pray. learn. live. breathe.

Homeschooling a pretty special kid

7QT on the Stages of Co-op Day (Mom’s Edition)

By: comment

Jumping back on the blog-wagon with Seven Quick Takes, courtesy of Kelly over at This Ain’t the Lyceum

seven-quick-takes-friday-2-300x213

We belong to a homeschool co-op … a Classically Catholic Memory (CCM) program that meets every other week on Friday mornings. It is pretty-much the social center of our homeschooling life, and my daughter and I both enjoy it immensely. It provides structure to our year, we learn about our Catholic faith,and we have both made dear, dear friends. My eldest, non-homeschooled daughter has even found some baby-sitting clients from the group. Win! 

This year, instead of leading a single age-group class, I am teaching a 30-minute Science class to each age group. This involves me preparing a lesson to illustrate and explain the Science memory work for that week. For example, this past week the memory work was “What are two kinds of electricity? Static and Current.” I explained how electricity works, did demonstrations of both static electricity and electrical current, and had them complete a cut-and-paste project that was added to their Science “log book”.

As much as I love, Love, LOVE this program, I am a profound introvert with decent public speaking and teaching skills. Which means although I am well equipped to teach dozens of children of widely varying age, it takes a LOT out of me. I had found that I definitely go throughs stages around each co-op meeting.

  1. Optimism. Usually the Monday before Co-op. I will have my lesson planned ahead of time, and it will be wonderful. I have grand ideas about experiments and demonstrations, and how to pull it all off.
  2. Denial. Wednesday. Not running out of time, it will be fine. I can prepare my lesson Thursday and I already have all the materials I will need on-hand.
  3. Panic. Thursday night – or sometimes even Friday morning. Running out of time. Missing an ingredient. Printer out of ink.
  4. Resignation. Early Friday morning. Ok, the cart is packed. Lesson plan printed. Grace’s bag and snack and map are ready to go. Let’s just get in the car and go and get this over will.
  5. Excitement. Arrival at the church hall. Hello, friends! So happy to see you. High-five the kiddos, admire the babies, hug the mom-friends. This is wonderful. LOVE!
  6. Disappointment. Co-op is over. Already? That went so fast. Grace had such a great time. The children were so bright and engaged. Sorry to see you go. Let’s get together very soon for coffee/playground/mass. We will miss you.
  7. Death (well, Exhaustion). Friday afternoon.Whew … mission accomplished. Adrenalin crash. Wrung out, drained, and almost asleep in my chair. Yes, of course you may play outside with the dog for four hours instead of finishing your schoolwork. Mommy is just going to sit here quietly. How many hours until bedtime? Can I get away with another fend-for-yourself night instead of making dinner.

What is amazing to me is that many of these stages sound negative, but my overall feelings about co-op are so positive and full of warmth and love. So true, the most rewarding things you do are often the most challenging.

 

7QT on the Oppressive End of Summer

By: comment

When you live in Texas, August is the cruelest month. Wishing for April, here.

IMG_5518

1. It’s possible to be hot-ed in. I love Texas. I really, really do. It has a lot to recommend. But right now, it’s hard to remember those things I love about Texas. Yes, I know snowed in. I’ve been snowed in. I used to live in the mid-west. From where I sit – in the AC, under a fan, in a puddle of my own sweat – being snowed in seems so cozy and romantic. Cocoa and Netflix and snuggling under the fire. And you can always put on more and more clothes if you want to need to run to the store. ‘Round here, this time of year, it is too hot to do ANYTHING outside. Including going to the pool. The pools all feel like bath water, and if you are lucky enough to have access to a fresh-water spring that isn’t 89+ degrees warm, it probably smells like algae. Or a public restroom. Or both. Ew.

2. Vacation is a memory. We just returned from our semi-obligatory family road trip/college scouting tour. Two days to drive up north. Three days to visit with one side of the family. Three days with another side of the family. A few days to visit colleges. Two days to drive home. Um, excuse me. That’s not a vacation. That’s just taking the show on the road. I remember when we took vacations, and they didn’t look like that. They involved sleep, and cool weather, and good food. And “family fun” time. Not this. This time, I came home spent, exhausted, annoyed and with a ton of laundry. Mommy is cranky. Note to self: take a vacation.

