I Used to Write a Blog

"So what you are actually saying...is that you USED to write a blog."

It happened after explaining to the English class that I regularly utilize a thesaurus when writing.
"Well, if I find time to write... I mean, I DO have a blog. In fact, you guys would probably like to read it...but I haven't really posted anything for 6 or 8 months..."
*mumble, mumble, talk to myself, forget that there are other people listening*

Then BOOM! *insert perfectly timed comment mentioned above - that struck right at my heart.*

Hmmm...he's got a point. Can I even say that I write a blog?
Can I smack this kid for pointing it out?
I'll show YOU, you snarky clever little 11th grade boy who felt the need to challenge me.
TA DA!
I am CURRENTLY WRITING a blog!
I win. You lose. That is all.

*sigh*
*shaking my head*
It took a confrontation with an adolescent for me to write something.
[sidenote: I just utilized a thesaurus to recall the word 'confrontation' rather than using the phrase 'pissing match' which was my first impulse. Those thesauruses really ARE wonderful. Sometimes, after spending my days with teenage boys, I need assistance to clean up my act and sound semi-educated.]
[sidenote to my sidenote: My boys just read the words 'pissing match' over my shoulder. It is a new term for them. They are laughing hysterically and spouting off about lighting fires and urine. It's not pretty, but it IS kind of funny. Oh my, there really is NO hope for me...or my children.]

I love teenagers. Truly, I do.
Intelligent, challenging, thinking ones are 'extra bonus' fun.
They keep things interesting and, apparently, push me to get things done.

K12 Online Public School vs. Ted Talks

Oh how I wish I could say that about our homeschool.
I have let state standards, college preparation, and overall comparison cast a shadow over the freedom I SHOULD feel as I educate my children. (My boys, after all, need to be the brightest and most talented among their peers - and I must have documentation to prove it!)
*I just threw up in my mouth a little*

This year has had me on a journey of change in this area. It's been freeing - and a little scary.

It all started at the end of last year when my brain kept saying, "HOW is one silly mom supposed to provide a comparable education to the MANY qualified junior high teachers at the school who are SPECIALIZED in their fields of study?"
I had no answer for that. I was SURE I was ruining my children for life.
To alleviate my concerns and reduce my workload, we decided to let someone else plan our school this year. We looked at the large price tags on all the curriculum and teacher support systems out there - and saw that K12 online public school was FREE. Jackpot!
It is a state accredited school provided by the government with individual teachers for each subject. Did I mention it's free?
What a deal! What a blessing!
What a HUGE MISTAKE!

For us, it sucked like a Hoover vacuum.

I have a seventh-grade boy who builds computer programs FOR FUN.
He taught himself to solve a Rubic cube - because any proper nerd should have this skill.
He watches documentaries with his father and checks history books out of the library because they are "interesting".

Obviously, he can read and regurgitate information in his sleep. (He actually does this sometimes, he is quite the talker after 10:00 pm.)
And he detested online school.

His younger brother, my very bright "man of action", who does math problems in his head because writing it all down is such a bother, also struggled. Interaction, nature, and movement help him retain information; but they were hard to come by with the K12 methodology.

• Don't stop to take a note, or draw a picture - there is no time!
• Don't dig deeper about a subject that interests you. How will you finish your grammar worksheet if you do that?
• Don't talk to your brother! He is in a different grade, in a different class, and doesn't have time to stop HIS learning to interact with the likes of you!

They were achieving mastery in every subject...and experiencing slow death.
I, of course, was bound and determined to stick with it.
My boys are capable! I wouldn't have people judging us and thinking we couldn't "hack" it. 

We pressed on - and walked around with a very heavy load on our shoulders (consisting mainly of textbooks and online assessments).

Then a very wise friend asked, "How much joy do you have in your days?"

After I quit crying...we went ahead and quit online public school.
It didn't work for us.
We couldn't hack it after all, and I realized I was REALLY OK with that.

Now I am re-evaluating my whole thought process about state standards and college prep...and WHY we do what we do. We took the time to jump through each and every hoop placed before us by our culture and were left wanting.
Now I have the slightly scary process of redefining our home education.
It could be a long road.

So what now?
Faith. Faith that the path will be made clear.
And JOY - lots of joy in our days.

