Seeing Green in More Ways than One!

This is what I intended to post several weeks ago but ran into trouble with our computer among other things...

It's that time of year again for all things green!  Green shamrocks, green leprechauns, green, green, green (and of course, rainbows thrown in for good measure).

While I'm sharing pictures of some of our "green" adventures, I'd also like to address a topic I keep coming across (and indeed have experienced myself):  the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side homeschooling syndrome.

Our leprechaun, Dooligan, shows up for the first time this year -leaving a note for the children.  He also spent time rearranging some flowers we had purchased earlier in a rainbow of sorts.

Let me paint a scenario (use rainbow colors, please):  homeschool mom hops online, begins browsing blogs for ideas and ultimately ends up overwhelmed and wants to give up.

Instead of being inspired, she feels inadequate and uncreative.  Her homeschool seems to pale in comparison to what she sees online.  She may even have thoughts such as these...

Wow, her kids must have so much fun in homeschool!  They probably never wish they were in a real classroom.  She probably never snaps at her kids or has to beg them to concentrate.  I sure wish I could be that kind of mom (you know - the infinite cup of patience, I-can-juggle-it-all-and-then-some-with-a-smile kind)...

Sound familiar?

You're in good company here.  I am guilty of wallowing in the mom and homeschool comparison mud as well.  I think everyone wants to be THAT mom.

But I don't think she exists.   The picture perfect painting in our hearts - now, THAT is very real.  It is a self-made image pieced together from mental clippings of various posts, pins, articles, etc. until we have indeed created a monster - an ideal no earthly person could ever completely live up to.

Please understand I am not talking about the Proverbs 31 woman who conducts the affairs of her household by depending upon the grace of God.  What I AM suggesting is a June Cleaver on steroids type of person.

Dooligan strikes!  School supplies in green jello!

Now, before you go blaming this grass-is-greener mentality on the blogger next door (after all, you felt the unrest begin after reading about her family's perfect homeschooling day), please consider this:

Bloggers are human.  They make mistakes, lose their tempers, etc.  They just don't always blog about it.

It is important to keep that  in mind when reading what may seem like "perfect life" posts.  Chances are, what you are reading is a moment in life - not a 24 hour lifestyle.

I cannot speak for other blogging moms, but THIS mommy is well acquainted with little people vying for attention, night wakings, early morning children, dirty diapers, meals to make, squabbles to handle, lessons to plan, loss of patience (mine), mommy guilt, school work reluctance, and laundry that seems to border on eternal.  ;)   I just don't blog about it.  I seriously don't have that kind of time.

Plus, let's be honest here.  Do you REALLY want to spend your precious nap time minutes reading about someone doing the same things you are doing (excluding those posts which offer wise, creative solutions to a problem)?  Probably not.

Yet another Dooligan prank - removing the children's pillows and stuffing the inside with green faux grass.

I believe there are many homeschool moms who blog to encourage others, offer advice, and/or to earn money to use for curriculum or family expenses.  They are well aware that this isn't going to happen without an audience.  Hence, they write about topics they know are of interest and not the daily grind.

Please guard your heart against blaming bloggers for posting inspiration rather than commiseration!

Trust me - as one blogger to her readers - more goes on behind posts than "reads" the eye.

Having fun with patterns using clovers and gold coins.

So what's a mom to do?  How can she resist being sucked into keeping up with the homeschool Jones's family? How can she avoid feeling self-doubt and despair every time she jumps online to read a blog or update her pins?

I believe very simply, it can be done by solely relying on the wisdom and grace of the Lord!  Would you like me to expand?

Creativity is a blessing from the Lord!  We live in an age when we have amazing ideas available to us with the simple click of a button.

But HOW we approach what we see is a matter of the heart.  

People may think I am strange, but it is a relief to me that my Creator knows every nook and cranny of my heart.  Every motive.  Every sinful thought.  Why a relief?  Because I don't have to hide from him.  He already knows me deeper than I know myself - AND STILL LOVES ME.  

He knows if I am hopping online to compare my homeschool with someone else's.  He knows if I am just online trying to find a more creative way to "one up" my homeschooling friends (inciting envy).  He knows e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g!  

And what does that have to do with how we approach what we see?  Consider a thief in an empty room with a precious jewel.  Now consider that same thief in a room with a witness and a precious jewel.  Will he behave the same way in both instances?  Probably not.

Well, guess what.  Unlike the witness in the above example, God is always in the room and our thoughts are an open book to him.  Because of my love for him and my desire to glorify him, the reminder that he is observing all I do AND think, can help me to make sure my time online is pleasing to him (and not an exercise in covetousness).

