We are READY!!!!!

And we are ready to begin. I have had a few set backs but hearing my pastor say last night that the previous week he experienced an extreme case of "cold feet" for the day really helped me a lot. It is encouraging that they are on this journey with me. They homeschooled one child last year, but this year they will do all four. I feel like we are all embarking on an adventure together.

I finally finished my room...for now. I didn't get to do what I wanted and we opted to change rooms, but we are organized and we do have a classroom where I can teach and my girls can create, explore and begin our year. This isn't the room as it will look three months from now, but it is the room as it is now and since we start school one week from today, I think we have done pretty well.

We originally thought we were going to sacrifice one of the girls' bedrooms for this and we changed our mind and decided to use the dining room instead. After all, we don't "dine", we just "eat" around the kitchen table anyway and big family dinners are done at my mom-in-law's house so I don't NEED a dining room all the time. I encountered some obstacles here though. See, I run a full time business out of our dining room. Check me out at www.facebook.com/OneDivaThreeDolls or on Etsy at www.etsy.com/people/OneDivaThreeDolls . Anyway, I currently have to have a usable dining room, complete with storage for my heirloom dishes, a complete shop with three machines and a large cutting area and school. So, I didn't take pictures of my sewing corner or of my mannequin Bridgette standing guard in the corner, but here is where I ended today...

Organization is important to me. Each shelf is for a different child (except the top shelf, that's mine) and you may notice that there are wipes containers across the top. I took the entire cabinet load of puzzles we had, popped each lid on my printer and scanned it smaller. Then I dropped the newly shrunk (shrunken?) photo and the puzzle pieces into a ziploc bag and stuck them in the wipes container. I also took all of our card games out of their boxes and put them in ziploc bags and their own wipes container and did the same with our flash cards. What is now in four wipes containers used to take up an entire cabinet. Yay me.

We have a little person in our house. She is almost three and is desperate to claim her own territory and supplies in our room. Because of this, I had to find some out of the way storage for small items. All of our art projects, stickers, extra markers, etc. are up here as well as a few projects the girls made me last year in girl scouts. What you can't see is the plaque at the top of the shelf. It says, "My daughter is becoming just like me. Lucky girl." :)

I still have a business and home to run, so Mommy had to have her own space (pretend not to see my mess under the desk). Above our bulletin board (which will not stay empty for long) is a sign that reads,
Let's eat Grandpa!
Let's eat, Grandpa!
Correct grammar...it could save a life!!

(My rising fourth grader found that hilarious)

And here is the room from one angle. If you look carefully you can see my sewing machine and serger in the china hutch and a second sewing machine on the floor by the window. Bridgette was upset at not being in the photo, but she is over my right shoulder.

And here is our room from the other angle. I am standing in the doorway to our living room. The goal is to put up a curtain so if we are messy in our classroom, no one who visits our living room needs to see it. I think I am in love. :)

As soon as I got the desks in, my middle child sat at her desk. She was still sitting in it a few minutes later when I came back around the corner. I finally asked her if she planned to sit there for the entire week. She said no, but she was going to sit there for a little while. :)

Well, I'm off!!! to shop!!!

Here I go! I'm off to see the A Beka man to buy my new books for the coming year. We have had so many book blessings already this summer. I am excited to finally purchase these last items I need.

The bonus is that since I waited till he came, I got one of my books at the used bookstore for $13 less and since I'm ordering live, I don't have to pay shipping!!!!


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So I went to drop of the girls so I could do this in peace and of course, I get there and there is no line and I'm in and out in under 10 minutes (and $171 lighter) and I'm wondering, what should I do for the next half hour? The girls will be furious with me if I take them from Granny's after only a few minutes. So I'm thinking it's a time for Mama to get a refill on my Roo Cup and sit somewhere quiet for a few minutes. Wow, there's a novelty. With three kids underfoot 24/7, there isn't a lot of opportunity for "quiet". I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that concept!

So, I guess I'll go get them and forget quiet. It's not like they are going anywhere in the fall either. Might as well get used to it! :) (And I wouldn't trade it for all the world!!)

Stay tuned for more adventures as we return from our annual family vacation to plunge head first into the foray that is prepping our room! I think we are gonna have us some FUN!!! I'm gonna let the girls help me with this job. It will be good for them.

Books, Books, We've Got Books!!!!!

I am so excited!!! We have textbooks!! I sat down on Saturday and figured out everything I have and everything I need. It looks like I have about $200 left to spend. We have spent about $130 so far...that's for TWO children and that's NOT settling for anything I didn't actually want! Mind you, I did spend two hours and 5 erasers on a text book that had been partly used, but since I only had to erase 50 pages and there are 264 in the book, I'm pretty happy about that. Especially since I picked it up at our local used bookstore for $3.00 instead of the $15.65 list price!

