Some Advantages of Homeschooling

     In the past two weeks, three people have contacted me with questions about homeschooling. One person asked why we chose to homeschool. Since I have already blogged about that, I won't repeat, but you can read about it here if you want. However, now that I am a few years into it, I wanted to list some ways that homeschooling has worked to our advantage. Some of these we had thought about before and some of these were pleasant and welcome realizations.
     Before I begin my list though, I want everyone to know that I am not trying to guilt anyone into homeschooling. I also understand that it is not for every parent. Actually, I believe that there are some parents that should not homeschool. However, it works well for many and is rapidly becoming more popular. From 1999 to 2007 home school has increased 75%. In 2011, 2.04 million children were homeschooling in the United States. This article explains that this percentage isn't necessarily due to "running away" from public school, but running to home education. I am not trying to push everyone to homeschool, but I do love it and I am happy to be able to help anyone considering it.

1. I get to spend that eight or nine hours with my children that they would otherwise be gone instead of someone else getting to. If they are gone 9 hours and are sleeping 10 hours, that is 19 hours out of each day already.
2. I get to teach them how to read, addition, how a kidney functions, etc... What a great feeling, and at the same time, a huge responsibility! I don't know why I chose "how a kidney functions". It was just the first sciency thing that popped into my mind!
3. I get to see the light bulb moments. I love to see when things click with my guys and gal!
4. I get to learn right along with them. And I am! Our math curriculum is teaching a whole different way than I learned, and it is very cool. Also, I have always been a good reader, but never knew why some words are spelled the way they are. It has been very interesting learning all of the rules. Then there is the history and the science. I should be a genius after teaching all of these kiddos!
5. We can choose curriculum that is best for our kids' learning style, and our teaching style. This helps them learn the most effectively. If something doesn't work, we can change things up or add supplements.
6. Everything we learn carries over into the rest of our day to day activities. I have been teaching them, so when we are keeping score in a game, or reading signs along the road, cooking, etc.., I know exactly how to review or reinforce what they are learning.
7. We can teach subjects (science, history, etc.) with a biblical viewpoint. Very important to our family!
8. If we come to a topic that interests one or more of the children, we can dive deeper. We check out and read tons of books (They would all seriously sit and listen to me read all day.), watch tons of YouTube videos, and take field trips. The kids become really strong in areas they are interested in when they are provided the means to explore it. Silas has done this with the water cycle, honey bees (He has even talked his dad into beekeeping.), and  more recently birds.
9. If there is a lesson one of them is having difficulty with, we can stop and "camp out" for a while, and we can plow through the lessons that come easily. This has been HUGE for us. While Silas has been moving right along in some subjects, he has really struggled in another. We have been able to supplement and even get some great outside help! All kids learn at a different pace.
10. If I try to teach something and see that one of my guys is not ready for it, I can move on to something else. We can revisit it later on. Sometimes a few months of maturing makes a world of difference!
11. We can do all sorts of educational on-the-field type learning. We are not just tied to Saturdays. We usually have something once every week or two. The boys just learned about invasive and noninvasive animals of our state and hopefully next week will be participating in activities focusing on early life through WWII in our state.
12. We can take off to spend time with Matt (my husband) when he is off, and school longer on his long days or Saturdays when he is working to make up for it.
13. We are not tied to the school schedule. We can school during the torturous hot days of the summer and be off during the beautiful days like we have been having recently. I have seriously been considering year round schooling so we can just take several one and two week breaks throughout the year. I am thinking that would work better for us.
14. We can take vacations during off season's to avoid crowds and price peaks!
15. We can do lessons (music, swim, etc...) during the day, and be home all together in the evenings when Matt is more likely to be home.
16. Our kids get to go to home school functions and associate with kids of all ages.
17. They get to spend a lot of time with their siblings.
18. They have the opportunity to help out at home (both inside and outside) often. This will definitely help them when they are adults.
19. We can still have school when they are contagious sick, as long as they are feeling up to it. Plus we don't have to worry about getting a doctor's excuse.
20. We don't have to get up extremely early(to us anyway) to get dressed and drive to school. We can do school in our PJ's, (or swim trunks, which is another post entirely). And, they can learn at their best time of the day.
21. We can usually be finished with official school by lunch time, though we really never stop learning (books, videos, outside exploring etc.). Well, unless we don't begin until after lunch.
22. They can do school outside, or on their tummies on the floor, or in the van, etc...
23. The kids don't have to have the newest and best things. Don't get me wrong, I am very into their fashion (Cute clothes make me happy!), though 95% of their clothes come from a bi-yearly consignment sale. However, Silly Bandz were gaining popularity at our house, when it was losing popularity at everyone else's (which saved tons of money). So you get what I'm saying.
24. Birthdays off.
25. Sleeping in on rainy days!

