I got in a casual conversation today with a lady (I won't say who or where she lives, but her kids do go to public school) and she was asking me how homeschooling ws going. I said it was going good. I told her we were planning on keeping Courtney home next year and we were starting to teach her to read right now.
Then the topic of socialization came up and the conversation went something like this.
Her: So what do you do for socialization? Oh yes, you said they went to PE class on Tuesday (I had previously told her that we went to PE class at Prarie Life today).
Me: Yes, and Megan takes art class at Aldrich on Mondays.
Me: Plus we are starting a class at the Homeschool Learning Center on Wednesday afternoons.
Me: Plus we have AWANA on Wednesday nights
Me: And Megan takes ballet class on Thursday
Her: Oh, ok (another mom pulled up, so the conversation had to end)
My thoughts: So my kid does not spend 40 hours a week around other kids, does that mean she is not socialized?? Do they NEED to spend that much time around other kids? What is the minimal requirement these days? (insert sarcasm)
What would she have said if I said that we stay at home ALL day and don't get out AT ALL?? Would've she told me to send my kid back to public school? I felt like I had to be accountable to her for our socialization and make sure I passed with her approval.
Honestly, I think my kids don't need that much socialization. I think that is one reason Megan likes it at home, she enjoys her family and she doesn't like to be around that many people all day long. She would be quite happy to stay at home all day! What is wrong with that?? I understand the concern, many people think that because we homeschool, we stay home all day and never leave. HA! Anybody who knows me should know better!! I get my kids out, but really, if we were out all the time, we wouldn't get school done!
I agree that maybe we should get involved in more things, but I would be concerned if my kids didn't participate or if they stood apart from the crowd. (Ok, Courtney has a hard time going to PE class, but she's just beginning and doesn't know anybody. She does great at preschool.)
Once we are around others, Megan is always making a friend, I admit, I probably need to get Courtney around more groups, but she's one that just takes awhile. She would rather stand back for awhile and observe everybody than jump in right away. She's not one to just go out and find somebody to play with like Megan is, I think some of it is definitely her personality. She always likes to have a friend to hang out with, I was the same way when I was younger. If you push her too much, she gets scared and will just sit and cry. She just needs her time to adjust to a new situation and the more often you go, the better she is with it (like preschool).
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
I've been thinking about this post all day, I should probably write my thoughts down.
1. I love this weather, I swear there were more people at the park yesterday than I had ever seen in the last three years that we have lived here! Probably because there was no heat or humidity or bugs. It was actually crowded! Oh, and it was 70 degrees out in the middle of winter. There were girls there in shorts and tanktops, really, it's not THAT warm!
2. I love doing things as a family. We waited until Matt was done working yesterday before we walked to the park. Then we played a game of Wii party last night, we don't get a lot of downtime, so it's nice when we have it.
3. Matt is gone in Des Moines this week, after having him home for 2 weeks, I was getting used to his help. You know, getting the kids out of bed in the morning, getting them breakfast, entertaining them while I teach Megan, disciplining, etc. It might be kind of quiet the next two days.
4. Courtney wasn't very sick after all. After throwing up a little bit while Megan and I were at church, she took a 3 hour nap. When she woke up, she was like a whole new person. She must've felt better because she had her wit back! Crazy thing!
5. Nobody else has gotten it yet-knock on wood. I think she might have been exhausted from our two late nights (Friday and Saturday).
6. I have a sore throat, but nothing some sudafed and advil can't fix. :)
7. Can I really take a sick day when it comes to homeschooling? Do I get PTO or sick days too??
8. Can you believe it is 60 degrees out again today? I told the girls that we need to finish school first before we go play outside. Megan then asked, "Can we have school outside?" Sure!! Why not??
9. I am starting to look at new curriculum for next year. I like what we are doing, but not 100%. I am open to getting some different curriculum to do next year, something that will work for two kids.
10. Today was my last day as members of Prarie Life Fitness. :( It's ok though, we went there for homeschool PE class today and I put Christian in the nursery for the last time. I will need to pay for the girls to participate next week. I feel like we are getting more time to devote to school and more down time with the girls. Goal accomplished. We are even doing some more homeschool activities like PE and we start a science class tomorrow at the Homeschool Learning Center. I will join again in May, so we can enjoy the summer there again.
1. I love this weather, I swear there were more people at the park yesterday than I had ever seen in the last three years that we have lived here! Probably because there was no heat or humidity or bugs. It was actually crowded! Oh, and it was 70 degrees out in the middle of winter. There were girls there in shorts and tanktops, really, it's not THAT warm!
2. I love doing things as a family. We waited until Matt was done working yesterday before we walked to the park. Then we played a game of Wii party last night, we don't get a lot of downtime, so it's nice when we have it.
3. Matt is gone in Des Moines this week, after having him home for 2 weeks, I was getting used to his help. You know, getting the kids out of bed in the morning, getting them breakfast, entertaining them while I teach Megan, disciplining, etc. It might be kind of quiet the next two days.
4. Courtney wasn't very sick after all. After throwing up a little bit while Megan and I were at church, she took a 3 hour nap. When she woke up, she was like a whole new person. She must've felt better because she had her wit back! Crazy thing!
5. Nobody else has gotten it yet-knock on wood. I think she might have been exhausted from our two late nights (Friday and Saturday).
6. I have a sore throat, but nothing some sudafed and advil can't fix. :)
7. Can I really take a sick day when it comes to homeschooling? Do I get PTO or sick days too??
8. Can you believe it is 60 degrees out again today? I told the girls that we need to finish school first before we go play outside. Megan then asked, "Can we have school outside?" Sure!! Why not??
9. I am starting to look at new curriculum for next year. I like what we are doing, but not 100%. I am open to getting some different curriculum to do next year, something that will work for two kids.
10. Today was my last day as members of Prarie Life Fitness. :( It's ok though, we went there for homeschool PE class today and I put Christian in the nursery for the last time. I will need to pay for the girls to participate next week. I feel like we are getting more time to devote to school and more down time with the girls. Goal accomplished. We are even doing some more homeschool activities like PE and we start a science class tomorrow at the Homeschool Learning Center. I will join again in May, so we can enjoy the summer there again.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
One down...
We have been very fortunate this winter, nobody has gotten sick....until today.
Courtney woke me up at 7:30 and said, "Mom, I feel like throwing up." So lazy me, I sent her to go find her dad who was in the basement. I said, "Go find your dad and he will get you a bucket." I rolled over and went back to sleep. Yes, a proud parenting moment.
She must've found her dad and a bucket because not too long later, she was curled up on the couch, bucket in hand, watching a strawberry shortcake movie.
I eventually got up and started to feed the other two kids breakfast. About 9:50, I decided that Megan and I would go to church this morning. Courtney hadn't thrown up yet, but she needed to stay home. Matt said he would stay with her, so I volunteered Christian to stay at home too.
After church, I called home and Courtney had thrown up a little bit while I was gone. It didn't sound like too much. I took Megan up to the mall for lunch and we came home.
I walked into the house and Courtney wasn't on the couch, so I asked Matt where she was. He said that she went up to bed. I went upstairs and she was sound asleep in her bed! Poor thing!! Matt said she just wasn't her usual self this morning.
Now, hopefully nobody else gets it!!
Courtney woke me up at 7:30 and said, "Mom, I feel like throwing up." So lazy me, I sent her to go find her dad who was in the basement. I said, "Go find your dad and he will get you a bucket." I rolled over and went back to sleep. Yes, a proud parenting moment.
She must've found her dad and a bucket because not too long later, she was curled up on the couch, bucket in hand, watching a strawberry shortcake movie.
