On My Plate

Currently the plate of my life is fairly full with things I love.
Trip planning and investigating make me smile.

I am currently planning a spring Cali trip to celebrate my nieces college graduation!!

and then

move her either to
a few towns over in SoCal, 
or to Colorado!!

I am also working on several signs for my granddaughter's 4th birthday party ~ yes I said 4th!

Also investigating home school curriculum,

~hey I take years to make decisions~ PLUS ~ i heart investigating

I am leaning toward KONOS,

even considering purchasing their "in a box" option.

I used KONOS with the boys and I really liked the character trait focus.
Ya know, cause character matters.

Lastly I've been finalizing the details for a summer mission trip to Honduras; I meet with a partner who I am hoping will travel with us and help with the logistics on Friday. I am praying all goes well and that God really brings together just the right team with the perfect skills needed to love on the Honduran people for Christ. Please pray for me as I take these steps of faith.

I didn't really blog about my trip to Honduras.
Some time certain experiences can be difficult to put into words.
Here are some pictures

common road sight

Leaving the feeding center

Ice cream in La Virtud

Steve at Copan Ruins

End of an Era

It's been awhile since I've been on here, I think.
:)
Vaughan has graduated from high school with his 
accelerated diploma and
Magna cum laude. 
He is the first member of the NSBHS chapter of the National Technical Honor Society, 
Vaughan has also worked 20-24 hours a week at Chick-fil-A, 
been an amazing husband and dad.


It seems like yesterday we stared home schooling.
We lived in Oklahoma then,
later we homeschooled in New Hampshire 
and finally finished the 8th grade here in Florida.
Vaughan stepped foot for the first time ever in a public school his 9th grade year. I remember it like yesterday.
We all loaded into the car that morning and drove in the car pool line to drop him at the front door.
We rarely used that front entrance again and he spent his last 2 years driving himself to school.


Then he graduated.


Somewhere along the line he received enough credits, even managed to take some college classes along the way and landed himself right smack in the middle of a high school graduation ceremony.
Shouldn't he still be little?
I'm not sure we even took the training wheels off his bike?
He just can't be old enough,
but he is
and the graduation ceremony was great!
I loved it, much different than the small high school I attended.


Now that that era of our life is over, we step blindly into this next one.
I try not to wonder too much what it will hold,
afterall this last era looks nothing like I thought it would.


"...for we walk by faith, not by sight-"
2 Corinthians 5:7

Text to the Boys

Just a quick note.

The boys went back to school today, Vaughan is a senior and Justin a sophomore- where has the time gone?

I wonder if a school year will ever go by when I will think I've done the right thing- whether it be home school or public school I find myself doubting my decision- every year.

It seems like no matter how much prayer and prep goes into my children I always doubt myself. I am still in awe that I am a parent.

I guess living with me, in my head I know what a mess I am.

In the end I just want the best for my kids. I don't want them to make the same mistakes I made- heck I really don't want them to make mistakes at all.

But they have and they will.

And really when it comes down to it, I know that it has been through my mistakes that I have learned.

That each mess up pushes me to rely on my Savior Jesus Christ.

Perhaps that's why I screw up a lot, to be reminded that Jesus is all I need.

Perhaps that's why I doubt my parenting ability, to eventually come around to the knowledge that Jesus is all they need.

So to my sons on their first day of the 2011-2012 school year I say to you

"May you see Jesus in those around you,

may you look for opportunity to BE Jesus to the world near you

and most of all may you hear and obey that still small voice of the Holy Spirit in you."

Of course you both know these words because I texted them to you today,

then again maybe you didn't even read the text because I didn't hear back from either one of you; but perhaps when you're 40 you'll decide to read this crazy blog that you've spent the last 6 years of your lives trying to avoid.

All this to say I lift up my dreams, expectations and aspirations of my children to You of Lord, the Creator of Heaven and Earth- they are Your children and I thank You for the opportunity to spend these few short years with them.

It Takes A Village

Wanting to do something educational with your preschool/early elementary age active child?!

I've been there and it can be enough to make a lady wanna scream or jump off something very high!

I found it best to be on the lookout for small windows of opportunity to do "school" and then jump on that for as little or as long as my child would allow.

Here are some other ideas I found worked in one season or another on our ACTIVE teaching journey:

1. Always have a basket of "school" for them to do- keep it at his/her level so that it is an option for play. Of course don't expect the workbooks to stay in pristine condition; but it would be an option THEY can choose. Also be warned that wall and furniture writing can accompany this idea, so you decide. I was pleasantly surprised during one of our moves that Jesus had been hanging out under my coffee table; not only had Jesus practiced his ABC's but he also left his name- you're gonna see that coffee table on ebay one day! lol

2. Something else I did when the boys were pre-school/early elementary age was a small table with a bookcase next to it. On the bookcase I always kept crayons, markers, pens and pencils, paper of all sorts, tin foil, small empty boxes, toilet paper rolls, masking tape, maze sheets, number and letter sheets, workbooks, math counting and shape manipulatives. With a good supply of crafting objects as well as some motor skills development and number/letter stuff I felt it was a good play option for the boys and they'd do educational stuff without a thought! Plus anything to promote creativity!

