I love summertime. It has taken on a whole new element of relaxation for me since we began our homeschool journey. I am SO glad its summer, and there's NO SCHOOL! Don't get me wrong... I love teaching, and I am excited to officially begin applying myself to teaching Pink Elephant for PreK as well as returning to teaching my Blue Elephant for 1st grade. (Wow, it makes me feel like he is growing so quickly..but he won't be 6 till the middle of the school year.) Summer has left me with a bit more time for new pursuits.
I have started a fun weekly playdate @ the local parks with some other homeschooling families, and am making new friends from it. I am enjoying storytime @ the library every Thursday morning. I am doing fun pinterest crafts and recipes with the kids and for the hubby. I read a great book series (Mark of the Lion, Francine Rivers...I highly recommend it!) and have plans to read some other great books before the fall. I am teaching myself the sewing machine, and having a blast! (Pink Elephant is my little model...so much fun!)
I am making time for my friends through playdates and lunch dates. I am looking forward to a friend's upcoming birth of her third child. I think I am almost as excited to meet little one as the family is! :)
We are exploring a new church and finding our way into new ministries and opportunities there. I can tell the Lord is giving me courage; I have never been so at ease about meeting new people as I have been this summer. (Thank You, Lord, for Your help in that area.)
We are very, very excited that Pink Elephant's 4th birthday is coming up! On July 8th, we are hosting a fun "Four 'Round the 4th" themed party for her. Lots of "pinteresting" ideas going into that one! :) Not as excited about my impending 31st birthday... but so far, I have enjoyed where my 30s are taking me.
Looking forward to Blue Elephant's official swim lessons this next week. He is such a little fish, I am excited with him about his learning more...I bet he will be out of that floaty-vest before summer is out!
There is a LOT going on around here....but at the same time, there have been (and will be!) lots of "lazy days" filled with sprinklers, popsicles, and Disney movie-athons. I am giving my elephants the kind of summer I loved as a kid. And in the process, taking advantage of every minute of the "break" from our regularly scheduled school days!! :)
Happy Summer, from our herd to yours!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Change Is Hard...But Challenge Is Good.
Change IS hard. Being challenged to get out of my comfort zone and do things "differently" has been a running theme the past year.
Change is HARD.
But that doesn't mean a challenge isn't a good thing...it IS.
First, the Lord challenged me to say "no!"....to everything, except home, husband, and children. No "outside, unnecessary serving"...it has been (and continues to be) very hard to tell countless people who ask me to help/volunteer/assist/serve in multiple capacities, "No, I can't."
I am the epitamy of a "yes" pleaser. Wiping the calendar clean and penciling in only my family and the very basics of life has been an eye-opener to how much I was draining myself in 50 directions. The relationships in these 4 walls have benefitted greatly from this challenge to "just say no"...
Then, the Lord decides that more change was a GREAT idea! (and who am I to argue with the creator, anyway??) Step out there, make more friends, get connected to your community! I joined a local FB group for homeschoolers in my city. I started an informal park play group of homeschooling moms and children. People I never would have met otherwise; wonderful people that the Lord has led me to enjoy and be encouraged with each week. I am finding the truth in the notion that homeschoolers really do have their own little network! That lady that i would shyly smile at during library story time? yeah, planning a unit study collaboration this fall with her and her kiddos! Apparently some kids I taught in Awana crafts have a mother who knew virtually all the same homeschoolers I do, but we had never met....I now have a wonderful blossoming friendship with her! :)
It's challenging to step out... I am not a naturally social butterfly. But I am changing from my old "lonely only" caterpiller, bit by bit. And it is opening up a vast new world for me, this flying into homeschool friendships. I am glad for the change!
