For some reason, today has been a day of catching up with friends and family. I have been on video chats and texting chats with multiple people. Besides feeling in the loop again, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. It's nice to feel important enough for someone to carve a little part of their day out just to chat with you.
I'm also looking forward to it continuing into the weekend. I've already "scheduled" a video chat with my 1 week old nephew. Pretty sure he's not going to be doing much talking, but that's ok. I just want to see his precious little face (and those huge feet too)!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Slow and Steady
My son is what I would call a reluctant reader and writer. I'm not sure if it started because of how much of it his kindergarten teacher had him do or if it's just in his DNA (his Dad was the same way till he was 8 or 9). Whatever the case, this is one of the primary reasons I have decided to homeschool this year and it is also the reason I have decided to unschool.
My son loves to learn. He just loves to watch and hear about things rather than read and write about them. Luckily our new library has all kinds of resources which have made this easier. Not only do they have LOADS of educational DVD's they also have these small video sets (think portable DVD player but with the information pre-loaded) that he thinks are SO cool. My son has also participated in the Dog Tales program and wants to do it again (score one for me!). Unfortunately we are on the wait list for the next session (first on the list, so I'm hopeful).
Before I decided to unschool, I had signed my kids up for 2 classes with a local homeschool group. I decided not to pull them out of these classes because I figured it would give them an opportunity to interact with other kids, but would also force a little structure into their schooling in the form of homework. The fact that the class that has the homework was Lego's was a plus because I figured it would give my son some added incentive.
It has not worked quite as well as I'd hoped, but we are slowly finding our groove. I've found that I need to stretch it out over a few days and break it up into chunks within the day as well. For whatever reason, my son really dislikes to write so I am also allowing him to type rather than write. Oddly enough this has made it much more bearable for him (and in my opinion is much more useful since most people correspond on a computer anyway).
I have had a little more success with the reading however. Besides enjoying the Dog Tales program, I have also been able to get him to read to me just about every night before bed for the last 2 weeks. The only reason it hasn't been every night is usually because it's late and I tell him no. He's not reading a lot, but it is certainly a start.
Each time I run into a problem, I tell myself "Slow and Steady Wins the Race." He is a VERY smart kid and I know we will get past this phase. I just can't wait for him to realize it himself.
My son loves to learn. He just loves to watch and hear about things rather than read and write about them. Luckily our new library has all kinds of resources which have made this easier. Not only do they have LOADS of educational DVD's they also have these small video sets (think portable DVD player but with the information pre-loaded) that he thinks are SO cool. My son has also participated in the Dog Tales program and wants to do it again (score one for me!). Unfortunately we are on the wait list for the next session (first on the list, so I'm hopeful).
Before I decided to unschool, I had signed my kids up for 2 classes with a local homeschool group. I decided not to pull them out of these classes because I figured it would give them an opportunity to interact with other kids, but would also force a little structure into their schooling in the form of homework. The fact that the class that has the homework was Lego's was a plus because I figured it would give my son some added incentive.
It has not worked quite as well as I'd hoped, but we are slowly finding our groove. I've found that I need to stretch it out over a few days and break it up into chunks within the day as well. For whatever reason, my son really dislikes to write so I am also allowing him to type rather than write. Oddly enough this has made it much more bearable for him (and in my opinion is much more useful since most people correspond on a computer anyway).
I have had a little more success with the reading however. Besides enjoying the Dog Tales program, I have also been able to get him to read to me just about every night before bed for the last 2 weeks. The only reason it hasn't been every night is usually because it's late and I tell him no. He's not reading a lot, but it is certainly a start.
Each time I run into a problem, I tell myself "Slow and Steady Wins the Race." He is a VERY smart kid and I know we will get past this phase. I just can't wait for him to realize it himself.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Really?
We've been in our house for 2.5 weeks now and today we changed our 8th dead light bulb. There also appears to be at least 5 more bulbs that are going to need to be replaced in the very near future.
While changing one of the bulbs, I realized that the blades on the fan in the kitchen hadn't been dusted in probably 5+ years. I kid you not, there was a solid layer of dust and grim on that fan and it's right over where I stand when I cook. YUCK! Now, I'm going to dust the rest of the fans in the house. Being in Florida, there are a lot of them so it's going to be a multi-day task (gotta give my allergies a break as well).
