And the Crown for the Most Crummy Mom to Ever Play the Part of a Homeschool Educator Goes To...

Yeah, it's a long title, but one I totally deserve.

I had Isaiah in tears tonight.  I know, it's not the first time, but I think it was the first time I finally got through that thick noggin of his.

We've been struggling with the whole homeschool thing, and I know a lot of the responsibility - ok, so like all of it - falls on my shoulders.  I always envisioned homeschooling my kids as a "fun" task... in that you would choose what you wanted to study and you were more flexible in how you were gonna study it, etc.  And that is all true.  But my kids don't seem to want to choose to study anything.  And if they are interested, it is only in a small sliver of a whole pie that needs to be ingested somehow.

I waffle a lot.  I go back and forth between thinking that this laid back approach to schooling is a good thing.  That they will learn the important stuff eventually and a window will open when they are interested in learning a particular skill or piece of knowledge.  Then I think that I'm teaching my kids all the wrong kinds of habits and that as they age they will slip further and further behind because they have no work ethic.  Then I swing back the other way and think, "Who determines what the norm is? and why should I be worried about it anyway?"  You know, small issues like that.

I've determined lately though that I'm cultivating all the wrong attitudes and habits in Isaiah for sure.  The only thing that he seems to be learning really well is how to roll his eyes at his mother.  The boy is spoiled and doesn't know how good he's got it.  I'll request that he read or practice math facts or whatever the task may be, and I get a bad attitude or a fight every. single. time.  Then I get mad and yell and threaten and he feels convicted for about 2 seconds and we're right back at the beginning of the same vicious cycle.  And I'm weary.  He's weary.  And our relationship is strained.

So tonight I sat him down.  I told him that life is full of choices and we not only make those choices with our words but we make them with our actions too.  So starting tomorrow we are going to schedule our school day (I know, I know... no, we've never had a schedule - the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?)... anyway, we're going to schedule our school day to be from 9am until noon.  If work does not get accomplished or if objectives/deadlines are not met by noon then the school day will spill over into the afternoon or fun things will at least be taken away until school is caught up.  But here is the kicker of the plan. We will do all of this 100 times.  If within that "100 days of school" I still get the bad attitude, the whining, the refusals... well, then he is choosing to pursue another schooling route.  Cuz I can't take it anymore.  We even signed a contract.  And he went nuts.

This is as much a challenge for me as it is for him.  I need to put my actions where my words are and I need to become more motivated and structured and organized myself, if I'm going to help him to be a successful student.  I realize that - I need to see if I can meet that goal or I feel I am doing him more of a disservice as his teacher than I am helping him. 

The next few months are going to be quite interesting for sure.  I've thrown the choice in his lap, but it's just as much a test for me as it is for him... maybe more so.  I'm kinda scared of what the outcome might be - either way. 

Ready to Dig Deeper?

My kids have been mesmerized by the tv lately... and sometimes that's not a bad thing.  Let me explain.

In the past, most spiritual education involved parents opening up a Bible storybook and reading the many, many different awe-inspiring, child-friendly accounts to their kids.  They are popular with the young ones, but this system can also cause a couple of different problems:  First, the little ones will tuck the stories into their minds the same as any other bedtime story, not realizing the Bible stories are a cohesive message of how God has a plan in rescuing His people.  (Quick sidenote: As you read the many fun stories of God's power and provision to your young ones always, always tell them that this story is true, it really happened - this will help them start to see the Bible in it's proper perspective.)  Secondly, many times it's difficult to help the kids progress past the storybook level of learning the Scriptures... the story of Jonah always ends with him preaching in Ninevah... the Israelites obediently followed Moses across the dry land of the Red Sea and live happily ever after... and once Jesus ascends back into heaven the whole Bible is pretty much over.  That's what most storybook Bibles would have you believe anyway.  There are few resources available to aid parents in moving their kids on to the next level spiritually.

