I suppose I am truly getting back into the swing of homeschooling. All summer I have been avoiding the thought of September and returning to the grind. I recently did all my book ordering, and as things arrived in the mail found myself getting excited (against my will!) at the thought of a new school year beginning. Today being the first day in a while I have had "nothing" to do, I sat down this afternoon and wrote my IHIPs for Rachel, Julia and Ben (!--the very first report I have had to write for Ben....) By the way, if you don't know, an IHIP is an Individualized Home Instruction Plan, and all it boils down to is a list of texts used for each subject.
Now all I have to do is plan some lessons! This year I am handing the math and science reins over to Matt in Rachel's case. I was finding that I didn't have enough time what with the other kids' schoolwork, plus all our activities and house stuff to do these subjects justice at Rachel's level. It's one thing to explain something like addition or multiplication when you're doing ten other things simultaneously, and quite another to explain concepts you have little or no memory of ever having learned yourself! So Matt will for the first time be a teacher of academic subjects in our family. He and Rachel will do biology and algebra together in the evenings while I remain blissfully ignorant of the whole thing.
I have decided to change my lesson planning to a weekly plan. In the past I have meticulously planned each day's work. So the girls literally opened their planners and Monday might say read chapter 7 in science, pages 200-235 in history and write essay #4, pages 113-116 in math, etc. etc. However, that got tough last year when I had 3 lesson plans to do--and Ben was only doing kindergarten level work. So I thought about it and decided it would be far easier to have a master lesson plan book, with everyone's work in the same place, and to have a plan so that the girls can decide how they want to do their work each week.
For instance, Rachel may decide to do every subject daily. Julia might prefer to do all her math in one day, all her history on another day, all her language arts work another day, etc. I will decide what Ben does since he still needs too much direction. Anyway, this will give them some control over the way they work, which they always enjoy, and it will make planning easier for me because I can simply write a bulk of pages in a given subject rather than thinking about each day. I also won't need to think as hard about outside activities, because if we're busy one afternoon, they can just do the work another time and not worry about being behind.
And yes, before you think it, I know this could lead to getting really very behind--in a certain type of family. However, I have already thought about that and have decided that giving them some autonomy when it doesn't really matter will be a better lesson. They will learn very quickly what happens if their work doesn't get done--because they will not be allowed to use the computer, talk on the phone, watch tv or go outside to play before some amount of schoolwork is shown to me. Because we have fairly strict homeschooling laws in NY, I am very careful that I don't slack off--to the extent that we go in the opposite direction. Because my kids have always had this standard, I don't worry that they will see this new plan as a way to avoid their work.
However, I do have to say that although I'm getting excited about new books, lessons, and school supplies--I will miss summer dreadfully! Lazy mornings, swimming, playing outside, casual meals whenever we feel like it, late bedtimes. Going back to the old routine is just always a drag, no matter how much your kids like school. We only have 10 days left of summer vacation, and I plan to wring every bit of fun out of them!
--Jen
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Ben Rides His Two Wheeler!
After weeks of trying, Ben rode his bike today! He has wanted to ride for a long time, and resisted any suggestion of training wheels. However, cautious by nature, he also didn't like the idea of falling and getting cut, and so when Matt or I tried to help him learn to ride, he didn't want us to let go of the bike. Naturally, this didn't help him learn very effectively! He then moved to trying to ride it himself, and I coached him from the sidelines. I explained that if he just let go and pedaled rapidly, the bike would stay upright and he'd be riding--but he always put a foot down. Then today our friend and neighbor Matthew came over and was with Ben in the driveway. He asked if he could take Ben across to Heights Place, which is a "T" with our street and as it just connects our road with the one parallel to it, has almost no traffic. I agreed, and went to sit in the hammock swing to watch--and to my amazement, Ben was riding all on his own in just a few minutes!
Somebody should give Matthew a teacher of the year award!