We hope to foster a lifestyle (and love) of learning for our boys in the years we have left.
Clay and I are evaluating our own lives and seeing how we model this behavior...and where we need to improve.
We want to be more intentional with our time - even on those evenings when we all just want to vegetate. Don't get me wrong, we are still lazy; but we've been watching Ted Talks and Netflix documentaries as we snuggle up on the couch and eat thin mints.
(Shhhh! The boys enjoy the family "screen time" and haven't complained about the extra learning that sneaks in.)

*Sidenote: We love the Girl Scouts, but they are going to have to change the name of those cookies to Used-to-be Thin Mints*

We are still studying all the traditional subjects during the day; but we are definitely changing our approach. We desire to educate the WHOLE mind and not just the parts of it that are good at processing data. We have our work cut out for us.

The following Ted Talk has encouraged us along the way. It is funny. It's thought-provoking, and it is only ONE of the many talks that have been shaping our new way of thinking.
Go ahead, watch it...and join us on our journey.
We can all use a little encouragement as we try to understand our children and help them thrive.

Ken Robertson TedTalk about Creativity

Really? Creative Writing

Explosions, guns, hunting, blood, and underwear...
These are the main subject matter in our homeschool writing club comprised solely of young boys.

"What would our children write about if they went to public school?" I queried.
"I have no idea, but I'm SURE they would be expelled for reading THESE stories," replied my cohort in writing club crime.

'Tis true. We are raising creative writing delinquents.
Although I often take a red pen to rough drafts in hopes of limiting the gross/violence factor, final drafts would rarely pass muster in an institution for the masses.

The thing is: my fifth and seventh graders are learning to ENJOY the written word.
Strong verbs, descriptive language and compound sentences are not nearly so daunting when the subject matter is engaging and makes them grunt with heightened levels of testosterone.

My kids are becoming competent, creative writers.
They will, someday, be successful when asked to draft a presentation for the 'big wigs' at work (or a college professor). If these skills are learned while creating PowerPoint presentations to convince their parents that the latest PlayStation game is necessary (for killing zombies and thriving in the future Apocalypse); so be it.
If they become proficient in drafting business letters while writing to the M&M Candy Corporation expressing disappointment with the term "fun-size" on teeny-tiny bags of M&Ms, I say, "Rock on."
If writing an accurate and detailed report about Cedar Point happens to include a description about vomit or underwear while adequately expressing the rush of adrenaline which occurred on a ride, I'll take it! A successfully written report (with details) WAS achieved.

They can deal with dry subject matter later if their future 'real-world' requires it. In the meantime, I have some fundamentals to ingrain within their cute little heads, and I have the freedom to do this any way I deem fit. Thank you homeschool!

I am sure many would poo-poo my methods.
That's OK. I'm sure I would also poo-poo theirs.
(I just wrote poo-poo in an "acceptable" way, and it made me laugh.
Sorry, I couldn't let that slide - I live with boys.)

If I risk raising delinquents, it is a risk I am willing to take.
I hardly think I can avoid rule-questioning/bending/breaking children anyway.
(I know their parents.)
I might as well use this tendency for their future benefit.

We Drink Dead People?

Photo Credit

Homeschooling Rassi boys leads to some interesting discussions...

Evan: Mom! Micah said we won't use up all the water in the world...but we CAN! Billions of people DRINK water so we might use it all up!

Me: No, he is correct. Water may get dirty or change forms, but it doesn't just disappear. Remember, we also sweat out water and pee. The Earth doesn't gain or lose matter, it just changes a bit during different processes. It all evens out.

Evan: The Earth DOES gain water. Our bodies are made up of 70% water, and BABIES are born! God makes babies and they grow and all that water is added to the world! People have babies ALL THE TIME.

Me: Yes, babies are made of water, but that doesn't mean water is added. They grow by taking water out of the world, but that doesn't mean that the world will run out of water either. You have to remember that people die too. Water from those bodies returns to the ground. It all balances out.

Evan: Oh yah. People do die all the time. Wait! *holding up his glass of water* Are you telling me that I'm drinking DEAD PEOPLE?

Me: Yes. Yes, that is what I'm telling you. Glad we got that all cleared up.

Good Day, Bad Day

On a good day, I REALLY appreciate it when my husband takes the time to sweep up all the crumbs under the kitchen table.
On a bad day, I REALLY get annoyed that he leaves all the crumbs in a pile next to the table so I can sweep them up to sweep up "later".