Admittedly, the Bible is full of very abstract concepts - things that little guys just won't grasp - so there is definitely a time and place for such basic Bible story teachings.  But as your little guy grows bigger, are you having trouble figuring out where you should even start in teaching your child about what the Bible is for and what it's message is all about?

Now to the point of worthy tv viewing... Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, has moved on to something I would deem as one of his more nobler pursuits.  He has launched a new kids' series that can be described as the Muppet Show meets Biblical Studies 101 - a strange combination?  Maybe.  But my kids love it and they are learning a lot.

The show/dvds are entitled What's in the Bible? with Buck Denver... but you can preview many of the songs, sketches, bits, and pieces at JellyTelly.com.  The dvds will take the kids through the Bible step by step - starting by answering the questions of where the Bible came from, who wrote it, and why it's important... and then walks them through each of the books, giving a synopsis of each of the books in a fun, creative, entertaining, and informative style while still pulling the kids back to give them the overall perspective of how each book fits into the big picture of God's plan of redemption.  Parents, you will learn things too!  (The shows even have a segment called Tricky Bits that will tackle the really hard questions the Bible presents...)

What's in the Bible, Vol. 1-4 are available for purchase, and Vol. 5 comes out in May... but you can view many parts of it for free at JellyTelly.com so go check it out.  They hold Lillie's attention pretty well, Avery is grasping basic concepts from them, and Huston and Isaiah are being educated as to why this book we read is so very important.  This is not a paid endorsement, this is an excited mom wanting to let others know of a great educational tool.

I'll leave you with a clip of one of their many silly songs... my kids laugh and learn all in one.  Priceless.

The Progression of Lillie















What a difference three years makes, eh?  These were all taken on her actual birthday (March 19th).  She had a great time celebrating this year - the first year she knew what was going on really.  The presents, people singing to her, everyone telling her happy birthday.  She ate. it. up.  I think if it were up to her, everyday would be a Lillie day :)  Anyway, I won't bore you with all the details - it was a pretty quiet, yet fun day.  And heck, we're still celebrating.

This is Not my Baby Girl

Yes, yes, she will always be my "baby" - but tomorrow this little widgit turns 3...

She was playing with stickers when I snapped this photo - and she was decorating herself - cuz who needs paper.

I thought the sticker she chose was rather appropriate...

We all think she's pretty wonderful (of course we should).

And she's also pretty goofy...

So anyway, tomorrow is her birthday - she will be "free" - and is insulted when I call her my baby (most times...)

I will try to recap the weekend celebrations - but wanted to throw this up here before I forgot to.

Happy Birthday dear Lillie Frances - your whole family is quite smitten with you.

I Have No Words...

so I'll make some up.

Yes, yes.  I've neglected you, but I'm sure after the first 3 times you checked back in to see if anything new was ever going to materialize, you simply gave up and moved on with your lives.  And I'm proud of you for that.

I have sensed for quite some time that I am shifting seasons within my life.  I've alluded to "the shift" a few times before (yeah, in some of those posts that were written like a million years ago... and in at least one of those posts, I kinda got in trouble for it...) but I see that this newly budding season has arrived.  And I'm not completely talking about spring.

Peoples, I'm getting older.  Now I'm not saying that I'm old.  Cuz, I'm not.  And I don't particularly care for younger people going around saying that they are old, especially when about 66.8 % of the population is older than them.  But in just a few months I will have three elementary aged children and my "baby" is soon to be 3 years old - not really a baby anymore.  She talks, she walks, she uses the potty (when she has time for it) - she's practically growed. (yes, I homeschool).

So, evidence #1 of new season - my kids are growing older.

Follow the dominoes with me - my kids are growing older, therefore I have more "free time" - what's that?  That's the time that you are not spending making decisions for all of your children, wiping their noses and bottoms, getting them bathed and dressed and feeding them (oh yeah, I still feed my children.)  But the rest of that stuff - so many of them, if not all of them, can pretty much do on their own with some success.  This allows me to focus on other things.

Evidence #2 of new season - I have a new focus.

