Who's Nervous?

I had an interesting conversation with my oldest son today.  We're scheduled to start kindergarten on Monday, and I though I should see how he feels about school.  When I asked him about school, he informed me that HE was nervous.  Of course I would never admit it to him, but I'M the one who should be nervous, right? 

My son told me that he was a little afraid that when we started school that he would have too much work.  Apparently, he was under the impression that I am expecting him to read ALL of the books that I have collected over the past months.  I had to explain to him that at some point he would probably read all the books, but until he learns to read, I'll be reading the books to him.  I also told him that we would have a new topic each week based around one book.  Plus, I explained that homeschooled kids don't really have homework since all their work can be done during school time. This seemed to make him feel a little bit better.

It's funny that I've spent months praying and doing whatever I could to prepare and psych myself up for the homeschooling process. It never occurred to me that my son might need the same amount of psyching up (although this shouldn't be a shocker since he's so much like his mother!).

It looks like the fun is going to begin on Monday morning.  I know it's not the traditional time of year to start school.  I know that it's not the norm to be educating my child at home.  And I know that I've taken on an enormously huge task.  But that's the beauty of being able to do school at home.  I'm not bound by institutional norms or political agendas.  Instead, I can do what works for me and for my family.  And legally speaking, I'm doing what is in the best interest of my child.  Also, I'm discovering, that the possibilities are endless...

Not Quite the Week I Had Planned

How has it been a week since my last blog post?  I really wanted to do a better job keeping up-to-date with my posting.  Although this was not a resolution, I was hoping that as we started the homeschool process that I could document as I went.  But then life happened.

I should have known that I was in trouble when Boy 1 and Baby G both had fevers on New Year's Eve.  They seemed perfectly fine on New Years' Day, but by last Thursday I could tell that something was wrong--at least with the boy who was running a temp of 103.  So I took Boy 1 to the pediatric urgent care and discovered that he had strep and walking pneumonia.  This discovery prompted Mr. Wonderful to pick up the other two kiddos from Grandma's in order to get strep tests.  Sure enough, despite the fact that Boy 2 didn't even have a fever, all 3 tested positive for strep.  So Thursday, I spent about 6 hours dealing with doctors and pharmacists and fevers.  That was only the beginning of things...

The next morning, I noticed a text from my mom that had been sent around midnight.  Apparently, my grandma, who was visiting from out of state, had to be taken to the ER due to shortness of breath.  As it turned out, she ended up having a heart attack.  This prompted a trip to the cath lab.  And the heart cath prompted the doctor to schedule her for an open-heart bypass on Monday morning. 

As all these events were underway, our relatives in Indy were getting snowed-in, church activities and meetings were getting set, work picked up, and somehow I'm supposed to start homeschooling on Monday!!!  I'm actually considering taking Excedrin just thinking about my January calendar.  Thank goodness I didn't make any resolutions, because I would have already failed.

What an interesting year this may be!

Relinquish

Happy 2014! I've decided this year to NOT do the typical routine.  I'm not making resolutions.  I'm also not going to make any earth-shattering goals for this year.  And I'm not going to make any predictions.  Instead, I'm going to take this year a day at a time.  If you could see my calendar for the month of January, you might understand.  There's no point in trying to guilt myself into adding more "routines" into my life. 

I have a full plate already.  We've got tennis lessons, museum school, t-ball, Mission Friends, Sunday School, Small Group, Kindergarten, Worship Team, church committees, litigation meetings, lots of upcoming discovery and trial settings, and all of the unexpected future activities in addition to everyday life with a family of five.  (And did I mention that my children are all under the age of 6!)

Instead of resolving to be a better person this year, I've decided to relinquish control and to trust that by the grace of God, we will have a beautiful 2014.  That's really all I can do.  I can't be the perfect wife, mother, musician, church committee leader, lawyer, kindergarten teacher, and friend.  But I trust that God will allow me to fulfill my roles as best I can in such a matter as to be sufficient for the situation.  If there's one thing I've learned over the past couple of decades, it's that my resolutions are pretty meaningless.  I can rarely fulfill what I want to fulfill on my own.  But I can accomplish what God wants me to accomplish if I let Him take control. 

And with that, I would like to wish you all a bright New Year!