IMG_5514

3. The St. Louis Tri-Fecta. Between a work conference and non-vacationing, I was in St. Louis three different times this summer. I did not manage to see anything outside of a hotel, and an incredibly hot-and-sweaty trip to the arch. Which is awesome, as always. Even with the grounds surrounding the arch under construction, it was still a site to behold. I also did manage to take in a mass at the Old St. Louis Cathedral with a group of women from work. I love that church. I first visited it over 20 years ago, when I was in college and dated a boy from St. Louis. That old church is just as impressive now, and the history behind it is overwhelming.

IMG_5396 IMG_5373

4. Back to School – for the LAST time. Well, not really. My older daughter, Ann, attends  public school and will be a graduating senior this year. Hence the college visits. I am irrationally conscious of the fact that everything we do with her, we will be doing FOR THE LAST TIME. Next week, we will be shopping for school supplies for her FOR THE LAST TIME. Which is ridiculous. I am sure she is going to drag me to Target next summer for a haul of notebooks and paper and really groovy pens to take off to college.

5. Homeschool rocks. Really looking forward to starting our second homeschool year with my 4th grader, Grace. Made some last minute decisions on curriculum just this week, and almost all our materials are in hand. It’s going to be another challenging, but exciting year. So glad that we took this big leap. We plan to start the same day as our local public school, just to be synced with Ann’s schedule, which is just over a week away. Planning on doing a brain dump post on our curriculum choices for this year in the near future, but it will probably wait until school starts for both of them and we get into a routine.

6. Homeschool moms rock. I am really looking forward to seeing the moms I got to know last year from all our new homeschool activities. It struck me recently, I really LIKE these women. I think I am realizing, after a year, that I have found my tribe. It’s hard to get to know other homeschool moms quickly, or well, since we all spend a lot of our time, well, home. Schooling. But I have missed seeing them regularly over the summer, and that’s kinda cool.

7. Surviving the famine … so far. I am embarrassed to admit how many people have posted the “I Survived the Blue Bell Ice Cream Famine of 2015” T-shirt image in my Facebook feed. But it might be more than 5. It looks like the magical tubs with the gold lids will be back in stores soon, and I cannot wait. All I can say is I have survived so far … but it ain’t over yet. And if you don’t know Blue Bell, I’m sorry.

Source: DMN File

Once again, linking up with Kelly over at This Ain’t the Lyceum for 7 Quick Takes.

 

Answer Me This: Splurge-i-rific Edition

By: 1 Comment

Back again. So glad that Kendra at Catholic All Year hosted Answer Me This. Wishing her luck as she takes a break to birth her latest bambino. Love and prayers sent your way, Kendra.

1. What’s your favorite grocery store splurge?

Sushi? Chocolate chip cookies? Macadamia nuts? OK, if I have to pick one, it would be Sushi. Even though grocery story sushi is not fantastic, it is at least trustworthy in my neck of the woods, and I love sushi something fierce. I am always deeply aware that it’s an $8-10 dollar lunch eaten out of a plastic tray, but it usually hits just the right spot.

2. How’s your penmanship?

Pretty good if I am paying attention. Legible if I am writing quickly. Sometimes I cannot make out my own grocery lists, which is a problem. If I am writing on a board – chalk, white, or otherwise – it is illegible. Kind of a problem at homeschool co-op, religious education, and occasionally at scouts. Whoops.

3. Do you have a “Summer Bucket List?”

IMG_5142

 

Yes, I have one. My girls and I went out for breakfast on the first day of our official summer break. I even took a picture of it.  To say that we have done a quarter of it is being generous. Need to get BUSY on our lazy summer. Ha!

4. What’s the best thing on the radio right now?

I have listened to nothing but the local Christian radio station for the last year, so I don’t even know what else is on the radio. My current faves in that genre are Francesca Battistelli and Crowder, although I just bought two Audrey Assad CDs. And Matt Maher. Always Matt Maher. If I am going to be in the car for a while, I will listen to the Lanky Guys podcast … they are so smart, and so funny! Each week, they talk about the readings for the mass, and tie them all together with a common thread. So cool.