(please notice toys at the school table)

3. Another idea is to plan every day after _______ (b-fast, lunch, nap- you fill in blank) for 5, 10 or 15 minutes of "school" time, or call it what you want. Keep it consistent, keep it short, maybe even offer a reward/star chart when the child has given their best and completed a "school" task.

4. Capitalize on meal times. My kids tended to be a little calmer, at least they were sitting down and I would find it was a good time to slide in some sort of worksheet.

5. Take advantage of drawing in the dirt or sand- boys love sticks, they are nature's pencils. Use pudding on a large sheet of paper for letter writing and it's a yummy snack too!! Shaving cream can be fun in the bathtub to write in. Cookies can be made and shaped into a letter of the week. Begin to look around for opportunities to identify and even trace with their finger, letters or number on signs, at the store etc. Life is an education and I believe it's the best one out there.

Don't expect perfection from beginners, and by perfection I mean they may prefer to do some school on the living room floor, sofa or bed- you decide what works and doesn't work for your family; I will say you should above all else decide to have fun! I'll never forget when Vaughan started to read he loved to read upside down or when he got a little older he always wanted to read and write in a tree.

So whether you are a homeschooler or just trying to navigate the preschool/elementary years I hope these tips are helpful and if you have some ideas to share, please do so here so other readers can learn and apply!!

It truly takes a village to raise our kids and our villages have changed a bit over the years, so let's allow this online community to be part of our village.

And yes, please know a teenage post will be coming one day- my favorite piece of teenage advice is "Just survive".

So here I am: surviving!

Summer Reading

I have decided to only read one book this summer.
I was poking around Big Lots today and found Bohemian Manifesto for 50 cents!

Looked interesting and for that price I couldn't pass it up. I don't know much about who or what a Bohemian is or stands for. I sat and read half of the introduction while waiting for Steve and it caught my attention so it, at that moment, officially became my summer book.

I also realized while typing just now that this is the first summer since 1997 that I have not been buying home school curriculum and planning a school year. Interesting, weird?

So what about you- are you reading anything this summer?

This Is the Day!

Eventually , when Saturday comes and goes I'll be able to slow down enough to write down some of my latest thoughts, insights and lessons learned on this journey called growing up.

Or maybe it's called The Refinement Process

or

Sanctification

or

Craziness!

Whatever I feel like calling my journey on any given day I would like to share those thoughts with you.

I've actually gone back to the old school way of writing: on paper.

With a pen, and ink.

It's easier to do when waiting for music lessons or when stepping away from the computerland of wedding spreadsheets and rsvp's.

Speaking of wedding: flowers are TAKEN CARE OF!! and paid for by Jesus, but that's an upcoming post!

For now I am waking every day saying, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24

So rejoice!

Meanwhile in other news, we are really enjoying our new washer and dryer:

Big Yiayia has been finger printing us all.

Guess she thinks we're all more trouble than she realized ;-)

And I have been reminded once again one of the hidden perks of home schooling...

outside crafts with teenagers!!!
Have a great day and tell me what are you rejoicing about today?

I Promise I Won't Punch Anyone

So I've been gone a few days.

Not sure where or what I've been doing but the above picture is a pretty accurate description of 4 out of the 7 days of the week for me, except I'm driving.

Seems like this week should be over all ready. Not because it's been bad just because it's been long.

Our first year of public school comes to a close on Friday.

Out first year of home schooling one child since 1999 doesn't come to an end because of forces we're still not sure of.

I'd like to share a few thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head about my life.

First: Education decisions for Vaughan are driving me crazy. For whatever reason I feel like a bad parent because it looks like he'll go full-time again at the high school.

What?

How have I let this inadequacy creep in?

I fight it.

So that's a monster I'm fighting right now. I ask myself, is there anything wrong with graduating from high school with just a high school diploma? I mean we did it, right. There is a train of thought in my circles that no that is not good, that our students should be pushed to get college credit, if not an AA, under their belt before leaving high school. Some times I just want to punch those people in the face.

Other times I realize that wouldn't be very nice.

But if you've ever punched someone there is such gratification in that, self control Michelle, self control.

Second: There's the work and work.

Don't get me wrong I like my job and if I could pick any job it would be the one I have. It's just, well quite frankly after staying at home with my kids for 14 years going to work has been tough to get adjusted to.

My home was my job for 14 years and I loved it!

I spent my days educating my children, cooking, cleaning, visiting parks and the beach, grocery shopping and organizing.

Now that I work p/t out of the house I struggle with not doing my housework when I get home.

A typical day goes like this:

wake up and get people fed, then homeschool, check on my blogs, start some laundry, do dishes, shower and finish homeschool (if we even started) and then lunch and off to work.

At work I work and try to not talk to Jamie too much or hold baby Julia too long.