Learning All the Time

After reading magazines and books on homeschooling, I realized that I'm going to have to make some behavioral changes in order to get the most benefit from teaching my children at home.  I'm going to have to create an educational atmosphere for my kids.  This means that I'm going to have to start taking advantage of those "educational opportunities" that happen in every day life--in addition to following a structured curriculum.  What seems like a long wait at a restaurant needs to be a chance to discuss foods and culture.  Or what seems to be a simple trip to the pharmacy can turn into an interesting discussion of diseases and treatments.  Or what starts out as a mundane weekly trip to the grocery store can be a chance to practice using a calculator.  Or what is a simple walk to the park can be a chance to learn about leaves and trees (or to find snakes which is way easier to do than I thought!).  Basically, anything can be tweaked to become an educational experience.  I just have to find a way to make experiences count. 

Last week we had the perfect opportunity to focus on a specific subject: snow and sleet.  It occurred to me that I had purchased and received some winter-related books for my new homeschool book collection (which has grown exponentially in the last month).  So last Friday when we were completely iced into our house, I pulled out It's Snowing by Gail Gibbons with the intent to teach the boys about snow. 

I was blown away by how Ms. Gibbons managed to compile so much science and simplicity in one little book. We learned how snow, sleet, and freezing rain are formed.  We learned that Antarctica gets the least amount of snowfall yearly as compared to the other continents (weird huh?).  We learned that it actually snows in the desert sometimes.  And we learned why snow causes power outages.  The book also referenced a guy named Frederick Bentley who was the first person to photograph snowflakes. 

When I read about Mr. Bentley and his snowflakes, I got all excited.  As it turns out, I also have another book in my homeschool collection entitled, Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.  Upon this realization, I HAD to read this to my son too.  Although I definitely wasn't expecting this book to be a biography, it turned out to be a beautiful book about the life and science behind Frederick Bentley's work.  Amazing! 

Of course, reading this book led to more discussions about freezing points, photography, and proper winter attire.  What a week of science we have had around here!  A week that we would not have enjoyed had I not considered pulling a snow book off of our bookshelf.  

I don't know why it has taken me this long to realize that sometimes the best learning happens OUTSIDE of the classroom setting.  For whatever reason, my institution-trained self forgets that my most memorable educational experiences happened apart from a textbook.  In spite of my dullness, Mr. Wonderful has a knack for "teaching" while playing (as a result of playing X-box with his daddy, my son can tell you all about the Battle of Midway).  Now Mommy needs to find ways to enrich our everyday lives with learning opportunities too.  I'm sure it can be done, but it's going to require some work on my part.  Thank goodness for writers like Gail Gibbons who have created wonderful books to help mommies out! Check out more books by Gail Gibbons at Amazon.  You can also find Snowflake Bentley there as well. 

The Baby is Growing Up

Baby G is officially 1 year old.  Okay, she actually turned a year old 3 weeks ago, but I'm a little behind.  Our sweet little baby is definitely turning into a little girl (although I'll probably always call her my Baby G).  Yesterday she was carrying around her Barbie purse and this morning we caught her playing with her vintage kitchen with her Snow White toddler doll.  I almost feel guilty for not being all sad and sappy that my baby is getting big, but truth be told--I love this age!  I love that my little girl  can climb on the couch and sit in my lap, or that she will start dancing as soon as she hears a good beat, or that she says Ooooh and Ahhhh as soon as you put a pretty dress on her.  Love it!

Having a baby in November seemed like the perfect time to have a baby.  I wasn't 9 months pregnant during the 100 degree part of summer.  And I managed to get a baby here in time to enjoy Christmas.  It never crossed my mind that having a baby in November would just make the holidays a little bit more hectic.  I mean, with play dates and Thanksgiving, I almost forgot to plan a birthday party.  Thank you Minnie Mouse theme and custom cake lady at the Albertson's in Watuaga for saving the day!  Baby G had a blast and absolutely loved her special smash cake  (and Uncle Nik was thrilled to get to eat all the fondant).

It just so happened that our church planned their baby dedication ceremony right after Baby G's birthday.  Since we dedicated the boys at our former church, this day was all about Baby G and committing to raising her according to God's Word.  She really enjoyed all the attention--especially getting prayed over.  And of course, she was the "vocal" child during our service.

Thanks Great Grandma & Great Grandpa for sending the beautiful dress!  She looked adorable and she even left on her shoes and bow!