Now, the Lord has called for a difficult and heart-tugging change. And it's one that will be met with a spectrum of opinions. My husband and I have made the decision to leave our current church and begin attending and serving elsewhere. It was a VERY challenging decision. It took 6 months of prayer and careful thinking and weighing and measuring pros, cons, our children's needs, our own hearts' motives, and the overwhelming anxiety of the decision. But we reached a choice that has brought us peace of mind and heart. It's not going to be a popular choice, and I do not think most people will understand our true hearts on the matter, but that cannot be a concern for us in this time. We are choosing to hold onto the relationships that have mattered the most all along, and preserve them. We are choosing to let go of the things that have been hurtful and saddening to us from others' actions over the years. We are leaving on a pleasant note with those that are dear to our hearts, and stepping out into a new challenge, a new change. The future is uncertain ahead. As the saying goes,
"I don't know the future, but I know WHO holds the future!"
Yes, change is hard, but the challenge is good. I know He has plans for us! Jeremiah 29:11
Change is HARD.
But that doesn't mean a challenge isn't a good thing...it IS.
First, the Lord challenged me to say "no!"....to everything, except home, husband, and children. No "outside, unnecessary serving"...it has been (and continues to be) very hard to tell countless people who ask me to help/volunteer/assist/serve in multiple capacities, "No, I can't."
I am the epitamy of a "yes" pleaser. Wiping the calendar clean and penciling in only my family and the very basics of life has been an eye-opener to how much I was draining myself in 50 directions. The relationships in these 4 walls have benefitted greatly from this challenge to "just say no"...
Then, the Lord decides that more change was a GREAT idea! (and who am I to argue with the creator, anyway??) Step out there, make more friends, get connected to your community! I joined a local FB group for homeschoolers in my city. I started an informal park play group of homeschooling moms and children. People I never would have met otherwise; wonderful people that the Lord has led me to enjoy and be encouraged with each week. I am finding the truth in the notion that homeschoolers really do have their own little network! That lady that i would shyly smile at during library story time? yeah, planning a unit study collaboration this fall with her and her kiddos! Apparently some kids I taught in Awana crafts have a mother who knew virtually all the same homeschoolers I do, but we had never met....I now have a wonderful blossoming friendship with her! :)
It's challenging to step out... I am not a naturally social butterfly. But I am changing from my old "lonely only" caterpiller, bit by bit. And it is opening up a vast new world for me, this flying into homeschool friendships. I am glad for the change!
Now, the Lord has called for a difficult and heart-tugging change. And it's one that will be met with a spectrum of opinions. My husband and I have made the decision to leave our current church and begin attending and serving elsewhere. It was a VERY challenging decision. It took 6 months of prayer and careful thinking and weighing and measuring pros, cons, our children's needs, our own hearts' motives, and the overwhelming anxiety of the decision. But we reached a choice that has brought us peace of mind and heart. It's not going to be a popular choice, and I do not think most people will understand our true hearts on the matter, but that cannot be a concern for us in this time. We are choosing to hold onto the relationships that have mattered the most all along, and preserve them. We are choosing to let go of the things that have been hurtful and saddening to us from others' actions over the years. We are leaving on a pleasant note with those that are dear to our hearts, and stepping out into a new challenge, a new change. The future is uncertain ahead. As the saying goes,
"I don't know the future, but I know WHO holds the future!"
Yes, change is hard, but the challenge is good. I know He has plans for us! Jeremiah 29:11
Monday, June 11, 2012
Why We Do What We Do....
A friend and I were chatting at our Monday morning playdate today. We chat about A LOT of subjects, but today we touched on childhood and what it's starting to look like these days.
My children are young; 5 1/2 and 4-next-month. My friend has children in a wide range of ages. If it weren't for the homeschool community, I never would have gotten to know her. (And I am glad I did!!) We both agreed that "childhood" in this day and age is hardly what it used to be when we were growing up. I remember spending all summer outside in the backyard, finding, and making up, things to do. There were no Ipods, Angry Birds, or round the clock kids channels when I was young. (yep, I'm older than the internet...ancient, huh? lol)
I didn't have any interest (or expectations) about having a "boyfriend" until Junior High. I didn't wear make-up til I was 14 (and I wasn't allowed very much of it, then). When I was 11, I was still "secretly" playing with my barbies...I just didn't talk about it at school.
