Summer Reading Goal

I'll start by saying that I like to set high expectations. In my opinion, how can one hope to achieve much if the bar is set too low?  Now, I don't mean that lofty goals must all be met - certainly not.  That would make life unbearably stressful (like for we type A's!!).

I have pounded myself with guilt struggled with feeling like Jefferson (and even Reagan) has not had enough read-aloud time this year and would really like to improve on that, especially as the weather improves (while it was warm, we were getting 1/2 hour in after school on the swings and loving it!). This requires the 'lofty' goal that I stop treating the afternoon time like it's 'mine' and give it back to the kids instead (uhhmm - this will require more coffee people - more coffee!!)! With that said, here is my reading goal for Jefferson and Reagan from now through the end of summer. [Those in orange are to be read by Jefferson or Reagan]

Jefferson:
Swift Rivers (Cornelia Meigs)
Robert Fulton - Boy Craftsman (Marguerite Henry)
George Washington Our First Leader (Augusta Stevenson)
Carry On Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham)
Meet Thomas Jefferson (Marvin Barrett)
Johnny Tremain (Esther Forbes)
Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan)
Justin Morgan Had a Horse (Marguerite Henry)
C. S. Lewis - Master Storyteller (YWAM Janet &Geoff Benge)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Alice Dalgliesh)
The Sugar Creek Gang #14-24 (Paul Hutchens)
Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)

Reagan:
I Wonder (Christian Light Reading to Learn Series #1)
Helping Hands (Christian Light Reading to Learn Series #2.1)
Happy Hearts (Christian Light Reading to Learn Series #2.2)
Great Truths for Little Children (Grace & Truth Books)
Prudence and the Millers (Mildred A Martin)
Christian Liberty Nature Reader - Book 1 (Florence Bass) - perfect for warm weather nature observation!
Jason & the Golden Fleece
A Children's Treasury of Mythology (Barnes & Noble)
Little House on the Prairie series (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Amy Carmichael - Rescuer of Precious Gems (YWAM Janet &Geoff Benge)

What do you think??  If I read 3 straight hours per day per child, we should be able to get through this is no time, right?  (hehehehahahasnorthehehe - minus toddlers, cooking, and life in general!)

The problem is that there are just too many books! But it can't hurt to set the bar high!  :-D

The Food We Eat - Attempting to Alleviate Allergies

My head is whirling with information about and planning for alleviating the food allergies that we have in this house!  I don't know why I get so easily overwhelmed but I need to just get with it and get to it in planning our next step in our life with food allergies. 

We learned a lot since our last rotation diet (started back in Feb of 2008, I think).   It was a very stressful diet since it was very complicated. I ended up cooking different foods for practically each person in the house and our food choices were quite limited.  My stress ended up pushing me to junkfood & an outbreak of guttate psoriasis and instead of properly (one at a time and in small amounts) reintroducing foods, I just kind of gave up after 5 months.

However, we did experience many benefits from our first attempt to deal with food sensitivities.  We saw eczema clear up in Adam & Reagan, sleep improve, and dramatic improvement in behavior.  It was enough to prove to me that what I feed my kids is very important!  And although I haven't stayed away from ALL the items which they tested senstive to in the ELISA blood test (quite a list!), we've tried since then to be careful about wheat, cow dairy, eggs, soy, and peanuts.  After so many weeks strictly following that diet, we hoped that what was a 'light' sensitivity' to certain foods would just be ok to relax on, such as rice, coconut (a MAJOR fat staple around here), almond, oat, and yeast.  I didn't, after all, really even know how accurate the blood test is or if it just shows foods that you tend to eat all the time.  And we never had a skin scratch test done or did an elimination diet to investigate further after this rotation diet.

So this last year and a half we have lived with good whole foods and loosely avoided wheat, dairy, eggs, and soy.  I let church snacks & preschool snacks slip and we went to out to eat or to gramndma's on occasion.  I've used yogurt and cheese as snacks when I'm desperate for something high in fat and use butter all the time in order to get the veggies into them.  We let them eat a bunch of no-no's over Thanksgiving and then through to Christmas, from which we are clearly seeing consequences in the form of new ezcema and crankiness.  And Adam also seems to still continually get every virus that comes around - when I thought for sure that he would have a stronger immune system by now.