Can't wait to see all that God has in store for this little one.

Thanksgiving Play Date

 

 

This morning we had our Thanksgiving play date with small group friends. One family who had a little girl backed out at the last minute due to illness, but that's not too uncommon for Texans in November. And as much as we missed them, we're happy that they didn't share their germs with us.  So as it turned out, we had a morning of little boys running around (plus Baby G who took a timely nap). 

This time around, I had a few organized activities in my back pocket in the event that the rascals grew restless.  This was fortuitous because the boys did get hungry and ended up congregating at the kitchen table.  What perfect timing for a food craft!  (This was definitely not the audience for anything involving paint or glue!!!!)

Today we made apple turkeys.  My boys' turkeys are pictured at the top next to mine--can you figure out which apple belongs to whom?  I think the picture demonstrates that the 3 year old loved the idea of stabbing his apple with toothpicks, and that his version of artistic expression is definitely his own version.  The other 3 year old boy who was with us decided to forego the entire craft so that he could just eat his apple and the marshmallows.  That said, the older kids and mommies thought it was fun.  This turned out to be a no mess, no fuss, semi-healthy, and really cute project.

Who knew that apples, marshmallows, toothpicks, raisins, and candy corn could be so entertaining? (Beware though: finding candy corn AFTER Halloween isn't easy.)  But this turned out to be a super fun way to use food for crafting.  For other food craft ideas for Thanksgiving, there's more ideas on my Pinterest board.

The Play Date Update

Humility.  I love how it likes to slap you in the face.  Last week I was so like, "I've got my motherhood groove all figured out.  I don't have to be like all the other moms and can do my own thing and still have great kids!"  And then something happened...

First, I have to give you a little background.  Last month I felt compelled to host a play date at my house.  I've never done this before.  And frankly, my version of a play date is kind of boring.  To make matters worse, no one--that's right, NO ONE--from my Wednesday small group showed up to play (and that was the intended audience).  After setting the date, it became pretty clear that I chose the wrong date to have people over.  So, then I started branching out and inviting other people.  I invited my friend whose kids were in preschool during the play time.  I invited the new girl who was singing with the band at church that week.  And I ultimately prayed that God would use that day to bless SOMEBODY.  In the end it was a good way to build a new friendship and to rekindle an old friendship.  I wasn't real successful on the kid play activity front, but oh well.

Since that time, in the back of my mind I've known that I was going to have to have another play date.  I even told the moms who couldn't make our last date that I would schedule another day.  Part of me believed my words; part of me wanted to back out.  And then Sunday, my Wednesday small group leader's wife hit me up about hosting another mommy/kid event.  So of course, I said sure!

Then I had a panic attack.  Okay, not really, but it did occur to me that this time around I'm going to have to host a kid friendly event.  So what did I do on Monday night?  I spent the evening on Pinterest looking for a Thanksgiving craft project (preferably one that doesn't require paint) that might be suitable  and easy to put together.   As I realized what I was doing a wave of humility just hit me.  I was so convinced that I was not one of "those" moms and yet, out of necessity, here I was planning a craft activity for a bunch of preschoolers!  I was literally eating my words as I was being a Pinterest Mom!

As it turns out, play date #1 was a good learning experience for me.  I'm a total bore when it comes to entertaining children.  That's why there's play date #2.  This time, I'm going to try a little harder.  Maybe I'll even have some cool pictures to share with you all of some edible craft projects--yes, I said edible! 

Stay tuned.

School is Almost Open for Business

We're literally counting down the weeks until our "school" opens for business.  As far as the world is concerned, my son won't start kindergarten until fall 2014.  But the plan is to actually start working through the curriculum in January.  That means that I only have 2 months of freedom before I become a teacher--something that I'm not formally educated to be and something that I'm still completely nervous about attempting.  Trust me, had I gone to college with the idea that I was going to spend 18+ years of my life teaching 3 children everything that they need to know for life, I might have chosen a different major.  I'm sure that my understanding of the human body and pathology and my ability to draft legal documents and arguments will come in handy at some point, but it certainly hasn't prepared me for understanding learning styles, educational theories, curriculum development, etc.  After years and years of higher education, I'm slightly flabbergasted by the world that is Kindergarten!

