HaPpY HoMeScHoOl

Well, so since I haven't ever posted another entry since this blog was created I shouldn't put on here it is about the 'daily adventures' we have hun.? Well since I now no longer have a job maybe I will have more time to post about what we do and learn and go..here's to the new adventures of not working while I am trying to do everything else. When Lexi found out I was no longer going to work she actually started crying..and since she has said in her prayers at dinner how thankful she is. Today was my second day not working and she asked me if we were going to ever bake home made bread like all the other mothers and were my dinners going to be more homemade like grandma leslie's.. This girl and her issues with my cooking! Well, I made up for it and we made homemade sugar cookies.. lexi made the point several times that they were so much better than the precut pop and fresh ones..What a stinker! I love these two girls with all my heart and it has been I am totally emotional about the not working thing. I have been so blessed to have that job the last 7 years..and although we may not have been financially ready for it to end it feels right in one million ways! I am really excited to be a better mother,teacher and feel more alive..I am so happy to not be working that job. So..we'll see.. maybe there will be more post on this blog of all the fun things we do! :) Lexi says she wants to do some of the post herself too.. :)

Christmas Cookies

OuR fIrSt Day!!!

Well, like most things planned in my life.. today didn't go exactly as planned but I think it was a good day either way.. The girls were up later this morning than they will be normally because for some reason BOTH of them got up twice last night.. So we were a little off how I want our schedule to be.. Lexi was way excited to get back to school again and I love it that she loves this so much.. Our day went kinda like this: They got up, got dressed,ready, room cleaned up.. Then there was brekfast and devotional.. I love the lesson plans on our devotionals.. It goes totally along with the gospel doctrine book but is for kids.. So we did that, and the pledge..went outside to check the weather.. (Isabelle was funny doing this..she was bare foot and kept saying enuff.done..cold..) and then after brekfast I let them open their bags.. I had a bag for lexi with just lots of fun little school supplies,monkey socks (she is into monkeys lately) and little things like that.. and Isabelle's had some flashcards and magnets and chalk things.. Lexi was so excited that she got 'Highschool Musical' pencils and erasers..' Then Lexi did her jobs and then we started math.. She does most of math on her own because I am still answering phones and she mainly works in her math workbooks.. She was so excited to do her math she did 5 pages instead of the two and then asked if she could do more so she did 3 m ore.. While lexi was doing her math Isabelle was so entertained.. Tara gave me this idea that she got from somewhere..but you get a small blowup pool and I only get it out when lexi is doing school and she has her own activities in the pool.. I wondered if it would work and it was such a hit! She thought that pool was so cool and she stayed in there and played with lacing beads and magnets the whole time Lexi did her math. Then I put it up and she threw a huge fit.. So it will be nice to pull it out when I need her to do her own little busy work.. :) I think when we move into Matt's I will just hang it inside the garage on a nail so each day I can just grab it.. Thanks Tara.. Then we went out back and I took third grade pictures and of course some of Isabelle.. and to kick of the year and make the day fun I decided we would take our lunch to the park.. Today was my first day getting off work at noon and it felt so good.. So we grabbed lunch and left for the park and when we went there it turned out that there was a large co-op home school group there and so Lexi ended up playing with 2 cute girls her age her also home school which was kinda fun! I stayed longer than I planned though.. normally after lunch when Isabelle takes her nap me and Lexi will doing reading and every other day history/science.. and also in the morning she will also do her Spanish and writing which we didn't do today..but hey, it was the first day and it turned out to be really fun.. When we got home from the park Lexi worked on her 'All about Me' book, & Isabelle napped.. I love homeschooling and I am so excited for all we are covering this year.. I have spent all summer preparing for the entire year so it is ready and there are lots of things I am really excited about!

tHe FiRsT dAy Of 3Rd GrAdE

WhY I HoMeScHoOl.....

