Schooling at Home--Making it Work

This is our second year homeschooling. Since our move 5 months ago we wanted to be sure Tru connected with other kids who home school too. So we hooked up with a great homeschooling group in our area and what I found was that it wasn't just for Tru. Through different activities and functions I've had the opportunity to get know the other parents. It has been so helpful and encouraging for me. I've got to talk with people who've been home schooling for much longer than us and hearing what has worked for them through the years. I've picked up some new ideas and some fresh perspective on making homeschooling work for our family.

One thing I've struggled with in the past is trying make home schooling like the school I experienced growing up. I was a public school kid. Thankfully, while visiting with another parent at a Valentines Day party, I was reminded of this. Homeschooling is NOT school at home...it's in the car, at the park, in the library, at the grocery store, on the soccer field, at church, and at home. Even at home I've found that our best learning time happens in the living room reading a book or going over a lesson in the play room while the twins are playing. We do spend our focused math time at the table. I'll be honest with you I like the idea of just sitting at the table and plowing through subject after subject, but that hasn't worked for us. Tru is a six year old boy who is very active and he's not meant to sit at our table for hours at time.

Our family is unique. Every family has a differ dynamic to it. I am learning that I can not compare our homeschooling journey to other families journeys. I especially have to be careful not to compare everything with the "typical " school stuff. From what curriculum we use to how and when we school we differ from others, especially "typical" school, and that's okay. When it comes to the way we home school we are definitely more on the eclectic side of schooling. We use one curriculum for math and a couple different ones for phonics. And as for everything else I pull from our local library, the internet, and hand me down stuff that I've received along the way. The beauty of homeschooling is that I'm not forcing Tru to fit school. I can make school fit to Tru. If something isn't working we can find something that does. We can slow down or speed up according to how he's learning. We move at his pace.

Lastly, it's not always easy. We have hard days for sure. Just last week Tru and I were butting heads. We usually have reading lessons to start our school time off, but lately it's been like pulling teeth to get him to sit down for a lesson. So we switched the subjects around and started with his math first, something he enjoys, and it seemed to get him in the whole "work" ready mode. We had a few frustrating days until we switched some things around, but homeschooling gives us the opportunity to find what works for Tru and make it happen.

But what makes the not so easy days more bearable are the good days in between. It encourages me and stirs my passion for teaching our children at home when I see Tru catch onto something that he's been working on. Those are our small rewards and much appreciated blessings!

~"Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible)

Bringing my Boards to Life

Every time I look around Pinterest I find something I want to cook, buy, decorate, or make. Now I know I have more things pinned than what I have actually made or cooked. But recently I have done a couple things that I pinned on my boards...

Found this idea of using an over the door shoe organizer and I hung it on the inside of my pantry door. It has been a great in organizing art supplies and handy pantry items.

My second come to life pin was a Coffee filter wreath. I used foam tubing for the wreath part. The foam only cost .97 cents! So much better & cheaper than the white foam. Found the idea from a Pin that originated from The Penny Parlor blog's coffee filter wreath and then I found another great coffee filter wreath pin from The Little Brown House blog

Who knew a little foam tubing, hot glue, and some brown coffee filters could make this...

And I finished during a couple of the twins nap time!

Enjoying my Boys!

So I'm up late tonight and fully enjoying the quiet house. Silence doesn't always get the credit it deserves...it's nice. Also, I enjoy my rowdy boys more after some quiet time. I was perusing on Pinterst this evening and came across this great article on why boys need their mothers. Here's the link, http://kelleyward.hubpages.com/hub/Parenting-Boys-What-Boys-Need-From-Moms so you can check it out. The title of the article is Parenting Boys: What Boys Need From Moms, by Kelly Ward.

So in her article she talks about 17 specific things that boys need from their moms. All of the points were good and very true, but the one that summed it all up for me was the last one about just enjoying your son's boyness. It made me stop and think I don't know if I always take time to enjoy their boyness.

When I think about boyness I think of the moment their feet hit the floor they are moving ninety to nothing. Liam will literally run up and down the hall as fast as his little legs will carry him. And of course the constant "If I can put my hands on it, I should climb it!" is a popular philosophy in our home. We are starting to see Liam and Levi, who are 16 months old now, develop their own individual style of play and personalities and it's ALL boy. One of my favorite parts of the day is just to sit in the playroom floor and watch all three of them play. I mean really in their own world. Sometimes alone or interacting with each other it's always good. They are balls of energy most days.

But enjoying their boyness is more than just rough housing and bustling energy. They have their "quiet" discovery time, too. As a mom I get the front row seat to watch when something has sparked their interest and they have to figure it out. Whether that requires them to stoop down low to follow a trail of ants or pull something apart just to see how it works. These moments of intrigue usually bring up lots of questions and generally come up while we are running errands. I find myself being asked questions like how fast a tornado goes and what do lady bugs eat and how come I can't hear what Tru is thinking(my new favorite). A lot of our school discussions are brought on by Tru's questions. One of the many pros of homeschooling, but that's another post.