Thankfully, the decision to homeschool, the desire to homeschool, and the preparation for homeschooling has not been all me.  Prayer, Mr. Wonderful, supportive grandparents, friends who are successfully surviving the process, the internet, and homeschool how-to books have all contributed to getting us where we are today.  I was originally scared to death about the idea of being a homeschool mom.  Just the thought of teaching someone phonics made my stomach churn.  There  have been tears and fear.  But then there was prayer and at each step in this journey something has happened to confirm that this is the right decision for us, for now.  I can't explain how relieved I am that God has given me a joy about this process, because I year ago I rolled my eyes and groaned just thinking about it.

Another blogger shared that she was reading a must-read homeschool book and recommended that anyone considering homeschooling should read it.  I'm so glad I heeded her advice, because The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell has been a huge blessing and confidence boost for me (and I needed it because according to her I'm an actual-routine learner with an Epimethean temperament who regularly needs a push into the "uncomfortable" zones and constant affirmation that I'm succeeding in order to venture off into new educational endeavors.  Her book has found a way to tap into my sense of duty and to motivate me.  Sorry, I digress...).  Mrs. Bell has done a wonderful job laying out all the truths about the benefits and disadvantages to homeschooling.  She honestly believes that it's not for everybody.  And she lays out a fairly unbiased how-to guide for approaching homeschooling.  I'm not even halfway through the book, but I'm so relieved that I'm reading this prior to starting school in January!  Thank you Mrs. Bell!!!!

Although my blog was not intended to be a homeschool blog, I just wanted to give my reader friends a heads-up that we're about to enter Kindergarten together.  This is just where God has been leading me. So while I don't intend to write about school all the time, homeschooling is my new life.  I have every confidence that God is going to use this new adventure to humble, teach, and change me.  It will likely be painful and ugly at times, but I'm praying that it will produce something lovely in my life, my children, and my home.

 

Tink and Her Few Good Men

Halloween is generally not my favorite holiday.  Unfortunately, it seems unavoidable.  And now that I have kids, I'm a huge Scrooge if I ignore the day.  The neighbors softened me up this year by Booing us on Tuesday night (They leave a bucket of treats on your front porch and then you hang a sign saying that you've been booed.  Then you, likewise, Boo 2 neighbors who don't have signs in their windows until most of the neighborhood has ghost signs in the window.  I've been informed that when they do this at Christmastime you get "elfed." Super fun!).  Once the Boo thing happened, I kind of decided that Halloween might be a good chance to be neighborly.  And I confess that I actually enjoyed last night--although there were car loads of kids getting dropped off in our neighborhood from who-knows-where and we ran out of our 6 bags of candy pretty quickly!

Since this was Baby G's first Halloween, I really wanted to dress my entire gang up as the characters from Peter Pan.  I thought it would be so cute to have a little Tinker Bell, a Captain Hook, and a Peter Pan!  Unfortunately, my boys did not share this vision.  The 5 year old was amenable to the idea of dressing as a pirate, but neither were thrilled at the thought of being dressed in green and the 3 year old told me he didn't want to dress up at all.  (I really should have forced them to watch a little more Peter Pan and Hook this summer.)  So only 1/3 of my wish came true--I got my little Tinker Bell!  I actually purchased her costume last year before she was born and it fit perfectly.  Somehow, my intuition proved right as Baby G's personality made her the perfect Tink. She had a blast!

Choosing costumes for the boys was an entirely different story.  They're not really into super heroes or Disney characters.  Instead, when they play "dress up" they pretend to be actual men--Daddy going to work, a fireman on duty, a football player on game day, a coach instructing his football team, etc.  So when I found my costumes this year, I knew I had scored.

All the neighbors loved my little Marine and Navy Pilot.  Of course, the boys saluted and said cute little things as they went from door to door too.  And as expected, this morning they were dressed up in their little ensembles all over again!  Today they pretended that they were going to war in the backyard.  Looks like we'll get plenty of use out of this year's costumes--although I confess that I let my oldest sleep in last year's shark costume from time to time too so the shark costume wasn't a complete loss either.  Nothing like getting your money's worth out of things.

Halloween is still not my favorite holiday, but as a mommy I'm learning that some things just aren't about me.  Sometimes you've just got to loosen up for your kids and for your neighbors. Gotta enjoy these years while I've got them.