I then leave work, pick up child, taxi child somewhere, home to make dinner, vacuum floors and then some days back to work.

While I'm at work any cleaning I had down goes quickly down the drain and dirt begins to multiply.

ADHD people, like myself, have a hard time sitting still but lately it's been more like I'm not sitting still because life is going on and things need to get done.

So I ask myself: Am I teaching my children to be a slave to the man? Am I a slave to the man? Oh heck just asking that makes me want to sell everything and live somewhere with tents and gardens or better yet a camper, my family and lots of miles.

Hmm. I don't know.

I don't even know if this blog post is even making any sense.

I don't really care if it does!

So I've rambled.

I'm surviving and now it's off to push some laundry through and get on with the day.

Peace out

-Michelle

one more thing, perhaps the most important, what I to combat all this is from the study of the book of Esther I'm doing: I've taken one of our scenarios of "it's tough being a woman" written it on an index card and on the back side I've written scripture to help with that.

Here's my card:

The Truth to bring me peace, joy and sanity.

Family From Indonesia

I am so thrilled to have my cousin in town from Indonesia. Rebecca and I were born 10 days apart and grew up across the street from one another. By birth I have all brothers but if had to claim sister she would be it. There's a bond shared when you're so close in age and geography that no matter how far we live that bond will always remain. She told a story of a day we got into an argument and her mother asked her is that upset her. She responded with "No, we'll be fine again tomorrow."
I love that story. That's how it was for us. But now we're grown-ups. We've traded our barbies for pots and pans, our bike riding for home schooling. When I speak with her it's the same ol' "Becca" I remember. Fashion and decorating, chocolate and being bossy- we're both pretty good at them; but as we visit our conversation always makes it's way around to her life.
See, she lives with the Wano tribe in Indonesia. She is raising her two girls among a group of people who have no written language. A group of people who fear spirits cause death, who chant to these spirits to make their gardens grow. It's quite remarkable to spend time with her and her family. They're just like us, but so different.
Last night I had about 20 of my adult friends and over 10 students come into my home and listened as Rebecca and her husband Tim shared about life in the tribe, their journey in getting there and what their future holds.
The most exciting part of their story was that in a year from now the Wano people will be hearing the Good News of Christ for the first time ever! A people who live in fear of spirits and night creatures will for the first time hear of the peace and love of Christ.
Please pray.
Pray for open hearts of the Wano, for clarity and translation and above all for Christ to shine in this dark part of our world.

Eva, Faith ad Lilly.
The late night gang-all the home school kids could stay up past bedtime!!

What a great time!

Michelle

Today in Science...

Somehow a bird got into the house today.
I first noticed him in the kitchen and he flew to the living room and got himself stuck between the not-finished curtains and the window. We managed to open the window and remove the screens and he flew out!
Never a dull moment.



For the record, my first reaction was: how can we keep him as a pet?
I have a problem.
-Michelle

Hme Scool Greek Fest

*I had to leave the title because my keyboard is freakin out and I never thought to spellcheck the title, I noticed the mistake when I previewed the posting, how funny that home and school were the 2 misspelled words!

We were invited to attend a Greek Fest a friends house today. What a blast!
The food was great, we had. We had a humus, a Greek dip, Moussaka, Spanokapita and Baklava. All home made and all delicious!

We made the spanakopita! Yiayia's recipe from Greece- Justin made it this year and did an awesome job!

When we arrived the kids wrote their names in Greek.

We were encouraged to come in Ancient Greek dress, here's Amanda and Santori. I did try to get Amanda to walk and work to help spur on labor- we want to see this baby girl!

Oh, I think I heard "don't take a picture of my shoes." I try to be a good friend and listen.

Sitting around at our symposium, discussing what makes people happy and their favorite mythological characters.

Then it was outside for a pentathlon. Great climbing trees at this house!

Justin watching Shane throw the javelin. They also threw the discus, did the long jump, ran a short foot race and arm wrestled.

Eating all that yummy food.

The whole group of them. It was nice to be included in his event. As you can see,Justin is quite a it bit taller, and older, than most of the kids. He had a great time and does so well with younger ones, plus Faith, the only girl, is a good friend of his. I had a great time as well, we stayed well after it was over ad visited. I am so blessed to have such a great group of friends.

I'm thankful for Lisa fr putting this on and inviting us, I look forward to participating in some other events they host.

Happy schooling days!

-Michelle

Day 1, Sat., November 24, 2007

So with the computer now in the kitchen, I have a chance to blog a bit more. I'm also starting a new schedule on Monday that will have me home in the mornings and working in the afternoons. I plan to journal each day; to keep a record of our month. Yes, the plan is to stick to our my our new schedule for the next 4-week stretch of school.

Our God is an orderly God and as of the last 4 weeks we haven't been orderly around here.

~Michelle
cold hands, warm heart

Tip of the day: Not cooking until everything in the house is eatten is a nice thing to do after Thanksgiving. *smile*