Volunteering

This is a small blog, but I wanted to throw the idea out there.
I have been thinking about getting involved with some volunteering. I have always wanted to work with children who have disabilities. I did some work with them when I was in high school. It was one of the best experiences in my life. I think it would be great for my kids to also get involved seeing how they are home schooled. So, I am on a mission to find out how to get involved with the Special Olympics or something of that nature. It doesn't even have to be that but something that involves children..

Innocent until proven guilty

This is just a thought I have been pondering. A news article states that "Suspected" (and I say that frigging lightly) Dzhokhar Tsarnaev  will have an all star defense team. Why do people volunteer to defend someone that is clearly guilty? Yeah, yeah I know, Innocent until proven guilty. But why waste time, money and energy when the proof is already there. We know he's guilty. The evidence is shown. Why draw it out? I can understand going to court if it wasn't caught on surveillance, and there was a doubt about it. But, there is not a shadow of a doubt he and his brother did it.

Okay, okay maybe, he wasn't the key man, maybe he was the follower but he was still there.  He still hid from police. I could never be a lawyer. I could never defend someone I knew was blatantly guilty. If for some reason, they were found not guilty, like OJ, I don't think I would be able to sleep at night knowing that I helped a murderer walk away.

The judicial system can be a good thing. But, I have seen where good people got accused of things and found guilty when they didn't do it. Makes me wonder how it all works. Is money a factor?

Why throw people who do drugs in jail?? It's their life, it's their body. If they want to destroy it then let them. Leave room in jail for the true offenders.

End Rant

Amie

I'm B-a-c-k!!!

I've been gone for a week-finally got to go back to my home state of Michigan :)

A lot happened while I was gone. We started one morning off with tracking a close friend while he was running the Boston marathon. Left the house for a little bit-only to turn on the t.v. when we got back to find out about the bombing. My heart stopped for awhile as I was waiting to find out if he was ok. His whole family had flew out there to watch him. Luckily he had crossed the finish line 4 minutes before the blast. It makes you stop and think about how precious life really is..they are now safely back home. A member of their family ran to help triage as soon as the blast went off-my heartfelt Thank You goes out to him and all the other people and professionals who immediately took action.

I also got to visit one of the best home school stores while in the area. I loaded up on test books and got a really cool kid's Chemistry book. It was made in a way to make Chemistry cool and interesting. I want all the kids to benefit from the books-so we are going to use plastic sheets and dry erase markers so we can use them more than once.

We got to see snow, froze to death, and spent quality time with friends who we hadn't seen in 4 years. The trip home was way too long-my little family couldn't wait to get out of the car.

Vacations are always great-but by the time it is over you feel as though you need another week just to recover.

I guess tomorrow it is back to the grind!!! I have been gone so I don't have my usual lesson plans done so we will be winging it tomorrow! :)

Have a great school week,
-Jules

Crazy punishments.

I was reading the STFU, Parents blog. It's pretty funny. There was this one post on parents posting pictures of their children crying. The debate was when it was appropriate or not. Some of the posts I can totally relate to, but there were some that when I saw it, I couldn't help but shake my head and ask why the hell would they do that??

For instance, a parent posted a picture of her toddler, a little girl probably no older than 3. Apparently her child had cut her bangs, if you have daughter, chances are you're going to go through this traumatizing experience in it's self. I am not sure if it was more horrifying for me or Brieana. I cried and cried but I refused to cut her hair because I thought it would have made it worse. So, I improvised. I put her hair up in any way I could get it to work. So, this parents solution to her daughters scissor happy moment??  Shaving her daughters head completely bald. She thought it was funny, so much so she posted the poor girls  tear-filled picture on her blog. It broke my heart. I may not be the best mother, but I wouldn't/couldn't ever do that to any of my children. I do however like STFU's remarks. It made me feel a little better.

Another genius took a picture of their baby, probably around 6-8 months old, sitting in the refrigerator. He is hysterically crying because the parent thought it would be a great Idea to close the drawer with their leg still in the drawer. This was a freaking punishment. WTF goes through these parents head? How is that a good idea? Even better, why is it a good idea to post it on the internet with a stupid caption? To me, that just screams child abuse. What happens if they play with fire, you gonna burn their hand to the brink of serious injuries?? Ugh!

