Mama's Midlife Mire: Homeschooling

Mama's Got Braggin' Rights!

Sat, 03 May 2008 20:08:53 GMT

I have a feeling this has far more to do with Kiki's inherent abilities than with my awesome teaching, but I just have to brag her up a little here! Back in, March I believe it was, the co-op kids all took the ITBS tests... those are the "Iowa Tests of Basic Skills" that schools nationwide are supposed to give. I don't think most homeschoolers take this test, for various reasons, but at the Co-op we give them - mainly to show the 'outside' world that homeschooled kids are certainly not behind in their education. The tests (at least at the Co-op, I don't know about 'regular' schools) are first given in 4th grade, so this was Kiki's first shot at it. Well, let me tell you - WOW!! We got her test results back yesterday - here's a blip from her score description:

Kiki earned a composite grade equivalent of 9.1 on the Level 10 test. This means that her test performance was approximately the same as that of a typical student in the ninth grade at the end of the first month.

So, I'm not sure how these tests work - what is involved in them. Does that mean most 9th graders are really low achievers, or is my kid pretty dang bright?? Somewhere in there it did say Her overall achievement appears to be high for fourth grade. On one graph they have it all broken out as to how your child did on each group of tests (Math, Science, Language, etc.) and the Grade Equivalent score on each section - in 'Language Usage and Expression' she ranked 13+! That's college, people! I guess the non-stop jabbering has paid off for her, eh?! So, I told her "don't you ever again tell me 'I can't do it, mom, I don't get it'....those days are over, missy!" Lol.

Okay, so Linda tells me that what really counts is the NPR on the test - "National Percentile Rank". Here are the results: Kiki's composite NPR of 99 means that she scored higher than 99 percent of fourth grade students nationally.

You just can't make me stop bragging here, people!! Lol!!

Well, today is Derby Day!! I'm going to go plant myself in front of the tv for a bit. It's not quite as fun as back in our espresso bar owning days, when I had my own bookie...lol... now it doesn't really matter which horse wins. I love watching those horses run, though!

What a Week!!

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:25:06 GMT

I am SO glad it's coming to a close! Whew!! Yesterday I barely made it home, threw together the stuff that had to be done, in time to go back to finish teacher interviews. They took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. I've mentioned before that I am on the school board - what some people might not understand is how our Co-op school works. There are lots of homeschool co-op groups, but very, very few schools that run the way ours does. A lot of homeschool groups get together as "co-ops" and are basically a group of several families that get together to go on field trips, or do art lessons or PE - the kind of stuff missing in a lot of homeschooling - or maybe one parent teaches a group math because he/she is really good at math, while another parent who is a good writer works with kids on doing essays. Which is awesome, but is not the way our co-op is set up. We have a building we meet at (the church's sunday school building). We have a teacher for each and every grade (preK through 10th; next year we will be adding 11th grade). We have a principal, and she has an assistant. These are paid positions. Not well paid, mind you!! But paid positions, nonetheless. We are a 5 day a week school, but 3 days are done at home and two at the school... it's the same curriculum, though, with the "paid" teachers doing the lesson plans...we "home" teachers follow them! The classroom days are 8:30 to 3:00; they have recess and a lunch break. So they get a lot of the social interaction that can also be missing in homeschooling. We have a very unique thing going on! Which brings us to the interviews. We have a few teachers who will be doing something different next year so we need to replace them, and then we need teachers for the 11th grade courses we are adding. We had quite a few applicants, some so well qualified you know they truly have a heart for it because they sure aren't doing it for the money! What I loved is that we had some great applicants who were the only one for that particular position - that's nice because you don't have to tell someone "no". We did have a bit of that going on, though... it's really hard, especially because some of them are people we know from church and/or the school; people who are just really nice people, but for whatever reason someone else was a better fit for the job. That's a tough thing to do. What is awesome is that we (the board and principal) lift it all up in prayer, so we feel like we are making the right choices because (hopefully!) they are God's choices. At this point we have most of the positions filled, so it won't be too stressful going into next year!

Today was Alan's day off. I hope I get adjusted to his new schedule soon! It's messing with my 'system'. We went out to do some shopping (I really need to start walking, whether outside or on my treadmill, so I needed some good shoes) and Kiki needed a gift for a birthday party. We barely made it back home to drop Alan off, we ran out to Kiki's drama group with our other (little) homeschool group, then back to turbo-wrap the present and deliver Kiki to the birthday party. So, now I am gratefully sitting here, with nothing else to do. Ahhhh.

It's been a crazy week! Tomorrow is Alan's first Saturday at work, and he will actually have to try to sell some RV's!! Yikes.

My moment to gripe!

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:48:42 GMT

If you could hear me, I'd be screaming!! Tonight we have a homeschool co-op board meeting because we are interviewing teachers for next year. Now, that is dandy. No problem there. Here's the problem - yestersday the principal emailed all of us on the board copies of the applications. Between the format they are sent in, and my limited knowledge of this stinkin' computer, all I can get the docs to do is load up to my photo application - which is totally weird. I don't understand why it's doing that. The biggest problem with that is I cannot figure out how to get a good print preview - they are tiny little thumbnails (of handwritten pages!) which are impossible to read. I've tried everything I can think of to enlarge them, but to no avail. So, I've just printed off each set (there were six) and so far, I've done 5 of them and I have 3 copies of one person's app., and 6 copies of another one!! UGH!!! A total waste of paper, not to mention ink, and time!! I should've left 15 minutes ago to pick Kiki up.... crud! There was also an after-school meeting I wanted to attend, but with this last-minute meeting, there is no way - I've got to run and pick her up, get back here to finish the process, then go back for the interviews... can you hear me SCREAM???!!!!

Update:

I feel a bit better, because I wasn't the only person to have issues with the attached documents.... so at least I don't feel like a total doofus! The interviews went well... too well, actually; it's going to be hard to make some decisions. We have more interviews on Thursday night - and the good news there is that the Principal is going to give us (the board members) copies of the apps. when we drop our kids off on Thursday morning... so no more of the screwy email mess! Yay! So, I'm done with the screaming. For now.

