A day in our life

I thought it might be nice to give you a rundown of one of our days so you can get an idea as to what schoolwork we do and how we run with 4 busy little boys in the house. No day is ever the same but on days when we stay at home for the morning and do our schoolwork we tend to follow a similar pattern with small allowances for the little ones when they need more attention.

Today is Friday 25th March 2011.

7:00am - Clif gets up to Ehren, gets him a snack and lets him play in the classroom/playroom area with some activities I left out for him the night before. He plays with a Bead and wire toy (like the ones in the banks) and some playfood items and a play microwave. Bailey & Dane also wake within this hour and play a little with their trains. I'm still sleeping as I've been up earlier at 5am with Fraser for a feed and cuddle before getting back to sleep around 6am.

8:00am - I get up and organise breakfast for everyone. I get myself, Fraser and Ehren showered and dressed for the day. Fraser has a booby feed and then hops into his swing whilst watching his brothers play and watch ABC for kids.

9:00am - I do a tidy up in the kitchen and then organise the boys to tidy up the classroom area so we can start school for the day.

9:30am - School starts. The boys bring their chairs over to the mat area and we look at our Weekly planner to work out what we are doing today and we use this as an opportunity for talking about the days of the week. We take another quick look at the month on our Monthly Birthday planner and note that Dane's birthday is next month and getting closer. He wants me to count how many days to go so we count on a calendar how many more days til his birthday.

9:45am - We have a group session talking about our current topic, Endangered Animals. This week so far we have learned what endangered and extinct means and learned about the Giant Panda that comes from China. Today we discuss the Platypus from Australia and Przewalski's horse from Mongolia. We mark these on our world map.

10:15am - Dane sits at the desk to do some name practise in his book. He is still learning his last name which is finds difficult being so long. Bailey and I have a 1 on 1 Maths lesson on Addition when using the carry over system. We do some practise sums on the whiteboard before he sits at his desk to do some sums in his workbook. Fraser is sleeping and Ehren is doing some colouring in with crayons in the Lightning McQueen book.

10:45am - Dane has since moved onto his Letter D worksheet, colouring in the pictures that start with the D sound and practising small and capital D's. Bailey is still working on his Addition worksheet. Bailey then stops partway through to come back to the whiteboard so I can talk more about hundreds and thousands. Ehren has gone to bed for a nap after watching a little bit of Waybuloo on ABC.

11:00am - Dane now completes a Dot to Dot using the numbers 1 - 10 and colours as much as he likes until he tires of it and I tell him he can now have freeplay. He returns to his trains and watches a little bit of ABC for kids. Bailey is finishing off his Maths work after doing a few more practise sums on the whiteboard using thousands for his carry over Addition work.

11:30am - Bailey completes the remainder of his sheet and we mark it together. He has not done too bad, considering the concept is so new to him. We will concentrate on these Maths tasks all next week also.

11:45am - The boys play trains together whilst I organise lunch for everyone. I anticipate Ehren and Fraser waking up soon so I get as much done in the kitchen as I can before we leave at 12:30 for my Mum's salon.

Midday - Lunchtime. Today we have fruit toast and a glass of milk followed by an apple. Fraser wakes for a booby feed and I pack him and Ehren some snacks for at the salon. Ehren wakes just as we're about to leave so eats his toast in the car on the way.

12:30pm - We leave for the salon and arrive for a 1pm appointment. I get my cut and colour done and Bailey decides to get his hair cut the shortest it's been since he was a toddler. It seems to be a new phase he's going through, reinventing himself into 'Big Bailey'.

3:00 pm - We arrive home after being stuck in nightmare traffic from road closures. The boys have a little play before we head back out to go collect an item I won off eBay. More traffic congestion means we get home late, just in time for dinner.

6:00 pm - Ehren and Fraser are fed, changed and put to bed. Bailey & Dane have dinner then go on to play with some playdo.

7:00 pm - Bailey reads me his daily early reader book. He's really enjoying this series of books so I make a mental note to think about buying some more next time I get over the Northside to Edsco bookstore.

8:00pm - Bailey are Dane get off to bed after their usual nightly routine of cuddles, toilet and teeth brushing.