Also, since I blogged last, I have been very busy, but not very chatty here. (I do have three kids ya know!) I have gathered my textbooks and planned for what to buy. I have chosen my curriculum as well as a supplemental curriculum that we will be adding to our regularly scheduled program. I have redesigned our homeschool room and changed which room we will be using. I have chosen our umbrella school. I have kept my own business (www.facebook.com/OneDivaThreeDolls) going well. I have taken my girls to Florida for a week and my big accomplishment...I HAVE POTTY TRAINED MY TWO YEAR OLD!!! WAHOO!!! I have changed diapers for nearly nine years, so the idea of NOT having to do that anymore is just phenomenal!!! :) It's the little things for us moms!

One of the things I have decided not to do this year is CO-OP. For those of you who are new to homeschooling, a CO-OP is a cooperative parenting group of homeschool parents that get together and team teach different subjects. There is usually a fee involved in being a member and then a fee for each class. You can teach a class or simply allow your children to take other classes. This is a great additional enrichment program if your children want to do a newspaper or music class or something along those lines. I have nothing against the CO-OP deal, I just want to get in our own groove this year first. I want us to be comfortable in our own homeschool skin before we branch out. Besides, with my in-laws, I don't need to pay to be in a CO-OP. They are more than willing to pitch in and help out anywhere I need (my dad-in-law is a retired teacher). So I have decided the CO-OP can wait at least one year.

Also, we have decided to use the curriculum from A Beka out of Pensacola, FL. Their curriculum is heavy on old fashioned values, old school grammar and mathmatics and filled with scripture from our favorite version, so it will fit seamlessly into our everyday lives. However, my gifted rising fourth grader decided to check out our science book. She flipped through the text book, dropped it on the table and said, "That will take me about six weeks. What else ya got?" After I corrected her grammar (ever the teacher) I told her that I would look into other options. That is when we discovered Apologia. This was my recent "OH WOW!" moment in homeschooling. To find an amazing and well written curriculum that teaches science from a creation standpoint and does it in a way that excites and interests a variety of ages, well, THAT was something worth checking out! I just won my first ebay auction for our textbook ($22.01 after shipping for a book that retails for $39.00 before shipping) and will be purchasing their Notebooking Journals from the website. The thing I love about this is the Notebooking Journal. Not only does this text teach creation science, but the Journal has two publications. One is the regular Notebooking Journal and the other is the Junior Notebooking Journal. The Junior one is designed for K-3rd grade and the regular for 4th-6th grade. I love it because I have a first grader and a fourth grader and we can do the same science curriculum together while it is on THEIR level and it fits seamlessly into our day (I'm really big on the "seamless" concept!).

Another thing I am learning is to cook more in my crockpot! I know it sounds weird to link that thought to homeschooling, but I am collecting these recipes to allow me to spend more time playing with my girls after we are done with school and less time working in the kitchen. Feel free to comment with any links you know of with great recipes! :)

So, that is where we are...for now. The rest of this week we are focused on Vacation Bible School (RAH! RAH! RAH!) and then there will be more trips to the used bookstore before I order any new books! I don't know about y'all, but I am ALL about a deal! Bring on the erasers!!!

Yellow is the color of my working room...

They say blondes have more fun, so I guess it was no surprise to discover that one of the most recommended classroom colors is yellow. It is supposed to stimulate learning. I wonder if that means we should paint our room yellow. A lot of people do. Here's a little other factoid I learned about yellow walls...people argue more in yellow rooms and babies don't sleep well in yellow rooms. At least that's what "they" say. Who are "they" anyway and how do they know all this stuff? By the way, "they" also say that painting the "teaching" wall of a learning environment a different color than the other three also promotes sharper attention. Again, I don't know who "they" are but "they" seem to think they know what they are talking about. Anyway, I asked the girls what color we should paint our room. Yellow wasn't on our list. Come to think of it, it probably shouldn't be. I mean think about it. If you know me at all and you know my oldest child, you know that we are two peas in a pod. She is my mini me, only with more talent. So...what happens if you put two type A females in the same room and close the door for an hour or so? I'm not really sure I want to find out and I'm pretty sure that Bailey doesn't either! See, for those who do NOT know me, I am not just a type A personality. I am an alpha female. It's not something I strive for and it's not something I'm super proud of, it just is. I think I am raising an alpha female as well. (Actually I think I am raising two and THAT is a whole other show, Oprah!) My oldest child is so much like me that we butt heads...a lot. My middle child is much more easy going. She is a pleaser and works very hard to make other people happy. It is definitely going to be an interesting dynamic next year. But we are certainly looking forward to it.

