Good times with family

I don't think I put this in my intro, but I may have.....anyways I apologize if I am repeating myself. 

My husband is deployed right now, so in this time we decided to move the kids and I back to stay with family. It would have been lonely in South Carolina with no husband around. I had a few friends, but none of their spouses were gone, so of course they aren't that keen on hanging out and doing random field trips with me and the kids. I have never been one to really be super independent and love to do things on my own. Some solitude is nice, but 6 months to a year is too long for me. 

So here we are, in Texas, for 4 months now. I have been driving between my parents and Steve's parents house and trying to share our time as best I can. I carry my work around with me, so I can sew at either place. It's a pain, but I think it's worth it. Usually my kids get to hang out with their grandparents for a week or so a year, that's not much. But these past few months (and the 2 or 3 months ahead of us) they have gotten to really share some special time with their Grandparents and extended family. 

There are so many learning experiences that are touched on when you are surrounded by so many people. I can't even think of all the things that they have learned since being here. My Mom takes them to church when they want to go. She reads to them, sings to them, shows them a few things on the keyboard here and there. My Dad builds things, plays games, taught Adelyn to play (most of a game of) checkers. They also bought a trampoline for the kids to play with! 

My inlaws recently took the kids to help pick out 2 dozen chickens. They had a blast. They got to choose the colors of birds they wanted. I wish that I had asked if I could buy a duck too to leave at their house. If I thought it would travel well, I would have bought it and carried it around with me. They got to see bunnies big and small. They spent the week helping build the coop and learning to clean their water and give them food. 


We got a very small taste of the farm life, and I must tell you it looks so appealing to me. I would love to raise the kids to be self sufficient, grow their own food, care for their own animals. And, the absence of traffic, loud noises, and neighbors that aren't close enough to see in the windows also sounds pretty nice too :)


While Papa and Oma were measuring and building the coop, Steven was building with scrap wood...towers and treehouses and such pretend structures. Adelyn made her own plans (she used the term blueprints) for a doll house. She drew what it should look like and then added dimensions. I was so proud of her creativity. I'll have to help her build it soon, so she can see her project finished. 

                                 

So even when you think you are just visiting family and going to have some fun, it ends up being educational. And, they aren't the only ones learning...I have learned a lot as well. It's fun to feed your curiosity and I am trying to make it a point to do that more (for myself, not just them). 

It's still really difficult to not worry that they are 'behind'. It almost seems like if you are homeschooling you need your kids to be ahead of the pack in order to prove that you have made the right decision. I have tried to stop comparing my kids to anyone. They will read when it's time, and although I mostly leave their school work up to them these days, I do encourage some reading lessons occasionally. They would work in their math books all day everyday if I let them. They love it and I am so happy about that. I couldn't hate math more :) although I am thinking more about math as it gets more difficult than just adding and subtracting. 

I just bought a cash register for them to put their math skills to use! I can't wait for it to get here. I'm going to help them set up store with price stickers and such....I am probably just as excited for them to play with it as they would be, if they knew. It will be a fun surprise. 

                                        

More sewing, less typing...

It seems as though this blog, along with my others, are all suffering from neglect. I haven't had a spare second the past couple of weeks. I've been desperately trying to make up an inventory to take to this craft fair in March. I am still behind where I wanted to be. Of course that is due to poor planning and time management on my part. I have continued to take custom orders the entire time since I purchased a spot in the craft show, so I would say more than half of my time has gone to custom orders, the rest is eaten up by day to day things. I have managed to get some outfits finished and even a few purses. There is still much more to be done in the next two weeks.

I think once it's over and the pressure is off things will be more relaxed. I will blog more, we will do extra experiments, and hopefully make frequent trips to the park!

Spring is almost here!!! Yesterday was so beautiful, and not incredibly windy, so we finally got to spend some time in the sun! It was so nice to feel the sun on my pale, gross skin :) We were hoping to go to the park, but some things came up and I needed to wait on some phone calls, so we played in the yard instead, and we still had a good time.
The kids wanted to blow some bubbles, but I couldn't find my mother's giant supply, so we made our own with dish soap and water. Luckily our science kit has a little hoop in it (that I suspect is for making bubbles with, but we haven't gotten to that experiment yet), so we used that to make huge bubbles! The only problem was they were popping really fast...maybe more soap next time. The wind was also a problem, I think if it were a little more calm the bubbles would have lasted a little longer.
Funny how something simple like playing with bubbles becomes a science experiment...we had to make a solution, test it out, make notes for next time! We also found some earth worms and rollie pollies on our quest to find a balance beam for adelyn.
We joined gymnastics this week. The kids had a great time and I'm glad they can learn something new and get some energy out at the same time. Adelyn was disappointed that she couldn't be in ballet, but the classes were full, and I really think it was the cute outfits that she was really excited about. I might try to find her a fancy gymnastics outfit so she will not feel like she's missing out. Steven was just happy to be there. He was a bit of a wild man. His listening skills could definitely use some improvement, but he did better than I thought he would. I imagined the first day would end with a trip to the ER. The instructor was very patient and kept a pretty fast pace so that there wasn't much lag time. Every once in a while they did have to stand on a dot or color until it was their turn, and she had to correct him for jumping ahead in line and twirling like crazy on his spot. I tried not to intervene even though I could see it all happening, because I wanted him to respond to her and learn that other adults can direct you and you have to listen. Long story short, it went well, and we will be going back once a week until we go back to South Carolina.
Other than that we haven't done much. We bought a new science kit from Hobby Lobby. So far we have done the first three experiments and they went over well. The kids enjoyed the fizzing tablets and watching them change colors. I can't wait to show them the diet soda rocket!! I am pretty sure that one will be a hit :) We need to wait for a non windy day though, I'm certain the neighbors would not appreciate diet soda spayed all over their  house and yard.
Now we are off to the library to see what their story time is like and maybe get a new card and some books. I'm always anxious about a new story time, you never know how the kids are going to be...when I say kids I mostly mean Steven, my sweet little energy machine ;)

