Struggles of this Homeschooling Mom

Thank Goodness it's Saturday :-)

Well our first full week of school is complete!  I must say it was a super busy day.  With it being Saturday I had a ton to do....besides school! 

I let myself sleep in(8AM), made breakfast, got everyone dressed, did dishes, got the laundry started, started school...in between subjects I worked on laundry, got the floors swept and mopped, made lunch, finished school, finished laundry, made laundry soap, got 2 kids in the tub, did my workout, got 2 kids out of tub, put laundry away, got my shower, started, dinner, finished eating, 1 girl now in the shower, and I am taking a break before I do the dinner dishes!  WHEW!!!

Hopefully we will not need to do school on Saturday's too often ;-)

I did get my clay ordered...supposed to be here on the 6th.  I am hoping to start the clay stuff next week with the clay I have.  I am sure we will get some done before all the other clay comes ;-)

I have to say this week went a lot better than I was expecting.  We were all a tad tired from the routine change( I am sure I was affected the most...COULDN'T be my age) LOL!!!   I am hoping tomorrow will be a true Sabbath!  I am sure we ALL could use a total day of rest ;-)  Although I have trouble just resting...so we will see!

We are also going to be having some new friends over Monday evening for a cookout!  I am super excited!  They were at the home school group picnic...a whole family of adorable red heads :-)  The one little boy took a liking to Logan and she has been asking for 2 days for Joshua to come over to play.  So I finally got their number, called, and invited them all over.  I know how I am so I ASSUMED they would not just drop their kid off at some stranger's house ;-)  So I figured it would be great to have everyone over and get to know them.  They have a daughter Hunter's age, the boy Logan's age, and I think 1 around 5ish...so Cuckles will definitely get along with her...I think they have a total of 5...it could just be 4!  I am super excited though...I LOVE having people over ;-)  So Monday we will have to hurry and get school done and start getting ready!  I am sure I will be posting about that later!

As for our first week....I am pretty pleased so far with my curriculum choices.  I am really not happy with the spelling program for Hunter, so I am going to adjust that.  I know it is one of her dyslexia issues, so she struggles more with spelling.  I also need to figure out some readers for Hunter...the 4th grade readers I got seem a bit too much for her.  Right now I have her reading one of her Candy Fairy books.  She loves them, but it is the last one of the series...so far :-)   I also have her doing some book reports this year, so I need to find extra books for her to read for those :-)

There were also a few odds and ends I didn't have....as I thought I was all prepared :-)  So I had to go out to Wally World and get those this week.  I am hoping Allan will help me later today or tomorrow to get it all put up :-) 

Besides the little stuff it was a VERY successful first week of school!  I am glad I don't have to do it tomorrow, but I am excited for next week...and the whole year!

OH...SUPER EXCITING!  As some of you know Hunter is considered Severe Dyslexic...she struggles a lot with reading, spelling and math.  All summer we worked SOOOO hard on all her math facts...addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  She was supposed to start division this year...but I decided to take her back to the beginning and get her really good on her math facts!  (after all summer of drilling her with flashcards (which I found is horrible for dyslexics) we didn't do them for 1 week and she forgot them ALL)  SOOOO frustrating for me and discouraging for her....she worked SO hard!  So I was going to do an accelerated course on addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  Using of course my math curriculum correctly (as I found I didn't use it correctly the first time).  Well I was a bit discouraged that it was not going as fast as I was hoping...I had it mapped out to do 3 lessons a day to get through all 3 books this school year...but I finally had to talk to myself (yes I do that sometimes) and realize that she really needs to get these math facts down  So I need to give her the time she needs....once it clicks it will go smoother...and if need be we will get through the other book over the summer :-) 

So anyways....she got up to the +2's pretty quickly, then we stalled...she just couldn't grasp it...so I had her watch the DVD of the guy talking, then we did it just like he did.  After 2 days of practicing, she knows her +2's!  SUPER excited...if you knew how much she has been struggling just with the +2's, then seeing her accomplish it and seeing the look of pride in her face...it was WONDERFUL!  I can see that she really gets it too...it clicked...it makes me SOOOO happy and just confirms that I am doing what God wants me to be doing....If you have a kid with a learning disability and have experienced this...I know you know how I am feeling...ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!  Praise God!!!