One of Dooligan's better tricks - filling the bathtub with rainbow balloons!

Keeping an eye on the attitude of your heart before, during, and after you hop online is critical to maintaining a healthy, realistic homeschool environment.  Are you getting online for the right reasons AND are you staying online for the right reasons?

If you tend to end your screen time feeling despondent about motherhood and homeschooling, perhaps (dare I say it?) it is time to unplug completely for a while.  Give your mind and heart some time to freely soak up the blessing of motherhood.  I would suggest seeking out some wise moms in your church, asking them over for tea and letting the warmth of their advice take the place of electronic chatter.

If circumstances do not allow for this, I would suggest searching for books by women whose lives as mothers are testimonies to their desire to live for the Lord (Sally Clarkson, Edith Schaeffer, etc.).

The kids loved this game!  I picked math facts Miss A was having trouble with and placed them under the hats (this could also easily be done with spelling words, letters, etc.).  One hat contained a picture of gold coins.  The kids would take turns peering under the hats and writing the math fact they found underneath (Mr. J would practice writing one of the numbers in the number sentence).  If they found the hat with gold coins, they received a treat!  They were willing to play this over and over and over - thus getting in plenty of extra practice with math facts.  ;)

When you feel strengthened and self-controlled enough to tackle the virtual world once more, I suggest trying to incorporate the following steps:

Step #1:  Thank God for creativity and ask him for discernment, wisdom, and self-control before you begin to browse blogs, articles, Pinterest, etc.

Step #2:  Set a time or idea limit and stick to it.

Ten minutes can turn into hours online if you are not careful.  Speaking from experience, a wealth of eye candy can definitely make you (heart)sick!

But what if I miss a really great craft or idea?   

You will.  Life is constantly moving on several levels all at once. If you're online, you might catch a great idea but miss the opportunity to spend time with your husband.  You might pin a super craft but forfeit snuggling in with your kids for a story before bed.

Life is full of choices.  I don't know about you, but I want mine to be ones that will count for eternity.  I can choose to spend a majority of time searching for memory-making opportunities (and never have any) or I can create special moments with my family, just by being present with them.

Moms, set a limit, and I think you and your family will be glad you did.

Step #3:  Inspect your heart and guard it well.  If you are being sucked into another person's virtual home reality to the point where you don't want to re-enter your own real home, something is not right. 

Ask the Lord for wisdom to help you recognize the seeds of discontent before they have a chance to take root.  As you wade through the barrage of blogs, tips, crafts, recipes, lesson plans, etc.  - take note of those which seem to continually leave you with a sense of "want" rather than joy and avoid them in the future (even if that means this one!). 

Our St. Patrick's Day note from Dooligan complete with leprechaun mustaches and hats so the children could pretend to be him for a day.  

Quick recap...

Mommies, if you are tempted - even just a teeny tiny bit - to compare your life to this blog or some "picture perfect grass is greener life" blog - DON'T. You'd just be comparing your experiences to a BLOG,  not real life.

Ask the Lord for wisdom and self-control when you hop online.  

If your discontent meter still surges every time you go "pinning" or blog surfing - it is probably time to unplug.

St. Patrick's Day breakfast:  Lucky Charms (a rare treat for us) and green eggs.

Final thoughts...

1.  God created YOU to be the mom of your children.  He can equip you with whatever you need to parent and instruct your children.

2.  Your weaknesses could very well be the things God uses to draw you and your children closer to him during your homeschool hours and throughout the day.  

No, I am not saying losing one's temper is a good thing (speaking from plenty of experience here).  HOWEVER, God convicting a mommy's heart and humbling her to ask forgiveness for snapping at a "wee someone" unnecessarily - well, now that is a teachable moment.

Moms - YOU can be a living example of God working out his sustaining grace in your life.  We are on a life stage, and little eyes and ears are attentive to our performance.  When we mess up, let's do so gracefully!  Apologize, ask for forgiveness (yes - even from your kids), take a deep breath, and move on with the day.

3.  You DON'T have to be super creative to have a warm, memory-filled homeschool.   Trust me on this one. Creativity is nice, but love is the defining thread in beautiful homeschool tapestry!

Acts of love don't have to be expensive or time consuming.  Plan a surprise hug attack on your child during a lesson.  Slip notes into your childrens' textbooks telling them  how special they are or how proud you are of them.  Pull your kids up on your bed and snuggle while you read a story or practice spelling.