I will never debate a persons right to spank, because that's a personal preference. I don't see harm in it as long as it's not over used. But, I have learned it doesn't really do anything. Nothing good comes from it, so I have stopped. But, believe me if It's serious, I will pop-their-butt if need be.

I just think, there should be a test before one becomes a parent.

Here is the link to the blog I was referring too. http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/

The dreaded question....

Once people realize that we are homeschoolers the dreaded question arises, "How do you do it?" It's inevitable and will arise at some point during most conversations. Honestly, I just do. It's a decision that my husband and I made the year our oldest son turned four. The decision was made and the prepping and planning went from there. Do I have all the answers just because I homeschool? Psh...let me let you in on a little secret. NONE OF US DO! It's a learning process for us all, rather we are veterans or new to homeschooling. Or don't homeschool at all. Learning is a continuous journey, one that I love being a part of with my children. I love seeing the lightbulbs go off when they learn how to do something new, or just learn a new fact. It's something that I enjoy and I am so thankful that I'm able to stay at home with my children. Homeschooling simply works for us, that's really "how I do it". Do I think it's a perfect fit for all? No I don't, but it is for us and that has become my most used response. It simply works!

How do you deal with the dreaded question of "How do you do it?"

Prescription bottle idea's

Now that Lee and I both take meds on a regular basis, we are accumilating a ton of empty prescription bottles. So, I am on a mission to find as many idea's as I can: Just thought I'd share my findings. Keep checking back, I'll update if I find more.


Here is a pintrest board:
http://pinterest.com/boxorox13/pill-bottle-crafts/

Found these idea's at: http://randomcreative.hubpages.com

Simple Reuse and Recycle Options

• Store spare change. The bottle will fit right in the car, a purse, or a desk/nightstand drawer.
• Store small office supplies.This can include paper clips, rubber bands, and more.
• Store small craft and/or sewing supplies, such as beads, small buttons, and thread bobbins.
• Create a glitter shaker by punching holes in the top.
• Store small tools and repair supplies, such as nails and screws.
• Create a sewing kit. Fill the bottle with a small spool of thread, a button, a needle, and a safety pin.
• Create a cat toy by filling the bottle with small beans or bells.
• Store any number of other small items, such as headphones.
• Soak/store reeds for musical instruments.
• Reuse with other medications, such as vitamins or Ibuprofen to keep at work or in your purse.
• Donate. Some veterinary offices and local humane societies will take washed bottles with the labels removed to use for their animal prescriptions.
• Recycle. Check with your local recycling center to see if they have a special method for collecting pill bottles. If they do, make a box at home for your bottles so they don't clutter up cabinets or counter space in between recycling trips.

• Consider decorating and/or labeling your pill bottles.

  
  

Evil...

There is so much evil in the world. So much sadness. Why would anyone want to hurt complete strangers? Words and actions can be just as hurtful as gunfire and bombs. I just don't understand the reasoning.

My Uncle,  posted this as his status in light of the bombing in Boston:

"Realizing most of us can't actually be in Boston to help with this tragedy I would like to make a suggestion. Hug your family a little harder, tell them you love them, hold a door for someone, say "thank you" for a kind gesture, tell a friend or co worker you appreciate them, let someone get in line before you, check on a neighbor, wave someone on at the stop sign, etc. Its the little acts of kindness that count. Its what separates "us" from "them". Positivity will win the day. Honor the loss with acts of kindness." 

I couldn't agree with him more. This is exactly how I raise my children. I do not let them disrespect each other and do not let any of them boss each other around. My kids smile at strangers, smiling can't hurt. Hold doors open for all.  Help our neighbors with their dog who keeps escaping while they are at work. We don't want to see the poor thing get hurt. 

If I am at the store and someone drops something, I help them pick it up. If I am in line with a cart full of groceries, and there are people behind me with only a few, I will let them go before me.  I stop at cross walks, and will give my seat up to someone who may need it more. This is how my parents taught me to be, and this is how I want my children to be. It doesn't take much to care about others.  Sometimes, that simple act of kindness is the most important moment in their life.  

I think other countries lack the lessons on humility. I think they need to have kindness in their hearts. I am sorry that you don't like how our country is run. Heck, there are a lot of us who couldn't agree more, but most of us understand that this truly is the best country to live in. I could name off many countries I have no desire to visit let alone live in. Just because I feel this way doesn't give me the right or the want to blow it up or attack it.

