today's discouragement

I have been sad the past two days. I'm really doubting this calling at the moment. Have had a wonderful time researching. LOVE the MathUSee program. When I think about language arts, I feel overwhelmed. Wanted to set this aside and then, I'm serious, quite randomly a site showed up in my browser. I have NO idea where it came from! PrepareandPray.com I think it was. Now I'm reading some things on The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

wish list: scrapbookmax.com

http://www.scrapbookmax.com/
$50

heart of wisdom homeschool teaching approach

Whohooo! My Heart of Wisdom book came last week and I'm nearly done! I'm LOVING it! Now I'm starting to cautiously look into curriculum...I started with math since both John and I are into math. I think I found something wonderful... MammothMath.com . It is written by a math-woman! I also like the idea of the CalcuLadders which we can use for drills.

links for me

Starting homeschool link
http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/art/kmg/decided.html

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washington state homeschool required subjects

These are the required subjects to be taught in Washington State:

reading
writing
spelling
language

math

history
social studies

science
health
occupational education

art & music appreciation

Thanks to:
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Washington.pdf

for me-washington state homeschool laws

This post contains various reference links about my legal right to homeschool my children:
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Washington.pdf

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for my family-homeschooling information

Sarah using up our old playdough!

One part of starting homeschooling is letting our families know what we are doing. I've talked to most in the past about homeschool at some point so now that we've decided to take the plunge, there might be some questions. Ask away! Asking shows you love us and care!

C B was the first person I met who homeschooled her two boys. We met at Overlake probably in the late 80s in a Bible study. We are somewhat opposite...she is very calm and quiet(!) I admit I was very impressed with her boys. They were humble and respectful and attentive. This was my first experience with that very weird thing called Homeschooling.

Through the years, I've had many friends and acquaintances who homeschool. Most of them are quite normal! The Gs homeschool their four children and I have had the opportunity to watch them grow up in homeschool. Their third child, Garrett was born while we attended OCC together and now he's 8. These children are fun to be around and are respectful. Rosalind is gifted (she was writing her own languages at an elementary school age) and has flourished in homeschool.

In May of 2009 I experienced the awards ceremony for Awana. I was overcome with pride in my friends children who had exemplary participation and were receiving awards for years of Scripture memorization and it started me evaluating my own priorities. (Since my children had just started Awana in January, they were not recognized at the ceremony, or I would have been bursting with pride over them)!! Since January 2009, the Ps have become our wonderful friends. We love that they homeschool their four children and are constantly amazed at their family unity. They are a huge inspiration for us. We attend church and Awana together so we see each other usually twice a week. Johanna is 16 and is eager to have her own family and homeschool her children someday.

There are several misconceptions about homeschooling. Most fall under socialization and academics. I had these questions, too, when I came across homeschoolers. I plan to provide information that has been helpful for us in deciding to homeschool.

One thing that has been important for me is to define WHY I want to homeschool. In the same way that every woman's birthing experience is different, it seems there are as many reasons for homeschooling as their are homeschoolers! So I need to define why I'm going to "go to all this trouble" of homeschooling.

You might not think homeschooling is for YOU, but it is for ME and my reasons have become more clear over the past year.

More soon, I hope to update this post in the near future.

handy cheater code

this takes off the border, insert before "border=0"
style="border:none;"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
to get the nav bar to disappear!
#navbar {
height: 0px;
visibility: hidden;
display: none;}

Right before this code:


/*Variable Definitions

AND

make each link open a new page:
<head>      (it's only about 5 lines down from the top)
then insert this coding:
<base target='_blank'/>
directly below it.
Click save and you're done!

AND

How to Save Sidebar Gadgets
http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/2007/12/this-tutorial-is-to-show-you-how-to.html

thanks to http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/2008/12/tutorials.html

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Use this for Minima

to put in a background, host on photobucket,
then go to code
body {
background:$bgcolor;
and make it look like this:
body {background-image: url(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/SeattleScents/pattern_102.gif);

note-this is a single small gif that moves when scroll down, this is not static

now need to make main blog area white
#outer-wrapper {
background: #E3F2FB;
and

then

put in margins on right and left
border-left: 2px solid #ffffff;
border-right: 2px solid #ffffff;
thanks to http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2008/01/cheats-guide-to-customising-blogger.html
******************************************

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first post

Official Blog of our (future) Homeschool Journey.

I think we're going to do this. The Lord has given me direction regarding homeschooling this September. I'm to close Dan's IEP in May (so it closes in June). The sunroom is to be our homeschool room. Can I really do this?

My two biggest concerns...I personally am not diligent and what to do when the kids say, "I don't want to". With closing the IEP, we will no longer be a K family. So if the kids wanted to go back to public school, it would be to SV. What if we finish early, will the kids play video games all day? Will I push them too hard? Not enough?

I hope to look back on this and remember and laugh!

I've connected with the HeartofWisdom.com site. I like her homeschool philosophy. I also can see this happening with the workboxes, fantastic! The guts like the math, the history, the spelling, language and art I can see filling in as I learn more.

I want to use the workbox theory to order my time from now until we start in September and see if it might help me be more diligent.

And $$$ to get set up? We don't really need anything special, though I would LOVE to get the IKEA shelves for the workboxes and a table or desk/work area for each child.

WHY Homeschool?

Moral decay continues in our culture. Though I love my school and teachers, they are directed by a government that does not desire to know nor obey God. My biggest and most important task is to "diligently teach my children the ways of the One True God, Creator of the Universe". The best way to do that is in the family unit. Family is the key to instilling Biblical values in our children. I've seen it work and I hate the idea of my kids going away from me everyday for 6+ hours per day. Their peers do not have the wisdom that I do as their parent and thus are not the best models. What things are important for my kids to learn? We are aliens here...the world's values are the opposite of God's values. I want to train our children to see life through the worldview that comes from knowing God and His Holy Word.
Learning is SO MUCH MORE than what happens at public school. I feel like we don't have enough time to learn the important things because the kids are at school all day! My candle business also offers superb learning opportunities...the kind that make up everyday life!

I do need to examine the state laws regarding homeschooling. That is step one. Then set aside some funding for the things we need to get us started.

Today I'm actually quite excited about this. I've had days, too, where I think "I'm so glad I'm not homeschooling"!!! But I have an idea that success has a lot to do with planning ahead...and I can do that with the help of some good tools.

Curious how to incorporate recess and specialists like music. I believe in delight-driven days and I'm psyched to see where that takes us! The Lord has blessed us ABUNDANTLY with everything we need for life and godliness not to mention the blessed lives we lead!

"...so that you and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates".
Deuteronomy 6:2-9 NASB

Great Resources:
http://www.doorposts.com/
http://www.heartofwisdom.com/
http://www.workboxsystem.com/