--Jen
Somebody should give Matthew a teacher of the year award!
--Jen
Birthday Party
We have had a crazy week! Two parties for the kids, one with friends and one with extended family. A 50th anniversary party for my parents and all the travel it entailed. Plus my best friend, Jenn, and her family visiting from NC...it was a wonderful week, and also an extremely tiring one. As promised, here are a few photos from the birthday party.
--Jen
Emma in her Rose Petal Cottage.....ah! It feels great to put your feet up after a long day!
Emma and her favorite baby friend in the hammock chair out front, during the party.
Birthday cake! This one was Ben's cake (note the 7 candles--one for good luck). He wanted vanilla cake with strawberry frosting. Emma's was chocolate cake with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. They blew out the candles at the same time, though, and then the guests got their choice of cake.
--Jen
Emma in her Rose Petal Cottage.....ah! It feels great to put your feet up after a long day!
Emma and her favorite baby friend in the hammock chair out front, during the party.
Birthday cake! This one was Ben's cake (note the 7 candles--one for good luck). He wanted vanilla cake with strawberry frosting. Emma's was chocolate cake with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. They blew out the candles at the same time, though, and then the guests got their choice of cake.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Happy Birthday to Emma!
Today Emma is four years old! I am finding it hard to believe I don't have any babies left....but when I said to her last night that I couldn't believe she was getting so big and wasn't my baby anymore, she looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and said solemnly, "I will always be your baby, Mama."
Four years ago right now I was on the screened porch at our house on Dolphin Way, on a cool rainy morning, almost ready to push. (I don't know the exact time it was, but since she was born with just two pushes it wasn't long!) Rachel was running between the dining room and the porch, checking on my progress and reporting back to our friend Amie, who was helping Julia and Ben make cards for their baby. By the time everyone got out to us, after Rachel reported that the baby was almost here, Emma had already made her grand entrance into the world. It is so odd to think that Julia is now as old as Rachel was that day, and that Emma is almost as old as Julia was that day! Things have changed so much in those four years.
And two years ago today, we moved into this house. We joked that it was the only birthday that Emma would get a house for her gift, but in fact, we were wrong! This morning when she woke up (extremely early for her, at 7:30! She was so excited it was her birthday, finally, that she just couldn't stay asleep) her gift was waiting for her in the living room---the Rose Petal Cottage play house! Matt set it up last night because I knew she'd want to play with it as soon as she saw it, and that there was no way for me to get it set up with all the other things I have to do today, preparing for the birthday party this afternoon. So we set everything up and covered it with a quilt instead of the traditional gift wrapping.
Was she amazed! We got her the cottage itself, which also comes with a stove. Grandma Barbara got her the sink and a comfortable lounge chair, and her sisters and brother together got her the table and chairs set (which is really two round ottoman-like seats and a tiny table with tablecloth.) She said, "I've always wanted my very own house!"
The idea of it is that you play with the two halves of the house open at an angle, like scenery in a play. The two pieces actually nest together for efficient storage. However, you can put it together if you want to have a "real" cottage. At first that's what Emma wanted to do. Once she was in it, she said, "This is a very tiny house!"
Ben's response: "Well, Emma, that's what it's like when you live alone!"
I will post photos of the party later....
--Jen
Four years ago right now I was on the screened porch at our house on Dolphin Way, on a cool rainy morning, almost ready to push. (I don't know the exact time it was, but since she was born with just two pushes it wasn't long!) Rachel was running between the dining room and the porch, checking on my progress and reporting back to our friend Amie, who was helping Julia and Ben make cards for their baby. By the time everyone got out to us, after Rachel reported that the baby was almost here, Emma had already made her grand entrance into the world. It is so odd to think that Julia is now as old as Rachel was that day, and that Emma is almost as old as Julia was that day! Things have changed so much in those four years.