And smile.  

Smile, smile, SMILE!  

The final trap!  Yes, those are Dooligan's feet sticking out from under the pan (and his pot of "gold" nearby).  He was a wee bit hasty trying to move in and was finally caught - much to the children's joy! 

See you next year, Dooligan! 

Have a happy and blessed homeschooling day!

100th Day of Homeschool!

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated our 100th day of homeschool this year!  Woo hoo!  The end is in sight!  ;)

This is the table runner I made by just writing on a long piece of paper from the kid's drawing roll.

I also made them some simple shirts with buttons and rick rack (glued on with fabric glue) in honor of the occasion.  The certificate was a freebie I found here.

The celebratory breakfast consisted of sprinkle pancakes with whipped cream on top and MORE sprinkles!

Hey - why contain the excitement of the day to ourselves?  Why not share the joy?

That's exactly what we did - by passing out 100 pieces of candy.  Well, actually I think we only made it to ninety-seven or something like that before we had to head back home.  But the kids had fun and lots of people received an unexpected piece of candy that day (while Mommy completed errands).

Mission accomplished (mostly).  ;)

We headed back home where the kids enjoyed fishing 100 mini M & M's out of a container filled with cereal (organic fruity o's).

We then made necklaces (or snakes depending on your child's point of view) with the cereal pieces.  

We also attempted to find different ways to make 100 cents in 100 seconds.  (This activity we did a few times - 100 seconds isn't a whole lot of time to work with, after all.).

I was the bearer of good news that each child would be given a dollar (100 cents) to spend at the Dollar Store (Tree)...

and the next day, the kids concluded their celebration by purchasing one toy each with their dollar bills.  :)   Fun times!  

Happy 100th Day of Homeschool/School to you other mommies and teachers out there!

Lesson Theme: Pets

It has been far too long without a post!  However, family and homeschool are my first calling, and lately they have been holding more claim over my time.  :)  By the way - did I mention we have a new puppy - enough said.  ;)

Miss A has been wanting a pet, and our beetle wasn't cutting it.  After MUCH thought and discussion, we decided to surprise her with a puppy.  But before we told her, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity and do a short unit on pets.  Here are some glimpses from that theme!

We had a brainstorming session to help us figure out what we should know about owning a pet.  We drew a collar around our ideas and "leashed" them to our title.

I wrote some animal names on small cards and dropped them in a clear pocket attached to the front of the "Pet Store".  The kids could choose an animal, draw a picture of it on the card, and add it to our Venn diagram.  Miss A also had to explain why she thought a pet belonged in a certain area on the chart.

BTW - you know you have an ant problem when your child pulls an anteater card out, places it in the "maybe" section of the diagram, and explains how it would help with the ants.  Sigh.

Owning a pet means keeping an eye on them and being responsible!  I let Miss A choose a pet she might like to have, found a picture online for her to color, and told her to keep track of it or it would end up in our "pound" (a clear plastic protector with bars drawn on it with permanent marker).   Yes, I know you don't often see horses at the pound - okay, maybe never - but this was just for fun and to emphasize the idea of watching out for your pet.

To free her pet again, she had to perform some task or chore, etc.  Can you say "extra piano practice"?  ;)

We also made aquariums by creating pictures with beans for sand, some fingerprint fish, and slipping them into our "tanks" - more clear plastic protectors.  

I then made fish food for the kids to feed their fish.   They had to answer the equation, tell me the letter on the fish food card, etc. in order to earn a piece and feed their fish by dropping the food into the tank.

This activity was where I let the kids design a pet (could be real or make believe) and then asked them to write a story (not shown) or a brochure about it... 

Here is one of Miss A's creations.  I give you, the world's first "googl floopr".   You saw it here first, folks!

Miss A made a brochure about her pet in order to inform others about it and to try to convince them to buy it.  I ask you - how could anyone say no to such an interesting creature - and at that price, it's a steal!

Love the eyes and ability to play peek-a-boo!  Too cute!  :)

This was another fish craft we completed.  The "glass" of the aquarium part is a clear plastic plate glued to the paper.  We added beans to the fish and included some tissue paper plants for more of a three dimensional effect as well.

We also enjoyed a bunch of activities from this cute packet.  (This picture shows just a few of the MANY items available in the packet).

Of course, the crowning point of this unit was when we gave the kids an envelope with a message inside letting them know they would be getting a puppy!  :)  I'm SO glad we had our video camera.  :)

And now you know a bit of why I have been MIA lately, and why I might be more so over the next few weeks.  Hey, it isn't easy potty training a child and a puppy at the same time!  ;)

New School Room Reveal & First Days - A New Year of Growth & Change!