Bad News for Homeschoolers

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:54:58 GMT

They (some stupid, liberal court) just made it illegal to homeschool in California!! Are they insane? (The correct answer is: Yes.) The Calif. court decided that unless the parent has a teaching degree they cannot homeschool. Period. Now, of course, the particular family involved is fighting this decision, as are various homeschooling agencies. I don't know the full story behind this one particular family; and it's possible they shouldn't be homeschooling. It's not like there are never abuses of the situation... but to make it 'across-the-board' illegal for anyone is ridiculous and extreme. It's also frightening, because these types of judicial decisions do tend to have a 'trickle down' effect. Several pro-homeschooling groups are trying to get the decision "unpublished" (I think that's the right word) because then it would only apply to this one case and not be a precedence for any future cases.... I'm not sure how that all works...

I just feel like the implications are terrible.... that we, as parents, do not have the right to decide what is best for our children. That they 'belong to' the state to be indoctrinated the way the state sees fit. So, did you know that these rulings are based on judgements made in Germany at the time of Hitler?? When he wanted to 'teach' the children what he wanted them to believe?? I'm not making this up, honest. Do you know it is also the law in Calif. to include "all alternative lifestyles" into any and all teaching, and the words "mother", "father", "husband and wife" are discriminatory and not allowed? Again: Are they insane? Again: Yes.

I loved growing up in California, and certainly there are things I miss about living there...but I thank the Lord I don't live there now.

But I knew there was something about this guy I like!!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding the recent
Second District Court of Appeals ruling on home schooling:
"Every California child deserves a quality education and parents should have the right to decide
what’s best for their children. Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of
their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the
courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will.”

Talent Show!

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 07:19:55 GMT

Last night (Thursday) was our Co-op's annual Chili Feed and Talent Show. I really cannot believe the level of talent of the children in our group! Playing instruments, singing, dancing, recitations.... It's nice to see how our little homeschool families invest time and energy into getting their children exposed to a variety of lessons and such. Kiki sang. She loves singing, especially to a crowd! Or in the shower, lol! I would never have been brave enough to do that when I was her age. She just sang a cappella again - and she never goes flat, or hits a bad note. Yeah, I think my kid rocks, lol!! The song she chose was "Here I am to Worship". It was a fun night.

I have been wiped out all day today! You know I went back to bed - and my sister called, like, 4 times....my home phone, my cell phone - and when I didn't answer either, she called back and left a message on my home phone, then called again on my cell phone and left a message there! Sheesh... I have a weekend alone - quit calling me!!! lol. Then my mom called.... oh, well, it was a good thought! So I got up and dinked around a little. At about 5pm I just couldn't keep my eyes open, so I went back to bed again. Which I thought might be a bad idea since it was so late - I'd wake up with it dark out, or sleep right through til morning maybe! About an hour later, the phone rang again. Jiminy crickets people!! I got up, fortunately, because it was Kiki...she was in tears, missing mama. I really didn't expect that until bedtime! They had a great day - went out to breakfast, to the zoo, then downtown and rode the train. Glad she missed me anyway! hehe. Well, I think I will pop some Exedr*n PM and get a nice night's sleep.

Lazing around was the order of the day!

I have a dog blanket I put on my bed to keep the creatures off my bedding - you can see here that the dog got that blanket, plus the quilt, comforter, blanket and sheets all pushed down so she could lay her stinky hairy bod directly on my pillows!

Now, that dog blanket must be comfortable, because the cat is on it, and you know he's doing it because it feels good, not because he wants to be good!

Then they slept in the den while I watched a little tv...check my dog out - she really thinks she must have a pillow! The cat was happy on a footstool.

Oh, yeah, we were all feeling lazy today!

Snow Days

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:19:16 GMT

These are the things that make me laugh! Yesterday I received two emails - one from the kid's ministries at church and one from school (of course, the same gal is secretary for both!) and they cancelled Awanas due to the 'big storm' and also school for today. The weatherman was forcasting some big snowstorm to pass thru.... and I just had to laugh. Don't they usually make that call in the morning if it seems like the driving will be bad? Especially in our valley. We are flanked on three sides by large mountain ranges, so the weather here is awfully hard to predict - a storm can be headed our way, then hit the air over the mountains and head off some other direction. I think the weather guys here are wrong about 80% of the time! As I expected, the whole evening went by without a flake coming down...we could have made it to Awanas without any trouble at all....oh, brother. That's okay, Kiki is always up for time off. This morning, I have to admit, is another issue. It has been snowing since very early a.m. - not a ton of snow, but the wind is howling so it's really driftng up in spots. Alan said the roads really aren't bad, though, and he just has a two-wheel drive pickup, which is about the worst possible vehicle for snow, so if he can make it around, the rest of us could have! Oh, well. As you can imagine, Kiki didn't protest at all about staying home again! I'm protesting, though.... this was my 'day alone' to get some stuff done, and now I have to do the teaching....on my 'day off'', lol!! Not fair. Poor me, I know Well, I better get to it - that schoolwork isn't going to get itself done.... I don't think Barbie is doing my teaching for me, dang it.

Field Trip!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:55:05 GMT

This afternoon we are going on a field trip - we (the little homeschool group we belong to) are going to be given a tour of the Post Office! Heehee. I think it'll be fun, but it's in a pretty small town, so it's not like, well, I don't know - it won't be like the New York one in "Miracle on 34th Street" or anything! Still. I think it's good to let the kids see the 'behind the scenes' sort of stuff - what makes the world go around, you know? Well, I'm off to make a little lunch before we take off.... we need a bit of an early start since we had a dusting of snow this morning....just enough to slick up the roads, of course.