Which is where we are now as I plan to head us into a new diet in hopes of truly healing everyone's gut (I forgot to mention that I got myself blood tested and showed up allergic to DAIRY and eggs - NOT wheat as I had so thought for sure was my problem!).  'Loosely' avoiding certain foods is not yet enough for Reagan and Adam since I don't think that we've ever truly managed to heal their digestive system.

Our diet will follow "The Gut & Pscyhology Syndrome" book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.  It is very similar to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet except that all dairy is excluded until the person can handle yoghurt & creme-fraise (a home made soured cream).

The basic start (ghee & homemade yoghurt are first dairy to be brought back while other foods are brought back in one at a time and in small amounts with observation for allergic responses) of this diet is as follows:
*no grains
*no starches (potatoes, corn, beans except lima & navy)
*no dairy 
*no sugar (honey is the only sweetener allowed)
*no soy
*no processed foods (hydrogenated oils, MSG, preservatives, food coloring, etc.)
*peanuts (this goes without saying as we have definitely observed a first immune response to these in Adam!)

Recommended foods:
*all meats (& organ meats) and fish
*eggs (we may be able to have the yoke - don't know yet)
*all non-starch fresh veggies (cooked at first is gentler)
*all fruit, including berries & avocado
*nuts & seeds (soaked first for 12-24 hours)
*navy, lima, string beans, lentils, split peas (no bean flours since they haven't been soaked)
*raw, unheated honey
*water w/lemon & fresh pressed juices; homemade nut milk or coconut milk; homemade meat stocks
*natural saturated meat fats; virgin cold-pressed olive oil or other cold-pressed oils; coconut oil
*homemade fermented dairy allowed later as the gut allows (yoghurt, creme-fraise)

Yes, it is quite restrictive. 
Yes, I am quite nervous about implementing it with young kids who will whine and complain and about having to deal with the difficulties of eating away from home and financing this food. 

But the point is not that this is permantly how we will eat, but that it will provide a resting, healing period for our digestive tracts in order that we may enjoy a wider range of harder to digest or previously allergic foods again in the near future!

In the meantime, as I prepare recipes and plan grocery trips and visit the allergist, I covet your prayers that this may be less stressful and even more beneficial for our family and that I would perservere in peace (not stress) to our goal.... allergy-free eating for us and our kiddos and better health all around!

Time for theYearly Resolutions!

So many things on my mind that could use work...be changed...improved.  So many things that would fit nicely on a list of resolutions and look so nice with a fat checkmark next to them.  It could be an 'easy' list or an 'unreachable' list, depending on my mood at the time of writing it.  And everyone who knows me understands just how much I.love.a.list!

But I often find that my list of resolutions each year can become burdensome ... bearing guilt instead of accountability, considering the perfectionistic nature which I have.  Causing bouts of doubts in my faith and walk with the Lord.  Dragging me down with reminders of what I am unable to change by myself, as I so often try to do.  And as much as I love a list, I can hardly stand even a smidge of it to remain UNchecked!

This result throughout and at the end of each year is clearly is not God's plan for me - His is to bless me and not to harm me; for me to seek Him with all my heart.

Since this is the way I have been wonderfully made, I think that this year I will make my so-called 'list of resolutions' out of scripture instead and post them on my kitchen cabinets to remind and encourage and remain in my heart & mind.  In this sense, I know that I will NOT be attempting to change myself and thus NONE of them will get a nice little checkmark.  And in this little way, I am hoping to allow the Spirit to more freely move in my life and grow me into all the things that a "list" of personal resolutions would instead have me trying to accomplish of my own strength!  Sound like a plan to you?

So here they are:
*"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."  1 Tim. 1:5

*"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery"  Gal. 5:1  (I am no longer in bondage to food, anger, yelling, pride, controllingness, laziness...)

*"But seek first first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matt. 6:33-34  (Heaven knows how I worry & fret & get distracted away from God!)

*"Let no unwholesome word proceed from our mouth, but only such a word as is good for the dification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear it.  Do not grieve the Holy Sprit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."  Eph. 4:29-30 (I have great difficulty using my words properly with my family)

*"Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better'"  Luke 10:41-42  (All you Marthas out there know exactly why this one is on the list!)

