Year-Round Homeschooling at Our House

After yesterday’s post I had two readers ask for more information about how year-round homeschooling works at our house.  Year-round homeschooling can work so many different ways.  I’m sharing how it works for us right now.  Here are the questions:

Kris - I wanted to ask how do you homeschool year round? I was thinking of doing it but have no idea where to start.

Emily - I would love to know what your year round schedule is. You may have posted it before, I'm still new to your blog. We, as of now, go the traditional route. And with a baby due in early August, we will probably finish in May/June and begin again in Sept. Although we do review days every week in the summer, they are laid back. I'm intrigued about the year round schedule. Thanks!

First, and most importantly, we see learning as a part of our everyday life.  That means you will find us doing homeschool in some form all year long, even on holidays or weekends.  We do not take a long summer or winter break.  At most, we take a week or two off, even after having a baby.  That part is not my idea, it is my children’s - see this post.  Caleb, baby # 6, was 9 days old when my children insisted we get back to the homeschool routine.  They had done something similar after Oliver was born, so I had some independent work prepared as well as our ever-present reading aloud. 

Second, we do not need 7 hours of seatwork to get done.  Our local public schools begin with 7 hour days in Kindergarten and still don’t get everything done (but that is another topic all together….).  Makayla, in 4th grade, can easily finish her entire day of schoolwork before lunch.  The only thing that might not fit in that time is reading because she prefers to read for several hours at once.  (A girl after my own heart!)My Kindergarten-ish children take 30 –40 minutes to do all their seatwork.  The rest is experiments, reading to mom on the couch, and having fun exploring our interests. 

What this means on a very practical level is that even in summer we can get a full day of schoolwork in and still spend hours outside or doing our own thing.  We never face the ‘boredom monster’ of summer because we always have interesting learning feeding our minds with plenty of time to just be a kid in the day too.

We don’t schedule out the whole year of breaks and school.  We choose a few breaks, like the week of Christmas or a family vacation, but the rest of the year we do school until we feel like we need a break.  Then we take off a week, or even just take a long weekend off.  Refreshed, we move back into school the next week.  It’s a more organic approach, but may not be for everyone.  Some prefer to know they’ll work for 4 weeks and take a week off.  Do what works for you!   

How do I know when a school year is done?  I have two ways I gauge it.  First, I have a single sheet of paper with numbered boxes to check off for 180 days.  The typical public school calendar in my area runs close to that, this year they scheduled 178 days(and have taken quite a few days off for snow and ice).  Beginning in June I marked off a day every time we did homeschool.  To decide if a day ‘counted’ as a whole day of school we had to have done our essentials that day: Gospel, Math, Reading, Unit Study.  A field trip also counts as a day.

The second way I know a school year is done is based on what we need for our portfolio.  In Ohio there are two reporting options, standardized testing or having a portfolio of the child’s work evaluated by a state-licensed teacher.  We choose the portfolio option.  Our reviewer gave me general guidelines for the amount of work she looks for in each grade level for the state-mandated subject areas, so I use that as my goal.  What we cover (content) is not dictated, so you’ll see that we are not necessarily covering the same topics the local public school 4th graders are.  Let me give you an example.  For history/geography/government in 2nd grade and above the goal is:

• 4 large units OR
• 8-10 smaller units OR
• some combination of large and small units OR
• a textbook based curriculum, finishing most of the book.

We use unit studies and so when I sit down and look at the items in Makayla’s portfolio I can count the units she’s done in the area and see if we’ve hit the goal.  We do a mix of large and small units.  Since June we have done:

1. Thanksgiving and Pilgrims
2. George Washington
3. American Government (jobs of president, congress, how a bill becomes a law, etc)
4. Greece (modern-day)
5. World Survey/Statistics (If the World were a Village)
6. India
7. China
8. World War I
9. American Civil War
10. California Gold Rush
11. The history of Kites

Some of those units were quite large (a month of solid work), while others took less time to complete.  Looking at the list I feel comfortable that she has done plenty of learning in the social studies area for 4th grade.

Each subject is similar, with goals to meet.  Because I keep a portfolio it is easy to look back and see if we’re lacking in any areas.  For us right now we still need some science, art, and at least one more solid writing piece to meet the goals I set.  When that happens our year is over. 

It’s true, we don’t line up with the public school calendar.  Makayla will begin 5th grade in April.  But at home, grade level doesn’t matter.  She won’t really even know it.  I just start putting things into the portfolio for her new grade.  For other purposes, like church classes, we go by her birthday/age for now. 

Our year-round schedule means that in a few years she will likely be doing work a year or more above her technical, age-based grade level.  4th grade took about 10 months from start to finish.  With no extraordinary circumstances Makayla will be ready to begin 6th grade next January(she’ll be 10.5), when her public school counterparts are just barely halfway into their 5th grade year.  That’s not a big deal.  However, if you follow it out several years, switching grades every 10 months with no summers off puts her at age 15.5 when she begins 12th grade. 

What will we do then?  I haven’t really thought about it yet.  I suspect somewhere along the way things will naturally slow down as the material becomes more difficult and the amount of work involved becomes greater.  Maybe she’ll just move into dual-enrollment with the local college.  There are so many possibilities, including starting a small business, apprenticing, working, or taking time for concentrated studies in areas of interest. 

Whatever we do, homeschooling works for our family, and following our family’s lifestyle with year-round homeschooling makes total sense.  We’re not following the artificial schedule imposed by the government because it doesn’t fit our needs.  Instead of just following the public school schedule take time to think about what schedule would best fit your family.  Maybe you need a spring planting and fall harvesting break, while summer would be prime schooling time for your family.  I’m all for doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t!

Now it’s your turn!  Share how your homeschool schedule goes in the comments.  Do you take regular, planned time off, school year round, follow the public school schedule, or do something else all together?

Winter Got You Down?

My newest post is up this morning over at Latter-Day Homeschooling, and it’s all about finding refreshment in the middle of winter.  Here is your sneak peek:

“It feels as if winter will never end.  Out my window there is still snow on the ground complete with cat tracks.  In homeschooling we can sometimes find ourselves in a place where it seems like winter will never end.  We’re tired, the kids are bored with the curriculum, nobody feels like doing school, and the refreshing time of spring seems very far off.  Many homeschool families start feeling restless near the end of winter.  More and more I hear discussions of the curricula they want to change “because it’s not working well anymore”. . .

Click Here to read the rest!

I have been writing for Latter-Day Homeschooling since it began.  If you are interested to read more of my posts there you can click on this link.  Happy Reading!

Little Books Program–A Review

One of the hard things on this adventure of reviewing products for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew is when we end up disliking a product. However, I have learned that some things simply don’t fit my family, and that is okay because the very things that did not work for us may be just right for one of my readers. This is the situation I found myself in with today’s review product, the Reading for All Learners Little Books program, from Academic Success for All Learners. We received levels 1-4 of the program, each of which costs $30.00, plus some extras like flash cards and the Placement and Assesment Manual. Let me tell you about the program and then I’ll explain why it did not fit our family.