That Colorado Thing

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:09:10 GMT

I don't generally talk about 'current events' on my blog, but this hit a little close I guess, because I know a lot of people who've gone through YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Plus my nephew is currently in another mission school that is basically the same type of deal. And one of my other nephews dropped out of our church's mission school. It saddens me that the media is trying to put the lovely 'church messed him up' twist on it... but maybe his church did. It also saddens me that churches do sometimes mess people up. We're supposed to be the "Body of Christ", and then we beat people up. I hate that. I suppose this incident is also going to give homeschooling a black eye for awhile. Because all our homeschooled kids are unsocialized freaks, you know. I also just get so sad thinking how messed up our world is... we have to worry about things we've never had to before. Wednesday night is child/youth night at our church, and the youth building is across the parking lot from where the little kids meet. We (my sister and I) dropped off our younger kids then were headed out to our cars, when we saw firetrucks and paramedics at the youth building. Now, it just turned out that some silly teenage boy jumped off something he shouldn't have been on in the first place - weird, eh??! - and hurt himself. The sad thing is that the first response of each mom walking out was the initial fear that something horrid like a shooting had occured. It's a terrible thing that our minds have to go there now.

One of the Many, Many reasons I Homeschool

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:26:51 GMT

An Ugly Day, The Homeschool Way

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:39:43 GMT

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! This is the problem with Holidays - coming back to 'real life'. I just sent Kiki upstairs for a 10 minute 'recess' with the order given to "find a better attitude while you're up there"....sheesh. It's days like this I think about getting a job and sending her off to some lovely private school...hmmm, maybe boarding school......

Maybe it's me...maybe I need to see my doctor about a different medication....I've been off my Prozac for almost a month, and "happiness" wise, I feel great. Really! But the problem now seems to be twofold: #1 - I have no patience. As you can imagine, this can make homeschooling a bit difficult. #2 - I often feel on the edge of a panic attack. I've never had one, but I feel very close somedays...like, yesterday, coming home from our trip...I couldn't find my glasses... I was afraid I'd let them fall off my lap and outside of the car on our last "pitstop" - I was going into panic mode - poor Alan, he pulled off to the side of the highway on the uphill climb of a snowy mountain pass to help me search the car for them. I was correct, they'd fallen off my lap (a stupid place for them, I know) but fortunately they fell on the left side, down between the seat and the console, rather than on the right side and out of the car....but I was practically freaking out.... urgh.

Well, the 10 minutes is almost up...guess we'll try to give school another go.....

Did I ever go to school???

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:39:57 GMT

The answer to that is, of course, yes. I guess I wasn't paying attention though.

Trust me, I am a relatively bright person. I got straight A's all through Elementary school and Junior high. I was in in the Scholarship Federation throughout High School, graduated Gold Seal Bearer, with Honors. Went to college. Quit because I would have had to start taking math classes. Thought I was too stupid to do college math. Don't even ask me why I thought that....I don't know. Poor self esteem. Or maybe.... maybe math was never properly taught to me? But anyway.... Yesterday, Kiki and I started a new math unit. Keep in mind, she's only in 4th grade. At the beginning of each unit we have an "Investigation" which explains the new concepts we will be learning in that unit. So, the first page is cool, we are going over area and such. Then, suddenly, my mind begins to whirl....X squared.... the square root of Y is....I feel myself beginning to panic. Square root?? Already?? In 4th grade??? I don't know, I don't know..... how will I ever explain this to her??? I try to calm myself...don't let Kiki know I'm clueless.... when I read that a number "squared" is just that number times itself. Huh?? Really?? And the square root of something is just what number times itself equals that total. Seriously?? That's it?? Uhm, that's....... easy. Did I miss that day in school? Was I sick that week, or just daydreaming?? Why is it that I thought finding the square root of something required some half-page of equations?? Criminy. I scare myself sometimes. The good news is, that I am so dang glad I am homeschooling!! Because A) I am actually learning something! B) I will know if Kiki doesn't get a concept right away, and figure out how to teach it to her. She's not going to find out someday in her 40's that math was not something to fear.

Yep...you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Car pooling finally pays off

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:04:58 GMT

I got a call first thing this morning...."sorry I didn't call last night" (ya think??!) but would you like me to pick Kiki up this morning?" Well, heck yeah! Normally, I'd rather take her myself (I'm weird that way - it's good dicussion time) and she prefers it - she still likes me to walk her to her class... which in the co-op we are supposed to, so I'm not just being the 'hovering' mom, lol! But since this morning I am feeling dang miserable, I was all for it! My cold seems to be moving down into my chest....great. I am going to call the herbalist and see if he has any ideas to get me healthy. I've about given up on the regular medical field. So it was just very nice to send Kiki off and lay back down, even if I couldn't sleep. Shoot, it's noon and I'm still in my jammies! aaahhhhh

It's been very grey and rainy here. I turned on the heat today for the first time. I've loved sitting in front of the fireplace! It's so cozy. Well, I'm going to go make my phone call now and see what can be done....

May I be excused? My brain is full.

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:59:28 GMT

Wow. The last two days have been so informative and...even fun! The speaker has been absolutely fabulous, and I love his methods. It's all about teaching our children to be able to write quality papers, essays, reports.... actually, it's about teaching children to think. Which is something our public school system has been systematically teaching students not to do. Public schools teach children to answer questions.... I believe it is our responsiblity to teach our children to ask questions. To be able to think for oneself is to be able to lead, to follow the right things, to make a stand for those things which matter. I know a lot of you out there are teachers, and I am not unhappy with you....there are some wonderful teachers in the public schools; my brother-in-law is one (and his wife - my sister - homeschools!)...it's the system that is broken. It has been for a long time. I remember when I worked at the bank as a loan processor, I ended up being the "designated memo/letter writer" because most of the secretaries couldn't string together three decent sentences! It was crazy. And it has only gotten worse. I am so thankful that I am blessed to be in a situation that I am able to homeschool!

Stepping down from my soapbox.... I hope I haven't offended anyone...but I hope I made someone think....

