BEING MADE NEW

CCS Through the Eyes of Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:25:00 +0000

Of all the material I've been reading about the common core standards (CCS) over the last couple of months, the most inspiring piece - hands down - was written by Matt Gerwitz, a veteran homeschool dad, curriculum publisher, freelance writer, and speaker. Any Christian homeschooler who (with good reason) has concerns about the impact the CCS will have on homeschooling freedom must read his post - CCS Through the Eyes of Daniel - on a regular basis.

Observations from Cincinnati

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

In my latest Celebrate Kids article, I shared a little about my experience at the Great Homeschool Convention in April. You can read the archive of that piece here.

Good-Bye, Sweet "Cow-Boy"

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:26:00 +0000

On May 2, just before 11:00 PM, our sweet cat, Clawde, passed away. Of course, it wasn't really a surprise, as he was nearly 17 years old - in his mid-80s if he were human - and he'd wrestled with some health issues since last June. Though we're confident he was not in pain, we'd also noticed that he'd taken "a turn" about a week ago so we'd known then that it wouldn't be long. But it was still very hard to say good-bye.

We picked Clawdie up as a six-month old kitten from a farm about 25 miles from here. We had three cats at the time, but we wanted another. So, when we saw an ad in the paper, that was that. We called him "Cow-Boy" for a while because he'd been living in a cow barn, so he smelled like musty hay for his first few weeks with us. His actual name - Clawde Allouez - was our attempt to be clever, making a feline-themed reference to a local historical figure.

He was funny because he never really meowed. Instead, he made what we called a "crackie noise" when he wanted to say hi or needed attention. He was also our diplomat, getting along with every single cat sibling he had - no less than 11, counting the three who lived here when he arrived. In fact, he seemed to take it on himself to make the new ones - especially the little kittens - feel welcome. And, when his "older sister" Maddie became frail about six and a half years ago, he latched onto her in a special way - so much so that he was visibly depressed when she died.

We're glad we could keep him home until the end; it was hard to see him fade away, but at least he was here in familiar surroundings. I think that brought him peace. In fact, in his last hour, though he was nearly comatose, he seemed to be trying to purr for Jeff and me as we sat with him.

When Maddie was dying, I asked our then-youth pastor what I should say if the girls asked if she'd be in Heaven. Bradley said the wisest answer he'd ever heard to that question came from one of his seminary professors, who'd said, "We don't really know clearly from Scripture; animals don't have souls, of course. But they are part of the Lord's creation and He loves them. We do know there will be no tears or sadness in Heaven. So our pets will be there if we'll need them to be happy. Or, if they're not there, it's because we won't need them then. Either way, it'll be okay when we get there."

That makes good sense to us, and we're holding onto that idea again now as we mourn for Clawdie. If it turns out he won't be in Heaven when we get there, I know we'll be okay with that then. But, in the meantime, we're comforted by the thought that he may be romping around with all his "siblings" who've gone before him, perhaps even greeting Jesus with his "crackie noise" meow.

How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum: A Quick Primer

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:36:00 +0000

In my work for The Educational Freedom Coalition (TEFC), I've been asked many times how a new homeschooling parent might go about choosing curriculum. Of course, the question is both important - homeschooling is much easier when one finds a "good fit" in terms of method and materials - and understandable, because the curriculum possibilities seem endless. Indeed, in my research for TEFC, I've sent queries to well over 400 curriculum providers and have examined the websites of dozens more. I had no idea so many options existed! And if I'm overwhelmed as an experienced homeschooler doing a research project, I can imagine how absolutely untenable the task looks when one is a fledgling homeschool parent trying to find "the perfect curriculum" for one's child.

But that brings me to my first point: Simply put, there is no "perfect curriculum." And that's okay; we don't need perfection. In fact, one of the best things we can do as homeschoolers - for ourselves and our kids - is to give up the myth of perfection all together...with curriculum and everything else. Perfectionism kills joy and peace, and it simply doesn't belong in our homes.

Of course, we do need to pursue excellence. And, in terms of curriculum, that goal translates into finding a very good fit between our children's needs and the materials we choose to use. But how on earth do we begin the process of sorting through nearly 500 (or more) possibilities? I wrote a more detailed piece on this topic last year, but even that might seem overwhelming to some, so I wanted to break it down to just a few steps that would enable any new homeschooler to get started:

Don't start by asking for ideas from homeschooling friends. As odd as that sounds - after all, networking among homeschoolers is really important - it's not the place to begin when choosing curriculum. Why? Well, simply put, what works beautifully for one family - given their overall situation - may be totally inappropriate for another. For example, I know a woman who followed several friends' advice to use a very solid, Christ-centered, textbook-style curriculum. The program is a good fit for the friends' kids, but it turns out to have been completely inappropriate for the woman's children. As a result, this family's first year of homeschooling has been much more difficult than it should have been. The woman's friends meant well, of course, but they couldn't really know what would meet the needs of her children.

Do begin with prayer. Take time before you launch into your research to start praying for wisdom and discernment - and continue praying as you go. Also, be sure to ask your spouse to pray for you regularly even if he's given you authority to make the ultimate curriculum decisions. God cares deeply about our homeschooling; I know He will guide you via His Spirit if you give Him that permission.

Analyze your family from a homeschooling perspective, discovering your children's preferred learning styles, your preferred teaching style, and other important factors that warrant consideration. The best resource I know for tackling this task is Cathy Duffy's 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. Ms. Duffy takes you through descriptions, checklists, and charts that will ultimately show you the general types of curriculum that will work for you. And, of course, knowing what will work enables you to confidently (without guilt!) eliminate from consideration a wide variety of otherwise fine material that simply wouldn't be a good fit for you and your kids. I wish I'd known about the book when I started homeschooling; if I had, I'd have saved myself tons of time, energy, and money.

Go to TEFC to discover where the good options you get from the Duffy book stand on the "common core standards" (CCS). Ms. Duffy doesn't address the CCS in her book - in fact, she's opted to downplay the importance of considering it at all - and I understand (from a very nice, face-to-face conversation she and I had) why she feels as she does. However, I believe that knowing a curriculum's stance on CCS alignment is a crucial next step. And, though the choice is yours to make, I personally recommend considering only resources that are Independent of the CCS - or, perhaps, those that are Correlated (according to TEFC's definition of that term) - in order to insure true freedom of thought and practice (i.e., no entanglement with the extremely disturbing CCS mandates that have been foisted upon public schools in this country) as you educate your children at home.

After paring things down via Ms. Duffy's book and TEFC's information, you'll probably have a rather short list of viable options. So from there you can visit the companies' websites to study online samples and enlist the help of your homeschooling friends. Specifically, ask if others have hard copy samples of the materials you're considering so you can see the books themselves. Or, if possible, attend a homeschool convention and study your remaining options there.

If you've been praying through the process, I'm confident you'll have a good sense of peace at this point. Of course, you may not be 100% sure - as homeschooling moms, we are our own worst critics - but "almost sure" is really all you need. If you feel too much doubt, ask your husband if he'd be willing to share his preference among your two or three strongest possibilities. And, if he indicates an inclination toward one, trust that God is using your husband to help you and go with that. On the other hand, if he leaves it up to you, simply go with your gut. Remember: You've covered the whole process in prayer and you've done your homework so any of the remaining options will be a very good fit and you can trust that you're choosing well.

I realize that this process will still take a bit of time - but it really will bear beautiful fruit. You won't be choosing on a whim or trying to copy your best friend. You won't be picking based on a colorful website or slick advertising campaign. Instead, your choice will be grounded in meaningful research and faith, so you'll be able to move forward into your first term as a homeschooler with confidence that you've begun well.

