Yep. That's right. We are on our last week of school for the year. Wow. It always amazes me to see how fast these years fly by...I remember when I was young it seemed an eternity! So I'm swamped with catalogs pouring over them to find what I'm going to be teaching NEXT year! lol A homeschooling mom's work is never done!
I'm getting excited actually becasue Suzy is going into 7th grade. Now is when all the "fun" electives start to kick in! I say it in quotes, becasuse she isn't looking forward to them, but I sure am! Foreign languages (she wants french, I want her to learn spanish), home ec., American and British lit., yes! These really are the things I am looking forward to! I enjoyed them when I was learning them (I had to pretend not to like them cause it wasn't cool back then). But in my heart I knew someday I'd have the chance to really invest the time/effort into them and now here it is! Yea me! Poor Suz! TeeHee.
Ian is going into 4th/5th grade next year. He's still in the tedious "memorization" mode. For the life of me I don't know why but both my kids hate memorization. Multiplication tables are going to kill me! I had to finally BRIBE Suz to learn hers at the beginning of 5th grade!!! She ended up with an American Girl doll for Christmas that year. I just keep thinking how much is Ian going to cost me? He's been eyeing a Wii. I haven't gotten him one yet cause he didn't take very good care of his game cube.
Well, anyway, I'm back from my tangent...one week left and I am already looking forward to next year! EEE!!! Come on September!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
What to do now
A few days ago, our cable/computer/phone went out. I had noticed the tweedle dee and tweedle dumb cable guys outside climbing up just about every telephone pole in our neighborhood as my cable kept going on and off all morning. Finally it went out completely and being the absentminded person I am, I thought maybe my bill was past due...nope...it was all paid up. So, a few hours later the kids were playing outside and apparently all of the neighborhood was out.
Fine. Okay.
So now what am I supposed to do? My kids have some of their schoolwork on the computer. Ugh!
I called on my cell phone later that same day and they told me, "we are aware of the problem it should be fixed in 12-24 hours".
Yeah. Uh huh! Sure.
Two DAYS later they were saying that all of the people have had their stuff back on for a full day...all but ME!!! They were saying that their computers were showing no problems...that my cable/computer/phone were all on and working...Hmmm....well they AREN'T!!! Oh, we'll have to schedule an appointment and get a field tech out there are you going to be home on Saturday between 8 and 10 AM???
There is a serious monopoly in my area folks. There is only one cable company here so I have to put up and shut up with all of this dumbness!
FINALLY, they got everything in working order. After 3 days! All I can say is I better have a credit on my next bill. I'm still thinking of complaining too, but what good will that do? I seriously need a piece of chocolate! :)
Fine. Okay.
So now what am I supposed to do? My kids have some of their schoolwork on the computer. Ugh!
I called on my cell phone later that same day and they told me, "we are aware of the problem it should be fixed in 12-24 hours".
Yeah. Uh huh! Sure.
Two DAYS later they were saying that all of the people have had their stuff back on for a full day...all but ME!!! They were saying that their computers were showing no problems...that my cable/computer/phone were all on and working...Hmmm....well they AREN'T!!! Oh, we'll have to schedule an appointment and get a field tech out there are you going to be home on Saturday between 8 and 10 AM???
There is a serious monopoly in my area folks. There is only one cable company here so I have to put up and shut up with all of this dumbness!
FINALLY, they got everything in working order. After 3 days! All I can say is I better have a credit on my next bill. I'm still thinking of complaining too, but what good will that do? I seriously need a piece of chocolate! :)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Ok well this post is more under the category of "Sanity" rather than "homeschooling". Man, I've been going nuts today cleaning my house and gettting everything "prepped" for the plumber who was coming today (sometime between 9 AM and 6 PM) He came at 4 pm...ugh!
The landlord had him install a new toilet since the one we had was leaking...in my mind, since there wasn't a leak in my place, but downstairs you'd think the problem was in between the floors, NOT the toilet itself. Oh well, not my money going down the drain!
So it went quickly thankfully, but here's the kicker, they are installing a new ceiling on the second floor tomorrow...he wants me to flush the toilet many times all night long to see if the new one is going to leak before they put the new ceiling in. They are pretty much blaming my kids for spilling water on the floor too. They have no clue. I'm getting to my witts end! Come on house!
We are going to look at a house on Wednesday afternoon. I'm hoping against hope that it will be in decent condition...we can't afford a palace, but I don't want a dump either. Please oh please God, smile down on us and show us what you'd have us do soon, cause this place and these neighbors are driving me CRAZY!!!!!!
The landlord had him install a new toilet since the one we had was leaking...in my mind, since there wasn't a leak in my place, but downstairs you'd think the problem was in between the floors, NOT the toilet itself. Oh well, not my money going down the drain!
So it went quickly thankfully, but here's the kicker, they are installing a new ceiling on the second floor tomorrow...he wants me to flush the toilet many times all night long to see if the new one is going to leak before they put the new ceiling in. They are pretty much blaming my kids for spilling water on the floor too. They have no clue. I'm getting to my witts end! Come on house!