Well I just had to post about this super quick! (now I am Sicilian so my "super quick" might be different than yours!)

My first week has not gone as planned at all!  I have not started my dyslexia stuff yet and I REALLY need to!  I am noticing with all 3 girls major struggles with reading...even Cuckles!  She is holding her head and rubbing her eyes constantly!  So I am so upset that she is showing more severe symptoms of the dyslexia.  I feel like I was kicked in the stomach.  I know dyslexia is not a major problem.  I was just hoping for 1 easy kid :-)  No such luck I guess!  I am just feeling SO discouraged today :-(  Although I am a TAD hormonal and Satan really attacks me during this time with discouraging thoughts...so I am going to fight it this afternoon with some MAJOR bible time ;-)

Now yesterday we did not do school...well Cuckles and I did, but Hunter and Logan did not.  One of the downsides of home schooling is you are home all day and friends ask you to watch kids and such.  Which I really don't mind...with home schooling I am flexible that way and I LOVE helping my friends :-)  But I know with myself I have trouble saying NO to people...well not my husband ;-)  HA HA HA! 
So Hunter and Logan will have to do school tomorrow on Saturday...so tomorrow I am sure to post a TGIS and probably post more about our first week :-)

Today's post is going to be about something totally different...if I ever get to my point! 

We had our annual home school group Fall Kick Off Picnic last night.  It was a lot of fun!  It is great to come together as a group and just fellowship.  During the year you don't always get to see everyone because kids are in different grades and different programs.  So it is really nice to talk to everyone and see what has worked for them and vice versa.  The only problem this year for us was our diet!

As many of you know we started everyone on a gluten free diet months ago.  Mainly for Logan as she has many behavioral issues and I have been trying to keep her off medication.  So in desperation we went gluten free and it has been the best thing for her.  And with a whole family I decided to have everyone on the same diet so I didn't have to buy different things and worry about Logan eating the wrong bread or such as she is older and is able to get a lot of her own food.  So it is much easier for everyone to be on the same diet. 

With a pot luck kind of menu you never know what is going to be there or if we will be able to eat anything.  So Allan and I had a plan before we went...if there was nothing we could eat, we would visit for an hour or 2 then go out to eat later.  Well someone brought pizza and all bets were off :-)  Allan went right for the pizza and the kids of course followed.  By that time everyone was eating gluten :-(  I must admit I too ate some pizza....it was yummy at the time, but by bedtime I was SUPER sick!  (Allan and I have also gotten rid of dairy in our diet so the pizza was a combination of both ) 

Now I am not sure how Allan is feeling today, but I feel like total BLAH!!!  Logan woke up crying this morning and everything has been a fight and just tears all morning.  She has been super defiant over the silliest things and just super angry.  I have also noticed Dillan is a lot more emotional today too.  So I am sure the gluten is definitely bothering her also.  Hunter does not seem bothered by it, but she has a stomach of steel!  I don't think it really affects her at all...although she has bumps all over her tongue today, so I am thinking that is from something she ate.

So my day has been super hard today with school.  And I know it is going to take a good 2 - 3 days for her to get it out of her system and get regulated.  So many prayers are greatly appreciated....also for Allan...a hormonal wife and a glutened up Logan is going to make for a super ROUGH weekend ;-)

WHEW!!!  What a busy week so far!  We have completed 3 full days of school and it has gone very well.  We have been ahead of my time schedule all week, which as been totally awesome with the nicer weather :-)  Although I am still going to keep my schedule so as things get harder we will have the time.  It is always good to have extra time just in case :-)

I must say we are ALL worn out this week.  Especially me!  I have been SOOOOO tired by the end of the day!  I can't imagine how the girls all feel. 

