Support

My Husband had been my main Homeschooling support system for the last 3 years. And even though he listened to me about my fears, inadequacies, and the good times too. Even though he said, "Yes, you can home school and I will support you." And he understood Sam is receiving a very individualized education, he still wasn't 100% there. He stood up for us when friends or family said Sam would be under educated or weird. He stood up for homeschooling when people said it was wrong. But a part of him, still worried. The schooled part of Jessie made him think, "Will she be weird, unsocialized, or lonely?" This fear of mine was assuaged by my first book about homeschooling back when Sam was two. And though I read sections aloud and have repeated things for years, he still doubted. He had to see for himself.

I posted before about how we Get Involved. Samantha sees her friends so often and she is unrestricted in her play for the most part. In gymnastics she listens to her teachers. But while she waits her then she watches the intermediate class and her and her friends try to practice some of the stuff the higher level girls do. They are allowed to talk too, as long as they know what to do on their turn. Playdates, group parties/gatherings, sleepovers...All unrestricted play. Sam has so many friends. Everywhere she goes. Many live down the road. Walking distance. (Not her alone of course.) Together they practice gymnastics. (Most of them are also in gym. Some in her class.) They play pretend. Play games.
Tell stories. Listen to music. Explore. And sometimes teach each other math facts or reading. They really enjoy teaching each other what they learned that day. So much goes on around her friends. (And since she doesn't have any siblings, we might as well get ready for it now. Her friends will be at our house all the time. She always wants a friend with her lately, which is fine. I understand her need for company closer to her age.)

Anyway, Tangent Woman will stop now. What was I saying?

Oh yes, My Husband told me at dinner today a friend of his brought it up that homeschooling makes it hard to socialize. (We have had problems with this friend always putting homeschool down, even in front of Samantha.) Jessie said he really thought about it, and he told him that, while he used to agree, he completely disagrees now. He said Sam is making friends everywhere she goes. Left and right she is having people over it going out with them. She has kids spending the night on week nights! Gasp! (It is easier for our schedule to have kids over on week nights because of Hubby's schedule.) He said he knew then homeschooling was right. He looked me right in the eye and said, "We'd homeschool again in a heartbeat."

I have been longing to hear those words for years. I mean, he is a huge support. Giving me the okay. Allowing me to do it. Teaching Sam. Listening to me get excited and worry and get angry at times. Being the sole bread winner. Even though a second check might make things easier-financially. But I have never heard him say something like THAT. He is not only supportive, as usual. He is now aboard the homeschool train. He went from, "No. Absolutely not!" To "Maybe." To, "Whatever you want to do." Now...this. it's a Glorious day in the Mays house as I skip around grinning from ear to ear. "It took 3 years, but all in good time!"

What Works For Us

I realize this tends to be a reoccurring theme in my posts, but nobody reads this really. It is more of an electronic journal. And on the off chance you happen to this-"thus is the life of a Homeschooling Mom."

Being that it is our first "official" year, we are meeting all different types of families in Sam's home school groups for the first time. It truly is a melting pot. We have met families with all different lifestyles-stay at home moms or dads. Families where both parents work. Adoptive families. Families with one child. Families with six. Families of all races, backgrounds, and "economic classes." Families that use a variety of different teaching methods.....I have encountered families who adhere to a strict "school" schedule. They do all the core subjects. Piano. Violin. PE. Even recess. I have met some who are more lax. They get their "school done." But at the bare minimums and play or cook or work on projects the rest of the day. They use their text books and work books and barrel their way through until lunch when they stop. Some don't stop until 4 or 5 o'clock. I have met families who use online curriculums. And some that do unit studies. I have yet to meet any like us. We may never, but I think we will. Of course many families will allow the child led learning in some aspects, especially once the main subjects are completed.

Seeing other families and their cabinets upon cabinets full of curriculum makes me nervous. Of course I ask myself if I slacking as a Mom. And I go home and think about if we have done enough this week. It seems like I never remember what we do at home. All I can think if us "Well, we went to the Center. Then gym twice. And the library and play date on Friday. Man! We are always on the go." But that's not true. It's really not. And moments like these I am grateful for Facebook Timelines and my pictures. It shows me and reassured me that all we have done, even if it is not as conventional as others, we are learning and having fun.

