"Snow Day" a.k.a. Wednesday

Today was truly one of the greater moments of my life.

I had to go to the dr.'s office in "R" today, which is about a 30 minute drive. On the way over, I sang with the radio, listened to some talk show banter and prayed. I got to Starbucks, enjoyed the paper, drank my coffee & ate a scone. I left pretty early so Greg was going to get Abby started on some copy work, spelling words, math, some CD activities, etc. so that we wouldn't be behind and drag into the afternoon. I got to the dr.'s office about 10 minutes early, signed in, sat down, & my phone rang. I glanced at the number and realized that it was a number from the Dallas area. Knowing that I would not be receiving an urgent call from Dallas- I eased back into the couch & waited for the nurse to call my name.

"Tracey Fields." (I always think that it is comical for a receptionist to call my name so formally, when I am the ONLY one in the waiting room and she's looking at me through a glass. It makes me want to sit and look around at all of the empty chairs as if I am giving one of the "invisible" people an opportunity to respond.)

I stand and walk up to the desk.

"Yes, Mrs. Fields, Dr. Un-named will not be here for another 2 hours because her surgery got started late today. Would you like to wait or reschedule?"

"Well, I drove over from GTown. Is there a chance that she might get here sooner?"

"Mam, We tried to call you to change your appointment."

Then it hit me- that was the Dallas number that called me -to change my appointment while I was in the waiting area, already signed in, waiting to be seen.

Now, I was upset, but I did not loose it. Why? Because this is pretty much the norm for me. Really. I have great doctors...It just usually happens to me. Just last month I went to my appointment with my rhuematologist and wound up having to wait for 2 hours. (With 4 kids, you have to just roll with the punches...my doctors are out of town and if Greg is home watching them...it's usually easier to just "wait" )

I rescheduled...because Greg was sick...and will return tomorrow.

What happened next though was really great.

I got in the car to drive back and it started to snow. We don't have cable and I never check the weather online...so, it was a great suprise. HUGE flakes were coming down...alot of them. This delayed me even longer. It was at that point that I thought,

"What a gift. I drove over this morning - unrushed. I drank my coffee - unrushed. I will now drive home - unrushed."

That was truly a gift from God. Quiet Snow.

I get home....Greg and I change "ranks"....He goes to the dr. (sinus infection). On his way home he called me and said that it had "started snowing here and that I should be sure and let the girls go out." So we bundle up. Me, Abby, Ellie & Lucy Grace. Zoe was konked out in her bed...the rest of walked out side. I mean, the snow was coming down fast and there was alot.

I was standing in the middle of our back yard taking EVERYTHING in.

The snow was coming down in perfect rows, I had my eyes fixed on Lucy Grace and the older girls were running wildly with their heads up & their tounges out. Lucy Grace looked like the happiest kid in America. She was looking at me, I was looking at her, and the snow was falling like white streamers on Times Square.

I was so happy that the snow came today-and that we were all together.

I wish this day would've lasted forever.

Today was a good day

Man, today seemed like an episode of Leave It to Beaver compared to yesterday. Ellie & Lucy Grace left for Mother's Day Out at 9 this morning and Abby and I worked non-stop for 2 hours straight. Easy & productive. We went and played at a friend's house, had lunch and talked until time to pick up the "Middles".

Yesterday, I called Abby's teacher from school and asked her if she would mind meeting with me and advising me on some of Abby's "work". She was super gracious. She came to my house after her school ended today and met with me for over an hour. Now, this was COMPLETELY above and beyond...because I really needed to "check my footing". She was a complete encouragement and help to me. She told me that there were some things that I was doing with her that I could stop doing. I really needed her advice and her ear.

Sometimes I feel like I am standing on Silly Putty...I know that the foundation "feels" somewhat solid...but it is still very impressionable, reflective and flexible. Her encouragement today made the putty "firm up".

Tomorrow is Wednesday: "The Long Day". I really need to repackage & remarket "Wednesday". Going into "The Long Day" does not make me "want it to hurry up and get here!" When Greg leaves in the morning he will not be back until late. And if it rains- "Lord have mercy on everyone in the Fields' Family". The headline will read - "Homeschool Mom Looses It...on her "LONG DAY"-

I have got to re-invent Wednesday.

