School at Home, part 2

Oh my, this was fun. For me. Here, you can see JT's reaction at breakfast.



The boys packed up their backpacks and were given a sack lunch and milk money.


We got in the van at 7:22 and started our journey to school. I dragged Luci out of bed (NO she did NOT sleep through the night) in her pajamas. We drove about 2 miles and told the boys that Luci and I would surely have fun at McDonald's this morning while they were in school. Bryan and JT looked at each other and then me--"WHAT? WHERE is this school? I thought it was at HOME!" I said it was, but it was just fun to tease them a little more. Luci was more practical and said, "I in my 'jamas! I no go to McDonald's!" She really cracked me up. Her thought processes are so clear sometimes.

Then we drove right past R. school, the public county school (K-12) just a mile from our house. JT almost quit breathing. I even got in the line of mommies dropping off their kids for the day! My! How mean is that?! When we pulled past the drop-off point without dropping off any children, JT started normal respiration again.

They had to schlep all of their stuff everywhere they went. If anything was left behind, it would be confiscated and returned at the end of the day. Just like at a regular school, when you leave something behind, you might not see it again--lunch, that homework, a nice backpack. We hope everyone is honest but I wanted the boys to have the pleasure of carrying everything from class to class the way their friends do.


Between class periods, the boys had to move to their next class. To make it sort of realistic (not just sitting at the dining room table all day--we have never had school desks for our schooling), I had the boys walk laps between classes. We have an open floor plan and they walked the circuit from class to class. At one point, JT had to walk "way down the hall" to the bathroom--2 laps. Then 2 laps back, but oh no! He forgot to wash his hands. So back he went for 2 laps there, 2 laps back. All the while holding the lovely potty pass.

After walking 5 laps to Social Studies, Bryan made the observation that "I really feel like I'm going somewhere." Here he is going to class:



JT was starving by 9 am. He decided he loved his tuna sandwich, but like in "real school," he could not even nibble until lunch time.


I found ed Helper.com and it was a great resource. Almost all of our stuff for today came from there. I will be using it more in the future for supplementing our studies. Great for "regular" schooling and homeschooling alike, and for moms at home who want to help their kids review things taught at school. You do have to join (about $20 for the cheaper version) to have access to the printable stuff.

Here's the teacher. Do you know any teacher who is not part actor? I had the best time today being a different teacher in each class period. The boys had to deal with the different names and personalities. I think they really liked the "free spirit" who was the English teacher.

Bryan trying to keep busy without talking after getting done early with his work. The boys only had access to the dining room (classroom), bathroom and circuit (laps to to the next class). They were not allowed to go to their rooms to get anything, or snack, or play games.





Waiting in line for lunch. P.E.

Luci even got into the action in P.E.



Do you like "regular school"? Having the day last much longer than normal, no breaks when you want, having to be in the same room as your brother all day?

What about Homeschooling?



I sure hope that means the attitudes will be better. Still doing our checklist, to keep track of attitudes and behaviors we desire to see in them.

Things that I learned:

• It is ok to change things up radically to achieve the results we want--"school at home," using a new resource (ed Helper.com)


• I really, really like my kids. All of them. Really.


• I can use my teacher voice more (the one I used to use with my students in TX and LA 'way back when) instead of my impatient-mother-"don't-you-understand-yet?" voice that I too often use with the boys.


• No one wants to earn extra credit by changing a dirty diaper.
  
  
  
  

Update on Mom!

Mom is fine! I just called their house and she answered the phone--what a nice surprise for me!

Mom even bragged on the omelet she was served while in the hospital today; she was treated very well while there. Dad was able to stay with her the whole time, and he was a real trooper, according to Mom.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for my Mom today.

Please Pray for My Mom

I got this email this afternoon. Boise is simply too far away to "just go visit."

Dear everyone,

I took Mom to the ER this morning at about 6:00 because she had her left leg go numb - nearly collapsed.

She has been moved to a Stroke/Heart monitoring section of St Luke's Meridian where she will have an MRI and ultrasound on her carotid arteries. They think it is a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) and haven't yet found any problem.

We hope she will be able to come home this afternoon.

More when I hear it!

