The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In My Life This Week...

This week has been a blur. I was not able to find the time to workout and that upset my mood. It has just been one of those weeks where I jump up and down because it's Friday! I'm feeling much better. Next week is going to go much better.

In Our Homeschool This Week...

I was the worst homeschooling mom this week. We didn't get much done. See above for reasons why. It seemed all motivation flew out the window. I am determined to leave this bad week behind and move on with a positive attitude.

Places We Are Going And People We Are Seeing...

This weekend is going to be busy. My best friend turns 36 today and tonight we are going out to celebrate her birthday. My son turned ten this week, double digits! And we are inviting family and friends over on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. I have a lot of celebrating to do!

My Favorite Thing This Week...

I would say my favorite thing this week is when I was really not feeling that great, I snuggled under the covers and fell asleep. My wonderful children behaved and let me take a little nap. Yes, a nap!!

What's Working/Not Working For Us...

I am ready to ditch our current curriculum. I'm sticking with it because the kids don't really seem to mind it. As I research what others are doing and what's out there I know we could be doing something so much more interesting. I'm debating on what I should do.

Homeschool Questions Thoughts I Have...

I though I was set on the curriculum I wanted to move on to, then a friend recommended Heart of Dakota. I had never heard of that curriculum before. I checked it out and it seems good. Has anyone tried this curriculum before? What do you think of it?

A Photo, Link, or Quote to Share...

Because I was having a rough week I was doing some extra praying. I read this blog, I Have to Sit Down. The post is called, What I Say to Mary:A Mother's Prayer. I thought it was so cute and funny. The post brought my spirits up.

May God bless you, your families, and your homeschool!

10 Day Homeschool Hop

Thinking about homeschooling? If you are and you have been researching you already know that all the information available can be overwhelming! This is why I love the internet and blogs. It gives you a peek into what other homeschooling families are doing, gives you encouragement, and often times friendship.

I am not participating in the writing of the 10 Day Homeschool Hop, but I will be a faithful reader. Head over to Heart of the Matter, to read the blogs in the 10 Day Homeschool Hop. These are good reads for those thinking about homeschooling and those of us who already are.

Happy Reading!

Keeping Homeschool Simple

As I was reading my daily blogs I stopped by Happy Hearts At Home and there was a link to a wonderful article called Helpful Advice For Homeschooling Elementary School Aged Children. The article is about keeping homeschooling simple and I was happy to read it.

There are so many things to think about when it comes to homeschooling. It's nice to have a reminder that simple homeschooling can benefit everyone.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In My Life This Week...

This week has gone very well. The kids are not sick anymore and they are running around as usual. The weather here is snow, snow and more snow. I am starting to feel trapped within the walls of my home. I find myself day dreaming about Spring when the kids and I can get outside!

In Our Homeschool This Week...

We have started narration with history. We worked on a chapter and instead of making the kids do the review questions I had them narrate what they just read. The kids informed me that they preferred this to answering boring questions. I was also surprised to see how much each child wrote. We are using the book Robin Hood for read aloud and narration practice for my 4th and 7th grader and The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh for my 1st grader and pre-schooler. (If he feels like jumping in)

Places We Are Going and People We Are Seeing...

We really need a field trip! All the snow makes it hard to get five kids anywhere. I think we will visit Grandma and Grandpa and that's about it.

My Favorite Thing This Week...

More of my Charlotte Mason books came in the mail this week, so I have been reading all week long!

What's Working/Not Working For Us...

Narration is definitely working. I may cross that over to Religion too. Not just the Bible, but also The Catechism. One thing at a time.

Homeschooling Questions/Thoughts I have...

As I said, my thoughts have been on Spring. I can't wait to have the kids start nature journaling. We live in the suburbs/city so I figured we could journal about our back yard garden. I am going to get a game called The Garden Game, and the kids will help me plant and take care of the garden while journaling. I would like to find some good living books about gardens, any suggestions are welcome.

A Photo to Share...

