Thanksgiving in June

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

We have a lot to be thankful for....and we don't want to wait until November to give our thanks. Our family likes to give thanks as much as possible. Although this year was challenging, it was also amazing!

So here is our Top 10 List of why we're SO thankful for homeschooling-

1. We grew closer to God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Through homeschooling, we were able to have our "school days" anchored in Scripture and began to study His Word more in depth. We hope to nurture and continue to grow in this....for our family learned that spirituality is based on a relationship not a religion.
2. We were able to weather the storms together as a family. This academic year came with medical trials for our son. Thanks to homeschooling, he not only survived, he thrived! He didn't miss a beat, homeschooling gave us much flexibility with our schedule and we're so thankful that he is feeling much better!
3. This academic year also came with a lot of academic challenges for our son, but he CONQUERED them! During his "regular school years", our son felt different and behind. We were told that the way he learned was flawed. He worked hard, but the distractions & pace were overwhelming for him. Then came the " new standards" and the frustration exponentially increased. When we started to homeschool, the pace and learning focused entirely on him. He is reading at grade level! Do you know how many teachers said that could never happen?  "Jesus looked at them and said 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26 NIV.
4. As a result of going at his own pace, he became more interested in learning...because he could finally understand in his own time. Decreased Pressure = Increased Learning.
5. Sleeping in! 'Nuff said! 
6. This year, we traveled more and went on some AWESOME field trips! A few days, homeschool became museum-school, aquarium-school, Everglades - school  and my favorite... beach-school !!!!
7. Technology. Our son learned that he is a natural in programming (Hello, online JAVA classes!), developing apps and much more! 
8. Our AWESOME homeschool friends! They have been such a blessing and we're so thankful for the friendship, fellowship and guidance they have given us this year. 
9. Our son overcame his fear & frustration of word problems! Woo-hoo!!!
10. What lies ahead for next homeschool year? More knowledge, creativity and love...and some pretty big surprises...stay tuned for more! 

Time to land the helicopter!

We're back! We've traveled three times during the month of May...also known as "Maycation" in our home. Two wonderful family visits and one fabulous vacation to Vermont. We had a blast and we're so thankful that we were able to take school with us!

Today, we start to finish our year-end assignments, projects, etc. For the next couple of weeks, we're wrapping things up. I was concerned that our son was going to give me a hard time and push back with "Summeritis". You know, that lovely syndrome when kids "check out for the last month" until the end of the school year. It happens to our son (and millions of other kids) every year, usually around the end of May. Anyway, our son needs to finish his final copy of a story (language arts project) that he has been working on for a few weeks. I'm also trying to foster some independence in his schoolwork. Leaving the room for a while, letting him figure things out and asking me for help only when he absolutely needs it. So, I'm landing my "chopper" as a Helicopter Mom! Today, I asked him to sit at his laptop, with his written notes, and type his final copy of his report. Then I left the room for a while....

Would you believe that was more than an hour ago and he is actually enjoying it?!?!  His typing skills are pretty decent now, thanks to an online typing course. The best thing about his finishing this  story? His creative juices are flowing! Just from the little bit that he has shared with me, his story has action, suspense and it's so funny. I can't wait to read it, because he has become quite the writer! We always knew he loved sharing stories. He has the gift of gab and telling stories. Never in a million years would I have thought that he would love to write stories, too!

This is something that I can nurture as a homeschool mom. His new found-love of writing...OK, typing stories! Giving him the confidence to try new things and do them on his own and develop his own style of writing. So, my helicopter is landing...and the laptop is going into overtime!

The Journey of a Seaheart

This is a drift seed (also known as a sea bean). We found it last week during our family vacation to Boynton Beach, Florida- where we visited my husband's parents. In addition to seeing family, we were blessed enough to spend some AWESOME time at Boynton Beach. My husband and son found this beautiful Seaheart Sea Bean during a walk along the shore. It probably has an amazing story, of course, we turned it into a hands-on, learning experience for our family (Much to our son's dismay, our new motto is "Learning never stops!").

We believe this sea bean is an Entada gigas or a Seaheart Sea Bean. and originates from the Amazon Jungle. The Entada giga vines will curl around trees that extend over the Amazon River. The sea beans, that are inside the pod (on the vine), will fall into the river. The seeds will separate from their pods, and eventually, will make their way the ocean.  The currents of the ocean will take these mahogany-colored beans on long journeys to far-away lands.  The waves of the ocean will also polish the thick, dark skin of the Seaheart. A Seaheart can remain in the ocean for many months, even years until it finds it way to shore.