     So these are of few reasons that homeschooling works well for our family. This article lists more reasons people homeschool, if you want to know why other families are choosing this. My reasons for homeschooling are going to be different than someone else's. It doesn't make either of us wrong in our decision. However, if you feel God calling you to it, that is the only reason you need. But, He uses a variety circumstances to direct His children toward His calling for them.  I am so happy that God has chosen this route for our family and that we obeyed Him when He called us to it!

Jesus...There's Just Something About That Name

     This year, the Bible part of our curriculum has us studying the different names for Jesus. It has been a REALLY great study. About every two weeks we study a different name. We color a little picture with the name displayed on it and attach it to our names for Jesus poster. With each name, we have a key verse that we recite everyday that goes along. The first day or two, we really break that verse apart and study it and what it means. We talk about the name and what it reveals about Jesus' personality. For a few days after that, we read passages from the Bible that exemplify that. Then the final days of the study, we brainstorm and give examples of how it can be applied in our lives.
      Right now, for example, we are studying that Jesus is the Giver of Living Water. Our key verse we recite everyday is, " ...If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." John 7:37 . We colored a water drop that says " Giver of Living Water"  to add to our poster. We read in Exodus about Moses and the Israelites and water from the rock, and in John about Jesus and the woman at the well. Finally, we talked about ways we can tell "thirsty" people about the Living Water, so they will never have to thirst again.
      I love this! The kids are not just reading or hearing and comprehending (which is great in itself), but they are learning how to study the Bible! They are discovering for themselves who Jesus is and how he interacted with people. I know the younger ones aren't catching everything and taking it all in. But they are catching a little and absorbing some of what they hear. That lays a good foundation.
      I also like that we always have a little craft to reinforce it. It really helps, because it is usually something that we are supposed to display on the kitchen table for a week or two. Like with this week, we colored a picture of a water drop with our verse printed out that we are supposed to put on a water pitcher. When we use it during meal times, we are reminded that physical water will quench our physical thirst temporarily. But, when we drink living water, we will never spiritually thirst again.
     One time we decorated candles when we were studying that Jesus is "The Light of the World".  We kept them on our table and lit them every night for dinner. This is also a great way to remind us to talk about what we learned about that name earlier that day. Great dinner table discussions!
      Here is a picture of Camden decorating his candle. He painted glue onto it and then rolled it in salt. Matt did this with the boys while I was out one day.

 

Here are the finished candles.

 

 Yes, they are simple. They don't have to be anything elaborate. I don't know about all kids, but any kind of project, experiment, or craft that we can do related to what we are learning really helps my guys. If they can see it and feel it, it really helps to ingrain it in their brain. It really helps cross the line from just short term memorizing something, to really learning something. That is why I really don't like when I have to pass over  the crafts and such due to lack of supplies or time restraints. I would rather just slow down and do things when I can really do them. When I rush through or pass over, they aren't learning anyway, at least for the long term. And the important thing, after all, is that they are REALLY learning.

 

This is a picture of them working on their Jesus window decorations.

I posted this picture so you can see that Silas sticks his tongue out when he concentrates. He doesn't realize it, though. Silly boy!

 

This is their final product. They were really proud!

 

 

Columbus and the Sea Monsters

     We use My Father's World curriculum in our schooling, and this year we are studying American history. It has been so interesting! Since Zeb joined us in September, we've been taking our history and science kind of slow. We started at the beginning of the year with the Vikings and just finished up the Revolutionary war and the colonies becoming states. Now we are about to do a brief study of each state covering a few each week. Key people will also continue pop up from time to time, and we will take time to study them.
      After a little bit of  Eric the Red, Leif Ericson, and the vikings, we studied Christopher Columbus. Toward the end of that unit, we did a little science experiment. We used aluminum foil and the boys had to figure out how to construct boats and which shapes and sizes held up best in the water. They made three boats and we labeled them The Nina, The Pinta, and Santa Maria. The instructions suggested using a pencil and some clay to make the mast, but we found that a straw and some hot glue worked much better. When we were finished, the boys decided to move them to the bathtub. This was a much better representation of the sea than the sink! Of course, what's a good dramatic reenactment without some sea monsters?

 

 

 

After a few minutes of leaning over the tub, they decided it would just be easier to dive in!