I saw where we had baked pumpkin cookies-new recipe-completely from scratch. We played Chess and other board games. Computer games. We built a fire together as a family. Not to mention cooked Smores on it. Studied our Rooster who has decided to roost on the back porch where it isn't quite as windy. We used a loom to weave a pot holder. Collected State Quarters. Played with friends. Planned a Christmas party. Went on a field trip. Read. Grocery shopped. Practiced math facts in the car. Played with fractions. Answered questions about what certain words mean. Wrote a book. Started reading "Trumpet of the Swan." Drew in our nature journal. Watched videos of trumpeter swans and their cygnets. Learned words for different male/female animals. Went to church. Talked about God, death, bullies, and handling emotions. Went on a long nature walk. Talked about the History of holidays. We talk a lot. (We also started researching and planning on using some traditions from early Thanksgivings. Something we do every year.) And all that was just this half of the month. Maybe the cookies were the end of October, but you get the picture.

But really, with all the self questioning I go through almost daily, I always come to the same conclusion. In the end what works best for YOUR family may not work for another family. We get stuff done on a lax schedule because it us just-us. We can go with the flow and Sam likes the unschooling method, which works for me because she is always going something productive. And mixing in a little Charlotte Mason here and there doesn't hurt. Using Living Books. Drawing in a Nature Journal. That is all fun and games and cuddles and warm times for both if us. Maybe there are days when seemingly nothing gets done, and we tend to focus on those days. But all of us, homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike have those days. Always have. Always will. We just have to keep going and trust that God has lead us down the right path, which is always does if we listen.

CHEA Christmas Party

This year Sam's groups have been going extremely well. Sam has made friends upon friends upon friends.

And I have made friends with the parents. (One of which I was able to enjoy a night out with recently-much needed break. She is so encouraging and full of great advice from a Christian perspective due to her years of experience being married, parenting, cooking, and especially homeschooling. Parenting is a whole different world when you home school. We don't deal with teachers and homework or bullies at school. We struggle with if we are teaching them enough, how and when do we get time for ourselves-to just be with God. And how do we help our children handle some of their problems-ie being made fun of for not being in "real school." Anyway, I'm off on a tangent. Neither is better. Both are hard. Parenting is sometimes hard, and sometimes fun. But talking to someone in the same boat helps no matter where you are.)

I feel like we are getting to know this group and getting involved has been an adventure, getting to know the board members and other members. Going to the play dates and field trips, just talking while we watch the kids play and discover from a distance. It has been amazing. Truly amazing.

One thing though, I like to instill in Sam is involvement, as I stated before in my post Community Involvement. So when they began asking for volunteers to help with the Christmas party, I jumped on it. Little did I know that they were going to ask me to plan it. "Me?! It's my first year!" "We need some fresh new ideas. It's easy. You'll be fine. You seem like you are organized and can do it." "Okay...If you say so."

Hours later searching on Pinterest for games. Making lists of what to buy. People to email. Others to call. Trying to get a location and days set up between the 4 of us.

Okay. Location/Date. Done.

We spent all afternoon yesterday at one of the board member's houses. We figured our she lives 1 mile down the road, as do most group members, so we trekked to her house to get the "Magic Christmas Box" full of supplies that everyone kept talking about. And Sam played with her 8 year old daughter while we planned and planned.

Okay. Meeting set up for next Wednesday after the field trip. Check.

Posting on the calendar. Delegated. Check.

We need games. We need decorations. Darn. I can't get the supplies until closer to time when we know who is signed up.

Well, good start. I guess we'll finish up Wednesday after I spend some more time on Pinterest looking for games.

It has been an experience. I have met many great women just in the past week. Sam has made new friends through this. And she sees the involvement. She sees me working hard at home. And soon she'll see the result.

