Homeschooling on the Extra Wild, Extra Crazy, Extra Chaotic Days

 

I often tell people that I love homeschooling. And I do!

But that doesn't mean that it's easy. There are times when the kids don't want to do their work, or continually tease each other, or won't stop bouncing off the walls. They are kids with their own opinions and personalities and various moods. And to complicate it even further, they have a mother with her own opinions and personality and various moods.

Most of the time, we all get along really well together. Sometimes though, someone is a bit cranky and individuals clash. More clashing means more crankiness. It repeats in a vicious cycle.

Some days are just tough.

Yesterday was one of those days. It was a trifecta morning where we had not wanting to do work mixed with teasing each other all while bouncing off the walls.  

I felt my frustrations rising. We still had nearly a full day of school left and a houseful of people struggling to get it done. I threatened to send everyone back to bed and start the day over. It's at times like this when it's most important for me to get myself in order. 

The saying "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" goes much deeper than obey and keep Mama happy. It also means, Mama, watch your own attitude. Those children are looking at you and feeding off your emotions. If you're cranky, they'll probably be irritable too. But if you choose to keep a good attitude, they'll emulate your actions. 

Attitude affects behavior.

Hey, they can sit still!

When the normal routine is not working, it's time to change it up. We did schoolwork inside big pillow and blanket forts, played a few games, and (the most useful tactic in all my years of homeschooling) distracted the littlest one so the older kids could focus on their work. 

Did that mean my kids immediately turned into sweet, little angels that were thrilled to complete assignments and read well-past their required time? Ha, not hardly. But it got us through the day with minimal complaints and maybe a smidgen less wall-bouncing. Maybe. 

My kids are just like your kids; I'm just like you. We just happen to homeschool. It's what's best for our family, even on the extra wild, extra crazy, and extra chaotic days. 

It's not always easy, but it's always worth it.

As the Lord Commanded

An alternate title could be Discouraged, Depressed, and Ready To Quit.


The month of October was difficult.

Not many people know the challenges we faced or how stressful the last 5 weeks have been. Without giving too many details, I'll list a few of  our struggles.

• A child with an injury that would have sent him to the ER.
• A husband with an impacted wisdom tooth that developed into an infection that covered half of his face and resulted in extreme pain.
• A husband who had an oral surgery that was "traumatic" and "one of the worst" surgeries the doctor had ever seen and caused multiple complications.
• A sickness for the children.
• Another sickness for the children.
• And yet another sickness for the children.
• A child with a croupy cough that almost sent him to the ER and kept the family awake for hours in the night.
• A child with a persistent disrespectful and rebellious spirit.
• A child with an allergic reaction that sent him to Urgent Care.
• A child with hives that lasted for weeks, causing itchiness, pain, and discomfort.

As a mom, one of my main jobs is to take care of everyone. My husband had that surgery and severe pain for weeks and at the same time all 5 children were very sick. I bounced around trying to make them all as comfortable as I could. As soon as the last child was better, the first one picked up a completely different bug, and the cycle continued. Our family who rarely gets sick, just could not get healthy. I felt helpless and overwhelmed as I watched the ones I love most suffer much physical pain.

Then, the not-quite-2-year-old broke out in ugly hives. Big, red blotches covered his body. A handful of home remedies, steroids, and allergy meds--nothing made a difference. My boy who normally runs around terrorizing the house all day, wanted Mama to hold him and nurse him every waking second. As far as nighttime, he has never been a good sleeper. In nearly 2 years of life, I can count on one hand how many times he's slept through the night. One hand. That's over 700 nights of restless sleep. I know exhaustion. Yet this past month was elevated to a new level. He was so irritable, so itchy, that he slept an hour or two before waking up whining. The rest of the night he insisted on staying attached to me. Night after night. Not only can I not fall asleep with him nursing, I became sore and dreaded him asking for that comfort. And while it's not unusual for him to get up for an hour or two to play in the middle of the night, this month it became more nights than not--2--3--4 hours at a time. Then just as I'd get him to fall asleep again, the other kids would begin to wake.

I was beyond exhausted.      

Chronic sleep deprivation, along with the increased stress of the other issues, began to show evidence. I experienced my own physical ailments, became short-fused, lost my ambition, and felt lonely and overwhelmed. Discouragement filled my days.

The house. The chores. The children. The schooling. Nothing seemed to be going right. I just couldn't catch up. Being someone who very much likes to be in control, it was difficult to admit that I couldn't handle it. I poured out my heart to my husband.

It became clear that something needed to change. My body was betraying me. And so were my emotions. I could not continue to get only a couple hours of sleep consistently and still keep up with everything else. But what? Where could I be remiss? Housework was not an option. A messy, cluttered house is stressful for me and would only have aggravated the problem. Cooking couldn't be overlooked, because the family expects to eat every day. Schooling wasn't an option either. Or was it?

