whoa.

We got a letter on Saturday that our middle son had been accepted in to the same school that our oldest goes to.  Which is awesome.  Except that I'm planning on homeschooling our middle son for kindergarten

(and beyond?  one year at a time... one year at a time...) 

But that letter created anxiety.  Because if we don't register him this week we lose his spot.  Gone.  They'll give it to someone else.  There is a waitlist.  There is someone waiting for his spot.  

And while I'm okay with that there's that anxiety in the back of my mind questioning if we're doing the right thing?  But everytime I question I hear God's reassuring voice that yes, this is what I want for him.  Keep him home.  Teach him.  Show him My word.  Love him.  Just love him. 

And I know it is not going to be easy.  Hello!  I have a daughter that will be home with us the entire time.  There's a good chance my husband will be gone at least part of the time. 

And so we're going to take it one day at a time, one year at a time, but I hope it is the start of something bigger for us.  Something awesome.  

Toy Story 3 Birthday on the Cheap

Last month my middle son turned 5 so we threw him a party based off his much loved movie Toy Story 3.

It turned out really cute and wanted to share because it was done a week after Christmas without breaking the bank!

 

I purchased 2 packages of 25 each of balloons at the Dollar store.  We blew them up and put them all over, the kids loved playing with them!  $2 for tons of entertainment.

We cut a hole out of the top of a box and decorated it like the claw game.  The kids got to pull their goody bags out of here.  We alternated with some crinkle paper so the older ones really had to dig.

 

We decorated piggy banks for the activity at the party.  These came in sets of 3 for $10 from Micheal's but I had 50% off coupons that week so they cost me $5 or a $1.66 per kid.  

These would have been a splurge but I traded a local organic bakery here in town (Cupcakes a la mode - check her out, she's amazing) for this adorable bed and alien cupcakes.

Finally we had pizza from "Pizza Planet" and I was able to find a bogo coupon online by simply typing in the pizza place's name and coupon code.  That made two large pizzas $13 + tip.  

All in all it was a great party, my son had a blast and felt really special that day and we didn't break the bank a week after Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Hello 2011!  Did you make an resolutions for the new year?

I didn't.  At least not in the traditional sense of making resolutions.

Instead I made a list of 31 one things I want to accomplish before I turn 32 in December of 2011.

I included fun things like get a new tattoo and re-pierce my nose. 

I included things like taking the kids to serve in a homeless shelter, developing a closer relationship with God, and to give quality as gifts this year (i.e. wooden blocks that encourage play instead of a plastic toy that will break tomorrow)

Homeschooling my middle child landed on there as did taking a cake decorating class and weaning my toddler!

The idea is to stretch myself.  To be able to look back on the year and see tangible activities that encouraged me to grow and try new things.  Not everything has to be a success, I do not count myself a failure if I don't do one.  Its just forcing me to write down where I want to go, what I want to try.  To stop saying "I'd really like to _blank_" and actually doing it!  

So when my friend said to put going to Paris with her in September I thought she was nuts!  How could I afford it?  Simple she said, we have a mutual friend living there, we can stay with her and significantly cut our costs.  Oh.  My husband said go, its always been your dream and I don't want to go there.  Huh.  Everyone I talked to said GO

And isn't this what it is about?  Stretching myself?  Trying something new?  Something I've always wanted to do?

So #10 on my list is go to Paris.  #17  is get a passport. 

Hello 2011, how you doin? 

Getting the nod

My husband has finally recognized that I truly am intent on homeschooling my son for kindergarten next year instead of sending him to the same school our 8 year old goes to. 

So my plans have begun to intensify (as has my doubts and worry!  yikes)

I looked at Sonlight Curriculum on a very sound recommendation, unfortunately it lives outside my budget. 

I then researched Abeka but it didn't speak to me.  It is very heavy in worksheets and that doesn't speak to me and what I'm trying to get him away from.

Which lead my search to My Father's World which I think looks really great but I have heard is weak in phonics, especially for younger grades.  I am still leaning towards this system though and thinking I may just supplement with phonetic learning options.