I eventually got up and started to feed the other two kids breakfast. About 9:50, I decided that Megan and I would go to church this morning. Courtney hadn't thrown up yet, but she needed to stay home. Matt said he would stay with her, so I volunteered Christian to stay at home too.
After church, I called home and Courtney had thrown up a little bit while I was gone. It didn't sound like too much. I took Megan up to the mall for lunch and we came home.
I walked into the house and Courtney wasn't on the couch, so I asked Matt where she was. He said that she went up to bed. I went upstairs and she was sound asleep in her bed! Poor thing!! Matt said she just wasn't her usual self this morning.
Now, hopefully nobody else gets it!!
Little Mouse Friend
For the last week or so, I have sworn that I have heard a mouse in our walls in our bedroom. It's always been in the wall between our room and Christian's room. I would always wake Matt up and say, "Did you hear that? Really, did you hear that? What should we do?" He never heard it and always went back to sleep leaving me up to listen to our new friend.
Yesterday morning, he finally heard it, so he got up to listen more closely.
He came downstairs and found me. He said as he laughed,"I heard your mouse friend and I found him. It was a piece of paper flapping against the wall "(We have a fan in our room at night and the fan must've been hitting this paper, which was hitting the wall and making the noise.)
Gee, thanks Matt. Last night, I didn't hear him at all. :)
Yesterday morning, he finally heard it, so he got up to listen more closely.
He came downstairs and found me. He said as he laughed,"I heard your mouse friend and I found him. It was a piece of paper flapping against the wall "(We have a fan in our room at night and the fan must've been hitting this paper, which was hitting the wall and making the noise.)
Gee, thanks Matt. Last night, I didn't hear him at all. :)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Feels like Saturday
Today feels like Saturday, even though it is only Thursday.
We had AWANA last night, so we got to bed late and therefore, we slept in today. :)
Matt took today off of work, so he helped get the kids up and when he helps gets the kids up, then I can stay in bed! I think I was the last one up today at about 8:45 am!
Then we all move downstairs for breakfast and now it's almost 10 am and still nobody is ready for the day.
It's ok though, we're not in a hurry. We have to get some school done with Megan and she has dance at 4:15. I can also finish school tomorrow if I need to, I only have lesson plans for 4 days.
I have also been having a reading lesson with Courtney everyday and I think she's getting it! We have been working on sounding out words and she is starting to recognize words, we're so proud of her! I think once she builds some confidence, she'll take off reading!
I see the weekend in sight!
We had AWANA last night, so we got to bed late and therefore, we slept in today. :)
Matt took today off of work, so he helped get the kids up and when he helps gets the kids up, then I can stay in bed! I think I was the last one up today at about 8:45 am!
Then we all move downstairs for breakfast and now it's almost 10 am and still nobody is ready for the day.
It's ok though, we're not in a hurry. We have to get some school done with Megan and she has dance at 4:15. I can also finish school tomorrow if I need to, I only have lesson plans for 4 days.
I have also been having a reading lesson with Courtney everyday and I think she's getting it! We have been working on sounding out words and she is starting to recognize words, we're so proud of her! I think once she builds some confidence, she'll take off reading!
I see the weekend in sight!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Pajama Day at Preschool
This week is very busy at preschool. On Monday, Courtney had a field trip to PE 101, today is pajama day, and on Friday, Courtney gets to bring snacks.
Last night, Courtney put her pajamas on to go to bed and she told us that she was going to wear the same ones to preschool today. I thought she needed to change them in the morning! So this morning came and she kept them on, so I didn't fight her on it. I have been noticing though that these particular pajamas are getting too small on her lately. She was sitting on the floor in her playroom playing legos before she left and I said, "Courtney, I really think you should change pajamas, those are just too small." Do you know how much of an ordeal it is to find a pair of pajamas that fit AND appropriate for winter time? She tried on a pair with penguins, those were too big, she has a flannal nightgown that she wears all the time, but then she had nothing on her legs, she finally settled on a pink pair of footies, but of course, the feet didn't fit her right, but too bad, get in the car!
I will say though that she was pretty excited about taking her purple blanket with her to preschool!
Last night, Courtney put her pajamas on to go to bed and she told us that she was going to wear the same ones to preschool today. I thought she needed to change them in the morning! So this morning came and she kept them on, so I didn't fight her on it. I have been noticing though that these particular pajamas are getting too small on her lately. She was sitting on the floor in her playroom playing legos before she left and I said, "Courtney, I really think you should change pajamas, those are just too small." Do you know how much of an ordeal it is to find a pair of pajamas that fit AND appropriate for winter time? She tried on a pair with penguins, those were too big, she has a flannal nightgown that she wears all the time, but then she had nothing on her legs, she finally settled on a pink pair of footies, but of course, the feet didn't fit her right, but too bad, get in the car!
I will say though that she was pretty excited about taking her purple blanket with her to preschool!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Ruwe Taxi Service
Today I felt that I should just put a sign on top of my car that says, "Ruwe Taxi Service."
I had to take Megan to art class, take Courtney to her field trip at PE 101, go back and get Megan from school, and then go back and pick Courtney up from her field trip. Ugh. I think I drove up and down Dodge Street four times within an hour.
I am so glad I don't have to take kids to school and then pick them up everyday, I really feel sorry for those parents that do, especially those with little kids.
I had to take Megan to art class, take Courtney to her field trip at PE 101, go back and get Megan from school, and then go back and pick Courtney up from her field trip. Ugh. I think I drove up and down Dodge Street four times within an hour.
I am so glad I don't have to take kids to school and then pick them up everyday, I really feel sorry for those parents that do, especially those with little kids.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
School Vouchers or not?
I just read an article about a homeschooling family who wants their daughter to participate in band at the middle school level. The way I understand it is that the daughter can participate in it as a class, but not in any of the extra-curricular aspects of the class (band concerts, contests). The school policy is that students must take at least 4 classes or be a part-time student in order to participate in extra-curricular activities (sports, clubs, etc.) But band is a class AND an extra-curricular activity, so it's not so clear. This is where the parents are fighting the school.
This got Matt and I thinking- is this right?? As a fellow homeschooler, I knew that we were allowed to take classes at the schools and at the beginning of the school year, I asked Megan's elementary school about taking art class and her school said it was alright. She takes art class every Monday. We are paying taxes, right? I'm not sure about the policy if she would like to participate in an after-school club though.
Matt thinks that we should be able to participate in anything we want at school since we pay taxes and the taxes go for the school. Or should the schools be able to limit the parents on what the kids can do?
This brought on another conversation- school vouchers. This is where you get money in form of a voucher (the tax money you paid that would usually go to the public school) and you can use it wherever you wanted for education. In our case, we would get the voucher in the amount of the taxes we paid and we can put it towards homeschool curriculum. Other students who attend private schools could take this money and apply it towards tuition.
We definitely support school vouchers. At this moment, we are paying taxes but getting nothing in return (except Megan's art class). All our money is going to educate everybody else's kids PLUS we have to spend more money on homeschool curriculum. Some parents pay taxes PLUS tuition for private school.
What do you think? Do you favor school vouchers? Would our public school system fall apart if we gave the power back to the parents? What would happen if all homeschoolers and private school chidren went back to public school? Would there be enough money to educate everybody? There doesn't seem to be enough the way it is.
On the other hand, what if everybody homeschooled? I know this is not possible, but imagine how we could help society. I read somewhere that it costs over $10,000 a year to educate one student in the public school system and this is with about twenty kids to a class. I paid about $300 for homeschool curriculum and have one student in my class. :) Wow, that is a savings of $9700 per student! We would save so much money!
Anybody have any thoughts?