The more I considered it, the more I began to believe our schooling situation was the variable that could be changed. I hated to think it. We are in our seventh year of homeschooling. My kids know nothing else. I have always loved it, even through the difficult times. What kind of teacher could I really be though if I were sleep deprived and wanting to hide from responsibility all day?  I realized that the older three could go to school in January for the second semester of this year. That would leave just the two little ones at home with me. I wouldn't have nearly as much to do during the the day. No more being responsible for the education of my children. No more dealing with attitudes when the assignments bothered them. Not nearly as much of a mess made--dishes, toys, books, papers. And I would even have the opportunity to sneak a nap in when the baby did. Hopefully, by the time school started up again next fall, the little one would be sleeping, and we could go back to our passion of schooling at home.

I prayed about it. And prayed about it. And as much as I disliked the idea, I really saw no other option. My husband and I briefly discussed it before leaving for church on Wednesday night. I was upset. With myself. The situation. Everything.

 
That night, our pastor had us turn to Joshua 11:15.

"As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; 

he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses."

By the time he finished reading the verse, my eyes were filled with tears. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. There was the answer to my prayer. There, sitting in that pew, I heard the Lord's reply. It was not that "still small voice;" it was the strength of the wind, the power of the earthquake, the heat of the fire. I knew sending my little ones to school--even for a season--was not what He wanted.

No, I'm not claiming homeschooling is the best option for every family. But it is for ours. As the Lord commanded. Before Leighton and I had kids, we knew we'd homeschool. We had that settled. And, who knows, maybe one day it will be best for us to choose another option, but I know that for now, homeschooling is what we need. Homeschooling is what He commanded.

I spent the entire service trying not to bawl. I heard His answer, but still, "How, Lord? How can I go on?"

Trust Me, child. 

"But I'm so tired. I can't do this."

I know. Trust Me. 

In the midst of everything, I felt a peace. Yes, my children were still sick. Yes, my littlest one was still suffering. Yes, I still felt I was drowning. Yes, I was still spending the greater portion of the nights awake. My circumstances had not changed at all. But I had strength in His reply. 

As the Lord commanded.  

Getting that settled in my heart was not going to help with my physical issues though. We had to implement some changes. The kids gained a little more responsibility around the house in order to help out more. And I purchased a few freezer meals that I could just pop in the oven on super stressful days. (The kids accepted the chores better than that one, ha. The day I set one of those meals on the table, I got weird looks and was asked, "What is that?") I make nearly everything from scratch and we eat very little processed foods, so this was not easy for me. I had to admit that I cannot do it all. I am not Super Mom. It's ok. Just feed your children.

The past few days have been better. Chaotic. Loud. Busy.

Normal.

Everyone is healthy again, attitudes are good, and the little one is back to just sleeping poorly, instead of practically not sleeping at all.

And we're still schooling at home--through the good and the bad--as the Lord commanded.

The Old Shoolhouse

Another year of The Old Schoolhouse review crew started a few weeks ago. We've already gotten some really great products that are working very well with our family. We have been so blessed to be part of this group. 

Each month, the issue The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) magazine is available online. I've said many times that I'm a book-holding, paper-loving, feel-it-in-my-hands type of girl. When TOS first switched to just a digital magazine (except for 1 huge paper issue a year), I was slightly disappointed. No more finding the beautiful surprise in my mailbox each month. No more randomly flipping through the pages immediately upon retrieving it. No more adding to my collection stacked neatly and chronologically on the shelf.  

But you know what made me forgive them for stealing my beloved paper copy??? 

It's now FREE! (Yep, I can easily be won over by a good deal, and there's no deal better than free.) Plus, I have to admit, it's really convenient having multiple issues on the iPad that I can access when I'm out without having to lug my entire library around with me. Ha!

Don't think that because they're giving this magazine away for nothing means that the quality is lacking. It's 156 pages packed full of great resources that will help every homeschooling family. There are articles about the importance of quality literature, for those with special needs children, about history (even an interview with a colonel!), for those with preschoolers, for those who are struggling, and so much more.

If you are homeschooling, thinking about homeschooling . . . or just want a free magazine, make sure to get the February issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine. 

Enjoy!

H is for Home

Home.

The very word brings a sense of comfort.

Peace.

Contentment.

I almost think I would hole up and become a hermit if I could.

Oh, it's not that I don't like people. I'm a big people-person. It's just that home is where I find the people I love the most. You know the saying home is where the heart is?  Yep. There is truly no place else I'd rather be. Ninety-percent of my life is spent here. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

What's so great about being home?

