Homeschooling

Most people are now familiar with the term of homeschooling, and if you asked the average person what it meant they would likely respond that it was doing what others do at school - at home. 

 

Well, yes, but mostly no.

 

You probably have pictured in your mind the type of school setting you experienced as a child.  That's how I thought it would be when we first began our homeschooling journey 23 years ago. 

 

While I do have a school room, it does not have little individual desks lined up in neat rows, or perfect cursive handwriting strips bordering the walls, or detailed posters hung about the room showing the English parts of speech, or animal habitats, or the human muscular system. 

 

I guess you could say that our whole home is the classroom and the hub is the humble kitchen table.

I am so very thankful for that.  Even though I am up at an early hour, I am a slow roller in the morning.  I am so glad that we do not have the mad morning rush of scrambling out the door to catch a school bus.  I guarantee you that my children are thankful for that too.

 

Even though I can enjoy my cup of coffee and a more leisurely pace while schooling, Eric and I take our responsibility seriously.  We teach the core academic subjects ~ reading, writing, arithmetic, history, geography, science, and music...

but wait, there's more!

 

When you are with your children all the time you can see their strengths and weaknesses: what subjects come easy for them, which ones they struggle with, and the character issues that come out of that.

 

For example, maybe one is a math whiz.  Great! 

He can either be proud and boastful, maybe even lording it over his siblings for whom math doesn't come easily, or he can be humble and offer help to a sibling who struggles suggesting a tip or even just an encouraging word.

 

It doesn't stop with the student.  I, as a parent, can be proud with a haughty attitude of, "yeah, he's great and it's all because of me and my teaching" ,or I can be humble and give the credit to the One who gifted that child in that area. 

 

All the while, everybody in the home gets to witness these attitudes and responses -  so the teaching/learning is never ending in the home.   Now that is a humbling thought!

 

Because I am the teacher working with my kids, I have the opportunity to observe which subjects we need to camp on a little longer for mastery, and which ones need a faster pace because they learned the concept quickly.  It is such a blessing to be able to custom design a course of study that will best address the needs and interests of each of my children.   

 

Homeschooling naturally offers built in breaks.  Throughout the day loads of laundry need to be transferred from washer to dryer, clean dishes need to be unloaded from the dishwasher, trash needs to be taken out.  Perfect jobs for kids.  Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that people learn better by studying for 20 minutes followed by a  5 minute break?   That works out nicely!

 

So I've been planning for next year.

My planning starts with a chart like this where I can brainstorm.

What subjects do we need to cover?  What curriculum do I already own to meet the need?

What is working? What isn't? What changes need to be made?  What new things do we want to learn about?  What things should my children know, but don't yet? 

 

I've also been combing through catalogs that have been pouring in.

 

 

And I've been praying for wisdom. 

Wisdom, not knowledge {though it is a good thing if I know what I am teaching ;-) }

 

But wisdom to know the hearts of my children. 

"The plan in the heart of a man is like deep water; but a man of understanding draws it out."

Proverbs 20:5

 

How can I facilitate the molding of their character? 

What can we use to explain Biblical doctrines clearly to the young ones? 

Before all else I want my children to know the love of God.  The John 3:16 and John 15:13 kind of love.  Sacrificial love.  Unmerited love.  Unconditional love.  Enduring love.

The love of the Savior.

 

For us homeschooling is life learning.  Thankfully our answer key is the Bible.

This homeschooling business is not easy.  I am often weary and full of doubt.  My shortcomings stare at me squarely.  They humble me.  There are many days I feel so inadequate as a teacher and a mom.  I really mean it when I say I am so thankful that I have the Word of God to turn to for direction and comfort. 

 

My children are each other's best friend and I am so thankful for that too. 

So yes, while homeschooling is school at home, it is so much more. 

 

Life Lately...

 Hannah and I had a fun movie date one afternoon.

 

Cinderella
You know the story,  and this version is every bit as delightful. 
 

  Directed by Kenneth Branagh and music by Patrick Doyle how could it not be?

Lily James {Downton Abbey's Rose} ~ Cinderella,
Cate Blanchett ~ the stepmother

Helena Bonham Carter ~ the fairy godmother ... all perfect.

And the costumes!
We laughed, we cried.  We love happily ever afters! 

 

. . . . .

 

A fun dinner date with my Sweetie.