Oh and the snuggling! I don't think this would be considered enjoying their boyness, but it is mentioned in the article. It is something I enjoy most and Tru is always willing to do if it will keep him from going to bed. I hug my boys. They need it just as much as girls. I love to get down on their level and just wrap my arms around them! Sometimes it's solicited and sometimes I have to catch them, but whether they want it or not, I have to cuddle them. I know someday they will be full grown men, with a life and families of their own and I want them to look back at their boyness with fond memories that will warm their big manly hearts.

There are days that as a mom, I need to refocus and chill. But just taking the time to think about all the wonderful blessings these sweet boys have brought into our lives renews my momma mind. I want to see them fulfilling their God given purpose as mighty men of God. I know that is our goal, for J & I, as their parents. And how awesome is it that God blessed us with 3 great little boys! Wow and to think all this started with a quiet house!

Our boys on the move. Levi...

Liam...

& Tru with Levi who has learned how to climb onto the kitchen chairs...this new talent has brought on some new challenges! Good times!

A Moment in our Week

A moment in our week...

Twinsie Tuesday--Year ago Today

It's been a little while since my last Twinsie Tuesday post. It's about time, right? What better way to restart Twinsie Tuesdays than reflecting on how far we've come in a year.

A year ago today I would not have been up at 10 o'clock at night blogging. This was the time of night that I would have stumbled into out room, after feeding the boys what would hopefully be their last bottle for the night, and proceed to pass out from complete sleep exhaustion. They would usually nurse/feed at least two more times in the nights. Thankfully, their was light at the end of the sleep deprivation tunnel. The boys started sleeping through the night at about 3 months old...which was usually from 9 to 6 or so. Oh the joys of sleep! What a blessing.

A year ago today, I was just starting to develop a routine. The twins were on schedule and life was beginning to have some normalcy to it. We had it down to a science change, feed, change, nap, change, feed, nap, change...I think you get the picture. And in between the changing, feeding, and napping(there was no napping for me)I was also homeschooling and tending to a five year old...good times. These days we are still on a good schedule. The twins are 15 months old and we are able to deviate from the schedule from time to time. They are walking, talking, and so much fun to be with. They keep us busy from the time their little feet hit the floor. Tru's in first grade now and we're still happily homeschooling.

I'm so thankful for how far we've come since those sleepless nights the first few months. I remember nursing the boys in the first month at 2:30 in the morning thinking that the sleepless nights were only temporary and the time, however slow it felt then, would go by all too quickly. Thinking that way encouraged me, not that there weren't nights that I was nursing and crying at the same time. Chalk that up to the sleep deprivation and post pregnancy hormones. It's only by the grace of God and a very supportive husband that things went so smoothly. And today we are reaping the benefits of the work we put in the first year in our beautiful twin boys. What a difference a year makes!

Book Review: Prayer Walk by Janet Holm McHenry

So I was so excited to get this book in. I ordered it right before our move and received it a week after we got here. However it has taken me far too long to get this post up. I blame it on the lack of internet here at the house. So I'll get right to it...

It is definitely that time of year when people are priming themselves for a change. Prayer Walk is good book to start the New Year with. Janet Holm McHenry leads her readers through her own experience with prayer walking. She writes about her dealings with depression, weight, and the overall blahs in her life and how the Father lead her to overcome those things by committing to walking and praying every morning. In her book, she talks about how she began to pray for her community as she walked and the awesome changes she saw as result. She hits the basics of how to prepare yourself, so that you're less likely to hit that snooze button when morning comes. She talks about how to pray, how to stay focused, and how to make time for prayer walking. I was encouraged and can't wait to give prayer walking a try.

~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Settled In

A month has past since we moved and we are settled in. It took a little bit and honestly I still haven't unpacked all of the boxes, can you say procrastinator, but our new place is starting to feel like home. I've enjoyed the great Fall weather that being back here has to offer.
Tru and I raked leaves a couple weeks ago and I know it looks likes he's working...

...but we raked them so he could jump in them. That's the best part of piling the leaves up anyway, right? Either way he was happy to rake if it meant he could play.

Just another perk at our new place is the view. The trees were changing colors when we moved in and it was an awesome sight to watch. It just fueled my love for all things Fall!

The twins are growing like crazy! Levi has started to walk. He hasn't mastered it yet, but he's getting there. Liam has started to try but no steps yet. He starts to stand, then plops back on his bottom which really amuses him, and so he'll spend like five minutes just standing and plopping and laughing. Also, they've started to climb on EVERYTHING. I spend a lot of my day corralling and playing in the floor with them. They definitely keep me on my toes.

Liam doing what he enjoys...climbing.

And then there's Tru. He's just about adjusted to the move. He's making friends at church,we're back into a good school schedule, and we're going to get him involved in few more activities after the first of the year. Things are good here and we're getting back to a normal family groove. It's a great way to start December 1st!