Juggling and Milk

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, 

but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Proverbs 10:17

My boys are trying to teach themselves how to juggle.  We found some online instructions, complete with animated pictures.  I explained about practice and persistence, read the first few instructions to them, and set them to practicing Step Two: Two Balls.

The 11 year old (Doc) threw the balls around for a while, slowly getting better and better, staying with it and laughing when he messed up (which was still fairly regularly.)

The seven year old (Grumpy) threw the balls, told me he was an expert and asked to see the next step.  When I told him he needed to keep practicing he harrumphed and whined.  A few minutes into it he told me he could do it.  I turned to see him throwing one ball high in the air while placing the other ball in the vacant hand.  I corrected him by showing him that he needed to actually throw the second ball.  More whining.

I think this is what his teacher was talking about when she said that he wasn't always teachable.

You think?

So we're going to work on being teachable.  All of us.

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Once upon a time there was a parent who told the child that there wasn't very much milk left so the child should have toast for breakfast instead of cereal.

What should the child's response be?
A: The child should eat toast for breakfast.
B: The child should look for milk anyway.

a) If the child eats toast, all is right with the world.
b) If the child looks for milk, this conversation might happen:

Parent - What are you doing?
Child - Looking for milk.
Parent - I just told you there wasn't any.  Don't you believe me?
Child - Well, I just wanted to make sure.
Parent - I already told you there wasn't any more.  Just have toast.

Frustration for two people. Child eats toast.
Later, someone discovered that there was, in fact, *more milk in the fridge.  Enough milk for a couple days of cereal for the whole family.  Parent feels shame at reacting that way to the child.

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*If you live in Canada and drink milk from a bag, it is very possible to lose a couple bags of milk under the cheese drawer.

Milk comes from a bag in Canada.  Three of these bags makes one gallon.  It's just what we do.

That didn't happen.  The child ate toast without bothering to look for the milk.

I appreciate that my children are well-behaved and able to obey instructions, but it bothers me that they don't feel that they can question something innocent like this.  I would love to have discovered that there was in fact, milk in the bottom of the fridge.  We now have an extra gallon of milk that is taking up room in our fridge.

But more importantly, my child is being taught to follow orders without questioning.  It doesn't matter too much when it comes to milk, but it can make a world of difference later on in life.

In my own desire to be teachable, I realize that I need to change the way I parent/interact so that my children are not turned into little Yes-robots.  I need to watch for those conversations, the ones where I need to change my behaviour, and let myself learn from them.  I need to be teachable, just as I expect my children to be teachable.

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, 

but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Proverbs 10:17

Homeschooling 101

I don't want to turn this blog into a homeschooling blog, but every so often the topic will creep in.  I'll warn you first so you can avert your eyes if you want to avoid reading about it.

So, here's the disclaimer: This is about homeschooling.

Whew.  That wasn't so bad.

Still with me?  Good!

I've had many conversations, some with families who have been homeschooling for a while and others with families who are just starting out on this fun family adventure. As I typed out a message to another friend earlier this week, with some of the advice I've gathered, I thought that it was great info to share with others.  So, if you're new to homeschooling, what follows are some things I've learned.

1.  Take some time to look at your family
Don't jump into decision-making mode right away, and don't stress yourself out over the decisions you're currently making.  You've already made a monumental decision, the decision to homeschool.  Take some time to figure out how you want to proceed.  In the meantime, get to know your kids and what they're interested in (if you don't already).  The more time you spend together, the more you will know what's best for them.

2.  Start small
My homeschooling friends have all said that it's better to start small when making curriculum purchases than to buy everything all at once.  Get what you consider to be the essentials and then add in more later if you find you're ready for it.  It's less stressful to start this with a few books instead of 10 different books.

3.  Consult others
Even after reading Cathy Duffy's book, 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum, I still felt overwhelmed at all the choices.  I didn't really know what would work for my family until I sat down with some veteran homeschoolers and looked at what they used (past and present) and asked what worked, what didn't work, and why.  Since their families are different from mine, some of the products that worked for them would not work for us, and vice versa.  But I felt like I had enough info to make an informed decision.  Going to a curriculum fair at a homeschooling convention also helped.  It probably gave me more for my future wish list, but I at least had a chance to see what is out there.

4.  Price it out
It's best to know what you're spending right up front, so as you look at your curriculum, it's good to start pricing it out.  I've already decided that the cheapest way to do this is to buy a copier so that I can use "consumables" (workbooks that will get printed in) for all three of my kids instead of just one.  I'll save at least $50-$70 in the first year by doing this.  Beyond that, I've decided which subjects are priorities for us, so I'm spending money on the curriculum that I think will suit our family best for those subjects.