Each level has a series of little books that build on one another. Sound practice and word practice pages are first in every book. This is where you practice sounds and words with your child that will be used in the book. The idea is to set them up for success by expecting them to memorize what each word is before reading the story itself. There are optional flashcards to use with your child as well to get to this point of knowing by sight. You do not move to the story until a child knows every word in this section by sight (not sounding out).

Once you reach that point your child reads the story to you. You are given little prompts at the bottom of many pages to praise your child or ask them questions about the story. Here is a collage of the pages in a level one book:

The goal is to read with fewer than 2 mistakes before moving to the next book in the set. There is also a Looking Back and Coming Attractions section after the story for practicing what they learned and seeing what is coming next. You can also see an entire book from near the end of level one HERE.

There are several reasons we disliked this program, so I’m just going to lay them out here. Some are my personal reasons, others are from my children, all are related. Remember, what I dislike in a program may be just what you are looking for!

First, my children’s main objection was the stories themselves. My beginning readers are children who have been raised on a wide variety of literature such as Heidi, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the Beatrix Potter books. With the goal of the Little Books program being a child fluently reading every word before moving on(instead of sounding it out) we had to begin at the very first book. Currently my 5 and 6 year old read books above that level, but they do need to sound out many words – which is not ‘fluent’ and therefore not acceptable in the program. The entire 17 page first book used 3 words repeated in different combinations with varying punctuation. The words? I see Sam. Repeated over and over for 17 pages.

By the end of the 4th reader we had spent 68 pages reading a total of 5 words(with different illustrations, word order, and punctuation):

• I
• see
• Sam
• am
• me

My children very quickly made it clear that these readers were not worth their time and effort. I heartily agreed. We looked ahead. We tried books throughout levels 1 and 2. They still did not enjoy the stories, and again, they were not to move ahead until they had memorized by sight every word in a book.

It was at this point that I looked at the scope and sequence for levels 1-4 of Little Books (you can download it here) and found my main objection. The student does not even learn the basic sounds to all 26 letters of the alphabet until level FOUR. The Little Books program takes more than 80 books to teach the basic alphabet sounds. A child must read more than 1000 pages before they learn the 26 basic sounds of the alphabet! My jaw nearly fell on the floor. I thought I was misreading it at first, but I was not.

My 1 year old knows what sounds the letters say already and my 3 year old is beginning to sound out short vowel words. His 5 and 6 year old siblings can read any regular short vowel word (from cobweb and junk to wishes and quicksand) and are just beginning to read silent e words. They may need to sound them out first, but they can read and understand them.

Little Books, instead, takes four levels to teach 76 ‘sight words’, (most of which follow rules the child simply has not learned yet), and focuses on a child memorizing these 76 words as well as the regular, decodable words they introduce along the way. We do not choose to require our children to memorize every word before they are allowed to read it in a story, but that is exactly what the Little Books program asks you to do!

We choose to equip our children to sound out words (phonics) and in just a few short lessons are able to teach them the sounds for all 26 letters of the alphabet, opening up and entire world of reading to them very quickly. Fluency comes with practice. Our children are able to approach new words with the tools they need to sound them out and read, instead of coming to a word that has never been memorized (a la Little Books methodology) and being stuck.

For any typical child the Little Books program is not something I would recommend. However, for a child with learning differences perhaps this method may be helpful. I do not know, that is not the situation we are in.

Please read my Crewmates reviews for this program to learn their experiences with this program. I am only one mom, and can only share an opinion based upon my own experience with the product.

{Disclaimer: I received the Little Books program for free in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation and all opinions presented herein are my own. }

We’re in the Final Four!

We are in the final four countdown.

We only have 4 weeks left of our school year!  We will pass 180 days and have everything needed for Makayla’s portfolio by April 1st.  I love homeschooling year round!  We began last June and have accomplished a lot.  Makayla is the only one of my children who has reporting requirements in our state this year.  Here is where she’s at:

Math – Done.  She has 9 lessons left in MUS Gamma, none of which are needed for her portfolio.  She began this school year in MUS Beta and has completed 1 1/2 levels since June.  Math is one of those things we just keep plugging away at, and when she finishes Gamma she will just go right on into Delta.

Spelling – Done.  She finished what was needed for her portfolio two weeks ago.  Like with math, spelling is one where we just keep going.  She’s in All About Spelling level 3.

History/Geography/Government – Done and overdone.  We really have done a lot of history units this year, all of which are sitting in the portfolio completed.  Some units she did this year were: George Washington, World War I, Civil War, American Government, and several country studies (China, India, Tanzania, South Korea, Greece).

Health/First Aid/Safety/Fire Prevention – Done.  We did several chapters in Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology.  The work from those chapters is in her portfolio.  She has also had several practical lessons as a part of life, including trips to the dentist, doctor, midwife, and hospital. 

Music – Done.  This is a part of everyday, we learn songs, she takes piano, and it just keeps going.  We also did some work with Peter and the Wolf by Sergiei Prokofiev.

Phys. Ed – Done and a never-ending thing, it just keeps going and changes by season. 

Reading/Literature – Done.  This is such a big part of our homeschooling and I’m delighted that Makayla loves to read.  It makes many things easier.

Science – Still working on this.  We have several units finished but will do at least one or two more in March.  First up, Creation Camouflage.  This will cover the different types of camouflage used in the following habitats: Our backyard in winter, in the rain forest, the desert, the ocean, and the tundra.  The second unit is still undecided.  She’ll choose when she’s nearly finished this one.

Writing/Grammar – Almost done.  She needs to do at least one more writing project during March, and I would love to have her round up some of her poetry into a little book as well.

Art – Still working on this through the rest of March.  We’ll be doing more art projects and discussing Vincent van Gogh this month.

So, to sum things up, the only subjects we still need to work on for the year are writing/grammar, science, and art.  We will continue doing things like math and spelling, but our big focus for March is to finish up these 3 areas. 

Do you know what that means?  You can come back later this week to read all about plans for the new school because that starts sometime in April.  It will be my first year to officially have 2 children reporting to the state.  I will be working with the following grades:

• 5th – Makayla
• K/1st - Joseph and Emma
• PreK - Daniel and Oliver 

I think I have a good plan in the works for most subjects, but maybe you’ll have some ideas for me on other areas.   

Free Downloads from IEW

I was excited to get my 2011 Magalog from Institute for Excellence in Writing in the mail today.  What’s a Magalog?  It is a combination of a magazine with articles and a catalog.  I have listened to Andrew Pudewa speak at the Midwest Homeschool Convention as well as several other audio downloads.  I even own several of the IEW writing products. 

