And the Green Grass Grows All Around

Photo credit  www.lexingtoncenter.com

As I look forward to 2015, I look back on 2014 and realize just how much things have changed. I decided to finally homeschool for the 2014-2015 school year.

I started out with a bang and ended with a slap across my mental face. Who are these crazy people who homeschool their children AND some of them work!?????  ME!  I have made mistakes. I have went weeks without doing much of anything. I have went days with giving my kids a "day off" so I can catch up. I know you've been there before, deciding to unofficially "unschool" so if anyone asks, your kid is not sitting at home doing nothing, but using everyday life to learn and enrich their lives.

*sniggers here

So I have come up with my Top 10 pearls of learned wisdom when starting homeschooling.

1. Decide to decide.  Quit bouncing back and forth, pray over this thing, don't mull over it.  It will drive you crazy. When you feel confident to move forward - MOVE YOUR BUTT!
2. MOVE  YOUR BUTT. And then read The Pioneer Woman
3.  If I really wanted to make money off homeschooling, oh boy there is a market for it but alas, most parents are not allowed to homeschool other peoples children - and that would equate to a private school. Which defeats the purpose. Join a co-op instead.
4. If you are willing to shell out thousands of dollars on YOUR education or extracurricular activities, bite the bullet and buy some curriculum.
5. Join a Facebook homeschool group
6. Join 3 more Facebook homeschooling groups.
7. Don't make it so hard! Having a proper schedule makes a ton of difference.  This is a job. Children are a job - invest your time. 
8. Don't get caught up in all the different ways to homeschool. Un-schooling, de-schooling, road schooling (I wish, I wish!!!) relaxed schooling, co-ops, classical, unit studies - whatever - find what fits for your family and go for it.
9. Join another Facebook support group.
10. HAVE FUN. If you are crying and hiding from kids, you're not having fun.

Wordless Wednesday - Randomness

Breakdown, 9 year old style

So my wonderful daughters teacher resigined.  I almost cried.  This is the best teacher my duagher has EVER had and she had to resign!  I had to tell my baby girl this weekend and she burst nito tears saying, How am I going to pass my TAKS test without her??  Lord, my baby girl has been through enough.  She just needs some time whree nothing drastic happens and the joy of her life is still present.  Rina is a happy child.  She was born that way.  She would wake up every morning with a smile on her face, no matter what.  I thought last year was bad for me and look at my baby girl struggling away with all these emotions, hurt, pain, confusion, anxiety.  If we didnt have the Lord in our lives, I dont know where my daughter would be.  She trusts in the Lord and writes everything down in her numerous journals.  I thank God for my baby girl, she is awesome and I am Glad God loaned her to us for a little while.

I have no idea what I am going to do about her school.  I want to pull her out and give the administrators a piece of my mind.  I wont slander the school on the internet because parents should decide for themselves but still.....ARGGG!!!!

The Digestive Process - 8 yr old style

My daughter loves talking to my grandmother - matter of fact she has learned the art of conversation because my grandmother spoke to her even as a baby as if she were an adult - none of that goo-goo, ga-ga, baybee, smooshie poo stuff - no my baby girl would look at you crazy if you spoke to her like that.

Anyway, as my daughter and grandmother had one of their many conversations, my granny mentioned how full she was.  Now my daughter knew all about being full and wanted to share with my grandmother the digestive process - it went a little something like this:

Rina*:  See when you eat, your food comes to your large contestant, then it moves to your small contestant.  Finally it comes to rest in your assets - at that is how your food digests!


..........I couldn't do anything but laugh.

She's a genius!

Kids - they do say the darndest things...........and it goes a little something like this.

The Airbed Affair

Granny: the bed is not straight - Im going to make you pump it up

Me: No one sleeps in it - so big deal

Granny: Yes it does - it has to be straight
Me: O.C.D. granny - there goes that O.C.D.

Daughter:
OCD....OCT......OCK.....ooocd...how do you pronounce OCD - I can spell

Clip art from Deano