And They Call It Puppy Love

Two weeks ago we decided that we needed a new dog that was a better fit for our little homebody family. We found this handsome little 7 yr. old dachshund mix at the local animal shelter and fell in love. We brought him home and after a small escape attempt we decided on his name. The kids picked his middle name(can you tell that our family LOVES Big Bang Theory?). Introducing... Houdini Wolowitz Parker.

He is a big cuddle bug and loves to have his belly and head rubbed

At first the cats detested him and us for bringing him home and but after a week they have become the best of friends and can often be seen cuddling and napping together. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

His first night at home he slept outside but from then on out he somehow managed to con his Daddy into letting him sleep at the foot of our bed with his blanket. He has also gotten Daddy to bring him meat bones from the butcher once a week. He is a very spoiled little man.

Excitement and Fear

This time of year I get very excited and very, very scared. Excited that school will soon be starting and i'll have a routine again and scared because I remember that we homeschool our children and they will be home with me 24/7.

Now, while I love my children more than anything in the world, admittedly there are times when I wish that they didn't have special needs and that I could send them off to school like everyone else. It makes me feel like a bad Mother for feeling that way, because what Mom wouldn't want their kids with them all day everyday.

That aside, I really do love all that comes with a new school year. I LOVE buying a new lesson planner and getting all of the curriculum sorted out and divided into what TLC calls LP's(learning periods). I love getting it all written and printed out. I thrive on having it all organized and ready to go. I've got it all ready on my end now i'm just waiting for the call from the school that everything is in and ready to be picked up.

Reading

I love that Sage enjoys reading as much as I do.

Sage's 9th Birthday

We kept his party very low key this year since he went to Disneyland for his 8th birthday last year. He invited two friends over for video games, lego building and snacks. Here's what we served.

Some pictures of the birthday boy

Pictures of his friend Romeo 

Pictures of his friend Keenan.

9 Years Ago...

Nine years ago today we welcomed Sage into our little family. Time has certainly flown by and he has brought so much joy into our lives.

4th of July

We had a very laid back 4th because of my arm being in a cast. We still managed to have some fun with sparklers though.

Disneyland

This was our last trip with our Disneyland Annual passes that we purchased last year. We can't wait to buy them again.

We stopped by the LEGO store in Downtown Disney on the way home and the kids had to pose with The Hulk and Olivia

Did You Know?

Alexander Graham Bell

Thomas Edison

Albert Einstein

Benjamin Franklin

Patrick Henry

Eli Whitney

Orville & Wilbur Wright

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

George Wythe

Alexander Hamilton

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

Theodore Roosevelt

Louisa May Alcott

Robert Frost

C.S. Lewis

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Leonardo da Vinci

Claude Monet

Isaac Newton

Johann Sebastian Bach

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Winston Churchill

What do these well-known people all have in common? Besides creative genius or exceptional leadership...  

Each received a large part, if not all, of their education at home. That's right folks, these people were homeschooled! Through reading, discovering and exploring. There are many, many more people who have left their mark in the world and were educated in their own home. (There is a great list of famous homeschoolers at http://www.famoushomeschoolers.net )

Whenever you feel challenged or discouraged, just take a peek at these names and realize the potential those little people in your home have if you only give them the tools to unleash it! Many of these incredibly intelligent people were poor public school students and felt like failures, yet thrived when allowed to pursue knowledge in their own way and time. 

Is It Over Yet???

I am going to be brutally honest with you and most importantly with myself. I keep asking myself "Is it over yet?" Don't get me wrong, I love and I mean LOVE homeschooling my kids.

September through April I am on top of it and always adding in super fun activities and field trips to maximize our learning potential. I fill out learning, reading and lesson plan logs daily. We have all sorts of fun doing school all over the house, the yard and even at the store. For lack of a better phrase I am "Super Mom!".

As soon as May 1st rolls around that all goes out the Window and all I can manage to get done is the bare minimum required. I am beyond grateful that our dance parties, trampoline and walking the dog all count as P.E. or we would be in BIG trouble. We have had a lot of days of what I like to call "The Netflix School of Learning". I have yet to fill out a single log or report and all of the kids work from the last 5 weeks is due by next Friday the 7th. Now, before you judge me for our usage of Netflix on almost a daily basis this last month. Sage and Aurora can tell you all about Egypt, King Tut, Cleopatra, Ramses the Great, The Nile River, Moses, and the Israelite's, The Great Wall of China and why it was built and name all of the Greek and Roman Gods. Seriously... what 3rd grader and Kindergartner could do that????

Sage was supposed to work on a science fair presentation but no matter what I did to bribe motivate him he wasn't having any of it, I gave up so I could keep some part of my sanity and we just did 5 small science experiments. Then last week I found out that Aurora has to prepare a device less than 6x6 inches to keep an uncooked egg from cracking for the Egg Drop on the last day of school. The Hubs is usually in charge of things like this but he's been working a lot and has been super busy with the Scouts at Church, so here I am trying to figure out what kind of device will work best. This is definitely my definition of Hell.

Then I think back to our days of Public School I remember that it could always be worse. The last minute projects and stress that was brought on by making sure Sage had his homework folder, reading log and behavior chart signed and backpack cleaned out daily. He always managed to have a teacher with more OCD than me and to top it off there seemed to be contest between the kids for who brought the perfect handmade gift for his teacher and signing up for enough things so the class could have a decent party since most of the parents never signed up for anything. I am so glad that we have left those days far, far behind.

I've decided that it takes all kinds of Mom's to make the world go round. Public School Mom's are my new hero's!

Summer Fun

With Summer rapidly approaching The kids and I made our annual Summer fun list today. We are really excited!

2013-2014 Curriculum

I have Sage's 4th grade curriculum all picked out.

Writing

Handwriting 

Social Studies

Science

We'll get a different kit each month

Language Arts

Math

We will also be reading every Chapter book we can get our hands on. I am beyond excited for the new year.

I don't have much to pick out for Aurora since most of her work is done on-site with a teacher but here's what she'll be doing at home with us in 1st grade.

Handwriting

Social Studies

In addition to Ancient Civilizations she be doing Native Americans and Life in Plymouth Colony

She will also be reading the Magic Treehouse books this year

For Art we will be using Kelly Kits

Girls Night

Tonight I got a much needed escape.

My friend Marissa and I were able to go to dinner at Panera Bread and do some shopping at Pier One Imports and Bath and Body Works.

I was so busy having fun that I forgot to take a pictures. I am truly blessed with great friends!

Peace

I don't know what is wrong with this world. All we hear about on the news is acts of terror and violence. The events of this past week(Boston Marathon, MIT shooting and Manhunt) have stirred a sense of paranoia inside me.

It is times like this that I am reminded that I did make the right choice for our family by keeping the kids home with me and educating them with the safe walls of our home. I am so glad that my children are too young to understand that this world is truly becoming an evil place. Our standards are being bombarded every day with messages that just a little sin is okay.

I have so many people to thank for our opportunity to homeschool. First, Heavenly Father for giving me the strength and courage to seek out what is right for my children. Second, my Mother for supporting my dreams of homeschooling. Third, my amazing Husband for being my rock and crutch when times are tough and I feel like giving up. Fourth, TLC for providing curriculum and support to me and my children. Fifth, my amazing children and their love of learning despite the obstacles put in their way, which makes this all worth it.