Let me preface this by saying - you DO NOT need a classroom to homeschool.  

We have done homeschooling in a room with shared purpose (study), at the kitchen table, in a hotel room, and at a relative's house in cramped quarters.  We were able to homeschool just fine in all of those settings.  

But this year - we were blessed to move into a house where we had a room we could use just for homeschool purposes.  And I was determined to really turn it into a fun place to school and learn!  :)

(If you missed my previous post when I was in the middle of working on the room - you can see some of what it looked like before here.)

Would you like a tour?  I hope so!  

So without further ado, I give you our new homeschool room!

One side of the room contains our morning meeting board and reading center.

Here is the area where the kids work (when they are not camped out on the large pillows we sometimes pull into the room to use when sitting on the floor).  Learning doesn't always have to happen at a table or a desk, you know!   ;)

Here is another side of the room where my desk is and where the kids sometimes come when we work one-on-one.

Here is a wall with an inset that we filled with IKEA cabinets (birthday present for me at my request).  That little side space contains hooks on the side of the cabinets where I hang calendar borders and such out of sight but still handy when needed.

This is a view inside the top cabinets which contain older curriculum, books by season, school items I don't use as much, and craft type stuff.

Here is a close up view of the craft items I was describing.  I made the labels (and others you will see below) and added them to my Back-to-Homeschool activity/school items packet.

Here is another IKEA find where I keep extra school supplies we might need during the year.

I like to plan in advance and it helps me to have things set up where I can drop papers and items we will need on certain days in a specified area as I work on lesson plans.  Then the night before, I just reach in and place the items in the workboxes for the next day and don't have to mess with trying to find everything.  

I have drawers for each day of the week AND a drawer for "Next Week" in case I am really ambitious and already planning for the following week.  ;)

If you open the larger cabinets below, you will find that each side contains a set of workboxes.  One side for Miss A and one side for Mr. J.  (The middle large cabinet contains some teaching items and center stuff).

The cabinet in the picture above is Miss A's.  She has nine workboxes and then space next to each set of three for a fun activity or snack or something else which she can complete at the end of each three workboxes (so after she finishes boxes 1-3, she can have her snack if it is next to those boxes, etc.).

Each child also has a shelf above the workboxes where he/she keeps books and supplies, etc. not being used right then.

I created Miss A's workbox numbers and titles in lime green and pink (of course) and Mr. J's are lime and blue.  These are also now included in the Back-to-Homeschool packet.  :)

(The material I made the pocket chart out of for the workbox numbers above, is also the inspiration for the colors in our room.)

This is a picture of our reading center.  I made the tree out of cardboard from the IKEA boxes and painted it with Miss A.  The "tree swing" shelf is an IKEA spice rack I painted.

The outside of each child's "locker" as my daughter calls them, contains a painted foam board that we use as a bulletin board for each to display work.

Here is our morning board.  I am loving the handprint alphabet and plan to make one for each letter Mr. J studies this year.  Here is a link to a blog with an adorable handprint alphabet!

Why does the board say "September" when it is really August?  Well, the calendar title for September looked more back-to-schoolish, so I just switched it for the picture.

I found these adorable songs for each month of the year at this blog here.  I pinned up a transparent page protector and plan to trade out songs each month!

Another cute thing I added was that I am letting the kids make their own weather cards to put up for the weather of the day.  :)

Here is Miss A's desk (more IKEA).  The kids each have another small "bulletin" board above their desk and another IKEA painted spice rack underneath (I did not bolt this so it could be moved off the desk or to the side as needed).  The little rack contains a pail for supplies and a binder with morning meeting calendar activities inside which we use during our  morning meeting time.  

Each child also has a bug habitat on his/her desk containing caterpillars (each one has a different type) to go along with our back to school theme "A New Year of Growth and Change" (see more about that below). 

I wasn't sure if having the little guys on the desks would be too distracting but it has worked out amazingly well so far!  :)  AND we have our first chrysalis already!

These are another favorite of mine in our new school room!  I loved the crayon initials I would see popping up on Pinterest so much that I decided to make some for my kids.  

I ALSO added a made up definition of their names (like a dictionary - complete with pronunciation guide) below the initial - a definition I came up with based on their characters, etc.  I LOVE how these turned out!

And last, but not least - my little area of the room.  :)  Pretty simple, really.  