This got Matt and I thinking- is this right?? As a fellow homeschooler, I knew that we were allowed to take classes at the schools and at the beginning of the school year, I asked Megan's elementary school about taking art class and her school said it was alright. She takes art class every Monday. We are paying taxes, right? I'm not sure about the policy if she would like to participate in an after-school club though.
Matt thinks that we should be able to participate in anything we want at school since we pay taxes and the taxes go for the school. Or should the schools be able to limit the parents on what the kids can do?
This brought on another conversation- school vouchers. This is where you get money in form of a voucher (the tax money you paid that would usually go to the public school) and you can use it wherever you wanted for education. In our case, we would get the voucher in the amount of the taxes we paid and we can put it towards homeschool curriculum. Other students who attend private schools could take this money and apply it towards tuition.
We definitely support school vouchers. At this moment, we are paying taxes but getting nothing in return (except Megan's art class). All our money is going to educate everybody else's kids PLUS we have to spend more money on homeschool curriculum. Some parents pay taxes PLUS tuition for private school.
What do you think? Do you favor school vouchers? Would our public school system fall apart if we gave the power back to the parents? What would happen if all homeschoolers and private school chidren went back to public school? Would there be enough money to educate everybody? There doesn't seem to be enough the way it is.
On the other hand, what if everybody homeschooled? I know this is not possible, but imagine how we could help society. I read somewhere that it costs over $10,000 a year to educate one student in the public school system and this is with about twenty kids to a class. I paid about $300 for homeschool curriculum and have one student in my class. :) Wow, that is a savings of $9700 per student! We would save so much money!
Anybody have any thoughts?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Railing on or railing off?
When we cleaned bedrooms today, we took the sheets off the girls' beds and put new ones on. This is always an ordeal with Megan's bed because she still has her bed railing on. The last time it was off was the night she fell and broke her arm. After that, I have always teased her that she's going to keep it on her bed until she was 18!
We had it off today and we had new sheets on her bed, it looked so nice! Matt came in and said, "You know Megan, you're old enough, you don't need to have your railing on anymore." This kind of took me off guard! Megan wasn't so sure about it, about 5 minutes earlier, she told me she likes her railing on because she likes to put her books against it.
So it was still off tonight when she went to bed, she told me she didn't want it on and promised me she wouldn't fall out! I said good night and started to walk out the door when I heard, "Mom, I want my railing back on." Ok, no problems there! I got it and put it back on. I really think it might be hard for her to give up. She's had that railing on since she's had that bed, I think she got it when she was 2 1/2 years old. I think it's a sense of security for her. It certainly gives me less to worry about tonight.
We had it off today and we had new sheets on her bed, it looked so nice! Matt came in and said, "You know Megan, you're old enough, you don't need to have your railing on anymore." This kind of took me off guard! Megan wasn't so sure about it, about 5 minutes earlier, she told me she likes her railing on because she likes to put her books against it.
So it was still off tonight when she went to bed, she told me she didn't want it on and promised me she wouldn't fall out! I said good night and started to walk out the door when I heard, "Mom, I want my railing back on." Ok, no problems there! I got it and put it back on. I really think it might be hard for her to give up. She's had that railing on since she's had that bed, I think she got it when she was 2 1/2 years old. I think it's a sense of security for her. It certainly gives me less to worry about tonight.
Mess-maker
This afternoon, we are cleaning bedrooms again. This is quite the ordeal for Courtney because her middle name is disaster. About once a month, I have to clean out her bed, from behind, beside, and under her bed, clean out her dresser drawers, pull everything from under the dresser, and clean out her closet. It is amazing what I find. I put everything in the middle of the floor and she puts it all away.
Today, Matt came up to see our progress and the following conversation took place:
Matt- You know Courtney, if you didn't make such a big mess to start with, you wouldn't have such a big mess to clean up.
Courtney- I can't help that I am a mess-maker, that is how God made me. (said in a very cute, innocent tone)
Today, Matt came up to see our progress and the following conversation took place:
Matt- You know Courtney, if you didn't make such a big mess to start with, you wouldn't have such a big mess to clean up.
Courtney- I can't help that I am a mess-maker, that is how God made me. (said in a very cute, innocent tone)
Friday, January 20, 2012
Another Courtney Quote
We were up the hospital tonight seeing JoDee's new baby and Courtney and the nurse were having a little conversation.
n- nurse c- courtney
N: Hello, how old are you?
C: 5
N: Do you go to school or are you in preschool?
C: I go to preschool and I am kind of homeschooled.
N: Kind of homeschooled?
C: Yes and my sister is really homeschooled.
There was probably more to the whole conversation, but I just recall this part.
Everybody around Courtney just laughed, it was such a good way of putting it! It was one of those "You just had to be there moments" to hear the tone of Courtney's voice. She cracks me up!
n- nurse c- courtney
N: Hello, how old are you?
C: 5
N: Do you go to school or are you in preschool?
C: I go to preschool and I am kind of homeschooled.
N: Kind of homeschooled?
C: Yes and my sister is really homeschooled.
There was probably more to the whole conversation, but I just recall this part.
Everybody around Courtney just laughed, it was such a good way of putting it! It was one of those "You just had to be there moments" to hear the tone of Courtney's voice. She cracks me up!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Pantry is stocked again!
I spent the entire time this morning getting groceries. You know it's bad when your husband says, "When are you going to buy us some more food again? I am tired of eating toast for breakfast." I had planned on going out today anyway.
I had Megan and Christian with me this morning while Courtney was in preschool. Somewhere in the middle of the store, Megan says, "Mom, why don't we eat everything in our pantry before we get groceries again? We always keep buying more." Maybe we should Megan, but stuff is also on sale this week! We can't turn down a good bargain, can we?
We were leaving Sam's and the lady who was at the door looked at Megan and said, "No school today...or are you homeschooled?" Megan responded with, "I am homeschooled." The lady, Marcey, said, "Good for you." I responded, "Yes, I enjoy having her home, I feel like I can actually raise her myself." She just smiled. Ah, that is sometimes all I need to keep going!
Speaking of school, I should get started. I didn't think groceries would take all morning, I thought we would get some groceries and then come home, do some school,have lunch, and then finish it this afternoon. But it didn't work that way and I should've known better. Now we get to do school all afternoon. :) AWANA is tonight, so I better get busy.
I had Megan and Christian with me this morning while Courtney was in preschool. Somewhere in the middle of the store, Megan says, "Mom, why don't we eat everything in our pantry before we get groceries again? We always keep buying more." Maybe we should Megan, but stuff is also on sale this week! We can't turn down a good bargain, can we?
We were leaving Sam's and the lady who was at the door looked at Megan and said, "No school today...or are you homeschooled?" Megan responded with, "I am homeschooled." The lady, Marcey, said, "Good for you." I responded, "Yes, I enjoy having her home, I feel like I can actually raise her myself." She just smiled. Ah, that is sometimes all I need to keep going!
Speaking of school, I should get started. I didn't think groceries would take all morning, I thought we would get some groceries and then come home, do some school,have lunch, and then finish it this afternoon. But it didn't work that way and I should've known better. Now we get to do school all afternoon. :) AWANA is tonight, so I better get busy.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
No Girl Scout Cookies?
What? We aren't buying girl scout cookies this year? Nope, we're not. And for good reasons.
We found out after Megan's kindergarten year, when we allowed her to participate in Girl Scouts, that it was not the kind of association we wanted ourselves or our daughter to participate it any longer. We did not want any more of our money going to such a organization.
Why? Because they support actions that are anti-Christian, such as abortion and Planned Parenthood. It is a very liberal organization that has ideas that we do not agree with.