My kids ask why people do this, and the best answer I can give them is some people just do bad things to good people. I don't know to explain it. I hate that I have to explain it. Things like this make me never want to leave home but, by giving into my fear, I am letting the enemy win. So, instead I proudly show off how proud I am to live in a country that gives me freedom. I truly wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 

Look at all the states and organization coming together and showing support to all of those who were affected by the bombing. It brings tears to my eyes. I am proud to be an American. I think, if we stop worrying about guns and policies and all that mumbo jumbo, and concentrate on bringing back what it's like to be a decent, caring human being and the correct way to treat each other, there would be much less violence and evil in the world. 

Bring back the importance of manners and etiquette. Teach our younger generation how to respect one another. 
That's the key factor of getting out all the evil...

Arguing about Home School vs. Brick and Mortar school (Regular school)

I hate how both groups are throwing up facts attacking each others choices. It shouldn't be like that. We should respect each others choices and know that the best decision has been made for the child(ren).  Spend more time with the kids and helping one another out.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to doing either. You, have to out weigh the pros and cons and come to the right conclusion. And when you do, you should not be in fear that you will get scrutinized for your decision. There are always going to be "bad apples" in every situation.

Parents not paying attention to the needs of their child, not following up with the teacher regarding the issues presented. Parents using school as a day care and not taking their child's education seriously allowing them to fail. And of course in home school parent's not actually schooling. I am not talking about un schooling, because I have seen marvelous results with that. That's different, even then if that's the route a parent takes, they too should not be scrutinized. Though un-schooling is not the path I choose to take, I do not degrade it. I am talking about the parents who home school and involve no teaching or learning and using un-schooling as a scape goat. They, are setting their children up for failure. When the time is spent on a learning experience, who should judge for how it's done? You'd be amazed as what can be learned even when you don't realize it. Just last night, at dinner, Dylan was telling us all about snakes. He watched a show on Nat Geo and was so enticed he learned something. Believe me, we do our share of "book work" and learning is definitely done. You can turn anything into a learning tool. It's all what you make of it.

All I am saying is, stop wasting your time throwing stones at someone for their educational choices and concentrate on the true point; educating your child and giving them the very best.


Amie

Bumps Along The Way.

Learning at home definitely has it's ups and downs. We have tried several different curricula and were even a part of a virtual academy for almost two years. We are now back on track with traditional homeschooling. It has been a bumpy road. But after seeing the look on my oldest child's face each morning (while with the virtual school) I knew it was time to do something different. The virtual school just wasn't fitting our family's needs anymore. Yes, it was WONDERFUL while we were with them. Set curriculum. Teacher support. Deadlines to meet. Et cetera. I loved the structure of it, my child did not. I knew he needed something different. Where he was excelling in math (and still is), he was falling behind with reading. A struggling reader as most would say. This was VERY hard for me to deal with. I've always loved to read and still find time to sneak a book in here or there when I have time to myself. Dealing with his lack of love for reading was frustrating and saddening to me. Another hurdle we had to cross. But first I had to deal with my feelings. It was so hard watching him struggle to sound out words, but so exciting to see when he would read one correct. I pushed and pushed; because of course since I loved to read he had to, too. After all he is my child! Wrong. Yes, he is my child. But he is his own person and some do not love reading. Reading was stressful to him, hard. During our time with the virtual school he was pushed by not only me, but the teacher as well and was falling even further behind. Having to read books he didn't want to read, had no interest in. And was becoming withdrawn at the mention of anything to do with reading, or writing. So I took a leap and withdrew him from the virtual school. Mid-year, which was scary! I knew in my heart something had to change, he needed to be more relaxed. (With the virtual school there was SO much that needed to be done each day, so much work; which I now refer to as busy work, or unnecessary). He wasn't able to move at  his own pace (like we were told at the beginning), he was bored with math (he's advanced in math) and struggling with the reading portion of it. Science and history were no problem and still aren't.  Since leaving the virtual school (three months ago) he is a COMPLETELY different child. He has developed a love for reading. He even picked up a book the other day and read for pleasure! We are reading the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder for fun, together, out-loud. He has come such a long way and it's very exciting to see him this way for me. He is also writing short stories or just a paragraph each day in a notebook and also doing creative writing pages for me. So not only is he doing work, he's also making the choice to write a story a day in his own personal notebook. What an accomplishment! So this goes back to my statement at the beginning, learning at home definitely has it's ups and downs. But once you find your groove everything else falls into place! I learned to relax and not push so hard when it came to reading; to allow him to come to me with a book. We read more and more together (we had time to finally). And lookie here if he isn't enjoying reading just as much as I do now! I realized that no matter what, if he wasn't ready to do something, he wasn't going to do it and I needed to back off and allow him to WANT to do it. But once he was ready to fly, he flew!