On a good day, school is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my boys and learn about God's great world while doing hands-on activities and ENJOYING ourselves.
On a bad day, school is a burdensome chore that I don't feel equipped to handle (involving ungrateful, complaining little people - whom I could easily send away to public school...)

On a good day, it's funny when my 4th grader has a quirky comment for every situation.
On a bad day, "that boy ain't right...and it's all Clay's fault".

Sadly, I can go from a good day to a bad day in a fraction of a second.
I forget that any day that I have life... is a good day.
I forget that every difficult moment can be used for my benefit and God's glory.
I forget to count my blessings.

Thankfully, I can also go from a bad day to a good day quite quickly.
I remember all the past trials which I have gotten through...that have strengthened me.
I remember that God not only changed my life, but He can change my moment.
I remember to count my blessings.

• Healthy, intelligent children who make me laugh
• Coffee with cream in my cup...and more where that came from
• A hard-working husband who is faithful and funny
• A rainy, cool day which makes hot soup more enjoyable
• Friends who pray with me and encourage me and live life with me
• A powerful, sovereign God whose promises never fail

That's a darn good start to a very long list...

What are your blessings? 

Is today going to be a good day or a bad day? 

We each have a choice to make.

As for me and my house, I think we'll play some uplifting music, then go out on the back porch and eat some soup while we watch the animals play (and listen to a history cd). 

I'll attempt to do my part in making the next few moments good. It's the choice I want to make.

Weekly Wrap Up

In our homeschool this week...
My boys participated in the local talent show at the elementary school. My husband joined them for a few entries. The "main event" was posted here, but the following videos are where my sons actually SANG while they played. A new milestone.

My boys also did presentations at home this week.
Our 5th grader presented about the Bill of Rights to the rest of the family (in a kinesthetic, fun way that might help little brother remember it). The fact that it involved dart guns made it that much more enjoyable.
Our 3rd grader taught his older brother about the scientific classification of animals (with a bit of inspiration from this link). He finished up the lesson by making his brother come up with his own mnemonic to remember the scientific categories.
The categories for classification are: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
So, big brother came up with this mnemonic:
Khaki Pants Constrict Old Fat Geezers Sometimes.
We've been laughing at that all week. Consider the order remembered.

Things I'm working on...
I also discovered a history website with timeline figurines I can print. They have all kinds of collections from different time periods.

Source: etc.usf.edu via Becky on Pinterest

I am making a card game out of the figures.
On one side will be the picture and the name of the character and on the others side will be the picture and a date.
We each get 5 cards placed face up in front of us. (with no dates showing)
Then, one card will get put in the middle of the table (date showing).
Each player will then take turns and place a card from their line of cards onto the timeline.
"Does it occur before or after the event/people/invention already in the middle of the table?"
If they guess wrong, they put their card back and draw a new card from the pile.
Once there are multiple cards in the middle of the table, it gets difficult. Events can happen before, after, or between events.
The first person that gets rid of their cards wins!
This is NOT my own concept. It is based on the timeline game that I bought.

Source: boardgamegeek.com via Becky on Pinterest

In my life this week...
At the breakfast table this week, I announced:
"Learning is a lifelong activity. It's not just something that happens in school - and since little brother forgot nearly EVERY SINGLE ONE of his multiplication facts last summer, we will continue reviewing and learning over the next few months. Don't worry, it will only be a little each day. A timed math drill here, an game of adjective eye-spy there..."
(you'll notice that I didn't mention writing - that would have been my downfall.)

They didn't even flinch. They just sat there with quizzical looks on their faces.
I think big brother was wondering how HE (with his extraordinary memory) was being lumped into my plan...and yet, he was torn - because he kind of LIKES learning.
Little brother was the one who shocked me. No complaints?
He REALLY doesn't want to forget how to multiply AGAIN.
(Oh, and long division! Let's not even think of having to RElearn long division.)

So there we sat. All in agreement. We would do a few minutes of school each day - just like we spend time reading our Bibles, doing our chores, and brushing our teeth.

It went so well...I might even up the ante.
I think I have come up with a BRILLIANT plan.
(I only hope it works as well as I keep daydreaming that it will.)
I am making a file folder full of writing "opportunities" where the boys can MAKE MONEY if they complete a writing assignment. We'll see how this goes...