Photo Credit: jimmiehomeschoolmom

Three Thousand Year Old Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:31:00 +0000

My task for the latest edition of our Celebrate Kids email newsletter was to write about the importance of parental involvement in education. Of course, there is so much I could say on that topic - but I had just 500 words, and I needed to remember my audience: a collection of classroom teachers, homeschool educators, and other parents representing a broad spectrum of political and religious beliefs.

But God led me to the root of the call to parental involvement, Deuteronomy 6.6-9, which actually applies to people of any faith or none. It simply extols a life principle that every parent who truly wants to be a good parent must embrace.

You can read the archive of my piece here.

Radio Spots

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 03:44:00 +0000

This past Tuesday I was privileged to have the opportunity to speak about the common core standards (CCS) for part of two segments on The Jerry Bader Show, a local conservative radio program with a large audience. I was amazed at the time Jerry gave me. I had emailed him the night before after a friend told me he'd be addressing the CCS, but I was not a scheduled guest; truly, I was just a caller like any other, responding to the topic of the day, but he gave me well over 10 minutes - an "eternity" for a "regular jane" caller - and he essentially gave me an open mic as well. I'm in two segments because he had me hang on over a break; you can listen here and then here.

And then, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was the featured guest on a March 19 blog-talk radio program - Women Patriots on Conservative Nation Radio - speaking about the CCS and homeschooling for almost an hour. If you'd like to grab a cup of coffee and listen to that broadcast, click here and fast-forward to 28:30 in the program, where the hosts introduce me.

What a privilege to reach thousands of good folks with information about the CCS and its dangers. I'm so thankful for both opportunities and look forward to what else God might have for me.

Photo Credit: Fernando Candeias

Recent Celebrate Kids Articles

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

I've written two pieces for the Celebrate Kids email newsletter in the last few weeks, both addressing the topic of multiple intelligences in different but related ways. You can read archives of the articles here:

A Multiple Intelligences Pitfall

How Can We Do Otherwise?

"Read" Your Child

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

For the Spring 2013 edition of the women's ministry newsletter at my church, I wrote what I believe to be a very important piece - born from my own experiences an insecure new mom several years ago - for young mothers. You can read an archive of the article here.

Common Core: What's the Big Deal?

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

As I've spoken by phone with a number of homeschool curriculum providers over the last several days, I've often been asked about the root of my opposition to the CCS. Especially by those who've chosen to align, but even by many who are remaining independent, I've been asked to delineate what I believe to be the problems with the initiative.

Of course, I don't come at my views in a vacuum. I've based my opinion on a good deal of study over the past few months, including but not limited to the sources I've shared here. And, essentially, it all boils down to three main problems:

The Problem of Principle
On principle, the CCS is completely unconstitutional. Specifically, it is essentially a federal mandate for education despite the fact that the Constitution clearly delineates (in the 10th Amendment) that education is a matter of states' rights. Now, CCS proponents claim the states - 45 of them and the District of Columbia - "voluntarily" chose to concurrently adopt the same education standards, but anyone with half a brain knows that can't be true. Honestly, could even five states ever agree on something simple - let alone 45 legitimately concur on something as significant as an overarching education policy? Of course not. But when money came into play - very simply put, the federal government blackmailed the states by threatening to withhold billions of dollars on which the states had come to rely - the fat lady enjoyed a good round-robin sing-along all over the country.

And, thus, whether or not a person feels that national education standards would be a good thing, the fact that the adoption of the CCS violated the nation's Constitution should be enough to make every American stand up and shout, "Stop!" We are a nation still ruled by law, after all, and that should mean something.

Now, if we think national standards should be pursued, we'd have to go about it in the right way - which would mean working to amend the Constitution to allow federal education mandates in the first place and then moving forward from there. But unless that happens, the whole idea of national standards should be a non-starter.

The Problem of Probity
Of course, then there's the whole notion of whether or not national standards would be good. CCS advocates claim they're essential - so all children (at least all children educated in the public schools) could learn the same things at the same ages in the same ways. Thus, kids in our mobile society would supposedly not miss anything if they moved from one school district or state to another.

Now, setting aside for the sake of argument the fact that it would be patently impossible to so tightly regiment lesson plans in every classroom across the nation to insure such an outcome, let's consider the cost of that philosophy. Do we really want to try to force all children at a particular "grade level" to learn and master the exact same content at the exact same time in the exact same way as everyone else just because a standards document says they must? Really? How immoral! Children are not robots; learning is not supposed to look like an assembly line. And, frankly, anyone who thinks otherwise is either foolish or evil.

The Problem of Pedagogy
But let's say we could somehow justify treating our children as if they're part of a Borg-like collective. Would the CCS work then? Of course, that's a remarkably big "if" since the very notion of treating uniquely-created individual children like machines is so beyond the pale. But even if we could get past that, there is still the problem of these particular standards.

And, to put it bluntly, they are wrong in terms of both content and style. They don't delineate concrete measures of what children are supposed to know and be able to do at certain points in their lives; instead, they spout a lot of theoretical jargon that lacks real meaning "in the trenches" of a classroom. And, to make matters worse, they forbid teachers from using creativity in delivering the lesson content, instead requiring that they all use the same mandated materials in the same mandated way with every child, individual differences be damned.

Furthermore, where one could possibly pluck particular skills and abilities from the semantic mud of the verbiage, the directives are usually developmentally-inappropriate in one way or another. Sometimes, the expectations are ridiculously too high for a particular age and, at other times, they are laughably too low. In fact, it's almost as if the standards were not written by teachers and experts in child development but, instead, were cobbled together by bureaucrats and ideologues. Oh, wait; that's exactly what happened. In point of fact, very few teachers were involved in the development of the standards. Rather, those in charge had partisan, vested interests and were more determined to see their particular (collectivist, socialist) worldview perpetuated than in assuring a full, meaningful education for each child. The standards are long on indoctrination and short on meaningful educational content. And for that reason alone - even if Principle and Probity were non-issues - the CCS is bad news.

All that said, any parent of a child in public school should be up in arms - and I have no doubt most would be if they really knew what was going on. Of course, why they don't "get it" is a topic for another day. But for homeschoolers - as well as for those who've chosen to utilize private schools - all of this is even more of an issue.

We haven't taken any money from the federal government; in contrast, we pay for our children's educations out of our own pocket in addition to paying property taxes for public schools we do not utilize. Therefore, even if national standards were constitutional, they shouldn't apply to us. We pay; therefore, we get to make the rules for our own children.

Secondly, we not only know that each of our children is an unique individual, we celebrate that fact and customize learning to suit each one's needs. No child should be forced to endure a cookie-cutter education, but that applies double to homeschooled kids, whose parents have purposed to get them off the government-run conveyor belt. Thus, to suggest we should somehow put them back onto the hamster wheel by virtue of complying with formulaic nationalized standards is unthinkable.

Finally, homeschoolers have very specific ideas about what our children should be learning - both in terms of worldview and specific, measurable content. And, very often, those convictions run contrary to the notions expressed in the CCS. Thus, to even hint that we may have to comply with content and perspectives that run afoul of our own convictions for our own children - just because the government says so - is anathema. If children belong to anyone, they belong to their parents, not to the government - especially when those parents consciously take full responsibility for their children's education. Homeschoolers have standards; in fact, we develop appropriate individualized expectations for each of our children. We don't need the government mandating that for us.