I proceed to get ready to go out for the night with my best mate. I feed Fraser just after she arrives and head out about 10:00pm.

That's the end of another day for us, been very busy as usual. It might take a lot of energy to Homeschool the boys but I wouldn't change it for the world.

HE CAN READ!!!

There are very few things in life that a parent will always remember. The birth of their child, the first time they walked, they first time they said your name and so on and so forth. Another milestone that seems even more significant as a Homeschooling mother is the day your child officially learns to read!

I can honestly say I will never forget the look on Bailey's face last week as he finished his early reader book and turned to me and exclaimed "I can read!". It was such a beautiful moment I had to let Nanna in on the excitement right then and there. Bailey jumped on the phone and screamed into the phone "I can read Nanna!". It was amazing that with that one book we both realised that all the hard work had finally come into fruition. He read the book front to back with no help, a brand new book he'd not even seen before, let alone read before.

It feels like this Homeschooling thing is all coming together. There was one missing link that I believe we have now found, a group of other homeschooling families to belong to. A group where I could get the support, advice and genuine understanding from other homeschooling parents and where my children could make good, genuine friendships with other homeschooling kids. We joined a fantastic group early this year and it is probably one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. We join them for park playdates, swim lessons, Monday classes (Bailey is currently learning Spanish and Art class, Dane is learning Spanish and Drama), excursions and other fun filled activities. It's a great group of Mums too from which I am sure to learn a billion things from.

All in all, things are going great in our World. My boys are thriving, I'm happy, we're all healthy, so really what more could you ask for?

20 Reasons why Homeschooling rocks!!

Today is the first day back at school for many children. For a few of my friends it's their child's first day ever at school. It had me thinking how cute it would have been to see my boys in their little uniforms, meeting new friends and seeing their new classroom for the year. This would have been Dane's first day at school, he was due to start Prep this year. We decided it would be best for all of us to homeschool him along with Bailey and he's happy with that decision.

I know there's lots of benefits for kids going to school. These past few days however I have found myself counting all the good things about Homeschooling and thought I'd write a list!

1) Interaction with other children of their own choosing. Homeschooling kids make friends with other kids of their own choosing, not just because they are in the same class or of the same age. Often they will make friends with kids that have similar interests as them or have similar personality traits.
2) Ability for a child to further develop skills that they are naturally suited to. We all have abilities that come natural to us. Some of us are better at art than others, some are better mathematicians, others are very good sportspeople. Homeschooling allows a child to further develop their skills at their own pace, completing more difficult work where they are able to.
3) No morning rush for school. This one aimed at the Mums, we don't have to endure the early morning rush, packing of lunches or battling for a carpark in the school grounds. We can take our time most mornings, even cook up breakfast for everyone before our school day starts and it's as easy as simply getting the kids to make their way to their desks!
4) No huge outlays. There are no uniforms to buy, no book lists to get, no pencils to label and books to cover. There are no art levy fees, no school shoes or backpacks to buy. The kids get to wear anything they want every single day, something I would have loved as a kid!
5) No boring school parade. Homeschooling kids don't have to sit on a cold hard concrete ground listening to teachers drone on about who knows what, having to endure the school band play out of tune songs from yesteryear!
6) Holidays any time of the year. We can take our holidays whenever we like, in the off peak season, when the weather suits the location and the roads are less busy. How good is that!
7) Having an excursion when we have plenty of money. There's no worrying about paying for an expensive excursion or camp when money is tight. You have excursions when you can afford it, when it ties directly to a topic you're currently learning and on a day when the weather is just right.
8) There are way more Homeschooling families around that you could even imagine. I was so surprised by how many people teach their kids from home. I'm part of several online support groups and have joined a group of other Homeschoolers relatively local for our kids to participate in things like swim lessons, spanish lessons, drama and art lessons, all at group prices!
9) No nasty creepy crawlies. Head lice!!! Yuck! Need I say any more? Less chances of catching them makes me a happy Mum.
10) Theme park visits on quiet weekdays. It's great to take the kids to a theme park on a weekday when other kids are mostly at school. There's less lining up at rides but more importantly our kids always get a great seat and a more interactive learning experience at the hands-on shows.
11) No catching up on schoolwork missed when your child is sick. If your child is sick you just give lessons a miss that day, there's nothing missed to be caught up later!
12) Letting your child direct the learning. It's great for kids to have an input into their lessons. They are more likely to find the whole experience enjoyable and you can centre some necessary lessons around their favourite topics.
13) Enjoying a special bond with siblings. I have found my boys do fight like all siblings but they share a very special 'best friend' bond from spending their days together at home. They know each other very well and are always there to lend a helping hand when the other needs it.
14) Learning can take place just about anywhere. We've done lessons from the classroom at a desk, lessons in the backyard, lessons at the Museum, lessons on the front verandah on a beautiful sunny day. Our kids enjoy the different settings that their learning can take place.
15) Learning without the threat of 'keeping up'. Our boys have no real sense of competition when they're learning. This helps their self esteem immensely as they can achieve at their own level.
16) Any food for lunch. Our kids can eat whatever they like for lunch. Leftover dinner, no worries. Peanut butter sandwiches? Sure thing! There's no concern for other children's allergies here at home!
17) Toilet stops when required. Our kids can go to the toilet when they want, and take as long as they need without the need to ask permission.
18) Never missing a beat when it comes to your child. We know our kids like no-one else, we see them all the time. We know when they seem a bit off colour, or when they're in need of a cuddle. We know how much of their lunch they actually ate and we know the kind of kids they're hanging out with.
19) Choosing the kind of kids you want yours interacting with. How many times have we heard parents express concern that their kids are hanging out with the wrong crowd? Homeschooling parents know exactly who their kids are playing with and can monitor their behaviour accordingly.
20) Homeschooling is fun. Our kids love to learn. They get to spend all day with their family learning in a place they feel safe and loved. What's better than that?