I have not started any of the dyslexia stuff yet!  I really need to.  I am seeing a lot of areas where the girls are struggling, so I am hoping to start some of that this weekend.  I really need to call and order more clay so everyone has their own...and enough.  I am hoping to do that today, then depending on how long it takes to ship...but I should have enough for them all to have a little to get started.  I think it was just too much all at once to start it this week.  I SHOULD have started the clay stuff first...but too late now ;-)  I don't think it really matters, just would have been my personal preference! 

So my day starts at 6AM and I crawl into bed sometime after 10PM.  On top of my morning workout the girls and I have been playing Just Dance 2 every afternoon during one of our breaks.  So I am getting TONS of exercise ;-)  I am hoping after a week or 2 I won't be so tired or feeling drained.  I just forgot how involved it all is :-)

It has been a totally awesome week so far...but I am glad we are over half way through....I really need a break ;-)  And if I am needing one, I am sure the girls will be happy for the weekend too!

Well our first day of school is done!  It was not a perfect day by any means...but it was TOTALLY AWESOME!  We had a total blast!  Although there are definitely areas to improve!

The first few days you seem to realize you don't have all the supplies you thought you would need.  And some of the programs you use (at least online) don't seem to work properly, or you forgot to set up separate accounts for each kid!  OOPS :-)

Our morning went super smooth...we were WAY ahead...got all our morning classes done an hour early.  Now I know as the weeks go on and the work gets harder it will take more time, so I am going to keep to my schedule as it is.

So we took a SUPER long break...I called my mom to chat and I sat outside while the girls played!  Then I realized we took TOO long of a break...I didn't keep to my lunch schedule, so our afternoon was a tad behind.

Although when we were done, we all plugged in the wii and played Just Dance 2!  What a perfect way to get some PE in ;-)  

I am pretty pleased with our first day of school!  Like I said...it wasn't perfect but it was AWESOME!!!

WOO HOO!!!!! 

Super excited to start our school year tomorrow morning!  I am a tad nervous though with implementing all the dyslexia stuff.  I know it will help, and I know it will become easier as we go.  I am sure the first few days will be an adjustment! 

My day will begin at 6AM
Do my hour workout
Bible time
Shower
Breakfast
School to start by 9AM
Done by 2:30

Now those of you who know me don't worry...I will fit in my coffee breaks throughout there.

I have a schedule set up for the "school day".  I have it broken down into 30 minute intervals.  Cuckles is doing 1st grade, and she will be done with school by 1PM where the other 2 will go until 2:30. 

I have found with my girls that we have to do reading FIRST thing in the morning.  Since Hunter is my most severe with the dyslexia, I have her reading first.  But also for Hunter, this year, for her writing I have her reading a number of verses in proverbs every day and journaling.  That she has to do BEFORE school starts.(There are 36 official school weeks, so if we do 1 chapter a week it will be ALMOST perfect)  Since she is up early, she can do it while I do my workout, do my bible study, or make breakfast.  I am also anticipating that we will be done with school earlier as some things are not going to take a full 30 minutes to do.

Now math is going to be a different story :-)  I have a full hour blocked off for Math.  It is complicated what I have decided to do for math, but I will explain it the best I can ;-)  The math program I use is Math U See.  Now I am admitting that I NEVER watched the videos.  So for the past 3 years I have been doing it wrong...well not wrong, just not beneficial...as the program was designed.  So I FINALLY watched the DVD and I have decided to put them all in the same math class.  I ordered Hunter and Logan the same book as Dillan and we will work through it all together.  Although a lot will be super easy for Hunter....so I am going to have her do 3 lessons a day, then only test her on the unit tests....then she will get through all 3 books (addition, subtraction, and multiplication) this school year.  I figured with her struggling so much it would just be worse if I introduced Division this year with her so behind with her math facts.  But I think I can catch her up just fine this year. 

Now the stuff I learned at my dyslexia class I have decided to do in the evenings.  That way Allan can join as he is dyslexic, he will definitely benefit from these exercises :-) Although going over the schedule with Allan I might have to readjust this decision...our evenings seem to be filling up..Church Wednesday, Science Thursday...