In other words, I had a slow, easy going childhood. I was allowed to develop the interest in "growing up" at a reasonable age.
I want the same for my children.
We are already counter-cultural, being a Christian family in a society where right and wrong has become "relative". Throw in "homeschoolers" and there are a lot of people who think we are just plain nuts.
But I'm not sorry. I want the best for my children. I think it's best that they are homeschooled, and I think it's best that they have a "slow childhood". Have you ever heard any dying man say "Boy, I wish I had pushed my kids to grow up way too fast!!"........ ?? Yeah, me neither.
Homeschooling removes them from the majority of the mainstream culture that screams at them "GROW UP, NOW!!"
I have no interest in short skirts and boyfriends for my 4 year old girl. I have no interest in my 5yr old son being up-to-date on the latest R-rated action movie.
And I have no interest in those things for them 10 years from now, but I know THEY probably will. And at THAT time, I will address those issues.
But for now, I enjoy the bliss of a summer day spent outside exploring, baby dolls that need to be rocked, block towers that need to be built, and play-doh creations waiting to happen.
Because a 4 and 5 year old need to be 4 and 5, not 14 and 15.
In this household, they get to be....
and that is why we do what we do.
My children are young; 5 1/2 and 4-next-month. My friend has children in a wide range of ages. If it weren't for the homeschool community, I never would have gotten to know her. (And I am glad I did!!) We both agreed that "childhood" in this day and age is hardly what it used to be when we were growing up. I remember spending all summer outside in the backyard, finding, and making up, things to do. There were no Ipods, Angry Birds, or round the clock kids channels when I was young. (yep, I'm older than the internet...ancient, huh? lol)
I didn't have any interest (or expectations) about having a "boyfriend" until Junior High. I didn't wear make-up til I was 14 (and I wasn't allowed very much of it, then). When I was 11, I was still "secretly" playing with my barbies...I just didn't talk about it at school.
In other words, I had a slow, easy going childhood. I was allowed to develop the interest in "growing up" at a reasonable age.
I want the same for my children.
We are already counter-cultural, being a Christian family in a society where right and wrong has become "relative". Throw in "homeschoolers" and there are a lot of people who think we are just plain nuts.
But I'm not sorry. I want the best for my children. I think it's best that they are homeschooled, and I think it's best that they have a "slow childhood". Have you ever heard any dying man say "Boy, I wish I had pushed my kids to grow up way too fast!!"........ ?? Yeah, me neither.
Homeschooling removes them from the majority of the mainstream culture that screams at them "GROW UP, NOW!!"
I have no interest in short skirts and boyfriends for my 4 year old girl. I have no interest in my 5yr old son being up-to-date on the latest R-rated action movie.
And I have no interest in those things for them 10 years from now, but I know THEY probably will. And at THAT time, I will address those issues.
But for now, I enjoy the bliss of a summer day spent outside exploring, baby dolls that need to be rocked, block towers that need to be built, and play-doh creations waiting to happen.
Because a 4 and 5 year old need to be 4 and 5, not 14 and 15.
In this household, they get to be....
and that is why we do what we do.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Awana Awards Night
This past Sunday night we had Awana Awards at church.
Blue Elephant finished his 2nd Cubbies book, and is moving up to Sparks in the fall.
Pink Elephant finished her first Cubbies book, and will begin her 2nd year of Cubbies (with no "Bubbie" in the same class) in the fall.
{HOW did they grow so....fast??}
The Cubbie Clubbers sang the Cubbies song. I thought it best to allow you to hear the treat of Blue Elephant's "solo" for yourself......
That's my crazy Blue Elephant for you...
:)
My hubby got his 3 year service pin for being a team leader in Sparkies. I volunteered in the crafts dept of Sparks this year, and received my 1 year service pin.