Right now, however, my mind is on total overload. My brain feels, tonight, like my stomach does on Thanksgiving day....uncomfortably full! The problem is, we were taught in two days the information that we are now supposed to implement over the entire school year.... talk about cramming! Tomorrow it is Kiki's turn - she will have a 2 hour class. I actually think she is going to enjoy it! This guy so totally gets kids....I think he'll be fun. We parents can sit in to watch what they do in their session, but we are to be banished to the back of the room....so we don't cramp the kids' style, I suppose!

Of course, I haven't done a thing around the house, but I think I have a great excuse, so I am not even worrying about it!

TTFN ~

Homeschool Plans

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:37:29 GMT

So it begins. Yikes. Today was Kiki's first day of 4th grade. I can't believe it! She was so stressed out, didn't want to go at all. This afternoon I picked her up and she says "I love school! It is so much fun! I like math, too!" If you remember, math is the 'most hated of subjects' ~ up til now, I guess. We are doing Saxon math this year...it's done a bit different, so I am the one who's freaking out, now. How sad is it when you wonder if you'll be able to teach 4th Grade math?? Honest, I did do the 4th grade myself once. I don't know why, but I am feeling very nervous about starting up this year. New curriculum and all...but, it's changed every year, and we've done okay so far... I don't know what the deal is this year. I am sure once we get started and back into a schedule it'll be alright.

This year, I intend to do things a bit differently... a bit better. I am going to set my alarm and get up at a reasonable hour, get Kiki up, and both of us get dressed before we start school. No more being in our jammies 'til 2pm. I want to get started on our lessons by 9:00. One of the great things about homeschooling is that you can get your core work done pretty quickly so - in theory - you have time to do other things...enrichment types of things. The Library. Museums. Arts and Crafts. Last year we were just so dang lazy...we got all our schoolwork done, but we lazed around so long in the morning before starting that we often were getting wrapped up just as Alan was getting home from work. Now, I enjoyed that. I like my jammies, and I do not like morning. However, I want to do so much more. Last year it seemed like we just "made it through", and this year I'd like to have a bit more fun.

We are also going to make sure we start off each morning with devotions. Last year that was very "hit and miss", and I truly believe this will set us off on a better path each day. Another thing that I think will help is that we are going to be doing school in a different room this year. It's not the room itself... it's just that last year, we did it in the bonus room...so one half of the room was our "school" and the other half was Kiki's playroom. That was so not condusive to organization! Kiki would have a gigantic mess in there, and it seriously messed with my head. Some days I just went ballistic on her because of it! Somehow, if the space around me is messy, my head is "messy". Totally makes it hard to stay on task. So this year, the schoolroom is just the schoolroom and office. No toys allowed. I really believe it's going to help. (of course, now Alan is talking about moving, and I am like 'hey, no way, I just have the place organized!' sheesh )

Well, in order for this to work, I need to get to bed at a decent time...so I've already blown it because it is past midnite. That's about typical for me! Just remember Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer's song....There's always tomorrow for dreams to come true...

How Homeschooling Made Me a Bad Housekeeper

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 06:12:52 GMT

Yep, I figured it out. My lack of housekeeping is directly related to homeschooling. I have never been Martha Stewart, but I haven't always been the....whatever it is I am now. I realized it's been the last few years since it's been so bad, (even Alan has struggled to figure out what's gone wrong, because he will admit I have not always been this way) and at first I was just thinking it had something to do with moving back here, or disliking this house, or something....when I realized, hey! It's all fallen apart the last 3 years or so....exactly the amount of years I've been homeschooling!! Haha! I have an excuse.... I mean, reason. Okay, so it's not exactly the homeschooling bit...it is the fact that Kiki and I are always home. Keeping the house clean used to be easy. Alan and I worked all the time, so we didn't have that much time to mess the place up. We'd spend a few hours a week tidying, dusting, vacuuming and etc. and it stayed fairly decent 'til the next week. I don't know, since I haven't lived that life, but I guess that if your kids are gone at school all day, and maybe even at after-school care as well, it'd be pretty much the same. How much mess can you really make if you're not home? But Kiki and I are here, messing stuff up, making 3 meals a day, and not always cleaning up immediately after ourselves. Sure, you'd think always being home means more time to clean, but it's really much more time to mess the place up. So, that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

It's nearly over!!

Tue, 08 May 2007 22:19:38 GMT

Party Time!! There's just over 3 weeks of school left!!! Yee~haw!! I am so so so ready to be DONE!! Hmmm....of course, then the little whirlwind will be here a-l-l-d-a-y e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y......heehee.....

Woo-hoo!! Spring Break!

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:08:54 GMT

I am totally jazzed about this! I have been having major home schooling 'burnout', so yay, next week we haven't got any!! Now, if I could just take the week off from motherhood, I'd be doing better in the mental health department.... lol. My big plans? Clean the flippin' house. I am going to (try) to start with my closet tomorrow. Honestly, getting this stuff done will do wonders for my mental health as well!

Why I Don't Love Carpooling

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:03:44 GMT

A few weeks ago, our homeschool co-op got a couple new students...who just happen to live in the same town we do. We live about 30 minutes from church. One of the teachers gave the parents my name and ph# since we live in the same place and "might want to carpool". Thanks, but no thanks.... and yet, here I am doing it....so far, I have picked up the other kids a few times, but they haven't taken Kiki...it's not that they won't, just that I plan my trips into town to get errands run, so generally I need to go in those two days... besides, usually I meet up with my sis and we go to coffee... I don't like having to be in charge of other people's kids, mostly because I like the spontanaeity of deciding to do a bit of shopping after I pick Kiki up, or going over to my parents' house; stuff I can't do if I have someone else's kids in my car to be taken home. It also means I have to leave earlier in the morning, and go a bit out of my way... not a huge deal (except I get a marvelous 17 mpg...) I said I'd do it because for the other family, it's a necessity. Both parents have jobs, and their schedules are such that some days the kids just simply could not get into school on time. So I'm sure it's a great deal for them; just not so much great for me. Oh well, that's what I get for being so dang nice, lol!

What are they teaching kids in school?!