 

The Pinterest Mom

For the life of me, I couldn't put my finger on the mommy issue that has been bugging me.  But last night at small group, another mom nailed it.  Being a mommy today is hard because there is a peer pressure to be "The Pinterest mom."  Say what?  Yeah, if you're not a mommy, then the concept of The Pinterest Mom is probably totally foreign.  On the other hand, if you are a mommy, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about.  The crazy thing is that The Pinterest Mom cannot be defined.  She's a legend.  She's the modern renaissance mom.

I assure you, as much as I would love to claim the rights to this title (because then that would make me a 5 star mom), I am certainly not The Pinterest Mom.  Don't get me wrong, I do have a Pinterest page.  I have a blog.  I am a homeschool mom.  I have some of the components of this idealic Mother figure, but I certainly wouldn't pass the Super Mom test. 

These are the reasons why I'm not The Pinterest Mom:

1) For starters, I don't craft or build or sew.  I like to buy things ready-to-wear and ready-to-display, preferably new, and from an actual store.  When I see cute crafts on Pinterest, I go to places like Hobby Lobby in search of the already made version.  Sometimes, my way of non-crafting is actually cheaper and this gives me satisfaction that I'm not a total loser.

2) I also don't shop at the Farmer's Market or cook Vegan meals for my family.  We eat fruits and vegetables with meals, but generally I just buy what is fresh from Wal-Mart (I know, I'm soooo middle America!).  Plus, I like beef and refuse to give it up.  I mean, would you give up a yummy post roast or ball game hot dog in exchange for a meal of beans, tofu, or salad?  Enough said!

3) Next, I don't do Yoga or Pilates.  My version of exercise is either doing my kids' laundry which requires a hundred trips up and down my stairs, or it involves pushing a stroller of 75 pounds of children on a 3 mile round trip to the park.  I may not be a size 0, but since I can fit into my pre-baby#1 jeans I figure what I'm doing is sufficient for now.
 
4) Since you're reading my blog, you already know that photography is not my gift.  I don't have time to stage my house and fix the lighting in order to take amazing photos of my life.  So, when I do share pictures, they're generally from my phone or from Grandma's collection.  Photos have never been a big deal to me.  I didn't even hire a professional photographer for my wedding (gasp!).  The walls of my home are also not plastered with pictures of myself or the family.  And while I do have some great photos for memory's sake, I'm just not into lots of pictures.  Sorry to disappoint.

5) My 5 year old doesn't go to preschool and he doesn't read.  This was intentional on my part.  Maybe I'm crazy, but my anti-schooling of this little guy seems to have worked.  He's super excited about starting school and learning.  And now I know that he's going to learn correctly and in the correct order when we start "real school" via homeschooling.

6) My ideas on childbirth and pregnancy are so not "in" right now.  I'm not gaga over midwives.  I believe that God gifted women with pain medicine and that it is 100% acceptable to use it.  I believe that fetal monitoring saves the lives of babies.   I believe that C-Sections are often the difference between a healthy vs. a brain injured baby.  And I think that plenty babies have grown up to be healthy happy children even though they weren't breast fed.  Pregnancy and childbirth are such individual experiences that I think moms should stop the indoctrination of falsities and should let people have their own safe, comfortable experiences.  Mind you, I'm a nurse and a birth injury attorney, so I have a different perspective on this than the average mom.

I could go on and on with reasons why I'm not The Pinterest Mom.  Yeah, I know, I sound crazy.  At the age of 16, I wrote a 15 page paper of My Philosphy of Life for school.  Today, that paper would be a couple hundred pages long (I know I sound a little fruity), because  I'm very intentional in what I do and usually have a well thought-out reason for what I do even if my ideas are not en vogue.  By society's standards, my parenting and housewife ways are often unconventional or old fashioned.  I would never be given a Mom of the Year award.  For sure, other moms raise their eyebrows at me and think I'm lazy or uninformed.

But the joy of being a mom is that it's not about me.  For me,  motherhood is about my kids and doing what is best for them.  I don't have to fit society's version of the perfect mother--nor do I want to, because I'm not raising kids to be politically correct socialbots (go with me on this word). 

That said, I may never even get close to being The Pinterest Mom or having her homespun house.  Still I'm pretty sure my kids could rival hers any day of the week!