Happy New Year!!

Hello my small following of friends.

Well we are approaching the end of week 2 and all members of my home school are still enrolled and doing well. While it has been a bit of a disorganized start it has at least been a good start.

Our schedule has not been very routine due to doctors appointments, personal outings as well as just plain old life. I typically like to start our day at 9 am, but these last two weeks it has been
9ish or 10. Yesterday was actually more like 2!! While I don't like to have these kinds of days I am trying to not let this stress me out. I am trying to see it as the blessing of home school not the law!!

I am not sure I will have much "dirt" on my students this year. Caroline is a adjusting to the DVD curriculum, she doesn't love it, but she is doing her best. She has had a very good attitude this year and I am so proud of her. We have a verbal/written agreement of our expectations for this year and she is working hard.

Abigail is moving along great. She continues to do excellent with math. I have uncovered Abigails learning style is different than Carolines and I am readjusting to make it work for her. She is defiantly more visual and hands on. I have printed some diagrams of things to give her the visual cues she needs. We will see how it goes.

Little Katherine is an eager student. I am only spending about 20 minutes a day with her and she loves it. She doesn't want me to stop. She is loving being home and continues to amaze me with her independent nature.

I would welcome your prayers this year. I have committed to make this a great year. I will confess days like today I am simply tired and overwhelmed. I am currently studying the book of Ruth and my study said that God welcomes our pouring out of complaints to him. He wants to know them. It also said that there is joy to come when we empty ourselves out to the Lord. I am definitely doing that. While I love my children and I love the "thought" of homeschooling, it is and has been the most exhausting thing ever.

I will continue to praise the Lord for the time with my children and pray that he will continue to lead me in the direction of HIS WILL, not mine. There is GLORY in that and for that I will follow.

We Are Still Here

Hello Blog fans!

Sorry it has been such a long gap since my last post, but a lot has gone on. We have taken 2 field trips, survived some serious behavior issues and are no in our first full week of school for MARCH!

Our field trips took us to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We also visited the Franklin Institute and the Star Wars exhibit...very cool. The Crayola Factory was our other trip. Whew..I am tired. The girls had a great time. This is by far my favorite part of home school. I love getting to go to every field trip! I would so love to pack up a Winnebago and travel this amazing country we live in. Do I sound like I have stepped out of the 70's or something? Actually I think if I mentioned it to my husband he would go for it. He already said once last week that he wanted to ,"quit my job and live off the land". My response was, with want talents that we have could we survive "living off the land"..."oh, I don't know"...so I guess we won't be doing that any time soon.

I mentioned early so behavior issues. UGHHH!!! Friends if I can survive this hormonal stuff that is starting in my house I think I can handle anything. It has been so rough. There is a lot going on and honestly I just don't want to dump it in print. I have been praying about our situation and we are looking at some options. I will not be sending anyone to school, but we do need some guidance to navigate this overwhelming time in our lives. God is good. He has always been there and I know he will continue to be. I just have to be very diligent in how I am handling the stress and how I choose to respond to each situation. I am sorry if this seems a bit cryptic.

Today was a great day. We finished school early...by 12:30. We all needed a day like this. Lovely did not finish her work until 2, but it was her independent work, so I was done at 12:30. We will be going to visit my mom in Pittsburgh next week so I will be absent. I ask that you all keep us in prayer for safe travel and cooperative attitudes.

Happy Birthday To ME!!

I am not boasting that I have turned the clock on another year, however I will say it's not as bad as I expected.

The girls have been doing great with school. We have had our moments, but for the most part that is all, moments. They realize we are on the down slope with school and are trying their best to keep their attitudes and emotions in check.

The girls worked so hard to make my day special and it certainly has been. I am officially a dog owner. That's right! I am now the proud owner of a Schnauzer. He is going to make a great addition to our family. I love that I do not have to feed him, take him for walks or even correct him for chewing my shoes. Those of you who haven't caught on yet. It is a Webkniz of my very own. Lovely bought it for me. Some of you may or may not know I love to play on Webkinz for Baby Girl to earn money for her. She is very capable of spending it, not necessarily earning it though. Lovely was so excited to get me my own pet. So cute!