When I was 10-15 years old, I spent my summers in South Florida.  I often visited the beach and I remember finding these sea beans along the shore.  I loved hearing stories of how sailors thought Seahearts were good luck, because of their thick skin and their ability to withstand long journeys in the ocean. I even remember a story that Christopher Columbus was inspired by a Seaheart to sail west in search of new lands! I shared all of these stories and legends of the Seaheart with my husband and son, who were eager to hear about our new treasure from the beach. Of course....the first thing I thought of, as a new homeschool mom, when they found our Seaheart? What a fantastic Unit Study this will be when we get home!

In many ways, our journey in life is like the journey of a Seaheart. We start out in one land, surrounded by the things we know and encompassed by a protective "pod". Then, we are trusted by God, to take a journey in unknown waters to faraway lands. Just like the Seaheart, we can buoyant and resilient, during our travels through the rough waters of life and we can do this through faith and strength. To someone else walking along the beach, this may look like something ordinary that washed up on the shore.  However, I think its a reminder from God...that this ordinary seed was transformed, by the ocean, to turn into something pretty special. If we continue to trust in Him, the journey will be just as amazing as the destination.....and we will become polished by Him, just like the Seaheart.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!

For most of his life, our son was an early riser. 6:00 am was his usual wake call for a long time. During those toddler, preschool and early elementary school years, our son would happily wake up between 6:00 - 6:30 am. He was ready and willing to start the day with spring in his step, it was so stinking cute (but exhausting)!

As he grew older, our son wanted to wake up later. When adolescence began for him, sleeping in later became more enjoyable and needed. Getting out of bed early in the morning became our weekday struggle..."Just five more minutes, Mom!"....ugh!

Needless to say, being able to sleep later has been a huge perk of homeschooling. You know what?  My kid and I?? Not so much morning people!! The fact that we don't have to wake up as early to get to school is outstanding. The fact that we can do our schoolwork in our pajamas and get dressed whenever we need to go out is simply blissful (I never thought that I would ever use those words to describe our mornings)! I'm sure once we get into a regular co-op routine this fall, we'll have some earlier mornings. However, for now, our mornings are heavenly.

Today was a blast from the past. Our son had a follow-up appointment this morning. I scheduled it early, around the time when he used to go to school, so that he and I could still have most of the day to homeschool. In theory, this was a good idea. However, after homeschooling about two months and being used to our new, homeschool schedule, I was wrong. Wake up and smell the coffee!  We both didn't miss the morning rush to get somewhere in a hurry. We didn't miss the scramble of getting out of bed early, hurrying up to finish extra homework from the night before, scarfing down breakfast and rushing to school (only to hurry up and wait in the long, drop-off line). Blah. Today was a very good reminder that the old routine is history. From now on, I'll remember to make those appointments later in the afternoon, when we're done with homeschooling. We like our sleep too much! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and turn off my alarm clock.

Lingering Doubts

"When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted." - Matthew 28:17 NIV

Easter. Resurrection Day. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...who has risen indeed! To me, I associate this awesome time of year as a time of new beginnings, growing faith and exciting things to come.

Our family has made some big changes over the past few years.  Two years ago, my husband took a wonderful job, we sold our home in PA and made the move to NY. We've completely stepped out of our comfort zone in many areas of our lives. In December, we made the decision to find a church that we felt was more Christ-based. Thankfully, our search didn't last too long. We soon found a lovely church in our community that has welcomed us with open arms and invigorated our faith as a family. A couple of months ago, we began our homeschool journey and its been such a blessing.

Yesterday was our first Easter, our first Resurrection Day, at our new church. Our pastor gave an incredible sermon about how doubts can still linger in us, despite the miracles in our lives. His sermon, "But Some Doubted", shared how the disciples still had doubts. We were reminded how their doubts, about Christ having risen and overcoming death, were recorded in each Gospel of the New Testament. Despite the good news and what others had told them, the disciples still had their lingering doubts. 

This moving sermon made me think. Why do we doubt something?  Is it because we want to know every detail of a situation? Do we doubt because we're afraid? Why do we need to see something in order to believe something? Do we doubt change because it goes against what the world tells us is right?

I still have my lingering, occasional doubts about homeschooling. Every once in a while, I have the occasional doubt, when I hear or see something that reinforces what education "should be" or how "traditional" education is the "best option for everyone". Thankfully, I've learned to let the doubt go and remember that my faith will always be stronger than my doubt.

Homeschool field trips make me SMILE!

FDR slept here (Did you know FDR was homeschooled until he was 14 years old?)

A view of the Hudson River Valley from the 2nd Floor of the FDR Home

FDR's Study (and a few of his thousands of books)

Eleanor Roosevelt's typewriter (what an inspiration for a newbie blogger!)