"I can fit you in between 1:00 & 1:07. Does that work for you?"

The funny thing is that kids really don't care how the house looks...in fact, if you are a kid in our house- the more disheveled the better. In their minds this means that "they are having a great time." When my kiddos want to make a tent- they pull ALL of the blankets out of the closet...that would be about 20....that's including pillow cases and old curtains.

The problem with this "fun-filled scenario" is that it causes tense, shall we say, "discussions", between the two adults also residing there. Managing the children at home all day, along with the responsibility of keeping the house "functional" can be difficult.

Alot of the e-mails that I have received have asked, "When do you have time to do laundry, vaccuum and all the other cleaning?" I have been thinking about this and well, I have not been doing a very good job with all of this since I started homeschooling. Now, I am still in the adjustment "phase" of this and we are working out the kinks. After "discussing" this with Greg last night :) here is the schedule that I tried today...and it actually worked great!

6 a.m. - get up, shower & dress

6:30-7:00 - coffee, coffee, paper, coffee, oatmeal (really, I only have 1 cup)

7-7:30 - empty dishwasher & fold laundry in dryer (& put it up!!!!), switch over and start new load.

7:40ish-8:15ish-make toast for "kidlings"

8:30 - Read Genesis 12 &13 with Abby, Math- 2 pages, Write Odd & Even #'s, Work on Multiplication Table Memorization, History Review, Paint "Matisse" type pictures.

10- clean up, break & play

During this time I folded & put away 2 more loads of laundry, changed diapers, got sippy cups, made popcorn because the girls were "starving"...etc.

10:30 - worked on Language Arts/Vocabulary/Spelling - 2 worksheets, front & back, copy spelling words...which include the days of the week, and poem memorization...(review old ones and practice new one)

11:10 - Laid down and rested with Lucy Grace for 45 minutes...a "MUST HAVE" for me...She didn't go to sleep- but I did.

noon- Lunch - I had a friend come over...so i got the girls fed and then my friend and I ate and talked while they played.

3:00- picked up 2 little girls from Abby's old school...

3:40- Pulled "open" bag of popcorn out of the cabinet and it spilled all over the kitchen floor...no biggie- just 500 million kernals of corn rolling all over the floor...with 6 girls running through the house. So...I swept.

5:00- I had Abby vaccuum up all of the popcorn from the morning and afternoon ;)...I had her use the handheld DustBuster because she has a difficult time controlling the large vaccuum. Ellie picked up all of toys in the living room, that I keep in baskets on our bookshelves...she got the toys back in the baskets and I got them back on the shelves.

5:40- We had left overs...so i started heating those up...and played a quick round of Musical Chairs with the girls to the Akeelah and The Bee Soundtrack.

6:30 - Greg gets home, PTL!...we eat....

7:15 - put babies to bed....big girls take baths....

ALL children are in beds and "out" by 8:30, usually.

Tonight- 9:00 watch recorded "hour" of 24, the best t.v. show that has ever existed....

After that, Greg & I, clean kitchen from dinner....took 15 minutes...loaded dishwasher, took trash out...etc.

10:30 - Wrote lesson plans for tomorrow...took 10 min.

That's all folks!

Now, last night I was in bed by 9:40...so it just depends.

We decided today that we are going to do ALL of our laundry on the weekend because it is much faster when we are both here to fold it, put away and keep the babies from ransacking what we have just folded. This is what I have the biggest problem "controling".

I typically use paper plates...so that helps with dishes...which helps with time...which I know does not help the environment.

The major thing that I am seeing that I am going to have to control is the amount of "traffic" that comes through our house. I may have to limit our "guest" to one day a week. I do not answer my phone in the mornings until I am through with school...or when we are taking naps....that helps a ton with effeciency.

So...that's just a quick look in to where we are right now. My goal is to be in bed by 10:00 every night. I think that sleep is al;kfkajfkjkfj./kjl;fhfddddddjjieeow
/.....................................................................Sorry, I dosed..........