 

Science and Slushies

I need a superhero outfit.
No, it's not for anything crazy. (Well, at least not today.)

It's because in our homeschool this week...
I had a moment when all the stars aligned and I was kissed by God. (Thank you God) My children now think I'm brilliant. They look at me with awe in their eyes...and that is enough that I almost think I could fly.

I have decided that all moms should be able to experience this joy...so I am sharing my new super power with you.
-----------------

My boys saw a commercial for "Slushy Magic" on the TV.
For $20, they could buy two kits which would allow them to add "special ice cubes" to a yummy sugary liquid and end up with a slushy (in under a minute with no crushing of ice).

Like any self-respecting-homeschool mom, I had to figure out how this worked!
What is the science behind it all? *found at the bottom of the blog*
I ended up finding out that the "special ice cubes" were merely bags of saltwater that had been frozen. That's it! Salt was the "magic" ingredient.

We quickly fill a quart size freezer bag with water (a little bit more than halfway full), and we DUMPED salt in it so that the water was saturated with salt.
We shook the bag and mixed it so the salt dissolved. (It is fine if you add too much salt - it will just gather at the bottom of the bag.)
Saltwater holds heat better than regular water, so it does not freeze as quickly. You will need to freeze it overnight - or until the bag is full of ice that is WHITE like snow.

White Salty Ice

Put your white ice (still in the bag, do NOT open it) into a gallon-sized freezer bag. 

Pour sweet, yummy liquid into the bag. 

(We used Strawberry-Kiwi Kool-Aid).

The commercial used milk, pop, juice...all kinds of liquid beverages.

Side note: Don't get any crazy ideas. Alcohol also has a lower freezing point than water (even lower than salt water) so margaritas probably won't work. :)  

Seal up the bag, grab them at the top...

...and do the Slushy Shake. 

(You could make it a dance contest and the winner gets first dibs.)

You can see it turn slushy through the bag. 

Decide how icy you want it, then removed the bag of salty ice, 

 Pour into a cup. (Dad helped out so I could take some photos.) 

The finished product.
(Oops, artificial lighting made it look orange...which would be delicious too)

Enjoy! The boys have made no less than five slushies in the past two days.

I hope you pull out your own superhero outfit this weekend and spread some slushy joy. Don't worry, if you have too many slushies...superhero spandex stretches.

*The science behind the experiment - as I understand it: 

There is really no such thing as "cold". Cold is merely loss of heat.
The frozen saltwater had lost the heat energy which kept it in fluid form. When the liquid Kool-Aid touched the frozen bag of saltwater, the saltwater began quickly absorbing the heat from the Kool-Aid. It actually absorbed the heat from the Kool-Aid much more quickly than the Kool-Aid could absorb new heat from the air - so the Kool-Aid lost heat and froze. 
Does that make sense? If not, you may have to do some research on your own.
*UPDATE*:
We have had some slushy flops the last few times we've made them.
The slushies have tasted salty. (and we used "good" bags the last time!)
Both times it flopped, we tried to make large amounts of slush at one time.
Maybe all the extra shaking let the saltwater get too melted and created more time for the liquid to leak out?
Not sure, but to be safe...I suggest making small amounts at a time. (about 2 cups worth, or one red solo cup worth) Maybe each kid can have his own bag to shake, shake, shake!
We are experimenting with other more permanent containers. Let me know if you find any that work and I will keep everyone updated with our findings as well.

Highlights - Two Weeks

In my homeschool (and life, because they are essentially the same thing) over the past two weeks...
We went to Toledo, Ohio for a judo tournament.
(I already shared a few funny things I heard on the trip in another post.)
*Warning: proud Mama brag*
My oldest son earned 1st place in his judo division and my youngest won 2nd place in his. Woo hoo Boys!

So, we were heading out of town for judo and my littlest squirt REQUESTED that we take Fred with us. Who's Fred, you ask?

Source: lifeoffredmath.com via Becky on Pinterest

We recently broke down and bought the Life of Fred math curriculum to see what all the hype is about. Both boys are hooked. When my 9-year-old wants to take a math book on a Spring Break getaway...I might as well have discovered GOLD. I'm curious to see how long this lasts. (BTW: I'm enjoying the books too, but have been surprised at the number of grammatical errors that we have found. Oh well, at least it's not an English curriculum.)