I have yet to meet an informed homeschooler who supports the CCS - and with good reason, as is apparent from this short treatise. The foisting of the CCS on any of America's children is a big deal, and it should be combatted at every turn - most of all by homeschoolers because of the very nature of the type of upbringing we are working so hard to provide for our kids.

Photo Credit: Chiot's Run

A Common Core Primer: What Is It and Why Is It a Problem?

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:09:00 +0000

Like most parents, you may be wondering what this Common Core Standards (CCS) thing is all about. And, of course, that is part of the problem: very few people in this country are aware of the significant change that's been foisted upon the nation's public school districts. In fact, even most classroom teachers had no idea what the CCS was until they were directed not long ago to begin aligning their instruction to it. But that was most assuredly by design - because people cannot stand up against that which they do not realize is happening. And I do not believe it's a stretch at all to suggest that the creators and advocates of the CCS kept us in the dark on purpose.

Of course, it's bad enough that this has happened to the public schools - and we can and should pray and advocate that each state adopting the CCS for its public schools does whatever it takes to extricate itself from implementation. But you might be thinking, as I did not long ago, that the problem is rather irrelevant to homeschoolers - something to watch from afar as a concerned taxpayer, but something "out there" and "other."

However, it's not that simple, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, there is evidence to suggest that the power brokers behind the CCS would like nothing more than to find ways to force private schools and homeschools to comply as well; they believe that all of education - not just that paid for by the government - should be "standardized" and are, frankly, hell-bent on getting their way. But - as if that weren't bad enough - we've discovered in the last week that several prominent providers of homeschool curriculum resources have chosen (for whatever reason) to align their materials with the CCS - even though, as private businesses catering to private education, they are under no federal mandate to do so.

Of course, that development was the impetus behind the formation of The Educational Freedom Coalition. Namely, when we learned of a few companies that had consciously aligned their materials, we launched a campaign to discover what every provider of homeschool resources aims to do in regards to the CCS. Simply put, we want homeschool parents to know exactly what philosophical position about standardization they are getting when they spend their hard-earned money on homeschool materials - and you can click on the tabs at the top of this page to learn the stance of just about every provider out there.

But along with that knowledge must come an understanding of what the CCS really is and why it is so dangerous - for every young person in this nation and for our future as a country. And so we share here a small collection of resources explaining and exposing the CCS. Of course, even this sampling might seem overwhelming, especially because a couple of the links actually contain multiple articles. But just click on a few to get started and then bookmark the page to come back for more when you have time.

Above all else, please don't allow yourself to simply dismiss this issue. It's too important to ignore. After all, as Edmund Burke famously said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." As you'll see with just a bit of reading, the CCS is an evil initiative on many levels. Thus, we simply cannot sit by and let it take hold without a fight.

But, of course, in order to fight, one must first know one's enemy:

The Ambitions of Bill and Melinda Gates: Controlling Population and Public Education

Common Core Articles

Common Core - Education Without Representation: 8th Grade Teacher: You Don't Get Harmony When Everyone Sings the Same Note - VIDEO

Common Core: Phasing Western Culture Out of Education

Common Core Standards: A Bad Idea

Common Core Standards: Why We Object to the K-3 Core Standards

Common Core State Standards Initiative: Too Close to a National Curriculum

Common Core State Standards and Homeschoolers

Commonwealth Education Organization: Common Core Standards

Exposing Common Core: Kids are Being Indoctrinated with Extreme Leftist Ideology

If You Never Read Any of Our Other Articles, You MUST Read This: What Is Happening to Your Child's Education: The Dangers of Common Core

Indoctrination and Data Mining in Common Core: Here's Why America's Schools May in More Trouble than You Think

Joy Pullman: Data Mining Kids Crosses Line

Michelle Malkin's Education Archive

Obamacore: The Substitution of Propaganda for Great Literature in Our Schools

Opposition ot Obama-Backed National Education Scheme Grows

A Response to President Obama's New State Standards for Education

Rotten to the Core: The Feds' Invasive Student Tracking Database

Stop Common Core: Reclaiming Local Control in Education - VIDEO SERIES

A Tough Critique of the Common Core on Early Childhood Education

Truth in American Education: Common Core Standards

Truth in American Education: Open Letter to Parents of Public School Children

Why I Oppose the Common Core Standards

Why National Standards Won't Fix American Education: Misalignment of Power and Incentives

Photo Credit: Upstream Politics

Introducing The Educational Freedom Coalition

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:50:00 +0000

It started with one email.

Somewhere during the week of March 4, I got an email from a homeschool curriculum company whose materials I'd used for several years. I had decided last November to stop using the products because they didn't seem to be a good fit for the girls anymore. But I didn't unsubscribe from the emails; I guess I never got around to it. And what a God-incidence that turned out to be.

The email proudly announced that the company had purposely aligned most of its books with the so-called Common Core Standards (CCS), the troublesome federally-mandated education "standards" that have recently been foisted upon public schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia. I'd been aware of and had been very concerned about the CCS, though I'd not really thought much about it in relation to homeschooling until then. But when this company came out touting the CCS as a good thing, I sat up and took notice.

As I discussed this with a couple of friends and happened upon a few related blog posts over the next few days, I discovered that some other prominent homeschool curriculum companies had also apparently chosen to align with CCS. And that scared me. Homeschoolers - along with those who've enrolled their kids in independent private schools - are not mandated to follow the CCS in any way. And I've not spoken with one informed homeschooler who wants to do so. But if all or most of our curriculum providers were to align, we'd be forced by default to go along with it.

Armed with that concern, I decided late in the evening on March 8 to start a Facebook group for homeschoolers interested in knowing more. In particular, I wanted to use it as a platform for researching which homeschool companies would align and which would not. So I started sending query letters to the companies whose materials I use, and a few of the ladies I'd invited to join the group made their own suggestions and started inviting their friends to join, too.

Well, one thing led to another and now - as of today - our "little" group has over 1,300 members only nine days after it was started, and I have sent query letters to over 250 providers of homeschool-related curriculum and resources. Not only that, we have an official name - The Educational Freedom Coalition (TEFC) - along with a logo and a website. And I'm going to be interviewed about this whole thing on a nationally-broadcast blog-talk radio show this coming Tuesday!

So to say that I've been swamped with this is beyond understatement; in fact, it has fairly consumed most of my waking hours for the last week, and I've been staying up much later than I should every night in order to keep the ball rolling. But, honestly, that's okay. I can clearly see that God's been sustaining me through the busy-ness. And, though I know I can't continue at this pace indefinitely, I rejoice in the fact that He's given me strength and endurance during this launch phase.

So what is TEFC? To quote from the website:

The Educational Freedom Coalition (TEFC) exists for homeschool parents who seek to maintain educational freedom from the so-called "common core standards" (CCS) currently being implemented across the country. We also advocate for independence from any other initiatives that would seek to limit our homeschooling freedom.

We provide information about the nature of and dangers inherent in the CCS and other ill-advised attempts to "standardize" our children. We also offer encouragement and inspiration for those who understand that each child is a unique individual worthy of something much better than a government-directed, cookie-cutter education.

And we house a fully-researched Educational Resource Database that identifies which homeschool-related companies and products have explicitly chosen to align with the CCS, which have some sort of coincidental connection, and which have pledged to remain independent.

Though we personally eschew the CCS, we don't seek to pass judgment on entities that have aligned in one way or another. Rather, our purpose for providing the lists is to offer factual full disclosure that will empower homeschool parents as they exercise their God-ordained responsibility to make educational decisions for their children.