 

 

At Arnie's at the Mukilteo waterfront

 

 

I had a mixed green salad and their delicious seafood bisque.

{crab, bay shrimp and lingcod in a rich sherry-cream sauce.}

 

Eric had green coconut curry

{wok seared chicken breast, asian vegetables and spicy coconut curry, fresh mango and cashews} doesn't that sound fantastic?  It was.

 

 I even remembered to act like a foodie and take a photo of the food.  ;-)

. . . . .

 

Spring weather in the Pacific Northwest can be a little crazy. 

Sunny one moment, rainy another.

A warm, sunny Saturday found this little one picking flowers. 

Next thing I know,  the door bell rang.

"Mommy, I picked flowers for you."

. . . . .

 

Life long friends came for a day visit.  Such fun for them to catch up on all the goings-on.

 

 

Caleb missed out on this visit, sadly, but he and Eric were working together on repairing/rebuilding his transmission.  Caleb's been without a working car for almost a month.  It was good father-son time.

. . . . .

 

 I had a cookie making date with Ellie. 

We used the gluten free flour blend by Namaste {we bought it from Costco.}

Yum. 

. . . . .

 

We found a new {to us} t.v. series on DVD called Leverage.

It has its issues, but it's much more tame than shows like

Castle or Hawaii Five-0.

{We still don't "do" t.v., instead we use Netflix and the library

to check out movies or tv series.}

. . . . .

 

And the garden has been rototilled.  As much as we'd like to get started, our hardiness zone is 7B and last frost date 5/15.  It's hard not to get anxious to put seeds in the ground, especially when we've had some warm, sunny days {in the 70s!} 

Glad we haven't though... that Pacific Northwest crazy weather is cold again.

 

So that's life lately. 

 

Golden Boy

The Golden Birthday

19 on the 19th.

 

This year his birthday fell on a Sunday.

Sunday in our family means church and fellowship with friends,

and a long drive both ways.  It's worth it, we love our church.

 

Sunday does change it up a little bit,

 

but not too much.

 

{ peek - a- boo }

 

gifts in the morning

 

 

coffee

Matthew's birthday dinner request: 

creamy chicken enchiladas

 Dessert:

carrot cake

  When I asked Matt what he'd like to do for his birthday, he told me he just wanted to come home and spend time with the family playing games.  Is that not the best?!  He's been working a LOT and I think he just wanted a low-key, just chillin' kind of day 

reconnecting with us

We had a Connect Four tournament.  We played Gin { or Rummy?  I always get those confused } Golf, Chess, and Settlers of Catan.

It really was such an enjoyable day with lots of laughter.

 

 

In keeping with tradition I'll list a few fun facts about Matt, that you may or may not know.

• He reads really fast.
• Men's fashion is his thing.
• He is new to kilt-wearing, but thinks they are super comfy.
• He started his own blog this year.
• He is a bank teller.
• Still CLEPing, but slower than he'd like.
• His siblings are his best friends.

 

If I could only have three words to ascribe to Matthew they would be

integrity, loyalty, and witty.

 

Eric and I pray that God will use these qualities for His glory as Matt continues venture out in this big, wide world.

 

 

 

 

plaid and polka dots

This post isn't so much about the progress on our bedroom redo, but rather

the kindness of the Lord to answer prayer. 

 

Today I ventured out to shop for a birthday gift for Matt.  This particular store {which shall remain nameless, since he reads this blog ;-)  } has a home department.  I figured, since I was already there, I would browse to see if I might find some sheets .  I prayed that, if the Lord pleased, that He would provide just the right color at just the right price.

 

100% cotton flannel king size sheets on sale for $25.99

in just the perfect shade of pale teal blue. 

Are you kidding me?

 

And if that wasn't enough, I also found quilted pillow shams
on clearance. 
Seriously?

 

The Lord brought to mind this duvet cover that I bought several months ago at the Good Will. I was fully intending to take it apart and use it as fabric,
BUT it is the perfect solution for our room. 

Two dollars and fifty cents!

 

I decided to the use the aqua polka dot fabric instead of the navy floral to cover the rocking chair cushion and another small throw pillow for the bed.  

 

Hannah whipped them up for me last night.  She is such a Dear!