One of the great things about the Magalog is the codes for free downloads hidden inside!  You can order a free copy here.  If you do, you will find codes for three free downloads.  While I will not just tell you the codes, I will share what page to find them on and what they get you!

• On page 2 you will find a code to receive The Four Language Arts audio download free.  I already own this one and it is full of helpful information.
• On page 25 is a code to redeem for the audio download of Grammar and Editing Skills.  This one is new to me and I will be listening to it this week.
• On page 26 is the final code, which gives you access to Freedomship Education Paradigm.  It sounds fascinating and this will be my first listening choice.

Now I am off to read the articles and explore IEW’s new products for 2011. 

Oh, and a hint: Last year’s catalog is still on the site to download.  You’ll find some free download codes in that one too.   It gives you something to listen to while you wait for the 2011 copy to arrive in your mailbox.

Week in Review #84– Time Flies

Another busy week has flown by and overall it was a good one. I have realized we are getting really close to the end of our school year, and I will post more about that soon, but for this post I will just share some of the work we did this week.

Makayla finished her first chapter on multiple digit multiplication. It went well, I think she understood the concept of the distributive property and I liked how Math U See shows her how to write the problem in place value notation to begin multiplying. In case you are not familiar with those terms (I wasn’t!), all it means is she takes a math problem like 212 x 4 and writes it like this:

(200+10+2) x 4

She then multiplies each number by 4 (distributing it to everyone) to get:

800+40+8=848

Laying out every step makes her more aware of what she is doing. Soon she’ll learn to do it without writing out all the place value notation, but this is a good first step. Thank you Math U See!!

Joseph and Emma’s math focused on skip counting by 10 and addition problems. Their Math U See is still completely hands on using the manipulatives. They are using the Primer level and are not expected to have the facts memorized. Mastery comes in the next level, Alpha.

Daniel and Oliver’s math was counting. Daniel seems to have mastered counting to 20, but with any young child I am not surprised when days come where he forgets a number. Oliver and counting don’t seem to go together yet, which is no big deal. He actually counts better in spanish than english, which I find funny.

We finished our unit study about George Washington and came away with a great appreciation for the man. I always find the founding fathers’ fascinating. They were men that God raised up to bring about this country and its constitution. Makayla finished up her report about George Washington today and I have to say her writing is improving so much from where she was at the beginning of the year. I’ll see if she will let me post it later.

Learning to read is rolling right along for Joseph and Emma. Honestly, once a basic foundation is laid it is just a matter of practice and time. I’m not willing to hurry them and push independence. It will come when they find reason enough to want to read things on their own. They, along with Daniel, have been trying out Go Go Kabongo, a website with fun games that are supposed to help with critical thinking, working memory, and processing. The jury is still out on if it does those things but the children are enjoying their time on Kabongo.

Oliver and Daniel have been all about books lately. Unfortunately that means they keep dumping everything to find the one, specific book they want to look at. They are working with another review item this week - Aesop’s Fables books from Brill Kids and they are liking them. My goal this weekend is to download the version that goes into our Little Reader software (the code came with the books) to see what they think of the stories that way.

There are lots of other little things we did this week, including reading several chapters in Farmer Boy. You can see my post about the snow in the house here, which was a fun literature, science and art morning. I have already posted about the plans for our next unit studies here, and now it is time for me to go get things printed and ready for that. Have a great weekend!

This post is linked to the Weekly Wrap-Up.

A Unit Done and More On the Way

Today we finished our unit study on George Washington. I have to say that we really, really enjoyed reading George Washington: Our First Leader from the Childhood of Famous Americans series.  Makayla has read several of this series on her own, but this was the first one I read aloud to all the children.  The 5 and 6 year old especially liked that the story began when George was just a child, they were able to relate to him so much better because they could follow how a child like them could grow up to do great things.

With the end of this unit it is time to choose the next study.  I am going to continue working through Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physioligy with the family about 2 days a week.  As I have been praying the last few weeks God has brought to my mind repeatedly that I need to be helping my children follow their interests.  I began the process when I sat with each child age 3 and up to brainstorm topics they are interested in.  I made sure none of their siblings were nearby as we brainstormed, because I wanted to have their answers, not their siblings’.  They were able to flip through my files on the computer for ideas as well, especially our lapbooks and Download ‘N Go units. 

• Daniel’s list was fun because he asked for characters like Curious George as well as topics (lizards, trains, etc). 
• Emma’s list showed a major interest in water creatures(octopus, shark, sea turtle, manatee to name a few) and some of the more exotic mammals (panda, tiger). 
• Joseph’s list was what I think of as very ‘boy’ – anatomy, the moon/space, geckos, robots, pirates, magnets, electricity. 
• Makayla’s had a mix of habitats, animals, and those working with them, such as Jane Goodall.

The next step happened this week.  I brought back out their lists and asked them to each choose a topic.  Just like before, I did this with each child alone, so that there was no siblings influencing In the end we had 2 topics chosen.  Joseph and Daniel wanted to learn specifically about lizards/geckos.  They agreed to work together for this unit using the Goofy Gecko Download ‘N Go.  I am estimating it will take them 2-3 weeks to do together.  Joseph will be the scribe, while Daniel will take turns manning the computer. Emma and Makayla had each looked over the Download ‘N Go units on their lists and independently chose Creation Camouflage.  They agreed to work together, but Makayla stipulated that she wanted her own copy of the pages printed, she didn’t want them to share because she wants hers bound into a book when she’s done.      They will take turns running the computer.

I ordered a few books from my library to put in a book basket for free reading.  I have to say I love that the units include booklists, because it makes my job very easy.  I’m sitting down tonight with my husband to look over the family activity ideas as well.  We’ll choose one or two things to do for each unit and surprise the children.  I also need to check COSI, I believe they have a traveling exhibit right now all about the science of Geckos.   

While the children begin these new studies we will continue our read aloud book, Farmer Boy.  Math, spelling, and such will not change.  I’m also trying to decide which one of the Childhood of Famous Americans books to begin next.  We have a few on our shelves that I’ve gotten through PaperBack Swap, and I can get others from my library. 

How are your plans shaping up for March?  Will you be following your children’s interests in any particular area?

Snow in the House

It seems that plans never go quite like we expect.  Wednesday was to be book club.  Tuesday evening the hosting mom emailed to say she had several sick children.  We moved it to my house.  I got up early this morning and baked this:

That is 2 batches of pumpkin muffins and 2 batches of blueberry muffins. 

Then the other family called to say their vehicle wouldn’t start.  It happens, and better to have happened while warm and snug at home than somewhere along the road, right?  My children were disappointed, so I decided to go ahead and do the activity I had planned.

We started by reading Snowflake Bentley.  This is the story of a farmer turned scientist who had a fascination with snow throughout his life.  He photographed snowflakes.  After reading the story I sent the children to the table and brought in the activity:

SNOW!   