FDR's Desk from the Oval Office

 

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Yesterday, we took our first "official field trip" as homeschoolers. We went with our homeschool friends to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Home, Presidential Library / Museum in Hyde Park, NY. If you're ever in the Hudson Valley, you MUST take your family to visit this wonderful and historic place....and all kids under 15 are free with a paying adult!

 

 In the past, the words field trip made me feel a combination of terror and dread. I was one of those "regular school" parents who went on many field trips, especially having an only child and working part-time. From Kindergarten through 3rd grade of our son's schooling, I was wrangled into at least one or two field trips each year. Of course, the groups I supervised seemed to be the rowdiest, wildest boys of the class (my son included)! There seemed to be very little learning on these field trips, just disciplining the kids and trying to make sure no one became lost or hurt. To top it off, I was the adult who often got stuck riding the bus with the kids...ugh! Migraines, a hoarse voice and sore legs always seemed to accompany past field trips.

 

Yesterday's field trip was nothing like our past trips! Our day was filled with hands-on learning, enjoying the beautiful spring weather and having great time with our friends. Our kids were well-behaved and my friend and I were able to enjoy the day along with them. Even though they were the only kids on the guided tour, they proved themselves to be eager students. The kids were interested in learning about FDR, his legacy and the world during his presidential terms in office. I don't think the other adults minded one bit that four, well-behaved kids joined them during the tour. In fact, I think that the kids added a nice element of energy and enthusiasm to an otherwise quiet group of adults. They reminded me that learning can be fun and if you're interested enough in a subject,...the time flies! We blinked and the next thing you knew, we had been there over four hours! My son even proclaimed- "Mom, I didn't realize it until today, but I really love history!".

 

You know what I didn't realize? I actually love field trips!

 

 

 

 



 



NOT From Concentrate

As an avid foodie, I love seeing the following descriptions on food labels:

• Organic
• 100% Pure
• Fresh
• All-Natural
• Heart-Healthy
• Lower Sodium
• Lower Cholesterol
• Not From Concentrate

I spend extra time reading labels of fresh, frozen or packaged foods. Not only do I look for those listings on labels, but I also try to read all of the nutritional ingredients. Yes, I am that annoying shopper...you know the one who reads labels, asks questions and who has the giant stack of coupons!

Despite my sweet & salty tooth (addiction to chocolate and ice cream), I try to eat healthy and shop healthy for my family. We are so blessed that our son actually enjoys eating fruits, veggies and ranch dressing and things like sushi instead of candy! Oftentimes, I hear people say that it is so much more expensive and time-consuming to eat healthy. I have to agree, but on the flip side of it, the investment in my family's health and well-being is so worth it!

With that said, I am finding that homeschooling is a lot like eating healthy.  If you think about it, many of our healthy-eating labels parallel "labels of learning". Organic and 100% Pure- As a homeschool parent, you know exactly what is going into your child's learning diet. There are no questionable ingredients about what is happening in your child's learning environment- things like bullying, distractions or factors that can take away your child's interest in learning. Fresh and All-Natural- Nothing stale. Fresh ideas and learning to foster creativity, interest and moving forward. Need a new way at looking at fractions? Have a unit study that incorporates things like cooking or art. Need a change of scenery? Have a unit-study field trip!  Heart Healthy, Lower Sodium and Lower Cholesterol- I liken these labels to the stress of learning in a formal environment. Namely, the physical and emotional tolls that the everyday stressors of "regular school" may have on your child's well-being. Think about all the stress that your child endures in school, especially  as he or she gets older. Add to that a child who may learn differently, who may need to approach things a different way or who may not fit into the "traditional model" of a school environment. Years of stress will take a physical and emotional toll on your child.  Doesn't sound very heart-healthy to me! Finally, my "favorite" label...Not From Concentrate- No watered-down curriculum. No time-saving shortcuts in learning. No outside programs or entities stating how many different ways your child should know how to do a single math problem for Pete's Sake!!! Nope. Nothing re-constituted, previously frozen or dehydrated...just the good stuff!

Speaking of good stuff, they say that "when you put good stuff in, you get good stuff out". I'm finding this to be so true. A few days ago, our son was doing some language arts activities from a new workbook that I found to be particularly interesting (and thought he might appreciate a different approach to writing).  Usually "ELA" or Language Arts is not a pleasant thing for our son to do...he never liked writing. However, I found some great activities that sparked his interest. After handing the workbook to me,  he said the words- that every book-loving, blog-writing parent loves to hear- "Mom. I hope it's OK, but I finished more pages and wrote more than you told me to do." Whoa...I thought I was going to cry!

Bon Appetit! Buono Appetito! Here is to good eating!