again trying to get grocery shopping, homeschooling, and cleaning done. I am tired, but I know that getting into a new routine is tiring. I go through this every summer break and every beginning of a new school year. Not to mention when I have had a new baby or when I finished a 2 year Interior Design Program in a year and my husband finished his EMBA in 18 months. We are still trying to get into an evening routine together! :) Somehow we all survived and have come out better because of it (at least that is my glass-half-full mentality trying to come out) and I know that through this new journey we will survive and I HOPE we come out better because of it. :)

So, far my daughter really likes it. She said to me last night (our 2nd night of homeschool), "Mom, I LOVE homeschooling cause you don't tell me what I need to do. I get to figure some things out for myself."

Stay Tuned...to read a post as to WHY I chose to homeschool! :)