If you visit the site - and I hope you will not only stop by but also bookmark it, subscribe to it, and share it with others - you'll see a few introductory posts and a further explanation of what I plan to do over time. And, most importantly, you'll have access to our lists.

Of the 250-some entities I've contacted, about 180 have already replied - or, in a few cases, they've made unambiguous statements on their websites such that I feel comfortable classifying their positions in regards to the CCS even though they haven't yet responded to my letter. And I'm working hard to get answers from the remaining 70 because I feel strongly that we deserve to know what we're getting from the companies whose resources we pay for. My goal is to have data on every single homeschool-related company or product that other TEFC members and I can think of, and I plan to push until that happens.

As I explain on the TEFC website, this really is an important issue for homeschoolers - and for every adult who truly cares about kids no matter where they're educated. And so I hope that you - my readers here - will spread the word and share the site in your spheres of influence. There's a ton of other good information available about this situation on the internet - in fact, I link to a bunch of it - but I hope TEFC might be a good starting point for you as you begin to learn. And TEFC is unique in that it contains the most complete, thoroughly researched list of where curriculum companies stand in terms of alignment.

It's my sincere desire that I might serve the homeschool community I so dearly love through the information I'm gathering. So, if you have any questions after looking things over, just let me know.

Becoming a Titus 2 Homeschooler

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:44:00 +0000

This past Friday, March 8, was a big day for me, as it marked my debut guest post for Hip Homeschool Moms, an online community with nearly 10,000 followers. Whew! I'll contribute several pieces this year and - by God's grace - more going forward.

I wrote this time on Becoming a Titus 2 Homeschooler, a role I strongly feel that each of us should willingly take on in due time. Curious? Click here!

How Much Better

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:23:00 +0000

For this past week's Celebrate Kids email newsletter, I addressed a topic - the terrible mistake of paralyzing children's multiple intelligence strengths - about which I am passionate. To see why this means so much to me, click here.

Weekly Wrap-Up: A Busy Season

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 06:07:00 +0000

I've been running at full-tilt for three weeks now, starting with our latest sabbath week from homeschool lessons. During that week, I:

devoted many hours to resolving an unexpected financial situation;
used the financial scare as motivation to develop a detailed family budget for the rest of this year;
scheduled an emergency dental visit for myself and took the girls to their six-month checkups;
ran the girls to piano lessons and musical rehearsal;
attended a homeschool association board meeting;
hosted a small group of business people in my home to discuss homeschooling - which included a few hours of prep-work ahead of time;
led a meeting for one of my book clubs;
wrote a column for Celebrate Kids;
secured my plane ticket for the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati in April;
helped the girls prepare for and pull-off their annual sleepover event.

I was so thankful we had scheduled a break from our lessons; I have no idea how I would have managed that on top of everything else. As it was, the girls didn't practice piano as they should have, mostly because I could not take time to help them as I usually do. They also didn't do the extra math lessons they'd said they wanted to work on despite our break. And I didn't set foot near my scrapbooking table even though I'd originally planned to spend much of my sabbath week "free time" catching up.

The week after that, of course, we did get back to our lessons. But I also:

continued to work on our finances;
took Abigail (with Rachel and Leah in tow) to doctor and chiropractor appointments to treat an earache;
wrote a piece for Worthy of the Prize;
emailed the girls' piano teacher to explain that we would skip the week's lessons because the girls had barely practiced the week before;
attended a productive but overly long meeting at church;
adjusted our schedule so our friend Anna could stay with us when her school district called a snow day;
hosted the ladies in my other book club - who stayed until 11:00 PM;
celebrated Leah's birthday;
had a "talk date" with two friends while our kids spent an afternoon playing together;
spoke about homeschooling to a small group of moms from a local MOPS chapter - which involved a few hours of prep-time as well;
wrote my first guest post for Hip Homeschool Moms - scheduled to run on March 8;
spent a morning with the ladies in my "Core4" group.

And this past week, as we continued with a full slate of formal bookwork, I also:

attended Leah's official birthday party;
kept working on our finances, hoping - in vain - that all the loose ends would finally be tied up by week's end;
ran the girls to piano lessons, art class - a double-length lesson to make up for snow days of our own - and musical rehearsal;
picked up Anna from her school 30 minutes from here and took her to dance class;
wrote another Celebrate Kids article;
went to dinner with a new friend to answer her questions about homeschooling;
hosted Anna here for an afternoon when her school had yet another snow day;
went to dinner with a dear, "old" friend to catch up and help her work through a tough situation;
spent an evening at church running video for worship team rehearsal during the same time that Jeff had a missions committee meeting...so the girls had to come along and camp out in the lobby for a couple of hours with our portable DVD player;
hosted a mom and her two young kids to answer her questions about homeschooling;
took one car in for a much-needed oil change;
held down the fort while Jeff went to two different missions meetings;
went shopping for flying monkey wings (i.e., part of the girls' costumes for the musical) and supplies for their art class;
prepared and filed our taxes.

Through all of this, I've also been trying to keep up with the homemaking schedule I implemented back in January - basically doing one "big" chore around the house each day - and my personal wellness goals. I've managed the former pretty well most days. But, unfortunately, my daily devotions and exercise time have suffered, and I've not been as diligent about my nutrition as I should be. Plus, I've been burning the midnight oil way too many days in a row, sacrificing sleep. As a result, I was bitten by a nasty little cold bug late in the week, and I hit an emotional wall yesterday afternoon.

I felt better today after sleeping late. So I accomplished a lot, including the last four things on this week's list, cleaning a bathroom I didn't get to yesterday, and doing some prep-work on next week's lessons.

But, as I look forward to the coming week, I'm afraid it seems nearly as full as the previous three. In addition to homeschooling and homemaking, I'll:

run video for both services tomorrow morning;
attend a farewell reception for one of our wonderful interim pastors;
hopefully - finally! - get to chat on the phone with a dear friend I haven't spoken to in weeks;
hopefully - finally! - get the last bits of the financial thing squared away;
write two articles - one for Broken Within Ministries and another for the women's ministries newsletter at my church;
run the girls to piano, art, and musical rehearsal again;
take them to dance class, too, even though Jeff usually does that, because it's "picture day" and they may need my help with costuming;
attend another "Core4" meeting.

And that's just what I know about now...not to mention all that I'm aware of later this month, which includes an opportunity to speak at a regular MOPS meeting and at a homeschool curriculum fair, as well as Jeff's trip to Trinidad, during which time I'll be a "single mom" for about a week.

I know that some "seasons" are like this - unavoidably busy - and I know God has carried me through the last three weeks and will continue to do so. But I have to get better about my personal wellness - all four big components - if I'm going to be able to sustain this pace while it lasts. Taking care of my soul and body is akin to filling up the gas tank in our van and taking it in for that oil change; the car simply will not continue to go without it. I also know that the other things will fall into place - and the busy-ness will seem much less crazy - if I purpose to do the most important thing of all each day: spend a bit of focused, quality time with my Lord. In fact, my husband preached an amazing sermon about that very thing last Sunday, and I need to take his wisdom to heart...and then put feet on it, too.

With that in mind, I'm off to bed - albeit already after midnight - so I can start my Sunday the right way.

*****

I'm linking up with the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click here to read other weekly wrap-up posts.