This is definitely what homeschooling is about; creating a love for learning!♥


-Tiffany.

Egg bounce. Take two.

I have entirely TOO much going on this time of year. Ball, ball, and more ball. We've had games twice this week already and have a game tomorrow and a double header on Saturday. Being so busy I completely forgot to write about whether or not the egg bounced. Well, it did indeed bounce! Rather neat little trick to do with kids. The egg felt rubbery and squishy at the same time (I may have actually let is soak a little longer than necessary). But my second grader was wowed by the fact that the egg bounced. He didn't think it would. He played with that joker for over 20 minutes before I finally had him go outside with it, where needless to say it didn't bounce for long! Especially considering he threw it up against a tree. Oh well. Time to move on to the next fun experiment, of course right after I find something else for us to do. And the search begins!


Here is my original post about the egg bouncing; bouncing an egg.

Questions people shouldn't ask ...

I have been thinking about this a lot and figured I'd just throw this out there. There are some brave people in the world and by brave I mean ignorant and by ignorant I mean people who don't have filters from their brain to mouth. There are different levels of " brave" people and most I can tolerate. I typically don't respond with my first answer, which of course means I, do have control of my filter.  Here are some of the questions that I have been asked.. And I am sure many others have at least heard a few of them



Q: Is this your first child <--- not a bad question normally, it's the second question as a response.

"No, this is my (insert child number mine happens to be 5) 5th" They look at you like you're a ghost and then, ask another yet even more stupid question or two.

Q Wow! 5, how do you do it? Are they all yours? Are they all from the same father?

A: I do it just like any other mother since the beginning of time, Yes they are ALL mine and YES they are from the same father. Why does it matter, who cares or what's it to you??

Q: Are you going to get your tubes tied??  This seems to be a general question that I got since pregnancy three..

A: No, I am not. Since when did you get permission to control my ability to procreate?


Non pregnancy question but, this one hurts...

Q: Are you pregnant?
A: No
Q: Are you having twins?
A: I just freaking told you I wasn't pregnant, how can I be having twins?


Yes, I am a large girl but it's not because I eat.. It's actually because I don't eat. I have PCOS but because of society, I have it in my brain that food is bad, and everything I eat is bad for me, so I barely eat. But fools don't see that. ANYWAY my point is, stop asking stupid questions, especially if you don't know the person.  I am sure there are a lot more and I may add more over time. I just wanted to get this blog out.

Amie

Bouncing an egg; is it possible?

I'm always looking for fun science experiments to do with my oldest. We have done several things over the past couple of years, but haven't tried to bounce an egg yet! So, I decided it was time to try that trusted old trick. Of course we did the whole suck an egg into a bottle thing first, which he thought was absolutely awesome and wanted to do it several more times. After a little over three long days, it's finally time. After hearing "Mom, is the egg ready?" several times a day or better yet "Is it ready to bounce, yet?" over and over. Yes, it is FINALLY the day! We are going to see if the egg will bounce today. Hopefully it works and isn't a disappointment. According to all of my research and from previous experiences it should, but this is my first time trying it with my own kids. We've studied a little bit about how or more of why the egg should bounce. Being that the shell is made up calcium carbonate and the vinegar being acid and how it causes the eggshell to react. But we shall see; wish us luck and I will blog about how it goes!

Here is the link that we used for this project, Bouncy Eggs.

-Tiffany

More natural approaches to feeling better

Anyone who knows me realizes that I hate going to the doctor and refuse to take medicine. I'm not sure how I'd react if someone said "Take this pill or die" -I'd probably still search out another way of handling things.
I'm no radical. I have taken my kids from the time they were born to get regular check-ups and they've had all their immunizations. However, if they sneeze I don't run them to the doctor.

I have treatments for plantar warts, sunburns, ringworm, sore throat, allergies etc. The two latest home remedies I have stumbled upon are the best yet.

No one has to believe the way I do-call me crazy. Also no one has to believe these things work, totally up to you, but when your child is sick,especially after-hours, why not think about it.

