Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I'm back, I think

Hello again, I think. I read another blog yesterday where the author wrote that the purpose behind her blog was to show life with spectacularly normal children. Then I received an email from a mom who was feeling horribly behind the game.

I got to thinking....the problem for many of us is that none of us (or very few) really feel like we're doing enough most of the time. We homeschoolers hear stories of these human dynamos who have their acts totally together and their children receive the Presidential scholarship to several Ivy League universities no later than age 14.

Non-homeschoolers? Their daughters are competing for the next gymnastics Olympic team by age 10; they never complain about homework, zipping through it and acing their exams with aplomb; and their sons are on the Honor Roll, the district's winning Academic team, and working on their Eagles by age 12.

Yup, you got it. I flunked all of those tests. I got what I prayed for. Normal children.

School got derailed once again by an emergency trip to Idaho to see my husband's grandfather, and I am personally not dealing with the thought of him passing to the next life very well even though I am only an in-law---he's my (I claim him) last grandfather alive on earth at this time---I lost one at age 6 1/2, one at 18, and I'm not ready to let the last one go. Then there's the stress of having to pay for that trip---I am grateful for creditors who believed in us enough to help us go. I am also grateful we will be paying them off soon!

Yesterday we did a bunch of President's Day worksheets from Enchanted Learning. Okay, so I went a little overboard and we did about 5 hours worth of them! We covered every subject with them!!!

Additionally, I'd like to find about $130 by March to buy a Math program from Teaching Textbooks. My sister turned me onto them, and they are great. Go try it for yourselves! Why do I love it so much? Because I am beginning to hate math!!! If I have to go through it all even one more time, I might scream.................................................. Amazingly, my kids really like it too. They like anything that puts them on the computer. Now, if I could find a really good, fun writing program on the computer, I'd know I had died and gone to heaven.

Something I have learned recently? All the waiting I have done, allowing the kids to set their own pace for the most part, is paying off. My boys are finally ready. Those 10 pounds of Presidents Day-themed worksheets yesterday? They would not have done so many even 3 months ago. It's clicking. I learned that with reading, but I was starting to shove every subject down their throats anyway because "everyone else was doing it", and my kids were "falling behind" whatever that means! They were beginning to hate school just like everyone else too.

Of course, I still want that math program without the help of our wonderful creditors!

P.S. I knocked off my blog links, not because I didn't like them, but because they weren't working when I clicked on them.

4 comments:

Paula said...

I like to remind myself that my goal is to raise children who know who they are as children of God and are prepared to go out in the world and do good (and raise righteous families of their own). That doesn't require Olympics medals, Ivy League degrees, or any other wordly honors.

3 for school said...

You are so right, Paula! Like you, I believe a strong sense of their purpose and importance as children of their Father in Heaven is essential for them to fulfill their roles in this life. I guess I took that for granted. I'm glad you pointed that out.

Anonymous said...

I attended a class today where a homeschooling mom talked about how she helped her kids (at ages 16 and 15) get four-year-all-expense-paid scholarships to the University ......

My thought was, "Wow -- she has very exceptional kids (true), and she's an exceptional mom (also true).

And my kids have me....a very ordinary mom......and they also are very ordinary kids.....

So I agree - we have a lot of stereotypes to get over!

But I do have a very gifted, talented, wonderful sister!

LeeAnn, I'm very impressed with the list of books you have read! I thought I was the reader of the family -- I couldn't even keep up with your list. I'll have to look into some of those in particular.

3 for school said...

Thanks for the reading compliment. Next to Jim, I feel like a real piker. So far this year, I have done terribly. I don't think I've read a whole book yet this year. Haven't been able to focus.