I have been praying for inner peace and a feeling of peace for my homeschool for a while. I finally feel like my prayers are being answered. The photo of the day is a peaceful place dedicated to the peace I am feeling.

To read more Homeschooling Mother's Journals visit The Homeschool Chick!

Narration

"Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child's mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education. A creative fiat calls it forth. 'Let him narrate'; and the child narrates, fluently, copiously, in ordered sequence, with fit and graphic details, with a just choice of words, without verbosity or tautology, so soon as he can speak with ease."
(Vol. 1 Part IX.--The Art of Narrating, p.231)

I have been reading everything I can about the Charlotte Mason method of Homeschooling and I am loving every word of it.

My children have been doing school at home, so I am easing this method into our homeschooling. Slowly taking "school" out of our homeschool.

I have started with narration. Right now my children use text books. They read something, do the review questions, and then I correct their mistakes.

I have started having them read from their text books and then narrate to me and each other what they have read. This is the homeschool I have been searching for. We have had great discussions, my 6 year old even discusses what my 7th grader is narrating. I have also noticed that when my husband gets home, the kids are eager to tell him what they learned that day. They want to narrate to him as well.

Last night as we said prayers my husband was discussing with the kids about how everyone makes mistakes. He got on the subject of Noah and Moses and how they also made mistakes. This sparked my children's attention. My Daughter suggested that my son read about Moses and she would read about Noah and then they could retell what they learned to us the next night.

I sat there quiet, smiling to myself thinking, I found it! This is how my children like to learn.

The next book I will be reading is Hearing and Reading, Telling and writing: A Charlotte Mason Language Arts Handbook

You can download a free sample of the handbook on narration.

As I said, we are going to be implementing the CM method slowly. I can already see an improvement by using a tiny bit of what the method suggests. I'm excited to learn right along with my kids!

This site has been very helpful to me, Simply Charlotte Mason. Another helpful place is the group on Facebook called, Hip Homeschool Moms. The people in that group are great and so helpful. It is a group for all homeschoolers not only those using Charlotte Mason.

I hope this journey keeps going well for us and I'm looking forward to the new things to come.

Christmas Around the World

We are done with school for Christmas break! The kids finished their Christmas Around the World project and they really enjoyed it.

If you search Christmas around the world on the Internet you will find many projects and unit studies. I liked at lot of them and couldn't decide which one to do, so I made up my own.

The kids picked a country they wanted to learn about, Miss picked Ireland and Lil D picked Poland. Each day they were to look up a Christmas tradition, prayer, food, custom, etc... that their specific country did.

They wrote the information in their notebook, then made an ornament about the information and glued the ornament to the Christmas tree they made.

The kids wrote a report on everything they found out about how their country celebrates Christmas.

Miss made her first cake, an Irish Christmas Cake.

Decorating it was her favorite part.

I found this project to be a lot of fun. I think the kids enjoyed teaching me about all the the things they found out. In Ireland they set a red candle in the window to light the way for Mary and Joseph, to let them know that there is room for them in the house. This tradition is also for letting the Priests know that the house is safe to have Mass when having Mass wasn't allowed.

In Poland, on Christmas Eve, the polish people have a 12 course dinner to represent the Twelve Apostles, and they always leave an empty seat at their table for the Holy Spirit. These are a couple of traditions we learned.

My husband was fond of what the Irish children leave out for Santa In Ireland instead of milk and cookies, Santa gets Guinness and cookies. (minced pie too, but my husband is a vegetarian) We may have to adopt that tradition. :)

May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas!

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!

Our Homeschooling Day

We have been Homeschooling for over a week now and it has been going great. We are using the Seton curriculum. Our two oldest are enrolled and our 1st grader is not.

I read a lot about Seton and talked to a few homeschoolers about it. From what I gathered, you either love Seton or you think it's a bit harsh. I happen to love it. I was worried it would be to advanced but my children seem to be doing just fine. We are only on our 2nd week and haven't written any book reports yet, so I hope the good feelings continue.

I do think art appreciation is a good thing to have and my children do like looking at the art and learning about the artists but they need some more hands on fun art. I found this site I really like, The Incredible Art Department and the blog That Artist Woman, we will be doing the Fall Trees project.