We are going to look at a house on Wednesday afternoon. I'm hoping against hope that it will be in decent condition...we can't afford a palace, but I don't want a dump either. Please oh please God, smile down on us and show us what you'd have us do soon, cause this place and these neighbors are driving me CRAZY!!!!!!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
17 days to go!
We are in the home stretch for our school year. As of today there are 17 days left. Boy, this has been quite a year. I was thinking yesterday how lucky we were this past year. We actually made it through the entire curriculum that I purchased. I tend to be a bargain shopper, which means that everything that can be re-used, will be. I save all of the stuff I didn't use or wasn't written in to use again (mainly this is Suzy's stuff getting saved for Ian). So I usually end up only spending 4-5 hundred dollars a year for both kids! I buy most of my purchases between now and the end of July. Then once we start next year, I'll pick up other things that I don't immediately need (second semester classes).
I am still amazed at how quickly my kids grasp their lessons. I guess there is something to be said for the one-on-one teaching that homeschoolers enjoy. I love the flexibility of teaching at home too. The kids have a desk in each of their rooms and they are at the point now that they just go to the lesson plans that I write out for them a week at a time and "do" their work. If they aren't sure of something, or if they are getting a new concept introduced to them, they come to me and we go over it.
Then I check everything that they did and go over any mistakes. It really isn't as hard of a job than most people think. Don't get me wrong, in the beginning it was a lot tougher since the kids were basically blank slates that needed to learn everything. But it was a natural progression from being a mom teaching the kids to being a teacher.
On another note, Suzy just got accepted to another "club". She is a soprano singer on the pre-teen worship team. The junior high schoolers meet on Tuesday nights. It's a 5 hour a week commitment. She is thrilled! I have to say, she is a talented young lady. And she has guts too! I love to sing, but would never have the nerve to get up on a stage and sing solos in front of dozens of near strangers every week!
Well, I guess this has turned a bit into a pat-myself-on-the-back session...sorry all!
I am still amazed at how quickly my kids grasp their lessons. I guess there is something to be said for the one-on-one teaching that homeschoolers enjoy. I love the flexibility of teaching at home too. The kids have a desk in each of their rooms and they are at the point now that they just go to the lesson plans that I write out for them a week at a time and "do" their work. If they aren't sure of something, or if they are getting a new concept introduced to them, they come to me and we go over it.
Then I check everything that they did and go over any mistakes. It really isn't as hard of a job than most people think. Don't get me wrong, in the beginning it was a lot tougher since the kids were basically blank slates that needed to learn everything. But it was a natural progression from being a mom teaching the kids to being a teacher.
On another note, Suzy just got accepted to another "club". She is a soprano singer on the pre-teen worship team. The junior high schoolers meet on Tuesday nights. It's a 5 hour a week commitment. She is thrilled! I have to say, she is a talented young lady. And she has guts too! I love to sing, but would never have the nerve to get up on a stage and sing solos in front of dozens of near strangers every week!
Well, I guess this has turned a bit into a pat-myself-on-the-back session...sorry all!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Such is Life
We are in the home stretch! There are officially 20 days of school left for my kids! They couldn't be more excited! With each passing week, we've been "running out of stuff"...that's how they phrase it. It's at times like this when I like to pause and think back over the years and see how far they've come. I try hard not to think about how much there is still left head of us.
It is always almost breath-taking to me to think about how quickly these little toddlers started out with phonics and the alphabet, counting and "writing" to fractions, multiplication, division, geometry, and chemistry. Where does the time go? Why does it have to go by so quickly? I think part of why I am in this funk is because today is my half birthday. I always get reflective when I realize I am getting older too. I don't FEEL old though! Why do I have to age? Every day I look in the mirror and see the gray hairs, the beginnings of wrinkles, and the rolls of fat that I think will just never go away no matter how much I starve myself...*sigh*. This is my life. Good or bad, this is it.
On another front, I have been spending countless hours searching for a home. What area do I want to live in? How far away is to far? Do I want to uproot my kids again from friends/church family? Stress! EEEkkk!!! It seems petty to some I guess...oh well, maybe tomorrow things will look better.
It is always almost breath-taking to me to think about how quickly these little toddlers started out with phonics and the alphabet, counting and "writing" to fractions, multiplication, division, geometry, and chemistry. Where does the time go? Why does it have to go by so quickly? I think part of why I am in this funk is because today is my half birthday. I always get reflective when I realize I am getting older too. I don't FEEL old though! Why do I have to age? Every day I look in the mirror and see the gray hairs, the beginnings of wrinkles, and the rolls of fat that I think will just never go away no matter how much I starve myself...*sigh*. This is my life. Good or bad, this is it.
On another front, I have been spending countless hours searching for a home. What area do I want to live in? How far away is to far? Do I want to uproot my kids again from friends/church family? Stress! EEEkkk!!! It seems petty to some I guess...oh well, maybe tomorrow things will look better.
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