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.

Nag Diary 11.2

Nothing really special to blog about today.  Still in recovery.  Still sore.  Still semi-lost with what I want to do with the rest of my life.  Sometimes I feel like I'm going in circles. 

Time Warner Cable showed up at my house, unannounced - courtesy of my job.  Moving one step closer to working at home.  I have a desk in my office but I want a bigger desk so I have been perusing craigslist.com for desk.  I think I found one but this person keeps giving me the runaround so may have to start looking again.



From  http://www.nesfoundation.com/

 My baby girl is growing so fast! We need more time in the day.  I really wish they had a kids kickball league in this area.  I would love to get her involved in kickball.  I loved kickball growing up and it seems these days, kids cant do anything at school anymore or it gets hocked up to bullying, meanness or reducing kids down to mediocrity.  That's evident in school field day events where EVERYONE gets a ribbon. 

What a crock of hooey! 

Where is the competitive edge?  Everything has gone down the drain because the kids that were picked last in elementary school have grown up to become psychologists and relate to everyone that these games/events are no good for our children.  So now we have a generation of whining, mediocre, underachievers who always win something.  Maybe I'm being too harsh but I always believed if you have a Gym Teacher who doesn't allow these things to happen in class, it eliminates the problems. 

I remember going to school with a boy named Peter who was the best football athlete in 5 grade.  He was cool.  He always picked the people who sucked because he actually cared about folks being picked last.  At least that is what I decided what the reason was.  Where do you think he learned this from?  His gym teacher? NO.  His parents? Just maybe. 

If we want our kids to grow then we have to show them HOW to show compassion and how to root for the underdog so to speak; then being picked last will have no power.  I have always cheered for the underdog.  I have always smiled at the new kid, sat by them, invited them to sit with me because I was the underdog.  I was the new kid.  I was picked on for being black, for being smart, for having a big nose and lips.  It never ended.  But what I am thankful for is a grandmother who didn't allow those things to affect my outlook on people.  So I tell my daughter all the time, don't let your classmates pick on you or anyone else, YOU be the catalyst for change if that is happening, YOU be the one that makes someone feel better about themselves and don't worry if you are not rewarded for it. 

As for the folks that pick on her, that is another story for another day.

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!!!!