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 20:29:06 GMT

Honestly...this is actually a funny story! It sounds terrible, but if you're like me, once you get over the shock you'll be laughing! Tuesday at the Co-op, Kiki's class was cutting pics out of old magazines to make posters. The teacher got a stack of magazines out of the Sunday School supply room. (I didn't know any of this info at the time...) Tuesday evening, Kiki hands me this pic she'd cut out and because she thought it was "weird". It is a photograph of a man swimming - isn't that weird?? - just kidding. Because of the angle he's diving at, and the shadowing of the photo, it looks like he's headless. Not a big deal, but here's the kicker! She hands this magazine cut-out to me with the backside facing me...so, I'm not seeing a swimming guy... I am seeing a gallery of photos, all in lovely gold frames...all of naked men!! And I'm not just talking booty shots, either! Full on frontal.... waaay more detail than I want for Kiki!! I mean, she's seen anatomy drawings of men, but, really... not the same thing!! Trust me on this...I've seen the pics! So I just totally flipped!! I was like "Where did you get this picture?? What have you been doing?!! I was totally upset. Then poor Kiki - she thought she was in trouble for doing something wrong, tho she had no idea what...she'd never even seen the picture I was looking at, she'd been so intrigued with the 'headless swimmer'...I hand it to Alan, yelling "Look at this! Look at this!!!!" Kiki runs off to hide in her bathroom and cry....okay, so maybe I overreacted a bit.... Well, we all got calmed down, then the events of the day were explained, and I found out she'd never even seen the naked pics, and they were out of a magazine called "Art and Antiques"...well, okay, I suppose it makes sense and is all an innocent mistake.... Next day I showed the pic to the teacher and the principal...."Shock and Awe" I call it. Well, we all had a good laugh (even Alan, altho he decided I was looking a little too long at them, lol) Later on the teacher pulled out the mag to make sure nothing else was in there...of course not, my dear daughter finds the one unacceptable illustration. The cause of the problem was discovered, tho.... one of the main articles in this issue was "Elton John's Collections". So there ya go!

My Student~mummy

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:51:20 GMT

Do you see my picture over there? This is what I'm talking about... Kiki and I were doing school, I left for two minutes.... (I had to use the restroom!) and this is what I came back to! Yeah, that's toilet paper.... Yikes. Do you see that it is a bit hard for this little girl to stay on task? Yep, she takes after mama....

How do ya keep going?? Homeschool blahs

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:54:54 GMT

I feel so done. It's a dang good thing that we are in the co-op so that I have oversight, or I would just tell Kiki to forget the whole deal, and be done for the year. It seems like all we get done is school, and we've no time for anything else...no housework, nothing fun, nothing at all. Everytime I think I'll get a spare moment, something happens....crud. I am thinking I totally need a vacation from Motherhood! I know, I know, some people out there are thinking "you've got ONE kid, how hard can it be???" Trust me...in some ways, it's even harder. I'll blog about that later. Right now, I have to get back at harping on Kiki to get her school work done, (she's taking a math test, so I thought I could pop on here and she'd keep working...silly me) because we need to leave here in 40 minutes to go to a meeting, and I haven't even showered yet.... uurrgghhh.

Wow! I'm so proud I could burst!

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:14:58 GMT

The talent show was so great! This is the 3rd year we've done it, and it was definately the best. The last 2 years we just did the talent show in the gym at the end of the meal, but this year the "powers that be" decided to move the talent show part into the church sanctuary. It was so much better because ~ A) comfortable seats! B) a good sound system already in place C) people weren't milling around, refilling drinks, etc. - they were sitting and watching. D) you didn't have a bunch of people leaving as soon as their kids were done, so even the last performers had a full audience. And, that very last performer! She sang this 'goodbye song', she's an 8th grader I think....geez, she could sing professionally! She did sound like a Charlotte Church! I was impressed this year by the amount of talent our group of school kids have! Not bad at all for a bunch of homeschoolers. Every age from pre-K up to the 9th graders participated. Better yet, all the students were sitting together, and not only did they behave nicely, they stood up and whooped and clapped for each and every act. They are so supportive of each other! I can't say enough about what a great bunch of kids are in our homeschool co-op.

When it was Kiki's turn, both Alan and I were so nervous for her we almost wanted to not watch! My mom recalled how she used to get almost physically ill when she'd watch my sister compete at her ice skating competitions. When Kiki first got up to the mike, her "hamminess" overtook the shyness, and she said very nice and clear "I'm going to sing "Cry out to Jesus" because it's my mom's favorite song, and I wanted to do it for her." Awwww. But then, she said "She's right back there - stand up, mom!!" I did not stand up! I turned a nice shade of red, and waved... then my nephew and his best bud (they're 8th graders) started yelling "stand up Auntie Annie, stand up!!" Geez. Finally she began her song. She did a fantastic job, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm her mom! I had several people come up to me after and tell me how impressed they were. And one gal, who just so happens to be in our church's praise band, told me my daughter had a wonderful voice!! I was just glad her turn was over and I could breathe again!

School Daze

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:33:53 GMT

On a different topic, school. Oh my gosh, with being sick and all, I haven't been doing a thing. Kiki did her work at my mom's one day, my sister's another day, and here at home with Alan one night... I feel totally out of the loop, and I need to get back on track...but here it is, a home day, 2:30 in the afternoon and we haven't even begun. I just feel so.....tired. I think I will make Kiki and I some lunch, then - maybe - start school.... it's gonna be a long day.

We Survived the First Day Back (and other delights!)

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 23:05:26 GMT

If you noticed the time on my last posts, you will see that I was up quite late last night...not very bright considering today was our first day "back to school". I had the alarm set for 8:30 (I know, you who have to work are thinking "Geeeeez! Poor pitiful you. Sleep in, why don't you?") You know you're just jealous!! Not only did I get very few hours to sleep, I didn't sleep well... this cough just isn't going away, and I was really wheezy last night. I figured I would just smack that alarm off and go right back to sleep. I actually woke up, though. Weird. We did our devotions and the Reading curriculum in bed...hey, why not? Then, we got up for breakfast, then finished the rest of school. Kiki was in an amazingly cooperative mood. No meltdowns, no book throwing, nothing! I'm telling you, it's the reward system working... when she looks at that chart, and thinks about the prize box, she seems to manage to keep a good attitude. Yeah, I'm all about bribery. No, no, it's working for a goal... hey, my husband works for the 'goal' of a paycheck... so do most of us, huh? It's about finding the right motivation for your child/student. So, the day went well.