Sporty bought me a Willow Tree Angel. It actually looks like me. My joy in her gift is that the angel is reading a "book". The significance is Sporty said she is reading her bible. Oh the joy that brings me. I am leaving my legacy! It is so important to me that my girls understand that GOD'S word is crucial to my life. I want them to desire a relationship with him, the way I do. GOD has blessed my life in so many ways and I want them to understand that they need to pursue a relationship with him daily. He wants to know how they are feeling, what they are struggling with and how much they love and need him. It is in their pursuit of this relationship that they will in turn realize how much God loves them. I feel that I am communicating that to them, but to see it come back in this way was a great blessing.

My point was not to give you all the list of gifts I received, but rather to share a little of my day. It has been a beautiful day and once again I have been reminded of how very much I am loved. THANK YOU!

Creative Mind

This is a bit of a cheat. It is Wednesday BEFORE school. I am hoping to fill you in on what has been going on here in my "nest".

As you all know we are quickly approaching adolescents with my Lovely. Let me tell you future sisters to this club.....hold on!! Lovely has definitely been going through a lot lately. Not only is her body changing inside and out, but she is having the most difficult time communicating her feelings. Instead of rational communication I am being met with irrational and often disrespectful behavior. Please note I am learning how to deal with this myself.

Monday we went to the allergist in Philadelphia. He said all is well and to call if we need him. No need to go back...for now. Yeah! Lovely and I spent a great day together. She wanted to go to lunch ,so we did. We had a great conversation and I have seen her heart very clearly. This is a smart, sweet little girl that has got the drive and determination to do great things. I have seen that she is trying to figure things out for herself and that I am sometimes misunderstanding her motives and desires.

As you all know we have been battling piano lessons. We have agreed to allow her to quit when she can give us two weeks of practice without complaint. She has agreed and is willing to do her best. It has been in this particular situation that I have come to realize how much she needs a creative outlet that SHE enjoys. I have reflected on the thought that piano at this age is too structured for her. It is not allowing her to let loose so to speak. She has the desire to do art instead. The thing with art is it will allow for more creative freedom which is what I think she needs right now. GOT THAT! I feel like a bit of a psychoanalyst, but what can I say. I am trying so hard to figure out this child and what makes her tick. I may develop a tick in the meantime.

All is well with the other girls. I have prayed for Gods blessing on my day. I will let you know how great it was at the end of the day.

Seeing the State

Wow..I am sitting here reflecting on the fact that tomorrow is Friday and this is my first opportunity to blog all week. Please allow me to fill you in on the details as there are a lot.

Monday we spent the day in Harrisburg at the Whitaker Science Museum. It was great! The girls had a great time and I learned a lot as well. They currently have an Animal Grossology exhibit that was all about POOP and GUTS and BLOOD and any form of potty talk that is not usually allowed in our home. WOW was it cool. I found it fun and enjoyable to learn all the dirty stuff on animals. I have to say we are now experts on the Dung Beetle. This is our third exposure to these odd creatures in 2 weeks. What are the chances?

Tuesday was a normal school day...sort of.. Baby Girl was covered in a rash on her chest and face so she had to go see the doctor. My mom guess was strep...2 points for me! She has been amazingly pleasant considering. The girls actually finished relatively early in spite of the fact we were slightly distracted.

Wednesday ran a little long. The girls were disappointed that we did not go roller skating, but I could not take Baby Girl so we could not go.

Thursday...crazy day! Our pediatrician was not happy to hear that Lovely could not get in to see the Rheumatology Doctor in Hershey until March. Thanks to a phone call we got in today! So off we go. My Honey and I took lovely to Hershey and met with a wonderful doctor there. She informed us that she thinks Lovely has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Basically...they don't know the cause. She drained the fluid from her knee and wants us to keep an eye on the symptoms. The next six months will determine a lot. There are things we need to watch for and we also need to have Lovely see and Ophthalmologist for a special eye exam. I am okay with all of the information we received today. I know God is in control and I need to be patient.

Well I am very tired and looking forward to a good nights rest. I find it funny that Lovely is working on her Pennsylvania State Notebook for History and we are literally taking a tour of our state. I couldn't have planned it better myself! HA HA.

Questioning My Ability

Well tomorrow puts us at Friday...yeah! The girls have had a decent week. Monday and Tuesday were long and tiresome. Wednesday was a great day. Everyone stayed focused and finished everything around 2. That is a good day in my book. I actually had time to vacuum and put away some laundry while the sun was up! You see how the little things bring me joy these days?

I have to say the greatest challenge to me this week is myself. I am really struggling not with the difficulty of homeschooling, but rather my ability. Am I doing a good job? Are the girls getting it? What if I miss something? Am I short changing them? I have also been struggling with the friend issue for them. I am not necessarily looking at now, but the future. Part of my reason for choosing to homeschool was concern over peers and the negative influence they can be, at times. But then I feel like they aren't playing with many other children. I am just in a bit of a funk mentally. I am sure it will pass quickly. I pray.