Matt and I have a policy that we cannot give money to any organizations that promote ideas that go AGAINST what we are trying to uphold in our family. We cannot support an organization that lets high schoolers hand out Planned Parenthood brochures (the biggest provider of abortions in our country). We cannot support an organization with the saying, "All I really needed to know about being a lesbian I learned at Girl Scout camp." These are just a few of the examples that we have found.
I received this article tonight in an email and I am posting it for further reading.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/16/say-no-to-girl-scout-cookies/
This is only my personal opinion, please don't take it personally if your daughter is in girl scouts and you support this organization. It is for your family to decide. It is just not for our family anymore.
We found out after Megan's kindergarten year, when we allowed her to participate in Girl Scouts, that it was not the kind of association we wanted ourselves or our daughter to participate it any longer. We did not want any more of our money going to such a organization.
Why? Because they support actions that are anti-Christian, such as abortion and Planned Parenthood. It is a very liberal organization that has ideas that we do not agree with.
Matt and I have a policy that we cannot give money to any organizations that promote ideas that go AGAINST what we are trying to uphold in our family. We cannot support an organization that lets high schoolers hand out Planned Parenthood brochures (the biggest provider of abortions in our country). We cannot support an organization with the saying, "All I really needed to know about being a lesbian I learned at Girl Scout camp." These are just a few of the examples that we have found.
I received this article tonight in an email and I am posting it for further reading.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/16/say-no-to-girl-scout-cookies/
This is only my personal opinion, please don't take it personally if your daughter is in girl scouts and you support this organization. It is for your family to decide. It is just not for our family anymore.
How long can we go...
without getting groceries? Hmmm...I guess when there really is NO food in the house.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Just a thought on homeschooling
Somebody sent me this link to an article about homeschooling, it definitely gives you something to think about.
http://mises.org/daily/5866/In-Praise-of-Homeschools?mid=57
Read it if you get a chance!
http://mises.org/daily/5866/In-Praise-of-Homeschools?mid=57
Read it if you get a chance!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Growing Again!
Christian has been growing up a little bit more lately.
1. I need to pack away his 18 month onesies, he wore those since last summer. We still fit in 24 month size, but maybe not for too long.
2. Size 18 month pants are getting too short. This would include his overalls...no more wearing those to the farm!
3. His socks are getting too small and I may even need to buy him new tennis shoes to finish out the winter.
4. His 18 month sweatshirt (winter coat) is getting too small too. Good thing we have a 2T stored away. It's a little big, but it will work.
5. 18 month shirts are too little too.
On the fun side, he adding more words to his vocabulary.
His new word is "sisters". You point to Megan's shoes (or anything that belongs to Megan or Courtney) and you say, "Whose are these?" and he replies, "sisters!" I love it! I have also heard him saying "Christian."
We play "Whose is that?" a lot around here. He can respond with "dadas", "mamas", "sisters", "Dell," or "Christian's". He knows whose stuff is whose.
My favorite word though is "horses," he can't say the r, it's just very cute. :)
On a different note, he is also very good at helping around the house. He will throw things away for you, pick up his toys, put his shoes away, and even unload the dishwasher! Yesterday, he took everything out of the dishwasher (with supervision, of course) and he knew where it all went! He even reached up to the silverware drawer to put the spoons away! Smart kid!
Here is just a story of Courtney's compassion for her little brother-
This morning Matt had gotten him out of bed and put him in his chair to eat breakfast, but kind of got distracted by video games. Well, Courtney was in the kitchen with him and saw that he was hungry. I guess she asked him what he wanted and said, "pear" (which I believe), so Courtney went to the fridge, got a pear out, CUT it up for him, and gave it to him. All the while Matt wasn't paying any attention to what was going on. :) I just love it that Courtney loves him so much that she is willing to feed her brother breakfast! She just took it upon herself to make sure he was taken care of. Have I ever said that I love her servants heart??
1. I need to pack away his 18 month onesies, he wore those since last summer. We still fit in 24 month size, but maybe not for too long.
2. Size 18 month pants are getting too short. This would include his overalls...no more wearing those to the farm!
3. His socks are getting too small and I may even need to buy him new tennis shoes to finish out the winter.
4. His 18 month sweatshirt (winter coat) is getting too small too. Good thing we have a 2T stored away. It's a little big, but it will work.
5. 18 month shirts are too little too.
On the fun side, he adding more words to his vocabulary.
His new word is "sisters". You point to Megan's shoes (or anything that belongs to Megan or Courtney) and you say, "Whose are these?" and he replies, "sisters!" I love it! I have also heard him saying "Christian."
We play "Whose is that?" a lot around here. He can respond with "dadas", "mamas", "sisters", "Dell," or "Christian's". He knows whose stuff is whose.
My favorite word though is "horses," he can't say the r, it's just very cute. :)
On a different note, he is also very good at helping around the house. He will throw things away for you, pick up his toys, put his shoes away, and even unload the dishwasher! Yesterday, he took everything out of the dishwasher (with supervision, of course) and he knew where it all went! He even reached up to the silverware drawer to put the spoons away! Smart kid!
Here is just a story of Courtney's compassion for her little brother-
This morning Matt had gotten him out of bed and put him in his chair to eat breakfast, but kind of got distracted by video games. Well, Courtney was in the kitchen with him and saw that he was hungry. I guess she asked him what he wanted and said, "pear" (which I believe), so Courtney went to the fridge, got a pear out, CUT it up for him, and gave it to him. All the while Matt wasn't paying any attention to what was going on. :) I just love it that Courtney loves him so much that she is willing to feed her brother breakfast! She just took it upon herself to make sure he was taken care of. Have I ever said that I love her servants heart??
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Swimming All Afternoon!
Yesterday we met up with a homeschool group! Finally!
Every second Friday of the month, they go swimming at the Valley YMCA in the afternoon for $1! I knew of some other friends that were going, so I said we would go along too. Christian's nap can wait. :)
After missing the exit and turning around, we finally got there! They opened the pool at 1:30 and the kids jumped right in. It was a zero-entry pool with a slide for the bigger kids and a slide for the younger kids. Megan had to take a swimming test so she could be in the deep end, but that was no problem. Actually they required her to swim the front crawl to the other end and back, but she's still learning her front crawl, so she tried her best. She did backstroke on the way back. I tried to tell the lifeguard that she is great in deep water, but she had to pass the test anyway, which is fine.
Courtney, Christian, and I stayed in the shallow end while Megan took off with some of her friends for the deep end. They had a blast! I felt much better about her down there since there was a lifeguard there.
They had restbreaks every hour and about 3:15 or so, Courtney was done. Christian was acting pretty tired, so I went and changed us 3. We then sat on a bench and had a snack and of course, continued to talk to the other moms.
About 4:15, they had another restbreak and I decided it was time to go! I couldn't believe we had swam for almost 3 hours. I barely saw Megan the entire time!
We went and changed and pulled out of the parking lot at 4:45! We will definitely be going next month!
Every second Friday of the month, they go swimming at the Valley YMCA in the afternoon for $1! I knew of some other friends that were going, so I said we would go along too. Christian's nap can wait. :)
After missing the exit and turning around, we finally got there! They opened the pool at 1:30 and the kids jumped right in. It was a zero-entry pool with a slide for the bigger kids and a slide for the younger kids. Megan had to take a swimming test so she could be in the deep end, but that was no problem. Actually they required her to swim the front crawl to the other end and back, but she's still learning her front crawl, so she tried her best. She did backstroke on the way back. I tried to tell the lifeguard that she is great in deep water, but she had to pass the test anyway, which is fine.
Courtney, Christian, and I stayed in the shallow end while Megan took off with some of her friends for the deep end. They had a blast! I felt much better about her down there since there was a lifeguard there.
They had restbreaks every hour and about 3:15 or so, Courtney was done. Christian was acting pretty tired, so I went and changed us 3. We then sat on a bench and had a snack and of course, continued to talk to the other moms.