On another subject ~

I spent my Christmas money on new bedding for the master bedroom. In 22 years of marriage, we have never had a nice, put-together bedroom. I always had the attitude that no one saw my bedroom, so spend my $$ on the rooms they do see. I never realized how important it is to have a bedroom that is a little retreat for your spouse and yourself. Just since moving into this house, a little over 3 years ago, have I started working on this. Actually, it's mainly been over the last 6 months, after I took a class at church about "intimate issues" and realized that importance. I rearranged some furniture from other rooms (this is a recurring theme for me, actually!) and found I had furniture pieces that actually work quite well with our bed...and I've picked up lots of little items at great clearance prices here and there for a great, eclectic mix-and-match theme, pulled together by spring-like jewel tones. This morning I pulled all the old bedding off, and washed every last piece, including the blankets. It just didn't seem right to put the nice new quilt on top of anything not newly cleaned! Then I flipped the mattress. The last blanket is in the dryer now, and I hope I can get it all put together before Alan gets home (he doesn't know I bought the stuff; I wanted to surprise him!) We have a queen size bed, and I bought a king size quilt with the hopes that it will fall down long enough that I don't need a dust ruffle. I have decided I hate dust ruffles... mostly because I have pets, and it is just too difficult to keep them clean enough, since they are a pain to remove, launder and replace. I am going to have to be sure to always put the dog-quilt on the bed now after I make it, since Girlie Dog thinks it is her own personal space as long as we aren't in it! Oops, there goes the dryer buzzer...guess I better get to it!

My New Homeschooling Plan

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:50:55 GMT

I have gotten really tired of fighting with Kiki. She gets so frustrated doing her schoolwork (not because she doesn't understand it, but because she doesn't want to do it). I'm tired of the book-throwing, crying, bad attitude... and then there is Kiki's behavior...!!! Just kidding! I think we are both tired of her being sent to sit in 'time out' in the bathroom (that's just the farthest away place that's still upstairs). I am trying to work 'smarter', not 'harder'; so I got out a white-board, wrote her name on it, listed "M - W - F" and told her that if she can get through the whole week with less than 5 red check marks, (for bad behavior) then she may choose a prize from the prize box. Yeah, that means I had to spend a couple dollars and put some items in a box... I don't mind. I'm tired of the grief. Some people might say that is 'bribery' or something, but, hey, it's what the teachers in school do! Since pre-K, Kiki has been getting a 'prize' on Friday if the week went well... they can earn 'prizes' for their reading tests...so, if the teachers at school can do it, why can't I? It's actually teaching her there are consequences of her behavior, good or bad, and it is up to her to choose to act properly if she would prefer a 'nice' consequence. Another lesson all children need to learn, I believe. Well, our days last week went awesome! My threats and anger, or trying to be calm and rational, don't do a thing for her, but the ability to earn a prize totally changed her perspective! We had two home-days with no trauma! It was amazing. We were done so much earlier in the day, as well, without all the fussing. I don't know, of course, if this is going to last, and if it will be a long-term solution, but every day that it alleviates a hissy-fit, it will be worth it!

Homeschooling in Good Company

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:07:03 GMT

Wow! I just came across this while web-surfing. It's awesome to know that there are people from all walks of life who believe in homeschooling, irrespective of what they can or cannot 'afford' to do....

Movie and music superstar Will Smith has recently sung the praises of homeschooling, making him one of the many wealthy American parents who choose homeschooling over prestigious private school education.

Will Smith says he and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, homeschool their kids because “traditional education is based on facts and figures and passing tests — not on a comprehension of the material and its application to your life.”

He’s so right. Public school education is based on memorizing and then “brain-dumping” after the test is over. Our minds can only hold so many unrelated factoids. What we need is context. This kind of analogue context can only be achieved through in-depth research, story-telling, and writing. In the public school, most learning is done by memorizing a vocabulary list and then filling in the scantron sheets.

“In the December issue of Reader’s Digest, Smith, 38, says, “Jada and I homeschool our children because the date of the Boston Tea Party does not matter.”

Cool, huh?!

How we Homeschool Here

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:28:28 GMT

For anyone who has been reading my space for awhile, this may be old news; but I thought I'd revisit this info for anyone who can't quite figure out what the heck I am talking about when I say I homeschool but also talk about Kiki going to school... it's confusing, I know! Actually, it only seems confusing! Here is how it works... I belong to a "homeschool co-op". These can take several forms, I'm sure, but this is ours.... The parents are the primary teachers. We (I) homeschool our children Mon-Wed-Fri. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the kids go to "school"... at a local church we have classrooms, a ball field and playground, a gymnasium, library and computer lab. Each grade has a teacher there at the school, and that teacher is responsible for setting the lesson plans, and we can supplement however we like. The school board chooses the curriculum, but of course it is parents who are on the school board and we use the knowledge of those who have been homeschooling for years. One of our moms actually runs a curriculum store, so she knows a lot of stuff. Our school started about 12+ years ago, with just a few families who homeschooled who thought it might be nice to get together so the mom who was good at math could teach that, and the mom who was 'crafty' could do art classes, etc. Plus the kids could play together. The school has just grown and grown from that. We now have preschool thru 9th grade, and next year we will add 10th grade, etc. so eventually our kids can go thru the co-op their entire schooling if they choose. The kids are there from 8:30 until 3pm. They have all their classes, recess, lunch, art, whatever. They have school assemblies for Bible study and worship, and also for "spirit days" - although we have no sports teams so that's sort of funny! We hope to get together with some other small Christian schools and maybe get that started. To me, it really seems like the best of both worlds. I have Kiki here with me 3 days a week; I know exactly what she is learning and how she is learning it; I am completely involved in every aspect of her education. We have a ton of flexibility on when, how, and where to do school. On the other two days, she gets to play with friends, go on field trips, do things like Science fairs which we really couldn't do on our own, learn how to behave in a classroom environment; not to mention having to obey someone besides me!! I am not the only one telling her she has to do stuff! This method also really alleviated the concerns I had about homeschooling... my biggest worry was because I am totally disorganized and a big procrastinator. I was just sure, if I was doing this on all my own, it would be like, June and all of a sudden I'd go "Crap! We never did any school this year!!" With this system, I have to stay on track, and that works well for me. Give me a list and I can follow it! I can also say, that although I dearly love my daughter and love spending time with her, and wouldn't trade homeschooling for anything ... those 2 days she is away at school is a little bit o' bliss!