I am glad I was "tricked" into planning this, as I put it. When my little brother started school my only thought as far as sadness goes was basically, "I'm sad I won't get to do like room Mom and PTO stuff, but it is worth it in the end to miss out on that but be here with her all the time." Now I get the best of both worlds. I get to plan parties for her group. Volunteer with her and the group. And in two years when they have people run for the board, you better believe I'm doing that too. That's even better than PTO. ;)

Homeschoolers and Community Involvement

 Disclaimer

It wasn't until I recently re-read the book, "The Well Adjusted Child," that I realized how much our lives have changed as Sam has grown. (She was 2 when I read it the 1st time.) And also how involved in the Community Homeschoolers-at least my homeschooler-is.

I remember reading and thinking, "Um, wow, these people are either showing off or I'm slacking off. Maybe we should be more involved." Looking back, we were just as involved as any two year old should be. She went to dance and church every week and she was part of a Community Group called Parents As Teachers. That, I feel, is more than enough for a 2-year-old, but, as most newly decided homeschool Mom's feel, there was soon this guilt plaguing me. So I got a licence. (No, I didn't have a license until I was 19.)

And overtime, naturally, we got more involved. Socialization is one of the best parts. Yes, the "S" word. I never worry if DD will be "socialized" well enough. Without going into the facts, or my opinion, I know that positive socialization is not something DD will receive in school. It is something she will receive from being out in the community, talking to others, learning from others.

For our child, God has commanded us to homeschool. And I believe homeschool is more than "school at home" or "school in a box." After much searching, praying, and fighting myself, I believe it is about a life of natural learning. It is about learning whatever you can, whenever you can. And not even drawing a line of distinction between if what you are learning is "useful" ie Math, Science, Reading, S.S. related or "not useful" ie just playing for the sake of playing. Whatever she is doing, it is relevant to her life then, and that is how we adults live, isn't it? I feel like I have learned more about writing speeches, researching my interests such as homeschooling, gardening, and anything else I have put myself into the past 5 years, than I ever learned in school. So in order to live this life of free learning, for one, I must quit sectioning things off in my head and isolating them as one subject or another. And two, we must put ourselves out there.

No, we don't leave the house on Saturday. Hello, crowds. No thank you. But all week we are on the go. I think I carschool more than I homeschool. On the way to where we are going (usually 30-40 minutes apart) DD and I talk. We talk about God. We talk about the tornado damage we see. We talk about shadows. We play a game called "Guess the Animal." We do math facts. Make up stories. And then when we get where we are going, we continue to learn. Gymnastics. Recipes. Adding up the grocery bill. Making new friends who teach you to sled down a hill on cardboard the "proper way." Totally relevant to her child life. And if I wanted, I could call it Geometry because you have to get at a certain spot and slide at a certain angle, but there I go again....

There are 5 ways I want Samantha involved in our community. They are these:

Volunteering (Serving): Since I serve at a local Women's Center, it has been a natural extension of DD's life to help out ever since she can remember. She counts change donations, sorts and hangs clothes, makes copies. She even helps me speak at local churches
And since I have a tremendous amount of trust for this girl, I am able to leave her unattended. (In a safe environment, where she can get to an adult if she needs something. Chill, y'all.) I tell her this is THE most important thing she could do for God right now. I counsel women. Give them their options and encourage them to choose LIFE. I also counsel women who have chosen abortion and just need to find healing in God's Word. This is hard to do, focus, give the Living Truth, and cry with another woman who is scared, when you know you have a kid sitting in the room next to you that might be tempted to knock on the door and ask when we are leaving or decide she is bored. But she never does. She plays. Draws. Helps out wherever it is needed-like when they are watching a distraught client's baby, so Sam occupies them. She talks to the other women who work at the Center. She has built up quite a relationship with each if them. Mostly Amy. She likes to tell Amy about gymnastics. And Amy will tell Sam about God. To Samantha, adults are grown up children who also make mistakes, the same as her. They are not scary authority figures she shouldn't talk to. And I thank God she feels this way, because I think she should enjoy all ages. (Although in the beginning, I'll admit it freaked me out when anyone older than Sam talked to her. I thought they must either be a creeper or want something.) Anyway, I'm off track. The fact that I can leave her alone without her causing a disruption or misbehaving gives me 1. Enormous pride in my child's behavior and 2. It lets me know that God gave me a child with her temperament because "He knew the plans he had for me."