5. Ice cream or frozen yogurt?

Ice cream, all the way. Unless it’s one of those froyo shops where you can dispense it yourself and add the toppings yourself. That’s all kinds of fun. Of course, there is a lack of ice cream in my life right now because of the Great Blue Bell Ice Cream Famine of 2015. Missing my Homemade Vanilla. But they will be back. Yes, they will. Because God wants us to be happy. 🙂

6. Have you had that baby NOW? (Again, you can skip this one if you want.)

Nope. No baby, just jelly belly.

Loved Answer Me This. Hoping someone else picks it up soon. Take care of you and yours, Kendra!

Answer Me This: The Superhero Edition

By: comment

Linking up with Kendra at Catholic All Year. I love this. I love superheroes, superhero TV shows, LOVE the Marvel Avengers universe, etc. etc.

1. What’s currently on your To Do list?

I am currently preparing for TWO trips this month. The first, a gathering of good Christian women who like to spread hospitality – the Mary & Martha national conference in St. Louis. The second in a super crazy road trip/college tour/family reunion/portrait session the week after. So my to-do list contains things like “get a haircut”, “finish sewing presents”. In fact, yesterday I wrote out my entire to-do list for the next two weeks, including lesson preparation for our homeschool co-op, panicked and binged watched “Poldark” instead. Swoon. Excellent use of my time, if I do say so. If I do have a super power, it’s my ability to watch completely inappropriate amounts of Netflix/iTunes/Amazon Prime in one sitting. I actually look forward to laundry piling up so I have an excuse for a good media binge. Not that I need an excuse.

2. Better type of superhero: magic/radioactive powers? Or trauma/gadgets/hard work?

I prefer trauma/gadgets/hard work – I’m Iron Man all the way. But did you ever notice trauma/gadgets/hard work is also closely followed by “huge pile of cash I inherited at remarkably young age”. However, I will say that I spend way too much time thinking about my own superpower of choice, which would be able to stop time. I would have a magic pocket watch that I could open, and every thing around me would stop, and I could move around in it. (I think I am remembering this from a short-lived 70s TV show). I could read ALL THE BOOKS and still make it to my oft-missed yoga class. But then I would still age while time was stopped, so that would be a bummer. Again, spend WAY too much time thinking about this.

3. Finding out if baby is a boy or a girl before birth: Good idea? Bad idea?

We found out both times. Girls. The doctor was not sure the first time, but the nurse was. We sort of panicked in the labor room, just in case it was a boy, as we didn’t have any boy names. Never did agree on any boy names. Not for either kiddo. Good thing we have girls.

4. Have you ever appeared on a stadium jumbotron?

Nope. Don’t think so.

5. Are you more book smart or more street smart?

Definitely more book smart. And I have the piles and piles of books to show for it.  Although each time I travel with someone new, I am often amazed at how much they struggle with navigating airports or urban areas, so I guess I’m a little street smart.

6. Have you had that baby yet? (Feel free to skip this one if it’s not applicable to you.)

Um, yes, 9 years 1 month ago. Although given the current state of my middle-age expansion, I live in constant fear of someone asking me this question in public. Gah!

7QT on why I haven’t blogged in 6 months

By: 2 Comments

How embarrassing. Start a blog at the first of the year. Setup, configure, couple of posts. One that’s not half bad. Then … nothing. It’s like stopping for Dairy Queen on your way home from the gym on January 2nd, and then never working out again. But because I am a slacker and not a quitter, here I am. So why start and then disappear? What have I actually been doing with my time instead of writing and blog tending?

1. School happened. Homeschooling is hard, man. Getting school started again after Christmas … well, after the New Year … actually after a round of the January flu … yeah, after all that, getting any school work happening was all I could do. Let alone blog. Or floss.

2. Diagnosis. Nothing too serious, and certainly not life threatening. But early in the year we got confirmation that our sweet Grace is officially “special.” I have a lot more to say about this, but I’m not going to turn on the spigot today. For now, let’s just say “congratulations, it’s Aspergers” and leave it at that. So that sent me for a mental lu-lu ad took time to process.

3. Taxes suck. Don’t want to revisit this, but paying property taxes in January, right after Christmas, just sucks. And then to turn around and prepare income taxes, too? Ugh. It’s hard to be witty and interesting when you’ve got that in the back of your mind. All. The. Time.