We are so blessed to be a part of the Awana ministry.
Looking forward to another year of Awana Adventure in the fall!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Last Day of Kindergarten! :(
This week we celebrated the end of the school year!
It was bittersweet for me, but loads of fun for Blue Elephant!
We went for half-price shakes at Steak 'n Shake (no pic, sorry!).
We went to a "Beach Party" put on by the city parks and rec department.
Both Blue and Pink Elephant got gloriously sandy!
We went out for a family dinner, complete with grandparents and aunt!
....And we wore ourselves out from all the fun...
You've come a long way, baby.
And I am so blessed to get to be here to watch you grow!
Congrats, Kinder-grad!!
I love my elephants.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Gender Roles; What's the Big Deal?
Today as I vacuumed every square inch of carpet in our house (finally!!) I mentally took stock of what everyone in the family was doing. My hubby, who works odd hours, was mowing the front lawn (again, finally!!) and the two little elephants were out in the backyard, getting the wiggles out and soaking up some vitamin D.
It occured to me that our home is very, very gender stereotyped.
Here I was vacuuming, the man was mowing, and the littles were enjoying carefree play.
All was right with my world.
And I wondered why it is, if our household is perfectly content and functional with some easily recognizable gender roles and responsibilities, that people have to get all up in arms about it?
I mean, is there something wrong with me NOT wanting to ride the John Deere and get sweaty/dusty? Is the entire women's rights movement going to be reversed because I enjoy using my (amazing!) Shark vacuum on the gross cat hair that has a breeding rate of 5,000hpm (hairs per minute)?
Am I doing my daughter some grave injustice by staying at home, cooking, cleaning, crocheting, and (gasp) homeschooling?
Am I skewing my son's concept of men/women and what we "should" be doing by letting Daddy Elephant care for all things outside (except the garden; that's in the food department) like cutting grass/weed pulling?
I mean, if SOME ONE doesn't do these things, then they don't get done.
Did I ever tell my children that "women don't mow lawns!" ? No.
Did I ever tell my children that "men don't do craft projects!" ? No.
But I am very aware that my daily actions and the list of responsibilities in our household models a definite line between the genders.
My question is, what's so awfully terrible about that?
I mean, what's the big deal?
If I feel completly fulfilled as a woman by being "just" a mother and homemaker, is that so wrong?
If my husband enjoys taking care of his family financially and keeping the outside looking nice, is that so bad?
Exactly who are we hurting by not having daddy in the kitchen with an apron?
What specific kind of disservice is it that I am doing to my daughter by not correcting her "need" for a career in addition to her desire to "grow up and be a mommy"?
Is the whole of civilization going to collapse if my son isn't ever allowed to take dance lessons, or my daughter never made to use the weed eater?
Before I go and make dinner (yes, that is usually my responsibility, and no, I don't mind it) I just wanted to ask what's so horrendous about traditional gender roles?
There seems to be this huge idea that it's better to view every single thing under the sun as being an equal opportunity for both genders.
The problem is that we were never made to be the same.
We were wired differently in our very brains (girls, you KNOW what I mean about men and the way they think... or don't) from the beginning.
We are made physically different, right down to the muscle groups that are stronger (upper body in men, lower body in women).
We look different physically (at least, this used to be more easily distinguished until the advent of males-in-skinny-jeans...).
We are opposites in alot of areas because we were made to be opposites. We were made to complement eachother, not compete with eachother. Okay, go back and re-read that, because it's true.
If all these things are true, and the genders were destined to be different, then we naturally will have different roles to fulfill in life. What we do is going to be different! We need to be doing the best we can for our children, within the role designed for our lives.
I believe we do the best we can for our children when we seek to find and live out the will of God in our everyday lives.
I know it is His will that I be a SAHM and school my kids.
I know it is His will that my husband be the primary breadwinner in our house.
And I know it is His will that we point our children to His love every chance we get.
