Another day complete...

Another day of Homeschooling completed. I have to say, I'm really loving it! So is Olivia. I think Danielle might be starting to get jealous, but I don't want her to choose homeschooling based on that, know what I mean? That's not an acceptable reason for me, although I would LOVE to Homeschool her as well and I have no doubt that she will choose that option down the road. Anyway, my plan is to just reinforce how much I love her and spend more one on one time with her. I think that will ease her worries. I sure hope so, I love my lil Danielle. My girls are my heart.

This week we rearranged Olivia's subjects so that we could spend more time on one subject and have lighter Fridays and although we're only through with two days, it's really working out. We've finished early both days, which allows me to go over topics we've covered, to reinforce them. The more days that pass, the more confident I feel about what a great decision this has been for my family.

I also have more ammunition when I face opposition from those I know. (Including some family members) Although some days I have felt really annoyed, my goal is to educate rather than be defensive and further advance their already questionable opinions of me. A few times I have been able to stop the judgements in their tracks just by taking the time to explain the reasons that this is the route we've chosen, along with facts and experience to go along with it. Of course there are those just looking for a reaction and have meanness in their heart. Those you can't really do anything about. I've found, though, that a lot of people are as uneducated on the subject as I was, and have formed opinions based on misinformation and negative hearsay.

Anyway...the point of all this, is that Homeschooling is going really well and my family is really content with this, and that's really all I can ask for! :-)

So I was on FB earlier...

And the topic of L-O-V-E came up. Love is one of the most debated, irritating, wonderful, terrible, amazing things life has to offer us, and we have to offer life. Ya know? So I just want to put my .02 cents out there.
I have single friends, okay, and most of their ideas regarding love is FANTASY. Big time. White knights. No fights. All blissful and happy and all things fiction. Even though I know that 11 years isn't all that long of a time to be married, I do feel like I have a valid thought on the idea...My husband and I have been through a LOT. And let me tell you this, there were many nights I didn't think we were going to last. No one did. And without God we probably wouldn't have. And who knows what the future holds, but as for right now...I just want to say this.

LOVE is way more than a feeling. It is a CHOICE. There are going to be days when you don't FEEL like loving someone. You're angry. You're tired. You're busy. You're whatever...but you're not always going to look at this person and say, Ohhh I just love you so much kissey kissey kissey. Sorry. Not going to happen. So what do we do in those situations? We say Okay. Even though I don't FEEL like loving you right now, I'm going to choose to love you anyway. I don't know of any lasting relationship that is solely based on feelings. Not even our relationship with Jesus is based on feelings. It's based on FAITH. And that is really similar to our spousal relationships. I choose to love my husband even though I don't have any guarantees that he will always be faithful. That he will always love me back. Know what I mean?

I got married 3 days after I turned 18 and we had every possible odd stacked against us. I THOUGHT I loved him. But guess what? That was pure and simple lust. Now...having been married literally through good and bad, rich and poor, sickness and health, 2 children and so on and so forth...I KNOW that I love him. Not because I always FEEL like it. And I'm sure there are days when he doesn't feel like loving me! Heck, I can be so mean my own dog probably doesn't feel like loving me! LOL But anyway...I don't really know what my point is...or was...but I just felt like sharing this.

Subjects Schedule...

This is what our schedule looks like for the week, in regards to which subjects on what days:

Monday-
Math (2 lessons)
Literature
Vocabulary
Language Skills
American History
Science

Tuesday-
Math
Literature (2 lessons)
Spelling
Vocabulary
American History
Art

Wednesday-
Math
Literature
Spelling
Language Skills
American History
Music

Thursday-
Spelling (2 lessons)
Language Skills
Vocabulary
American History (2 lessons)
Science

Friday-
Math
Literature
Spelling test
Language Skills
Art

*We also do physical education and Bible study

Lessons Learned...

I just thought I'd share this...

Lessons I've learned...

1. You get what you pay for.
2. Smiling for no reason...when in a bad mood, really does lift your spirits. If for
no other reason than you look pretty silly driving around with a huge grin plastered on your face.
3. Kindness is free.
4. Love is infectious. So is Hate. It spreads.
5. If they cheat with you, they'll cheat on you.
6. When one door closes, another one is sure to open.
7. You always have a choice in life. No matter what situation. Even if it's only in the attitude you choose to take.
8. You really do reap what you sow.
9. Karma is real.
10. There are 3 sides to every story. His version. Her version. And the truth. Which
is usually somewhere in the middle.
11. Everybody has a story. Some happy, some heartbreaking. But everybody has one.
12. The Bible is the road map to life.
13. While it's true that drugs may make you forget...more than anything, they make
you WANT to forget.
14. Everybody has a motive. Whether good or bad, everybody has one.
15. Monsters really do exist. The scariest ones take on a human form.
16. The more money you have, the more money you spend, the more problems you have.
17. Nothing lasts forever.
18. Usually, the person in the right is the one doing the least amount of talking.
19. Anything can change in an instant.
20. Everybody has an opinion.
21. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
22. It's better to just say what you mean and mean what you say.