My job has slowly become not so fuzzy anymore.  Lots of opportunities presenting themselves before me - lots of them rather exciting, but still - I'm not completely sure of where things are heading.  I'm becoming more of a resource for young families - looked to as the one that's been there, done that.  (see? getting older)  I like the change, simply because it shows that I'm not completely living the preschool life anymore - it's kinda nice.

And finally evidence #3 - I have no idea what I'm doing.

The new season of parenting has me guessing more than knowing - and that's the nature of the beast.  That's a season that I anticipate that I will never grow out of...which makes me that much more dependent upon God and studying His Word, which makes me that much more interested in teaching others what I find out, which makes me that much more curious as to where this new season of life will lead.  What did I tell ya.  Dominoes.

So I guess I did have words - and here I thought I couldn't produce a blog entry anymore.  This rambling stuff may continue after all.

A Quote to Chew On...

"There can be no reproach to pain unless we assume human dignity; there is no reason for restraints on pleasure unless we assume human worth; there is legitimacy to monotony unless we assume greater purpose to life; there is no purpose to life unless we assume design; death has no significance unless we seek what is everlasting.  This is true across the board in human experience – across cultures, languages, and backgrounds.  This is what Christianity teaches."
                                                                                                                          - Ravi Zacharias

Still Not in the Routine

I don't know what's gotten into me these past few days... I'm sooo tired!  And that's after being homebound for a good part of a week! 

Today I got up, puttered around the house, moved some stuff around to make it look like I accomplished something, I asked the kids to clean their rooms (which they sort of did successfully), asked the kids to do a few school lessons, took a nap (which means that my kids undid every bit of cleaning they had done earlier), and allowed my children to veg in front of the tv while I vegged on the couch.

I keep telling myself the next few days will get better - I'm hoping that I'm right.

In the mean time, can I tell ya that I'm really tired of being cold - I think my body is rebelling... all it wants to do is wrap up in a warm blanket and sleep.  Maybe I need a soda...

What the Snow Does to Us

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... well this one totally tattles on me.

Do you notice it?  Maybe it's not so very glaring, but this is what the picture shouts out to me...  this snow bound week has brought about some bad habits:

1. Notice the chocolate face... brownies eaten before 8:00am... she might, or might not have had breakfast first...
2. Still in pajamas... which will more than likely be worn all day (although I will report that we dressed the girl today, improvements people, baby steps.)
3. The holding of a movie... watch movies immediately and often throughout the day.

These are not habits that I'm particularly proud of.  I'm sure other mom blogs will herald how they have taken the extra time with their children to read more books, cook healthy dinners together, do fun school activities that exercise the mind.  No, not us.  We've spiraled down into unhealthy eating, mindless entertainment, and bad habits.  Yay me!

Really though - I might become motivated to do better here within the next day or so.  Again, 3 out of my 4 children are currently dressed!  We must celebrate the small victories...

Ha!

A friend of mine posted this on facebook, and I had to share it... we were at day 3, but luckily broke out before the comatose state. (click on the picture to make it bigger)

Well, We Got It

We survived the blizzard of 2011... and apart from sore muscles from shoveling and some cabin fever, we came through unscathed.  The 12-18 inches turned into 20, officially.  We never got the thundersnow they predicted, but we did get the white out conditions.  This is stuff we're not quite used to here in central MO.  There are winters that we get good amounts of snow, but over 10 inches is rare and a blizzard is pretty much unheard of.  So as a result, the whole town pretty much closed shop.  The bank my hubby works at even closed for one of those days.  The universities canceled classes, the malls and shopping areas closed, and even I-70 closed from St. Louis to Kansas City.  Epic stuff.

Here are a few pics I took around our house...

This is our driveway into the garage... now you know why we have sore muscles.  (Notice the edge of the planter box on the left)



This is the pond... yeah, I don't see it either



Dug out to the chicken house...

There is a 3-tiered planter under this snow... the first tier is hip high on me...

Thankfully a very nice neighbor came with his tractor and blade and bladed our drive to the road.  So we now have freedom to travel!  Yay!  We're breaking out of his joint today.