Until next time
Take care
Farewell

A new Homeschooling year awaits....2011 here we come :)

It's official! Our second year of Homeschooling has rolled around but this time I have 2 of my boys doing lessons. Dane commenced his Prep year this month and Bailey has moved on to Year 2. It's all very exciting and also a little daunting, but we seemed to have started off in the right direction.

Today I make even more changes to our classroom. It seems I never have enough room and being the overly organised person that I am, I like everything to have a home. I'm a mad keen lover of Ikea and have set up majority of our classroom with cube shaped bookcases to store everything from art and craft, toys and education resources. I label each box with the name and a picture so the boys can clearly see where things return when they've finished with them. This saves us valuable time looking for and packing up things.

I'm starting to realise that having the boys sit at different desks to complete their work is probably not working for us. They like to see what each other are doing and for Dane it's probably a good thing that he sees what work awaits him in a couple of years. I am finding Bailey likes to help Dane a little too which is lovely to see.

Our main goals for 2011 are as follows:

Bailey

• To be fluently reading age appropriate books
• To improve handwriting legibility and use of punctuation
• To improve spelling of basic commonly used words
• To work more independantly when given set activities
• To meet some other Homeschoolers in the local area
• To participate in Homeschooling excursions/playdates with Homeschooling groups
• To use the computer more independantly

Dane

• To write his full name without assistance
• To recite his address without assistance
• To sit for longer periods of time without constant reminders
• To improve pencil grip
• To identify all letters of the alphabet
• To commence identifying the phonic sounds of the alphabet

As we go throughout our year I aim to keep this blog updated with our progress.

Until next time
Farewell
Take Care
Angie xxx

FAREWELL OLD FRIEND.

Twelve years ago the Doctors took my tonsils away. My poor old enlarged, overly inflamed tonsils never really served a great purpose and I felt much relief after their removal. It always amazed me how God could give us an organ that didn't seem to do a lot of good. An organ I could do without quite happily, without any real after effect or repercussions.

This Thursday I will have my uterus removed. Whilst I'm totally enthusiastic about the benefits of my bodily functions returning to normal again, having my uterus taken out feels like a tearful goodbye to an old dear friend. So dear friend I decided to write you a letter.......

Dear Uterus,

Please don't be upset with me. The Doctors have decided that our time together has come to an end. It wasn't really my decision, simply a medical necessity.