I was saying, I think that sleep is the key to everything...and Coffee.

I love Coffee.

Ancient Africa via East Texas

I did not post yesterday because the night slipped away from me. We went out to eat with friends from church and by the time we got home, said, "night-night" and dispensed the usual number of spankings to keep all of the little people in bed - it was too late.

We had a good day of homeschooling yesterday. My friend, Christi, brought her kiddos over because we have decided to get together every other week for History Project Day. I'm not sure that it is really that official, like with a name and everything, but that's what we're doing. Anyway, we decided, that since we were discussing ancient Africa that we should ask her friend, Halema, from Nigeria, to come over and actually tell some of the folk tales that I would've been reading to them with my best, Southern W.A.S.P. accent.

She did a great job and the kids enjoyed her a lot. I think that it is good for them to have contact with as many different people, races and cultures as possible. I really want them to embrace and love other people & cultures. I want them to develop a global "eye".

After that, we made "Anansi the Spider" out of styro foam balls, paint, google eyes and pipe cleaners. They really had a great time.

After everyone left, and the babies were asleep, Abby and I sat down at the table and she worked on her math, language arts, took a spelling test and did some copy work on a poem the she is memorizing, "Days of The Week." (It's the one that says, Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace...) Then she had a little friend from school come over and play for a bit. Now, after all of that, I still felt like, "Maybe we didn't do enough." Let me explain....

It is because it just doesn't take very long with one child. I mean, it would've taken the entire day...the whole 8 hours...if I had had 15 other kids here. It's always making me question, "Am I doing enough?" I think that eventually the girls will benefit from being in an environment where they can have some "back & forth" discussion about issues that are relevant to culture and life...but for me, that started about 5 years ago, really. I mean, I was thinking about high school the other day and I honestly do not remember, and I tried very hard too, one truly engaging, thoughtful discussion that I had in the classroom setting. I mean, it really is a pool of ignorance. Maybe that's part of growing up in our society...but does it have to be? I do remember Jamie Bethea wearing his solar system t-shirt that said, "Where Farts Come From..." and ha, ha...you guessed it, Uranus was highlighted. Our teacher was very sweet and passionate, she was actually the best teacher that I had all through school, and she commented on how impressed she was that, "Mr. Bethea had worn a T-shirt with the 'heavens' illustrated." That is my English memory. Now, college was different because I was in classes with individuals spanning several generations, and from all over the country. I know that my children are very social and that they love the interaction with their friends -but they still see them weekly. I mean, we didn't move to Vermont. (Abby did ask me if "She would still be homeschooled in college?" I said, "No, you'll be in a dorm far, far away.")

One thing that I am really enjoying is this History Study. (Story of the World) I really think that it is the back bone of the Classical Approach. I know that they say Latin is, and we will get to that, but I "feel" like this is. I like that Abby is beginning history at 5000 B.C. and not with Texas or the U.S.. I LOVE that she is beginning to see herself as part of a bigger "Story". Man. I LOVE THIS!!

Today, Abby's grammer was a review of "ing/ang/ong" endings. It was cool though, because her related reading was a story called "Ella Sings Jazz". So we downloaded some songs on iTunes from Ella Fitzgerald, read her bio together and talked about it. Then we listened to some of her contemporaries, that were mentioned in the bio. (Chick Webb, the Father of Swing & Louise Armstrong) It was a cool study. She asked about Armstrong's voice and about Ella's be-bop. She said "that it didn't really sound much like the jazz we hear today." It was fun.

NOW, I am going to Sleepy Town.

I Suck at Parenting.