I'm sure I've got a whole bunch more but this is it for now.

Schedule...

This is our current schedule:

(It goes without saying that many times we will be running either early or late. Unfortunately for me, you can't schedule everything! So this is just a basic idea...
Also, on Fridays we will only have half days or less as those will be reserved for Field Trips, Fun Friday, etc.

7 A.M.- Wake up; Breakfast; Showers; Dressed

8 A.M.- Danielle on the bus; Prepare for day; downtime for Olivia, snack

9 A.M.- Lessons begin

10 A.M.- Snack/Break

10:30 A.M- Lessons resume

Noon- Lunch/Break

1 P.M.- Lessons resume

2 P.M. Snack/Break

2:30 P.M.- Lessons resume

4 P.M.- Dinner

5 P.M.- Downtime

7 P.M.- Homework/Chores

8 P.M.- Downtime

9 P.M.- Bedtime

My daily To-Do list includes:

1. School (obviously)
And in between times when Olivia can work independently, I can get my list completed.
2. Clean
3. Laundry
4. Dinner
5. Errands
6. And much more!

Every Friday I will grade papers, enter grades, go over schedule, print out homework pages for the week, make and print new schedule, prepare upcoming week's lessons.
This is just a general guideline!

School Supply List...

In addition to everything that was sent to us from K12 including:

Computer
Monitor
Printer
Computer Accesories
Software
Textbooks
Workbooks
Music, Science, and Art Kits
Miscellaneous Supplies

We also needed much more. The following is an extensive list:

Folders
3 ring Binders
Pens
Pencils
Calculator
Hi-Liters
Crayons
Markers
Colored Pencils
Craft Supplies
Glue
Construction Paper
Stapler
Staples
Staple Remover
Bulletin Board
White Board (Old, clean socks make awesome erasers and you can keep the markers inside of them!)
Dry Erase Markers
Notebooks
Thumbtacks
Paperclips
Rubber bands
Sharpies
White-Out
Post-Its
Organizational Boxes/Crates/Filing Cabinet/ETC
Printer Paper
Ink Cartridges
Lots of Bookmarks
3 Hole Puncher
Single Hole Puncher
Index Cards
Book Bag (On-the-go Learning)
Tape
Desk Calendar
Poster Board
Erasers
Ruler
Compass (Math)
Protractor
Pencil Sharpener
Loose Leaf Notebook Paper
Day Planner

Whew. I *think* that's everything.

Also recommended is:

Desk for Mom
Desk for Student
(or large work area)
Tylenol/Advil- heheh just had to throw some humor in!

Now I know this list is really extensive but bare with me as I'm new to this! I was so afraid of not having enough and truthfully, we've already used many, many items on this list! I'm sure there are ways of going around some of this stuff, but I am ashamed to admit, I'm a woman of convenience!

And so it begins...

Our first day of Homeschool began last week on Monday, Aug. 17th. It was L-O-N-G anticipated, let me tell you! Although I was really excited, I was also worried about so many things. Did I have enough school supplies? (I didn't) Was I prepared enough (YES!) Can I really teach? (YES! Guess what? As Moms, we've been doing it since the day we gave birth!) What if I get stumped? (I did. A few times. Yet funny enough, the earth didn't shatter and I was quickly able to figure things out, using the easy to understand "Teacher Guides") What if I'm not patient enough? And on...and on...and on... But at the end of the day, guess what? We. Did. Great.

Olivia and I have made it through week one and are eagerly anticipating week 2! We've figured out a great schedule, though we'll have to see how it works (this is all a learning process) and I'm all set on the school supplies. We've got the program down (the online school; how to log-in, set attendance, mark lessons complete, etc.) and I'm totally organized, including already having the week's lessons in each Lessons folder! Can ya tell I'm excited?! I think I might be a bit more excited than Olivia, lol, if that's possible...

But you know what makes me overjoyed and know that this is all going to work out? Watching Olivia's face as she figures something out. Seeing her wake up in the morning, excited to learn. This amazes me. This is why parents Homeschool!
Now I know there will be tough days, and I will get frustrated and Olivia will get frustrated. One or both of us will lose our patience. I know all this, expect all this. But I also know that we will remember the reasons we have taken this challenge! And everything will be just fine. Soooo. I will definitely have more to post about tomorrow! Stay tuned!