You see you took a real blow back during the delivery of my first baby and never really recovered after that. You managed to carry Bailey for a full 9 months without any sign of trouble and then Bailey decided to get stuck when exiting from you, causing more pain and damage than I care to mention. Of course following up that birth with the birthing of a baby weighing in excess of 9 pounds was never going to do you or your fellow neighbours any good either.

You managed to carry another 2 babies after that, for which I will be eternally grateful for. My life would not be the same without all 4 of my beautiful healthy boys and it is you that made that possible (of course a bit of help from an obliging father helped too!).

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the services you have provided for my body. Unfortunately though in order to help your fellow neighbours with their repairs and subsequent healing you will be leaving us for good.

So farewell my dear friend. From Thursday morning you will no longer be around and I will miss you forever. xxx

For the last twenty years I have felt like a woman. My breasts increased in size, hair grew more abundantly in more feminine places and from the day my period started I knew there was always a chance that I could fall pregnant and have a child. Whilst my breasts and hair will undoubtedly remain, those periods will never be returning. And to that I say.........

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I grow up

Some people go through childhood pondering what they'll be when they grow up. They switch their ambitions as the years go by from astronaut to fireman to doctor to lawyer and when they grow up they end up working at Coles doing nightfill. Other people know what they want to be from a very young age, it never changes whilst growing up and they end up in the career they always intended.

From as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be teacher. I would make my little brother sit down in our 'classroom' and teach him things. I would line up my teddies next to him and give them all names and pretend they were my 'class' to teach. I chose all my subjects carefully in highschool to ensure I had the most all round approach to learning, to better my chances of making a great teacher. Going through highschool not once did I ever think I would be anything other than a teacher. I applied to Uni for a Bachelor of Education and commenced the course in 1996.

I completed that first year of Uni and then decided to defer so I could work for a year to make enough money to see me through the last 2 years of Uni. I was expected to support myself whilst studying but found working part time whilst studying was much too difficult and considering I had already done that through my senior years of highschool I felt totally and utterly burnt out.

Once I entered the workforce I enjoyed the financial rewards, I enjoyed my freedom and the concept of not having my head stuck in a book. I left my job working at a supermarket and got myself a job at the bank, where I loved working. I worked for 3 years for the bank until my appetite for learning more got too much and found myself working in financial planning. There I stayed until I was married and started a family and then decided to leave full time work to focus on helping our family through some difficult times (whilst Bailey was being diagnosed with Autism).

That was 6 years ago and since then I've never returned to full time work. In 2005 I completed a certificate in Beauty (Make-up) and do a little freelance work through my Mum's hair salon to give me a bit of spare cash & as an outlet for my creative energy. It's not what people expect of me, it's not 'using my brain' as some would say. For a while I felt guilty that I wasn't living up to other people's expectations of me. I would cringe when someone asked me "what do you do?" or when friends or family would just assume that I was still in 'bankworld' or selling insurance.

These days I realise that the only person I need to keep happy is myself. The financial side of not working full time doesn't bother me anymore these days. I think for two reasons. My husband has a nice little business and works hard to provide for us with all we need. But the biggest reason is I've also gotten used to living within our means which I think is a lot harder than most people would think. Well worth the sacrifice though when I can truly say I derive happiness just from being me and just from living my life, not from the car I drive, the office I work in, or the house I live in.

There is only one thing I regret these days in the last nearly 33 years of my life. That is not returning to finish that Education degree. It is only now that I am homeschooling Bailey that I am realising why I always wanted to be a teacher. All the thrills of teaching a young child about the World around them is coming back to me. I guess in a way I'm doing exactly what I always should have been doing.

Maybe one day I'll go back to Uni and I'll officially become a teacher, but for now I must say I am most happy teaching my children all they need to know. I might not get paid with money for all the work I do, but everytime one of my boys learns a new skill or impresses me with their talents I can say "I taught him that!" That's worth more than all the money in the world.

Until next time,
Take care,
Farewell.

The Wonder Weeks

You'd think being onto my fourth baby in the last 7 years I'd have this new baby thing down pat, wouldn't you? Well you'd be wrong! I still find myself questioning why he's crying, how many times do I really need to feed a 9 week old in a day and should I stop wrapping him yet or not? I guess the reason why I'm finding that you don't always have the answer is because is every baby is different so there's not always the 'right' answer.