We used bottles of colored water to play with color mixing.

We build tiny snowmen.

We watched it melt.

We tasted it.

It was a lot of fun.  When we were done we took the snow back outside and sat down to eat some muffins.  They were yummy!  We’ll even have some left over for a treat with daddy tonight. 

We missed our friends, but sometimes plans go awry.  We could have sat around and moped about the changes, and that was the first inclination for some of my children.  Thankfully, with a little flexibility we were able to have fun with each other, and the day has turned out to be a good one.

Raising Men and Women

I received a wonderful question by email from a friend of mine the other day.  She wanted to know my opinions on teaching our girls homemaking skills, specifically, she wanted to know this:

“I wanted to see your take on what is right for a girl, homemaking or working or both...”

I’m actually going to talk a bit about raising  girls and boys both to become women and men respectively, but let me start out this post by reminding you, my dear readers, of a few things.  I do not seek to stir up contention with this post.  I know this is a topic that stirs up strong feelings and ask that if you disagree with my position that you simply click that little red “X” in the corner of the screen to close the post, instead of leaving an argumentative comment.  As this is my blog, what you get here is my opinion.  I try to be kind, but I also try to be very clear on my position.  With those reminders out of the way, let’s tackle this topic.  As background, let me share two passages that come to mind immediately when I am asked this question.  First, specifically about women, is Titus 2:4-5:

“4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, the the word of God be not blasphemed.”

The second passage comes from the Family: A Proclamation to the World.  Please take the time to read the entire proclamation to learn the beautiful truths we cherish related to families.  It is an inspired document.  For the purpose of this discussion I’ll share a small part from paragraph 7:

“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.”

I believe God gave women and men distinct roles in this life, and has blessed them with talents and abilities in those areas.  Women are nurturers, men are providers.  Our daughters and sons are raised with several stages of life in mind.

Before Marriage

We encourage our children to prepare themselves for marriage and parenthood.  Part of that preparation is life skills, part of it is education leading to employment.  Both our sons and daughters will be taught the life skills necessary to run a home, such as:

• cleaning
• cooking
• budgeting
• laundry
• childcare
• basic home and vehicle maintenance
• lawn care

These skills are ones that they all need to know how to do well.  I want my boys to be able to cook and my girls to be comfortable with changing a tire or working on a home project.  Upon marriage these tasks will be divided between the husband and wife, with the wife typically doing more of the ‘home’ chores.  Many of these tasks, when occasionally done together, can be a fun way to strengthen your relationship with a spouse.  Other times a spouse may take over a task temporarily.  My husband has taken over cooking family meals during a difficult pregnancy or after birth, and I have done the mowing occasionally when he was not able to do so.

Both our sons and our daughters are encouraged to get all the learning and education they can before marriage.  Our sons seek education that will enable them to support their families financially.  Our daughters seek education that will enable them to support themselves (if they never marry) or their families if their spouse is unable to at some point due to temporary illness, disability, death, or other unexpected circumstances.  Before marriage our sons are also expected to serve a mission, sharing the gospel with others.  This typically happens at age 19.

After Marriage, Before Children

After marriage we encourage our daughters to support their husbands, to focus more on building a home than on pursuing a career.  Yes, they might be working outside the home some during this time, that is up to the couple.  However, we want the focus to be on their marriage, not a career.  We encourage our sons to work, to do all they can to provide the necessary things for their family.  We encourage them to live within their means. 

I want to mention a related point here.  We encourage all of our children to never deliberately put off having children in pursuit of careers or education.  Yes, it may be challenging but parenthood is an integral part of God’s plan and purpose for marriage.  While God may not bless every family with children, scripture always speaks of children as a blessing.  

After Children Start Arriving

Once a child has entered the family we (my husband and I) believe the most important place for a mother to be is at home.  Nothing a woman can do outside the home will ever have the importance of being home with her children to nurture and teach them.  No amount of money is worth forsaking your pivotal role as the heart of your home and family and going out to work.  All the education and training our daughters receive before having children will only be a blessing in the endeavor of motherhood.  The role of mother and wife is more complex, fulfilling, and challenging than any outside work.  It takes all of a woman’s time and talents to do it well, along with a large portion of God’s help. 

A husband’s most important role in the family is as the provider, protector, and spiritual leader of the home.  They stand between their family and the world.  It is a difficult task, one I am eternally grateful to my husband for doing.  This means men are the primary wage earning spouse.  They are expected to work, and to work hard.  They are to lead by example, bringing their family closer to Christ, loving them and sacrificing for them as Christ sacrificed for us. 

How can a wife contribute to the financial well-being of the family?  In a very real way, the way a woman manages home life impacts the budget.  Some simple ways include cooking instead of eating out, cleaning and maintaining what you have, making wise purchases for food and other items, and being content with what you have.  It is the mother’s attitude most of all that sets the tone for the home climate.   

A woman may be able to earn some money from home, but a couple should carefully watch that mother is not taking on more than is wise.  Home and family life should not suffer at the expense of working from home.  Some possibilities to earn money from home that I have personally done are childcare, as well as working on e-products, and contributing to unit studies for The Old Schoolhouse(I’m currently doing these last two).  As you see by my very short list, I have not done much outside work.  It is hard to keep the focus on my family if I try to do too much, so I deliberately choose to focus more on living within my husband’s income than adding to it.   

Is it ever okay for a mother to work outside the home?  Yes, but the situations are very limited.  If your husband physically cannot work for a time (like severe illness or disability) or if you lose your spouse, a mother may need to work.  If you cannot feed your children and nobody will help you feed them temporarily(I’m thinking extended family or church) then by all means, get a job temporarily. 

What if your husband loses his job?  We’ve been there, and I’ll be honest, it’s terrifying.  My advice is for the husband to get whatever work he can while you cut back to complete basics and try to bring in money from home.  If you had no children then I would say seek employment, but in this section we’re talking about a family with children in the mix.  Do everything in your power to keep mother at home with the children.  We started doing daycare in our home during this particular period of time and went through some health challenges on my part (including my first miscarriage and a pregnancy where I was bleeding and we didn’t know what would happen).  Pray.  Trust your family to God and then do what you can.  Sell the house and anything else you can.  Move in with family (we were about a week from that when God provided the job my husband is still in today).

When is it NOT okay for mom to get a job?  When you’re choosing to live beyond your husband’s income.  Do not send mom to work so you can have a bigger house, newer or multiple cars.  Don’t send mother to work so your family can eat out and buy clothing new at the store.  I’m all for acting counter-culturally to keep a mother at home.  Sell your house and rent or move to a tiny place you can afford.  It is better to live together in a very small space than to take mother out of the home and send her to work.  Sell your vehicles and drive something debt free but old.  Do not have cell phones, tv, cable, internet.  Don’t eat out, ever.  Bake bread, eat rice and beans regularly, grow a garden.  Buy clothes second hand and only when you absolutely need to.  Got a baby?  Use cloth diapers!  For a few hundred dollars up front ($300 or less) you will be able to diaper a child through potty training and then turn around and reuse those diapers for the next child, and the next.  Compare that to spending several thousand dollars in disposables for ONE child.   