I asked Allan to take over the science for this year.  It is a 2 day/week program, so he is going to do that with the girls Thursday evenings, and Saturday's. So I am thinking the dyslexia stuff will be 4 evenings a week!  I am relieved that Allan was willing to take over the Science...It is 1 thing off my plate :-)  He is SOOOOO wonderful!

Also we are starting a family Tae Kwon Do class on Friday afternoons.  I am SUPER excited for this.  It is offered through the home school group and it is nice we can take the class together as a family.  I am sure it will be beneficial for us all :-)

I hope my next blog post is a positive one.  I am excited to share with you what all happens with the dyslexia stuff...and my own abilities ;-)

Well, while I am waiting for my turn on the TV (to do my workout) I figured it would be the perfect time to pour a cup of coffee and update my blog :-)

I know it has been a while since I have been on here, we just spent a nice long weekend visiting my sister in Illinois.  It was a nice to just get away and not have to think about anything :-)  Although I do have a hard time turning my head off! 

My first plan was to start school when we got home...yesterday the 16th.  I always like to start school early so we can be done by my oldest daughter's birthday...May 17th.  This year I will have to do Standardized testing with my oldest 2, so I would like to be administering the tests the week before her birthday, so we can do the testing and be done....but we will see :-)

We got home late Monday night, so Tuesday was spent with grocery shopping, unpacking, and starting laundry.  Today is finishing laundry, so my SECOND plan was to start the girls this week with the clay.  Just playing with it and showing them how to roll it and such so they can get used to it.  But that has not started yet...and it is Wednesday :-)  I wanted to get the girls place mats to do their clay stuff on, so I still need to get those.  I decided to have the girls do the clay work in the basement on the old table....instead of my new dining room table (smart decision I know) So that brings me to.....

My THIRD plan ;-)  Today I am PLANNING on, well finishing laundry of course, and moving the "school room" down to the basement.  I have been doing school at the dining room table (which I like because I can do a bit more around the house that way).  I thought though if I am going to have all the clay stuff down there it would be a lot easier to just do all of school down there.  It is a big room, and I think it will work out nicely.  Also I thought it might lessen distractions for the girls and myself!  Also I am planning on turning my phone off during "school hours" as that causes a lot of distractions too! 

So this morning I have cleaned up the basement and vacuumed...now I just need to move stuff around!  Which might be a workout in itself!  Then I need to rearrange things...I have a bed down there (for when we have guests...which has not happened yet, so I might give up on that as no one really WANTS to visit us in SD! which I don't understand because SD is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!), a sewing area and all the toys.  So I need to figure out how to organize all that, then move all my school stuff down there...books, bookshelf, supplies, (those who home school know how much "stuff" there is going to be)  Then I need to do a tiny bit of shopping, then HOPEFULLY I can start the clay work tomorrow afternoon and Friday...even over the weekend, so I can "officially" start school on Monday! 

I don't usually take all the 1 day holiday's off like the public schools, and I don't have to do teacher conferences (unless by that point I am regularly talking to myself and answering myself...which might happen), and I don't take a full Christmas Break or an official Spring Break, so I am confident we can be done by mid-May :-)

Now if I am posting again tomorrow with yet another plan...I might need prayers :-)  HA! 

PS....can you PS on a blog?  Don't know, but I just did ;-)

I have been "THINKING" of all the stuff I learned in my class a few weeks ago!  I am not sure about you, but sometimes I HATE my thinking!  Satan really attacks me with a lot of this stuff.  I have been going over in my head everything I learned, so when I go to start it all with my girls I will HOPEFULLY know to some degree what I am doing :-)  Well I keep struggling with thoughts of "I am not going to be able to do this", or "my girls are so severe that this little bit I learned is not going to help".  So I could really use prayers in this area!  I know with all my heart that God has called me to home school, and I know with all my heart that HE will help me teach my girls how they need to be taught.  But sometimes I get so discouraged with these thoughts of inadequacy.  I know I cannot do it on my own, but with God all things are possible....I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 