Just this past week I have found Fraser has gone from being a very settled baby to a sometimes upset little baby. He's been waking for more frequent feeds at night and not settling back to sleep straight after a feed at night like he was before. At first I thought it might have been that he's caught the cold we've all had but he's showing no other signs of that. Then I wondered was this the age that things go to Sh*t and you start worrying that you're never going to have a sleeping baby ever again? lol. Then after my second night of stop/start sleep I remembered something I had looked into when Ehren would seem out of whack, something one of my fellow Essential Baby (EB) Mums suggested to me.

Wonder Weeks!! Of course, why had I not thought of that before? I looked up what weeks it was expected he was to be having one of these Wonder weeks and sure enough 8 weeks is one of them! For those who haven't heard of a Wonder week (and trust me I had no clue with the first 2 boys) it's apparently a certain time frame of a baby's development when things are amped up. When the baby is developing a new important skill their little brain is a hive of activity and they find it harder to settle, sleep, feed, basically everything we expect a baby to do! There are certain developmental milestones they are working on at certain ages. The important milestones are classed into 8 Wonder weeks within the first 2 years of a baby's life.

• Week 5 - Changing Sensation: New sensations start to bombard baby as he becomes more alert and aware of the World around him at this age. It's not so much the sensations themselves, more the perception of them. For example a soiled nappy may not have previously worried baby but now he is becoming much more aware of the feeling it creates and might get much more upset when it's not readily changed.
• Week 8 - Simple pattern: At this age baby starts to recognise simple patterns in both the World around him and his own body. The arms and legs he first took for granted as mere dangling attachments now become tools for him to reach and touch, kick and play. (This is exactly what Fraser has been doing the past few days. He has started reaching out for the toys on his play gym for the very first time.)
• Week 12 - Smooth transitions: At this age baby will start to fine tune the movements he started to learn in the last wonder week (wk 8). Instead of swiping at a toy hanging from the play gym baby will now be learning how to pick up the toy next to them. They might start grabbing at Mum's hair or necklace with a real intention to rip it off. Baby will also now be hearing much better and able to follow a voice across the room or begin to notice when a room is dimly lit or bright (perhaps able to judge day from night much better now).
• Week 18 - Change of events: Baby is starting to recognise the pattern of events. When Mum leaves the room baby is starting to realise she may not come back for some time. When Mum changes baby's nappy and dresses baby in their sleeping bag they realise they are going to bed. The brain is starting to work at an amazing pace now, understanding more of a cause and effect than ever before.
• Week 26 - Movement & Distance: Baby is starting to sit and starting to learn the skills required for the first significant movement in their life, the crawl! Baby is starting to discover distance of an object to themselves. The World suddenly seems like such a huge place and he feels like such a tiny part of it. When Mum leaves the room she could be headed to China for all he knows, and he feels stuck without a way to reach her.
• Week 37 - Investigations: Baby is now more than ever ready to investigate the World around him in better detail. He wants to know what the banana feels like squished between his fingers. He wants to know the difference between patting the cat or pulling the cat's tail.
• Week 46 - Sequencing: Just as baby seemed to be intent on wreaking havoc in his last wonder week he now starts to do the opposite. He is now interested in putting things back to where they belong (or where he thinks they belong) or may realise that he has to endure the first morning nappy change before he can get breakfast. Baby is starting to understand that things go in order or belong to a category.
• Week 55 - Toddler hood: Your baby is now becoming a toddler. He is discovering new and exciting ways to learn about the World around him. He may now be walking but if not then he is sure trying to, as he is beginning to understand that from a standing position he can reach and explore from a whole new angle and height.

From what I understand babies may go through these wonder weeks at slightly different times but in general it is around these weeks that the next stage of development is occurring.

For me I find it reassuring to know that the reason baby is going through an unsettled period is more than likely because they are going through another stage of developing and not because of something I am doing 'wrong'. I will try and keep in mind from now on that when I think Fraser is playing up to annoy me, he is merely learning how to engage and operate in this big scary place we call the World.

Until next time,
Take care,
Farewell.