To Sum Up

We teach our sons and daughters to look forward to and work toward fulfilling the roles God gave to Adam and Eve. 

Men are to be the providers, working and standing between their family and the world as protector and spiritual head.  Women are to be keepers at home, nurturing the children God entrusts to the family, and being a helpmeet to their husband.   

Being a mother or father is a sobering, awe-inducing responsibility.  Being a family in these troubled times takes our best efforts.  We choose to stand for family.  We teach our children to aspire to the timeless, God-instituted roles for men and women.  We cannot do it without God’s help. 

Random Bits… for a Giveaway I’m Entering

Guess what?  I’m entering a giveaway over at Life in a Shoe!  One of my favorite posts from their blog is this one about storage.  Oh to have my kitchen so organized!  That is a post from the 4 Moms, 35 Kids series, which I love reading. 

The giveaway is for something new from Vision Forum.  One of my favorite products I already own from Vision Forum is the book Large Family Logistics – it has great ideas on managing your family.  I need to reread it as a matter of fact, the first time I read it Caleb was only a few days old.  I’m sure my sleep-deprived state was not the most effective time to read it.

The giveaway I’m entering is for a new audio series that kicks off March 1st.  Every Tuesday morning for 20 weeks Doug and Beall Phillips, founders of Vision Forum, will share a 30 minute message in the Family Strategies series.  20 weeks!  You can buy the series here, but I’m hoping to win this giveaway as my budget isn’t ready to add another purchase right now.

Join a Homeschool Swap with Me

I just found out about a neat opportunity to give another homeschool mom a little boost this winter and receive on in return.  I liked the idea so much I wanted to share it with my readers so you can join in too!  You’ve got to sign up by this Friday to get on the swap, you can do that by leaving a comment on this post at The Homeschool Post. 

The rules are simple – there are dates to sign up by, get paired up by, mail your package by (that’s March 18th – plenty of time), and so on. 

Enough talking, go sign up!  I did.

Small and Simple Things–Week 9

I’ve missed posting the Small and Simple Things Challenge for several weeks now, but I’m back!  The last few weeks have been little exercise and lots of yummy food, so I’m sure I have not lost any weight.  We had a casualty at our house – the scale!  Every time you step on the readout simply says “Error 2”.  We’ve changed the battery and tried all sorts of things to get it working to no avail.  I’ve decided that is not going to keep me from getting healthy.  Now I’ll have nothing to go on but meeting my goals for exercise and healthy living, but that’s not such a bad thing.  I also have to figure out how to do a Linky with another company, the one I was using is no longer free.    I’ll get around to that, but for this week you can all link up in the comments!

Here are my goals for the week:

1. Exercise every day but Sunday.  To help prioritize this I have committed to my husband that I will not do any homeschooling until I’ve done my exercise.  As I have a near-compulsive drive to get homeschooling done in the mornings I think this will be motivating.  Today when I woke up at 5:30am I just got right up and started going.  Exercise, shower, scriptures, and checking email were all finished by 7:00am.  It was really nice. 

2.  Drink water every time I’m hungry.  I’ve gotten out of my water habit and replaced it with snacking.  I’m sure that’s a bad idea.  So now I’m grabbing a glass of water when the snacking urge hits.  I’ve got a plan for food too….

3.  Eat meals and snacks regularly.  I’m shooting for putting something in my mouth every 2 hours.  This means I will be splitting most of my meals into smaller amounts, eating more fruits and veggies, and choosing healthier options as much as possible.

I’m also considering going back to tracking my points with Weight Watchers.  I have this handy points calculator that not only figures points on any food I have a label for, it subtracts what I eat from my daily points total.   My mom bought it for me last February and I used it for a while (until I got pregnant with Caleb and tracking points went out the window).

What about you?  What small and simple changes are you making this week?  Tell me about them in the comments or write a post about it and leave your link in a comment!

I Try Not to Be a Dream Killer

This week’s blog cruise question is fun because part of the answer is from my children.  That is always enlightening!  The question, which is really two related questions, is this:

What do your children want to be when they grow up and what are you doing to help them pursue their field of interest?

I only asked the four oldest children, and as you’ll see, I should have just asked the oldest three.  I will put their answers first, then I will share my thoughts.

Daniel – “I wanna not grow up.”  Yes, those are his exact words.  And when I tried asking what he wanted to do when he was a man like daddy he cried and repeated himself.

Makayla – “I want to be insect scientist, animal rescuer, and study monkeys in Africa.”  I can’t say I was surprised by her answer.  She tells me this practically every day.

Emma – “An animal scientist that studies manatees and chimps.  I want to be an artist that paints and colors, too.”  I was surprised by the mention of chimps but knew she loved manatees.  And she is my little artist, she will happily sit and color or draw for hours. 

Joseph – “I want to be an astronaut and go to the moon.  I would look for the footprints that Neil Armstrong left on the moon.”  I knew this was a possible answer.  The other job he has talked about recently is being a doctor.  

What am I doing now to help my children pursue their fields of interest? 

My children are pretty young.  I expect their interests to change and develop over time, so right now I focus on exposing them to possibilities.  I try to offer books and activities that relate to interests and gifts they have shown, but also offer glimpses into other areas.  For example, Makayla’s love of insects and animals has been in evidence since early childhood.  She has received many books and science kits to explore those interests over the years.  She’s even done a good bit of animal dissections already!  Joseph, who has been talking about the moon and astronauts lately, is currently having mommy read Destination Moon to him.  He likes to explore the Space exhibit when we go to COSI, and has even done a space lapbook to learn more about the mechanical things humans use in space.  To support Emma’s artistic inclinations I try to offer lots of art materials and time.  She is a slow, take-her-time kind of girl.  I try to respect that. 

I also try not to be a dream killer.  You can ask my sister - this is a big struggle for me.  It is my personality to focus on being realistic and fairly conservative, and many of the ideas my children(and husband!) come up with are far from realistic.  I try to remember to speak encouragingly, not negatively.  I want them to dream big.  I just hope that one day they will pair it with a wee bit of common sense. 

I also refuse to let my children paint themselves into a corner.  While Makayla is positive that she will always want to work with animals, I insist that we continue to grow skills and interests in a broad array of areas.  While music, art, cooking, or any of a number of skills may not currently interest a child I will not let them be completely ignorant in it.  I also play up the things that would be useful in the fields they are currently interested in.  Using Makayla again for an example, I make sure to show ways that math or writing will be essential skills to have as an animal rescuer (figuring proper dosages of medications), or researcher (keeping meticulous notes).