Prayers are GREATLY appreciated ;-)

I am SOOOOO excited!  I just finished my 2 day class on different learning techniques and strategies.  I am just overflowing with thoughts and ideas, so please accept my apologies if I am jumping around topic to topic and totally confusing you!  Be assured it is not confusing in my head ;-) 

Now to start off I was a little disappointed.  As this class was held mainly for teachers with a class room full of kids, it was not on the level I was hoping for.  As a home schooling mom, I am able to accomplish a TON more in a day with my 3 girls than a teacher can in a class room of 23-30 kids!  I am not saying anything against teachers, it is just common sense that you can accomplish more with a smaller amount of kids.  So the class was not on the level I was hoping for!

With that being said, I did get a TON of strategies and techniques.  I also did stay after the last day and talked a little bit with the instructor one on one, and she did give me some advise on extra things I can do with my girls that she didn't go over in class.  Which I REALLY appreciated!  The class was mainly on relaxation and focus techniques...which I think would benefit EVERYONE...not only adults ;-)  Then she went over the alphabet and reading.  She didn't really touch on math or spelling which are areas I need help with also...which I said she did go over those personally with me. 

Also, in my personal conversation with the instructor we talked a little about my girls...mainly Hunter and Logan, but we did talk on Cuckles a bit.  She told me that from what I am saying (without her meeting them and personally assessing them) that Hunter AND Logan both sound severe.  Where Cuckles is only 6 1/2 she is showing some signs of dyslexia, but it could be just normal reversals and such.  Because she did not work with them personally she could not say for sure...but it was just what it sounded like from things I was telling her they were doing.  So my first assessment of the girls might not be as accurate as I though.  She also told me, if I do decide to get them professionally diagnosed to see a speech and language doctor...not a regular physician.   So if you are thinking about that course for your own family you might want to make sure it is a speech and language professional.  She said you want to look for CCC after their name.

With all that being said....On with the show :-)  HA! 

Like I said the class started out with some relaxation and focusing exercises.  Now the class was a lot of roll playing and practicing on each other...which I totally HATE!  Especially in this kind of "creative" atmosphere...I was VERY uncomfortable.  Now when you are working with a dyslexic person they have NO trouble with these exercises, because they are picture thinkers.  I..as the whole class found out...am NOT at ALL a picture thinker :-) 

The one exercise you have to imagine yourself walking around and you have to focus your imaginary person behind you (so in short you can focus your imaginary person to pay attention too)  After the class that day I did the exercise with Hunter and she could REALLY see herself in her mind walking around, playing on the swing set, and focusing her behind her!  TOTALLY AMAZING for a person who cannot do that.  After this class I really think I am the learning disabled one :-)  Oh if I could see things the way my girls do!  They get so much more out of life!  I am SOOOO Jealous!

We did a lot of exercises in clay...making letters and words and pictures and such.  Again we had to make these things, and again EVERYONE in the class got to see what a loser I am in this area :-)  Trying to make everything perfect, CONSTANTLY cleaning up my area because the mess the clay made on the table!  HA HA HA...We even had to make up our own word, spelling, pronunciation, and clay model and present it to the class...I will NOT go into that catastrophe :-)  Lets just say my husband is embarrassed for me...which he NEVER gets embarrassed ;-)

I can see how a lot of these techniques are really going to help and strengthen my girls.  I am going to do my best with what I have learned, but I am thinking Hunter and possibly Logan will need some one on one work because of their severity.  Although I might be underestimating my abilities :-)  I am going to hopefully start today with some things, and get these things implemented before I actually start our school year.  But they are easy to incorporate into any curriculum, which is great.  I am also hoping my husband will join as he is dyslexic, and I am sure will benefit from some of these exercises ;-) 

I am super excited to share with you how my girls do with all this. 

If you are interested...the website of the guy who started this program is www.dyslexia.com  And the site for the lady I took the class from is http://www.smartstartcenter.com  There is a ton of information on those sites!