Coughing:
Cut up an onion and place it in a jar. Cover the onion with PURE HONEY and put the lid on. Wait a couple of hours and the mixture will produce a liquid in the jar. Give whoever is sick a teaspoon of the liquid from the jar.
**My nieces were sick for a couple of days with the cough and passed it to my son. I gave them a teaspoon each-only  took 2 doses.***
Mixture will last for a couple of days sitting on the counter top as the honey has its own bacteria fighting properties.



Ear ache:
Cut a couple of rings of onion and either place in a little water in the microwave or stove top just until the onion is soft. Check it to make sure it won't burn you then place just inside the large ring of the ear (not the circular part where the q-tip goes,but the circular area that leads up to it.) Almost immediately there maybe a pop in the ear. While it is in you will feel it working.
***I have an ear ache tonight. I haven't figured out if its from my ear or if it is from my wisdom tooth trying to push through, but I have felt relief already tonight.****


Hope this helps someone
-Jules

It's not him, It's me..

I've posted before that my son has been delayed by a Speech problem so we are trying to catch up to a lot of things in school.
The other day I was helping him with his work when one of the other kids had a question on her Math. I asked him to hold on for a minute while I answered her question.
I turn my head to help her for about a minute....when I turn back-he had made marks on his page. I say marks because at the time I figured he just starting writing things down.
The lesson was on alphabetical order and he did it correctly!

What I am realizing is-I'm not sure how much he is actually behind. He tends to want me right there with him because as he does the work he wants me to actually say "That's right, good job!" Like he needs that confirmation right away.  The other thing I'm seeing is he knows a ton of things that you don't know-that he knows, you know? lol!  It is like the alpha order lesson, when I get distracted he just pulls it out of a hat and does it correctly.

So I'm left wondering-Is it me not him? Maybe I'm enabling him to not try harder because I am still in the mind frame that he needs so much help?  On Monday, I suppose I will try just giving him the directions then walk away so I'm not there for him to depend on..I shall try it!


-Jules

Possible law involving grades/food stamps

One of my fellow bloggers sent me an article and  I realize that I have mixed feelings. They were talking about failing grades and requiring parents to attend two meetings or lowering food stamp amounts. They think this ensures parent involvement in the child's schooling.

First of all, yes-I'm sure there are parents out there who send their child to school, then check out on "responsibility" because it is up to the schools to teach them. Sure, waste more money on these required classes-still not going to make these parents step up and be involved in their child's success. They will go, fill the space in the meeting so they don't lose their food stamp amounts.

Secondly-I grew up on the directions of "Eat a good breakfast" before any standardized test. Um, ok-let's take away money that a family needs to feed their family. I wonder how a kid is going to do going to school hungry?

Ok, so now that we have addressed  the parents-that according to the state simply do not care and that is why their child is failing. Now what about the people who ARE being paid for teaching the kids.

For all the states in America..
I wonder what the number is for the kids who have learning disabilities that fall through the cracks? Maybe they are labeled "trouble makers." Or the ones who actually get into Special Ed but are called stupid and lazy by the teachers? Yeah-that builds a student's self worth.

As I remember when I was in school-I got irritated because instead of sending the kids out that were
disrupting the class, they were allowed to stay in the room and irritate everything and everyone. That makes for a productive learning environment.

How about we take away some of the salaries of the teachers and principals-or better yet the Superintendents of Schools and see if they can work better to make sure our children get the environment at school needed to succeed.

-Jules

Freedom-- I love it

I love the sense of freedom home schooling has to offer. It makes me realize that those of us who went to traditional  schools, truly spent a lot of wasted time there.Now hold your horses, because I am not talking about time wasted on traditional classes like ELA/ Reading/ Math/ History/ SS/ and Science. Those are essential. I am talking about when you break it down into a million different sub categories  Unless you're planning on being a teacher or specialize, or excel in that particular subject, lets face it, you're going to forget it eventually. Use it or loose it certainly does apply.  I am still refreshing my mind on simple grammar rules, history and of course math. Those things are so easy to forget.

 As an EMT, I didn't use any form of history and Math was simple stuff, of course it can get harder but nothing like Trig or, Algebra (who the heck is x and why am I dividing by it??) I still to this day, learn something new every day.   Study hall? I loaded down my schedule just to avoid it. I HATED study. So boring and a complete waste of time. I am still refreshing my mind on simple grammar rules. Those things are so easy to forget.

