I get asked this question a lot. And then it's usually followed by an emphatic, "I could never do that." If you would've talked to me about homeschooling 3 years ago, that would've been my response too.
But then Heavenly Father changed my mind. And I'll forever be grateful that He did.
What I LOVE about homeschooling:
1. *I* get to be the one to witness the "A-ha!" moments as my children learn.
2. *I* get to enjoy their excitement and enthusiasm when they're being exposed to something new for the first time.
3. *I* get to help them through the areas that they struggle in without any outside pressure of other people moving ahead.
(Can you tell I was jealous of AJ's teacher for the short time I had her in school?)
4. My children get to go at THEIR pace, not the "average" pace. In some things they excel, and some things take a little longer to grasp, but they don't get bored by being "ahead" and they don't feel extra frustration by being "behind."
5. I get to spend A LOT of time with my children.
6. My children get to have a lot of "life" experience that they might not otherwise get.
7. I get to continue learning as I learn how to best teach them.
8. My kids get to hold onto their innocence a bit longer than their "mainstream" friends.
9. They learn to become each others' best friends.
10. That they get to be taught with the learning style that fits them (and doesn't make them feel stupid because they aren't "getting" it with the way the teacher is teaching it).
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Temple Square at Christmastime
My wonderful sister-in-law, S, called Sunday night to invite us to Temple Square with their family for FHE. Being the smart, smart woman that she is, she'd checked out the weather and realized that this would be one of the last "warm" nights to go. And after our nearly frost-bitten experience last year, we thought it was a good idea to go earlier rather than later. So off we went.
I LOVE Temple Square at Christmastime! The lights are always amazing and the manger scene is beautiful. And it was even more enjoyable last night since the air wasn't trying to bite my nose off. The evening would've been perfect had it not been for 2 little girls who didn't get good naps that day. After about 30 mins of walking, they'd had it. But we stretched their patience as far as we could and kept plugging a mouth with a binky before we finally headed for home, much to the reluctance of our older 2 kids.
Thanks for sharing your night with us, M & S!!!!
Here are some fun pics.
This was at the beginning of the night when smiles were aplenty!
Notice the gappy smile? This kid has had 3 teeth fall out in the last 3 weeks or so. And there's another one on its way. He'll soon be unable to whistle. :)
Here's the group of kids. Lady was still on Brent's back and Brent was taking the pic....so she missed the photo op. But I stuck my fanny in there so that Tink could get in on the action. Isn't the temple beautiful?
My cute nephew, A, who just got new glasses and couldn't be more proud! Don't you just want to chew on his cheeks a little? I know I have a hard time resisting.
Here's a great night-shot of this majestic building. I love this temple!
And here's handsome Brent carrying cute Lady. She enjoyed riding on his back for a change.
And the reason she got to is because her sister was being ultra-picky and only wanted to go on my back. So I obliged. And don't ask me what that face is that I'm making....I must've been in the middle of saying something to Brent. But he doesn't do the "1, 2, 3...smile" thing. He just clicks. Lovely. Oh, and you can see the great mood that Tink was in by the end of the night. Doesn't she just look huggable?
I LOVE Temple Square at Christmastime! The lights are always amazing and the manger scene is beautiful. And it was even more enjoyable last night since the air wasn't trying to bite my nose off. The evening would've been perfect had it not been for 2 little girls who didn't get good naps that day. After about 30 mins of walking, they'd had it. But we stretched their patience as far as we could and kept plugging a mouth with a binky before we finally headed for home, much to the reluctance of our older 2 kids.
Thanks for sharing your night with us, M & S!!!!
Here are some fun pics.
This was at the beginning of the night when smiles were aplenty!
Notice the gappy smile? This kid has had 3 teeth fall out in the last 3 weeks or so. And there's another one on its way. He'll soon be unable to whistle. :)
Here's the group of kids. Lady was still on Brent's back and Brent was taking the pic....so she missed the photo op. But I stuck my fanny in there so that Tink could get in on the action. Isn't the temple beautiful?
My cute nephew, A, who just got new glasses and couldn't be more proud! Don't you just want to chew on his cheeks a little? I know I have a hard time resisting.
Here's a great night-shot of this majestic building. I love this temple!
And here's handsome Brent carrying cute Lady. She enjoyed riding on his back for a change.
And the reason she got to is because her sister was being ultra-picky and only wanted to go on my back. So I obliged. And don't ask me what that face is that I'm making....I must've been in the middle of saying something to Brent. But he doesn't do the "1, 2, 3...smile" thing. He just clicks. Lovely. Oh, and you can see the great mood that Tink was in by the end of the night. Doesn't she just look huggable?