I painted the white board frame to go with the bright color theme in the room, and painted a diaper wipes (?) box to house some electronic stuff that had to stay on the desk, but didn't really fit with our color scheme.  I also slipped some of our school cds and some flash cards in the box (for easy access).

There are still some other things I want to do in the room (so some areas are still a bit blank) but decided not to wait to post pics because who knows when I would post if I waited until I had everything done!

So now that you have seen the room - would you like to see our back to school theme and first days?  Of course you would!  ;)

"Welcome to a New Year of Growth and Change!"

(This was our back to school theme.) 

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was a perfect companion for the theme, and we started the day with a special breakfast based on that very book.  See the cinnamon rolls with frosting - made to look like the caterpillar?  :)

Next to each child's place setting, I made this little paper where they could record what they ate for breakfast that day.  AND I made little hungry caterpillar masks for them to wear.  :)

It is hard to see - but I poked holes in pieces of the fruit using a straw (can't take credit for that idea - I think that was something I saw on Pinterest long ago), so it would look like a caterpillar had chewed through.

Here are those masks I mentioned above...

After breakfast, the kids went to the new school room and crawled through the hole in the leaf "doorway" to investigate all the fun new changes inside (they had not been allowed in the room the day before, so I could get it set up as a surprise).

They loved the real caterpillars on the desks (inside plastic homes, of course)!  I just couldn't resist the idea once I latched onto the theme - how fun to talk about growing and changing and then see it first hand!  :)

I took this picture so you could see the "WELCOME" part a little better.

Notice the caterpillar munching on the "W".

Here is a picture of my youngest with his back to school sign and caterpillar mask.  I had both kids paint their own signs this year.  

His says "TOT" for Tot School.  It is sideways and out of order, but if you look at it - you should be able to see two T's and an O (and some additional thing he put in there).

Once inside the school room, we found that mischievous Homeschool Elf had already been there and our school supplies were missing!  Lucky for the kids, he left clues behind and a treasure hunt ensued, ending inside a closet where the kids finally found him and the missing supplies.

(I like to wrap some of the supplies up because it is fun for the kids to unwrap something - just adds another layer of excitement to the day).

Here is Homeschool Elf posing next to the first clue he left for the kids earlier in the day.

Here is the book we read on our first day!  It contains a page with a pattern for Homeschool Elf which can be copied onto cardstock (the page has a B/W copy and color copy of him) and used to start one's own Homeschool Elf tradition.  :)

If you'd like to read a bit more about this cute story and see some of the inside illustrations, hop on over to this post.  

Yet another activity from the Back-to-Homeschool packet:  goals for the year.  

I just had to post this - I love that her end of the year goal is to be able to "drive".   I'll just slip that one into the memory box!

We also published our own little newspaper (this and other versions also in the Back-to-Homeschool packet) about our first week of school.  Miss A wrote most of the articles, but I made sure Mr. J could contribute as well by including a "Tot Spot" section where he could draw something.  Can you tell what he drew?  Caterpillars!

BTW - for those interested, you can find the whole pack (LOTS of other activities, supply labels, workbox labels in different colors, etc.) here and on sale for only $2.00 through August!

This is one of those gems for homeschooling and classrooms alike because it contains multi-level pattern block puzzles for back to school items.  AND it even has them in both Spanish and English!

I just love the bright colors!  :)  I put out the easier puzzles for Mr. J and gave Miss A the harder ones (where she had to come up with her own way to fill in the puzzles and record the blocks she used). 

FYI - these can even be made into books by stapling several pages together!  They are just awesome for math boxes, a back to school activity, keeping smaller kids busy while waiting for Mom's attention, or math centers for school!

BTW - if you like pattern blocks - check out her exclusive 4Blocks puzzles (kind of like a pattern blocks relative).

These school supply pattern block designs are available here and on sale for $2.00 right now!

This unit fit right into our theme for the week, and I loved the activities included!  We haven't even had time to finish everything yet - lots of great stuff inside!  :)

This packet is available here.

And yet another fun item!  A FREE math journal based on "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" - sooo cute!  

This one is available here.

And there you have it folks!  Our new school room and some exciting back-to-school moments!  Hope you enjoyed it all and have left with some inspiration of your own for making this new school year a memorable one!  :)

 

 Linking up to:

www.cornerstoneconfessions.com

http://nextgenhomeschool.com/

www.gingersnapcrafts.com

www.cleanandscentsible.com

www.ithappensinablink.com

www.houseofhepworths.com

www.sunscholars.com

http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com/

www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com