Well, that pretty much sums it up. I could've experienced my worst day at parenting EVER- today. I am a sinner. And well, for the most part- I want my way all of the time....and that's the problem. When I act like the four year old there's no one acting like the parent. I mean- this is the problem. I am homeschooling for more than education. I want my kiddos to learn some valuable life lessons like: character, wisdom, consistency, being the same in-the-home as you are outside of the home....that's called not being a hypocrite. Anyway- I know i cussed at least twice today. (I hope that you are smiling because I'm sure that that was the minimum.) I honestly felt like I had a locked jaw all day.
Let me say for the record...my kids were bad today...but that's not why I reacted the way I did. I reacted the way I did...because that's what I revert too when I want to be left alone. "The cup was hit and that was the water that came out of it....they didn't put the water in there....they just hit the cup."
I am listening to Sonya Kitchell sing right now, "No Matter What", and it starts out, "She's a crazy girl, She needs a intervention."
Appropriate.

"Work while you work...."

Man, the past couple of days have been pretty eye opening for me. The need to stick to the SAME schedule is crucial.
We decided to ride with Greg over to Dallas Theological to take some books back to the library on Thursday. I am glad that we went because once we got over there -we stumbled upon a display of recovered artifacts from Mesopotamia that included some of Hammurabi's Code, a written account in hieroglyphics of Sumerian history & a replica of a box that was found in Caiphias' tomb. Now, that was a great suprise because we are studying this...and I actually stopped to look at it and then discovered that it was significant for the kiddos to see. However, we really didn't "accomplish" much. By the time we got home it was close to noon and everyone was hungry. So, after feeding the crew, and getting the little ones to sleep...it was 1:00. That's when we started history. Now, we finished EVERYTHING by 3:45...but it was horribly laborious. I was telling them the myth of Gilgamesh and I was getting questions like, "Can eagles hurt you?"...which is fine...but this myth has nothing to do with eagles. Then another question in relation to the "age when she will be able to date". So, that's concerning...because she's 7.
The Moral of the Story: If I stick to the same schedule everyday than I don't think that her mind will "float" as easily. I noticed that over the over the past couple of days that I had let her dictate the schedule, by saying things like, "Can I do my Math now instead of my History?" or "I don't really want to finish coloring this so I'll just finish it later tonight." That is a "no-go" from here on out. I mean, kids are kids and they just don't need those choices. I KNOW that that sounds like a small thing...but she wouldn't have that choice in a different setting and I want her to be able to succeed in either.
I am reading a book right now called, Recovering The Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson. My sister-in-law gave to me. It is a good read thus far. At this point, it is strictly stating facts concerning public education. I would like to read something concerning private education pros and cons also.

"In a comparison of 24,000 thirteen-year-olds from the United States, Ireland, Spain, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and four Canadian provinces, the United States placed last in mathematics and almost last in science. Korean students were first in math and tied for first in science with Canadian students in British Columbia. In one aspect of math, however, the Americans did just fine . "Despite their poor overall performance, however, two-thirds of U.S. thirteen-year-olds felt that 'they were good at mathematics'; only 23% of their Korean counterparts shared that attitude." When it comes to maintaining a high self-image, we can take on the world." (-Recovering The Lost Tools of Learning, pg. 15, second paragraph. stats taken from, Physics Today, 4-89/ Chemical Engineering Progress 12-89/Time Magazine 2-90)

Hammurabi's Code

So for those of you who have forgotten- Hammurabi was the king of Babylon and he was the first king to institute a written law. He wanted people to do the right thing and basically be loyal to him b/c he was a good king and not b/c he was going to kill them if they didn't. Well today- and this is probably not going to be as funny to you as it was to me- I say, "Let me read some of the Laws to you and you can tell me if You think that they are fair or not." She thought that, for the most part, they were all pretty fair. She completely disagreed with the law that stated, "If you are a doctor and you operate on someone and they die- then you will be killed." We both believed that it was a little harsh. Abby said, "Well, what if they died from something other than the operation?" I agreed. Then we got to the one that stated, "An eye for an eye. If you steal something then your hand will be cut off." Abby said, completely serious, "Now that would be bad because he would not be able to open a jar of jelly."
1792 B.C. - "He will not be able to open a jar of jelly."

Tonight we went to Family Visitation at a funeral home in Terrel due to the death of a friend's father. We left the older girls with my mom. They had a blast watching American Idol with my mom...I think she had fun, too.