And two years ago today, we moved into this house. We joked that it was the only birthday that Emma would get a house for her gift, but in fact, we were wrong! This morning when she woke up (extremely early for her, at 7:30! She was so excited it was her birthday, finally, that she just couldn't stay asleep) her gift was waiting for her in the living room---the Rose Petal Cottage play house! Matt set it up last night because I knew she'd want to play with it as soon as she saw it, and that there was no way for me to get it set up with all the other things I have to do today, preparing for the birthday party this afternoon. So we set everything up and covered it with a quilt instead of the traditional gift wrapping.
Was she amazed! We got her the cottage itself, which also comes with a stove. Grandma Barbara got her the sink and a comfortable lounge chair, and her sisters and brother together got her the table and chairs set (which is really two round ottoman-like seats and a tiny table with tablecloth.) She said, "I've always wanted my very own house!"
The idea of it is that you play with the two halves of the house open at an angle, like scenery in a play. The two pieces actually nest together for efficient storage. However, you can put it together if you want to have a "real" cottage. At first that's what Emma wanted to do. Once she was in it, she said, "This is a very tiny house!"
Ben's response: "Well, Emma, that's what it's like when you live alone!"
I will post photos of the party later....
--Jen
Monday, August 18, 2008
Want to Read a Pretentious Magazine?
I admit it. I sign up for magazine subscriptions sometimes because of the freebie they offer. And I am a sucker for tote bags. I got a mailing some weeks ago for a new parenting magazine called Cookie, and I loved the tote bag they were giving away--it's striped in chocolate brown, pink, aqua and yellow and is just very pretty. And the subscription was under $10, and the ad made it sound pretty good, so I figured, why not?
Well. I don't think I have ever read such a pretentious piece of junk masquerading as a parenting magazine. This is clearly designated for parents who are trying to be like TomKat or Brangelina.....not your regular everyday parents who may actually have to, say, WORK for a living. I also think that most parenting magazines try to help parents out by offering tips on how to promote family closeness, have fun with your kids, and discipline effectively. Cookie, on the other hand, seems to be all about what you can buy for your family (or yourselves) and how you can be the best...and by best, I mean who has the most material possessions and who can afford the best preschool/kindergarten/private school. Here are a few examples.
--- On page 26, there are "coupons" for Cookie readers, cleverly called Cookie Dough. This includes a 25% discount on cashmere t shirts at Mai--for the bargain price of $281! Well, considering they are $375 T shirts, I guess that's a wonderful savings! However, I don't know anyone who wears $375 T shirts, much less parents who would wear one! And what exactly is a cashmere T shirt, anyway???
---On page 42, there is a short article on how nobody is allowed to bring cupcakes to school anymore because of "wellness policies"....so their idea of birthday fun is to make "cupcakes" from rounds of melon, top it with Greek yogurt and food coloring "frosting" and pieces of fruit, and make "candles" from thin pieces of pineapple topped with mint sprigs. PUH-LEEZE! It's a birthday celebration, people! How about we have a birthday party at home where you can serve the kids any sort of cupcake you want, and forget about bringing anything to school at all, if they're going to be like this??? I mean, when CAN you eat a cupcake without regret, if not when you're 8 years old? (and I know, says the homeschooler...)
---On page 50, they talk about "education vacations," where hotels offer classes for children while you travel--the Peninsula Hotel calls it "Peninsula Kids Academy," well la di da...these classes include filmmaking in Beverly Hills, kite making in Beijing, Filipino cooking in Manila, private surfing lessons in California, golf in Las Vegas, and songwriting in Nashville. Naturally. Because we all go on vacation in order to put our kids in an academy....and of course the picture to illustrate it all is two little girls in dresses, playing the violin. Get ready for Juilliard, everybody! We wouldn't want a vacation to be simple fun and relaxation or anything....and notice I'm not even saying anything about how many of my friends have taken their kids to Beijing or Manila lately!
