Year 3, September 10th-13th, 2018: Recap of the Week, Homeschool Edition

While I've felt slightly more free by not blogging, now I feel like stories are missing.  I tell Jared little things throughout the day, a lot of times through texting, so I could scroll through those texts to jog my memory.  But other things, I kind of want to write down, and I typically take a picture to jog my memory, but I've been trying to also NOT take pictures of every little thing.  So, I'm kind of stuck.  I need a new "groove" or system for this.  But here goes.

***Warning*** This next part is all about homeschooling, so if that doesn't interest you (I get way too detailed, but it was fun to write), skip down to the next part that says, "Warning over."  Thanks!

This week has been up and down.  We are still trying to get our footing on school, and did add in the last two big subjects, science and history, to the lineup.  It's a lot of work.  I feel like it's too much at times but I also don't want them to miss out on certain things either.  I've given them a lot more writing and busy work this year like drawings and projects, but might have to scale those back a bit or go slower.  That's ok.  Like the science is of my own design and we can modify it as we go to include less hand drawing and more coloring pages.  Doing the routine of our history curriculum is the same as the last 6 years, so that's fairly easy to do but with harder assignments.  I have to remember to scale back any assignments I give to both kids because of the age gap.  Or at least my expectations.  And Latin is a beast, let me tell you.  That one is going to take all of us a long time to figure out.  I don't know the terms for things in English, never mind Latin.  Terms like emphatic tense or pluperfect or present participle, so when the curriculum assumes you know them, or at least have heard of them before, and you don't, it takes a bit longer to figure out.  Once we get the general terms memorized, then the actual vocabulary and steps to making conjugations will go more smoothly.

No, the curriculum itself I can get a handle on, it's just the overall daily routine.  We NEED to get up at 8 am but we haven't been because my routine is not where it should be the night before.  Same old story of the last 6 years.  When we start late, then I feel panicked by 3 or 4pm and it's not good.  And I have other bad habits of being on my phone trying to escape the chaos because of my own insecurities and anxieties and emotional issues.  It's not necessarily the kids who aren't staying on task, it's me.  And Abishai is affecting everything big time.  He will play fine and by himself as long as we are all doing our own thing, like me wasting time on my phone.  But as soon as I finally sit down with either Justin or Keturah, he's all up in our faces making noises, playing in the same room, wanting food, having a potty accident, etc.  Ideally the kid I'm not working with is supposed to keep him distracted, but like today, Keturah was sick, so she couldn't.  She had actually fallen asleep after having gotten up earlier for Grandpa Bible class.  Abishai's screen time is in the afternoon when I have to work with both of them at the same time.  And it's not long enough!  I need to investigate what it is about the actual material is taking us so long to get through.  And yes, the kids goof off which adds to my anxiety.  I'm going to give it another week, and then I think we might just do our work at the dining room table instead of the comfy couches.  I don't want them to feel like they are sitting at a desk, but the disruptive ancy behavior (and yes, they do get exercise beforehand and in between subjects), needs to be addressed.  I don't mind some fidgeting, but I'm talking about bugging each other by putting their foot on the other person's couch.   We need to work on self control in many areas, and I've identified some things we can work on.

Jared came to the conclusion that our bossy, negative talk with one another far outweighs all the hints of being loving and complimentary.  We demand instead of ask nicely.  We put our noses into other people's business and ignore our own task list.  They argue over which condiment is better!  And that one argument happens every day at lunch and has been for the better part of a year.  We KNOW each other's favorite foods and condiments, so why are you arguing over it again?  I did remember one parental piece of advice to ignore the non life threatening bad behavior (like butting into a conversation) and rewarding the good.  So, I'll try more of that.  Homeschooling is great because you are with your kids all the time but that's just it, you are with your kids all the time!  I don't want them to be gone every day all day, but I do look forward to when they go to their activities on Sundays and Wednesdays.  Oh, that reminds me that, just like in past years, I have to have a full on hard stop of school at 3 or 4pm.  I have to take off the teacher hat and put on the homemaker hat with phone calls, supper prep, clean up, etc.  And that means I don't check homework either and I only answer simple questions, i.e. how do you do this one math problem.  Yes, unfortunately, because of the chaos, seatwork hasn't been completed until after supper.  Not necessarily their fault though.  Give it a few weeks and if we are still feeling this way, then I'll start cutting things out.  It will kill me, but I will.  I know the first subject that most would say to drop is Latin, but by golly, I want to give it all we've got! I'm guessing it might be lighter history reading.