My role is going to appear different in thier eyes because I am a woman, I am a mother, and I am a wife.
My husband's role is going to appear different to them because he is a man, he is a father, and he is a husband.
We don't compete. We compliment.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
It occured to me that our home is very, very gender stereotyped.
Here I was vacuuming, the man was mowing, and the littles were enjoying carefree play.
All was right with my world.
And I wondered why it is, if our household is perfectly content and functional with some easily recognizable gender roles and responsibilities, that people have to get all up in arms about it?
I mean, is there something wrong with me NOT wanting to ride the John Deere and get sweaty/dusty? Is the entire women's rights movement going to be reversed because I enjoy using my (amazing!) Shark vacuum on the gross cat hair that has a breeding rate of 5,000hpm (hairs per minute)?
Am I doing my daughter some grave injustice by staying at home, cooking, cleaning, crocheting, and (gasp) homeschooling?
Am I skewing my son's concept of men/women and what we "should" be doing by letting Daddy Elephant care for all things outside (except the garden; that's in the food department) like cutting grass/weed pulling?
I mean, if SOME ONE doesn't do these things, then they don't get done.
Did I ever tell my children that "women don't mow lawns!" ? No.
Did I ever tell my children that "men don't do craft projects!" ? No.
But I am very aware that my daily actions and the list of responsibilities in our household models a definite line between the genders.
My question is, what's so awfully terrible about that?
I mean, what's the big deal?
If I feel completly fulfilled as a woman by being "just" a mother and homemaker, is that so wrong?
If my husband enjoys taking care of his family financially and keeping the outside looking nice, is that so bad?
Exactly who are we hurting by not having daddy in the kitchen with an apron?
What specific kind of disservice is it that I am doing to my daughter by not correcting her "need" for a career in addition to her desire to "grow up and be a mommy"?
Is the whole of civilization going to collapse if my son isn't ever allowed to take dance lessons, or my daughter never made to use the weed eater?
Before I go and make dinner (yes, that is usually my responsibility, and no, I don't mind it) I just wanted to ask what's so horrendous about traditional gender roles?
There seems to be this huge idea that it's better to view every single thing under the sun as being an equal opportunity for both genders.
The problem is that we were never made to be the same.
We were wired differently in our very brains (girls, you KNOW what I mean about men and the way they think... or don't) from the beginning.
We are made physically different, right down to the muscle groups that are stronger (upper body in men, lower body in women).
We look different physically (at least, this used to be more easily distinguished until the advent of males-in-skinny-jeans...).
We are opposites in alot of areas because we were made to be opposites. We were made to complement eachother, not compete with eachother. Okay, go back and re-read that, because it's true.
If all these things are true, and the genders were destined to be different, then we naturally will have different roles to fulfill in life. What we do is going to be different! We need to be doing the best we can for our children, within the role designed for our lives.
I believe we do the best we can for our children when we seek to find and live out the will of God in our everyday lives.
I know it is His will that I be a SAHM and school my kids.
I know it is His will that my husband be the primary breadwinner in our house.
And I know it is His will that we point our children to His love every chance we get.
My role is going to appear different in thier eyes because I am a woman, I am a mother, and I am a wife.
My husband's role is going to appear different to them because he is a man, he is a father, and he is a husband.
We don't compete. We compliment.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Dairy Week
I am in love.
I am in love with a brilliant method of learning.
I want a t-shirt that says " I heart Unit Studies". We have been rounding out the remaining weeks of Kindergarten by doing various unit studies together. Today we finished up "dairy week" in which we learned about a different dairy product each day. We also made homemade butter and homemade ice cream.
I love that I can make all subjects "more" fun by encasing them in a theme. Dairy Week methods: Multiplication is more fun when you can color in the answer on a yogurt carton! Learning what a "sphere" and "cone" are and how they differ from a circle and a triangle is pretty cool when its all about ice cream cones. The library never lets me down; I found a great children's book all about how ice cream is processed. And there is the ever-helpful internet, land of videos on yogurt production and milking machine diagrams!