 

 



Right By My Dad

     This past summer my husband worked A LOT! Yes, that's a good thing since he brings in our sole income for a family of six.  I truly appreciate what he contributes to our family, and he knows it. For the most part, the kiddos do not feel the pain of his sometimes late hours (There are a few exceptions during different times throughout the year.). The reason that this is the case is due to the fact that, when he IS home, he always makes sure that he is spending true quality time with our little guys.  As a matter of fact, he probably spends more quality time with them than a lot of dads that don't work near as often. I am very grateful for this, because it is so important to whom our kids will become as adults.
     I love  Matt's work ethic. He works hard, but at the same time is not consumed by it. When it's time to play, he plays. I think many adults often forget how important this is, myself included.
     He also loves building projects and in his "spare time", last summer, he decided to begin working on a sand box. I would probably call it more of a sand house. "Go big or go home" is definitely his motto when it comes to projects. Silas was playing inside when he asked where his daddy was. I told Silas that Daddy was outside working. A few minutes later, Silas had his outside clothes on and was heading out the door. I looked at him and, in his most serious voice, he said, "If you need me, I'll be outside working right by my dad."
     Now I know that may not be such an uncommon occurrence, but there was something about the way he said it. I could see that he was proud of his dad. It was like nothing else mattered nor would it compare to the time he was about to spend working with his dad. Here are a couple of pictures. Yes they are even working in the rain!

 

Matt said he never complained, even though his little bucket of sand was heavy. He just kept dumping and reloading.

 

 

 

 

He was so proud, and so was his Daddy! I hope twenty years from now that I can look out of the window and witness the same thing. Except maybe it will be Matt helping Silas build a sand house for his son, who is happily working hard beside them!

An "About Me" Top 20

A "Top 20" about me in no particular order:

1. When my husband isn't home, I ride the boys' scooters around the house. It's true.
2. I love to sniff the inside of new books.
3. If I could afford the kind of dresses I liked, I would wear dresses every day of my life.
4. I. LOVE. HOMESCHOOLING. I love spending a lot of time with my babies and seeing the light bulb moments.
5. I love the feel of sleeping infants breathing on my neck.
6. I strongly believe which facial products, hair products, and hair tools one uses makes all the difference in the world.
7. My husband is my best friend.
8. I have learned a whole lot since I started homeschooling. Since my oldest is in first grade, I am a little embarrassed to admit that.
9. I thoroughly research and compare almost everything I consider buying before I shell out the money. And I read no less than 100 reviews. This is true with hotel rooms, electronics, curriculum, toys, etc...
10. It would be a dream come true for someone to come decorate my home! A. Dream. Come. True! They would definitely have to be able to design on a dime.
11. I'm a homebody. I cherish nights at home with my family. I really don't need to get out much. Every now and then is perfect. But when I do need to get out, I need it in a bad way!
12. Lori Wick is my favorite author. God has used her to help me be a better wife.
13. I am a firm believer in "garbage in, garbage out". I don't think the garbage can just be stored in the brain and stay there. Nor should it be stored there.
14. My favorite episode of my favorite show is  Little House On the Prairie when Laura has her sweet sixteen. Sweet Almonzo! My least favorite episode is the circus one.
15. I have a Cricut and love it.
16. I love to sew, but have taken a "little" break since Zeb joined our family. Hopefully I'll get Bliss' Easter dress made. It's tradition, after all.
17. I really want a really NICE purse, but cant bring myself to spend the money on one.
18. I sneak candy so I don't have to share. I AM ashamed. Also, my husband can buy an individual size candy and eat on it for days. If mine is all gone, and his is still there, I believe I have the right to eat it. My husband doesn't see it that way, and probably hides his treats quite a bit.
19. I can not stand repetition. If we are watching a video, and my husband needs to take a phone call or something, I loathe rewinding so he can watch what he missed. Just push pause! I don't like repeating myself either.
20. I like the smell that comes out of the vent the first time the heater is turned on for the season. Matt said it is the smell of burning dust. I say it is the smell of winter. Winter has not officially kicked off until I've smelled that smell.

Tasty Thoughts

      Most people like food. I'm no exception. I don't know why, but I thought I would compile a list of some of my favorite foods (and not so favorite) that I stuff (and don't stuff) my face with. Most of it is junk, but I promise I don't eat it all the time. If I did, though, I'd be happy, happy, happy!

 

• I really like black beans, and I mix them in about everything. Pasta, fajitas, chili, dips, etc...
• I like ground hamburger in my mac and cheese (and I throw some black beans in there too).
• These Baby Cuties are so good! I can't quit eating them!!