What I think I am figuring out is that no system is perfect and the truly complete ones are also the most expensive ones.  My search is still young and I will keep looking but that's what I have so far. 

Christmas

So Christmas is in two days and I am thrilled, I love Christmas, I love the season.  And I love that I'm feeling completely relaxed and at ease with everything.  Presents are wrapped, meals are planned, we could do nothing for the next two days and everything would be okay.  We won't.  But we could. 

This morning we had to run to the local Kroger, we were out of sugar.  Buddy our elf used the last of it for making snow angels last night.  Which is fine.  But you cannot make cookies for Santa without sugar.  So off to the store we went. 

We just needed sugar, no other pressures or expectations.  Of course I picked up other random things like juice and some frozen pizzas for lunch per the request of my smalls. 

So as we wandered the aisles in no particular hurry or rush I was struck that we were not the norm.  Parents were yelling at their children.  People were cutting other people off to get to the stuff they needed.  Pleasantries were dead.

So in this time of craziness as you worry about Christmas dinner or that last present or whatever else may drive you drink my wish for you is time to enjoy the true meaning of the Christmas season.  God bless you and your family now and throughout the year.

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh ~ Matthew 2:10-11

Tugging my heart...

So at home I've been "homeschooling" my two younger ones.  Doing preschool activities based off a letter each week, or two weeks as it seems to be turning out.  We have stretched each letter in to two weeks of fun as neither of them have been ready to move on after just one week. 

And as I do this the more I question what we're doing with our kids.  Our oldest goes to a public magnet school and is enrolled in a gifted program with all gifted students.  He's functioning 1 - 3 grade levels above his "age" grade and yet I don't feel he's being pushed to soar.  My middle still attends preschool three mornings a week and was really why homeschooling was laid on my heart.  The more he goes the more I feel we're wasting our money on mediocrity.  This year has been hard, nothing like last year, and I sit and dream about what I could do with that $170 a month and how I could teach him (and his sister) with it.  I'm tempted to pull him out of school every day. 

And then we have days like we did just the other day.  There was snow on the ground, not a lot, but a dusting.  So we read books, we did puzzles, we played matching games and pattern games, we colored pictures and then I pulled out the beads and we made necklaces.  Wouldn't you know it, my 4 (5 in a week!) year old spend 45 minutes beading!  45 minutes!  What? The boy that they told me they have a hard time getting to complete projects and they wished he'd be more creative?  And that morning sure seemed like a perfect school day.

So I did the only logical thing, I went to our library and checked out every book under the sun about homeschooling.  Currently I'm reading Love in a Time of Homeschooling and I love it.  She is speaking to my heart.  She is funny and real, honest about she got there and not belligerent for or against homeschooling or public schooling. 

And while I don't know what I'm going to do I know there is a lot on my heart and on my mind.  My oldest is okay in public school but I look at his homework and what he's not learning and I question if there isn't more out there for him.  I look at my middle who not only is marching to his own beat but he's making up a song to go along to that beat along the way and I wonder if he can not just thrive but even survive in full day kindergarten next year.  And then there's my daughter, she's smart as a tack and super headstrong.  (no clue where that stubborn nature came from... ha.) And I'm watching her carefully wondering what will be best for her.  For any of them.  Praying for God's guidance and love on this one. 

Are you homeschooling?  Are you contemplating it?  What are your reasons?  What is on your heart?

Simple Celebration

There are few things I love as much as I love simply being with my children.  This evening we turned off the t.v., turned on some Christmas music and made popcorn.

We threaded some string on tapestry needles because they're not as sharp pointy as other needles.

And we made popcorn and cranberry (or friendberry as my daughter calls them) garland

To not call it bliss would be a lie.  The kids loved it.  We loved it.  And we spent an hour doing it!  Yes an hour just hanging out, laughing and chatting.

and threading cranberries and popcorn on string

And because we were worried our sweet little dog would be inclined to try to munch on our creations we decided to hang them on our Charlie Brown tree outside for our bird friends.