This volume of history is my favorite because it's where I learned all about church history!  I knew a lot about Rome, the kings and queens of Europe, the dark and middle ages, etc. and I knew some bits about church history like John Calvin and Gutenberg.  But this particular author is from a more traditional church background (not Catholic) so she goes into more detail about different saints and martyrs and follows the crusades, etc.  And for me, those are the lessons I want to focus on because every other history class the kids will take will most likely not include church history in it's entirety. I don't know what a Bible college class would cover, but I know that Jared took a class on the Restoration Movement i.e. Stone/Campbell movement i.e. our non denominational/independent Christian Churches which I think was in the mid 1800's.  I was never at Bible college, so I didn't take the class and it's one of the ones I would love to do in the future!  So, I'm really looking forward to going through that side of things again.  The castles, kings and queens, and knights will be easy peasy to have fun with and go through.  Anyone up for another 3D paper model of a castle from Usborne?  I might just get it for myself to do.  I did that one and the Viking village and a globe (that one was very difficult) and one other one I think.  Anyway, I'd rather talk about this time period and maybe the early settlers in America than the 20th century.  We'll see what we get up to.

And that's pretty much our week in a nutshell so far.  We've stayed home and tried to do school.  No, we DID do school, it just needs some tweaking.  We've had some good lessons, I will admit that.  I came up with an awesome long term project idea for science on animals and biomes/ecology/regions that will includes more of a nature journal feel but utilizes a "spine" book my mom bought us years ago that I used last year for human anatomy.  It also has some fun cut and paste worksheets that has terminology that both kids are ready for.  The vocabulary is geared perfectly for them at this stage.  Not too dumbed down for lower elementary and not quite the big words of high school science. Speaking of high school, I'm trying not to panic, but I am slowly fielding some ideas for Justin's high school years which will probably be a combo of many things.  An online class here, a class at perhaps SCS there, a college class like Benaiah is doing, etc.  I have no doubt whatsoever that he will be ready for high school material especially after this year's writing course and he'll get through pre-algebra just fine.  We'll continue on with our history volumes, placing them on the transcript where they are needed.  Science has the biggest question mark at the moment because we do have several options.  Foreign language is the same way, but hopefully the Latin will prepare us to start that in his sophmore year.  He's very disciplined, so the behavioral part should be easier than Benaiah and Keturah.   And that's partly because he's a peace maker middle child and he has my personality. 

Anyways, I need to remember on these very hard days where it just seems like chaos and I've accomplished nothing, that no matter where they are academically there will a) always be gaps in their education b) these first 3 all can read and write well already (boys are good at math, and we'll get Keturah to a good point I'm sure) c) no one has major health issues or learning disabilities d) I know my kids very, very well e) they have ample time to learn household skills and best of all f) we have gone on more field trips than I care to count! Oh, I did realize this after reading a IG post or something: it's ok if I focus more on writing and worksheets now instead of the hands on projects.  Why?  Because that's all we've done when we've gone to the apple orchard and dairy farms and 19th century recreated villages.  We are just now going to apply the correct terminology and connect the dots between it all.  I've been a part time Charlotte Mason homeschooler all along!  At least in science, lol.

***Warning Over*** Wow, sorry, that was a lot of homeschooling information! But it was fun to write and reminds me that I DO have a lot of homeschool experience and I DO know what we're doing and we HAVE learned a lot.  I'll say it again, after being homeschooled for 8 years and homeschooling for these 12 years, I do feel like I could get an honorary teaching degree via on the job training, including seeking out better methods and curriculums by going to conferences, listening to podcasts, and reading blogs/books.  Not that I know everything and that I think I'm better than those with teaching degrees because I am definitely not.  I just learned the same information organically rather than systemically.  That would be called unschooling!  Bwahahaha! How many more homeschooling words can I throw out there?

If you didn't read the big part of homeschooling I wrote, basically, we have tweaks to make and a lot of the chaos resides with me, not the kids.  They are trying really hard to get their work done timely and well.  It's just ongoing relationship struggles and my personal issues hindering us.

Plus a toddler.  The preschooler, I mean, who had not one but TWO full bladder pee puddle accidents this week IN THE BATHROOM.  I don't know if he is regressing a bit or has a medical issue, so I'm watching it.  Excessive urination can mean several different medical things, and since he's had those molloscum sores, and just got off antibiotics, it's worth taking note of it just in case.  I do know that he's wanting more of me and "hey somebody come play with me" so it could be a mild regression.  It's just annoying and why I didn't attempt potty training during the school year.  He does want to do school though and asks me to test me on the CC cards or get out a sticker page.  Although, he refuses to sit down and let me read to him, only Daddy.  That's very disappointing to me, but I won't stop trying.  He's no where near ready for any formal lessons and he might be intellectually strong enough now, but he probably won't put crayon or pencil to paper until much later.  I'm going to start him off much differently than the others, like say things differently about seatwork and what constitutes a school, although he gets a lot of that from watching videos online.