Anyway- I told Greg that I felt like Abby was talking very openly about some "events" that were really no big deal...but she had not told me about them until today. I think that our "conversational" interactions are occuring, obviously, because our times together are more concentrated. This is a good thing.

I have been thinking about Ellie. She is my almost five year old. One of my good friends mentioned the other day, in our conversation, about how she hated not to put her child in Kindergarten, as opposed to homeschooling, because it is so much fun. I have been thinking alot about that statement because I feel the same way. I remember Kindergarten...I remember Miss Campbell, singing with Mr. Barnes & the smell of the cafeteria. Besides all of that, we live down the street from where me and my brother went to elementary- so that's a little nostalgic. However, when I see how well it seems to be going with Abby...I wonder why it wouldn't be the same with Ellie. And, am I "robbing" Ellie of something...or is that just a cultural lie?

If you do not have kids and you are thinking, "God, all these people think about are their kids and if they should have buttons or snaps." -Well, you're perception is accurate. It's a crazy thing that happens when you are responsible for the molding and shaping of this little person...it's the scariest, most humiliating, most loving thing that we get to be a part of. It's also like having O.C.D. (obsessive compulsive disorder) and a bad case of Night Terrors where you wake up and the beds wet...except- if it's my bed- it's not me that wet the bed...it's the 2 yr old laying next to me...

No School "snow days"

I am trying to take weekends off from blogging...
sorry for taking so long. Abby went to bed tonight asking, "Can we please have tomorrow off if it's icey...my other school will probably be off." Sucks to be a homeschooler, huh! Anyway- I think that I am starting to get the hang of things.
I had an interesting discussion on Thursday. We were finishing up from the week...actually didn't have much to do that day, and I decided to do a craft that I found in a book on Black History Month about black inventors. Abby and Ellie were both involved and Abby looked up at me and said, "Mommy, sometimes when I am around people with different skin colors I...." she paused...."I..."
"Do you need help with your words?" I asked.
"Yes." she nodded.
"Do you get scared?"
"Yes." she said.
"Do you feel uncomfortable?" I asked.
By this point her eyes were really watering. "Yes".
I asked her, "Are you scared of Zoe?" I asked. (That is her little sister who is black.)
"No." she said.
"Are you scared of Lucy Grace?" (That's her little sister who is mixed.)
"No". she replied still weepy.
"What about Daddy? His skin looks a little different from yours." (He is American Indian)
"No."
Then she said, "I'm only scared of those people who are Martin Luther King's size who were at that march".
Then it hit me....She doesn't understand "time". I mean, when I say, "This happened in 1968." I might as well be saying, "15 minutes ago or last year."
I am such a MORON!!! She was too young to watch that march on YouTube that I was so happy that she viewed. Maybe that's why they don't show this, in school, to 1st graders. Who knew? I explained to her that that happened when Grams was "little". She gets that. Then I told her that, "When we go to an event for MLK Day or we celebrate it...it will involve a cake and happiness." Then, she was fine.
What have I learned? That Abby is very sensetive. That she knows the difference between fact and fiction. As you know, there was no violent outbreak that was filmed during Dr. King's speech at The Lincoln Memorial...She felt what she viewed, The "wieghtiness" of the event. She is insightful. And she is honest.
How did I wrap up the discussion? I told her that what she felt probably stemmed from "her not being around people with other skin colors very often." That "I think that we need to work on making friends who look different than us because they are our 'equals'." I also told her that we were going to probably join the Boy's and Girls Club in the next couple of weeks." They have an after school photography class for 8 year olds and up...it's a small number of kids, about 8 in a class.
What shocked me the most? I would have NEVER in one million years believed that she was "scared & uncomfortable" around people with other skin colors. If you would have asked me, I would have said, "Absolutely Not!!"

I was wrong.

Over all: very valuable day.

I'm Still Standing...