Homemaking

I love homemaking. Really. I am one of those people that enjoy cooking, baking, cleaning and organizing. Sure, things can get overwhelming at times, but I enjoy it none-the-less. (Except shampooing carpets. I despise shampooing the carpets. Which reminds me, they need to be cleaned. Any takers???)  

We lived with my parents for nearly 4 years after we got married. We finished up our bachelor degrees that first year and then started saving for a house. Because of various reasons, we didn't find the one until many years later. We got along great with my parents during those years though. Like I've said before, they are our best friends. Since we didn't have a place of our own, I couldn't justify staying home all day. After getting my degree, I went back to my own alma mater and taught for 3 years. Jake was born during that time, and though it was the desire of my heart to be a stay-at-home-mommy, we still did not have our own house. We eventually found the house we now live in, got the keys the end of March, and I officially became a SAHM the end of May. It's been 5 years since then. Five wonderful, fulfilling years. I know that some women have no desire to stay home every day. Some consider cleaning a chore. Some do not enjoy being in the kitchen. That is not me. I know 100 % that I was meant to be a stay-at-home mom. I honestly love making my house a home.

Homebirthing

Had you told me 6 years ago that I was going to birth my babies at home, I would have laughed. I had absolutely no desire to homebirth. I had preconceived ideas about it -- none of which really were good. So, how did I go from no-way-would-I-ever-homebirth to no-way-would-I-ever-not-want-to-homebirth? Good question.

While in the hospital with Jake, I labored a little in the bathtub. Sure, I had heard of waterbirths before, (I watched my fair-share of TLC birthing shows) but I never considered having one myself. When I got pregnant again a year-and-a-half later, I remembered that bathtub and how much relief it brought. I started researching waterbirths. I decided that was what I wanted and began checking the hospitals in the area. At the time, there were many that allowed the mother to labor in a birthing tub that she brought with her, but there was only one hospital in all of Michigan that allowed the baby to actually be delivered in the tub. (There are other places now.) My only options were to drive 3 hours to that hospital or find a midwife. Ha, a midwife. Yeah, right, I thought, but there was no way I was driving across the state just to have a waterbirth. I continued to learn. I continued to study. I eventually did a search for midwives in my area. I found that the closet one to me was only about 10 minutes away. Leighton and I talked about it. I eventually called, not knowing yet what my decision was. Within the first few minutes of that hour-long conversation, I knew that I would have my baby at home and that I was talking to my midwife. Immediately, I felt so comfortable with her. We had the same philosophy about birth. We shared the same thinking about procedures. No more would I have to fight the doctors about what I wanted for my baby and me. I found someone that recognized the ability God gave to women's body for the very purpose of birthing babies. I spent the next few months learning about homebirth. I was amazed by how things have been done for thousands of years and how technology has changed the birthing process the past few years.      

I know that homebirthing is not for everyone, but it was definitely for me. I have loved, loved, loved having my babies at home. I really cannot say that enough. The benefits alone are enough for another post. We've already written about the 3 births: Alyssa whose labor was only 90 minutes and was probably the most perfect birth ever; Zac whose labor was 45 minutes total and happened so fast his daddy almost missed it; and Tyler whose labor was 2 hours long, surprised everyone, and made the most perfect birthday present for his sister. Homebirth has been a huge blessing.

Homeschooling

When Leighton and I got married, we knew we were going to homeschool. I'm not really sure why we made that decision, if you can even call it a decision. It was just a given. Neither of us were homeschooled, so I don't know why it was the plan. All I know is that we knew that it was what God wanted. That was reason enough for us.

The summer before we officially starting homeschooling though, is when it really hit. I was going to be doing the teaching. I was going to be responsible for their learning. I would be doing all the schooling. I started to get scared, but God used a book to calm my fears. Sure, there are times when it gets tough. There are times I wonder if I'm teaching them like I should. There are times when things get hectic. But I know that this is His will for us. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to teach my kids, to spend every day raising them to serve God, to show them continually just how much I love them. I am honored that God gave me the responsibility and privilege of educating my children. I have learned so much through teaching them. I am so blessed for this opportunity to homeschool.


Homemaking, homebirthing, homeschooling. Home. It's what I do. And I wouldn't have it any other way.     

Reading to Learn

It's no secret around here that I love reading. (Remember World Read Aloud Day and Mother Goose Day and this happy day?) And books! Oh, how I love books. The weight of the book in your hand, the feel of the pages, the smell of the paper . . . aah, I could buy books all the time. 

Wait a minute. I do buy books all the time. At Salvation Army, garage sales, mom-to-mom sales, anywhere I can get a precious reading treasure for cheap.

There's just one problem with that: we have hundreds (thousands?) of books in our house. My husband just rolls  his eyes when I stop to look at yet another one. He would much rather get e-books. They take up no room on a shelf and the whole library can go with you anywhere. I had no desire for paperless books . . . until the last few months when I realized just how convenient they are, especially for homeschooling.