Funny enough, my new Bible study is about FEAR! I guess I felt I needed to create some fear to truly get the most out of study....just kidding. I do find it odd that I am feeling this way after just starting this book. Anyway.

My problems are small and my life is blessed beyond my greatest expectations. Thank you Jesus! My prayers are lifting up so many this week that are really facing true hardships.

ARGH!!!

No my blog has not been taken over by Pirates, although I don't know if they would wear me down as much as my kiddos did today.

Granted it is Monday and we had a long weekend, but come on!!!! To say I had a rough day is what I would consider an understatement. My day started off great. I got up, had my prayer time, exercised, made the gals chocolate chip pancakes...the end! The end of my great morning that is.

The girls flat out refused to get out of bed (Lovely and Sporty). This is unlike Sporty because on most days she hops out of bed gets dressed and is ready to go. Lovely always requires prodding. The girls finally made their way to breakfast and it started. Non-stop bickering between Lovely and Sporty. Baby Girl got off without a hitch.

I try to let the girls work out the problems, but today there would be no white flag of surrender on either part. Sporty was just down right difficult today and Lovely picked up on it and just instigated in every way at every opportunity. Several times today I felt very helpless over their behavior. I have been trying diligently to teach them to communicate with each other in a respectable way. You never would have known that by their actions and my reactions.

Baby Girl went to lunch with her grandparents and then for a play date with her cousin. The girls should have been able to finish their work right after lunch....should have!! They had argued and dawdled so much that they didn't finish until after 3! I have to be honest I cannot take it when our day goes that long for silliness. It really just angers me. I don't have a problem with long days if we are getting work done, but today was for poor attitudes and the lack of focus.

After talking with my sweet husband he encouraged me to not allow the girls some of the freedoms they have been enjoying. Tomorrow I plan to keep the girls on a "time" schedule. I will allow them a set amount of time for each subject and I need to stick to it.

I will let you know how we do. Now I am going to bed, because I need to have a good attitude in the morning as well.

100 DAYS!!!

Can you believe it? We have completed 100 days of school. I do need to double check my math, but I am pretty confident we have done it...woohoo!

The girls are doing great. It is Thursday evening and we are done for the week. They have become so good about doubling up on a lesson or two that we are off for the weekend and Fridays work is done.

Lovely has gotten great and working independently, for the most part. If I am not close by she can be found reading a book that is meant for leisure time, not school. Not a bad problem to have unless you are trying to stick to a schedule. She has been known to do things quickly and not necessarily accurately. We are working on her slowing down. I accept complete responsibility for that. I am always saying hurry here, hurry there...okay GOD I know we all need to slow down a bit.

Sporty is coming along beautifully. She is up to most of the challenges I lay before her. YEAH! Sporty is trying to figure out who she is and what she likes, not necessarily what everyone else likes. I think this will be a process.

Baby Girl has been tough lately! She has been challenging my authority and really pushing the limits. I did however have the opportunity to spend a little one on one time with her tonight and it was great. I mentioned to my honey that I think she is feeling pushed aside. I need to make more time for her. Tonight the girls went to basketball and we played Littlest Pet Shop and she was thrilled.

All I can say is where has the time gone? I can't believe we are on the 2nd half of our school year. About 80 days left!!

P.S. Legal update with the school district. I received a very nice letter from the HSLDA ( the legal group that protects the rights of homeshcoolers). The letter was a copy of one that was sent to my school district informing them that I was in the right with my actions in regard to Abigail. YEAH!! One for the team.

Time Is Flying!

It is hard to believe that the end of January is around the corner. I can't believe how quickly the month is going. We had a great day of school today in spite of the fact it is Monday. I have had a hard time with getting the girls back on track after the weekend, but today was pretty smooth.


Lovely did a great job of staying focused until Math. I had her do that last today...big mistake. It was after lunch, Baby Girl was playing Webkniz and Sporty was done with school. I will say though that Lovely stayed on task with her work prior to Math. I had really pushed her with some of her other work and she did awesome. I am learning so much along with her. I think I should go back to school so I can retake my 4th grade Language class. I actually think I get it all now...scary!!