While changing one of the bulbs, I realized that the blades on the fan in the kitchen hadn't been dusted in probably 5+ years. I kid you not, there was a solid layer of dust and grim on that fan and it's right over where I stand when I cook. YUCK! Now, I'm going to dust the rest of the fans in the house. Being in Florida, there are a lot of them so it's going to be a multi-day task (gotta give my allergies a break as well).
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Day of Relaxation
Today, I decided to live by my rule that Sunday is a day of rest. No, I did not take a nap (although I thought about it). Rather, today has been a day spent chilling with my kiddos. We watched a movie and I got in a little cross stitching. I think the next thing we'll do is to bake something and after that, read them one of the books we got from the library the other day. For me that is relaxation. Especially when you sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labors while reading a good book.
I have a lengthy list of things I want / need to get done soon, but it's going to wait till tomorrow. Today I'm going to rest and relax.
I have a lengthy list of things I want / need to get done soon, but it's going to wait till tomorrow. Today I'm going to rest and relax.
Friday, September 23, 2011
I'm an Aunt!
I am proud to announce the birth of my nephew Nolan Lewis Beckmann!
He was born on Sept 23 at 3:51am.
He weighed in at 9 lbs 4 oz and is 23 inches long.
Praising the Lord with them for his safe delivery!
He was born on Sept 23 at 3:51am.
He weighed in at 9 lbs 4 oz and is 23 inches long.
Praising the Lord with them for his safe delivery!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Controlled Chaos
Today, the kids had their homeschool classes. This is our first time attending what I would call a "normal" day. That said, there were a lot of people out sick, so the groups were a bit smaller than normal. You would think that in light of that, things would run smoothly. Especially for a program that has been in operation for many years.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The first class went great! The second on the other hand just wore. me. out. From what I gathered, the facilitator was not given her teaching materials till Tuesday night (not her fault), but she didn't even print it and look at it till Wednesday night. Today is??? Thursday. So she looked at it the night before the class and based on how organized she was today, she didn't even look over it that well.
Also, this class was for 4 - 7 year-olds and I get the need to try to change things up frequently to keep them interested, but they actually scheduled too many things. They went over time by 15 minutes (considering the class is scheduled for 2 hours that's too much) and the class still didn't get everything done.
As a former facilitator, today's experience has made me a little wary of how the rest of the classes are going to go. I'm hoping it's just because she was not given her materials till the last minute. All I know is that this level of chaos on a regular basis is going to drive me nuts and maybe even send me to the nut house.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The first class went great! The second on the other hand just wore. me. out. From what I gathered, the facilitator was not given her teaching materials till Tuesday night (not her fault), but she didn't even print it and look at it till Wednesday night. Today is??? Thursday. So she looked at it the night before the class and based on how organized she was today, she didn't even look over it that well.
Also, this class was for 4 - 7 year-olds and I get the need to try to change things up frequently to keep them interested, but they actually scheduled too many things. They went over time by 15 minutes (considering the class is scheduled for 2 hours that's too much) and the class still didn't get everything done.
As a former facilitator, today's experience has made me a little wary of how the rest of the classes are going to go. I'm hoping it's just because she was not given her materials till the last minute. All I know is that this level of chaos on a regular basis is going to drive me nuts and maybe even send me to the nut house.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Dodged THAT Bullet - I Think
Today, my son came to me wanting to go into the pool enclosure (Note: Our rule is that an adult MUST be in the pool enclosure with a child). Apparently, he saw a HUGE lizard hanging onto the screen around the pool. Upon further investigation, it was actually 2 lizards that were mating.
Being the inquisitive child that he is, he asked me what they were doing. I then told him, they were making eggs. After they separated (shortly after we arrived), he asked me where the eggs were. I told him it takes a while for the girl to make them. Then he asked me how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. We then went into the house and looked it up on my computer. Luckily that changed his focus and he didn't question me further.
That is a conversation I think he is capable of handling, I just want his Daddy to be the one to have it with him. I'll deal with his sister in a couple years (I'm sure Daddy is OK with that plan).
Being the inquisitive child that he is, he asked me what they were doing. I then told him, they were making eggs. After they separated (shortly after we arrived), he asked me where the eggs were. I told him it takes a while for the girl to make them. Then he asked me how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. We then went into the house and looked it up on my computer. Luckily that changed his focus and he didn't question me further.
That is a conversation I think he is capable of handling, I just want his Daddy to be the one to have it with him. I'll deal with his sister in a couple years (I'm sure Daddy is OK with that plan).
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