Those are my answers, you will be able to read my Crewmates’ answers to the question here on Tuesday. 

Until then, why don’t you answer the same question in the comments?  I would love to hear what do your children want to be when they grow up and what you’re doing to help them pursue their field of interest?

I’m Versatile and Stylish? Thank You!

I’ve received a few blog awards recently and am finally finding time to thank the ladies who gave them to me. 

Renee at Little Homeschool on the Prairie gave me the Versatile Blogger Award – Thank you!  I’m honored.  Sometimes I wonder if I talk about too many different topics, but versatile makes it sound better than just being a random topic blogger.    I’m just getting to know Renee and have been reading her blog recently.

Kris at My Story: Life with the Engelman Family gave me the Stylish Blogger Award – Thank you!  I have to tell you, Kris is one of those lovely mothers I’ve met online who could be a long lost sister – she’s a sweetie and I wish she lived closer!

Lori from Loving Learning at Home also gave me the Stylish Blogger Award – Thank you!  I met Lori through the TOS Homeschool Crew last year and I always enjoy reading her blog!

The rules of the awards say I need to thank those who awarded them to me (Done!), tell you 7 things about myself (about to do!), and pass it along to lots of other bloggers (the hardest part).  So here are 7 things you may or may not know about me:

1.  I’m a book-a-holic.  I love to read, and read a variety of genres.  Right now on my reading shelf of books I’m working on or about to start is:

• The Bible – I’m nearly through with Psalms, behind in my Bible in 90 Days plan, but still reading!
• The Book of Mormon – I’m reading in Mosiah right now.
• Blueberry Crumble – A Culinary Mystery by Josi S. Kilpack.  I’m halfway through.
• The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle that Changed the World – Principles of Freedom 101 by W. Cleon Skousen.  Just starting this one.
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.  Yep, reading again!
• The No-Cry Sleep Solution and The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers, both by Elizabeth Pantley.  Starting these to gather tips for Caleb, who is a great sleeper most days, but also to work with Oliver, who I would like to be able to put to bed instead of holding until he falls asleep.  These are my favorite sleep books!
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – I love Austen and this is my favorite of her books!  I’m reading it on my free Kindle App on the IPod Touch.

2.  I’m going to be 30 in April.  Thirty!  It just seems weird, I still feel like a young mom.  I’m starting to realize that with my oldest nearly 10, being married for almost 11 years and with 6 children and 9 pregnancies I probably don’t qualify for the ‘young mom’ group anymore.  The children I used to babysit are now teens or even ready to get married.

3.  I’m really picky about music.  There is a lot out there that grates on my nerves, electric guitar and too much base being near the top of the list.  I pretty much stick to hymns or other uplifting music but if something gets too contemporary I start cringing and have to change the music.  It feels like fingernails on the chalkboard.  It didn’t used to be this way, maybe it has to do with getting older or having a house that is always noisy?  It drives my husband crazy – he has much broader tastes in music and I’m constantly changing the music to something quieter/softer/not what he picked.  However, I love musicals like The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and (dare I admit this?) get a kick out of the songs in High School Musical?

4.  I’m a homebody.  I don’t feel the need to get out of the house terribly often, which is a good thing because I also won’t attend most get-togethers where food is involved due to Joseph’s food allergy (eggs) if it is a family event.  We have a few very special people(you know who you are!) who are happy to make food safe when we’re together and they have no idea how much that means to me.  We don’t even go to church functions with food.  Does anyone realize how hard it is to tell your kids “no, you can’t eat the cookies/cake/dessert because it would mean a hospital trip” when it looks just like the safe, egg-free things I bake at home?  Sigh.

5.  Being late, or other being late, drives me batty.  Really.  If I can get 6 kids dressed, fed, and out the door to church on time on my own first thing Sunday morning then anyone can do it!  Being on time (outside of extenuating circumstances like someone throwing up on the way out the door) is a matter of preparing before the event and not waiting to do everything at the last minute.  If you say you’re coming to dinner at 5:00pm, be there at 5:00 or a few minutes before.  We’re not going to wait dinner on you.  My children would eat me alive if I tried.

6.  I want an IPad.  I like reading books on my IPod Touch, but having a bigger screen would be really helpful.  I would like a Kindle too, but thankfully the IPad has a free Kindle app, so I could get the best of both worlds.  I would use it with all the amazing free books on Project Gutenberg, Google Books, and other public domain works, among other things.  And educational apps – there are so many neat ways to use this.  Unfortunately, the IPad is expensive.

7.  My desk is a magnet for piles.  I’m not sure why, but it can’t seem to stay clean for more than about 24 hours.  Either I start piling things on it, or my husband and children do.  It is right beside the front door, so it really is convenient when you’ve just walked in the house with an armful of children, groceries, mail, a diaper bag, and other random things. 

I’m supposed to pass the awards on to other bloggers, and if you’ve ever had one of these awards you know this is the hardest part.  I read a fair number of blogs, so today I am going to share some whose posts I have read in the last few days.  Enjoy the awards ladies, pass them along if you wish!

• Serene at Serene is my Name, Not my life! – I’m newly acquainted with this mother and she’s a funny lady!  She’s definitely got a talent for making others laugh.
• Kayla at The Arrowood Zoo – Another bloggy mommy I like to chat with.  I like her 8 weeks on 2 off schedule, it sounds so nice to have those two planning weeks so regularly!
• Kristen at A Day in the Life – A mom I met on the Crew and one busy lady who has an adorable baby just a little over a month younger than my Caleb. 
• ‘Cocoa’ at Chocolate on My Cranium – I first met her through the Latter-Day Homeschooling blog we both write for.  She’s just finished a series on homeschooling with a large family that I loved reading as she’s a bit further down the path than I am – they have 8 children ranging from 15 down to 1 and baby #9 is due this summer.

Thanks again everyone and happy blogging!

Week in Review #83–Art and Reading

This week I shared a regular day at our house in this post, told you how we’re coming out of a drought in this post, and even shared all the homeschool plans for the week right here. It’s Friday and now I’m going to give you the highlights of what we actually accomplished this week. First I wanted to share the murals we worked on this week. Neither one is put together yet, I just laid the pieces out on the table to take the pictures. We’ll tape it all together on the back this evening with daddy’s help.

This one was done completely by Makayla and Emma for their bedroom. They had fun doing it and chose to use crayons.

The boys chose Starry Night for their room and this was a special project that Joseph and I worked on together. Joseph chose to use oil pastels and I really like how it looks. I don’t like the feel of the pastels when coloring though - ick. Daniel colored a smaller version of it for fun, but was not really interested in doing the mural with us.

They both turned out wonderfully, you can read more about where I got them in this post. Now on to the rest of the week!