Photo Credits: moominmolly and Joint Base Lewis McChord

Weekly Wrap-Up: The One with a Birthday Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:03:00 +0000

After our very full sabbath week, we jumped back into our regular studies on Monday and proceeded rather well with scheduled bookwork. We did end up taking an unexpected additional day off on Tuesday because the girls' friend Anna - Leah's sister - needed a place to come when her school district called a "snow day" while the district where her mom works remained in session. We didn't mind helping out, though, because we miss Anna after having had her with us every day for almost six years. And, although I believe in being diligent about academics, I also embrace the flexibility homeschooling affords us.

We had another playdate on Thursday afternoon, too - this time with some new friends - when we went over to the home of one of the ladies in one of my book clubs. Denise has a 10-year old daughter and nine-year old son, and, Melissa, another book club member, brought her two boys, ages nine and six. I had to shake my head again at the "lack of socialization" myth that plagues homeschoolers because those six kids connected instantly and played all afternoon as if they'd known each other for years. I really wish the general public would understand - once and for all - that it really doesn't take sitting in a little box of a room with 25 same-aged peers for seven hours a day 180 days a year to teach kids how to get along with others. Not holding my breath, of course, but I can dream, can't I?

I had a full week of "socialization" myself: attending a rather difficult but ultimately beneficial meeting at church on Monday night; hosting one of my monthly book clubs on Tuesday evening; enjoying a "talk date" with two friends on Thursday afternoon (while our kids played together); sharing about homeschooling with a small group of MOPS moms on Thursday night; and meeting on Saturday morning with three dear friends with whom I've been doing monthly Bible study for about a year and a half. I don't usually like to be so busy, but sometimes it's unavoidable. And - the Monday meeting excepted because it had a different purpose - I had a great time at each gathering. I especially cherish the times I get to share with others about homeschooling, and I'm excited that God seems to be opening more and more doors for me on that path.

All of that aside, though, the biggest event of our week definitely happened on Thursday, when our precious Leah - the sweet girl I've been privileged to babysit for essentially her whole life - turned two years old. We celebrated with her family and other friends today at her house, but we also marked her actual birthday on Thursday with some of her favorite foods for lunch (macaroni and cheese, cucumbers, and peaches) and birthday cupcakes.

You know that mom thing where we feel that our hearts are walking around outside our bodies in the form of our kids? Yeah, well, I've got the same thing for my two quasi-nieces, Leah and Anna. I am blessed.

*****

I'm linking up with the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click here to read other weekly wrap-up posts.

What Really Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:22:00 +0000

In our continuing series on multiple intelligences in the Celebrate Kids email newsletter, Authentic Hope, I wrote this week about what really matters when it comes to teaching - whether that happens in an institutional school classroom or in a homeschool setting.

Curious? Click here to read the archive of my article.

Longing for Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:16:00 +0000

Using my mother-in-law and the sweet toddler whom I babysit as object lessons, I wrote earlier this month in the Celebrate Kids email newsletter about how it's never too late - or too early - for one of the eight "smarts" to be awakened or strengthened in any person. You can read an archive of that piece here.

Artwork Attribution: Geraldine Hollenbeck

{Hope for the Home}: The Ministry of Presence

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:03:00 +0000

I'm guest-posting at Worthy of the Prize again today, using my girls' recent sleepover to share some wisdom given to me years ago by a "Titus 2 woman" in my life. Check out the post here.

The 2nd Annual Mid-Winter Tea Party and Sleepover

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:40:00 +0000

Last February, Rachel and Abigail hosted a tea party and sleepover for five friends. It was a great way to combat the mid-winter "blahs," and it went so well that we planned right away to make it an annual event. The girls also decided to double their guest list. After all, if it's fun to spend several hours with five friends, doing so with 10 must, by definition, be double the fun!

They also asked if we could extend the length and scope of the festivities. So, though last year's guests arrived after dinner on Friday and stayed until just after breakfast on Saturday, this time we started with dinner on Friday - a simple taco supper - and went through lunch on Saturday.

Abigail and Rachel had wisely planned out a series of activities for Friday, starting with minuet dancing and then proceeding to the actual tea party and beyond. The structure really helped to break the ice and build camaraderie among the guests, many of whom were meeting for the first time.

After tea, it was time to switch gears entirely. Everyone changed into their jammies and prepared to battle "Ogre Jeff." In the game - a highlight of the party both last year and this - the ogre comes to steal one of the princesses and then must battle all the "knights" who come to rescue her. Each girl gets a turn as princess if she wants one - so this year Jeff had to stand up to nine skirmishes - and then there's a "final battle" at the end. Impressively, though he was thoroughly trounced, he managed really well and didn't even need an emergency visit to the chiropractor!

Next up was craft time, during which the girls made tiaras and "glitter girl" paper dolls.

And then - shortly before 10:00 - everyone settled in for the evening's movie, Ever After. One of our guests couldn't stay overnight, but the rest happily camped out on the living room floor and I slept on one of the couches. I know some parents would just leave the kids to their own devices at that point - and, in fact, Jeff and I both stayed largely in the background through most of the event - but, though these young ladies are all lovely and trustworthy, there is something to said for keeping an adult presence to insure an appropriate tone and demeanor. As far as I'm concerned, that's just part of a parent's job.

Just before breakfast, we said good-bye to one friend who had to leave early but also welcomed a new guest - one of the girls' oldest friends who, though unable to attend on Friday, more than welcomed the opportunity to come when she could. So, of course, we had to snap some photos of our beautiful Saturday crew.

And then they went off for the next three hours to play as girls do before enjoying a final meal together.

Of course, this was simply a fun party for all the girls. But I couldn't help but take note of a few things along the way:

Including my girls, 11 young ladies attended part or all of the event. Eight of them are homeschooled. The three who attend public schools do not attend with each other, but the homeschooled girls don't represent a homogeneous group either. Actually, each family situation is unique and the home learning environments among the families are quite diverse. And, though all live in the same city, some had not had occasion to meet before the party;

Most of the girls were between the ages of nine and 11. But the youngest was just six, another was only seven, and the oldest was almost 14. My girls invited their friends, feeling no obligation to limit the guest list to same-aged peers;

The only two girls who initially seemed nervous were the youngest two, one homeschooled and one not. Clearly, their hesitation was a factor of their age and of realizing they were much younger than the others, not where they are "socialized." But they both experienced something I've seen consistently among homeschoolers much more than institutionally-schooled kids: the older girls embraced the younger ones as peers and helped them as needed without giving it a second thought. So, before long, the younger ones relaxed and joined right in;

Other than the two youngest, none of the girls was the least bit "socially awkward" even though several had never met each other before. The homeschooled girls didn't sit around in the corners twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the "properly socialized" public school girls to "draw them out." They didn't speak only with the girls they'd known before the party or break off into same-age enclaves. Nope. Instead, all the girls were engaged in conversation with each other almost from the moment each walked in the door. It didn't matter one bit to any of the girls who went to school where;

I know the parents of the girls who attend public school extremely well - better, in fact, than the parents of most of the homeschooled girls. And, from my own experience as a student and then later from my years as a public school teacher, I know all about the socialization environment of the public schools. The publicly-schooled girls at our party are wonderful young ladies - but I'm sure that has nothing to do with where they go to school. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that they're well-socialized because of the parenting they've received and in spite of the inevitable, unavoidable "lord of the flies" environment prevalent in the schools.

Given all of that, I kept wishing that critics of homeschoolers' supposed "lack of socialization" could have been flies on my wall. They could not have distinguished between the homschooled kids and the others, and their stereotype would have been blown out of the water. Of course, they would have noticed the lack of "mean girl syndrome" and how respectful the girls were of each other and of the adults - behavior that might have seemed "weird" to them. But, honestly, if that's the definition of weird, let's keep at it.