Monday, December 1, 2008
The day after Thanksgiving
I'm not one to participate in "Black Friday."
(Which, by the way, WHO named it that? Brent's parents and I agreed last night that it's a terrible name for the first day of the Christmas season).
I don't like to go shopping at all, let alone with 5 million other people all pushing and shoving trying to get the best deal. Sorry, I'd rather spend an extra $5 and get it a week later.
SOOOOO, that means the day after Thanksgiving is usually spent having a relaxing day at home. And what better way to celebrate the beginning of Christmastime than by decorating for it? So here are a few pics of the fun morning (and part of the afternoon......it sure takes longer than you think) the girls and I had decorating.
After wrangling the tree to get it upright and beautiful (not an easy task, just so you know.....my arms have the cuts/scrapes/rash to prove it), the girls went to town decorating it. Last year we bought some kid-friendly (read: non-breakable) ornaments from IKEA. So Tink's job was putting up all the red (plastic) ornaments and AJ's job was putting up all the red and white "presents." You can tell what height each girl is by where on the tree they put their ornaments. It's a very "clustered" tree, but I think it's great!
(Which, by the way, WHO named it that? Brent's parents and I agreed last night that it's a terrible name for the first day of the Christmas season).
I don't like to go shopping at all, let alone with 5 million other people all pushing and shoving trying to get the best deal. Sorry, I'd rather spend an extra $5 and get it a week later.
SOOOOO, that means the day after Thanksgiving is usually spent having a relaxing day at home. And what better way to celebrate the beginning of Christmastime than by decorating for it? So here are a few pics of the fun morning (and part of the afternoon......it sure takes longer than you think) the girls and I had decorating.
After wrangling the tree to get it upright and beautiful (not an easy task, just so you know.....my arms have the cuts/scrapes/rash to prove it), the girls went to town decorating it. Last year we bought some kid-friendly (read: non-breakable) ornaments from IKEA. So Tink's job was putting up all the red (plastic) ornaments and AJ's job was putting up all the red and white "presents." You can tell what height each girl is by where on the tree they put their ornaments. It's a very "clustered" tree, but I think it's great!
Here's one of AJ's clusters.....to make it even, she put a similar-sized cluster on the other side of the tree.
And here's Tink's cluster....hers were clustered all over the bottom of the tree.
Here's the finished product of the family room. But the tree is no longer topped with a Santa hat. AJ made a star out of tongue depressors. She colored them all yellow and glued them into the shape of a star. I love it. There are also quite a few other decorations now adorning the upper part of the tree. All homemade by the 3 oldest kids.
Here's the finished product of the family room. But the tree is no longer topped with a Santa hat. AJ made a star out of tongue depressors. She colored them all yellow and glued them into the shape of a star. I love it. There are also quite a few other decorations now adorning the upper part of the tree. All homemade by the 3 oldest kids. 
Here's the window AJ decorated with the "clings."
And here's the storm door Tink got to decorate with the "clings." I had to hold her up to do the the upper part and as you can see, we decorated a bit with finger prints/streaks as well. :) Nothing new around here.
Brent made the comment last night, as we were looking at the tree, that we definitely have a kid-oriented house. And I told him it was only fair since they outnumber us2 to 1.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
I love the holidays!
Here are some pics from T-Day!
Here's where the turkey started to kick in.
Here is Brent's beautiful sister (well, all 3 of them are beautiful....but this one works magic when it comes to chocolate) who makes AWESOME fudge.
And here's the fudge....you see those things in the middle? Rolos! YUM!!!!
Here's my sweet nephew, M. Love that kid! When's it my turn for a kid with hair like that?
Speaking of hair.....here are 2 cute cousins, Tink and V, playing with cousin A's hair.
And by the end of the night, cousin S had Lady wrapped around his finger. He enchanted her somehow and she gave him loves for a LONG time. This is a rare thing for her.
And then when it was time for him to go, this is what happened......"Don't go, S!"
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Can't wait for next year!
Here's where the turkey started to kick in.
Here is Brent's beautiful sister (well, all 3 of them are beautiful....but this one works magic when it comes to chocolate) who makes AWESOME fudge.
And here's the fudge....you see those things in the middle? Rolos! YUM!!!!
Here's my sweet nephew, M. Love that kid! When's it my turn for a kid with hair like that?
Speaking of hair.....here are 2 cute cousins, Tink and V, playing with cousin A's hair.
And by the end of the night, cousin S had Lady wrapped around his finger. He enchanted her somehow and she gave him loves for a LONG time. This is a rare thing for her.
And then when it was time for him to go, this is what happened......"Don't go, S!"