Table talk at meals centers around one topic, homeschooling. "What are we going to do next year?" "Hey, I got a great idea. Let's talk about homeschooling." (Of course you know, the teacher in me automatically says, "I have a great idea." To which comes the reply, "Cool! You wanna talk homeschool too?" I'm working a little up hill here!) They asked me today if we can paint a wall with chalkboard paint so they can draw on it. So, I thought, sure and then I got to thinking, wonder how many other homeschool moms would like to do that and can't afford the expense.

So here's a little tip for you today...1 cup of paint (any color or finish) and 2 TBSP Non-Sanded Tile Grout (pick it up at your local home improvement store for just a few dollars. Mix completely so there are no lumps and try to do it in a well ventilated area because that stuff is D.U.S.T.Y. So whether you choose yellow as a stimulating color, blue or green for their calming hues or basic black, you can make your own chalkboard paint in any area of your home. If you have a dedicated area for homeschooling but still want it to look like the living room, you can always use the same color that is already on your walls (just be sure that you mark off where it is okay to draw and where it is not!).
Personally, I know me and I know my kids (that's what this whole journey is about anyway, right?) and I personally know that if we paint our room ANY color that tends to stimulate arguments or disagreements, well, let's just say that's NOT a good idea and leave it at that! So...maybe we will check out those calming blues and greens!

Where are the Cookies????

So, as excited as I am about my homeschool journey and it's new beginning, I had to tell all of my homeschool friends at church last night that I have decided to join them.
First response, "Yay! I'm so excited for you. Let me know if you need any help with anything." (She has been with me through this whole decision journey) I gave her a big hug and thanked her for her support and prayers.
Second response, "I thought you were leaning that way, here are some websites that might help." I reminded her that I would be asking her a lot of dumb questions.
Third response, "Welcome to the other side. Muwahahahahaha!!!" To THIS amazing and funny, goofy friend, I replied, "I heard you had cookies!" "Cookies?? And cakes and pies. We do a lot of baking!!" Hmmm...sounds pretty good so far! lol
The next friend is one of those friends that I told very honestly and very firmly, "Homeschooling just isn't right for me or my family. But if that ever changes, I guess God will let me know." When I told her, she said, "Ahh. So you've decided to join us. Welcome to the dark side." (Again, I've always heard there were cookies on the "dark side." I like cookies...a lot) We had a fun little chat about things we might do together (we have mutual 4th graders and our 2 year olds are best friends).
Everyone wanted to know what changed my mind. See, I have always said, "Homeschooling isn't for me. I would kill my kids. We need that time apart." or "I totally support your decision to homeschool, but I want my kids to be able to do things that they can only do in public school, like drama and cheerleading, music and such." or "You do what you feel is right for your kids and I will totally support that. I am NOT homeschooling. I'll let you know if God ever changes that."
Well, change it He did. Like I said in my earlier post, it started with hearing my five year old singing, "I'm sexy and I know it." Needless to say, that song is NOT on my "mom-approved" music list! It grew with a parent/teacher conference where a teacher asked if we had considered retention for our kindergarten child because she is only five instead of six like many of the other children in their kindergarten. Um...no. We have not considered retention. We would, however, like to teach her what sounds words make before we teach her a couple dozen third grade words. The sounds make absolutely no sense to her, but by golly she memorized the words to please everyone. I don't exactly consider that reading. Knowing what sound the "ow" and "ou" in "about" and "now" make allows you to read them in words like wow, cow, and how as well as aloud, amount, cloud, and flour. Great. So she knows "about" and "now" but none of these other words and when she sees them has no idea what that sound makes. Yeah, that's gonna change. Then of course there is the discussion we have had about dinosaurs and the earth being billions of years old. I'm sorry, but I want them out of that mess before someone tries to teach them their ancestors slimed out a swamp somewhere and eventually grew arms and legs to swing from tree to tree. As Papa Charles says, "My ancestors may have swung from their necks but never their feet." Then I discovered that my third grader wasn't taught cursive this year. She can't write it and she can't read it. Oh, she can read Pride and Prejudice, but put a cursive "The big brown fox chases the lazy dog" in front of her and she is lost. Way to go, public school. I think the final straw for me personally was reading Dannah Gresh's book, "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl" (check out her website at www.secretkeepergirls.com). Here, I learned what my tween is learning from other children at school. That made me totally freak out and when I began to earnestly pray about what to do, homeschool moms started dropping into my path like "white on rice".
Here is where it gets funny to me. They say when God wants you to do something He will let you know. Boy, did He ever! First, I found out one of my very good friends I love and admire homeschools her son. He is 15 or 16 and one of the brightest, well adjusted, outgoing, smart, funny and precious kids I know. Uh yeah, his mom is responsible for that. She taught him to love God, live truth and serve others and well, he does. Then my other homeschool friends began showing me in ways they didn't realize how amazing their kids are. I spent a week with my sister and her homeschooled teenagers and thought, "I want my kids to be like that." I have always watched two friends in particular as their children have grown up in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And I thought, I wonder how to teach my kids that? Well, I guess I could TEACH my kids. Well, THERE'S a novel idea. If you want your child to "put on the whole armor of God, that (they) may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph 6:11), well then, I reckon you have to teach them what the armor of God is. For some parents, they can do that just fine in public/private school. For me, God was saying, "You ARE a teacher. You have been a teacher for many years. I have prepared you for this. It's time." You know, Paul says that "He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6b) So I asked God, "Is this my 'such a time as this'? Is this what You have been preparing me for? Is this why You have given me this strong desire to continue teaching that I can't reconcile with the strong desire I have to stay home with my kids?" And then He dropped NINE, yes, NINE homeschool parents in my path pretty much all at once. I'm a little dense. Sometimes God has to hit me over the head with stuff. So I started praying about it (so did my friend #1 from above) and my husband agreed to it. Then I got support from our family. Then I had a friend (#3) who offered to let me borrow her 1st grade curriculum saving us hundreds of dollars. Then my mother in law reminded me she had a table for me with adjustable legs. Then another friend recommended a way to get our 4th grade materials at a discount. And this friend suggested/gave this and this friend suggested/gave that and my husband asked me if I would like a room in our home dedicated to homeschooling so I could set up a "real" classroom with all of the stuff I used to have in my classroom at school. So it all came crashing together in a way that only God could provide. I said, "Ok, Lord! I get it. I'm going to do this! Let's go. JUST DON'T LET GO OF ME!!!!"