• I love garden fresh tomatoes. I don't like store bought ones. And they MUST have salt. And I like them peeled. That's how my Pawpaw ate them. He trained me well.
• I like sourdough bread.
• I like Jell-O Jigglers. I like them made in the Jell-o egg molds, but can't find any these days.
• Though I like corn, I believe it should be eaten separate from other food in it's own little spot on the plate. This roots from some childhood memories that some may find comical, but it is what it is.
• I like my rice dry before the food goes on top (not sticky or creamy).
• My favorite part about eating cereal is drinking the cereal flavored milk afterwards. Yum-O! Cereal companies should make little individual serving cereal flavor packets to put in 8 ounces of milk. Fruity Pebble milk? You've got it!
• I love my Gran's buttermilk biscuits (especially with chocolate gravy).
• I like deer meat. It is really lean (which is good for my fatty liver). When we have it, we use it in the place of most all meat.
• Cherry cheesecake makes me happy!
• Milk and Oreo cookies are one of my favorites! I don't care for the cookies without the milk though. I can hang with the low-fat Oreos. It's been so long since I had the other kind, I forgot how good they were.
• My favorite candy bar is a Symphony bar. The kind with toffee and almonds.

• By the way, what ever happened to these? I think they were called Nestle Alpine White Chocolate Bars. They were a huge part of my childhood. We should start a petition to bring them back!

• My husband makes the best Chinese dish that I've ever eaten. I would seriously choose it over going to a Chinese restaurant.
• I WILL NOT buy the Wal-mart brand chocolate syrup. Under the allergy warning on the label, it states that it may contain traces of anchovies. I don't want anchovies in my chocolate milk. Thanks, but no. That's all I could think about after I read it. I buy the name brand now.
• Sadly, I am a picky eater. Most of the time, it doesn't have anything to do with the flavor, but instead the texture.
• I HEART white chocolate mousse.

• I prefer my pasta "al dente".
• I like candy that has gooey insides. True story. Fruit Gushers, that gum with the goo inside, or my new favorite, Twizzlers Filled Twists are all examples.

  

• And why can't we just buy those little candied marshmallows that come in some hot chocolate packets? Those are good.
• I MUST  have milk in my hot chocolate. There is just something really wrong with drinking chocolate water (though some would argue that's exactly what I'm drinking since I only drink skim milk)! Also, while the rule is one packet to eight ounces of milk, I always use a packet and a half.

 That brings me to my current favorite thing...

• I love Nestle's Chocolate Caramel Hot Chocolate. It makes my insides all cozy, like wrapping up in a big comfy blanket! It relaxes my whole body.

I

 

Strengthening Our Faith While Waiting On...You Know... What's His Name - Zeb's Birth Story

     As most of you know, we have welcomed a new member to our family. Yes, we were surprised again. And yes, we know what causes it. Now that I got that out of the way, I can tell you that I wanted another child anyway. But the time definitely didn't seem right, not to mention Matt was content with three. I knew immediately after Bliss was born that I wanted another child, which wasn't the case with Silas and Camden. I had a short period of "contentment" after each of them was born where I thought I would be fine if they were our last. After having Bliss, though, our family just didn't feel complete. I cried countless times at the thought of being "finished", but I sure thought we were. For one, Matt had lost his job of ten years in less than two months after we brought Bliss home from the hospital (a HUGE shock). Secondly, we didn't have health insurance. And lastly, Matt started his own plumbing business that was still very much in the "building it up" phase. So, having another baby didn't seem like a very responsible thing to do. We were also looking to begin fostering again. Then... we found out we were expecting.
     Here's the series of events that led to that discovery. Matt was getting nervous after I was a few days late and wanted me to test, so he took a break from his job one day to meet me at Walmart. He watched the kids in the van while I went in to buy a test. I tested in the restroom, and waited until I was outside with Matt so we could look at it together. There they were. Two lines (although one was very faint). After Matt confirmed with me that he was reading the test correctly, he went back to his job and I went home. Yep. If I could do it over, I would definitely do it differently. This story just doesn't seem so... blog worthy.
     It just so happens that we had just applied for a health insurance that my dad just happened to mention that just happened to take preexisting. I did go to my OB right away since I had problems during previous pregnancies that you can read about in previous posts. So we had to pay a lot of lab work out of pocket until my insurance kicked in. But it did, after just a couple of weeks. By the way, it turns out that the reason for a faint line on my test was due to the fact that I ovulated way later than usual (hence the whole surprise part). So in reality, I shouldn't have even tested yet, because I wasn't really late (And I even took the "up to 6 days sooner" test).
     Over the next couple of months, jobs started coming more steadily for Matt. Then, he got a HUGE job deal that helped us tremendously. And since that was completed, he has still stayed busy with other jobs. Praise God!
     We found out we were having a boy via a gender reveal party. I was surprised! I thought we were having another girl due to this pregnancy being similar to my pregnancy with Bliss.  As you can tell, Silas' vote was for a girl. He was a little upset...

