This is the Dawning of the Age of Real Homeschooling

History will be made this weekend, commencing Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m., when the talented and prepared teacher of our homeschool (me) will embark on a journey of real homeschooling.  The kind of homeschooling I have always dreamed of in my thoughtful homeschooling mom head. Living, breathing homeschooling that doesn’t involve a home at all.

Thinks outdoors.  Think BIG trees.  Think granola bars and foil packet dinners over the campfire.  Think long johns and wool mitts. Think thin nylon tent and freezing temperatures. Think long johns and wool mitts again.

YES!  It’s true.  I found another crazy homeschool mama who has also envisioned outdoor homeschooling for her 11 years of teaching her kids at home.  Thankfully we both have just enough brains now missing to undertake this task …. just the two of us…. with eight kids.  Don’t gasp.  At least 3 of those kids could probably survive in the wilderness unassisted.

And we’ve done bear training!  We’re good.  We all have safety kits in our backpacks including whistles, compasses, knives, waterproof matches, rain ponchos and little reflecting mirrors to signal the search helicopter if need be.   As is my spend-thrift nature, I was not going to spend hard earned dollars on those items which could be salvaged from the current supply of junk in the house.  Yes, my 16-year-old son’s mirror has fuzzy leopard fur on the back… and he’s okay with that.  My 14-year-old son’s mirror is the lid of a make-up compact… and I think he may still be adjusting to that idea as I type.

As mentioned previously, we are studying national parks…. seven parks to be exact… the flora and fauna of each… including botany and geology.  I am the art teacher… the other mama is the science nerd, thankfully!

So as the sun rises Sunday morning, please say a little prayer for us as we drive to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California.  It’s all good.

AHA

Hi.  My name is Linda and I’m an American-History-Aholic.  You know, every nerd has their area of passion…. mine just happens to be history.  Seriously, a National Park or Historical Marker sign on the highway causes whiplash in our vehicle if I’m driving.  There is simply too much good information to pass up one of those!  You never know when you might get a Trivial Pursuit question about Wilson’s Creek Battle in southwestern Missouri!  I’m ready, baby.

This year, as you may know if you have read MSJ in the past few months, I’m teaching American History to a group of homeschool nerds students. Even if they are not loving it, I am.  And I know they are learning something from my sheer enthusiasm!  I decided not to be the hard-core teacher that I’ve been in the past.  I figure, any way to get the information into the kids’ heads is good…. whether conventional or not.  I.e., I give quizzes each week on all of the assignments from the previous week.  It is a small percentage of the actual information that is tested.  And there is LOTS of information to cover in a week.  So I devised a plan to make the tests easier.  First if there are 54 or 63 questions on the test, I round down to score out of 50 or 60.  How nice of me. Next I made a set of 15 5×7 notecards that tell the students how much help they get on the test.  One card is drawn each day.  They say things like:  “Phone a friend… seriously with a phone.”  or “Ask the expert.” (That’s me) and all of the kids in the class can listen to the answer.  Another is “Work together.”  And “You may use your textbooks.”  And “Do every other question” and “Skip one section.”  See, easy-peasy.

Today they drew the card that said they could each phone two friends.  I told them if they considered me a friend, they could text me.  Three of them did.  haha.  My daughter asked for one of my friend’s phone numbers.  This is another homeschool mom in California.  The question was ‘What is a chandler?’  Lucky for my girl, the mom was on her computer and googled it for her.  I figure….. it’s all good.  Will my daughter know what a chandler is for the rest of her life?  Yes.  For those not near a computer, it’s a person who made candles.  (haha… get it…. not by a computer!)

Anyway, my students are all doing well in the class and I’m having fun.  Isn’t that what it’s all about?????

My Name is Linda and I’m a Project Junky

And I’m OK with that!  I ALWAYS have a project or two or seventeen on the go.  When I don’t have projects, I feel lost.  I wander the house in my pajamas wondering what I should be doing.  Lately, since returning from Colombia with our new daughter, my project in my head was “keep life moving forward as normally as possible.”  That’s pretty well all I’ve done for five weeks…. and it’s been exhausting.  We are homeschooling.  We are going to church and to our neighborhood group.  I am grocery shopping and going to the library weekly.  Oh, and I’m teaching once a week….. Arizona History to a bunch of homeschooled high school kids.  (I guess you could consider it a project!)  But it has taken me almost 3 weeks to read the novel sitting on my bedside table.  They usually only sit there for 4-5 days.

However, (notice the switch from survival mode to productive mode here!) my mother found a darling little wooden chair on clearance (of course) with a cupcake-shaped back that will fit Nora’s tea-table perfectly!  Originally I thought that two chairs were sufficient, but her teddy bear always occupies one, so guests sit on the floor.  Three chairs are needed.  The cupcake chair needs some sanding and painting and tightening and hole-filling.  A PROJECT!

Last month my sister was in town putting on a bridal shower for her best friend.  My sister is the decorologist for parties!  She’s the bomb, baby.  Her creativity reminded me how fun it is to decorate and throw parties.  And lo and behold, a friend of mine has a birthday next week!  She thinks I’m taking her to breakfast, but I’m doing a full-blown pink and turquoise owl-themed party.  Today I’m off to find cutesy plates and polka-dotted napkins and ribbons and placemats.  A PROJECT! 

