Post Partum Ponderings

Well, it's been 10 weeks since I had Teylie.  I struggle alot during the postpartum stage.  I hate my body, it's so fat and none of my clothes fit.  I'm heavier than before the pregnancy, which is frustrating since I worked out 3-5x a week up until the 34th week, and ate well for the most part.  I am not the type of woman who loses weight easily, and breastfeeding doesn't help.  I am also still trying to sort out my day, on top of schooling 4 kids, nursing a baby, trying to corral 2 small children, and keeping my house clean.  I'm worn thin, let me tell you. (I have been staying on top of the bathrooms, at least!  And my darling husband has been doing the laundry until I get house and school pretty much under control. {can it ever be under control with 7 kids??})

My mom-in-love (and Dad) moved away from us, which is very hard.  They lived just down the road so not having them so close is taking alot of getting used to.  I'm trying not to cry every time I think about it. We saw them every Sunday at church, and every Wednesday for Pioneer Club when they were at Prayer Meeting.  So, going from that to only seeing them once a month or so is really difficult for both me and the kids.

We have FINALLY gotten back into a school routine!!  I think we're on track to finish school by June this year!!  I do some school during the summer as my kids need it so the transition back into full time school isn't SO hard.  Liam is doing school about 2-3 days a week, so he'll do some during summer, too.  Ronan is begging to do school, so I think we may try Kindergarten in the fall with him. He turns 5 in December.

I've been brainstorming some ideas for more posts, so stay tuned!!

I really appreciate the understanding you all have as I cannot blog all the time. 

Nearing the End

It's that time of year again!!  The time of year where kids can play outside all day, and Mommy doesn't have to constantly say, "Do your work!"

It's almost the end of the school year!! 

We started over with our curriculum about 6 weeks after school started, so we are behind in a few subjects...but for the most part...we should be done by the end of June! 

Don't get me wrong:  I love homeschooling!!  But I do enjoy my summer break.  I will do a few things with the kids, like make them read a small chapter book at least 3x a week to keep their reading skills up. 

Even though Liam will be 5 by September, I may wait a year to start him in school.  Right now, he doesn't seem at all interested or ready to start.  I'll be able to determine more closer to fall. 

Are you almost done?  Hooray! 

A Homeschool Update

Hey there!  I'm just doing a small update of our homeschooling.  I already did a post on how we switched curricula and that we are LOVING the new curriculum HERE. 

Kayson is my 5-year-old, and he is in kindergarten.  He is absolutly IN LOVE with school!  He even wants to do it on Saturday and Sunday!  The most exciting thing happening for him is that he can read!  He is so excited, and sounds out big words in other books just so he can practice reading.  I am so proud of him and his love of learning!

Fionna is 7 and is doing 1st grade with her 6-year-old brother, Tiernan.  They both are liking Christian Liberty Press and their favorite subject is History.  They learn Bible stories from the first happenings in History, and color pages.  Fionna is great in Math, although she likes to rush through things.  Tiernan is great in Phonics, and can get pretty much every page and every pronunciation correct! 

Mama is loving homeschool!  I have a pretty solid routine now where I switch back and forth between Kindergarten subjects and 1st Grade subjects.  It works well, and things go pretty smoothly every day. 

I look forward to the day when I will have at least 10 years under my belt. 

Perks of Homeschooling

We do not celebrate Halloween in our family.  We just believe there is nothing redeemable about this "holiday."  So we don't participate.  BUT...we do celebrate something on October 31!  We celebrate...

REFORMATION DAY!

That is, the day the Protestant Reformation was more or less, born.  499 years ago, the monk, Martin Luther, boldly nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church for all to see.  Thus sparked the Reformation...as people's eyes were opened to the rank disobedience to God in the Catholic church.

So, today, instead of the usual homeschool;  we did a mini unit study!  I researched on Pinterest for ideas...and found some gems!  I printed out 2 pages for the kids to color.  One was of Luther nailing his theses on the door with his name, "Luther,"  in bold letters at the bottom.  The other page was of his crest, a rose with a cross in the middle;  and Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  I then looked on Amazon Video (we are Prime members.) and found the Torchlighters had an animated "documentary" for kids called, The Martin Luther Story.  The kids loved it, and I enjoyed it as well.

Sorry about R...haha

This is why I LOVE homeschooling!  I can decide to change up the day's learning to match the holiday, or some event taking place in our lives.  I also love that we have the Internet as a huge resource!