Just Another Manic Monday

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:06:59 GMT

Well, it's 11:00 am and we haven't even begun school... (yet here I am on the computer!) I noticed while getting in bed last night that Alan had set the alarm for me...which just irritated me; I mean, it's not like I'd asked him to do it...yeah, yeah, I know, I need to get an earlier start on the day...but I have just enough of a strong-willed nature that no way is someone else forcing me to do it... so that's probably why we haven't even started! I'm a little rebellious, I think, in sort of a quiet, sneaky way. And that's...bad, right??

Since it is Monday, we have two days worth of school - of course! I guess I better get going... I've also got to get my poop-in-a-group for the baking I need to do for Thanksgiving...time has a way of sneaking up on me... probably 'cause I'm sleeping and don't get up to the alarm.....!!

One of the (my) Problems with Homeschooling

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 08:35:19 GMT

I just realized yesterday that Thanksgiving is next week. Criminy!! I thought I had a whole other week in there! This is one of the problems I have... I suppose it isn't really a homeschooling issue, it's more of a not-working-outside-the-home issue. I tend to have no clue what the date is, or what is going on in life outside my house. We just drift thru life, and to be honest, I love the freedom in that! It is an issue with getting stuff accomplished, though. On that thought, though, Kiki and I got through school so fast today!! We were both shocked, and I am sure I must have forgotten something. Or maybe it's because she didn't throw any hissy fits today? I did set up a new table, and we both sit at it together as she works on her assignments. I have given up trying to do anything else during the school period, because she is so easily distracted. Maybe that did help. In any case, I loved it, and so did she. I let her bake cookies this afternoon; she did it all herself except the actual baking... and they are quite good! I thought I'd take some to my nephews tomorrow, so they aren't all just in the cookie jar calling my name. Then we sat and had reading time. Kiki is such a good reader, but it is hard for her to sit still, so she doesn't just sit and read as often as I would like her to...so, I decided we need to both do it, and then it'll happen. No one has to talk me into it; I love getting lost in a book! She got another 'B' on a History test, so we're doing okay there. I was really upset with her though, when she got a 'C' on her last math test! She always aces her math! When I looked at it was when I got mad... I mean, we all make mistakes, and I have never pushed her to be perfect, but I do expect her to do her best, and that's what upset me. She got a few questions wrong simply because she didn't take the time to read the directions properly, then the worst part was she just flat out skipped some problems because she said she "doesn't know" her 6 or 9 times tables...fine, but did you have to leave them all blank?? What about 9 x 2? 6 x 2?? Those too difficult? She was like "oh, I didn't really look at them." That was what upset me. We have worked on memorizing the times table, but without much success...so I have a new plan. It involves flash cards, running, jumping, and a box of rewards... we'll see how it works out. The first two years of this homeschooling was a breeze - pretty much - but I can see I am going to have to begin working a little harder for my keep from now on!

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 02:43:29 GMT

Wednesday, we (Kiki and I) were doing our schoolwork, and we'd done everything except for math. Now, to be fair to me, it had been a rough morning. Rougher than usual. Kiki had been sent to the "time out corner" (okay, it's really the bathroom, because that's the farthest I can send her that is still upstairs with me!) like, 5 times. She was having a rotten, snippy little attitude and I decided I really didn't have to put up with it. As you can imagine, this was making our school day d r a g. I was getting totally worn out. We had finally gotten through with everything except the aforementioned math. She pulls out her workbook, and immediately she has new stuff she hasn't learned yet...changing fractions to decimals. Like, 4/10 = 0.4 = four-tenths. Not exactly rocket science, right? Yeah, but for the life of me, I could not figure out how to explain it to her! I mean, I know I could have just said "if it's this it's also this and this" and because she is bright, she'd have gotten it. Why I didn't do just that, I honestly don't know. I really wanted her to understand why, and I had.....nothin'. I just sat there, staring at the page, like, "duh". I pulled out the teacher's guide - have I mentioned that the teacher's guides stink?? It reads, and I quote "The student shall be able to write the decimal corresponding to a given fraction." Yeah, no kidding??!! But how??? Alright, it did go into a bit more detail on the next page, but seriously, I just read it and read it and finally said "Forget it!! We are done with school!! I don't know how to explain this to you!" Third grade math and I am stumped. Criminy. On Thurdsay, my sis and I dropped off the kids at the Co-op, then I took her to coffee. Over coffee I'm explaining my brain-fade to her, and she is like "you know, blah blah blah..." and I totally got it all of a sudden...as if I'd never forgotten. So I'm really looking forward to, say, Algebra. shudder When I picked Kiki up after school on Thursday, she told me "yeah, the teacher explained it...I totally get it, it's easy." Sigh. Don't tell my inlaws!!

Weekend Working, now it's School again!