Hello all! So many people I know have no idea that we home school.. Its actually kinda funny to me because I can see a lot of people who have known me in the past laughing at the thought of my making this choice! Its funny to me because as a kid I NEVER thought I would grow up and home school my kids.. There were some families I knew.. very nice people.. but to me were very,very backwards and I associated that totally with homeschooling.. I admit that my view on homeschooling hadn't changed much as I got older... until.. I moved into a neighborhood where both my neighbors home schooled while at the same time for her own reason my sister Tara started home schooling.. and at the same time my husband left and our family was in definite trauma. So many things about homeschooling after that began to rapidly change.. I met all these super cute families..not backwards..cute kids with excellent social skills.. I found out about gobs and gobs and gobs of homeschooling things going on in the community around me.. I learned about all these different curriculum's and fun things.. and that I had way more choices with my kids than I ever had known. My main reason at that time was there was definite trauma in my life and Lexi's and the thought of sending her to 8 hours of school was too much especially when I was going to be a working single mom.. When would I ever see her? when would I even teach her anything of the values and things important in my heart.. There were many other things before all of this that helped me make this choice.. I had volunteered at her first grade classroom a lot the year before and was really bothered by several things.. So much wasted time! So much of the day was seriously a bunch of crap.. and then there seemed to be a lot of bribery going on.. When I was a kid in school you couldn't even chew gum at school or eat candy unless it was some sort of school party.. But Lexi's school seem to use candy for every dang incentive.. Its funny because our Halloween candy would get thrown away and she wasn't interested in it before first grade.. but that all changed.. I would ask her to do something around the house and she would ask me if she could earn candy if she did it.. Anyways.. none of this is a huge deal I just thought it was weird.. Then in her reading groups (they would split up) most of the time she would be earning candy and stickers while her teacher would get on to out of control kids..She would use Lexi as her example and say, Oh Lexi gets another treat.. She is doing her work. I know that should make me proud that Lexi was being good..but it was actually ridiculous. Instead of Lexi learning..she would do her assignment and the rest of the class watch kids get disciplined and she would earn candy. Just a waste of time.. Anyways, there are things for the record I loved about her school and school in general that at first I was sad about her missing.. Like field trips and class parties, and art projects or school carnivals etc. Those were things hard for me at first trying this because I had so loved those things as a kid.. And after my first year of homeschooling most of those thoughts have now changed.. There are so many people homeschooling now! Young moms everywhere are starting it! Its growing like crazy and there are so many awesome things going on! I feel so LuCkY and BlEsSed to have this opportunity of homeschooling lexi and to live in a country where I have the freedoms to make that choice.. Another part of my choice with homeschooling is a couple of things I witnessed in the first grade classroom at Lexi's charter school.. I am not going to say what they are except that I was SHOCKED.. seriously SHOCKED that I was seeing what I was seeing.. let alone with little first graders.. seriously.. I think my friends would die if they knew what it was I witnessed..Keep in mind..First grade you are 5 turning 6.. My point is.. the world is definitely a different place NoW.. then it was when we were in first grade.. and I have NO desire to shield Lexi from the world actually because she is apart of it and we all are.. BUT.. I love having more time.. to prepare her..teach her who she is and why she is here.. and PREPARE her to be able to be apart of this world and survive these crazy last days..
One thing interesting to me about homeschooling is everyone's opinions..
It is so funny how anytime I ever tell someone I home school and love it they immediately seem to defend themselves about why they don't.. The best is 'Well, my kids 'need' socialization'...
Hee Hee
This doesn't offend me because I Home school because it works for us..it meets our needs..WE like it.. And I think everyone should do whatever it is that works best for their family.. Homeschooling isn't right for everyone..
Also.. there are those certain homeschooling people I have seen.. who go on and on about how people who have their kids in public school really just don't care about their kids etcetc.. and that the government is trying to control you if your kids are in it..etcetcetc.. This all bugs me too because I did have Lexi in public school and at the time it was right for us and I DID obviously love her etcetc and I haven't exactly committed to homeschooling all through high school or anything.. It is just what is best for us right now..
My conclusion on that is that.. No matter where your kids go to school..who the heck cares.. You do what is best for you..
For us, Homeschooling is so much fun! I am shocked by how much I LOVE it! And if anyone knows Lexi you will never have any concern for her socialization..hee..hee
Not to mention, I love that because she is not in public school for 8 hours.. She can do more extra curricular things.. She is on a dance team and goes to 4 1/2 hours of dance every week, she plays soccer during the fall and spring, and softball.. She was in a history club last year, took anatomy classes every Friday ( the lady was a UVSC teacher and she was incredible! They dissected so many gross things and Lexi loved it and learned so much!), and she is starting piano and 4H. If she were in school every day there is no way I would let her do hardly any of these things because I would never see her! Anyways.. that is one of my favorite things about homeschooling! Anyways, we are starting school this year the day after Labor Day.. so Tuesday.. and I am really excited! Hopefully, moving and getting married in the next month and a half won't throw us off schedule too much.. This blog is kinda to keep a record for fun of what we do throughout the year and Lexi is excited to help me post on it.. So.. I have a few days to finish getting everything ready before 3rd grade officially begins.. And WE are so excited!!!