My point to all this being, through serving in her community regularly, Sam has learned 3 very important things. 1. She has learned to serve God. 2. She has learned her time is precious, and giving of your time is an amazing gift that can change someone's life Forever. And 3. She has formed close bonds with other Christian adults that can help guide her. I know those relationships will blossom and become a deeper as she grows. And 4. Not to mention all the office experience she will have. When she turns 18, she'll have 15 years experience. ;)

Church: Aside from serving God, she needs to Worship God in an encouraging environment. It doesn't have to be a big church with fancy get togethers. In fact, we go to a very small church where the people there, she has known for years. She was 1 when we started attending. And though we have grown, we might have 100 regular attenders-including children. We know pretty much everybody. DD is forming relationships with the kids, on the common ground that they want to learn more about God too. The teenagers, her teachers, because they are "feeding her," and the adults because they are doing the same. The kids are involved in most things. We don't have childcare for everything and I prefer it that way. Why stick them in a room and say, " You aren't old enough to help at the yardsale." Or whatever it is. Instead of letting them see us get involved and get excited about getting involved too? But going to church doesn't just mean showing up on Sunday to sing and do a lesson. It means helping out at events like the Big Give after the tornado. It means building those relationships with others so that you can build each other up. It means being a PART of the church. Not just being AT church. And I want her to understand that.

Activity: We also require Sam to be in an activity, to stay active and learning her particular interest, which right now seems to be gymnastics. And I doubt that will change any time soon. Sam has gymnastics twice a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our busy days. I like that she enjoy what she is learning, but again, community building. She is meeting others. Forming relationships with kids and adults. Some that may be lasting. Others not. We spend our time after gym going to the recycling center, walking the Greenway which is this Beautiful nature area with a duck pond, a creek, a giant wooden swing, all sorts of nature, going right through Collegedale. We go to the local playground. Shop at the thrift stores. We just enjoy ourselves. (We drive 14 miles one way. Why only stay for gym?)

Community Places/Events: I expect Sam to know about the "hot spots" and current events in her community, at least in Ringgold. When she was little, we always attended Catoosa Kids day and we began going to storytime at the library, so it was a natural extension to go to check out books, go to l library events, or anything else local they advertised on their board.

Of course I also want her to shop locally too, which I encourage by shopping locally myself. We are very well acquainted with the owner of the local fruit stand and the ladies at the local "junk shops." We do shop at Earth Fare too, but they sale local foods and they are about as local as you can get. We see the same people each time. It is a small enough store that people remember you when you come in and they have the time to talk to you while you wait on your meat to be packaged or while you check out. Plus, it is better environment to be in. No candy bars or profane tabloids at the checkout counters. No isles packed with unhealthy, artificial flavored and preservative filled foods. Natural care products. Just an all around healthy environment to be in, for the mind and the body...Here I am though getting off track again.

Other Homeschoolers: The last area I expect her to be involved in is with other homeschoolers. She already takes gymnastics with homeschoolers, but I like her to be in an unstructured setting where she can sit and talk or play, which is why we joined the local group, CHEA.

Recently...Well, yesterday, we had a group play date, and I never can believe it because every time we get together, it is exactly like what I read about in homeschool books for years. I always thought, "Home
school can't be this good." But it is. And I expect her to keep involved because the children in her group share a lot of the same interests and it keeps her from getting lonely during the school day, when she has friends who can meet during school hours or spend the night on a weekday. Not to mention the field trips and other learning experiences. Being involved with either homeschool groups also means she gets the inside on what is going in. Things she can participate in or places she can go. If this is the lifestyle she is going to grow up in, she needs to be well acquainted with it, and she is. I know she can't imagine her life being different.

AND since I believe in leading by example, I too get involved as much as possible, by volunteering, getting involved in church, talking to the Moms of her friends, setting up "play dates," and most recently volunteering to plan her homeschool Christmas party. (Which is exciting, but I'm a little nervous about all the work that will go into it.) It'll be a new experience though and I'm sure I won't regret it. I did it because I want to show her not to be scared to get out there. Even if you are scared because you are new, put yourself out there anyway or you might miss your chance.

