Our School Room - Part 1

We recently got our school room partially finished. It is by no means complete and I'm sure it will evolve a lot in the coming months.

The Social Studies wall

 The Preschool wall



 The work table

 The reading nook/guest bed

Book cases with books, supplies and nature display



School Room Prep - IKEA sytle

We are busy prepping for school and so to mentally prepare myself I went to IKEA for some inspiration and came home with some great items to get me started.

 I picked up some of these chair pads and this hot pink and a bright blue

I am in love with these chairs and they fold for flat storage when we have company since our school room is also our guest room.

And of course no school room is complete without an easel.

I am still getting everything together and when it's all done I'll share the pictures.

AIM Program

Good news! Sage was accepted into the AIM program at TLC. He'll be attending school with 9 other 2nd graders two days a week where he will do all of his work except for Physical Education and Social Studies which he will do at home the other 3 days. It's the best of both worlds and I am so excited and really look forward to seeing Sage grow because of this.

Happy 7th!

Happy Birthday to the little man who stole my heart seven years ago today! Sage is the most amazing kid ever. He is loving and kind and is my little cuddle bug. I'm not sure how much longer it will last so I am taking full advantage of it now. Here are seven things that we love about him.

1. How loving he is.
2. His fabulous imagination.
3. His warped sense of humor that he gets from his Grandma & Mom.
4. The fact that he mentions his Grandma & Hayden every night in his prayers.
5. He almost always will play whatever Aurora wants him to play.
6. He loves helping Daddy fix things.
7. How excited he gets over the littlest of things, he really loves to laugh.

We love you Sage with all of our hearts.

Love- Mom, Dad & Aurora

Lava Fossils

We made fossils last week and we are just now getting around to painting them so they looked like cooled lava. We learned about Mt. Vesuvius and and how it destroyed and preserved the ancient civilization of Pompeii, Italy.

   {dinosaur and leaf fossils}

The kids for once are taking a real interest in learning and I couldn't be happier. They are responding better than I thought they would to the Homeschool lifestyle.

Summer Fun

I can't believe that it has been a month since I last posted anything. It has been a crazy busy summer and I just haven't had the energy to post at the end of the day. Sage, Aurora and the daycare kids have been keeping me busy and tiring me out so I've been going to bed as soon as dinner is over.

We are all very excited about the new direction our family is headed and can't wait for school to start in September and look forward to implementing the homeschool lifestyle in our home.

Baking Soda Experiments

We decided as a family that even though it was Summer Vacation that we would still learn and prove to the kids that learning can be tons of fun. A few weeks ago we were watching television as a family and there was this idea for making a baking soda volcano with your kids. Sage was mesmerized by the idea and we finally got around to it today.

We started with making colored "lava" in small cups so each kid could get a chance to do it on their own.

Sage did green

Aurora did red

Gabby did yellow

and Sage did the blue for me since I was taking pictures.

We then decided to make a bigger volcano



Sage and the girls had a great time learning about volcanoes and lava. We ended the day watching a video of a volcano erupting.



Next week we are going to learn more about Mt. Vesuvius and fossils.

Second Grade Curriculum

I've been doing some research and on Wednesday I meet with my EP(educational partner) to order the curriculum I've chosen for the kids this next school year. I am so excited!

Grammar

Writing

Social Studies

Math

Reading/Phonics

Science

 Spelling

Phone Calls

When School starts in September I will not be answering the phone until 4pm. I will not have time to talk while doing school with the kids and while the daycare kids are all at school I want to enjoy my kids and not have any distractions from them. I ask that you leave a message and I'll call you back at the end of the day. If it is an EMERGENCY call my cell phone.

Changes...

Our life this past year has been full of changes. Some good and some not so good. We now have our own home but it didn't happen the way I hoped it would. I would gladly trade it if I could have my Mom back with us. Our home has changed in it's appearance and while I miss certain things about the way my Mom had it, I am enjoying making it my own. It is because of these changes that I now have the courage to do what Robert and I have always wanted to do and what we and my Mom knew was best for our children. Because of my Mother's belief in me to home school our children I now know that it is what my family was meant to do.

This last year has been one of personal growth and combined with losing Hayden and my Mom I have become a stronger woman, while I have suffered through some horrible depression I am learning that all that matters is me, my husband and children. I am only required to take care of them and everything and everyone will just have to deal with the fact that I cannot take care of them too. While I want to be like my Mother, I will NOT let what happened to her happen to me. I will overcome this depression and not let others bring me down. I no longer have room for negativity in my life and will not tolerate anyone who tries to bring it into my life. I am worth loving and being taken care of and no one will ever make me feel different.

Schedule

I know that it will most likely need to be changed and it is flexible in case one subject doesn't take as long and one takes a little longer depending on the lesson or day but it does give me a schedule to go by so we can stay on track since not only will we be homeschooling but I also do daycare out of our home.
7:30 - Wake Up / Breakfast / Dressed
8:00 - Pledge
8:10 - Math
8:30 - Reading & Phonics
8:50 - Writing
9:10 - Grammar
9:30 - Snack Break
9:40 - Spelling & Vocabulary
10:00 - Handwriting
10.20 - Socila Studies
10:40 - Science
11:00 - Lunch
11:45 - Daycare kids to Preschool
12:00 - Family Time
3:00 - Pick up daycare kids from school

It's Offical...

We are now a Home Schooling family! We are so excited for this new step in our lives and can't wait to see how much our family grows and changes for the better.

You may think that we are insane for doing this but rest assured we aren't one of those families that gives Home Schooled kids a bad name. We have a schedule all set up and the help of an amazing Charter School who will provide all the of materials that we could ever need. We will use the same text books and lesson plans that public schools use but we will do it at home where the kids can get one on one attention instead of having to fight for the teachers attention with 30 other kids. We are also converting our guestroom/ toy room into a school room/guestroom. The kids are excited to learn and  grow and I can't wait to help them grow and learn.

We are now TLC Jaguars!

Gratitude

Today I am grateful for so many things. I have an amazing husband and 4 amazing children. I have the Gospel in my life which allows me to know that I will see my first two children and my Mother again. I am the daughter of an amazing woman who taught me how to be a mother and wife and taught me compassion and love for everyone. I am a lot like her in many ways and I am so proud of that. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes to wear, a running vehicle and other things that I am blessed to have. I have an amazing calling that allows me to serve at the San Diego Temple every month. I have friends who love and support me and most importantly an Eternal Marriage to an amazing man who honors his Priesthood and loves me and his children with all his heart.