4. I got a gig! Oh, yeah – I actually did some fee-for-service legitimate consulting work during the first quarter of the year. That was awesome, being out among adults (virtually) and getting paid to think and work and give opinions. Awesome. Paycheck? Awesome squared!

5. House of Cards. Goodbye, February.

6. Game of Thrones and HBO Now. Goodbye, April. And May. This is a seriously guilty pleasure, and there are some things I will NOT watch on HBO. Game of Thrones tests my limits as to what I will allow myself to watch, but there is also some pretty decent, non-prurient viewing on HBO. And apparently I feel compelled to watch it all.

7. Blogging is easy – writing perfectionism is hard. I threw this page up thinking once I got the mechanics of the blog worked out, it would be easy to keep it primed with content. I have a lot to say, I write pretty fast, type even faster. No problem. What I learned through my list of partially composed posts is that I have a lot to say, but no idea how I want to say it. Audience, tone, the level of vulnerability I felt comfortable sharing … I quickly realized did not have those thing figured out and it let it paralyze me. Still haven’t figured it out, but as they say perfection is the enemy of gettin-stuff-done, so I’m just going to dig in.

So there it is, a list of excuses.

More awesome quick takes at This Ain’t the Lycum

Thoughts on a new semester

By: comment

It’s the first day of school around here, both at the eldest’s public school and here at home with my youngest. In years past, with both of them in public, I would be planning a day of indulgent self-care, thinking about my goals for the new year, and reveling in being alone. And probably re-watching last night’s “Downton Abbey.”

© Tammy Mcallister | Dreamstime Stock Photos

© Tammy Mcallister | Dreamstime Stock Photos

But now I a homeschool mom, there is no “alone time” … but I am still excited about the girls going back to school. Both of them. This morning, my sweet eight-year-old Grace and I sat down to talk about how we both thought our first semester EVER of homeschool had gone, and what we’d like to do differently. Here are a few of our thoughts.

What did you like about our first semester?

Grace:

  1. I’m glad I’m not at public school where everyone does one lesson one day, and the next lesson the next day. I can go ahead if I want.
  2. I’m glad I’m not around kids who misbehave … that makes me very uncomfortable.
  3. I like the extra subjects we do, like Religion and Astronomy.
  4. I like we do school in our PJs.
  5. It’s good that we get every-other-Friday off.

Mom:

  1. I like the “extra” subjects, too. Especially Latin.
  2. I like having company at daily mass from time to time.
  3. I like that Grace is avoiding some of the chronic “stressors” she struggled with in public school … she’s a much more relaxed kid compared to this time last year.
  4. I like that I’m really getting to know Grace in a whole new way.

What would you like to improve this semester?

Grace:

  1. It’s too much of the same every day. Too much routine.
  2. I have a lot of frustrations doing subjects I don’t like, like spelling and math.
  3. I want to do more art and more projects.
  4.  I want to do more history and more stories.

Mom:

  1. I want to be more patient when Grace is not on task, and truly understand WHY she balks.
  2. I want to incorporate more fun into our daily work. (I think we are both totally on the same page here.)

What goals do you have for this semester?

Grace:

  1. I want to get an A+ on my next math test and on my next spelling test.

Mom:

  1. I want to do less busy work, and focus more on mastering concepts (and moving on quickly from concepts already mastered.)
  2. I want to plan – AND TAKE! – more field trips.
  3. I want our day to be more about little rewards and acknowledging good behavior than about punishment and shaming bad behavior.