Today turned out to be a pretty good day. The younger kids were restless today and they were being very difficult. I switched my lesson "plan" around so that I could play with them a little more and I had Abby work by herself on some sentence "structuring". For her age...it looks like this: "I like bike. to ride my" she has to put it in the correct order... "I like to ride my bike." This gives her time to practice her handwriting, word order and punctuation. After that I had her finish some map coloring, that goes along with her history...which, by the way, she hates coloring maps....and work on her math worksheets. I was right there so when she needed help or an explanation...I could help. We had lunch and then the older girls played with their doll houses for a while...and I got the babies down for a nap. While they were sleeping, Abby and Ellie & I sat down and did history...which she LOVED today, Language & Memorization. She memorized The Caterpillar last week and is working on a short poem this week called Work. Which Ellie is memorizing as well. Now, I know that this sounds like alot...but let me make a few observations that I have been thinking about. Remember, we have only been homeschooling for one week, with a weekend in between.

• I am less stressed. I think that it is because I am not rushing around trying to get everyone fed, groomed and out the door by 7:55 a.m.....with a lunch, back pack and everything else that I am suppose to be sending back "signed".
• I noticed that Abby held my hand while we were out in public yesterday. Now, she's only seven...and your kiddos might do that with no problem...but she doesn't. She never wants to hold my hand when we are out. She grabbed my hand and held on to it.
  
• I am getting more comfortable with this slower pace....and I like it.
  

More to come-

Yes...We mummified a chicken.

Today is the day that Ellie and Lucy Grace go to Mother's Day Out. Which always makes me laugh...because Greg and I say, "You are definitely at a new place in your life when you pay for a babysitter and half of your kids are still with you." Anyway, while I was getting ready for the day my friend, Christi, called. "Hey, are you going to mummify a chicken today?" I'm thinking,"I wasn't planning on it, but I'm open to it." So...I will definitely be posting pictures soon. She got here with her two older children around 10:20 and she taught the history lesson on "Mummies and Pyramids". The kids did their oral narration and writing and then...we "mummified"!!!

The kids, of course, were loving the "gross-ness" of the whole thing...but here's the deal- that chicken is going to be in that baggie for 6 weeks (at Christi's house). I am defenitely taking pics of that! I was so glad that we all got to do that together.

The other thing that I thought was really great was our study of Martin Luther King, Jr. Last night I watched his speech on YouTube. It last about 17 minutes. He is one of the greatest orators in history. I was watching it alone. Greg was at an elder meeting, all of the girls were in bed...and I was sobbing. I obviously have a hard time viewing anything like that with out thinking of the sacrifice that these men and women made...and how it has shaped me and my family. I taught on this lesson and I told them about Emmet Louise Till , Rosa Parks & Dr. King. The kids seemed to listen pretty attentively and then we watched the famous 4 minutes that will forever live, "I have a dream..." and my favorite part, " I have a dream that one day my 4 children will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I think that it is amazing that we, me and my children and their friends, can watch Dr. King at the Lincoln Memorial, today, in my living room, on my laptop. What a blessing. These men and women marched and marched and marched...knowing that they could be killed. Luke said, "He had a dream that we could all be friends."

I say with Dr. King, "Now is the time."

It was a very good day.

"Fourty-five, fifty, sixty, seventy-five and a quarter makes a dollar."