A little more about me

When I find a blog, I like to get an idea of what that person is like, if we have things in common, that sort of thing. So right off the bat I want to give anyone who ever reads this a little insight to who I am.

I'm a wife, mom to 2 beautiful children and one angel. We have moved more times then I care to count (good times in the Navy), we have amazing friends in multiple states (and countries). When we first got married I hated moving, I hated getting to know new people, I hated learning new roads...but now I'm finally starting to embrace it (well most of it). I still get nervous to meet new people, although I must hide it well, because most people I know don't believe me when I say that. I still dislike driving in unfamiliar places and I am always afraid of getting lost. My favorite part is now getting to know a variety of people, and getting to know a new place...really go see what it has to offer.

Before all of this I was just a plain jane girl. I was average in just about  everything. I played sports and that ruled most of my time. I loved every minute of it until I played in college, and I haven't played anything since. Maybe that will change someday. I am the person that always heard things like "you have so much potential if you could just...." I heard that so many times. In a way it feels good to have such potential, but eventually when you never fully tap into that potential and you can't for the life of you figure out how...it gets frustrating. I still feel like that is my own catch phrase. I feel like that all the time. My mind goes a million different directions at any given time and I can't seem to do any one thing really well (or as well as I would like), but I can do a lot of things fairly well. In my business I started by making purses, then I got bored with that (and with good reason, back then my purses were boring!), then I learned to knit and crochet, and I always seemed to have someone interested in buying that stuff, especially for babies. I always wondered if they were good enough to sell, if I was charging too much. Now I have started making kids clothes for more than just my two kids. I think I like it most right now because it's slightly more challenging (measurement-wise) than purse making. Purses can be cut in a variety of ways, but in the end they are all basically the same. Clothes you can also just make them all the same, but the fit is almost always different. I wish I could come up with a business plan...do I want to sell the patterns I design, do I want to exclusively sell my designs, do I want to eventually design for another company, do I want to manufacture a certain number of items and then sell them online or door to door, I have no idea. I wish I did. It's nice to have goal to reach for. For now, I'm just trying to get my stuff out there. Let people see it and feel it. Hopefully at this craft show I will get some much needed face to face feedback about the clothing. We'll see. It's getting close and I keep letting things distract me from making more to take to the show.

So how does all of that pertain to a blog that is also supposed to be about home schooling my children.....well I'll tell you! I don't want my kids to feel like they are full of potential, but never able to use it. I don't want them to feel like the things they are interested in are a dead end, or not important. I want them to HAVE the confidence that I pretended to have. I hope that they don't just skate by in their education because they want to play sports. I want them to want to learn. If you think back to your school days, when was the last time you remember being excited about learning....can you think of one?! My last memory of being truly excited was in 3rd or 4th grade, and I loved writing, especially creative writing. I felt like it was the one time I got to write whatever I wanted and I tried to make the biggest, craziest story I could think of. I also remember getting papers back that said nice story but....you can't start a sentence with And... you had a paper full of run-on sentences (nothing's changed, huh?)...where was the climax, who was the hero, and so on and so on. I told my teacher, after she said you can't start a sentence with and, that I had just finished reading a book that was full of sentences that started with and. You know what she said....'when you are a famous writer, you can write any way you want, and even start your sentences with and.' But I was done. The phase had passed, I didn't care for writing in the next grades. From junior high through college the only papers I wrote were essay, exams, boring things of that nature. I feel like the only chance you get in public school to have any creativity is in elementary school, but after that they start molding you for the 'real world', where they say there is no imagination, where you are expected to find an 8-5 job, sitting at a desk like every other jo blow.

Well, not my kids. I want my kids to know they have the freedom of choice. They can pursue their dreams as far as they want to. I want to encourage them to think outside the box when it comes to their future jobs. I don't want them to think, "I have no idea what I want to do....I guess I'll just..." That attitude is what makes a  crappy teacher, or a crappy train driver, or a crappy clerk, or just a plain crappy employee. I was that person. I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I picked a job that was available and that I assumed I would be good at, and sometimes I was good at it, but I didn't like it. It made me open my eyes and be honest with myself, that I was not meant to be a teacher. Not in a school. I am not organized, I didn't want to be charged with other people's children's future livelihood. But I am ready to accept that challenge for my own children. I'm just still deciding how I want to do that.