*"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."  John 6:63 (My flesh cannot change me - only the Spirit can give me life and give it abundantly!)

*"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."  James 5:16b (I should always remember to pray more often and sincerely)

Need a bloggy update...

Goodness, I need to update my blog! My sidebars are all leftover from last year, our read-alouds are all different and the my family pics are all outdated. Plus, I'm ready for a Heritage Academy icon to use for book labels, t-shirts, my header, and business cards.

I've really got to start focusing on getting a post done each week also. I hope that I'll be able to do this better with only one hs student. It's just that with my perfectionist personality, I feel like I have to get everything else done first! Not to mention my frustration with Blogger and adding photos. Grrrr...

But I am determined to have something...anything...for the kids and myself to look through later in life. This blog has become the first journal of my life where I feel comfortable writing about our lives! Every other time I've tried to journal I've gone back to read after a couple months and not liked what I'd written and would've been embarrassed if someone else had read it. Strange that this forum - totally public and exposed - would be where I find my journaling groove.

I do think that it has something to do with the other bloggy peeps that I now feel like I can call friends. Not feeling alone in my journey as a wife, mom, and teacher actually seems to help me put thought to 'paper.' So, while poor little Adam and Lincoln may have cruddy baby books (and NO scrapbooks), at least part of their young lives are documented here with Jefferson and Reagan's early academic lives. And my personality is actually being journalled...in public - go figure!

So for now, I start by working no my sidebars this week. Tiny steps people...tiny steps..

My Own Pressure

I find it difficult to find the line between applying too much pressure to achieve unattainable goals for our kids' education and not enough to keep us moving along consistently towards our goals. More often than I slack, I push too hard - not allowing a lesson to get skipped due to 1 or more bad moods at the table and therefore causing undue stress to the student, who in reality is progressing more than well enough.

This brings me to think that I need to reassess our goals for this year.... or maybe not. Maybe I just need to keep them somewhere more visible to me so that I don't feel so easily frustrated or freaked out by missing or repeating a lesson. How else can I remind myself that my kids are doing just fine? I know logically that they are, but don't want to be so overly flexible with our lessons that we fall behind anywhere - especially since these foundational years are so crucial.

Maybe the pressure I place on myself and my kids is from a fear of failure. I surely can't blame another teacher if my child doesn't progress well enough. Or other kids if they pick up bad habits (such as my tendency to holler or inability to focus - yikes!). Since I know that my kids are doing well (I'm reading enough to know where they should be and seeing enough other students also) and I have well thought out goals for them, I'm afraid that this fear is simply a symptom of a lack of faith! After all, dh and I are making this time-consuming, against the grain educational choice for our kids because we feel that God wants us too do so. Why then would He not be faithful to provide wisdom and guidance to get our children where they need to be?

So my plan is to take the Thanksgiving weekend coming up to pray and refocus on our priorities around this little academy. I'll print out the year's goals as well as something physical (computer software provides this) to show how we've progressed and a list of to-do's along with re-do's. I need more sleep, less junkfood, and less tv. But above all, I must become more and more consistent in my prayer for this school. I know that I must give all that I am doing completely to the Lord so that He can carry the load and relieve me of this pressure that I bring upon myself.

Trying something new!

So as many of you know, I get silly for anything that has to do with organizing. This does not mean that I am organized, only that I strive for it. This past schoolyear we moved from 1 phonics and 1 math book in kindergarten (Jefferson 2006-2007) to 4 subjects, one of which (Language Arts) which has multiple facets! I found myself struggling to manage the daily lessons, paperwork and projects ..... for JUST.ONE.STUDENT.

I soon set up binders for the subjects so that we could tuck the paperwork away (can't just throw away his work as he does it - he likes to keep even his band aides!) and see his progress over the year. I set up hanging folders for each day of the week so that he could start taking part in which items needed to be completed in which day. I brought up a new bookshelf from the basement and got another one for the school room to organize our books by subject and by student.

I developed spreadsheets to meet my "Teacher's Manual" needs for the year (2007-2008). These included:

1st Grade Yearly Lesson Plan 2007-2008

Daily Lesson Schedule

Weekly Checklist/Record of Completed Work

1st Grade Reading Log

1st Grade Memorization Goals

Chore Chart

HA 1st Grade Goals by Subject

HA Overall Goals 1st-4th Grade

These took tons of time but helped me to feel confident in our plan as we flexed due to illnesses and new baby and kept me focused as I waded through the vastness of a homeschool curriculum fair the size of a football field. I worked with them and adjusted them as we went as our school needs changed.