Today was a big day for Sporty. She learned her 10 times tables. She did great. It wasn't until she was done with all her school work that I realized I skipped her ahead 3 lessons, accidentally! I thought she was on lesson 89, but it was really 86..oops! Oh well. We will go back tomorrow to 86.

Baby Girl was home with us today. She was so easily directed today. Some days she doesn't want to bother with activities I suggest but today she did great. She painted, cut, glued, colored, watched some television, played Webkniz and went for her first haircut! Yes her first! We cut off most of her curls. Boo hoo. She was so excited to get her hair cut. She let them wash it and cut it with no problems. I think she saw this as a big girl activity and couldn't wait to be part of the club.

We all got haircuts today. I chopped off 10 inches today for Locks of Love. It was so great to have the girls do this last year and today was my turn. I have to say my neck was very cold when I left the salon. All for a good cause. I actually feel very Mommy like with this short bob.. oh yeah, I am a Mommy.

New Schedule

Hello from Home school world!! So sorry to all who have noticed my absence and have missed my perspective on the greatest challenge to my 37 year old brain!

We have been schooling and I am still schooling my Lovely and Sporty. Baby Girl continues to be at preschool a couple of hours a day 4 days a week. Allow me to update all that is going on in Owlschool. One word...flexibility!

The new year has brought a slight sense of comfort for me. I am allowing our school time to be 9ish instead of 9 on the dot. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to this. I am trying not to live and die by our schedule, but I am having a hard time. I have discovered for me personally I just want to do school and get it over with. I think that is a good goal most days. I feel like my mentality on this is possibly taking away some of the fun. The flip side of this is I don't want to be sitting at the school table at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I am so done by this point.

One of the reasons we are being more flexible is that I have been getting up to exercise in the morning (every other day) and I am not willing to sacrifice my time in prayer with the Lord....so everyone is getting up a little later...eating breakfast a little later...starting school a little later. I am sure some of you can not understand the mental stress I battle in my own head...it is insane. Anyway...the girls are doing great! I am so proud of their work and commitment to try hard!

The last bit of info to share is that my school district called me 2 days ago and gave me a bit of a hard time. They were questioning why Sporty is not registered as being home schooled. Without boring all of you with the legal issues I will tell you they were wrong! They were successful in intimidating me and making me afraid of the police coming and taking me to jail..haha. Seriously though, I did contact a Home School Legal Defense attorney to confirm that I am in the right and thankfully, I am.

I found this attorney to be a blessing from God. Although I have kept excellent records for Sporty, I would be completely overwhelmed with the details that would have been required for her at the end of the year if the school district was right. The Lord provided me with a peace yesterday through the attorney. I just felt it was God saying, I have called you to do this and I will be with you in this (homeschooling). Thank you Lord!

Well I hope to be a little better in my posts in the future...stay tuned!

2008 Kickoff!

We finished a week of school for 2008 and overall it was a great week.

We did school everyday this week with slight modifications to some of our days and all went well. Here is a brief recap of our week:

Monday: New Year's Eve, snow, and NANA had to go home! The day was actually good because school diverted the girls attention from the fact that their Nana had to go back home. The girls miss her so much and love every minute of their time with her. Her plan was to leave Sunday, but the girls begged her to stay until Monday...we even prayed she would stay..and she did!

My mom was truly interested in watching the whole home school scene. She has been so supportive of our decision to do this with our girls and that has been a great blessing. My mom is always very encouraging and supportive...thanks Mom!

Tuesday: New Years Day, and my sweet Honey was home! He really did not want me to do school that day, because he was home and we should be having FUN! We compromised..he would help and we would finish quicker. We had a very QUICK day! We enjoyed Daddy being home and had fun in the snow after our work was done. Great start to 2008.

Wednesday: Baby Girl back to school and a side trip to Target to spend Christmas money.
The girls did all their work in a timely manner and it was a good day!

Thursday: Baby Girl had a doctors appointment in Hershey. She had a follow up for some stomach problems that have persisted for the last 3 years. Lovely went and did school at her grandparents and Sporty went to her best friends house and did school there. The older girls started basketball practice today. They both enjoy this time out to play and be with friends.

Friday: Not the greatest! School was challenging. It is partially my fault. I was trying to take down the last of our Christmas decorations, clean, and do school! Not smart on my part. I ended up very frustrated and very irritable. I had to apologize more than once for my mood. I am not justifying it but to be honest I am very stressed about all the medical stuff that is going on in our home. I have to keep my focus on the Lord so as to not let fear take over.

Overall we had a good week. We are all looking forward to a low key weekend before we go into the next week.