 

Not only am I just tickled with how it looks, but I am so blessed by the tender care of the Lord.  Sometimes my faith seems to waiver and falter, and I just need to be reassured.

He meets my every need { I don't mean the sheets, but the sheets too }

Psalm 42: 1 - 2

As the deer pants for the water brooks so my soul thirsts for Thee, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

 

Psalm 107: 8 - 9

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonders to the sons of men!

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,

And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

 

Psalm 102 ~ titled, "prayer of an overwhelmed saint"

Hear my prayer, O Lord!

And let my cry for help come to Thee

Do not hide thy face from me in the day of my distress;

Incline Thine ear to me;

In the day when I call answer me quickly.

 

Psalm 139:13

For Thou didst form my inward parts;

Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb.

 

Because He made me, He knows every detail about me ~ all my frailties, all my insecurities, all my doubts, all my fears. 

The answered prayer about the sheets was so much more than providing cute bedding and indulging my want for change,

but rather it filled my need to know He is present and He is listening.

 

He alone quenches my thirsty soul.

He revives me by His Word

and

answered prayer.

 

New blue

What do you think?

 

The color is lighter than I expected, but I like it.

 It's actually a little more "sea foamy" than these photos show.

I have this fabric set aside to make an apron. 
{ you know I'm a bit of an apron junky, right? }

 

I think this fabric would be cute to use to cover the cushion for the rocking chair.  Maybe?

It's bright. It's fun. It's cheerful.  It's aqua!

 

It got me to thinking that if I go with something like this, I'll be able to use dark blues too, which I can find a little more easily than shades of aqua. 
 { like for throw pillows }

Or I could even make a throw pillow for the bed from this fabric.  hmmm.

I wonder if there is any chance in finding sheets that sort of go with this? 

. . . . .
 

 

Potager reveal... sort of

Here is a "before" photo of our garden from last spring.

 

 

We've only had this garden space for three seasons.  We dreamed of having a garden for a long time, but there was a lot of prep work that had to be done first. 

Big prep work, like clearing lots of huge trees, and burning the debris. 

When we were finally ready, a friend encouraged me to start small.  So we did.

Neither of us wanted to feel overwhelmed or discouraged.  We just wanted to enjoy some fresh, home grown produce. 

 

We have discovered that our family likes cucumbers and zucchini among other things, but that those two things begin to quickly take over.  And if we plant pumpkins too, well...

Eric had the idea to expand the garden space.

 

It seemed simple enough, and we have a tractor to help with the heavy work.

So Eric began to tear up the ground.

Next they took down the side fencing

laid a plumb line

and began digging some post holes

They hit some big rocks so decided the tractor with the auger would be an easier, better way.

 

They set the corner post and connected the 2x4's for the cross beams.

I'm kind of picky.  I asked Eric if there was a way to have the cross bars from the left half meet the right half, instead of one resting on top of the other.  One of my favorite views is to look out my kitchen window and look at the garden and I just knew that the pickets would look different and I would see this uneven cross bar every time.  It would drive me crazy.

Then the rains came.

 

And we got sick.

 

So it sat.

 

Several weeks later they continued with setting the posts

and my sweet husband, who loves me,

fixed the cross bar.  :-)

 

Then more rain came.

In the meantime, Eric had to put some fencing up in front of the blueberries to protect the bushes from the goats, who could just wander right in from the side.

 

When we began to work on it again, we discovered there wasn't enough room for the nail gun to get into the space to attach the pickets. 

Matthew dug a trench to give us more room.

and they nailed away

 

Here is our "after" view.

 

It's mostly done.  We still need to remove the fence from around the blueberries, clean up the old materials, add some metal fencing to the inside of the new addition to keep out any critters, pick out rocks, and fill in the ditch.  Then we can rototill in those piles of  "organic matter".   We're getting there. 

 

There are four blueberry bushes on the one side. I'd like to move two of the them to the other side of the gate so that we have two on each side.  It will look even, but also give them more room to grow.  They are finally doing well where they are.  We bought them a few years ago from a farmer down the road who downsized his "vineyard" considerably.  They were shocked when they were dug up and transplanted.  The next year, they were beginning to bloom when the goats got to them.  They nibbled them way down.  We uprooted them again and moved them into the garden for protection.  We'll give them a year before we move them yet again.  Poor bushes.  The soil in the new section needs to be amended anyway.

 

Soon ... this.