About 4:15, they had another restbreak and I decided it was time to go! I couldn't believe we had swam for almost 3 hours. I barely saw Megan the entire time!
We went and changed and pulled out of the parking lot at 4:45! We will definitely be going next month!
Friday, January 13, 2012
done for the semester
it is 10:45 am and we just finished school, yay for me!!
We just finished week 18 in our core subjects in Sonlight and lesson 80 in math.
Megan also finished her manuscript portion of her handwriting book, so we are onto cursive next.
We are halfway done!!
(Just to make everything clear, we have 36 weeks worth of lessons in Sonlight and 160 lessons in math).
We just finished week 18 in our core subjects in Sonlight and lesson 80 in math.
Megan also finished her manuscript portion of her handwriting book, so we are onto cursive next.
We are halfway done!!
(Just to make everything clear, we have 36 weeks worth of lessons in Sonlight and 160 lessons in math).
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
You couldn't smile?
Courtney was looking through my wallet today and saw my driver's license.
"Mom, why aren't you smiling?"
I replied, "Because I was pregnant with you."
"You couldn't smile?"
Apparently I couldn't.
Courtney makes me laugh!!
"Mom, why aren't you smiling?"
I replied, "Because I was pregnant with you."
"You couldn't smile?"
Apparently I couldn't.
Courtney makes me laugh!!
Answered Prayer!
Lately, I have added a time during school for prayer requests, answered prayers, and praises. I would really like to get Megan into this habit of turning to God for her needs and also acknowledging them.
Today she came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, God answered my prayers, it's snowing!!"
She has been praying for the snow the last couple of days.
Today she came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, God answered my prayers, it's snowing!!"
She has been praying for the snow the last couple of days.
We are done at 1:15!
Wow, I have never been done with school by 1:15 before!
We worked all morning and started again right after lunch. There just always seems to be so much to do! It doesn't help that we had to finish language arts from yesterday and we read a chapter ahead in our readers. Or looked up the Santa Sophia church in Istanbul because it was built in the 500's. (we are finally done with the Roman empire in history, onto the Byzantine empire!)
My goal was to get it done as early as possible. I have a kitchen to clean, get some sanity to back, a boy to put down for a nap, and a meal to make. Plus AWANA tonight.
When we were done, I told Megan to go play with her sister nicely until 5:30. :)
Maybe I should put Christian down and enjoy my peace and quiet!!
We worked all morning and started again right after lunch. There just always seems to be so much to do! It doesn't help that we had to finish language arts from yesterday and we read a chapter ahead in our readers. Or looked up the Santa Sophia church in Istanbul because it was built in the 500's. (we are finally done with the Roman empire in history, onto the Byzantine empire!)
My goal was to get it done as early as possible. I have a kitchen to clean, get some sanity to back, a boy to put down for a nap, and a meal to make. Plus AWANA tonight.
When we were done, I told Megan to go play with her sister nicely until 5:30. :)
Maybe I should put Christian down and enjoy my peace and quiet!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lesson Learned Today
Today did not go exactly as planned.
My thought was to
A. Get school stared by about 9-9:15 am
B. Finish school by 11:30
C. Eat Lunch
D. Head out the door about 12:40 for Prarie Life PE Class
E. Come home about 2:15
F. Put Christian down for a nap
G. Enjoy the afternoon to myself and let the girls play!!!
H. Clean the house a little bit
I. Supper about 6
J. Give piano lessons at 7
K. Kids to bed at 8:30
Here's how it went:
A. Woke up at 4:44, right when Matt got up to get his day started. Stayed in bed until 7:15 or so.
B. Got girls up, got them breakfast, they were dressed and ready to start school by 9:15! (Yay me!)
C. Problem!! Megan does not have her homework done.
Megan works on homework until 10:15 while I work with Courtney on her reading lessons.
D. 10:15 Finally start school with Megan. We do history, readers, and read aloud. Now it is about 11:15, so we get out our AWANA books. We review both girls' verses and then I continue on to teach Megan a second verse. She didn't want any part of learning another verse, so we had a fit. :( At one point, she locked herself in the bathroom saying, "I don't WANT to learn another verse!!" Well, since you are having a fit, you are going to! So she did.
E. Lunch at 12, out the door by 12:40 for PE class. School is not even halfway done. :(
Christian falls asleep in the car on the way to PE class. Once we get there, he sleeps in my arms for 10 minutes, wakes up, and I put him in childcare. This was his nap for the day.
F. PE class went well, we decided to make a quick stop at the library afterwards.
Home about 3:30.
G. Girls read books, kids get snacks, and 4 pm, I called my mom...for 45 minutes.
H. About 5 pm, decide to clean the piano and living room for piano lessons. The girls vaccuumed- it was great!
I. 5:30 pm, sit down and try to finish school. We started with health, Bible, language arts, math. I actually skipped some of language arts because I didn't feel we had enough time to do justice.
J. 6:20 Sit down and eat supper
K. 7 pm Piano lessons
L. 8:30 Bedtime.
My plans and what actually happened are completely opposite. I didn't get one moment to myself, to sit down and put my feet up with nobody bothering me.
My lesson I learned today though that I would've had time this afternoon IF Megan would've had her homework done this morning. She spent about an hour doing homework, if that was done, we probably could've gotten school done this morning and we could've all had some free time this afternoon. New rule for the Ruwe house- Homework will be done before you go to sleep at night!! My sanity depends on it. :)
My thought was to
A. Get school stared by about 9-9:15 am
B. Finish school by 11:30
C. Eat Lunch
D. Head out the door about 12:40 for Prarie Life PE Class
E. Come home about 2:15
F. Put Christian down for a nap
G. Enjoy the afternoon to myself and let the girls play!!!
H. Clean the house a little bit
I. Supper about 6
J. Give piano lessons at 7
K. Kids to bed at 8:30
Here's how it went:
A. Woke up at 4:44, right when Matt got up to get his day started. Stayed in bed until 7:15 or so.
B. Got girls up, got them breakfast, they were dressed and ready to start school by 9:15! (Yay me!)
C. Problem!! Megan does not have her homework done.
Megan works on homework until 10:15 while I work with Courtney on her reading lessons.
D. 10:15 Finally start school with Megan. We do history, readers, and read aloud. Now it is about 11:15, so we get out our AWANA books. We review both girls' verses and then I continue on to teach Megan a second verse. She didn't want any part of learning another verse, so we had a fit. :( At one point, she locked herself in the bathroom saying, "I don't WANT to learn another verse!!" Well, since you are having a fit, you are going to! So she did.
E. Lunch at 12, out the door by 12:40 for PE class. School is not even halfway done. :(
Christian falls asleep in the car on the way to PE class. Once we get there, he sleeps in my arms for 10 minutes, wakes up, and I put him in childcare. This was his nap for the day.
F. PE class went well, we decided to make a quick stop at the library afterwards.
Home about 3:30.
G. Girls read books, kids get snacks, and 4 pm, I called my mom...for 45 minutes.
H. About 5 pm, decide to clean the piano and living room for piano lessons. The girls vaccuumed- it was great!
I. 5:30 pm, sit down and try to finish school. We started with health, Bible, language arts, math. I actually skipped some of language arts because I didn't feel we had enough time to do justice.
J. 6:20 Sit down and eat supper
K. 7 pm Piano lessons
L. 8:30 Bedtime.
My plans and what actually happened are completely opposite. I didn't get one moment to myself, to sit down and put my feet up with nobody bothering me.