  I am not saying that the whole time spent in a hard desk was wasted, because I did actually learn a lot. But, if I was given the opportunity to be home schooled, I so would have done it.

 I wasn't like a typical kid, I actually liked/enjoyed school even if I struggled at times, thanks to a sever case of test anxiety. Middle school were my least favorite years (6-9). I, as many of my peers referred to middle school as "the jail" So many rules. I wasn't a bad kid but come on, a detention for dropping my pencil? Seriously? Go waste your time on the kids who needed it more and concentrate on the true definition of education.

. But, I loved HS and I had many great teachers.But, I  have my favorite. Mr. B is the best. His teaching was so much more than what we were reading. It was life, interpretation, honesty openness and the ability not to fear the unexpected or use our minds. His Motto, "Always expect, the unexpected" I have live by that to this day. And I am glad, that I can teach it to my kids. Go with the flow, adapt and overcome. I wish they offered the awards that they offer today because he deserved so many and then some.


 His way of teaching has helped me with Homeschooling and it  truly gives me that ability to be more free and not worry about my child's well being, social status and/or popularity but spend more time on actual learning.

 It also gives us the chance to be prepared for the unexpected, sickness and fun visits. unexpected learning adventures and learning through fun. You can turn just about anything into an academic lesson.

I am not one of those moms who is happy to send my kids off to school, I actually missed my kids. They bring something special to my life each and every day.

Off to eat...

Wishful Thinking!

I know this is supposed to be a blog about our kids, homeschooling, and our husbands. Although this does pertain to kids. But I just have to take a minute to ask, does any mother remember what it's like to pee alone?  I have completely forgotten what it's like to be able to pee in peace! I know, I know, wishful thinking right. That doesn't happen again until sometime WAY after they have moved out. But a mom can dream. At this rate, I can't even remember the last time I left the house without my hair in a ponytail, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt on. With who knows what on it, I mean, is that the banana that the baby had last week, because I can't remember washing this then? Or could that be snot? Who knows, I just go with the flow. Who has the time to do full blown make-up? Actual clothes other than comfy ones? Not I, not unless I take major time preparing for it. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not missing that 45 minutes of sleep just to appear like a Stepford Wife, which I know I'm not! These days appearance is everything, but who has the time for it? Maybe one day, I'll be more like a Stepford Wife, keeping up with fashion trends and able to pull off that razorback tee that's so cute, while chasing after a toddler in 4-inch heels. But for now, I'll take those twice worn before washing sweatpants, that raggedy t-shirt that's so comfy you can't throw it away, and my tennis shoes from highschool because I'd much rather be running around outside with my kids, not a care in the world if my clothes get nasty. After all this rain the past few days, only one thing can ensue; MUD FIGHT!

Life is like an.... Opera song...

I was searching the internet for inspiration on what to blog about, I haven't blogged in days and I have been buried up to my elbows in puke and have most certainly been sleep deprived this week.  I probably have about a million things to write about because with 5 kids, there is NEVER and I mean Never a dull moment in this household.

Anyway---Surfing the "Interwebs" is like taking a mini staycation for me. If I try real hard, I can block out the "I want a drinkkkkk" "Momma" "Help mes" and drift away. Too bad I can't be as good at it as my husband. He's a freaking expert. He's so good, he can't hear himself!

I saw this on http://www.today.com/moms, I like to go there when I either want to see how good or how screwed up I am raising my child. Try it, you'll be impressed or horrified :)  Well, I saw this and thought, wonder what this is?? Click and you will literally laugh your ass off as I did. I think I say just about all of it around a million times a day give or take. I am sure, I can add more to it! Like,: Remember to sing along to the above song!
Stop kicking your sister, Stop stealing your sisters doll/pony. Noo, noo, noo, nooo...no! Stop, please go, I have to pee, I need some privacy---Yes, I am totally singing this in my head. Get that from her, she will get hurt, Please stop screammming! Don't you fight, it's time for bed, Oh why are you screaming???  Who cares whose it is, just make her stop, please give it back to herrrr.  Okay, Emmie, don't freak on me, you can have your Minnie!

I seriously could go on and on. But you know, no matter how much I have to say that stuff, it does keep my life entertaining. Never a dull moment.

Amie

Bullying! Just Say NO!