To cram as much as we could into top off our weekend away, we visited the Toledo Museum of Art. Toledo (a.k.a. Glass City) has a building in its museum which is totally devoted to glass. It was fascinating to watch the glass blowing demonstrations.
*sidenote: They offer glass-blowing classes each weekend. If I lived closer, I would SO BE DOING THIS!

We hit the jackpot by going to the museum that particular weekend. Chamber Music winners from Bowling Green University performed trios, quartets, and quintets while we were there.

I think I might have been a little "high" by the time we left. (As a homeschool mom and an artist...I was on overload.) So much culture in one trip! Did I mention that it was all FREE?

Later that week, we celebrated Good Friday and Easter.
We made Resurrection rolls, opened up resurrection eggs (my son has a WONDERFUL Sunday School teacher who mailed them to us) and colored hot boiled eggs with crayons.

We talked about the life and death of Christ and the victory He provides. This season reminded me to be thankful that we homeschool. We get to focus on Christ everyday as we study our world. (Now I just need to MAKE SURE I'M CHOOSING TO DO THAT.)

After Easter, we killed about 5 rabbits.
*I'm singing Elmer Fudd in my head, "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit..."*
For those of you opposed to killing bunnies, you can relax...they were all made of chocolate.

Aunt Kris always gets a little carried away at the annual Easter egg hunt and all children get a pile of chocolate confections bigger than their heads.
I forgot about this little tradition when I filled my boys' baskets and got them chocolate crosses. Can you say, "Chocolardiac Arrest"?

On Tuesday, a homeschool assignment was:
"What practical (and fun) things can we do with all this Easter candy?"

We (literally) hammered the large items until they were bits and pieces. (Don't worry, they still have enough miniature Twix candy bars and marshmallow peeps set aside to keep them bouncing off my walls for weeks.)
Someday soon, when we have company to SHARE with, we will dip marshmallows, pretzels, and strawberries into our mutilated bunnies leftover chocolate. Oh, AND we plan to make some of these :

Source: cargilefamilyrecipes.com via Becky on Pinterest

(except we will add peppermint oil to our chocolate rather than use thin mints)

The final addition that Easter added to our homeschool this year, was the wood-burning kit that Boy #2 received in his Easter basket. He's artistic, but I think this would get ANY BOY interested in art.
"Here honey, come play with FIRE for school."

I'm almost finished with this little wrap-up, but don't want to leave out one last experience from our homeschool adventures.
My girlfriend has been trying to get our family to try "Eat Right For Your Blood Type". It's a list of foods that are supposed to be beneficial or harmful to a person based on their blood type. Whether or not we buy into this new way of eating, it has sparked a lot of interesting conversations. And like any respectable homeschool family, we had to discuss it, research it, and take it a step further (to create more expense and work for ourselves.) We went ahead and ordered Blood Type Test Kits.

Amazon has them for $11 with free shipping, but
since we ordered four, it was cheaper to get them here. 

Our boys now know their blood types. They know all about RH factors, blood type ratios and genetic possibilities. They also know that a tiny prick to their finger is not something to cry about...but it doesn't feel all that "good" either.

I'd say we snuck in quite a bit of education along with our Easter vacation.
It's those special moments that keep a teacher (and her students) pressing on during these last precious (long) weeks of the school year.

Keep blogging about your activities friends, so I can keep being inspired in mine.
Thanks for reading,
Becky

Fire - and a Limbo Contest

In our homeschool this week...
We caught things on fire.

Different chemicals burn with different colored flames.
Our $30 chemistry set was a BRILLIANT purchase - if I do say so myself.

Then, my youngest son won a limbo contest in his public school music class. That meant he got to move on and compete against all the other class winners - in front of the entire school. The teacher told him to "go home and practice." Boy, he took THAT homework seriously! My living room was limbo central all week long. I need to find a way to excite him this much about History...or Writing...or long division...
Competition day came on Friday, and that little stinker won second place. Guess all his practice paid off.

It's actually been a perfect school week. We only had two days of "normal school" and then we started Spring Break. Because the boys still went to Music and Gym classes at the public school all week, we will have 3 days next week where I don't have to STOP and drive someone to class. (which means slightly shorter days and long stretches of focused time) *big happy sigh*

In my life this week...
After a bit of a Valentine's flop (in his defense, we were traveling), Clay declared that I should have a birthday MONTH. Yep, you read that right.
On March 1, he gave me a birthday card to start everything out.
He was intentional about planning (and taking me on) a few dates, and I often got to hear the beautiful words, "Well, it's YOUR birthday month...so you pick."