I soon realized that I just won't have the time to make and adjust so many spreadsheets/ documents as I add new students and more courses to our academy roll! My dh, computer geeky that he is, convinced me that I could find software that already does all the heavy lifting which would help me to organize these necessary items each year.

Sooooo..... we bought Homeschool Tracker Plus to use for our record keeping and school scheduling needs this year. Have any of you heard of this or do you use this? I'd be interested in your input before I invest too much time in the product. It seems to be easy enough to figure out and I'm hoping that it will make tracking and planning easier (once I get past the learning curve of it, that is). So far my problem with it seems to be that it has so many great options and powerful features that it is bringing out all of my indecisiveness and slowing me down. Again -I hope that this is just a learning curve. I have to remind myself that if I were using my spreadsheets I wouldn't be done yet and they wouldn't be nearly as flexible (or nearly as cooool, anyway!).

My job as a teacher is to learn and grow and find what works the best to achieve our goals for our students. Investing time on my part is fine but I just don't want to be wasting time either. I'd appreciate any input on this type of homeschool organization - what types of things works for you? And I'll let you know how it goes down the road!

Oh, the things we've all learned this year!

We are officially finished with this school year! I could do a little jig from the excitement of having a break ('cept I can't dance so I guess I'll just jig in my head). I'm sure Jefferson could too. Monday was our first day without me running back and forth between baby, toddler, food prep/cleaning, lessons, web research, reading, diapers, more food prep, more lessons, more reading, bandaids, someone's screaming, run a brush through my hair 'cause there ain't gonna be a shower, lessons, preschool "school" crafts, drama queen throwing a fit again, etc., etc., etc........

*SIGH*

Such a relaxing day. Not that we did nothing - just that it wasn't the same structured push to achieve feeling. We read and ate and crafted and enjoyed the weather. There was even some screaming here and there. But we didn't 'push' to get lessons in. And I felt like I could breathe.... :-D

But we learned soooooo much this year that I almost can't believe it! Here is a rundown of our goals and accomplishments.

2007-2008

Jefferson - Grade 1

Reagan - Preschool

Adam -Toddler on the Move

Lincoln - Just Introduced to the World

Jefferson

• started 1st grade with phonics, reading, Spelling Workout A, and RightStart Math B.
• his penmanship started strong and improved through daily copywork.
• worked hard from August until November learning to read
• learned that phonics is "not fun, Mommy!" (my most frustrating subject thus becomes his most frustrating subject - I must work on my patience and encourage him more); we struggled to remember rules and 'decode' long words even though he could read well
• learned that math is "my favorite!"; we covered money, place value, addition (2 and 4 digit), word problems, geometry, reading time & graphs, measurements, fractions; his confidence grew with fun games and manipulatives
• learned to read!! Began the year with "Max and the Cat" reader and now reading "The Indian in the Cupboard" because he 'wants to'; this skill has been the biggest improvement in how homeschool works for he and I - it's amazing and I'm so excited for him; I use this to remind him of just how far he's come in one year
• learned that grammar can be fun but also can be boring; doesn't really understand the memory work that is required; I've found that he doesn't really realize how much he's learned here either; covered 1st half of FLL
• history was a favorite with all it's fun activities and books and interesting people; we covered SOTW chpt. 1 to 37, Nomads to the Beginning of Christianity; J struggled learning to listen well so that he could narrate back - he improved greatly at narrating by the end of the year
• science started out very late (didn't start until after Lincoln was born in Oct) so we didn't cover as many animals or body systems as planned and plants need to be covered casually over the summer; learned lots through living books and observation (butterflies, caterpillars, ants, robins, bunnies, hermit crabs, frogs, our own bodies)
• spelling was frustrating before Jefferson was reading fluently but after taking a break from SWA he began to really enjoy the lessons and completed SWB by year end; I still feel that he needs to review the last 1/4 to 1/2 of SWB next year however; after considering other books, I've decided to stick with Spelling Workout since he enjoys them
• he discovered that he can handle simple dictation since he has learned so much from reading, grammar, phonics, and spelling

Reagan

All I can say here is that she has grown by leaps and bounds in just this year, as have her daddy and I! There is so much to write about her that it'll have to wait for another post. I am soooo proud of her and thankful for the wisdom God has given to us in dealing with her!