Okay- so teaching something is a lot harder than I thought. We are using the same math book at home that Abby was using in school. She had already been learning about money value in school so we are just continuing with that. Well...let me just say that it is not as easy as it looks. Now think about it. Abby is a first grader and she still has a difficult time thinking abstractly. So when we start looking at 25 pennies, 1 quarter, 5 nickles, 2 dimes and 5 pennies and they all equal the same thing...i literally wanted to laugh out loud. I mean, I am really kind of an idiot. So, I am learning as I go. I HATE to type that. I know that that is a HUGE thing. But, don't teachers in the system have a "first year" also. So, we put that part up until tomorrow. She knows all of the coins and their values...but she's not adding double digits yet...so WHY would they put that kind of problem in the book at this time? I'm just wondering. Maybe it's just so they can see how the dollars & cents are written. WHO KNOWS!!!!!
Today we had a conflict. She did not want to do something that I was telling her to do...and she argued with me about it. I thought this was great because I got to talk to her right then about her rebellion. "Abby, why do you not want to obey?" "You are prolonging your school work by the choices that you are making." I made her complete the work that we were doing and then I let her have a break. (play and run , eat lunch etc.) After about an hour we did the rest and it was really good. I am having to learn "her". How long is too long for her? When is she not being disobedient and just being seven? When is she trying to sabotage the lesson so I will quit? (I am kind of kidding on the last one...but not completely. She is seven and she has a strong will...so sometimes she just wants to stop.)
We are studying the Ancients right now so today we studied our first Myth. It was about Osiris and Set. Set, the evil brother, wanted to be king...so he drowned his brother. However, when Osiris' wife, Isis, found him in the "specialty coffin" floating down the Nile -she got him out, like any good wife would, and wrapped him in linen (b/c she wanted him to be buried in a pyramid) and he came back to life. This is one of the stories that the Egyptians told and believed to explain the yearly flooding of the Nile. (Makes sense to me.) Abby really is getting into it. She likes the stories. And, the discussion that we are having has honestly been amazing. We had a huge discussion last week about the flooding in New Orleans (spurred on by a study of the first farmers and villages near The Fertile Crescent...this is all in the book- I can't remember ever studying any of this.) Abby said that she thought New Orleans should be rebuilt only if the planners built "huge walls " around it to hold the water back. When I told her that it had those previously we talked about "elevation , engineering, etc."
Thus far, in my vast knowledge of 4 days, I think that the success of this has to do with MY focus. She obviously has had the ability to have the conversations and to think on these levels...I just probably have not known what types of things to read to her and what types of questions to ask. I like this because I am preparing every night to engage with my child in a new & different way. So maybe this is more about me...i don't know yet.

I need 8 arms...and a muzzel.

This morning I had a more difficult time. I felt like the environment & timing was off on one of the lessons. L.G., my 2 year old, was in rare form today and wanted my complete attention. I probably need some advice on what to do in this situation....i was needing to read a story to Abby because it's something that she has to narrate on paper later, after listening to me read it to her. And honestly, Abby was being very attentive and gracious. If anyone has advice on what to do let me know. I mean, we pushed through and it all worked out fine...but i would have much rather it been a less distracting environment. I guess this is one of the weaknesses of this system. I know that some would argue that it is not any different because there are distractions in a classroom of 16 also...but I felt out of sorts. I was getting angry quickly. However, I had some fun things happen today too. I think that it is going to be neat to watch Abby(7) & Ellie's(5) relationship grow and change. They seem to be playing well together right now. Abby got out of school on the 15th so they have phased back into real life...this new way were trying. I think Abby misses being at school with her friends.

Drumroll, please.

So, the first day was....amazingly anti-climatic. Let me preface before you read...I will not be telling you EVERYTHING that my child does in an average school day everyday...ONLY this time...since it is the beginning of something new for us. (I know that that would be extremely boring to you.) We started the day out normally: breakfast, coffee, Barney, getting dressed. I helped the big girls get dressed for the day and we met in the living room to start at 9:00. I talked with them for a bit about why we wanted to home school. I talked to them about how quickly the are growing up and I said, "Girls, the Bible says that 'Children are a blessing from the Lord' and Mommy and Daddy want you to know that you are a blessing to us. We do not ever want you to think that you are in the way or that we are too busy for you." It was good for me to tell them that because I needed to refocus on what the real "point" is. We read Genesis 1 and prayed and then we went to the kitchen table and started History. I am using Story of the World and it is really good. I was kind of experimenting with Ellie to see if she was ready or not to start something this "formal" and she was not. I let her kind of come and go as she wanted...and that helped me with the little girls too! Abby, however, seemed to really enjoy it. No real big "emotion" about it one way or the other...just seemed to be content. She worked on her history "activity" and then we made lunch. It was about 11:oo by this point. After lunch, we worked on Math. For this I am using A Beka Book 1. This is what she was using in her class at school and seemed to be doing well with it. Around 12:30 I decided that the "little children of the world" were needing to get outside. So we just wrapped up and went for a short walk around the block. When we got back, we ran some errands. Then in the afternoon sometime, Abby worked on her memorization. For Language we are using First Language Lessons for The Well Trained Mind. She Listened to a poem called The Caterpillar several times and then illustrated it. After that she copied the poem (to practice handwriting & copying...also to assist in memorizing). And that's it! Tomorrow looks to be about the same schedule. On Friday I will do Vocabulary, Science and go to the Library also. On Tuesdays and Fridays my second child will be in Mother's Day Out from 9-2:30 so that will be a HUGE amount of time to work on The Phonics Museum & reading. It was cool. I mean, my sister-in-law called this afternoon and I asked her about 500 questions like, "Do I need to go over the calendar with them everyday? Do I need to blah, blah, blah?" She has taught in public, home and now in a classical school. So it's been good to have some people to just throw some of these anxiety questions at. I mean, knowing the calendar is pretty important. Once, when I was in college, a senior no less, I missed a final exam in one of my Major classes because my watch battery stopped and that is how I kept up with the date. I digress...
So for the most part everything was pretty normal. My house is a wreck...but that's because I am a little busy "being focused".
One sweet thing that happened today was that a little girl from Abby's class called her and said, "Aren't you ever coming back?" and 7 year old Abby said, "Probably later when you're in 3rd or 4th grade...but my mom and dad really want to spend time with me before I leave for college."