Family Studies

• We’re doing pretty well on our 4th week of memorization for The Living Christ and have through Sunday before we add another section. The copywork was only done a few days, but that’s okay.
• We are really enjoying our George Washington study and are on track to finish the books we’re reading by the end of next week. The kids all like the Childhood of Famous Americans book, we will be reading more of these in the future.
• We did both Speekee spanish and ASL with Signing Time this week – both are fun!
• We started reading Farmer Boy for Book Club, plus lots of picture books for fun.

4th Grade

• Makayla aced her Unit III Test in math, spelling was easy, and she started taking notes about George Washington.
• She did not start her new Artistic Pursuits book this week. Instead she was busy with the watercolor pencils in her nature journal and the mural mentioned earlier.

Kindergarten

• Joseph took a small leap forward in reading this week, he’s reading vowel consonant E words! Hooray! Emma is following along but only remembers what the silent e means about half the time.
• They both started using Go Go Kabongo and Kinderbach, two new review items. One builds critical thinking skills, while the other teaches piano to little ones.

Preschool

• Besides the family subjects Daniel and Oliver worked on counting and letter sounds this week.
• Daniel also got to try out Go Go Kabongo and is getting the hang of it. He’s not shown a lot of interest in Kinderbach yet, but we’ve only done a few lessons.

That was our week, how was yours?

Linked to Weekly Wrap-Up.

Are You in a Drought?

The last month has been a bit of a drought at my house –both of joy and reading.  We only spent 20-30 minutes of read aloud time together each day.  I noticed that Oliver and Daniel had stopped bringing me books to read and began to wonder what had happened.  Homeschooling felt more like a job and less like a joy.

This week has been blissfully full of reading aloud.  I have missed most hot meals because my children have begged me to read ‘just one more chapter’ of various books.  My little guys have started bringing me piles of books again, insisting I read them over and over.  I have even slipped in some reading for myself in the late evenings.

Thinking about it all, I believe that we got caught up in ‘have to’s’:

• We have to do math.
• We have to write.
• We have to practice.
• We have to work on things for the portfolio.
• We have to …. well, you get the idea.

I let getting things done take precedence over building relationships.  I was trying to hurry, to accomplish many things.  While all the things I listed (and many more) have their place in our lives, I lost focus. 

I was trying to fill a pail instead of lighting a fire.

Do you understand what I mean when I say that?  I stopped looking at my little children as people to inspire and started looking at them as little buckets to be filled up with a specific set of facts, figures, and information.  I was forgetting that relationships are more important than knowledge. 

Yes, reading aloud takes time.  Gathering everyone, snuggling in and immersing ourselves into other eras and places takes time.  I can have my children memorize facts about George Washington in a short lesson, or I can introduce them to him through hours spent reading stories that will live in their memory and help them to develop their own relationship with good old George.  The time spent reading together, discussing what we’ve read, and exploring interests is also time spent building family relationships. 

I want to slow down and enjoy these years.  I want to worry less about what we ‘have to’ do and take the time to learn as a family, to build family memories centered around great stories and activities done together.  I want my children to know great men and women of history intimately, to feel as if they really know them, instead of just knowing a few facts about them.  I want them to look back on these years at home and remember that we were together.  Not separate children with completely separate studies in separate rooms of the house, but a family who lived and learned in one big, messy, loving group.

Am I crazy?  Should the acquisition of a specific body of knowledge (facts) be a higher priority than developing relationships(to both your own family and to information/people/places)?  Is there a set of information every person really ‘should’ learn at specific ages?  Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

A Neat Art Website–and Murals!

I would not call myself artistic, and I am pretty sure nobody else would either.  I am okay with that.  However, I have children and some of them enjoy drawing, coloring, creating, and making a mess.  Today I came across a neat website called Art Projects for Kids.  I’m reading back through the posts to find simple art projects to offer my children.  There are a wealth of easy ideas. What originally caught my eye is the Art Murals for Kids that she sells. 

Basically, you purchase a PDF file that has the artwork broken into sections that you can print, color, and put together into a mural.  Many of the murals she offers are several feet wide(20 or more sheets of copy paper for the picture).  There are some mini-murals that are smaller, between 6 and 10 sheets of paper for the final product.  She recommends you color them with oil pastels, which we happen to have on hand.

This morning my girls bought this file, planning to make a mural for their bedroom.  It offers the mural in a mini size (9 sheets of paper) and large size (36 sheets of paper).  They will do the smaller size. We were able to download a free update that changes the file to the year 2011.  The girls will take responsibility for different animals around the edge and choose which colors to use.    

The boys had to agree on one to share as well.  They chose this mini-mural pack and they plan to do Starry Night for their room.   They will work together as a team, which means they’ll have to agree on colors to use for the sky and such.  That will be interesting….

Each file cost $5.00, in case you’re wondering.  We’ll be starting them soon and I will hopefully have pictures to share in a few weeks! 

What are some of your favorite art websites for simple projects?  I’ll be honest, if it takes more than 3 materials we’re not likely to do it.  Those crafts where you need a whole list of supplies and then must cut, glue, sew, paint, and let things dry between each step are too much work for us.

A Regular Day in a Large Family

Life is never perfect, and rarely predictable with six children. It still is funny to me that we have officially crossed the divide to what I always thought of as a ‘large family’. Of course, I grew up as the oldest of two children, so 6 is certainly an experience! I love nearly every minute of it. I thought I would give you a peek at a regular old day, as best as I can remember it.

4:45am – Woken up by baby Caleb. Changed his diaper and he just wanted to smile and visit with mommy. Yeah, it’s a good thing he’s cute. He finally went back to sleep just before 6:00am. I snuggled my hubby until 6:45am, when the children started to wake up for the day. That, in itself, is an unusual beginning to the day. My husband is usually up and off to work before the rooster crows, but today was a wonderful exception.

I hopped on the computer for 30 minutes to check email while the oldest 5 children got moving and hubby started his get ready for work routine. He’s not a morning person, unlike me. He appreciates it when I leave him alone for a bit in the morning…hehe.

7:30am - Breakfast for everyone – cereal or yogurt. Then the children went to do their Chorepacks. This got everyone dressed, bathrooms and bedrooms cleaned, outside cats fed, piano practice begun. I got dressed and cleaned the kitchen and dining room.

8:30am – I help Makayla with piano practice, hubby heads to work, and the children grab some paper bag puppets they were working on yesterday to finish. Oliver watches Speekee (spanish) and Caleb wakes up, so I feed him a bottle while listening to Makayla practice.

9:00am – Joseph reads to me and Oliver. Makayla takes her math test. Emma and Daniel are still working on their paper bag puppets nearby, so they hear Joseph read too. Then Emma switches and reads to me. Makayla begins writing her new penpal. Daniel and Oliver play together without too much fighting over toys. Caleb lays happily beside me and Emma (we’re reading on the floor).

9:45am – Everyone takes a break to run and play while I prepare snack and read my scriptures. Caleb sits happily in his swing.