I gotta say, I've been impressed - and it all came to a peak Thursday. (on my actual birthday)
I woke up to 4 birthday cards.
It was sweet.
Of course, 3 of them were along THIS line:

This card was from my nephew who is visiting us for a few days...
Evan told me HE picked it out, but let his cousin give it to me.

The fourth card  I received was handed to me by my little shmoozer.

It was sappy and sentimental -  I was sniffling and struggling to focus through tears before I had finished the front cover. He also hand-wrote a special note. (I'm telling you, he's "good".)
I would show you the handwritten note, but he wrote it in pen and messed up a bit (and since I'm a competitive homeschool mom, I'll stick to showing you only the impressive or funny stuff.)
*Can you see me rolling my eyes at myself?*

I also was honored by three Lego sculptures.

Happy B-Day

Lego Mom...with very pointy perky boobs.

A Flower...and a note that says "Top of the Morning To You".
I think Micah has turned Irish.

I pretty much ATE my way through the special day. Omelet breakfast made by friends, Taco Bell bean burrito for lunch bought by other friends, a few hours - without food- with other friends (but it was food for my soul, I tell ya) and THIS:

Thank you Pinterest!

Yep, you are seeing that correctly. My men took cake batter and poured it in the waffle iron to make me a chocolate waffle ice cream sandwich. We froze the leftovers for later...and I think they will be perfect stuffed with mint chocolate chip ice cream and maybe drizzled with chocolate. *drool* My oldest thought they still needed a layer of icing or whipped cream. (gotta say, that's not a bad idea either)

Well, if you were hoping to get great homeschool ideas from this post, you are stuck with waffles...or maybe the limbo. I was obviously WAY too wrapped up in my wonderful day to focus on much of anything else.
I've decide that my birthday should happen once a month if I can keep getting treated like this. I don't even care if it means I'll be 80 in two years with birthdays that frequent - I think it might be worth it.

A Solution for Artwork Clutter Blues

I read a blog about "Organizing Your Kid's Schoolwork" 
It was a good blog, but I have a different approach that might also come in handy.
I was going to share my helpful hints in the comments of her blog, but thought, "Wait! She blogged about organization...people blog about all kinds of things...maybe, just maybe, this idea is blog-worthy."
So here we go...

I was an art major in college. I know what it is like to be attached to something that I have worked on for hours and hours. I made a LOT of very large, very awkward-to-store-or-put-in-a-portfolio art projects. I had a storage dilemma.

Fast-forward 20 years. I am a mom.
Trying to get children to part with anything is difficult. I have even "heard" that some moms wait until the kids are gone (or napping) to stealthily hide items in the deep depths of the garage trashcan.
*flashback memory of one boy DISCOVERING said items in bottom of trashcan...*

When facing this oh-so-familiar artwork dilemma, I tend to apply the solution I discovered in college:
I keep the most recent artwork (and one or two frameable favorites) on display. Then, when it is time for a project to get buried in the basement, put in a drawer, or stuck in a folder - I take a picture of it instead. 
Viola! A keepsake for all eternity...in a digital file or arranged neatly (and miniaturized) in a photo album.

The large photo was a drawing that was originally 24x30 inches.
I photographed it and printed it 12 inches wide to put in a  portfolio. (Items can be printed out any size.)

This concept can be applied to any clutter keepsake that needs to be remembered, but takes up too much room. ((LEGO creations, baby outfits, well-worn toys)

I have discovered that including my boys in the photo-taking process is beneficial. It allows them to capture their projects in a NEW artistic way - which helps them release the need to hang on to the original version.

I hope this little solution helps solve some of your schoolwork chaos conundrums (and cleans up your basement a bit).

Added bonus: If desired, the photos can be given to your children as well as kept by you so everyone can re-live those special memories for years to come.

What I Learned This Week...

This is a comic strip my son created yesterday. 

He said, "Mom, I'm not sure that you will like it, but Dad and Evan think it's hilarious."

click on image to enlarge it if you can't read it
(Proud art teacher moment: happy with the different perspectives he chose.)