Speaking of which, he has fallen in love with Paw Patrol! It's one of those neutral kid shows with no overt agenda except helping people in trouble. There's a fire dog, a police dog, a helicopter dog, a bulldozer dog, etc.  My only issue with it is that the animation and intro song go by super quick.  If you compare that to say even the Thomas the Tank Engine intro, you can tell the pace is way different.  I have to check sometimes to make sure we haven't change the playback speed to 1.25 times normal speed.  The show itself seems ok.  It's just a sign of our fast paced times.  Oh well.  It's a cute show, with cute dogs in cute costumes, with cute messages.  It will most likely be his birthday theme and I don't mind because it's super popular.  I got him these party favors that are masks of the some of the dogs and he loves them!  He knows all their names already.  And I'd rather him watch one show over and over than watch YouTube videos of kids unboxing toys. 

Other happenings this week: 9/11 anniversary of course.  I didn't focus on it, but just gently reminded the kids of it.  I also picked up some books at the library because some online groups were asking what some good resources for young kids are.  My answer: always check your libraries' shelves!  Especially for something that has happened a few years ago or more.  There was plenty of books on all kinds of levels with appropriate terms and facts.  One neat fact I didn't know about was something my friend shared on her FB page, that there were a few pregnant ladies that died in the attacks and the 9/11 memorial in NYC listed the mom's name and her "unborn child."  Wow. Big awesome moment for the pro-life movement.  Keturah has already read one of the books on it without asking, so I call that a win.  I also picked up a book that talked about Hurricane Katrina.  It's important for kids to know current world events.  We can't shelter them completely, but we can filter out the noise and share information from our perspective and talk about it.  Kids have questions.  They need to hear reassuring words from adults because they do overhear adults talking about it and they can avoid it on social media and websites and news stations playing on screens at the airports.  Strict security at the airport affects some kids' lives, so they need to understand why we have it.  Anyway, soapbox again.  Getting off.

But boy does it feel good to write some emotionally neutral words on topics I love.  I'm feeling ok and at peace today/yesterday which is a 180 degree turn from last week when we attended the a16 yr old's viewing and funeral.  The feelings that emerged then are still there, but have begun to be processed and turned into actions.  Actions like encouraging the teenager to not be so busy because we miss him and want to spend time with him.  Actions like asking the deep questions and checking in with one another more often.  Actions like moving around priorities to be more in line with our goals.  But I'm still needing some counseling, and that's next on the agenda.

Now, onward to our "day off" or rather errand running day tomorrow and then perhaps a field trip with Daddy on Saturday.  Thanks for reading!

We went back to the doctor on Monday because Abishai has even more spots from this molluscum contagiosum thing.  The doctor finally explained that yes, he could have it for up to two years but it's pretty benign.  A dermatologist might have ways to get rid of it faster, but it might be uncomfortable and why spend money on expensive creams if it's just a waiting game.  He even looked up a home remedy of collodial oatmeal and zinc oxide cream (diaper rash cream).  I think that's awesome that he doesn't push so hard on quick remedies and invasive procedures and antibiotics.  Home remedy it is.  And as I type this I forgot about the oatmeal that's in certain lotions, so I'll need to pick some up.  We still had diaper rash cream left so we are using that and keeping a shirt on so he doesn't scratch.  Like poison ivy, this spread when the bumps get scratched and opened up.  Poor little guy has to wear a shirt even when he's sweaty (and he knows when he's sweaty, too).  Here he is in this picture trying to hide from the doctor and watch the cars drive by.

We had a bit of a longer wait today, and that's ok.  I had only called a few hours prior so I get that they had to squeeze us in between other patients.  So, we got a little stir crazy and worked on our "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, FREEZE" movements from preschool class at church. 

Different room than last time with this cool primary color theme.  Nice hiding place, too!

Abishai wanted to carry his own diagnostic sheet to the car like it was a trophy or Sunday School paper.

Official info on today's final diagnosis.

We've had some great sunsets now that it has stopped raining buckets and buckets.

This was taken mid morning, yes, when it was school time.  And you wonder why I talk about chaos and crazy town and trying to stay on task.  Abishai had capture the Justin dinosaur and was putting him back in his cage.

Hiding from the Justin dinosaur.

More sunsets.  I'm just glad I was home to catch them.

