Happily married for 11 years. Rog is a fulltime FireFighter, as well as a volunteer on the small department in our community. Firefighting is not just a job, it is a way of life - for the firefighter, as well as the family of one. It is an adjustment, an attitude you have to have. You have to be ready to let him go at a moments notice, without knowing when to expect him back home. You have to let go of your 'what-if' fears and stand proud of who he is.
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Greater love hath no man than this, a man that lay his life down for his friends. John 15:13
I hope last week’s theme helped you get a bigger view and maybe some ideas about different ways to homeschool or curriculum. There is so much to share and so I hope this helped, especially the new homeschoolers, narrow things down a bit. I am sure some of you are still getting into your homeschool routines. I know some people are very routine oriented while others may be more “day-by-day”, and it all depends on your family and what works best for your life-style. This week please post what your planned homeschool routine is. The theme banner should give you some ideas on how to do that.
Our routine is fairly simple, I do not have set times, as I love to sleep in and if I ever wake and they are not up, I certianly do not wake them! We all usually appear about the same time in the morning though. Our routine is pretty much the same. I fix my caffeine (Dr. Pepper) and unload the dishwasher while the kiddos eat breakfast. MWF are my laundry days. TT are theirs - one is one day, one is the other - don't get me to fibbing about which is which though! After breakfast, whoever needs to start laundry gets that started and then we head to the school room. Most days, we start off with the things they do together (go ahead and throw tomatoes - I will be ducking ~ my kids are at the same grade level, so most of it we do together). The things we do together are History, Science, FIAR, Grammar and watch the MUS video. Once we make our way thru all of that, they are on their own to do their math, handwriting, spelling and reading. While they are working on their independant work, that is my computer time - check emails, blog, check in with my groups, deal with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Homeschool Support group stuff. MOST DAYS (if they don't play around) they are finished with their work about time for lunch or soon after. Once they finsih their work and we have lunch, it is chore time. Finish up the laundry, make sure kitchen is picked up and their rooms straight. From there, we have FREE time!! YAY! This is where they ususally head outside - unless there is a hurricane sitting above us - then they bring out more hot wheels and barbies than mattel has. Or, sometimes they chose to watch a movie or TV (yes, ducking more tomatoes - we have tv's and we watch them - they know what they can and can't watch - and there are some really cool things on discovery and the history channel during the day sometime!)
At 4:30, I start dinner. Usually by this time, Roger is home. We have dinner early because most of our evenings are out of the house - between church, fire department, scouts and such - so it has worked out to eat that early!
Bedtimes are fairly lax around here - we start telling them bedtime about 8:30, but if they are busy doing something, then we do not push the issue. Once they go to bed, they are allowed to read as loang as they would like to. I rarely go to bed and to sleep before they are out, but as they get older (and I get older) I am sure that will be changing in the next few years.
Assignment: Take time this week to write about YOU and your feelings of trials and triumphs with homeschooling. Touch on when you first heard about the concept of home schooling and whether you tip-toed into the idea or just jumped in and never looked back. Share your schooling as a child and how you compare it to what your goals are for your children.
Our homeschooling adventure began when they were 3. I was the owner of a child care center and had being dealing with the local school, the parents that were at the school, as well as the children who were products of the local school and we decided that it wasn't for us. I began researching and we had decided that once they got to K age, I would quit work and this is the route we would go. Well, that got changed a little due to my health and I quit working when they were 3 instead of 5. We spent the first year just hanging out and getting used to being home together, then we started some preK playing and it went from there.
The school that they are supposed to go to is considered open air - meaning there are no walls, which to me sounds very distracting - especailly to a son of mine who would be labeled ADHD if he was in the system. Roger went there and his mom stands behind us and our homeschooling decision 100%. My goals for my children are to make them love to learn new things and always be wanting to find out a little more about anything and everything.
Here is a photo from last year -minor things have changed - such as the computer that does not work is not out and the map on the wall is about where the bulletin board is now and there is a bigger wold map on the wall. I am having camera issues, as well as messy school room issues, so the current picture will have to come later.
Blogger Friend School has started back up! Classes start TODAY! Tuesday the 2nd! The teachers have a new web page devoted entirely to BFS, so go check it out, sign up and do your homework!
I finally finished blogging about our Disney trip!!!!!!! I apologize for it taking so long, but it is done now! I did backdate them to the days they were - here is the link to the first day, and you can following each day by the link at the bottom of the entry for the next day.
Being a homeschooling mom to 8 year old girl/boy twins is not much easier than being the wife of a Firefighter, but God placed me here for some reason, so I might as well enjoy the ride! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