Our days are going pretty much as planned. We have been starting school around 8:45am-9am. My first grader gets done around 12:30 (besides daily reading) my 4th grader gets done around 1:30-1:45 (besides reading and studying) and my 7th grader gets done around 2:30 (besides reading and studying)

Some people have been asking me if home schooling is hard and how do I do it with five children. I know people who do it with 10+ children. I am no hero!

Is it hard? No harder than any parent raising children and teaching them. You do need some discipline in place. The children need to know school is school and the are required to do what is asked of them. And I need discipline too. I need to get up and do it everyday and try to be cheerful about it. It's like anything, if you want to do something and enjoy it, it will be easy. I also feel Seton's curriculum makes it easy. There are a lot of ways to home school and many different curriculum. I like Seton because it spells it all out for me. Here is an example of Seton's daily lesson plans for 7th grade English.

How do I do it? My children have taken to homeschooling very well. Sure there are days that are not filled with sunshine and smiles, but that happens no matter if you're homeschooling or not. I count on my children to do what is required and they count on me to be an example of how the day should go. I guess I just do it. For me success has a lot to do with prayer. I pray for the confidence, patience, and grace to give my children what they need. No different than any other parent.

Watching my children learn and how they learn through home schooling is a big plus to me. My 7th grader was looking at art pictures in her History book. She wanted to know about the story that went with the painting of Judith beheading Holofernes. She also saw the painting at the art museum we went to. We found the story in the Bible (Which is in the Book of Judith 13) I believe my daughter said, "Judith is one bad lady." Bad meaning "tough" in tween language. :) We went from History to Art to Religion and Bible Study. I love that type of learning!

This has been our experience with homeschooling so far.

On to the new week, I can't wait to see what happens!

Traveling on The Homeschool Road

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. ~Sydney J. Harris

After much thought and prayer my husband and I have decided to homeschool our children again

We homeschooled for one year and towards the end of that year I believe I was experiencing what other homeschoolers call "burn out." Along with the feeling of being burnt out came the feelings of being an inadequate teacher and every negative comment that was said by others pushed those inadequate feelings even further to the surface. I was also expecting my 5th child and the thought of dealing with a newborn, homeschool, and the feeling of no confidence was overwhelming.

I told my husband we were putting the kids back in Catholic school. The school they attended is very good so we were not that hesitant to put them back.

During the year they were back at school, I noticed that my children were at the same level, and above in some areas, as the peers in their grade. That gave me a little boost. I really did teach them something the year they were home! I also noticed my son did a lot better when he was home. His teacher recommended tutoring in math, but when I pulled out his math work from being homeschooled it showed something different. It showed A-B work, not the C-D work he was bringing home from school.

Whenever I would look at their work they brought home from school, I couldn't help but think, "Oh I can teach them this!"

People in my life usually ask the question why when I say I am going to homeschool. There are many different reasons that I can explain, and then there is the feeling of being drawn to it that I can't explain.

Another factor in our decision was when I asked my oldest daughter how she felt about homeschool, she responded in a positive way. She was all for it and ready to say goodbye to away school. A reaction like this coming from my daughter really made me think. What was missing for her that she would so readily leave her classmates and "social life" behind so quickly? Maybe I was good at homeschooling and she really enjoyed it!

A Catholic education is top priority in our family and in these economical times tuition for 5 children is not possible for our family. And knowing I can give my children that kind of education at home for a fraction of the cost is also appealing.

I think I am more prepared this time around. I have seen that my children did learn while being homeschooled. I look back and see that my children got along better, they weren't consumed with what they didn't have and what other kids did have, and we really did have a good time.

I have also noticed that when we said we were homeschooling again and I received blank stares or the whys, it didn't bother me in the slightest, that is a good sign. :)

We are going to do things a little different this time around. We are going to use Seton and enroll the oldest two. I think this will help me to be more organized and accountable. And the good thing about homeschool is if it doesn't fit we can change it.