--On page 62, they have the newest kids' fashions for the school year. This includes an outfit pictured on a girl who is definitely not older than 7 years old--that costs over $200. For one outfit. However, that isn't even the best part. The BEST part is--this outfit is absolutely the ugliest, stupidest thing I have ever seen. Emma took one look at it and said, "That doesn't even match!" Imagine this, if you will: a royal purple and aqua striped polo shirt with what looks like a black Tshirt underneath (why? No clue, except that they can sell a $58 T shirt to put under a $79 polo shirt??) Pair that with a black, gray, red and white plaid skirt, black knee socks with white stripes around the top band, and red Converse-type sneakers....... So they are trying to influence people to spend a gazillion dollars making their kids look like colorblind homeless weirdos. I just don't get it.
---On page 92, they talk about "babymoons," which would be your last trip as a couple before having children. Now, I get this. Matt and I took a weekend in Maine at a bed and breakfast when I was about 6 months pregnant with Rachel, with the same idea in mind. However, their idea of this kind of trip is a trip to Iceland, complete with 5 star restaurants, hotels from $270 a night (I guess that's a bargain--it's cheaper than a cashmere T, anyway!) and spa treatments. For you less adventurous types, you can go to Bermuda or Napa....but if you plan to be so gauche, you'd better pay for a $620- for- two- hours spa treatment or a $200 hot air balloon ride. Never mind that most couples try to actually save money when they have a baby on the way.
---And let's not forget my very favorite article. That would be on page 108, and it's called Anatomy of a Country House. That's when you have a city apartment and an 1850's farmhouse upstate. And when you name your child Fenner. And when you have to redo everything because the house "hadn't been updated since the '80s..." (And yes, they mean the NINETEEN eighties, for you clever folk who say, well, it should be updated after 130 years...being that it's a 160 year old house!) And when you have collections you need to display. And when you need a sanctuary. And when you divide your acre yard into sections for outdoor entertaining, gardening, and kids' play areas...I think these people would be perfect to invite over for a barbecue. I mean, I would just love to get to know them, they seem so down to earth!
As you might be able to tell, I could go on and on. However, since I am a real mom, living in the real world, I have chores to do, a birthday party to plan, and a basketful of laundry to do that probably all together didn't cost as much as one back to school outfit for a colorblind homeless weirdo!
--Jen
Well. I don't think I have ever read such a pretentious piece of junk masquerading as a parenting magazine. This is clearly designated for parents who are trying to be like TomKat or Brangelina.....not your regular everyday parents who may actually have to, say, WORK for a living. I also think that most parenting magazines try to help parents out by offering tips on how to promote family closeness, have fun with your kids, and discipline effectively. Cookie, on the other hand, seems to be all about what you can buy for your family (or yourselves) and how you can be the best...and by best, I mean who has the most material possessions and who can afford the best preschool/kindergarten/private school. Here are a few examples.
--- On page 26, there are "coupons" for Cookie readers, cleverly called Cookie Dough. This includes a 25% discount on cashmere t shirts at Mai--for the bargain price of $281! Well, considering they are $375 T shirts, I guess that's a wonderful savings! However, I don't know anyone who wears $375 T shirts, much less parents who would wear one! And what exactly is a cashmere T shirt, anyway???
---On page 42, there is a short article on how nobody is allowed to bring cupcakes to school anymore because of "wellness policies"....so their idea of birthday fun is to make "cupcakes" from rounds of melon, top it with Greek yogurt and food coloring "frosting" and pieces of fruit, and make "candles" from thin pieces of pineapple topped with mint sprigs. PUH-LEEZE! It's a birthday celebration, people! How about we have a birthday party at home where you can serve the kids any sort of cupcake you want, and forget about bringing anything to school at all, if they're going to be like this??? I mean, when CAN you eat a cupcake without regret, if not when you're 8 years old? (and I know, says the homeschooler...)