This week, I learned that the testosterone-filled humans in my life have rubbed off on me. This "Absurdly Painful" cartoon made me giggle. I think I may need to put on something pink and go watch Anne of Green Gables...

What is working...

I LOVE to "interact" with my prayer journal.

I don't just write. I doodle, I scribble, I make block letters..and I draw stick figures.

Call me artsy-fartsy, but I gotta express myself.

So, while stalking reading this homeschool blog, I stole got a BRILLIANT idea.
I decided the timing was right to give our boys their very own prayer journals.
I started off by showing them mine.
My oldest shrugged, took an ordinary pencil, and quietly disappeared to write a verse down (so he could finish the journal "assignment" and then pray to God without using any sort of writing utensil).

But my youngest, HOO BOY! He grabbed a selection of multi-colored pens and Went. To. Town.
All week, he has disappeared with his journal when he was happy, processing, sad, angry...
We've found an outlet for all that emotion!
He has always been a bit flighty when it comes to interacting with God or FOCUSING on Biblical concepts...but I think we found a method that resonates with him.
Simple, sweet, pictorial conversations with God.
(He showed me his journal - one entry had a tornado drawn in his mind, complete with cow mooing as it flew through the air. It was next to request that God take away the anger he was feeling.)

He is VOLUNTARILY writing A LOT. (He usually fights me when I make him write more than a paragraph.) So, I learned this week that what energizes me can ALSO energize my kids.
They aren't "babies" anymore. I need to let them into my grown-up world.
I also learned that there IS ALWAYS A WAY to reach them...sometimes I just have to keep digging to find it.

In our homeschool this week...
We CRANKED up the theme to Ghostbusters...and went hunting for prepositions.

Pinterest led me to this little jewel of a lesson. 

Lollipops wrapped in Kleenex with faces - and then I hid them.
When my boys found them, they wrote sentences using prepositional phrases.
"I found a ghost under the chair in the dining room."
They could not repeat a preposition.

I thought it might be "below" the level of my 5th grader, but my 3rd grader NEEDS this kind of kinesthetic activity. He has no space in his mind for subjects taught by rote.
Instead, he remembers that we play Adjective Eye Spy, and that Conjunction Junction does have a function. (School House Rock in the car has been our grammar salvation.)
And now, when I want him to remember prepositions, I'll just say, "I ain't afraid of no ghost," and he'll remember searching for ghosts all over the house "under, around or above" other items.
The thing is, my 5th grader ALSO had a lot of fun with the song - and hunting ghosts.
So, this week I learned (again) that it's always good to do something a bit goofy and different.
I love to be silly in life, and I need to be silly in school too.

10 Things: Homeschool Blog Link-ups

This silly little blog-o-mine led me down a path where I discovered OTHER Homeschool Mom Blogs. They have blog parties where they link-up with each other.
At first, I thought it was genius! All those blogs in ONE PLACE.
Then, 10 hours later when my eyes were blurry from staring at the screen and reading blogs all night...I started to re-evaluate this whole process.
I still love the link-ups to discover interesting, fresh ideas - and (probably more honestly) some good laughs,  but here are some other discoveries I made while traveling through homeschool cyberspace:

• I want to KISS the moms who are SPECIFIC with their blog titles. If they label their link "Mod-podge activity for 4th graders" rather than "Homeschool Week #52"...they AT LEAST deserve a medal (since a kiss from me might be a bit off-putting to some.) No offense to the mothers of preschoolers, but I've been there, done that, and don't have time to read about it all again. I need to know which links are the most beneficial use of my time.
• Other stay-at-home-moms need adult interaction (and someone to be interested in their school activities) just as much as I do. (And I can be pretty hard up some days.) 
• In a list of blogs, I am much more likely to read a blog named "I School Crazy People" than something called "Biblical Mommyhood."   I have enough serious in my life. I'm happy to learn something new...but while you teach, could you try to make me giggle? 
• Some Mom-bloggers are just plain CLEVER. My school has gotten WAY more interesting since I started stealing learning from other teachers. The creativity in the projects is awe-inspiring. No, I should say it's actually enough to inspire...LEARNING. *big happy sigh*
• Speaking of clever inspiration, some of these homeschool bloggers are FUNNY. I am a much better sidekick than I am a headliner. I'm always ready with a clever retort, but some of these moms should go on the road. They approach a blank screen and leave it giggling with humorous homeschool fodder.
• I love Google Reader! If I find a fellow mom who "gets" me, I can get updates without having to re-find that little link over and over and over again.
• Reading "highlights of the week" from someone else's homeschool can be detrimental to a fragile homeschool mom psyche. (At least I GUESS it could be...ahem) Highlights don't often include bored moments, arguments, or assignment flops. Pretty photos of smiling kids and active, creative, inspiration can be hard to look at if your hair is sticking up on end and children have been sent to opposite corners of the house. 
• I find myself glancing down a blog looking for pictures and links that look interesting or helpful. (I guess I should make sure I include a picture or a link when I write my own blog if I want people, like myself, to stick around and read MORE.)
• I love Homeschool Moms. I love their hearts. I love their effort. I love their failures. I love their desire to help others. I love their adoration for their kids. I love their struggles. I just love that these moms let me climb into their worlds...and I hope a few choose to climb back into mine.