Love,
Dad

School at Home

Okay, so here's what we are doing today:

We have an experiment going on today here at the house--"real school" instead of homeschool. I've pulled out all my tricks of boredom as a former teacher and will subject the boys to an 8 am -3 pm school day, which they have never had. Even have a "potty pass"--Luci's porta-pottyseat if they have to go during class instead of making it in between. HA! (Thanks to Mr. Holsclaw in 8th grade--Lowell Scott Jr High--for the idea!)

They've been such boogers lately, that I told them they were spending the day at a school, to get a taste of what their friends go through every day. They don't realize how special their days really are, I hope they learn their lesson. They have called all their friends to see what they should expect at school. Until yesterday, Bryan and JT thought they were going to either M.H., a private school that many of their church friends go to, or to W. the school that several other friends attend. We are even getting them into the van for a "ride" to school, complete with Luci's favorite DVD to bore them silly--the Teletubbies! I am so mean. They better not lose their milk money.

Something my kids have never had the pleasure of doing--packing a backpack the night before and carrying their lunch.
Update when it's all over.

Just some silly stuff

Luci is the Static Queen. This was at YMCA this morning. Luci thinks it is pretty funny. Yesterday, during worship, she kept rubbing her head on John's sweater to make her hair stick up. We don't even bother with ribbons and bows anymore on days like that.
What a grin!

What a talent! We use the cup to rinse bubbles off of a certain little girl.
Luci took these last pictures. She grabbed my camera and took off, and came back and showed me her "treasures." Hmm. Looks like she loves the tub, aka swimming pool.

What Is Going On Around Here?

Today in worship, we could not find Bryan to work the power point stuff--didn't know where he was until time to go home. Turns out he was in another worship taking place on our campus, but we've asked him to please come to ours in the future. JT decided worship was a good time to get out his Nintendo DS and play some games with his friend--seated in another row, so I went over to take it away from him (MOM! Do you know how embarrassing you are?? Yes. I do.) And Luci was an absolute monkey the whole time. Did you know that 4 of John's 5 children have ADHD? (Note to those children reading: you can think of yourself as that calm one, if you wish.)

We have a surprise for the boys on Tuesday, relating to their schooling. Update on that on Tuesday night. So far, the boys have been wailing and gnashing their teeth in anticipation.

With Apologies to Neil Sedaka

I love, I love, I love my colander girl

Yeah, sweet colander girl

I love, I love, I love my colander girl

Each and every day of the year

Notice the red shoes? Good! That was Luci's intention.

M.O.T.H. (Scheduling) Update

M.O.T.H. (Managers of Their Homes) was a great idea but just not for our family. It does work for many people, and I love order, but it just doesn't work for us.

Remember those charts?

They are in the garbage now. I did keep the chore lists (NO, Mom!!) .

We now have a checklist in place for schoolwork and behavior so I am no longer the bad guy. The boys can get a check for 1) getting up on time on their own, 2) completing chores before playing, 3) completing schoolwork before playing, and 4) "getting along." They can earn four check marks every day. Yesterday both boys got three check marks each. No comment on which boy slept in (he's the teenager) or which boy didn't get along with others (he's the other one).

See? We *Did* Have Snow!

One very happy little girl!
It's not much, but down here we take what we can get! The back yard:
JT teaching Luci how to make a snow angel. There wasn't enough snow to do this in the yard.
I've got it, JT!
Luci's first EVER snow angel! JT was so excited to be the one to teach Luci how to do this.

Why Preservatives in Bread Are a Bad Idea

That baker needs to check out Feingold--the adhd diet! (It's a diet free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.)

Snow Day?

Believe it or not, it actually flurried today. JT was taking out the trash (do I have to, Mom?) when all of a sudden his attitude turned to one of joy--snow! You can almost see it here in these two photos. Luci was sound asleep; we are hoping it snows until she wakes up so she can see it, too.

We've had a rocky time of it with homeschooling and last night John laid down the law...the boys spend the rest of the year learning, doing their chores, and get up on time, all without arguing the paint off the walls, or it's off to Rogers School--which, as I've timed it, is less than 2 minutes from our house. I really hope the boys take this seriously. This decision to homeschool them was not lightly made. I feel it is what I am supposed to do to train these children God gave me, and if I can't do it, then I think I have failed. I am praying that we have joy in our schooling for the rest of the year. I can't bear to think of sending them away before their high school years are over.