10:00am – I call the children to the couch. Oliver decides he needs some mommy snuggles so I hold him and he leads singing time. Next we practice reciting The Living Christ. Daniel is hanging upside down on the couch – but still reciting, Emma is trying to pester Joseph, and Makayla is rolling her eyes in the other corner of the couch because she would rather not recite at the speed of the little ones. Sigh.

Next I bring out the snack because it’s time to read aloud. In all honesty I also separate each child so there is at least one couch cushion between them and tell them they are to pretend they are glued to that spot. What can I say? A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do. I read George Washington: Our First Leader (Childhood of Famous Americans) aloud for about 20 minutes.

We followed that with something new we’re trying. Instead of gathering around my computer to do our George Washington Download N Go (an internet linked unit study) we are doing it on our tv. We have a laptop that is connected to our tv so this was great. We got to watch a short video about Washington today, see pictures of where he grew up, and more.

11:00am rolls around and Caleb needs some serious mommy time. The rest of the children scatter to the four winds while I diaper, feed, and snuggle him. When we go to see where everyone has gone we find some children building with magnetics, others looking at books. Caleb has fallen asleep in my arms, so into the swing he goes and I head to the kitchen to make lunch as it is noon.

Today the girls help me with lunch, getting cans from the basement, opening things, and getting the table ready. Everyone but mommy eats and I read aloud our Book Club selection – Farmer Boy. (did I mention we read aloud a lot? LOL) Two chapters later I have been interrupted twice, once to clean up a spill of red juice, once to remind Oliver he has to leave his plate on the table, not throw it on the floor.

That finally finishes around 1:00pm and Makayla, Joseph, Emma, and Daniel go upstairs to beds for quiet time. I sit downstairs and read my scriptures aloud to Oliver, who falls asleep in my arms. Caleb is still asleep nearby in the swing. I put Oliver in his bed and turn on the current audio book for the non-sleeping children in quiet time. I make my own lunch (leftovers from last night’s Chicken Supreme) check email, and begin typing this post. I take a break to work on diaper laundry. We use pocket diapers (Bum Genuis One Size) so after they are washed and dried I have to put the inserts back in the covers. This is a daily task… diapers just never end. We’ve had between one and three children in diapers simultaneously for the last 6 years. (Makayla had potty trained about 8 months before Joseph was born.)

Quiet time ended at 2:30pm. My sister called from out of state so we chatted for a few minutes while I woke Oliver and Daniel. (If I don’t then they’ll never go to bed tonight.) Caleb also woke up. Joseph had 10 minute cry-fest over not being able to go to the attic and dig out some toys. After that -the five older children grabbed apples, Caleb got a bottle, and we all settled in to watch Speekee – La Estacion. In that episode you learn several vehicle names, which was fun.

3:30pm - The older children headed off to play – still speaking spanish! What did they end up doing? Drawing with watercolor pencils. Oliver was still eating his apple and settled down next to Caleb and I to watch Signing Time and practice some signing. He wandered off about 15 minutes in, so I read some little books to Caleb. My husband arrived home early from work around this time.

4:00pm – Laundry party happens. What? You’ve never heard of laundry party? This is where the clean laundry has piled up in all the baskets and so we really need to put it away. It is divided up by bedroom and the children put away their clothes, mommy puts away hers and baby Caleb’s, and daddy pretends to put his away, shifting it all to a corner by his dresser. LOL. A minor meltdown from Makayla happens as she is not allowed to check her email right that second so she is sent to her room to get a handle on her attitude.

Dinner comes along at 4:45pm, it’s pizza tonight. Yum! Everyone eats pizza but Joseph, who hates anything with tomato based sauce. He has a ham sandwich instead. Everyone puts their own dishes into the dishwasher and cleanup is a communal effort.

5:15pm – Scripture reading tonight was about how not only does God delight in our singing hymns, it also brings a wonderful spirit into our homes. To go along we read two quotes from prophets and talked about them:

“We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.”

“Teach your children to love the hymns. Sing them on the Sabbath, in family home evening, during scripture study, at prayer time. Sing as you work, as you play, and as you travel together.”

It was fun to hear the children realize that it’s not just mom and dad’s idea to learn the hymns and sing them every day, and that our singing pleases God while also blessing us. Of course we finished up our scripture time by singing a few songs.

5:40pm – Daddy curls up for a little baby time and feeds Caleb his next bottle and the family settles in to watch a movie. Mommy sits here at the computer to finish up this post, about 10 feet from the rest of the family.

The rest of our evening is pretty simple. Makayla and I go to the church at 7:00pm. She has Activity Day, where she will do some gospel-centered activity with other girls ages 8-11. I will be practicing some songs with a group of women that we will be performing next month at the Relief Society birthday dinner. I’m doing a short solo and participating in a group number. I’m not sure how I got pulled into this….but after tonight’s scripture time with my family I can’t exactly back out, can I?

We will come home shortly after 8:00pm and all the children will be put to bed. Then comes my quiet time with the baby until he decides to go to sleep, probably around 10:00pm.

So there you have it – a regular old day at my house. Do you have any questions you’re dying to ask about life at my house? Did you have a regular old day today that you want to tell me about? Leave a comment!

Next Six Book Club Picks

Here are the next six titles our homeschool book club is reading.  Each family has children ranging in age from newborn to 12 years old, a mix of boys and girls.  Each month we will read one book in our homes.  The first meeting of the following month we will talk about it, do a craft and play a game related to the finished book.  We like to keep it simple.  Here is what we’re reading: 

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder – I started reading this to my children today.  They are thrilled to hear about Almanzo’s childhood because we’ve watched a lot of the tv seasons (I have them on DVD).  We have never read the book together before.

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis – This one we read as a family, probably a year or so ago.  All the Narnia books are good.  This one is the first book in the series, though it is not the first one C.S. Lewis wrote for the series.  He wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first.

Thomas Jefferson: Third President of the United States by Helen Albee Monsell (Childhood of Famous American’s series) – We have never read this one, but enjoy the Childhood of Famous Americans series.  I look forward to learning more about one of the Founding Fathers!

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney – Another title we have never read, one that I have heard is good.  I am hoping to get a copy and pre-read it myself next month.

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott – It has been a long time since I read this personally, but it will be a fun one to read with the children. 

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum – We read this one about a year and a half ago (actually, we may have listened to it now that I think about it).  Who doesn’t like Oz?  It’s a fun series.

This year we’re trying something new, meeting twice a month.  The second meeting of the month is just for fun.  We’ll read two picture books to the children, do a craft, and then enjoy time together.  There is no real plan for this meeting each month.  I’m going to be on the lookout for some special picture books to share.  Which brings me to you, my readers!  What are some of your favorite picture books to share with a group of children up to age 12?  Leave a comment so I can get some ideas!