Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

                                            You may wonder what our homeschool looks like.  You may not, but I'm going to talk about it anyway.  Blogger's prerogative.  :)  (where's an emoticon when i need one?) I imagine some people are interested in this, particularly because most people we know send their kids to public school.  What do those crazy homeschoolers do, anyhow? Although no day follows an exact schedule, we generally follow this routine: 9:00 Breakfast I usually read a devotional or Bible story with the kids (best done if I eat breakfast before the kids arrive). Get dressed, brush teeth and hair, play. 9:30 Youtube Morning Routine Kids' Praise songs, science videos, days of the week song...whatever we're trying to l...

Mom!  Can we paint today?  PLEEEEEASE??? Trying hard not to say "no."  But...I don't want to make a big mess. I know the kids love it, but I'm always stuck cleaning up the stuff afterwards. So...it's time to pull out my 2 favorite KIDS' PAINT CRAFT HACKS 1.  Easy-Peasy Paint Smock: 1 white trash bag 1 clippy thing (clothespin, refrigerator magnet clip, etc.) Drape the bag over your child's chest, then bring two corners together behind their neck and clip it (I used a refrigerator magnet clippy). Voila!  A superb paint smock. Time to sit back and enjoy watching them create their masterpieces. If the smock gets too messy, just throw it away! Cheap and easy.  Perfect. 2.  Super Easy Paint Cups Clean applesauce or jell-o cups work wonderfully as water or paint containers while the kids are painting.  It holds just enough, and is easily cleaned and refilled. My 4-year-old caught me cleaning out my pur...

GOD DOESN'T MAKE MISTAKES. I was sitting here this evening, worrying about things.  Things I can't change.  Things I cannot affect no matter what amount of effort I put into it. Stressing about stuff. Do you find yourself doing that? Yeah.  Me too.  All the time!! This evening, after stressing about things and reading information on the internet about stuff that may or may not happen,  I went out onto our back porch. I love to be outside and this was the perfect night to do it. Pitch black.  The stars are out.  A slight chill in the air. Ooh - there's the Big Dipper, the Arrow, and the one that looks like a "W!"   (Caseopeia?  Good thing we're studying constellations this year!) God laid out each of those stars in space in precise locations so we would have a guiding light, wherever we may be.  Explorers, sailors, hikers, and adventurers of all walks, from all over the world have depended on the nigh...

This weekend, while searching for a particular receipt, (the one I could take back to have my daughter's botched bangs repaired at the hair salon) I made a startling discovery: THE BEACH IN MY PURSE!!!! First, I discovered an OPEN bottle of water - lid MIA. ( and it hadn't spilled.  do you believe that? ) Second, I found sand covering the bottom inch of my purse's interior. (How'd that get there?) (Ooh - and look at all the quarters!  No wonder my purse was so heavy.  Time to fill up the chore money box!) Why didn't they include a beach chair, an umbrella and a book? I would have dove right in and had myself a little vacation. Ah...life with kids! How boring my purse will be when my little minions no longer need me to tote their treasures. UPDATE!!  The stuff in the bottom of my purse was not sand.  I repeat: NOT SAND .  What, pray tell, was the gritty pile of stuff?  It was a collection of...

    "Why Do You Homeschool?" I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this question. And I can't tell you how many different ways I've answered it. I guess my answer has to do with...what are the really asking? Are they asking, "Why are you keeping your kids at home, depriving them of socialization ?" Are they asking, "Why don't you send your kids to public school?  It's what you're supposed to do. " Are they asking, " Why Would You Make Such a Crazy Choice? "  -or- Are they asking, " Why should I consider homeschooling ?" This evening, I was asked "the question" by someone who is part of a local PTA. She said they are trying to understand why people are taking their kids out of public schools to homeschool them. I knew that this woman was sending her two children to public school this fall.  And the other kids who were at our church event atten...

                                          Birdie action shot. I thought I had it all together. We started homeschool together, did a few warm-up songs and the Pledge of Allegiance. Then I divided up the kids for computer work, iPad, or seat work, and off we went! Everything and everyone was quietly working and I felt like I was on top of my game. When it came time to switch "stations," we heard a strange sound. A very strange sound.  Screeching and scratching.  Were the bushes whipping against the windows?  No - there wasn't a breath of wind outside.  Then it stopped.  Oh well! While helping my kindergartner on the the computer, the screeeeching, scratching sound started again.  And this time we could hear it sliding down our cylindrical...

 Would you believe the first day of homeschool this year was taught by my husband? Yep - he's great! I work only 2 hours a week doing some filing at an office, and that happened to be Monday morning. I missed the first day of school.  Over the weekend, I broke out their books, opened new marker boards, and wrote out their first day lesson plans. My hubby ticked through them like a pro.  The first day teaching two kids?  He rocked it. So today (Tuesday) was my first day of homeschool for the year. I usually have all sorts of expectations built up that first day.  We're going to take on spelling, multiplication, learning to read, resetting the calendar, and climb Mount Everest!  I carefully scoured ebay, amazon.com, and publisher's sites this summer to choose just the right curriculum and products.  I excitedly unwrapped each precious package as it arrived in the mail.  With a gleam in my eye, I knew this year was going t...