---On page 50, they talk about "education vacations," where hotels offer classes for children while you travel--the Peninsula Hotel calls it "Peninsula Kids Academy," well la di da...these classes include filmmaking in Beverly Hills, kite making in Beijing, Filipino cooking in Manila, private surfing lessons in California, golf in Las Vegas, and songwriting in Nashville. Naturally. Because we all go on vacation in order to put our kids in an academy....and of course the picture to illustrate it all is two little girls in dresses, playing the violin. Get ready for Juilliard, everybody! We wouldn't want a vacation to be simple fun and relaxation or anything....and notice I'm not even saying anything about how many of my friends have taken their kids to Beijing or Manila lately!
--On page 62, they have the newest kids' fashions for the school year. This includes an outfit pictured on a girl who is definitely not older than 7 years old--that costs over $200. For one outfit. However, that isn't even the best part. The BEST part is--this outfit is absolutely the ugliest, stupidest thing I have ever seen. Emma took one look at it and said, "That doesn't even match!" Imagine this, if you will: a royal purple and aqua striped polo shirt with what looks like a black Tshirt underneath (why? No clue, except that they can sell a $58 T shirt to put under a $79 polo shirt??) Pair that with a black, gray, red and white plaid skirt, black knee socks with white stripes around the top band, and red Converse-type sneakers....... So they are trying to influence people to spend a gazillion dollars making their kids look like colorblind homeless weirdos. I just don't get it.
---On page 92, they talk about "babymoons," which would be your last trip as a couple before having children. Now, I get this. Matt and I took a weekend in Maine at a bed and breakfast when I was about 6 months pregnant with Rachel, with the same idea in mind. However, their idea of this kind of trip is a trip to Iceland, complete with 5 star restaurants, hotels from $270 a night (I guess that's a bargain--it's cheaper than a cashmere T, anyway!) and spa treatments. For you less adventurous types, you can go to Bermuda or Napa....but if you plan to be so gauche, you'd better pay for a $620- for- two- hours spa treatment or a $200 hot air balloon ride. Never mind that most couples try to actually save money when they have a baby on the way.
---And let's not forget my very favorite article. That would be on page 108, and it's called Anatomy of a Country House. That's when you have a city apartment and an 1850's farmhouse upstate. And when you name your child Fenner. And when you have to redo everything because the house "hadn't been updated since the '80s..." (And yes, they mean the NINETEEN eighties, for you clever folk who say, well, it should be updated after 130 years...being that it's a 160 year old house!) And when you have collections you need to display. And when you need a sanctuary. And when you divide your acre yard into sections for outdoor entertaining, gardening, and kids' play areas...I think these people would be perfect to invite over for a barbecue. I mean, I would just love to get to know them, they seem so down to earth!
As you might be able to tell, I could go on and on. However, since I am a real mom, living in the real world, I have chores to do, a birthday party to plan, and a basketful of laundry to do that probably all together didn't cost as much as one back to school outfit for a colorblind homeless weirdo!
--Jen
Daily Quote
What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else.
--Hal Boyle
--Hal Boyle
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Books Ordered!
In a burst of industriousness last night, I finished up ordering books, which included finding a math program I liked for Julia. I did end up ordering from Rainbow Resources, because there were certain books I wanted that I couldn't find elsewhere, couldn't find for a better price, or had such a generic name that searches for the book was like hunting a needle in a haystack. (Good examples: Julia's reading comprehension book is called "Amazing Animals," and I got a workbook for Rachel entitled "Shakespeare.") However, I did end up spending a lot less by hunting around for bargains than if I'd just ordered from Rainbow...something on the order of $200 in savings.
So my house will be Package Central in the next week or two. The Post Office and UPS are going to wonder if I'm starting a home business or something....there will be twenty one packages arriving in total! I love getting mail.
--Jen
So my house will be Package Central in the next week or two. The Post Office and UPS are going to wonder if I'm starting a home business or something....there will be twenty one packages arriving in total! I love getting mail.
--Jen
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