Starting Over with our Homeschool

We started out our second year of homeschool using Bob Jones University Press (BJU Press) curriculum.  I loved it.  I was excited and wooed by the bright colors and manipulatives.  Well, not 6 weeks into it, we are getting rid of it and starting over with something new.

Here is why:

1.  BJU Press is extremely time consuming.

I know, homeschooling itself is extremely time consuming.  But having a curriculum that is easy to manage and not extra-time consuming is important...especially as a busy mom of 6.  BJUP takes a lot of time to set up.  I first realized this when I had my mom and mother-in-law over to help prep and there were WAY more manipulatives than I had originally thought.  Every night,and sometimes the morning of, I would spend at least an hour, maybe more, getting things ready for the next day.  Math and Phonics had the most manipulatives, and every day added more and more onto what we already needed.  There were HUNDREDS of small, vocabulary cards;  sight word cards, family cards, word cards, and parts of a word cards to be prepared...and sometimes story characteres needing to be copied, cut out, colored, and glued to a stick.  And that is just one subject!!  It was just all too much for me.  

2.  BJUP is geared more towards an actual schoolroom.

The curriculum is made to be used in a classroom setting.  It assumes you have bulletin boards or space to store everything you need.  It has homework-type assignments.  It has activities or games that you need more than 2 students to do.  I was constantly having to come up with ways to adapt lessons for just my 2 first graders.  Again...wasting time.

3. They are a Baptist doctrine-based curriculum.

We are a Reformed Presbyterian family, so when doctrinal discussions came up (specifically salvation)  I was having to correct the text and the kids' work texts to fit into our doctrinal beliefs.  Not necessarily bad, but annoying to have to do.

Something Good about BJUP...

I loved their Math!

Their Math 1 curriculum is amazing.  Despite all of the manipulatives, the math program is great.  I especially love their use of Unifix Cubes.  When I started using them to help F and T review addition and more-or-less concepts...they picked up on it almost instantly.  They (the cubes) were a great visual to help them understand more and less...greater and lesser. I love that! 

  

So, what are we going to do?

Well, we decided to use Christian Liberty Press.  They are a Reformed doctrine-based curriculum, which is great for Bible class.  Their schedule is much more conducive to our needing-to-be-flexible family life.  Their work texts are simple and easy to follow.  Our books are being shipped to us soon, and I cannot wait to start!  

As my mother-in-law pointed out to me,  it is better to start all over with a new curriculum, than to struggle and force your way through one that doesn't fit.  

When Your Plans Fall to Pieces

Well, I encountered a major set back in my grand homeschooling plans. 

I planned on starting our 2016 school year this coming Monday. 

God's plan is that I wait a week. 

We switched from Memoria Press to BJU Press for first grade this year.  I eagerly looked over the books as soon as I got them.  As September drew near, I again perused the books, and thought I had a good grasp as to what I would need.  Boy...was I EVER WRONG! 

I overlooked practically EVERYTHING.  I mean, my Mom and Mother-in-law came over this morning to help me cut out all of the manipulatives, and we discovered that I am nowhere NEAR ready for school to begin.  *sigh*  *major tears* 

I need Unifix cubes for Math.  I need word cards for Reading.  There are HUNDREDS of word cards that need to be cut and laminated.  There are lots of Math Manipulatives that need to be cut and laminated.  I am started a new curriculum...I need to figure out just HOW I am going to teach this new curriculum. 

I, of course, immediately felt overwhelmed and cried.  Mostly out of embarrassment, as my Mother and Mother-in-law are veteran homeschoolers and I had just been exposed as totally unprepared to teach their grandchildren.  I also felt like, once again, I had failed in the very thing I should be so good at. It's my job to teach my children...and how can I possibly do that if I am so ill-prepared?  I thought I had prepared, and I was woefully underestimating my prowess as a homeschooler.  And really--what was I thinking?  This is only my second year.  I am by no means a veteran. 

My pride was wounded, my excitement halted, and I was feeling so ill-equipped to teach my children.  I looked at my kitchen table strewn with books, paper, binders, and scissors and felt like I was going to drown. 

Thank God for my mothers.  My mother-in-law dried my tears, and told me everything was going to be OK.  My mother assured me that I do not fail at everything, and that this was just a small set back.  My husband then reminded me that this is homeschool...there is no deadline, no absolute day/time I needed to start our schooling. 

And that is what I want to share with you all. 

HOMESCHOOLING IS FLEXIBLE.