My lesson I learned today though that I would've had time this afternoon IF Megan would've had her homework done this morning. She spent about an hour doing homework, if that was done, we probably could've gotten school done this morning and we could've all had some free time this afternoon. New rule for the Ruwe house- Homework will be done before you go to sleep at night!! My sanity depends on it. :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Cow's Milk is bad for humans?
Anybody ever heard of this before?? I got into a conversation with my chiropractor the other day how dairy products are more harmful to us than good. I have actually taken all dairy products out of my diet and I am feeling better.
Any thoughts out there? Are we really damaging ourselves more than doing us good??
http://www.waoy.org/9.html
Any thoughts out there? Are we really damaging ourselves more than doing us good??
http://www.waoy.org/9.html
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Your hair is not your napkin!
I am writing this post out of frustration.
Why does Christian think his hair is a napkin?? Whenever he is done eating, he takes his hands and rubs them through his hair. Sometimes I catch him, but tonight I didn't! Ugh!
Sometimes I try to feed him things that are plain and simple that he can't get in his hair, but tonight he was eating pork n beans, those don't just brush off like bread crumbs!
This means a bath. Again.
Why does Christian think his hair is a napkin?? Whenever he is done eating, he takes his hands and rubs them through his hair. Sometimes I catch him, but tonight I didn't! Ugh!
Sometimes I try to feed him things that are plain and simple that he can't get in his hair, but tonight he was eating pork n beans, those don't just brush off like bread crumbs!
This means a bath. Again.
Laundry
1. If we ever go to the zoo again and Courtney decides to collect rocks, feathers, and acorns and decides to put them in her pocket...remember to clean her pockets out before the clothes go through the washer!
2. Why do I always end up with socks with no matches? And no, my washer is not eating them.
3. I love that I can shove my washer full of clothes and be done with laundry in about 4 loads!
4. I wish somebody would put clothes away. I don't mind washing, drying, or even folding them, I just hate putting them away.
5. Why does Christian love his new train pajamas that he is constantly getting them out of the dirty clothes pile in the laundry room and bringing them to me?
6. A clothes chute would really be helpful in this house. I pick up dirty laundry from six separate piles upstairs and bring them all downstairs. If I had a laundry chute, everybody could stop making these separate piles and the laundry would just magically appear in the laundry room. (do you think this chute could sort laundry too??)
7. Why do my girls keep wearing those dresses that are "wash on gentle" all the time? Oh yeah, they are girls! I don't think they know that these take a separate load!
8. And because this is me and I must end on an even number, I must think of one more thing....hmmm, not going to happen.
ok, here is #8, a day later. Christian likes to play this game while I am folding clothes. I pick up a piece of clothing and he tells me who it belongs to. mama, dada, sisters, or if it is his, he will tell me what is on it. (tractor, choo-choo, ball). it's pretty fun for him.
2. Why do I always end up with socks with no matches? And no, my washer is not eating them.
3. I love that I can shove my washer full of clothes and be done with laundry in about 4 loads!
4. I wish somebody would put clothes away. I don't mind washing, drying, or even folding them, I just hate putting them away.
5. Why does Christian love his new train pajamas that he is constantly getting them out of the dirty clothes pile in the laundry room and bringing them to me?
6. A clothes chute would really be helpful in this house. I pick up dirty laundry from six separate piles upstairs and bring them all downstairs. If I had a laundry chute, everybody could stop making these separate piles and the laundry would just magically appear in the laundry room. (do you think this chute could sort laundry too??)
7. Why do my girls keep wearing those dresses that are "wash on gentle" all the time? Oh yeah, they are girls! I don't think they know that these take a separate load!
8. And because this is me and I must end on an even number, I must think of one more thing....hmmm, not going to happen.
ok, here is #8, a day later. Christian likes to play this game while I am folding clothes. I pick up a piece of clothing and he tells me who it belongs to. mama, dada, sisters, or if it is his, he will tell me what is on it. (tractor, choo-choo, ball). it's pretty fun for him.
Our dog
Courtney said tonight, "Mom, do you think if Dell saw her mom, she would recognize her?" No Courtney, probably not. Dell's mom is not alive anymore, anyway.
"What happened to all the other puppies?" I don't know Courtney, go ask grandma Mary!
"What happened to all the other puppies?" I don't know Courtney, go ask grandma Mary!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Other events this week
1. I dropped my gym membership.
2. I got together with a friend to let the kids play awhile and I got some mommy time. Ahh, refreshing.
3. I have Megan signed up to take a Homeschool class on Wednesday afternoons.
4. I have a swimming date scheduled next week with another homeschooling family.
5. I am considering a class at the zoo and a field trip to the SAC museum, all with homeschooling families.
(See all the things I have time for now-now that I don't feel I have to go to the gym every free moment because I am paying for it!)
6. I spent the afternoon on Thursday at the zoo! What a gorgeous day!
7. Had a very cranky baby because he didn't have good naps this week. This is the sacrifice I am making so I can hang out with homeschoolers. We'll just deal with it.
8. I got into a conversation with somebody at Megan's dance class who is considering homeschooling. She is in the exact same spot we were last year. We talked the entire 45 minutes and I didn't watch Megan dance at all! I figured out that I have become very pro-homeschooling!
I think I encouraged her, but more than that, it encouraged me that we are on the right track with what we want to do with our family!
9. Started teaching Megan in the mornings. Wow, does that work better. It is so nice to get everything done by noon!
10. Started working more with Courtney in her preschool books and we received her book "Teach Your kid to Read in 100 easy lessons" yesterday and we did the first two lessons last night. She understand everything we were doing and caught on very quickly. I saw "Hop on Pop" on the floor last night and I said to her, "Courtney, I bet you can read this if you really tried," Sure enough, she was starting to figure words out, just after two lessons in her reading book! She is so excited to learn to read!!!
11. Got way behind in laundry- yikes, that may be my mission for the weekend. Now you know it's bad when I am starting to run out of clothes!!
12. Survived another week with Matt in Iowa- wow, it's so good when he walks through the door on Thursday nights! So refreshing!!
13. Still have a pile of things to take back to Walmart- doubles from Christmas and other things that we need to return. ugh.
14. Have heard my children using their manners more in public (please, may I, thank you) without being prompted! Happy day!
15. Have really been trying to not to procrastinate things this week. I am trying to get out of bed and get going right away in the morning, getting kids up and ready even if we aren't going anywhere, trying to get the dishes done at night, trying to keep coats/ shoes/ backpacks put away, trying to keep the tables clean and wiped off. Ok, so laundry and my kitchen island didn't look so good this week, but I'm trying!!
(On a side note, Matt went and ran some errands on Monday too and on his way home, he was listening to a radio broadcast about procrastination and he ran into the house and said, "You have to listen to this!!". He turned it on and it described me exactly! I really wanted to listen to all of it, but I didn't get a chance to.
Ok, since it is Saturday, I didn't force the kids to get dressed or anything, it may be time to get them going! It feels good to stay on top of things!
2. I got together with a friend to let the kids play awhile and I got some mommy time. Ahh, refreshing.
3. I have Megan signed up to take a Homeschool class on Wednesday afternoons.
4. I have a swimming date scheduled next week with another homeschooling family.
5. I am considering a class at the zoo and a field trip to the SAC museum, all with homeschooling families.
(See all the things I have time for now-now that I don't feel I have to go to the gym every free moment because I am paying for it!)
6. I spent the afternoon on Thursday at the zoo! What a gorgeous day!
7. Had a very cranky baby because he didn't have good naps this week. This is the sacrifice I am making so I can hang out with homeschoolers. We'll just deal with it.
8. I got into a conversation with somebody at Megan's dance class who is considering homeschooling. She is in the exact same spot we were last year. We talked the entire 45 minutes and I didn't watch Megan dance at all! I figured out that I have become very pro-homeschooling!