Here are just the cupcakes my sister made for the shower:

A   N   D  .  .   .  .  .  I have once again been inspired to start writing.  A little birdy put the seed in my heart… the watering began… and I’m off writing on another project.  This is a book that I have had on my heart for a long time.  About two or three years ago I was having visions of stories running amuck in my mind which prompted me to get out of bed at 2:47 in the morning, find a notepad and jot down ideas.  Locked in my master bathroom for an hour, I outlined the entire book!  This week I dusted it off.  A PROJECT!

My name is Linda and I’m a Project Junky!

A Reader Will Read No Matter What!

I have not been feeling well for over a week now… stiffly nose, sore throat, annoying cough, weariness and general lethargy.  If that isn’t bad news on its own, I don’t have a quality piece of literature to take me away from the here and now!  Of course, I’m still reading, but nothing that grabs my interest and sucks me in while hours dissipate.  Oh, for an orphan story of rags to royalty and lost parents to found love…. on the docks in a new country…. ….. …. 

As you may or may not know, I’ll be teaching History of Arizona next school year and I’m searching for biographies for the high schoolers to report on.  I proof them all first, so as not to assign steamy wagon stories of lust gone bad on the lonely, dusty trail in the desert.  I’m currently speed reading These Is My Words, a collection of diary entries from a pioneer woman.  Thez onlee sew much badd gramer n spellin’ I ken tak in won sittin’.  Good grief.  The stories are thought provoking, but as a English-loving teacher, I don’t think I can assign this book in its entirty to anyone who may mention my name in association with the book.  Maybe I’ll read excerpts to the class for brainstorming journal writing ideas. 

Bulletproof George Washington is the other book I’m making my way through.  It’s a short read and if I was not incapacitated it would sincerely be an hour-long at most.  But I’m on day three.  I have to put the book down to blow my nose…. I may have above average manual dexterity, but I cannot blow my nose singlehandedly.  History books of REAL history that has been systematically removed from government text books and encyclopedias makes me want to shout for joy… and proclaim the truth from the roof top.   (I’m not sure I could get up on our roof, however….)  This book is written from five or six different sources with genuine stories of God’s hand of guidance and protection on our country’s first President. And God, himself, is even mentioned in the pages for all to see!   The book discusses daily happenings in young George’s life that are not common knowledge thanks to our liberal school systems. My kids will be reading this when we study American History… next school year… 2011-2012.

My name is at the top of the Reserved list at the library for two new books that are on order…. one from one of my favorite authors, Allison Pittman titled The Bridegrooms.  I’ve read everything Ms. Pittman has published and have not been disappointed yet.  Her books make me giggle out loud…. GOL.  The other is Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers.  Francine has caught and held my interest in the past, but has also let me down a few times…. I’m hoping with all hope for Her Mother’s Hope to be a keeper.  I pray at least one of these comes in before we head away on a two-week road trip!

    

And can I just make a plug for Cepocal?  It is by far the best cough drop on the market!  Really!

Breaking Headline News

Yes, I’ve been absent from MSJ for a week!  Eeeegads!  I do declare that I’ve been a tad on the occupied side.  Here are the latest headlines that should shed light on my week:

Forty-Four Year Old is Elated with Chair.  This, of course, makes my fantastic, new, green, down-wrapped reading chair sound fuddy-duddy-ish, but it’s not!  It even came with an ottoman…. and it matches my bedspread perfectly.  If you know me at all, or even slightly, you may be aware that I am a reading fiend…. a book hound… honestly, I have a wanderlust for literature.  Up to ten tomes can be found on and under my bedside table at all times.  Topics range from Christian Historical Fiction to Adoption to Devotionals for Women to homeschooling to encyclopedias to Arizona History and even Strunk and White Elements of Style.  All that to say…. I can hardly believe that I waited until my 44th birthday to request a reading chair for my bedroom.  It is a little green slice of heaven for me sitting there in my room!

Sixteen-Year-Old Sews Up $50K!  This is a prophetic headline, as my daughter finishes hand-beading and sewing her prom dress that she is entering in the JoAnn’s Prom Dress Contest.  I knew this kid had talent…. but seriously, she can sew straighter lines than I can…. and I’ve been sewing for 127 years!  And Beading!  Be still my bead-loving-heart!  The contest prizes are almost unbelievable!  $50,000 + $1,000 JoAnn’s gift card for first place!  WOW!  Can you say C O L L E G E?  Second place: $20,000 + $500 gift card.  Can you say C A R?  Third place: $10,000 + $250 gift card.  Can you say A W E S O M E   V A C A T I O N    W I T H    M O M?  Ten runner-up prizes of $1,000 + $100 gift card EACH!  Can you say S A V I N G S   A C C O U N T?  The winner is not announced until July or August, but when Larisa wins one of these fantastic prizes, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be broadcasted live here!  A sneak peek:

Children Dragged Through Museum.  This, again, sounds harsh and un-fun.  But no.  Yes, it was my birthday yesterday.  You usually get to do things you love on the day celebrating your birth, right?  Well, I’m a closet history buff who stores trivial historical knowledge in my head.  Take me to a museum and I start to salivate.  Drop me off in an old cemetary with simply a canteen and I’ll be overjoyed.  It was my husband’s idea too, not mine.  When he suggested we tour a Native American museum on the day celebrating his wife’s birth, I was all for it.  A lively, minute docent leeched onto our family and was thrilled that I asked questions and needed detailed information about all the fascinating items on display.  My family slowly distanced themselves from me and my new friend.  Off in the corner I heard my husband tell our children while nodding toward the tour guide, “THERE is your mom when she’s 63!”  Grief!  And on my birthday!

There’s more… but I’ll save some for tomorrow!