Adam

This is the year he has begun to find his voice! We thought that he would never talk but thankfully has begun to try harder to communicate with us. His willingness along with speech therapy has resulted in less tantrums and frustration and a happier boy. He also loves to be in the room or involved when the older two are learning.

What a great year!! The LORD has blessed us immensely and given us such wisdom and guidance. He knows exactly what each of us needs and I am so thankful to Him. I've never learned so much myself. I'm so happy for the kids and I'm looking forward to the great things we will learn next year!

Holy Curriculum Fair, Batman!

This past weekend I headed to Harrisburg for the annual C.H.A.P. Homeschool Curriculum Convention. I went last year to find a math program and I knew that it was HUGE and overwhelming. So I also knew that I needed a plan of attack for this year so that I didn't end up spending too much $ on extraneous things.

I had a few more things to look for this year since I have a 4-yr plan for Jefferson (and the others too). Here was my plan:

1. Find a creation based science curriculum (putting it together myself is taking too much time and I found that I didn't give God enough credit for His creation this year - this is a priority for science)
2. Find a Spanish program (preferably an all-in-one package that I can use for multiple students - again, I need simplicity for the more minor subjects)
3. Purchase K and 2nd grade math books from RightStart (already decided that I love this program and can save a little $ getting it at the convention)
4. Listen to and learn from Dianne Craft (homeschooler, teacher and naturopath) talking on "Right Brained" learning styles and how the "biology of the gut" affects behavior.

I also was able to attend the convention for 1 1/2 of the 2 days, thus giving me time to focus on my goals and also listen to speakers. However, even though I had a plan I ended up almost as overwhelmed as I was last year. There is JUST.SO.MUCH.STUFF! SO many different choices, styles, products, and just plain cool teaching stuff!

I used Friday to head up and down each aisle familiarizing myslef with the booths which I wanted to return to on Saturday. On Friday, I also narrowed down my science options BUT broadened my phonics scope. Also found lots of great character reading books for the kids from Rod & Staff as well as good family movies. I shouldn't have, but ended up with the complete 'Anne of Green Gables' dvd set as well as a cartoon version of the Jim Elliot story. I also ended up purchasing TEN 'Christian Heros: Then & Now' books since they were cheap and are a great intro for the kids into missionarys' lives.

Oy! I never even slowed down! Friday night I came home realizing that I wasn't as sure about my science 4-yr plan or Reagan's phonics as I had thought and so I stayed up 'til 1am re-thinking it and planning my attack for Saturday.

Over all I spent too much money BUT I think that I met my goals. I am so excited about the programs I bought and just want to get next year all planned out RIGHT NOW! It's fun to think about how the kids will enjoy the different things that they learn and about how much I will learn from teaching it all!

So here's my breakdown of the LOOT:

Science**

*In The Hands of a Child (Lapbook providers) - Rocks unit (for next year), Traveling Seeds unit (for the end of this year); bought these to try out lapbooks

*My Calendar Book (Christian Light Publications) - fun booklet covers graphs/charts, calender facts, ordinal numbers, seasons, weather
*Wonders of Creation series - Geology, Astronomy, Weather -good material to add to lessons, great photos and info but all points to the Creator

*Exploring Creation with Astronomy (young Explorer Series) - spine for our 1st 18 weeks of astronomy, creation based, no workbook or tests, activities; great series!

*God's Creation Series - Our Father's World - an absolutely beautifully written book, full of scripture, large print and photos, simple activities and vocabulary, will probably use for Reagan's 1st grade

Math **

RightStart Workbook and teacher's manual - Level A (K)

RightStart Workbook and teacher's manual - Level C (2nd gr)

Spanish **

Rosetta Stone Homeschool V3 - Level 1,2,3 - this one I have been considering for awhile and finally dove in since I saved s&h, $50 for convention purchase, and more by buying all 3 levels at once; I am confident that we will use this for all the kids and have heard great things about this program; comes w/ 6month $back guarantee