...Okay, a lot upset. Poor guy!

     He really wanted another sister. He prayed for this to be a girl. Plus, he wanted things to be even. Two boys and two girls.
     Now it was time to start talking names. We always have such a hard time with names, so there was no point in exhausting ourselves thinking of names for both genders. Now we knew we were having a boy, so we needed a first and middle name. We couldn't think of anything we cared for. We wanted something different with something Biblical with a strong meaning. I prayed often for God to reveal the name for our son. So it was surprising that we didn't have a name and were in the ninth month of pregnancy. A week or so before we had the baby at least we had a list. Whether or not we were going to go with a name off  that list, we weren't sure.
     Toward the end of my pregnancy, my OB kept telling me the time could be close. I wasn't aware I was in labor with Bliss and had her pretty quickly after arriving at the hospital, so I was pretty nervous this time. I certainly didn't want to deliver in my minivan! I went in one day for a check-up and told my doctor I hadn't felt the baby move in a while, and that this was out of character for him. He was a big mover and a constant mover. So the doctor did an NST. No movement. So she gave it a bit longer. Still no movement. She looked at the strip and there was no variation. My doctor was very concerned and in a not so calm way told me to walk over to Labor and Delivery. She said I would be having a baby that day. I would have to be induced or possibly a cesarian depending on how baby dealt with labor. I was pretty scared. I called Matt to let him know the plan and evidently sounded pretty upset and didn't explain things very well. He was terrified and thought he wasn't even going to make it to the hospital in time for the birth.
     When I got to L&D though, they hooked me up to the monitor, and before long, my little guy started moving. Things were looking better off and on. And eventually everything was back to normal. Not only that, the nurse asked me how long my contractions had been every two to three minutes apart. I told her I didn't know that they were. She checked me and found that I had dialted from a three to a five in just the time I walked over from the doctor's office to the L&D unit. Needless to say no pitocin. I didn't have to be induced! About three or three and a half hours after I arrived there, I gave birth a very precious and healthy baby boy.

8 pounds 11 ounces
21 inches long
Born at 7:40 PM
September 19, 2012



     I was hoping that the moment we saw his face, we'd have a name for him. That wasn't the case, though. I did kind of think we would end up going with Shepherd, because it was one on the list that I liked pretty well. .



  But more than a day later, when he had his "real" clothes on, Matt and I both looked at him and knew he was a Zeb.

     That was actually a name that Matt had mentioned when we first began discussing names. I didn't like it at all then. Looking at that little face though, Zeb was a perfect name, and I fell in love with it. His full name would be Zebadiah Quinn Russell. Zebadiah means "God has bestowed" or "God has given". Quinn means "Wisdom".  His name means that "God has bestowed wisdom". That I can live with. And ZQ are pretty cool initials too!
 


What did we all get out of this aside from a very handsome little boy? Our FAITH was strengthened!

•  I was afraid I would go the rest of my life with sadness and regrets from not having another child. I prayed for God to help me with my feelings. He chose to do that by giving me another child. My husband was content with three. Now... he's even more content with four (insert chuckles here).  We wouldn't have wanted to keep him from this moment.

• We were concerned about how we could afford the medical bills for another baby. God provided an affordable health insurance just in time, after over a year without. There's no way we could have afforded a baby without it.
• We were concerned about how we could support ourselves during the first stages of owning a business, let alone another child. God provided Matt with an opportunity to step his business up to the next level, so that our income would become more steady.
• We were concerned (especially Matt) about not making it to the hospital in time. God got me over to the hospital when I was in labor, so no delivering in our minivan. Apparently my body thinks I'm a pro and that I don't need much warning that baby is coming, because with the last two babies I didn't feel much pain until an hour or two before baby arrived. God allowed me to already be at the hospital for other reasons both times.
• We were concerned for our little guy when his strip wasn't looking good. God took care of him. We're forever thankful for that! The doctor said he was laying on his cord, more than likely causing it kink, if I remember correctly. Zeb did recover, though, and I didn't have to have a ceasarian or even be induced. Yay!
• We were concerned about a name. I prayed, and God delivered in His time. It couldn't be more perfect for him.
• Silas really wanted a sister. To him, that would work out best for our family. God taught Silas to have faith that He knows what is best. By the looks of these pictures, I'd say Silas is happy with another brother.

 

     So there you have it. Turns out while we were worrying concerned about everything, God was handling everything. And I couldn't imagine life any other way.