The most important thing is that we grow as a family and that we give all we can to our children, right now for our family that involves homeschooling.

Prayers and encouragement are still very much needed and very much appreciated.

Going Back

I registered the kids for school today.

The oldest three are going back to our parish school next year.
This was a tough decision for me but after a lot of thinking and praying I feel this is the best for our family.

The first thought that came to my mind was am I giving up? This is not some project I am working on, these are my children and doing what I think is best is not giving up in my opinion.

I think this year has been great for the kids and me. We have become closer, I have learned patience, and I have seen what my children are capable of academically. My favorite part is no homework, which will be missed.

I am so grateful to have met such wonderful families who are so supportive. I consider them my friends and I know we will continue to be even though we won’t be homeschooling anymore.

Our decision came down to what am I capable of. I have learned that I do not hold up to my own standards when it comes to teaching, and I don’t have the desire to do so. That may sound harsh but it is the truth.

I just want to be mom again. Teach my children the things that I am good at teaching and leave the rest to the professionals.

Another big part of this decision is the arrival of the new baby. Oney will be three and I will have a newborn. I look forward to just having babies in the house while the older kids are at school. It is the time where I can focus all my attention on the littlest ones.

I trust our parish school and the teachers, that made the decision a lot easier. My children have always been happy there. I do not look forward to the homework, but I think this year of homeschooling has taught me how my children learn and I think I am better equipped to have the patience and understanding it will take to get them through.

I have so much admiration for families who homeschool, it is not for everyone, but those who do it and do it well are very special people in my book.

I will treasure the last moths of homeschooling my children. I will also treasure the traditional school days my children have in their future. We have learned so much and met people who we will always cherish. This is a bittersweet change for me but I am confidant things will be alright.

We're Back

The first day back to school went well. The kids got down to business and did not complain. Lil D actually said, “I kind of missed school, is that weird?” If he is my son than yes that is weird, but I am glad he still likes school.

Miss is getting much faster at Math and is doing pretty well. I don’t think we will need an outside tutor; she has the hang of it now.

The blog The Homeschool Classroom has a post-called My Favorite Things: The Link Edition. One of the links was to a site with a free online reading assessment.

You can have your children take the reading test and you get the results back immediately by e-mail.

I hope our school days continue to go as smooth as today. We have five more months until summer vacation, but I won’t let the kids know that I am counting down the days.

Kindergarten

Bug will be starting Kindergarten next year. I am torn between homeschooling her and sending her to traditional school.

I remember Kindergarten like it was yesterday. I loved everything about it. Miss and Lil D loved Kindergarten too.

I remember when I started the first grade; I walked into the room and was disappointed. Where was all the colors and happiness of Kindergarten? I remember thinking first grade was missing color.

Back to Bug and Kindergarten, I am wondering if I should send her to school for Kindergarten and them start homeschooling her in the first grade. I don’t want her to miss out on everything Kindergarten offers. I don’t know if I will be able to give her that experience at home.

I also don’t want her to feel left out. Her brothers and sister will be home and she will be at school.

I don’t know what to do, or what will be best for Bug.

Just Another Day at School

You Know You Homeschool When...

Everything in your home becomes a part of school. A foggy bathroom mirror is a perfect place to practice writing your letters.

The Crush

I can remember when I was in middle school and started to develop crushes on boys. I can remember giving and receiving little notes that said, do you like me? There were two boxes that the recipient of the note had to check either yes or no to the above question.

If the yes box was checked then you had yourself a boyfriend or girlfriend. This meant that you would send notes to each other and maybe play a little bit on the play ground together.

I also remember never bringing up my crushes that I had to my parents. This was a school thing. The boy never came to my house; we never talked on the phone. I didn’t know his parents he didn’t know mine. It was a private young crush.

This carried on into my teen years. My parents requested to meet whomever I was dating, but they did not know the young man or his family on a deeper level. My relationships were private.

I find new reasons to love homeschooling as we continue to live this lifestyle. Middle school kids will always have crushes. It is normal and I am not too concerned about it. My husband on the other hand may have more issues with it than I do. I think all fathers do.