Phonics**

Phonics flashcards by Child Diagnostics

Sight Word flashcards by Child Diagnostics

Brain Integration Therapy Manual by Child Diagnostics

Teaching You Right Brained Child by Dianne Craft

(all this stuff from Dianne Craft I will expound upon in another post about Reagan - I hadn't planned on these purchases but feel that they will make learning much easier for her next year)

This is not every little thing only the major purchases. Tapestry of Grace was not at this convention - I had wanted to look into that a little further before buying it. But I am more than excited about these purchases and can't wait to start getting everything planned! So far I have added a bookshelf and am getting our library organized. But there is ohhhhh so much more to do - goals, schedules, teacher's manual, yearly plan, and more.......

I really am chompin' to dig into it all though! I must be a teacher now, huh?

Week 19 - Taking stock of progress

So we managed to get through a full week of lessons this week, even though we were almost derailed again. Dh sprained his back and got a nasty bronchial cold. He stayed home almost 4 days - which always makes it hard to concentrate on lessons. It's helpful to remember to be intentional! I'm also learning to be flexible (those who know me - go ahead and chuckle, but it's the truth!). I'm not perturbed when we don't complete a lesson in the amount of time it should take or if lessons have to get done in the afternoon instead, or if Jefferson wants to choose which lessons to complete first. I am trying to teach him to start taking responsibility for his own progress by helping him to choose how to order his day and reminding him how getting things done early means more personal time later in the day. One thing along these lines that helps this and that he likes, is pulling out his own assignments from his daily hanging folders. It makes him feel good to see his progress as those papers get completed and moved into the 'Completed Work' folder. Amazing how something so simple could help me organize and could motivate him!


I decided to take time to take stock of our progress since we are halfway through the year. It turns out that we are 2 weeks behind (overall) where I'd planned for us to be at this point. One week given the Lincoln's hospital trip/stress and one to Jefferson's sprain/dh back sprain. This is not too bad were it not for having to take off FOUR weeks last Oct/Nov for Lincoln's birth. Note to self: plan babies to arrive in the summer! *tehehe* (B.t.w. - there are no more "plans" for babies so I guess that shoots that note!) Furthurmore, we somehow ended up 4 weeks behind in math as well as science! Science we didn't even start until after the baby came, but how we got so far behind in math, I have no idea. But I guess that's the beauty of homeschooling, huh? I am trying to keep my perspective as I start to plan for 2nd grade and starting Reagan in Kindergarten (officially w/ daily lessons). I will NOT let the enemy convince me that I am not doing enough or that I'm failing my children is things don't go perfectly - we live under the grace of God!

Phonics/Spelling:
We've gone as far as we can in Phonics Pathways and Jefferson is now reading reader levels 2 and 3. I am pleased but am not sure I should have given up the Christ Centered Curriculum that we used last year. I have been looking at it recently as I think about where to begin Reagan and I am seeing (hindsight is so clear, huh?) that it would have covered phonics, penmanship, grammar, and spelling (not to mention copywork and great spiritual lessons). I think that I just didn't have a good enough concept of the classical model of homeschooling to realize that this would fit well into our trivium plans.

So for now, we are reviewing lessons from Spelling Workout A on which I think Jefferson needs reinforcement (these take him not even 5 minutes since he can now read) and also doing the workbook portion of CCC B:1 of the same phonics/spelling rule (this takes us 10 minutes). I'm still not sure if we will be continuing on into SWB - I just haven't liked it so much.

For 2nd grade, I may look into something like Adventures in Phonics from Christian Liberty Press or possibly Association of Christian Schools International's (ACSI) Spelling Workbooks (on the CCC website - I usually like their recommendations but this isn't looking like my first choice) ,or A Reason for Spelling, Level B, but I'm not yet sure. Any comments would be appreciated!

Reading:
I've tried reading 'The Children's Homer' to Jefferson but I'm struggling to motivate myself since it is so difficult for him to follow. It was the same thing with 'Jason and the Argonouts' but he ended up learning a great deal even though I had to stop every page to explain what was happening. Even I can hardly keep all those gods, goddesses, names, and creatures straight! I'm thinking that we'll skip this for something that will be easier for him to grasp at this point, especially since he got a good dose of ancient greece (with lots of vocabulary and coloring activities) when we read 'Jason' while waiting for our SOTW to arrive in September.