I think I encouraged her, but more than that, it encouraged me that we are on the right track with what we want to do with our family!
9. Started teaching Megan in the mornings. Wow, does that work better. It is so nice to get everything done by noon!
10. Started working more with Courtney in her preschool books and we received her book "Teach Your kid to Read in 100 easy lessons" yesterday and we did the first two lessons last night. She understand everything we were doing and caught on very quickly. I saw "Hop on Pop" on the floor last night and I said to her, "Courtney, I bet you can read this if you really tried," Sure enough, she was starting to figure words out, just after two lessons in her reading book! She is so excited to learn to read!!!
11. Got way behind in laundry- yikes, that may be my mission for the weekend. Now you know it's bad when I am starting to run out of clothes!!
12. Survived another week with Matt in Iowa- wow, it's so good when he walks through the door on Thursday nights! So refreshing!!
13. Still have a pile of things to take back to Walmart- doubles from Christmas and other things that we need to return. ugh.
14. Have heard my children using their manners more in public (please, may I, thank you) without being prompted! Happy day!
15. Have really been trying to not to procrastinate things this week. I am trying to get out of bed and get going right away in the morning, getting kids up and ready even if we aren't going anywhere, trying to get the dishes done at night, trying to keep coats/ shoes/ backpacks put away, trying to keep the tables clean and wiped off. Ok, so laundry and my kitchen island didn't look so good this week, but I'm trying!!
(On a side note, Matt went and ran some errands on Monday too and on his way home, he was listening to a radio broadcast about procrastination and he ran into the house and said, "You have to listen to this!!". He turned it on and it described me exactly! I really wanted to listen to all of it, but I didn't get a chance to.
Ok, since it is Saturday, I didn't force the kids to get dressed or anything, it may be time to get them going! It feels good to stay on top of things!
Funny Story from the Week
Last Monday, I took Megan and we went and ran some errands and did some grocery shopping. While I was gone (at least 2 hours), Matt and Courtney played video games and watched a movie. When we got home, Courtney and Matt were in the exact same spot in the living room as when I left.
Whenever we have the TV on a lot or the kids are sitting in front of it too much, I always say they are "rotting their brains out." So the first thing when I came in Monday evening, Courtney told me in a laughing voice, "Mom, we've been rotting our brains out while you've been gone." I guess she had also mentioned to Matt that she could feel her brains coming out of her ears because they were rotting away. She even had Matt look in her ears at one point. This is something we always laugh about because I really don't want them sitting in front of the TV for extended periods of time.
Well at supper, it wasn't so funny anymore. I looked over and Courtney was crying! She said, "Mom, I can feel my brains coming out of my ears, they really are rotting away!" Poor thing!! We had to persuade her that we were just kidding!! I think she figured out that she had sat in front of the TV way too long!!
Whenever we have the TV on a lot or the kids are sitting in front of it too much, I always say they are "rotting their brains out." So the first thing when I came in Monday evening, Courtney told me in a laughing voice, "Mom, we've been rotting our brains out while you've been gone." I guess she had also mentioned to Matt that she could feel her brains coming out of her ears because they were rotting away. She even had Matt look in her ears at one point. This is something we always laugh about because I really don't want them sitting in front of the TV for extended periods of time.
Well at supper, it wasn't so funny anymore. I looked over and Courtney was crying! She said, "Mom, I can feel my brains coming out of my ears, they really are rotting away!" Poor thing!! We had to persuade her that we were just kidding!! I think she figured out that she had sat in front of the TV way too long!!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
More Dance Class
A couple of weeks before Christmas, I got an email from Megan's dance teacher. Megan had been selected to participate in an extra dance for her recital, due to her ability, determination, and whatever it takes to be picked as one of the top eight dancers from the studio. :)
I told her teacher that Megan would be able to participate in this extra dance for recital. I thought it would be a great opportunity for Megan to work with kids at her level and it would challenge her a little bit more. I think she enjoys dance this year, but she doesn't talk about it or wear her dance uniform everyday like she did last year. I don't feel she is as "into it" as she has been in the past and I wanted something to give her an extra boost, I think this did it! She was all grins when I told her she had been selected and I didn't even know her teacher was doing this !
Anyway, I got another email from her teacher yesterday telling us when the extra rehearsal would be- Tuesdays 12:15-12:45! Do you know what starts at 1 pm? PE Class at Prarie Life!
So now we will be eating lunch around 11 and getting to her dance studio by 12, it's about 5 minutes away, so it's not very far. She will have rehearsal til 12:45 and then we are off to PE class!
Wow, as much as I don't like things back to back, it might work out ok! Her instructor didn't say when it would start, but I'm going to put it in my schedule anyway!
I told her teacher that Megan would be able to participate in this extra dance for recital. I thought it would be a great opportunity for Megan to work with kids at her level and it would challenge her a little bit more. I think she enjoys dance this year, but she doesn't talk about it or wear her dance uniform everyday like she did last year. I don't feel she is as "into it" as she has been in the past and I wanted something to give her an extra boost, I think this did it! She was all grins when I told her she had been selected and I didn't even know her teacher was doing this !
Anyway, I got another email from her teacher yesterday telling us when the extra rehearsal would be- Tuesdays 12:15-12:45! Do you know what starts at 1 pm? PE Class at Prarie Life!
So now we will be eating lunch around 11 and getting to her dance studio by 12, it's about 5 minutes away, so it's not very far. She will have rehearsal til 12:45 and then we are off to PE class!
Wow, as much as I don't like things back to back, it might work out ok! Her instructor didn't say when it would start, but I'm going to put it in my schedule anyway!
Back to Preschool
Today is Courtney's first day back to preschool.
Should I go to the gym this morning because I am paying for it (this month is already paid for) or come home and teach Megan?
I think I'm going to the gym, we don't have that much for school this week, so I can do it this afternoon. Yes, I know I'm not following my own schedule, but I need to go to the gym anyway and drop my membership. I am going to do it. Really, I am. :)
Like Matt says, just try it, if you don't like it, then sign back up again.
Should I go to the gym this morning because I am paying for it (this month is already paid for) or come home and teach Megan?
I think I'm going to the gym, we don't have that much for school this week, so I can do it this afternoon. Yes, I know I'm not following my own schedule, but I need to go to the gym anyway and drop my membership. I am going to do it. Really, I am. :)
Like Matt says, just try it, if you don't like it, then sign back up again.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
PE Class
I have to admit, I was a little leery about our new schedule. I don't always like change, but I think this is for the good.
This morning I got the kids up early, got them breakfast and dressed by 9 am. If you know me, this usually doesn't happen til about 11 am when we have nothing going on in the morning.
But this morning, we started school at 9 am! (ok, it was more like 9:10, I'm not sure why it took Megan 10 minutes to brush her teeth!)
I taught Megan and Courtney and Christian played. This lasted until about 11:30. And it worked!! I wasn't always sure what the younger two were doing, but they were being good. Even when they locked themselves in the bathroom!
We had lunch and then headed over to Prarie Life for the homeschool PE class. There were about 3 moms other moms there, I guess there weren't many kids there today because of the break. There were 10 in Megan's class and about 8 in Courtney's. I stayed and watched and was very glad my kids were smiling and having fun. They even came out saying, "Mom, I want to come back!" Alright! That is exactly what I wanted.
Now I need to drop my gym membership and sign up for homeschool learning center classes and I think we are set for the spring semester!
This morning I got the kids up early, got them breakfast and dressed by 9 am. If you know me, this usually doesn't happen til about 11 am when we have nothing going on in the morning.
But this morning, we started school at 9 am! (ok, it was more like 9:10, I'm not sure why it took Megan 10 minutes to brush her teeth!)