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:19:23 GMT

Saturday was the most gorgeous day! One of those fall days that makes you glad just to be alive; the kind you wish would last forever. The sky was incredibly blue with fluffy clouds, it was cool but not chilly, a slight breeze was sending the fallen leaves skittering across the ground and swirling into the sky. The sun warmed everything up so nicely that we opened our windows to get some fresh air in the house. And I spend the better part of the day in the house...cleaning. But you know what? It was fine; in fact, I was so cheery from the weather that I actually enjoyed it! Now, that is just plain weird. Kiki and I cleaned the upstairs (the bonus room, which is where we do school and the computers are, then her playroom is the rest of that space (so you can imagine the mess it was!). We also have a bathroom up there and a wonderful closet of shelves where we store toys and craft supplies and gift wrap and stuff... when we began you couldn't even step into the closet! (that was her idea of cleaning last time!) It is so dang clean and tidy now!! I am so happy! I even set up a new table for Kiki and I to do school on, because Alan's desk is the only one big enough for us to both sit at together, and he is a little bit anal about us "messing up" his space. Sheeezz. We also got the den completely cleaned; I even pulled out the vent and vacuumed up all the dirt that fell in there last time the rats knocked the plants over... then we moved Kiki's big, pretty, overstuffed chair out of her room (where it took up too much space really, and only served as a clothes-catcher so you couldn't sit in it anyway) and we put that in the den so she doesn't have to sit on the floor anymore (we only had two chairs in there before.) Today I will tackle my bedroom...not too bad there...but tomorrow I have to tackle Kiki's bedroom. That should only take about a month!! Oh-my-gosh...it is so bad...I think I'll rent a backhoe.

Well, I better start school...it's getting late in the morning....we'll see how the new "desk" arrangement works out!

Being Convicted ~ or, I'm a Homeschool Slacker!

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 06:16:47 GMT

Last night, our homeschool co-op had a parent meeting. Part of it was to go over the new web-site we have installed for parent-student-teacher interaction, but a couple moms also spoke about tips and tricks of getting through the day more easily and efficiently. What struck me - what really convicted me, was something I have been feeling for a long time, but didn't really want to face (because then I'd have to change!)...that is, I have been a total slacker. See the problem is, one of the things I find really attractive about homeschooling is that I don't have to get up early. No alarm clock. I can stay in my jammies until I hear the garage door opening (that's Alan coming home, and I fly down to throw some clothes on! Aparently, that's.....bad.... Oh, okay, I knew it was...I know I should get up at a set time, eat breakfast, start school at a set time...live by some sort of schedule. Yuck. We always get through our curriculum, and she's learing what she's supposed to. But on the other hand, if I got up and going earlier, maybe we could get something besides school accomplished during a day.

Huh...I never did post this....(this mtg. was last Thursday nite!) however, I am happy to report that Kiki and I did get up with the alarm today! We went to the library, the Post Office, the espresso bar, returned our movies, picked up our prescriptions, got the trims we needed at the fabric store and got all our schoolwork done. Oh, and took a walk/bike ride (poor girlie dog got goat heads [stickers] in her paws...:( ) Wow! Made an appt. to take the car in, made dinner, did laundry, chose our clothes for tomorrow... geez, this was a wierd day!!

Another Friday of No School

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:43:43 GMT

This is the 3rd week in a row that Kiki and I have not done our schoolwork on Friday, so we've had to do 2 days worth on Monday to catch up. The first week, we skipped school to go apple picking - we'd planned on it, so that was great. Then last Friday, I had to go do a bunch of grocery shopping for a ministry-group party we were having on Saturday. Kiki is pretty good to shop with, but I had to meet my sis at Costco, and, well, that makes the shopping time go a wee bit slower. Today, I was set....we were going to get on track and get school done...in fact, we started with 'reading' and she did extra pages in her workbook, because we both decided it would be nice to have less school on Monday instead. Just as we finished that, tho, we got a phone call....today was her friend's birthday party, and was Kiki coming? Oh, shoot, once again my brain has failed me! I even had it written on the calendar - too bad I don't check the thing. Poor Kiki, she didn't even have a gift to take...more of a bummer for her friend than her, I suppose! She had made a card for the friend last week when we got the invite, so she had that...as she was getting ready, I was quickly looking thru closets and drawers to see if I had anything that would work... we did find a really cool, mini-frame in the colors of this girl's bedroom, which was brand new and still in a box, so I let Kiki take that, along with promise of something nice to come...

I hate when I do dumb stuff like that. And I do it alot. Now I have a new plan - since I am all alone, I am going to try to get this house in some semblance of order...I mean, it's so bad, I made Kiki watch out the window so when her friends picked her up, she could run out so they wouldn't come to the door. That is bad, isn't it?! Then I got a call from Alan, telling me to avoid a certain area of the Hwy. if I should happen to go out, because there is a bad accident...so then I freaked a bit, worrying that it might be Kiki and her friends (the mom is taking them to the local arcade/play place) even tho they probably arrived at their destination an hour before this accident even occurred. I am a worrier; I admit it.

Teacher Conference

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 06:37:47 GMT

We really didn't have a whole lot to discuss regarding Kiki's schoolwork. She's a straight A student, has no missing work, behaves in class, reads way ahead of grade level... We did have a great time chatting, however! Alan had showed up without me even asking...I love that he is involved in this part of Kiki's life, not just me. I really like her classroom teacher this year; she's about my age, funny and a nice gal. We talked about this, that, and the other, and then she told us a funny story about Kiki. It seems one day they were supposed to be doing something, and Kiki says "I don't want to do this." Teacher says "sorry, that is what we are doing right now." Kiki responds "why can't we do what I want?" Teacher says "because this is a classroom, and sorry, but it's not all about you." To which Kiki replies, with a straight face but a twinkle in her eye "well, it should be." Thank goodness the teacher gets Kiki's humor! Alan and I both told Mrs. M that it was all his fault, that she learned sarcasm from the very best.

She's getting it....

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 23:49:48 GMT

Kiki got an 88% on her History test, and on the most recent quiz she got all the answers correct! Yay, her! I'm trying not to focus too much on the testing and the grades, but personally I do like to know that she is comprehending what we are studying. I guess because she's done so well in all her other subjects over the years, it threw me off that she was 'messing up' - so to speak - in History. And, no, I would never use that phrase with her! She is her own worst critic - I am generally telling her to relax, that she's doing great, and not to be so tough on herself!