Fears...things i can't run away from.

I had to drive to Dallas today for a Dr.'s appointment. All the way over there and back...I kept thinking about how every fear that I had nothing to do with the girls. All of my fears were just that- MINE. About Me.

• "How will my social life change?" It's hard to hang out with my friends during the day when I have 2 school age kids with me...while my friends kids are in school.
  
• "What are we going to do all day?" This is kind of silly because we have been hanging out for the last couple of weeks and the days have flown. (I think that that is a picture of our culture. I mean, "they" are the who& what & why that I am to be about.)
• "Is everyone going to think that we are weird because we started homeschooling.
  

This is a very short list...but I have just finished my planning and now i can hardley keep my eyes open. More tomorrow.

Rushing Wind Blow Through This Temple

Today I was setting in the bathtub thinking of 1000 things at a time. I was washing my hair with Green Tea Shampoo, bathing in Stress Relief Bubble Bath while a one year old and two year old were about to break down the make shift gate between the master bathroom and bedroom. My seven year old and almost five year old were not able to help control the toddlers for five minutes because they were sprawled out on my unmade bed, next to 4 loads of laundry watching Monster's Inc. for the 248th time. Melting into the soapy water, I was thinking about EVERYTHING at once.

This past year, we had adopted two additional children...which doubled the number of little people in our house. My husband had finished his Master's and we had relocated 6 months prior for him to begin his first Pastoring "job". Besides all of this- we had sold our small but cute little house, moved into a rental, because the market was not that great for our family size and budget. Oh, and my 1st grader had started a new school...which leads me to the reason for THIS blog.

For the past several years we have discussed homeschooling. I must admit, I was frozen with fear. I have been on numerous mission trips...several of them have literally taken me around the world and the language barrier was HUGE. I have taught large groups of students and adults through out the years and even had to use translators in some locations. But the thought of teaching my 7 & 5 year old paralyzed me. I was and still am slightly overwhelmed.

Despite all of this- I WANT to do it...I think. I really want to know my kids. Let me preface, simply because this is my first entry, that I am in no way implying that others do not know their children if they do not homeschool. I have fears that I am going to be ready to give this up by Febuary...however, I want to be very honest in what I am feeling, thinking, and seeing during this first year. I have asked alot of people that I know about their homeschooling experience and honestly, their responses have all been extremely positive. My desire is to show my "guts" during this transition. I fear that people will say that this is my "soapbox" NOW because I am doing it...however, people said that when we fostered, when we adopted and when we switched from Maxwell House to Starbucks...Oh well!

I just want to talk about the real stuff that happens everyday when you have 4 kids and pull one of them out of school at semester and start homeschooling. I am sure that this will reveal more than I even know about myself at this point.

Tomorrow I will blog about my fears...Our first day of school is on Wednesday.