1st Week of Homeschool!

Well, we've had one week of homeschool "full-time".  I use " " because Monday was Labor Day and Tuesday we had a 1/2 day of school because I attended a Women's Brunch at church.  Papa Rock took the kids on a field trip (where they drove the Durango in a corn field) :).

Overall, I feel like we had many memorable and affirming moments that we are doing what God has called us to do.  But, I must admit that I had several disappointing moments as a homeschool mother.  Granted, this is all mixed in with many emotions as a teacher and mother - and throwing a newborn into the mix has made it more challenging.

It's hard not to hear the advice given in love that I shouldn't take on more than I can handle with a newborn and starting something so important and potentially life changing for our family, like homeschooling at the same time.  I know that the doubts and insecurities that I have will find many new ways to surface, but I hope to give an honest chronicle of the amazing and challenging moments that I face this year.



Welcome to my blog!

Amazing moments! (sorry but for time/sanity I'm going to just list bullets here)

• memorizing scripture with Jacob and Joelle
• doing the daily activities/Bible study from Wednesday night church that just sat in the floor board of my car last year.
• praying with J and J
• seeing my beautiful daughters face as she tries with all her being to say an answer that will bring words of praise... she desperately wants to be right (I pray that I can help her take risks without having to be "right" all the time).
• reading Charlotte's Web - so fun!
• hearing Jacob immediately respond that 6 x 5 was 30 without using the hundreds chart I'd given him... because one time a computer game asked him 6 x 5 and he'd gotten it wrong, so now he remembers it's 30.  Seriously?  Love seeing his connections!
• having time for Joelle to do the art/painting ideas at the end of her library book (The Purple Snerd).
• finally getting the kids to flush after they go!!!!!  I don't know why this has been such a battle in our house, but I offered a token for a drawing (the prize was an oreo), and I had 2 straight days of flushed potties!  (The success rate dropped significantly when treats were not involved, but we're working on it.

Learning Moments:

• Reviewing expectations - this has been difficult because I didn't really know what to expect.  I don't want to have unrealistic expectations - and I don't want our day to look like a public school day (isn't that a big perk of HS?).  I have had to "get on" to the kids several times for not following my expectations - but that's not always fair because I didn't take time to review expectations as much as I should have.  I spend 2 weeks doing this on a daily basis as a public school teacher (and really it continues daily throughout the year - with almost every activity), so I need to do a better job of managing this.
• I need to give the kids independent learning activities that they can do if I need to stop teaching and take care of Juliette.  This didn't happen every day (some days she was perfect during our school time and didn't take any extra care besides nursing and changing diapers).  However, because my stress level increases with a crying newborn I can't settle down, my temper also increased when J and J were playing when I came back upstairs... their work quickly forgotten.  
• I need to find small successes for Joelle throughout the day.  She's easily discouraged by not mastering everything the 1st time she sees it.  I also need to do more phonics instruction during her guided reading time.
• Jacob needs a reading response journal and reading log.  
• I need to get up earlier and have my work down before 8.  Even when I've gotten up early, I haven't been able to accomplish my morning "chores" before school starts and our day would go more smoothly if I did.