At first I drilled our daughter to learn the letters, and she did. I don't think I like the way I did it though. I don't think it was always fun for her sometimes...and then sometimes it was. I'll admit that my patience can be short, and so is hers. Sometimes when I should have just let her scribble, I was trying to help her draw shapes or letters. With my son I didn't push it as much because he didn't speak until much later than she did. I just felt like he couldn't communicate as well and it would be impossible to get him to try....and it was :) This year they are 5 and 4, and I thought we would start 'kindergarten'. Adelyn knew her letters and the sounds, which seemed like a perfect opportunity to use our new curriculum and learn to read. Reading was the hardest for her, but she was getting it. Slowly but surely we made progress. It can be frustrating though because there are times when she wanted to sit down and read, but once there she just pretended like she knew nothing and couldn't  even sound out any letters. That frustrated me, and I frustrated her. I feel bad about it now, and since have given her a break from it. I haven't forced them to do any school work in a while. I encourage drawing, writing letters (especially to Dad, who is deployed at the moment), Steven wakes up first in the morning so sometimes we play with letters and sounds. Adelyn usually enjoys puzzles and games. Steven mostly wants to play video games, some educational, some are not. I still worry about what people are thinking when it comes to what I'm 'teaching' them. But the more I read about unschooling and just letting nature take it's course, the more I love it.

We were in California for a few months last year. We spent so much time outdoors and with lots of different people, adults and kids, and I can see how that experience was very educational. We traveled a lot, and there was always a map around, we talked about numbers on exit signs (or in cali, the lack of numbers on exit signs), we saw so many different plants and animals, tons of orchards, groves, fields. We hiked and biked, and really enjoyed nature.

The fun continued on our drive back across the US to South Carolina. We spent even more time outside, added kayaking to our outdoor activities. One of the kids favorite things to do was paddle out to 'our island' and look for shells. We found probably a hundred hermit crabs in our adventures out there. The island was only visible at low tide, at high tide it was completely immersed, and all you could see where the reeds. We would go at high tide to fish, then stick around through low tide and play on the island. It was muddy, and pretty stinky, but we found so many treasures out there. Golf balls from the nearby course, empty shells, shells with crabs, shells with conch, blue crabs, tiny little bitty crabs, huge sea turtles. So many spiral shells you just wouldn't believe!! We saw sharks, we saw fish jump, we have been up close and personal with dolphins...one swam so close to my husband's kayak that it brushed the side of it and pushed it sideways. We saw baby dolphins jumping and playing with it's family. We got to watch how they hunt fish in packs, surrounding the fish and each taking their turn diving in. Those are such amazing things that we saw almost daily! When my parents came for a visit my mom and I saw a manta ray jump out of the water, I have never seen anything like it. Truly amazing.

If they had been in school they would have missed that. I'm looking forward to being back in our space, all together, making more memories like that. I really miss the beach, and family picnics. But he will be back soon, and we will be back on a coast, and until then we will learn what we can learn here (visiting with family while he is in Africa). I will try to do better to make it out and about with the kiddos. I know there are adventures waiting to happen here, I just feel apprehensive about going on them by myself...but it's important, and we will do it!

Next post I'll tell you about how we are not only crazy home schoolers, but we also decided a couple of years ago that we would live in an rv rather than a house. Yes, we are trying to defy all convention and make our path vastly different from what is 'normal'...hence the Road Unknown!!

Where to begin...

I started (yet another) blog. This one is to think 'out loud', to everyone or no one, about the parenting and educational choices we are making for ourselves and our children. I lay awake at night considering the mountains of options you have as parents, in regards to the education of your children. Public school, private school, home school (unschool, school at home, relaxed home school), and you have to choose what you think is best for your whole family. For us, it seems home school is the best fit. I love the idea of creating a one of a kind educational experience for my kids, but where do I begin? I have been researching for years. I have looked at curriculum, I have read books, I have sifted through millions of blogs, online resource centers, and articles. I have lots of information, LOTS, but what do I do with it?
I recently read 'The Unschooling Unmanal'. It was a very short, very quick read, but it left me feeling less overwhelmed, and less afraid of my choices. I am not alone (which I knew, but it sometimes feels that way) in my worries about parenting or education. And it helped me realize that all the reading and researching will only get you so far. You have to put it into practice, even if you don't know what IT  is yet.
That's what I'm starting this week. I'm going to stop worrying about my kids being behind or ahead, I'm just going to let them point me in the right direction and help teach them how to find the answers they need.
I'm hoping that by having this blog I will have a place to post thoughts, share creative ways we find to learn, and keep some sort of log of what is going on.
I hope that if you read this and you are in the same boat you will leave some comments...I would love to hear what you have to say!