Cameras can't capture the actual depth of color we have sometimes.  I need to learn what the right settings are.

Abishai found a coloring and sticker book about big vehicles that the other boys never touched.  He wants to do it with Daddy.

Yup.

Some of the chili fell on the floor in the dining room.  Ewww...he was just trying to help!

I'm going to share with you this set of Instastories, which are 5 second clips of either pictures with icons and emojis or writing on them or videos etc. I thought I did a clever job of putting them together.  Enjoy!

Ditto!

I'm glad he enjoys the old type of little people as much as we did growing up.

I'm the big hairy scary boss and I say who can go outside to play on the trampoline and who can't.

Yup, they were all staring.  Better this than a 1,000 other things, right?

Another Instastory.  I found Abishai like this and thought of this phrase from a book series from my childhood that Keturah loved that goes through the whole alphabet with "Little A" and "Little B" etc.

Yes, this!  Lots of words starting with A or with A in them!  Great for beginner readers because you can have them read the words they can figure out and you say the rest like this: "Little A had a ____.....I will fill my_____Little ___ put n his ___ and went for a walk."

 To go with Instastories, Instagram has this filters and the kids love them!  Enjoy!

Morning snuggles and he actually fell asleep!  Awww!

I finally prepordered this after a friend shared "God Only Knows" on a FB post this morning.  It was her first time hearing it, but I knew exactly what she meant when she talked about it.  I don't actually buy music very often and I don't subscribe to any music apps like Spotify. I listen primarily from YouTube.  But the app won't run in the background unless I pay for it to do that, and I want to be able to play this music and do other things on my phone, too, and this was the only way it was going to work.  The only other CDs, online or physical copy, are Michael W. Smith's ones.  So, this is a big deal because these songs are incredible!

Abishai and I had some impromptu one on one time.  He was frustrated with the plastic food he put in his garbage truck so I got down to help him.  Then he brought into the kitchen his kitchen set and picnic basket and such because he wanted to make food for his Clifford and other stuffed animal doggies.  That turned into me eating a pretend muffin, thus we needed to make more muffins.  I asked him what kind and mentioned oatmeal.  Well, he wanted to get out the real oatmeal and I actually let him.  I gave him 1/2 cup of oatmeal and he added some raisins.  Just enough to play with but not too much because we don't want to be wasteful.  He stirred and talked about it a bit. (story continues below)

Then he carefully placed the concoction on this little pink plate for me. (cont.)

But that wasn't good enough so he dumped it on a bigger plate and added plastic veggies.  Then he asked for what I thought was a cover for food like one of those mesh bug covers/tents you put over your food outside.  What he really meant was he wanted to put the food in a bowl with a lid so he could save it for a camping trip tomorrow. (cont.)

Before I knew it, he had dumped leftover cereal he had from this morning, the oatmeal and raisins, and the plastic food in the big mixing bowl.  He put the lid on and held it tight while he showed his big brother and big sister.  And he put it aside to show Daddy later as well.  I just left it on the counter for his snack at the campfire tomorrow and he left it alone.  What a fun turn of events that I wish happened more often.  I actually took the time today to be with him and we both loved it.

He suggested vacuuming the extra oatmeal up and he did it!

Some late night trampoline jumping while Daddy mows.

The blur describes our life right now.  Except this young lady was on her hands and knees crawling for most of the day because she had a fever, chills, snotty nose, cough, etc.  She was genuinely sick but as soon as Dad came home, she acted normal.  She probably had a fever and it broke, but still, she milked it for all it's worth today.

This one forgot to watch his DVD lesson for Grandpa class and had to postpone the class until tomorrow.  Whoops!  Keturah said there were two other girls on the Zoom (like Skype) call today with Nora, Everly, and Grandpa.  Alrighty then.

Abishai exhausts hinself all day and it keeps all of us watching him to make sure he doesn't crash and burn.  I think Justin is Abishai's favorite young person.  They share a really special bond.  Abishai will specifically ask for Justin a lot.  Super awwwwwwwww...........

 

This series just shows you different exposures of the same sunset.  I sort of understand this part of photography, the aperture, where you let more or less light into your camera lens.  I believe this is a bit above the middle aperature.

This is at 0 aperture, or average/normal/middle of the road.  Or rather this is the default setting.

This is slightly smaller aperture, meaning the lens wasn't as open so not as much light came in.

Same with this.  This is on the default setting.

This is below it.

This is way above.

And this is more normal, with the camera figuring out what's best for a great shot.  Anyway, just another hobby of mine and I wish I knew more because these pictures don't do the sunset any justice.  Gorgeous!