Should I let these guys choose our curriculum?

Specifics:
This is what we've chosen for our family for this year.  We may change our minds and buy something else if we realize that something really isn't working.  But for now, this is what we're going to use:

(Prices are listed in US dollars and do not include shipping)

For overall planning, to help me see what we're doing and what other kids are learning:
Classical Conversations: Foundations - Curriculum Guide - $60 for a 3 year guide

Math:
Math-U-See - $74 x 3 kids (highly recommended by many)

English:
Apologia Press: Jump In - $40 (could purchase two more notebooks for $30 each, but will photocopy instead)

Science:
Young Explorer Series: Astronomy - $63 (again, I'll photocopy the notebook for the other two)  I may choose a different topic, but this looks like a great science series to start with.

History:
Mystery of History - $70 (plus extras if we choose)  This series starts at the beginning and goes through history chronologically.  It looks like it takes four years to go through the history of the world.


I'd love to hear what others are using and how different books have worked (or haven't worked) for your families.  Please pass along any favourites and helpful hints to us newbies!

Channeling Count Rugen

Sometimes, after I write something on here (although not too terribly often), I feel kinda, almost, sorta bad that I made you read whatever it was that I just shoved in front of you, you poor unsuspecting soul.

So that's when I go all Count Rugen on you -

...thinking, "I've just sucked one year of your life away. I might one day go as high as five, but I really don't know what that would do to you. So, let's just start with what we have. What did this do to you?"

So if this was you, reading my blog...

I'm so sorry.  But tell me... And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel?

Vesper Vocabulary with Midnight Math

After waking the 7 year old boy and making him pee, Hubby ushered him back to bed. Always ready to ask a good math question, Hubby asked, “What's 8 squared?”

Bubba: “Nine”

Hubby, somewhat sarcastically: “Good one.”

The boy gets under his covers.

Hubby: “Hey Bubba, what's 8 squared?

Bubba: “Nine”

He's clearly not with it tonight; he usually knows this one in his sleep. It was a busy and late evening.  The boy must be totally out of it. No point in continuing the conversation.

As the boy settled back into his sheets he lets one rip - eliminates some internal gas - cuts the cheese. Hubby cried out, “Woah! Did you hear the big toot that came out of your butt?”

“No, I'm unconscious.”

Hubby to me: “I didn't even know he knew that word.”

... So the boy's not as “out of it” as we thought.

I am not left-handed!

My nine year old girl, brandishing a Lego sword:

"Hello, my name is Inigo Monriley.  You are my mother!  Prepare to be hugged!"

And then she runs up the stairs and plants a big ole hug on me.

"I'm going to do that to Dad when he gets home. Except I'll say you are my father.   Do you think he'll like it?"

Most assuredly.

Culinary Marvels

The 7 year old:  Mom, I made up a new sandwich

Me:  What is it?

The 7 year old:  Um, grilled jam.  I mean, no, not grilled, toasted!  Toasted jam.  A toasted jam sandwich.

You heard it here first folks.

Summer fun has just begun

A few things I have determined over the last 10 days or so...

1.  I really like giraffes because they remind me of my husband's arms.

2.  I love my little (and big) blonde kids.  And I seem to do it more and more, the more time I spend with them.

3.  I am truly blessed to have as amazing a husband as mine.  He drove while we all slept for a good six hours or so.  And he was tired!

4.  I have wonderful friends all over the place.  I love the feeling of missing so many people all at once, only because it means that they're so special to me.

5.  My kids all got to ride bare-back this weekend.  They were all a little scared and they all rocked it.

6.  I'm already dreaming about what I want to do next summer.  And that's not to say that I won't enjoy this summer, just that I've already got fun ideas for next year, based on this current year's awesomeness.

7.  The world didn't disintegrate because of my lack of internet use.  I am encouraged by this.

8.  Quiddler...  I must add this to my list of games to purchase.  So much fun.

9.  Chatting with other homeschooling moms is my newest fun past-time.  So many great ideas!

10.  Jamie-Grace, Peter Furler, 1 Girl Nation, and tobyMac make for one amazing (and exhausting) concert.

11.  The Ledge of the Sears Willis Tower is worth waiting in line for a few minutes.

One of many photo bombs.

Jeans.  Or Ants in Their Pants.

Lake Michigan

Wrigley Field...  Somewhere

Squinty-eyed at the top of Chicago

Lovely horses.  The kids rode the brown one, bare-back.

Such a fun week!