The middle school kids that are in our homeschool group develop these crushes too. The difference I have noticed between their crushes and mine of the past is that these kids are open with their feelings. They talk to the adults about how they feel. They have no problem telling us parents who likes who.

Another difference is that the boy who may have a crush on my daughter or vice versa is apart of our homeschool family. I know this child, his parents and their values. Us mom like to refer to the kids in our group as being on the approved future dating list.

I am not saying that all the kids in our group will be arranged in marriage some day, but what I am saying is that I love the fact that I can be apart of these first crushes, even if I am in the background. I like knowing all my children’s friends and families, not as acquaintances, but as a family. This makes the realization that my little girls and boys will one day like the opposite sex a little easier to handle.

Even if my children find the love of their life in a different setting, Church, college, or wherever, I am hopeful that they will carry with them a respect for their families and themselves that they are being taught in these early years.

Homeschooling has so many benefits for education and the benefits of everyday human interaction that comes with it is one more reason I feel blessed that homeschooling is apart of our lives.

Karate

The kid’s activities have started. A karate school in are area was nice enough to open it’s doors to all the homeschool kids for a discount. The facility is big and accommodates a lot of kids. That's a good thing because many homeschool families showed up. My kids had a blast and I think they are going to love karate.

Miss and Lil D getting ready


Bug was really into karate.


Why can't I do karate?


The homeschool karate class.

Meet My Vikings

We are doing a unit study as part of Lil D’s history lesson. I know a lot of homeschool parents make up their own unit studies but luckily for the people who are unit study challenged (me) you can find unit studies all over the internet that are made for you.

I came across this Viking unit study on a site called justmommies.com. This unit study is all about Vikings. The two books recommended are Leif the Lucky and We Are The Vikings. This unit study was supposed to be just for Lil D but Miss likes it so much that she has joined in too.

The unit study suggests you make Viking costumes; this is where I had my fun. The kids made paper mache Viking helmets and I made the costumes.

I got the idea of how to make a Viking costume here. I made the second Sweden dress because I am not good at sewing. I am not into a lot of measuring or patterns. I eye ball it and piece things together. I am sure someone who has the patience and the sewing skills can make any of these dresses and they would turn out great.

At the end of the unit study it is suggested you have a Viking party. I am excited about the party. Who doesn’t like a party? There is a recipe for a Viking drink in the book We Are The Vikings and I also searched the Internet to find some Viking recipes we could make for our party. I found this site, Lady Valdis Isbrandsdottir, which has Viking recipes and other information about Vikings.

We will be making Cardamom Horns, they look easy to make and the little breads are shaped like a horns.

Cardamom Horns
2 eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
4 tablespoons warm water
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds

Dissolve yeast in water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Cream butter and sugar. Add yeast mixture and all remaining ingredients. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down and divide into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle and cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge from the wide end and pinch end to seal, forming a horn. Place horns onto greased baking sheets and let rise until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with butter.

We are also going to make Swedish meatballs. I am not sure if Vikings ate Swedish Meatballs but we like them so I am going with it.

Swedish Meatballs
Meatballs: 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 pounds ground lean beef
dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
4 cups cooked rice
Gravy: 1/2 cup beer
1 tablespoon flour
dash nutmeg

Meatballs: Combine all ingredients except rice; mix well. Shape into balls and brown all around in a skillet. Remove balls from pan.
Gravy: Add flour to meatball drippings; stir until smooth. Add beer and nutmeg. If too thick, add more beer; if too thin, add more flour. Stir meatballs into gravy. Serve hot over steaming hot rice.

It seems Apple cake is a popular recipe on Norway and Viking food websites. So I am going to try out an apple cake as well. I found a recipe for apple cake on this site, Norway-hei.com.

Making the costumes was my favorite part. So without further ado, I would like you to meet my Vikings.

Miss the Humble


Lil D the Brave


Bug the Helpful

Stories With A View

I will be posting today at The Homeschool Classroom.

You can go here if you would like to check it out.