Right now dh is reading him 'Prince Caspian' - as I'm sure many kids are reading in preparation for the next C.S.Lewis movie in May! He is so excited and is counting down the chapters (as if that will make the movie arrive sooner!).

Grammar:
Still moving steadily through FLL. Soooo glad to finally move from nouns to pronouns! And Jefferson was glad to realize what he has learned so far. His memory work is good but I think I need a new method to keep the pieces/verses in front of us so that we can remember to recite them more often. I'm thinking of using an index card system since that's what we'll be using for our Bible verses (from Charlotte Mason memory verse list). Still haven't implemented the use of the MP3 player that we have.... want to though. He really like technogadgets like his geeky daddy!

Also - got the 'Language Lessons for the Very Young' (by Sandi Queen) in the mail. We may or may not use this for 2nd grade. I like pictures and the subject matter but I'm still thinking this choice over.

Writing:
Just got 2 new copywork books in the mail from Queen Homeschool Supplies. They are consumable and strangely formatted (just ask Jessica at Trivium!) but I will have Jefferson use his own lined paper. This way I'm not scrambling for copywork each week and I can use them again in the future. Jefferson likes this type of work because he finds it easy - that seems to encourage him! He is also copying from History Scribe and FLL each week.

Math:
According to my plan for the year, we are FOUR weeks behind in math. Maybe I didn't schedule it right, but I'm not concerned since I have plenty of time left in May and June to complete this year's book. Jefferson is completing lessons on time and with good comprehension - I've only had to repeat 2 lessons so far. Again, we are probably behind others at this point but I am seeing that he is understanding concepts and building a good foundation. He also says that it's his favorite subject! I do a little 'Yippee!' dance when I hear this, as I always struggled in this area and really want him to enjoy it.

History:
Moving along, even if behind, in SOTW 1. Jefferson likes the topics but doesn't seem to like the narration. I'm wondering if I'm approaching narration incorrectly if he doesn't like it or if it's just something that he needs more practice doing so that it's not as difficult for him?
Pretty much decided to use Tapestry of Grace next year. I'm getting excited to buy it now that I've settled on it! I figure that with four kids, I'll want to teach them all at the same time and I'll enjoy the flexibility it offers in how deep we dealve. I LOVE the biblical aspect of it and feel like it will make history have more continuity for us. As I look at the samples and website, I've found so many reasons to use it!
Still no timeline started! Yikes! I really need to do this since I know that Jefferson learned so well from visuals. I think that his timeline book will be something that he is proud of as he builds onto it. Just got to get it started before we get too far along here!

Science:
We briefly discussed Butterflies and Moths this week. So many nice ones to look at! We have the butterfly habitat but I told Jefferson we'd have to wait for spring to do it. I'll post his narration sheet later. We are behind here since I didn't get this subject planned out until October anyway. Not too concerned though.
As far as 2nd grade, I haven't thought about a plan yet. Maybe I'll skip around your blogs to see what you all thought worked best. Let you know.

And so, if you are still alive and breathing after all that, I'm thankful if I ever see you at this site again! The reports are lengthy but they give me a good feel for what we've accomplished. And I'm hoping that the links will be informative for others who are searching around for similar info. No time to post pics this week - I barely got this typed up. Maybe I'll liven it up with some pics later (in all my free time - *snortsnort*!)....

New Year Resolutions

I figure that if I write these down this year, I will be held more accountable to them. Otherwise I can just pretend at a later time that I wasn't serious! So here goes:

1. Start each day with God's Word - no matter what (this takes priority over sleep, showers, etc.)
2. Start Adam's food allergy rotation diet (include Reagan to see if her skin improves also).
3. Start journaling all of my own food intake -> no more sugar, white flour, or processed foods!
4. Get as much sleep as I possibly can each night (depending on baby's feedings) - don't waste any time in evening when I can be sleeping.
5. Don't yell at the kids - speak in a calm tone at all times (especially when I am frustrated or irritated - what better way to teach them by example!).
6. Walk for 20 minutes each day OR do 20 minutes Pilates.
7. Pray over each child as they sleep each night.
8. Make sure that each day's lessons are completely ready b4 going to bed (w/ the baby, I have no time to waste in the morning routine).