If you are on Facebook, Pinterest, or any other social media site I'm sure you've seen the post about a New York teacher that taught her students a lesson about bullying by using a simple sheet of paper. For those of you that have not, here is the story:


"A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stomp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home."

See, as home-schoolers most would think that bullying isn't something we have to deal with. But it is, it's something that, in my opinion, EVERY parent should discuss with their child or children. It's something that at some point your child will encounter. Bullying or being bullied doesn't just happen at school, it can happen on the internet, at the playground, during extracurricular activities, it can happen anywhere. Any child is susceptible to it, no matter their background. Rather they are private schooled, home schooled, public schooled, college. It DOES NOT matter. So as parents we have to take a stand, teach your kids about bullying/being bullied, teach them what to do in the situation, or if they see someone else being bullied what they should/shouldn't do! It only takes one. Stand up!

We do the above exercise in our home, several times a year, it does seem to hit home. I believe that doing it this way does help younger children understand and really sets a light bulb off in older children. It takes 10 minutes or less of your time to talk about it. We have also watched the movie Bully, which was heartbreaking to see the pain and torment of these children, but well worth the watch. One thing I think most parents can agree on is that bullying needs to stop! But it starts with us as parents, to be aware, to take the time to teach our kids a lesson about it, to stop with the "It's just kids being kids." mantra; IT'S NOT! Some kids these days are darnright mean, the petty fights we all had as children are different this day and time, plus the internet bullying that goes on. So take a stand, make yourself aware of just how bad the bullying in our country is, make your children aware, because it needs to stop. No child anywhere deserves to be bullied for anything! 


                   SAY NO TO BULLYING!


Here is a great website to use, Lessons On Bullying, and there are several more available out there.

Fun in homeschool in the first few days of April

Today we did a lesson on the history of April Fool's Day. We learned it used to be the New Years Day until the calender was re-done. It goes back to the 16th century in France.

Tomorrow is Peanut Butter and Jelly Day-so we have stuff for sandwiches but they must make the sandwich with only one hand :) We also have some coloring pages to go along with it.

It is also Autism Day so we have a Science lesson on Autism so we can learn a little about it. Amazing we found some coloring pages for that too!

Every once in awhile you have to take a little breather and come up with different ways to make learning something fun!

So as we head into tomorrow- Happy PB/Jelly Day!!!

(not my photo)

-Jules

Kids are......?

My living room floor, before 10:00 AM. (This is actually a good day, usually it's worse.)

There is just no nice way of putting it, kids are messy! They absolutely love to make messes, simple as that. Messes that take mommy quite some time to clean up. Yes they do help clean, but there is always the abundance of stuff that they forget to clean up; not to mention the food my youngest seems to hide in every nook and cranny of his highchair. (I think he saves it for later, who knows though.) I have met some mothers that cannot stand a mess and are constantly running behind their kids cleaning up, I am NOT, I repeat NOT that mother. My entire house will look like a disaster zone before I clean up in the evening. I think messes are important! While making those messes they are playing, rolling cars, stacking blocks, looking at picture books, doing puzzles, and most of all they are LEARNING! See, a mess is a good thing, if looked at in the right way! I always encourage my kids to make messes, it seems, especially when we are outside. Here lets get the sprinkler and do this, or that. Let's make mud pies, red clay castles (in the south we have very little sand, just red clay everywhere), roll in the leaves (pray for no dog poop while you do), or whatever else we can get into. For instance, yesterday after hunting eggs and enjoying the goodies the Easter bunny left we took a walk. While we were on that walk we veered off the field road and into the woods just to see what we could see. It ended up being an hour of adventure. The boys found some pretty rocks, got stuck with thorns, saw several different kinds of animal tracks, a turtle shell, and the oldest found an old ax. I stumbled upon an arrowhead in nearly perfect condition, the tip is missing, but it's still a gorgeous piece. We all had a blast and the most enjoyment for me was seeing the love of learning shining from my kids, the smiles on their faces just from being outside. We arrived back at the house a little sweaty and a little dirty, but that hour of adventure had SO much learning involved! Anyway, I reckon my whole point is, don't mind the messes, your kids are just making memories. Encourage them to make a mess, then teach them to responsibly clean up after themselves. Be in no hurry, take your time, see the world through your children's eyes! Remember they are only children once, you may be complaining about the messes now, but one day you will miss them! ♥