I love unit studies because Blue Elephant likes the fun and different spin on things... but I will tell you a secret: I love unit studies because I love getting to create them! Finding just the right "how it's made" video or drawing ice cream scoops around double digit addition problems makes my heart sing. And a hands-on, homemade butter project? I'm in heaven!
This is a huge step for me in my homeschooling journey. I feel like so much has changed since last August! I began the year pretty much in stark terror that I was going to be the first homeschooling mother to get this gig completely wrong. I was scared to deviate from the curriculum in any matter. It had all been pre-planned for me, after all, and we had spent money on it! I HAD to use it to it's fullest, right??
BE took to schooling like a duck to water. He has always had a huge thirst for knowledge, and I saw him drinking deeply every day. So deeply in fact, that he began to progress faster than the curriculum was allowing for. Then came a day about a month ago that I realized we had left the curriculum far behind. I had been creating lessons from bits gathered here and there, themed around a fun book or an animal of the week. Nature studies, tiger facts, dairy week, bug explorations... we were out of our seats for 75% of the day, and BE was blossoming!
I was "winging it" and I was not afraid. You might say that I finally learned to fly! :)
Now I will not pretend that there are not still "off days"... and I don't "unschool"... we still get in pencil to paper on 5 subjects a day, 5 days a week. But theres just so much more spark, color, creativity, noise, action, glue and glitter. And I am loving it!
I want a shirt that says "I Heart Unit Studies"... and maybe I will just have to pull out the puffy paint I just bought last week (on clearance!) and make one!.... As a part of a "fabrics and how they are made" unit study, of course!
I am in love with a brilliant method of learning.
I want a t-shirt that says " I heart Unit Studies". We have been rounding out the remaining weeks of Kindergarten by doing various unit studies together. Today we finished up "dairy week" in which we learned about a different dairy product each day. We also made homemade butter and homemade ice cream.
I love that I can make all subjects "more" fun by encasing them in a theme. Dairy Week methods: Multiplication is more fun when you can color in the answer on a yogurt carton! Learning what a "sphere" and "cone" are and how they differ from a circle and a triangle is pretty cool when its all about ice cream cones. The library never lets me down; I found a great children's book all about how ice cream is processed. And there is the ever-helpful internet, land of videos on yogurt production and milking machine diagrams!
I love unit studies because Blue Elephant likes the fun and different spin on things... but I will tell you a secret: I love unit studies because I love getting to create them! Finding just the right "how it's made" video or drawing ice cream scoops around double digit addition problems makes my heart sing. And a hands-on, homemade butter project? I'm in heaven!
This is a huge step for me in my homeschooling journey. I feel like so much has changed since last August! I began the year pretty much in stark terror that I was going to be the first homeschooling mother to get this gig completely wrong. I was scared to deviate from the curriculum in any matter. It had all been pre-planned for me, after all, and we had spent money on it! I HAD to use it to it's fullest, right??
BE took to schooling like a duck to water. He has always had a huge thirst for knowledge, and I saw him drinking deeply every day. So deeply in fact, that he began to progress faster than the curriculum was allowing for. Then came a day about a month ago that I realized we had left the curriculum far behind. I had been creating lessons from bits gathered here and there, themed around a fun book or an animal of the week. Nature studies, tiger facts, dairy week, bug explorations... we were out of our seats for 75% of the day, and BE was blossoming!
I was "winging it" and I was not afraid. You might say that I finally learned to fly! :)
Now I will not pretend that there are not still "off days"... and I don't "unschool"... we still get in pencil to paper on 5 subjects a day, 5 days a week. But theres just so much more spark, color, creativity, noise, action, glue and glitter. And I am loving it!
I want a shirt that says "I Heart Unit Studies"... and maybe I will just have to pull out the puffy paint I just bought last week (on clearance!) and make one!.... As a part of a "fabrics and how they are made" unit study, of course!
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