My thoughts on our discussion:

  1. All in all, this first semester has been very successful. Grace is learning a lot, and LOVES being home. It’s not always smooth sailing, but I am 100% validated in my choice to bring her home for school. Especially as I have come to know her better as a student, and had some pretty huge epiphanies about her. This is the absolute right place for her right now.
  2. Grace and I are pretty much on the same page regarding curriculum. Although she doesn’t call it “curriculum.” We both like the enrichment subjects, especially sciences. This is good. She loves Religion and Christian studies. Also good. Very good.
  3. We both work well with structure and achievement-oriented learning. We also both want more “fun” in the day-to-day. This seems like a line to tread carefully. Something I need to think about. One thing that I started after Thanksgiving that seems to have a lot of promise is art journaling. Grace really took to it, and it was great way to get her writing and drawing – and working on those fine-motor-skills – without complaint. Taking “play dough breaks” throughout the morning is something else I am going to try.
  4. Something Grace and I didn’t discuss, but I feel in my heart, is that I need to take better care of myself. By the end of last semester, I was done. DONE. Short temper, house a wreck, wrung-out and spent. I think there are two major factors. First, I did not spend enough time alone, which I desperately need from time to time to recharge. Introvert, know thyself. Second, it was a difficult time emotionally for me, for reasons that have nothing to  do with homeschooling. Many of my loved-ones are going through difficult times, and as a caretaker, that takes a toll on me as well. And that is OK. It’s a blessing, really, to provide support and comfort and care to these amazing people whom I love. But I need to think about my own oxygen mask, too. Breathe.

So it’s not all blank slate here today. Which is a good thing – we don’t need to start over. Mostly just keep doing what we’re doing, while making tiny adjustments here and there. Which is a great way to start the year.

What are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?

By: comment

My eight-year-old has some very strong ideas. Well, all of her ideas are pretty strong. You could say she’s a bit bull-headed determined. And there is no reason to think that New Year’s Eve was going to be any different.

From the moment we arrived home from our Christmas road-trip to the grandparents (at 10:25pm on December 27th, natch), she has been planning our New Year’s Eve party. Or I should say, she has been telling me that I need to sit with her and plan our New Year’s Eve party RIGHT NOW. Bear in mind that before this moment, there had been no discussion of a New Year’s Eve party. Or any party at all. Nothing. She just decided, “Well, OK. Christmas is over. That was lovely. Now let’s do New Year’s.” And she wanted to do it in style.

According to her, any proper New Year’s party should include:

  • Streamers decorating the walls.
  • Balloons
  • A balloon drop – at midnight
  • Staying up until midnight – four hours past bed time
  • A countdown
  • Sparklers
  • Party poppers and Crackers (I think the kind of crackers with gunpowder, not salt)
  • Funny hats
  • Noise makers (beyond the explosive kind, listed above)

I have to hand it to her, it’s a pretty good list. No idea where she came up with it – no idea. As far as I know, she doesn’t spend any time on Pinterest. But where the idea originated is irrelevant. We were doing this.

You may have figured out from my snark tone that I was not completely on board. I would have much rather spent the days between Christmas and New Years:

  • Catching up on laundry
  • Clearing away some of the Christmas chaos
  • Preparing lesson plans for a new semester of homeschool
  • Watching really bad pre-New Year’s college football bowl games
  • Planning my new year (not actually celebrating it)
  • Pulling my fingernails out

But my little tyrant angel was undeterred. And I had no real reason to say no, and certainly nothing better planned for the evening.

And so, we had a quiet little affair, serving cheese & crackers, bubbly grape juice and brownies brought over by a friend who joined us for the soiree to play the part of the “party guest” and generally be a good sport.

We toasted with cotton candy soda we saw on Pinterest.

We bought a “Party Set” of glittery hats, tinsel leis, and party crackers at Target for a whopping $13, and picked up some confetti poppers at the grocery store for a dollar.

We took advantage of King Julian’s New Year Countdown, and while my daughter was not fooled into thinking it was midnight – she tells time to the minute, which is a whole other story for another time – it did give us a way to initiate the balloon drop.

Netflix/Facebook

The balloon drop was a plastic party tablecloth, a bag of balloons and some painter’s tape we had on hand. We added a tinsel rip-cord from the party-in-a-box for a festive touch, and in the end, it worked remarkably well. When the little munchkin pulled the cord and the balloons tumbled down on her … pure joy.

Turns out, we didn’t need a lot of people. Or food. Or handmade, glitter-encrusted decorations. Just a willing spirit and a $20 trip to Target. And brownies.

New Year’s Eve party? Check!

Now the only question is, what we are doing NEXT New Year’s Eve.

Happy New Year!

By: comment

Welcome 2015.

A whole new year to pray. learn. live. breathe.

Amen.

Categories