I am not so concerned about having this stress and agony of heart when the empty nest hits in a few years as they fly the coop--I am already dreaming of them being grown. I just don't want to give up my mission here yet. I'm really in agony over this. Those of you who homeschool might understand.

Kids' Blog

Bryan has a new post or two on the Kids' Blog. Be sure to vote in the new poll!

It's So Hard to Be Civil...

...when you've had very little sleep. It is humiliating to have to apologize to your own kids more than once in a day. Luci has slept through the night just 4 more times since December 17, the last sleep post. The last few nights, she has wakened and needed momma TWICE a night. I am exhausted. Nothing works...making her miss naps...feeding extra snacks before bed...melatonin...extra physical activity during the day.

Nana, recognize that Raggedy Ann? The clothes are in a safe place.

Guess Which Kid Is Mine?

I got so tickled at JT's first basketball practice. I met some of the other moms, and after introducing myself, I said, "You know which kid is mine--the white one--which one is yours?" It was so funny, and all the other moms laughed, too.

JT's team finally won a game yesterday, but lost the second game. I don't think they cared one bit that they lost the second game! They are all nice boys, and the coach is a good, patient man. His own child is not even on this team, but plays on another YMCA team.

New Blog? and Question of the Day

I just started a blog on Vox, because I have a friend there who has a really good blog that I enjoy a lot and want to be able to comment on: to leave a comment, you have to join Vox, so I did and that starts a blog for you if you like. Mostly, though, I will be using this blog, so don't bookmark that one unless you just really, really adore me. Translation: Only John has to put it in his favorites list.

Vox has a Question of the Day (QotD) and this was the one today: What are you most grateful for in your life right now?

Here's my answer:

I am most thankful for my immediate family.

My husband is a real dear, and so helpful everyday. His motto is, "If it needs doing, just do it."

Bryan, 15, is a pretty good teenager. He has a good sense of humor that occassionally drives me nuts. He has a lot of patience with most people.

JT, 11, is a cutie. He has lots of personality and is very involved in sports. He adores his little sister.

Luci is our sunshine. She is a very active 3 year old, and pushes me to go beyond my comfort zone when it comes to opening up to outsiders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course, the rest of our families are extraordinary--our parents are such good examples and I love all of mine--my own, and John's. And Heath and Audrey have built nice, solid families that we are proud of.

Dad, You Lost an Ally

Today Luci found a little spider crawling around, and John had her take care of it herself. She wadded it up, in wonderful fashion, inside a napkin.

I said to her, "I thought spiders are our friends."

Her reply:

They're not!

Ice Skating!

Putting on those skates for the first time....they actually had tiny skates, Luci-size. Another good thing was that children Luci's age skate for free! We were at Point Mallard, the closest skating rink to us. It was homeschool skate day (included a hot dog lunch!). Sonya, I didn't even think about calling you until we were almost there. I'm sorry! someday we will get Luci and Katie Lin together. First time on the ice.
Oops! Good thing Bryan's here.

JT helping
Luci is not scared of much (which can be sort of scary for Mom), and before our skating was over, she made it all the way to the other side. She and Bryan are in the middle of the picture, near those orange cones in the background. Luci is the teeny-tiny speck.

Bryan was a good sport and helped Luci most of the time. I tried to get JT to switch out with him, which he did, but Bryan spent most of the time with Luci.
Wild Man JT
It took all of 5 minutes for Luci to get used to walking and running on her blades.
All by myself!

Luci's Honey Bee Hop

JT got this present for Luci for Christmas. The object of the game is to jump over the bee--but Luci has her own way of playing. It's only 18 seconds long, so don't blink!

Tornado Weather

It was unusual in Wisconsin, but not so unusual down South. The storms moved through very quickly today, and a big one looked like it was heading this way--so down in the basement's safe room we went. We ended up with just rain, thank Goodness. Here are some pics of the action. I do hope our friends around the are fine. The winds looked vicious on the weather report, I hope no damage was done where you are. Y'all check in, ok?