That's one reason why I love Heritage History. They offer 5 libraries: Young Readers, Ancient Greece,  Ancient Rome, British Middle Ages, and British Empire. Since my kids are all 6 and younger, we chose the Young Readers CD. This introductory unit of the Heritage Classical Curriculum contains the complete illustrated texts of 86 books, recommendations, timelines, short biographies, historical images, and teacher's guide. Did you catch that? Eight-six books! I received 86 books in the mail and didn't even have to sell our kitchen table to make room for them in the house.

Not only is each CD packed full of useful aids, but the website itself is also very useful. If you're studying a certain civilization, go here. If you want to learn about a specific person, go here. If you interested in battles and wars, go here.  Just about any way you can think of to narrow down a search, you can find it there.

Another great thing about the curriculum is that it includes 3 copies of each book. I can choose to read the books to my kids from our Kindle, iPad, the computer, or print them out.  

I just told you what it is, but why is the Heritage History Curriculum a superior way of learning history? Because it -

• Takes a Living Books rather than a textbook approach to history—students read a variety of engaging biographies and historical sketches rather than one comprehensive text.
• Is based on national histories rather than epochal histories—students study one civilization at a time, rather than contrasting contemporaneous civilizations.
• Is narrative rather than analytical—students are introduced to the great characters and events of history without being required to make comparisons or draw conclusions.
• Focuses on studying the most important periods of Western Civilization in depth, rather than touching lightly upon dozens of unrelated cultures.
• Explicitly encourages students to pursue historical topics of personal interest in addition to making selections from directed reading lists. 

You still need another reason why you should buy this? Each CD costs only $24.99 plus shipping. For the Young Readers set, each book (not even including all the extra resources) ends up costing about 30¢. That's cheap enough even for me! And better yet, you can get the entire 5 CD curriculum set for $99.99 plus shipping. That's 289 books at about 35¢ a piece! And you won't even have to build a separate room on to your house to store them all.

Using good literature to learn history has been our plan from the beginning of our homeschooling journey. I love the simplicity and thoroughness of this program. I know that we will use this curriculum for years to come.

Still not convinced? Head over to the Crew blog to read more reviews of Heritage History.


* Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Tasty Tuesday: Erika's 30th Birthday Cake - Chocolate Turtle Cake

My beautiful wife turned 30 on Saturday. If you've been reading since this time last year you might remember the "joys" of the "Perfect Chocolate Cake". This year there was the same debate over whether or not Erika should bake her own birthday cake. This time I said, "yes" and she said, "no." She picked a cake that wouldn't cause me to curdle any ingredients. The cake this year was much easier than last years, so I went with it and called the kids in the kitchen. I wasn't doing this on my own.

Wait a minute.... I didn't call them in right away. I got all the ingredients ready so the process would go smoothly. This included unwrapping some 14,000 little caramels. Well.... maybe not that many. Closer to 14 oz worth, but that is still like 50 or more. Either way, if you've ever tried to unwrap a bunch of those little things in one go you probably know just how frustrating it can be. After about five of them I began to seek a better way. This is what I came up with:

Click on the picture to read the descriptions.

With that done, I am now ready for help. We started with only the freshest ingredients.

Make cake mix as described on box.

BUT ONLY HALF OF THE MIX GOES IN THE PAN RIGHT NOW! Oh, did I mention, only half of the cake mix goes in the 13x9 pan right now.

While the first half of the cake bakes at 350 for 22 minutes you can make the caramel center. Heat the 14,000,000 caramel cubes you unwrapped on medium heat with the evaporated milk. Keep this moving. In other words, stir constantly. Believe it or not the caramel was just getting to a liquid state when the cake was done in the oven.

Pour the caramel over the freshly baked half-cake. Sprinkle this with the chocolate chips. And then pour the remainder of the cake batter over the top. Pop this back in the oven for another 25-28 minutes. Remove and let cool for 30 minutes. Yes, this is a cake you must remain patient for.

And now, ENJOY! Don't forget the ice cream, you must have the ice cream. A little caramel and chocolate sauce never hurt either.

When we asked Jake what he thought of the cake, he gave it a "thumbs up" and then said, "Times one thousand." I think that means he liked it.

Chocolate Turtle Cake

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil’s food cake mix       

water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 bag (14 oz) caramels
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
ice cream or whipped cream, if desired

caramel and chocolate toppings, if desired

chopped pecans, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan.
2. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour half of the batter into pan. Bake 22 minutes. Refrigerate remaining batter.
3. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat caramels and evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Stir in pecans. Pour caramel mixture over warm cake in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread with remaining batter. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, drizzle with toppings and sprinkle with pecans. Store loosely covered.