Living a community centered life isn't as hard or as busy as people may think. Some things we only do once a month or maybe twice. Others weekly. But it is part of our living life and "schooling," so even with all that, I don't think we spend the 30+ hours a week that school requires.

Note: For us Community means our small town Ringgold and the surrounding areas, Collegedale and Dalton mainly. Both small areas. 

Through homeschooling, Sam has developed a close connection and love for her community. The places, the people. I have developed a closer bond with her as we get more and more involved together. And a deeper trust as she shows me she is more grown up than some people give a 5 year old credit for. These things-volunteering weekly, homeschool groups, all the 2 hour visits to the library, they just wouldn't be possible if she were in school. Community ties are so important to us. To BOTH of our growing minds. I can't believe all those years I missed out on living in my community. Endless possibilities. Close relationships. Things so many people miss out on when they are in a hurry. Something some people never care to have. But community is something I hold dearly. Closer than I ever have before. We are a group of people just relying on each other. And that's a Beautiful thing.

Living Life Unschooling

Disclaimer

Extension of my last post: I forgot to mention another "friend" I have had to talk to lately about homeschooling, someone to bounce ideas and beliefs off of is my sister in law, Brandi, who has a 1,year old she is considering homeschooling. It's really neat having someone I'm already that close to to talk to, so I'm very surprised I forgot to mention her before.

On with my post...

I usually tend to get in a panic when Sam and I have days where I feel like nothing has been accomplished except errands maybe. Meal times. That sort of daily living stuff. Then I realize, well, that is life. It happens that way sometimes. And we don't always have to be doing something deemed educational or productive. We need down days, days where we sleep a little longer. Watch a bit more TV. Or maybe just color all day. Our bodies apparently are asking for that break.

And I look back on the previous days, weeks, or even months and I realize how much we have done. This Fall alone we have been enjoying time together as a family, celebrating Sam's 5th birthday, going apple picking, to the pumpkin patch, to the park. Sam has been improving SO MUCH in gymnastics. All she does some days is practice outside until she gets tired. Then she comes in to watch a gymnastics competition on the computer until she falls asleep. She has made new friends and she plays with them a lot. She talks with them. She is finding out more about who she is as an individual and as a friend. We have cooked together, baked together, shopped together. We have read together. We have studied the tree leaves together. We have gone on walks. We have looked at maps. We draw. We color. We listen to music. Sometimes we just talk. All of this. And more. This time that we are spending together, we are walking through life together, figuring out problems. Yes, she helps with problems. We act silly and laugh together. We do the mundane tasks that we have to do, but somehow they seem less mundane when we do them together.

And living life together, things seem like they are always changing, like there is no normal day. One minute it is the 3 of us. The next day we have a dog or a family member moves in. One day we are going to dance. Then she switches to gym. One day Sam is interested in Space. The next day it's Oceans. Sometimes we learn by reading and playing games. Sometimes I freak out and we write on the marker board and do calendar. But it is all neat, going back and looking at all the stages. Just waiting too see what life brings us next. It's just nice that we are able to "go with the flow" because we don't have this super duper strict schedule we have to adhere to. So if the church needs us to do something. Or the Center. Or maybe a family member gets sick, we are able to be there to deal with what life has for us. I realize I say this a lot, "We'll see what life brings next..." but I mean it. We just have to be there ready for what is next.

Friends

I have prayed for this since things began changing for Sam. Since her friends started going off to school and they would all talk to her about class parties and homework, recess and circle time, things she really knew nothing about. I have been waiting for this since the parents' of her friends started talking about dropping off/picking the kids up, meetings, and other school related things. I longed for a friend for Sam. And a fellow Homeschooling Mom for me. I wanted Sam to have a friend who would say to Sam, "Yah! I am homeschooled too! Yesterday Mom was teaching us how birds fly!" or a Mom who would say things like, "Of course we will be at the fieldtrip next week. Maybe we can meet for lunch afterward!"

It seemed like that day would never come. It would be impossible to fit into this group that has already been journeying through homeschooling together for so many years. They are comfortable in their own group. To them, it would be another year of new members. So how do these new members push their way in?