I taught Megan and Courtney and Christian played. This lasted until about 11:30. And it worked!! I wasn't always sure what the younger two were doing, but they were being good. Even when they locked themselves in the bathroom!
We had lunch and then headed over to Prarie Life for the homeschool PE class. There were about 3 moms other moms there, I guess there weren't many kids there today because of the break. There were 10 in Megan's class and about 8 in Courtney's. I stayed and watched and was very glad my kids were smiling and having fun. They even came out saying, "Mom, I want to come back!" Alright! That is exactly what I wanted.
Now I need to drop my gym membership and sign up for homeschool learning center classes and I think we are set for the spring semester!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
My goal for 2012...
not to hit our medical deductible!!
We had met it last year and have been paying 10% of everything for the last month or two.
Last night, Christian was coughing terrible and I knew we already had a prescription for antibiotics at the pharmacy.
I looked at Matt and said, "Do you think we should go get his antibiotics today, tomorrow it will be full price." His response was, "YES!"
I called them in and Matt went and got them. I think $2 is much better than $20!!! It was about 8 pm last night.
We told the girls that if they were going to break anything, they needed to do it last night.
Unfortunately, they didn't.
Now we are on to a new year. I know we are going to spend some money at the doctors, but really, can we only make it half way or even less to our deductible, instead of all the way this year??
We had met it last year and have been paying 10% of everything for the last month or two.
Last night, Christian was coughing terrible and I knew we already had a prescription for antibiotics at the pharmacy.
I looked at Matt and said, "Do you think we should go get his antibiotics today, tomorrow it will be full price." His response was, "YES!"
I called them in and Matt went and got them. I think $2 is much better than $20!!! It was about 8 pm last night.
We told the girls that if they were going to break anything, they needed to do it last night.
Unfortunately, they didn't.
Now we are on to a new year. I know we are going to spend some money at the doctors, but really, can we only make it half way or even less to our deductible, instead of all the way this year??
Christmas is officially over and new schedule
Today we had our last Christmas get-together. We went to Lincoln to see my grandma, who we didn't go to on Christmas day. That was nice.
Yesterday we took our tree down and put all our Christmas decorations away.
Now I know why everybody needs a 2 week break at Christmas! I probably need about another week yet to get the house organized and everything put where it goes, I have already been working this whole last week on this project!
We haven't done school for about 2 1/2 weeks. I have had no time, but we needed a break anyway. We will definitely get back to it this week. Courtney starts preschool on Wednesday, so that will be the motivation.
We are going to get on our new schedule this week. I changed everything around and I am going to drop my gym membership.
Here is what it entails:
Monday-8:40 take Megan to art class
8:50 take Courtney to preschool
9:30pick Megan up from art class
bring her home and give piano lessons
have school
11:20 go pick Courtney up from art class
lunch
free time for the rest of the day!!!!
Christian nap time
(Monday may be modified, I may stick "errands" in the morning instead of school)
Tuesday: Get out of bed- my first challenge!
9:00 start school
11:30 lunch
1:00 Homeschool PE class at Prarie Life
This will be included in my membership for the month of January, but after that, it will be $9 a time for both girls. Hmmm, $36 a month or $130? I won't be able to use the childcare either, but I'm sure everybody will have kids running around!
2:00 come home and put Christian down for a nap
Rest of the time is free!!
Wednesday: 8:50 Courtney to preschool
Come home and teach Megan
11:20 Pick Courtney up from preschool
As of February 1st, we are going to take a class or 2 at the Homeschool Learning Center. These would be at 2 and 3, so about 1:30, we would leave for class.
5:30 supper
6:45 AWANA
Thursday- Get out of bed!
9:00 school for Megan
lunch
afternoon nap and free time
4:15 dance for Megan
Friday- 8:50 preschool for Courtney
bring Megan home and have school
11:20 pick up Courtney
lunch
free time all afternoon!
Now, who things life will get less stressful for me?? I do!!! I just need to stick to my schedule. I may have a few problems though.
1. I need to stick groceries/ errands in somewhere, so I may have to push school to the afternoons on some days or use my evenings or weekends more.
2. I need motivation to get out of bed on Tuesday and Thursdays.
3. I used to do showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings, so that will need to change.
4. Who is going to entertain Christian while I teach Megan??? I am going to bring a bunch of his toys and books down to the living room, so he will have plenty of things to entertain himself.
5. Like I said, I am going to drop my gym membership. I can't do everything. My plan is to spend some time exercising/ time for myself while Christian is sleeping in the afternoons. I will pick the gym back up in June for the summer. I didn't see how I could go to the gym a couple days a week AND do homeschooling activities. I will try it and see how it goes, but I definitely need to get out these and get involved in homeschool groups.
6. I also need to find time to teach Courtney how to read. I'm sure we can work this in during the afternoon. She has the desire, so why not? We will also need time to go over her AWANA lessons.
I am anxious to get this week started just to see if this will work!
Yesterday we took our tree down and put all our Christmas decorations away.
Now I know why everybody needs a 2 week break at Christmas! I probably need about another week yet to get the house organized and everything put where it goes, I have already been working this whole last week on this project!
We haven't done school for about 2 1/2 weeks. I have had no time, but we needed a break anyway. We will definitely get back to it this week. Courtney starts preschool on Wednesday, so that will be the motivation.
We are going to get on our new schedule this week. I changed everything around and I am going to drop my gym membership.
Here is what it entails:
Monday-8:40 take Megan to art class
8:50 take Courtney to preschool
9:30pick Megan up from art class
bring her home and give piano lessons
have school
11:20 go pick Courtney up from art class
lunch
free time for the rest of the day!!!!
Christian nap time
(Monday may be modified, I may stick "errands" in the morning instead of school)
Tuesday: Get out of bed- my first challenge!
9:00 start school
11:30 lunch
1:00 Homeschool PE class at Prarie Life
This will be included in my membership for the month of January, but after that, it will be $9 a time for both girls. Hmmm, $36 a month or $130? I won't be able to use the childcare either, but I'm sure everybody will have kids running around!
2:00 come home and put Christian down for a nap
Rest of the time is free!!
Wednesday: 8:50 Courtney to preschool
Come home and teach Megan
11:20 Pick Courtney up from preschool
As of February 1st, we are going to take a class or 2 at the Homeschool Learning Center. These would be at 2 and 3, so about 1:30, we would leave for class.
5:30 supper
6:45 AWANA
Thursday- Get out of bed!
9:00 school for Megan
lunch
afternoon nap and free time
4:15 dance for Megan
Friday- 8:50 preschool for Courtney
bring Megan home and have school
11:20 pick up Courtney
lunch
free time all afternoon!
Now, who things life will get less stressful for me?? I do!!! I just need to stick to my schedule. I may have a few problems though.
1. I need to stick groceries/ errands in somewhere, so I may have to push school to the afternoons on some days or use my evenings or weekends more.
2. I need motivation to get out of bed on Tuesday and Thursdays.
3. I used to do showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings, so that will need to change.
4. Who is going to entertain Christian while I teach Megan??? I am going to bring a bunch of his toys and books down to the living room, so he will have plenty of things to entertain himself.
5. Like I said, I am going to drop my gym membership. I can't do everything. My plan is to spend some time exercising/ time for myself while Christian is sleeping in the afternoons. I will pick the gym back up in June for the summer. I didn't see how I could go to the gym a couple days a week AND do homeschooling activities. I will try it and see how it goes, but I definitely need to get out these and get involved in homeschool groups.
6. I also need to find time to teach Courtney how to read. I'm sure we can work this in during the afternoon. She has the desire, so why not? We will also need time to go over her AWANA lessons.
I am anxious to get this week started just to see if this will work!
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