One thing I'm still wondering though....WHERE do I get those cookies????

I have seen the village....

Well, I guess it's official. Next year we begin homeschooling. After teaching in the public school system as many years as I have, I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I have seen the village and I do NOT want it raising my children. People homeschool for many reasons. Mine are not new or different. I want to teach my children the way they learn, not the way some arbitrary standard has dictated. I do not want the pressure of standardized testing to prevent them from doing well overall in school. I want my gifted child to excel and bring home A's instead of C's because she is too bored to pay attention. "Really, mom? Monday. THAT''S one of our spelling words this week. If you are in the third grade and can't spell "Monday" then you have serious problems." My younger child has struggled all year to meet the classroom standards, but manages them just fine at home. When my oldest was in Kindergarten, she was a whole word reader being forced to phonics read. "Mommy, yes, I got it wrong. There is no such word as "wep." How am I s'posed to read that?" Now that my middle child is in Kindergarten, SHE is a phonics reader being forced to whole word read. She knows what sound "ing" makes but couldn't read the word "when" because no one taught her the sound "wh" makes together. I also do not want my children being taught a humanistic world view. I do not want them being taught fiction for science class. I want the Bible to be a part of their everyday studies. Against it should be tempered everything we learn anyway. I want my youngest to never have to go through what my other two have had to endure. I want to encourage my oldest child to read at her level, but books that are AGE APPROPRIATE. Just because she can read on a middle school level doesn't mean she needs to pick up a copy of the Hunger Games. Sometimes Judy Moody and Junie B Jones are just fun. And FUN is ok too! I don't want my children learning about sex and the way their body works from a stranger in a room full of other children. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for transportation and meals for field trips when we have access to family passes and free days that aren't on traditional school days. I don't think my kids need to be out of school a bunch of random worthless days when they could be learning something amazing.
Many people say that I can still do all of that while leaving my children in the public school system. Let me tell you something. NEVER, NOT ONCE EVER, IN MY CLASSROOM will my child be offered drugs or condoms. And THAT is something you as a parent cannot control, what other students will tell/offer your kids. I don't want my five year old to come home singing, "I'm sexy and I know it." That's a little much for me. Am I conservative? You betcha! Am I going to teach my children what the actual Constitution of the United States of America says? Absolutely! Am I going to teach them that the holocaust DID indeed happen, that it was a terrible part of our history and that we need to learn from it rather than ignore it so that it NEVER happens again?! Guaranteed. Will I take them to the Smithsonian for a field trip? Oh yes! Will we have a class pet? (that was their number one concern) Sure! Is this going to be the hardest thing I have ever done in parenting so far? Probably. Am I up for it? Well, I am strapping on my high heels and I will let you know how the ride goes!

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it.