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Sam made a close friend in an instant. People have been talking to us left and right at every meeting we have been to. And everyone is so willing to set up play dates, swap numbers, or talk about "school" while the kids run around doing their own thing.

Samantha's gets to see her new "best friend," Rachael at least twice a week lately. (Rachael is the little girl she met at the Not Back to School Picnic.) Rachael also joined Sam's gymnastics class, and they are in the same group. She has 5 brothers and sisters from 9 months to 12 years old, and they all love having Samantha over to play. (Samantha loves them too.) This makes Sam so very happy and she doesn't ever feel alone now. She'll say, "Mommy, I can't believe that they are homeschooled too! I didn't know other kids were homeschooled with their Mommies." I think it makes her happier, I am sure it does, knowing she isn't alone. Because nobody wants to be alone.

Side Note: I went out with Suzette, Rachael's Mom tonight, and it was a nice night away. We went to Fresh to Order for dinner and then the mall to walk around and talk. We were out for 5 hours just talking about everything from family to homeschooling to cooking and the Bible. It was nice gaining some insight from someone with the same general beliefs and interests as me. It was a much needed, very refreshing night. I feel like we will get along just fine, despite my initial nervousness about telling her my age. (We actually did talk about it, and she said she didn't have a problem with it. She knew when we started talking that I was younger just from the way I looked.) In fact, when we went in stores to shop for clothes, she tried to help me pick some out based on the kind of clothes she buys for her daughter. It was like shopping with my Mom. In a good way. And I was able to help her too because I have awesome taste of course.

Of course we talked about getting the kids together again, maybe even the Husbands. (We'll see about that.) Friday is our CHEA Group Playdate on Cardboard Hill. Can't wait to see what the kids think of that.

I am home now. Put Sam to bed. I am ready and refreshed for tomorrow knowing that we won't be going it alone anymore.

Continual Thoughts

Being that I have constantly battled with this "first year everything must be perfect" syndrome, I am constantly having to rethink what I'm doing. I don't battle with it as much as some. No I haven't turned to desks, saying the pledge, or workbooks. But I feel like I am in this uphill battle against myself. One side of me wanting everybody to approve of what I do and to say, "She is at or above other kids." The other part of me saying, "What is truly important here? Her naming her math facts quicker than the other kids or her having a warm childhood filled with memories of playing outside and baking and going to fun places? Where is the balance?" I am having a hard time finding it with all this outside pressure. I keep resolving to say, "Forget what others think." But then I keep going back to that battle. So now here I am trying to find a good balance, a solution to not crawling back to pick up all those stones Satan puts in my sack.

What does Sam need to know?

Sam needs to know how to read, write, and do simple addition and subtraction. (We are also loosely working on Geography, but only as an extra since it is one of Sam's interest.) Science is required too.

How can I do this without being overbearing? Forcing her to do things she isn't getting much out of just so I can having something to show, something to write in my little lesson plan book?

Easy. We always play games, board games, computer games, apps. We own board games for all core areas. And even some that cover things like critical thinking, strategy, and statistics. Car games are our favorite. We like the "Guess Animal" game. We quiz each other on math facts. 

We read together. Reading covers all areas. I need to continue to build Sam's book collection so she has things to spark her interest. I should always be willing to take her on that extra trip to McKays or the library.

We even bring out some of the old school stuff like Mad Libs, Oregon Trail, and Magic School Bus, School House Rock, Bill Nye.

Hands on stuff is daily. We bake. We grocery shop. We dig in the dirt. Play with a tape measure.

Wow. All this comes so naturally. I guess I just needed a little mind refresher. Something to assure me she doesn't need to be forced to learn. Something to remind me why I liked the unschooling philosophy to begin with. I am going back and reading. Talking to other homeschoolers. Praying on what to do next. We keep going up and down. But it's a learning process. We have many more years of learning to go.

What do our days look like? How should they look?

Lately our days are all planned out for us. I feel like we gotta have SOMETHING to put in that darn lesson plan book-that I am about to throw out!

Tuesdays we have the Center and Gym. Also "reading day" where she reads me a book. Which frustrates her to know end that we have to do it right then.