This list is linked up with Top Ten Tuesday and Hip Homeschool Hop

Weekly Wrap Up

In my life this week...
This post should just say, "Zzzzzzzzzzz...."

I'm tired due to excessive SUNSHINE. It makes me skip, and walk, and play, and clean...

No worries, it's a good tired...it's just my muscles revolting after months of lethargy.

At least it was a good tired for most of the week.
My husband has been gone, and today the tired took a different track. We ALL  (the boys and I) hit the "living without Dad" proverbial wall.
I need reinforcements. The boys need to wrestle...
We are tired of holding down the fort.

I started my week out laughing at this cartoon and ended the week feeling a bit like this Mom..:

Comic by Todd Wilson (author of The Official Book of Homeschool Cartoons)

My boys haven't had issues with fractions...but I have DEFINITELY felt that I might die trying before they "get" that I want them to LOVE each other in their responses...or clean up their sports equipment...or eat with their mouths over their plates...or quit complaining about writing...or...
I love a good laugh.
I love that this comic reminds me that I'm not dead yet...and I still have tomorrow - after Prince Charming returns.

This week in homeschool...
We supplemented our curriculum with a bit of Pinterest school.
I only recently discovered this handy little tool. Everything I stumble across on blogs or Google located in ONE PLACE? Jackpot!
So, here are some of the ideas that I stole pinned from others and USED this week:

We did sentence diagramming: 

Videos: http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com.

Worksheets and Reference Sheets:  http://www.a-z-worksheets.com/diagramming-sentences.html

We celebrated Pi Day (March 14...you know, 3.14)

We compared finding the perimeter of a square with finding the circumference of circle.

Found a great little lesson online which EXPLAINS what Pi is. Good times.

We made not one, but TWO pies on Pi Day.
Pumpkin for Big and Chocolate Peanut Butter for Little.
After EATING two pies, the circumference of our waistlines probably increased by AT LEAST 3.14...

And good thing Daddy is finally getting home...so he can "help" dispose of the school projects.


We had Art Club again this week.
I teach a once-a-month class to make sure my children do "proper" art on occasion. (They draw comics, build Legos and construct cardboard guns ALL THE TIME...but those only kind-of "count")

This week, the art element we covered was TEXTURE.
The artists we discussed were Van Gough, Jackson Polluck and Anselm Kiefer.
We also came up with ALL KINDS of methods for creating textures:

Crayon/Chalk rubbings

Torn/folded paper

Patterns and shading 

Found objects 

We talked about painting over the found objects to make them cohesive

Glue Art (draw with glue and let dry, paint over it
and put some shoe polish on it to help glue stand out)

Of course, we discussed:

Adding sand and grasses to paint (like Keifer)

Splatter painting (like Polluck)

And finally, I introduced them to a technique called

Quilling (or filagree) where paper is rolled to make neat things like this:

Click here for instructions
at Dick Blick 's website

I CAN'T WAIT to see the finished projects...and to spend this month MAKING them.
Woo hoo!

Things I'm thinking about...
I'm thinking that this blog gets really long on Fridays when I highlight the "extra" projects we do in a week.
I get so excited as I look back and realize all the fun we had (that too often gets forgotten under piles of worksheets and grading and whining about writing assignments).
I love being part of the learning process.
I love learning a little more each day myself.
Now, I'm off to blog-stalk and steal pin some more GREAT ideas from other teachers and moms who want the best for their students as well.