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Can't wait for next year!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thankful
I told you this post would be a happy one! In light of the holiday (yes, I know it was yesterday, but we didn't turn on the computer the WHOLE day! Amazing, I know. Still not sure how we survived.) I'm going to indulge myself and give an account of 29 things I'm thankful for (since that's my age, that's the # I picked....random, I know).
Here goes:
1. My Savior and a loving Heavenly Father
2. Brent (I don't know how I'd get along without him)
3. My kids....they're what keep me going everyday
4. My parents - don't know how they put up with me for so long, but I'm so glad they did
5. Brent's parents - so glad they are such good parents and raised such a great man
6. Brent's and my siblings - Thank goodness for big families with loads of cousins!
7. The holiday season.....I wish the feeling I get this time of year could be carried through the whole next year
8. Great friends - you know who you are
9. Computers....seriously, what did we ever do before them?
10. Fresh fruit and veggies....to make up for yesterday
11. Clean water....one of my nieces was thankful for this yesterday and I thought it was a great one since there are so many in the world without it
12. The magic of Christmastime in a child's eyes
13. Good cars that run and don't have "technical" issues very often
14. The gospel of Jesus Christ and my testimony of it
15. A kitchen faucet that works (it went out last week and I was amazed at how much I rely on my kitchen sink)
16. A house with room to grow
17. A husband who likes to fix up our house with me (stay tuned for yet another project in the works the beginning of next year)
18. My dad's voice....I love that it still gives me immediate comfort whenever I hear it
19. The knowledge and experience I have gained over the last few years (and am continuing to gain)
20. My dog, Ruby....she's the best, most loving and forgiving dog ever
21. To be a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) and to be able to homeschool my kids. What would I do without them for 8 hours everyday?
22. A piano in my home
23. Band-Aids, for when Mommy's kiss isn't *quite* enough
24. Washable markers
25. Music
26. Slobbery baby kisses
27. Date night
28. The temple
29. Good Indian and Thai food
Now I'm off to put up Christmas stuff before Brent gets back from working on Stephanie and Christian's house. He hates that job (putting up Christmas decor), so the girls and I are going to tackle it this morning! (Roo is w/Brent.)
Here goes:
1. My Savior and a loving Heavenly Father
2. Brent (I don't know how I'd get along without him)
3. My kids....they're what keep me going everyday
4. My parents - don't know how they put up with me for so long, but I'm so glad they did
5. Brent's parents - so glad they are such good parents and raised such a great man
6. Brent's and my siblings - Thank goodness for big families with loads of cousins!
7. The holiday season.....I wish the feeling I get this time of year could be carried through the whole next year
8. Great friends - you know who you are
9. Computers....seriously, what did we ever do before them?
10. Fresh fruit and veggies....to make up for yesterday
11. Clean water....one of my nieces was thankful for this yesterday and I thought it was a great one since there are so many in the world without it
12. The magic of Christmastime in a child's eyes
13. Good cars that run and don't have "technical" issues very often
14. The gospel of Jesus Christ and my testimony of it
15. A kitchen faucet that works (it went out last week and I was amazed at how much I rely on my kitchen sink)
16. A house with room to grow
17. A husband who likes to fix up our house with me (stay tuned for yet another project in the works the beginning of next year)
18. My dad's voice....I love that it still gives me immediate comfort whenever I hear it
19. The knowledge and experience I have gained over the last few years (and am continuing to gain)
20. My dog, Ruby....she's the best, most loving and forgiving dog ever
21. To be a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) and to be able to homeschool my kids. What would I do without them for 8 hours everyday?
22. A piano in my home
23. Band-Aids, for when Mommy's kiss isn't *quite* enough
24. Washable markers
25. Music
26. Slobbery baby kisses
27. Date night
28. The temple
29. Good Indian and Thai food
Now I'm off to put up Christmas stuff before Brent gets back from working on Stephanie and Christian's house. He hates that job (putting up Christmas decor), so the girls and I are going to tackle it this morning! (Roo is w/Brent.)
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!!!!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Not to dwell on sadness, but here's another example...
Another poor little girl who wasn't as lucky as Joel. Her neck was broken in this accident. You can read the article here.
The truth is, we don't know if she would've lived had she been rear-facing, but I can tell you her odds would've been a lot higher, especially seeing as how everyone else made it out of the accident alive. Sad.
Next post will have happiness, I promise!
The truth is, we don't know if she would've lived had she been rear-facing, but I can tell you her odds would've been a lot higher, especially seeing as how everyone else made it out of the accident alive. Sad.
Next post will have happiness, I promise!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