As for the future of the sleepover...well, suffice it to say that Rachel and Abigail are already thinking about next year, and Jeff and I will be happy to oblige.

Weekly Wrap-Up: The Sabbath Week with Very Little Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 01:29:00 +0000

A week ago on Saturday night, I was getting ready to write a wrap-up post for February 3 to 9 when one email changed my planned trajectory for that evening and most of this past week - our first scheduled home learning sabbatical of this calendar year. To make a long story short, a credible message indicated that my debit card had been hacked and that money had been stolen from our bank account.

Needless to say, that threw me into a tizzy - and forced me to spend many hours working to get the situation resolved. So instead of diving into the scrapbook projects I'd intended to tackle in my free time, I immersed myself in fixing our finances.

Though I don't know if the thieves have actually been located, the good news is that my account was secured and my money was refunded. And the great news is that God demonstrated Genesis 50.20 in a mighty way through the process. Specifically, He turned things around so that what could have really hurt us financially will actually result in major blessing instead. In fact, it's clear to me from details I won't share here that the hacking incident was His way of affirmatively answering my requests for help in that area of our lives. Yes, God's ways seem odd to us at times - but I cannot deny His hand in this even if I wanted to try. So - despite all the unexpected time I had to give to the situation - I am beyond grateful.

I had other busy-ness, too - most of it planned but still time-consuming. First, I prepared for and hosted a small group of business people in my home on Tuesday afternoon, allowing them to interview me about homeschooling. Then I hosted one of my book clubs on Tuesday evening, holding the meeting in my home instead of at the bookstore where we've met in previous months. And I helped my daughters prepare for their 2nd Annual Mid-Winter Tea Party and Sleepover, for which they hosted nine girls in our home from yesterday at dinner time until today after lunch.

Add to all of that an unexpected trip to the dentist for myself on Monday morning, a homeschool association board meeting on Monday afternoon, and six-month dental checkups for the girls on Thursday morning - in addition to all the regular work that goes into being a mom, babysitter, and homemaker - and it's really no wonder - on Saturday night almost exactly a week to the hour after getting that ominous email - that I'm exhausted and don't feel I've had much of a sabbath week at all.

I'm not complaining. Actually, this week was chock full of blessings. The book club meeting was very uplifting; my damaged tooth was repaired quickly at no cost and the girls' checkups were very encouraging; I felt good about the interview; the party was a blast; and, of course, God turned a curse into a blessing. Plus, this all happened when we'd planned to take a break from our bookwork. So, especially as I dealt with all the financial stuff, I didn't have the pressure of trying to squeeze in academics with the girls or feel as if I'd "fallen behind." So it's all good. But have you ever felt you needed a vacation from your vacation? That's how I'm feeling today...even though I'm smiling as my eyelids droop.

*****

I'm linking up with the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click here to read other weekly wrap-up posts.

Photo Credit: jcolman

My Name is Tina...

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 04:51:00 +0000

I am pleased to announce my collaboration with Broken Within Ministries (BWM), an endeavor founded by my fellow homeschool mom friend, Amanda, to "minister to young women and help them uncover their TRUE beauty, TRUE worth, TRUE identity, TRUE purpose, and TRUE purity so that they can become the women they were created to be."

In my monthly articles, I'll share my personal experiences and insights related to those five key topics in hopes of encouraging young BWM readers to persevere as they walk toward wholeness in Christ.

You may read my first post - an introduction - here.

Dr. Ben Carson in the Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:36:00 +0000

Last July, I was privileged to have my nomination of the renowned Dr. Ben Carson accepted into the Creation Science Hall of Fame. And now this week Dr. Carson is garnering attention in another way as a result of giving what has been referred to as an "epic speech" at this year's White House National Prayer Breakfast.

Of course, I don't know Dr. Carson personally. But I'm even more proud to be a supporter than I was before. I love that he calls out the folly and evil of political correctness and then proceeds to speak very common sense, non-PC truth about the state of this nation. He is right in everything he says here.

Over the last few days, a fledgling "Ben Carson for President" movement has sprung up, and I think it's a wonderful idea. We're more than due for another non-lawyer, non-politician as president. And Dr. Carson himself didn't dismiss the possibility, saying in at least one interview that he'd consider running for president if God "grabbed him by the collar." So how about all of us who love this nation and seek to see it return to its freedom-loving, limited government, constitutionally-governed roots start praying today for some Divine collar-grabbing?!

THIS YEAR'S MUST-READ BOOK: A Review and an Amazing Opportunity for Freebies

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever read a book you wished you could buy for every single one of your friends?

I've read lots of books over the years and regularly recommend particularly good titles to others. In fact, if you've known me for any length of time, you realize that I won't hesitate to advocate for a book I feel will benefit someone. But I've never run across a book I believed all of my women friends would relish reading - until now.

No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage is that book.

I really do feel this title is 2013’s must-read book for every mom alive, whether your kids are babies, teens, or in between, and no matter how you choose to educate them. In fact, women who aren’t moms – whether married or single – can benefit from much of Jill's wisdom, too. Simply put, this book will minister to every woman who fears that she “doesn’t measure up.”

In No More Perfect Moms, Jill examines all the major areas in which women can struggle with feelings of inadequacy: as parents, wives, and friends; in our physical appearance; as homemakers and managers of our homes. With compassion, humor, and amazing personal transparency, she helps readers see the root causes of such struggles and then shares realistic, practical remedies to enable us to begin growing past our insecure, unattainable quests for perfection. She also explains how choosing to rest in God’s perfection is the ultimate antidote for our “perfection infections.”

As a recovering perfectionist, I loved this book. I felt...

encouraged as I was reminded of areas in which I’ve largely overcome perfectionism;
strengthened in my ability to accept my imperfections;
empowered with Jill’s practical tools to continue on the journey toward living a life of love and freedom.

I plan to do one or more book studies with this book and to buy it as a gift for many friends and relatives. In fact, I may even purchase it in bulk to hand out to acquaintances and random strangers who look as if they could use a boost. I'm not being hyperbolic. It really is that good.

*****

And now - for this week only - you have an opportunity to receive a big bonus with your purchase of the book.

Simply buy No More Perfect Moms - online or at a store (and, yes, electronic versions such as Kindle and Nook count, too) - anytime between February 3rd and 9th. Then send a copy of your receipt (scan it or take a picture) to NoMorePerfectMoms@moody.edu and you'll be given access to well over $100 worth of resources to help you on your mothering journey - absolutely free!

What will you receive?

6 Sixty-Minute Audio Workshops (MP3 format) from Hearts at Home:

Desperate for Wisdom - Dr. Juli Slattery
How to Fight for Your Marriage - Dr. Juli Slattery
It is Well with Your Soul - Jennifer Rothschild
Multiple Intelligences - Dr. Kathy Koch
Ten Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs - Jill Savage
The God Who Sees You- Tammy Maltby

4 Printables from Hearts at Home:

10 Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs
“Love Is” - I Corinthians 13 for Parents
Mom Rules
How to Fight Fair in Marriage

3 Free E-books (including PDF, Kindle, iPad, and Nook editions!) from Moody Publishers:

Live Free by Kendra Smiley
Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larsen
Real Moms Real Jesus by Jill Savage

1 Contest Entry:
You will be entered in a drawing to win hotel accommodations and two Hearts at Home Mom Conference registrations for you and a friend at a conference of your choice! (Or, if unable to attend a conference, a Hearts at Home Conference To-Go will be substituted for the winner and a friend.)