 It works around you, you don't have to work around it.  You need to start later, no problem.  Your whole family gets sick, take a few days off.  You have a new baby, take time to relax, recooperate, and enjoy your new joy for a few weeks to get back to your routine.  School will always be there, ready to be taught and learned. 

Major Happenings!!

Wow!  So many things have been going on over here!!

1.  The most important news is that

WE ARE EXPECTING #7!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

WHAT???  Yes, you read that right.  I am pregnant once again.  It was a complete shock, only discovered when I took a pregnancy test in preparation for a midwife visit for ovarian pain.  We are thrilled, albeit somewhat nervous. 

2.  We are getting ready to start our second year of homeschool! 

Which means lots of planning, making lists, and making sure we have everything we need from our curriculum. I still have to get K's kindergarten workbooks, but other than that and a few other necessities, we are mostly set! 

3.  My 8-month-old is crawling!

That means she is getting into lots of trouble!  Having 5 older siblings also helps with that, unfortunately.  But it is so much fun to watch her explore and discover new things.  Her favorite thing to do now is eat yogurt snacks. 

4.  My husband and I are getting ready to celebrate 8 years of marriage!

I can't believe it's been 8 years since I vowed to love, honor, and obey this amazing man.  I pray God gives me 80 more years with my beloved.  

What fun/important things are happening in your life?  Please share below! 

4 Reflections on our First Year of Homeschooling

Wow.  We did it!  We did our first year of homeschool!!  I can't believe I made it, honestly.  There were SO many times I was ready to quite.  So many times I wondered why on earth I had wanted to do this in the first place!  But, my Fionna and Tiernan can READ!!!  They can do addition and subtraction!  They can tell time!  They can recite verses and poems!  They know days of the week, months of the year, continents, planets, their state, country, town, capital, counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s;  the four directions, the seasons, and SO MUCH MORE!!  I am so proud of them!  As I've reflected on our first year, I have 4 things I'd like to share:

1.  Why I homeschool.

I school my kids at home because I truly, honestly believe that God tells me to.  In Deuteronomy 6:7 it says, "You shall teach the diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."  How can I do that if my kids are away for 6 hours/day at school?

2.  It's a mutual effort between you and your husband. 

Homeschooling isn't just the mom's job.  It is a mutual job done by both you and your husband.  Yes, you are doing most of the teaching work, but your husband can contribute many great things that will help your kids learn.  Sometimes when Daddy explains things, the kids finally understand it!  And keep in mind, some of your children will take after their daddy, so they will learn and understand like their daddy.  Who better to teach them than Daddy!

3.  It is flexible.

The beauty of homeschooling is that you can be FLEXIBLE.  This is especially great if you're like me, with 4 little ones who aren't in school constantly needing attention.  If you're having a bad day, you're sick, you didn't sleep well because of your nursing baby, etc. you can take a day off.  You can make up a missed day on Saturday.  If one or more of the children is having difficulties learning something, you can sit with them and work it out, and not bother with the clock.  After I had Winry, I struggled for a few weeks with scheduling, feeling tired, and having to adjust to 6 kids.  It was so wonderful to know that I could take the weeks I needed to rejuvenate and adjust!

4.  You are there for every milestone in your kids development.

I saw my kids adding for the first time.  I was there when they read their first sentence!  I would have missed those times if they were in school.  I get to see the light go on in their little faces when they understand things.  The pure joy of correcting their papers to find they did everything perfect is beyond rewarding!  I am part of my kids lives 24/7, and it's amazing (most of the time).

I would encourage everyone to take a step back, and thing about homeschooling.  It's not something weird, anti-government, conspiracy-theorists do.  Recent research has discovered that thousands of families are choosing to homeschool their kids more than ever before.  You can choose to have your kids indoctrinated at school, where you have absolutely no control over what they hear;  or you can teach them at home, where you have 100% control over what they learn.  And that big "how will they get socialization" question....well, just come over to my house and see just how social my kids are.  (seriously, they hug random strangers at the store...{we're working on Stranger Danger{)  Both my husband and I were homeschooled, and it is so wonderful to be able to do the same for our family.  We love it, and pray that our children will homeschool our grandchildren;  leaving a legacy of at-home education that fosters a love for God and a passion for learning. 

I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to my mom, and my mother-in-law;  who took the time to educate us at home.  You did a fantastic job.  You instilled in us a love for God, a desire to learn, and we take that and pour it into our children.  THANK YOU for your love, your time, your heart, your tears, your frustrations, your perseverance, and your patience.