Wednesday is experiments day, which I feel like is worthless to her. What is she truly learning when I TELL her, "It's time to study shells!" How much more would she gain if she chose to do it herself? Even if I just put it somewhere in her path so that she might initiate it herself. Then she has to focus on Math for part of the day or I freak, even knowing that she has been playing math games all week-on her own free will!

Thursday-MORE worthless experiments. "Let's mix oil and water to produce waves." While Sam is like, "Uh, yah, saw the waves at the ocean. This whole jar thing is just oil and water to me " Gymnastics. MORE forced reading.

Friday-Two Fridays a month are library day. Which is fun. No fight there. One is errand day and we go eat lunch with my brother. Fun too. And one is play date with her home school group. Also fun!

Saturday-The only "learning day" we both fully enjoy without one "fighting moment." And that is Game Day. It's not forced learning or busy work. It's something Sam loves to do and learns a lot from. We play State to State, SMath, Math War, Checkers, UNO. Computer games. LOTS of computer games. And so on. The list never ends. We Love games!

Although it seems to be a pretty busy, but well rounded schedule, there is something missing. One reason we chose to homeschool is the freedom in the schedule. But where is the freedom anymore? Where is the time for free play, building with blocks, playing outside, reading purely for enjoyment? Sure we still bake and she helps me cook dinner or plays with her blocks, but that is after "school time." 9AM-3PM It should not be separated like that. Learning is learning and you do it through reading, doing, and PLAYING. I need to quit looking at things in terms of. "Does Sam understand what I am teaching her right now?" And look at it in terms of, "Is this adding to her life?" If she spends her days reading. Playing with friends or by herself. Planting a garden with me. Cooking with me. Running real life errands with me. Adding up the grocery bill. Calculating sales. Making a shopping list. Helping out in her community. Learning about her community. Spending her days talking about recipes, seasonal foods, and holistic approaches to healing, just chatting with the locals. And going to church and learning the Bible. What more does she need? She'll be able to function more than adequately when she is out on her own because she will have been doing it for years.

So what should our days look like?

They should look like we are living and sustaining ourselves. Learning to care for ourselves, plants, and animals. How to care for others. We should be enjoying the holidays, learning why we celebrate them and how we should celebrate without giving into commercialism too much. Baking without having to "find the time between lessons." We need to be playing relentlessly. Putting together Legos. Pretending. Playing Paint on the computer. Getting out stacks of board games. Dumping all the art supplies on the table just to see what we can make of it all. Not following one pattern online. We should be outside in the grass, staring up at the clouds. Riding a bike, scooter, playing fetch with the dog, or helping Daddy work on his mower go kart. That is what childhood is about. Math and reading will come. Yes, they will be covered, but in a fun way. Not in a way that says, "Let's make this as dull and repetitive as possible because you just don't add or read fast enough for me." I will continue to fight my inner traditionally school self if it kills me. My child will receive what is best for her if it is the only important thing I leave behind in this world. She will grow up and say, "Mom did what was best for me despite what others said."

So now that I have wrote it all out, I will print this. My goal for the week is to chuck the lesson plan book-I don't even need it anyway. And start doing some of the things I listed. We will play with toys. We will play outside. We will play games. We will Trick or Treat. We will bake a pumpkin pie-in the Morning! We will go to gymnastics and kill time afterward. We with start swimming at the pool again. We with stop by Rachael's house after gym and just play until we have to leave. We will play games in the car and joke around. We will have a good week.

Side Note: Speaking of a good week, and trying to make more time for play. Sam is going out Saturday morning with a friend. We are going to an organic farm for an after Halloween celebration. And then that afternoon after Hubby gets home, I am going out for a "Mom's Night Out." I mentioned to one of the Homeschool Moms in gymnastics that I think we missed the sign ups for CHEA Mom's Night Out. So we decided to have our own night out, just her and me. I also mentioned we like to try to find natural/organic or at least healthy restaurants to eat at, and so does her family. So we are eating at Fresh to Order. Then we are going to go shopping. I doubt I'll buy anything. (I doubt we shop in the same stores, but walking around the mall area should be fun.) And I think it will be a great opportunity to create a bond between one of Sam's best friend's Moms, and a fellow homeschooling Mom. I can't wait!