This offer is available for this week only (February 3-9)! So purchase a copy of No More Perfect Moms, scan your receipt, email it, and start enjoying your new book PLUS all of the extra bonuses you’ll receive!

It’s “Mom University” delivered right to your computer!

*****

FULL DISCLOSURE: Since I was privileged to be chosen as part of the No More Perfect Moms Launch Team, I received a copy of the book for free. However, I was not compensated in any other way, and I know without a doubt that I'd have written this same review even if I'd purchased it on my own.

Weekly Wrap-Up: A Day in the Life

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 06:44:00 +0000

Just for fun, I wrote a "day in the life" post about this time last year, documenting the progression of a "typical" day in our home learning enviroment. I decided when I saw Simple Homeschool's recent "A Homeschool Day in the Life" series to do a new one for this year, and it seems like a perfectly good Weekly Wrap-Up topic as well.

So, in case you were wondering, take a peek at a current sample day around here:

Friday, February 1, 2013

5:00 AM - Much to my chagrin, my alarm does not go off as it was set to do! I'm not a morning person, and it's difficult for me to get up this early. But I had really wanted to usher in February with an early-morning workout at the Y. Once I get there, I love exercising. However, I don't wake up until...

6:30 - when the phone starts ringing, startling me awake. And, when I realize my husband has just gone into the bathroom, I bolt out of bed, race through the dark hallway praying I won't trip headlong over any toys, and scurry down the stairs, hoping to catch the caller before it goes to voice mail. After all, such an early-morning call must be important. And it is in a way - it's my husband's sister calling to wish him a happy birthday - but 15 hours later I still wish she'd waited to call him at work. I'd wanted an early workout, but not that type of adrenaline!

7:00 - After handing the phone to my husband, I'd headed back upstairs to hunker down under the blankets for a few more minutes. But, when he comes up to say good-bye (leaving early to get birthday doughnuts for his co-workers), I force myself up and faithfully make the bed - a new habit for me since the start of this year (I know, I know...but I've never claimed to be "Susie Homemaker!"). My 10-year old, Abigail, gets up about then, too - right on schedule for her - and we settle in for our morning cuddle-time routine, joined as always by our sweet, fragile old cat, Clawde (the tan and white kitty pictured here with his "baby sister," Sapphire).

7:30 - Rachel, my 11-year old, makes her way downstairs. Rachel is not a morning person, so I wake her when she's not downstairs by 7:40, but sometimes she does come down on her own. Some days I think I should let her sleep as late as she'd like and then let her stay up later as well - after all, I'm a Night Owl, too - but I'm not ready to lose my evening quiet time just yet. So I impose a bit of my own routine on the girls' sleep schedule. But I'm so thankful that homeschooling affords me the freedom to insure that they get enough sleep.

7:40 - Abigail starts putting together the girls' breakfast - banana quick bread, nuts, milk, and fruit - while I take a shower. Until recently, I'd made their breakfasts each day and we often did devotions while they ate. But, not being a morning person myself, I've really enjoyed the fact that they like taking ownership of their breakfasts now. That helps me start my day more slowly. (And, no, it's not unusual to find a couple of cats on the table at any given time.)

8:00 - After my shower, I check my email, post a question on The Homeschool Lounge (THL), and make a quick scan of Facebook. The girls take showers this morning in anticipation of a special event this evening - our homeschool association's annual Father-Daughter Valentine Dance - and then tackle their morning chores and do personal devotions.

8:15 - Leah, the sweet toddler girl for whom I'm privileged to babysit, arrives for the day. She's probably the most easy-going child I've ever met, and she immediately runs off to the playroom to find her special baby doll. I ask if she'd like to watch Sesame Street, and she grins. She doesn't sit in front of it for the whole time it's on - in fact, my daughters pay more attention to it when they come downstairs than she does - but she likes Elmo and a couple other puppets. She doesn't get to watch much else when she's here because of the girls' lessons, and we don't turn it on every day, so I feel no guilt about indulging her now and then.

8:45 - Abigail has been on a kick lately to begin lessons earlier than our usual 9:00 start time - much to my chagrin because I've really enjoyed having until nine to gather my wits and accomplish some of my personal and household tasks. And Rachel has jumped on board with this the last couple of days, too! But I made them a deal: they can start early as long as their first tasks aren't "work with mom" ones. So they check their work grids - an organizational tool I started using last August so the girls can each decide for themselves what to do when - and get going, Rachel on piano and Abigail on math, using our new curriculum, Teaching Textbooks. I figure I'd better (finally) grab some breakfast before we really get going.

9:00 - Sesame Street is over, so the TV goes off for the rest of the day, and Leah happily continues playing with her babies and the toy shopping cart and plastic food. I help Rachel with her new song for this week. She's done around the same time Abigail finishes math, and then Abigail does piano while Rachel chooses "tot time" with Leah, a "task" I schedule for each of the girls with Leah each day. For 15 to 20 minutes, they can each read to her, do a simple craft or age-appropriate learning activity, or simply play with her. Today Rachel asks Leah if she wants to color, and Leah hops up and down enthusiastically at the thought.

9:30 - Abigail grabs Leah for some reading time while Rachel heads over to do math and I field a phone call. I don't answer most calls between 9:00 and 2:00, but caller i.d. tells me this is from a local printer set to deliver an order to me later in the afternoon, so I pick up. Afterwards, while Rachel is still working through math, Abigail and I do literature together. Though the girls are very capable of reading on their own - in fact, they love reading and each almost always has at least one book going for enjoyment during free time - we all still relish doing "buddy reading" for the books we use for our official literature lessons. So Abigail and I cuddle up on the couch and take turns reading pages from Chapter 12 of The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker. In addition to the beneficial bonding time, this activity allows me to keep tabs on their decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension abilities without having to do more formal assessments - a win-win all around.

10:30 - Rachel wraps up math right about when Abigail and I finish, so we break for snack. In good weather, the girls often go outside for 15 minutes, but today the high is about -10 (yep, negative 10 for a high!) so they go to play upstairs. Leah enjoys Cheerios and pears, and then it's time for a diaper change.

10:45 - We gather for our first group time of the day - history (using The Mystery of History, Volume 2). Today we wrap up a week's worth of lessons by putting up some timeline pieces - for St. Patrick, Attila the Hun, and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire. Then the girls each draft a paragraph about one of the week's main topics. I started this task last November, after we'd successfully worked through several months of the Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Writing Intensive A (IEW), and it's one of the best things we've ever done. I don't make them write about all the topics; instead, I let each one choose from among the week's three lessons (they can choose the same one if they'd like because I know each will approach it differently) and have them each use IEW techniques to compose a detailed paragraph. Much to my surprise given that they'd been used to writing only brief one-sentence summaries before, they've embraced this weekly assignment. And they're producing really great pieces!

11:20 - I squeeze in a morning snack for myself - a couple of rice cakes. When the girls finish their essays, they keep going through their remaining tasks. Abigail wants to do spelling, grammar, and Amish reader corrections with me in one fell swoop, and Rachel works on her literature project. That's another aspect of our literature studies: each time one of the girls finishes a book, she makes a creative project and uses it to share an oral book report with the family. Rachel's working on some paper dolls and detailed backdrops for The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin.

NOON - How is it noon already?! I'd thought our plans for the day wouldn't take that long, but each of the girls still has a few things to do - and then we have another group time for science. Rachel begins reading the science lesson, and Abigail occupies Leah while I put together the toddler's lunch. She usually eats with the girls, but they've both said they'd like to finish everything except our remaining group time before lunch so they're willing to wait on food. But Leah can't wait - she has a little tummy and her mom comes to pick her up before 1:00. So she enjoys her little lunch while Abigail reads science and Rachel and I tackle her music theory page and then her spelling, grammar, and Amish reader corrections.