Wow! These are going to be tough to stick to - any one or more of them could slide. I struggle with each in a different way. But thankfully, Jesus is my strength and He wants me to be the best person that I can be! I think that if #1 is priority, then it will definately help the rest, right? ;-)

Goals for starting the New Year!

I am glad to have decided to take this week B4 Christmas off instead of stressing about trying to fit everything in. I remember speaking to a teacher friend of mine (r.g.) last year as I struggled with both trying to "fit it all in" and "comparing" Jefferson's progress (to other hschoolers and to schoolers). He helped me to reassess what my true goals for teaching Jefferson should be. So as we start the 2nd half of the year after Christmas, these are what I will try to remember:

1. Relax! Take a week off when needed. Yes, I can do this. Do some fun (and educational if I can slip it in) things like field trips or play dates. Take time out to review what I'm are doing and look at things that aren't working. Figure out why those things aren't working and come up with a plan to adjust things to fit everyone's needs.
2. Be flexible. When I start up again, be flexible with my new plans or ideas. If something isn't working again/still don't force it. Don't expect perfection from Jefferson or myself. Don't let the 'schedule' rule over the lessons or Jefferson's abilities.
3. Don't use a band-aid fix for anything. Everything has an underlying reason. If I just ignore problems, they will just continue in different ways. Therefore, always communicate!
4. Enjoy my children. Have fun with them. Let them have fun learning. Watch them as they "get it" and their eyes get wide and the smile spreads across their face. Try to offer choices as often as possible so that they are motivated to learn.
5. Schedule family time. I often feel like I'm so focused on checking things off the lesson plan that we forget to plan family fun time. I notice that this affects the behavior of the little ones that aren't doing school with Jefferson and then that behavior affects my attitude which then also affects the family! Try picking an evening each week for a fun family activity.
6. Checking things off a lesson list should not be my focus. My goal is for Jefferson to comprehend what is being taught and for him to learn to deal with his own frustrations so that he can love to learn!

These may seem obvious to experienced homeschoolers, but are important lessons for we amateurs to learn so that we can give our kids a good foundation prior to the logic and rhetoric stages. I call them my soft, long term plans for homeschooling. But as far as Jefferson's comprehension and actual skill level for 1st grade goes, I have set up some more specific, short term goals for his classical education this year. For those of you interested, I have them listed below.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd7pqd69_0dz6vzwhq


For those of you unfamiliar with a Classical Education, here is my personal short (and I mean, short - it's really so much more than this) summary -->
First Goal: train them to educate themselves
train them to get past frustration
Classical Education – Train the mind through the Trivium:
Grades 1-4: Absorption (grammar stage)
Grades 5-8: Critical Thinking (logic stage)
Grades 9-12: Expression (rhetoric stage)
Priority in Grammar stage->
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Math
then History
Science
Art/Music
Language (Latin/Spanish)


Check these links for more information on classical education, the trivium, The Well-Trained Mind, Ten Things to Do with Your Child Before Age 10(this one is a great informative summary).

Yearly Lesson Plan

Here I am blogging when I should be making sure that tomorrow's lessons are ready (this is typical of mybloodline -just ask my father). Especially since last schoolweek was almost a bust! After having made a 1st grade yearly plan, I am all too aware of how much flex time we have if we want to meet our goals by the end of June! Having a baby in the middle of the year really tightened things up for us, leaving us with shorter holiday breaks than we would normally have. But ... what I love about the yearly plan is that it keeps me on track. And it actually even lowers my stress level by letting me stay aware of which subjects or lessons can be shifted or skipped when other things in life get in the way (I can't tell you how often my 2-year old is sick and miserable!).

My inspiration for this organization has no doubt been someone else - I don't have the time to think of everything for school myself. So I frequently visit my favorite super-mom homeschool blog, http://triviumacademy.blogspot.com/, to gather from her immense library of homeschooling tools, ideas, lesson plans, and encouraging posts and links. Wow -what a great source of information and support. If you're interested in classically homeschooling your kids, this is a link that should be on your favorites! And because she is so willing to take her time to post links and tools for others, I too will try to do the same. Even though I am new to home schooling, I hope that this blog may be of some help to someone at some time.

Anyway, here is my yearly plan for this year. I will expound upon the different curriculum choices I've made for each subject at another time.