12:45 - Abigail finishes while Rachel and I work together, so she starts to gather lunch fixings and helps Leah clean up some toys. Then I make an executive decision to have our science group time over lunch. We usually do devotions then - a story from a toddler Bible for Leah, a short reading from the Apologia worldview series, and a section from Catherine Vos's story Bible - and I don't feel good about skipping that. But we have a couple of special projects to do in the afternoon so I'm feeling pressed for time. And at least our science curriculum, the Answers in Genesis God's Design series, is Christ-centered. So I quickly change Leah's diaper before her mom arrives. We pause our discussion about fossils at 1:00 to send her on her way, but then get right back to it.

1:20 - Special project #1: making rice krispie treats to share at the Father-Daughter Dance.

1:45 - Special project #2: the girls making birthday cards for my husband, which they start as I take a phone call from a fellow homeschool mom seeking some guidance about a curriculum fair she's coordinating in March. We have a nice chat, and I agree to be one of the speakers for the event.

2:30 - I finally grab some lunch - better late than never! - and sit down at the computer while the girls head upstairs to play. They have an incredibly creative Barbie "game" going and relish all the time they can find to add twists and turns to the plot line. I spend some time on THL and Facebook. But I'm feeling a little guilty because my Microsoft Office Reminders program dutifully shows me that I haven't yet accomplished today's main household chore.

3:40 - I'd rather skip the chore - cleaning the basement bathroom - but I ran out of time to do it last week, so I can't justify that. I deep-cleaned it a few weeks ago, though, so it doesn't take much time or effort. I feel good about having been diligent.

4:15 - The printer's delivery person arrives with my order. Then it's time for the girls to get ready for the dance. They both want me to curl their hair and ask for some of my "big earrings." When my husband gets home from work, they give him their cards, and then he gets himself ready, too.

5:20 - They head out to dinner (at Noodles and Company) before the dance, and I'm left alone in the house for the evening. I consider going to the Y, but decide that I'm really not up for competing against Friday Teen Night chaos; I'll go in the morning...but not too early. I grab a bag of microwave popcorn for dinner - I know, I know - and ponder my options. Finally, I decide to take care of business before pleasure. I enter the day's lessons into the girls' weekly learning logs, do a little prep work for next week, and make up my grocery list for Saturday. I don't usually spend Friday nights doing "school work" - in fact, if I hadn't talked to my friend on the phone, I would have finished much of that in the afternoon. But duty calls. And once that's all done, I check emails and Facebook and start this post.

10:00 - My family returns, happy but exhausted. Abigail can barely keep her eyes open, and even Rachel - my girl who struggles with insomnia - says she thinks she'll fall asleep instantly. At 10:15 - and hour later than usual - I head up to do my nightly check-in with her. We usually chat for a bit and then I pray for her, but tonight she doesn't have energy for talking. When I come back down a few minutes later, my husband is ready for bed, too.

Tomorrow will be pretty open-ended - I will get to the Y and maybe do an extra long workout, and then I'll grocery shop. The girls and my husband will likely make their weekly trip to the library - my husband has an "assignment" to gather some King Arthur resources for next week - but not much else is on the docket during the day. In the evening, we're hosting one of our interim pastors for dessert, and I'm really looking forward to spending time with him.

As for today, it was as typical as any homeschooler's "day in the life" can be. We like to follow a general daily routine, but it does vary from day to day, depending on our outside activities. For example, we have piano lessons on Monday afternoons, art class on Thursday afternoons, and we usually have musical rehearsal on Fridays. And I also care for a baby - Olivia - on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which certainly affects our scheduling. We also don't do every "subject" every day, and I'm willing to make adjustments - as I did a little today - when things go longer than I'd expected. But that's one of the many beauties of home learning: we get to make the rules and call the shots according to what works best for us on any given day and through any season of life. I really wouldn't have it any other way...

just in case you were wondering.

Weekly Wrap-Up: The One with a Curriculum Change and a Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Tina Hollenbeck) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:50:00 +0000

I mentioned last week that I've been a bit concerned about the girls' progress with spelling and math. I've been trying to quell my anxiety because I do realize that individual children make progress at different rates in different areas of study and that each child also has areas in which she excels and areas that don't come quite as easily. I mentioned that I felt we were using good materials and persevering, so I intended to just keep at it.

And I do truly feel that way with spelling, for which I use All About Spelling (AAS) with both girls. In fact, my more natural speller is making quick progress with AAS, and my other daughter is moving along at what I feel is a decent pace for her. They both still make lots of mistakes when they're initially drafting paragraphs and essays, but I think that's because they're so focused on ideas that they don't think about mechanics. But they usually know the corrections to make when I point out errors involving rules they've already studied, so I know AAS principles are "sticking."

But I knew even last week that I wasn't nearly as confident about math. We used Math-U-See (MUS) - in conjunction with City Creek Press - for a long time, and I still think MUS is a really good program...and that City Creek (which I still use) is incredible. However, we hit a bit of a wall late last fall because the heavy MUS emphasis on drilling the same concepts for weeks and weeks frustrated the girls.

So I ultimately decided to make a switch to Making Math Meaningful (MMM), which seemed similar to MUS but different enough. And we did that in November and part of December, but, in all honesty, it didn't feel quite right from the beginning; I suppose it works wonderfully for many families, but it was much better in theory than in practice for us. So, when we jumped back into our lessons in early January, I was in a quandary. In fact, I didn't really use our MMM books; instead, I simply worked on continued mastery, particularly of division facts, using our City Creek materials because I didn't want to hassle with MMM.

And, actually, it was last week's Wrap-Up post that got me thinking about switching yet again. I suppose admitting - even in my mind since I was a bit evasive with all of you - that MMM was not really working was the catalyst I needed. So...one thing led to another and - lo and behold - we will be launching our journey with Teaching Textbooks (TT) tomorrow!

I really hope this is our ticket to long-term contentment with a mathematics program because, frankly, I don't like change. Clearly, I'll make changes for my kids' well-being - I've done so on a number of occasions even with curriculum, to say nothing of other areas of life - but I'd rather find a good fit and stick with it for the long haul, especially at this stage of the game. So I'll sit with each of the girls through their first lessons tomorrow and, perhaps, observe other lessons this week rather closely. But I'm hoping TT's engaging DVD instruction, coupled with its logical, spiral-style presentation of concepts, will be our way to make on-going regular progress sans any further significant obstacles.

Stay tuned.

In other news, my nephew - my only brother's only child - turned 16 at the end of the week, and we attended his party on Saturday. This nephew is a wonderful young man - I reported last fall how he'd made Eagle Scout - and it's a joy to spend time with him and my brother and sister-in-law.

I had fun with one of our presents to him - a little Matchbox car with a note attached explaining that we wanted to oblige him "because every 16-year old wants his own car." The gift was a hit all around - you can see that my nephew's grandpa got a kick out of it - and my nephew plans to share the joke at school on Monday.

I've been battling through an emotional funk since Saturday morning. But I'm aware of the couple of on-going issues causing my angst. No instant fixes but I know that diligence and perseverance will have me feeling better in a couple of days and will almost assuredly bring eventual success...maybe even a little of it by this time next week.

*****

I'm linking up once again with the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click here to read other weekly wrap-up posts.