Progress 2014-2015

It's that time of year. You know the time of year where I freak out and wonder if we are doing enough at home. Although this year it is really just a small voice in the back of my head that is pretty easy to ignore because when I really look back, she isn't lacking in character or knowledge/experience. Nope. In fact, she has a great character and her experiences thus far have varied so much and have really enriched her life. She is knowledgable about many thing and very enthusiastic about learning so I have practically no worries. 

But after deciding to implement more time specifically for play, I started wondering if 2-3 hours a day was enough to "work." Yes. In fact it is. If we just did the bare minimum, we would accomplish all these things in a year: 

She will read (at the minimum the Kit Mysteries, Stuart Little, a Biography on Thomas Edison, a Bible Study called Battlefield of the Mind, and part of the Tinkerbell Series.) But I KNOW it will be more than that. She will write on a pretty much daily basis as needed. She will practice her addition and subtraction, fractions and money-because I know that I know that I know we will be playing board games and half our board games are math based or at least involve adding up the dice. She will complete a project for the History Fair, Geography Fair, and Science Fair. Her topics (could change) are History-Inventors of the Past, Geography-Egypt, and Science-Undecided. She will finish her Art Gallery, Movie, and Board Game. She will learn more about swimming. She will bike ride regularly. She will practice and learn chess. She will continue her own outside interests with the family such as boating and hiking and camping. And she will go lots of places with CHEA and AHG. I know one of those places is the Huntsville Space Station. I do believe this is all just Fall semester alone. So we will see where Spring and Summer bring us. 

I also pasted her progress report down below, and I was blown away by the fact that my little descriptions barely even skimmed the surface! The lists of books and activities are just examples and don't truly show the amount of in depth learning and conversations we had unscripted. But it still unbelievable the amount of "work" we got done in a year. It doesn't even include all her play and individual projects! And I know, without a doubt, next year will be the same. 

Samantha Anne Mays Progress Report 2014-2015

Curriculum Description: Samantha learns using a relaxed custom curriculum meant to teach her the basic concepts of each subject and allow for growth in areas that interests her most. She uses a range of learning tools and experiences from books, games, and movies to real life and hands on activities. Samantha choices her own units of study, which is then extended to include all the core subjects as well as other areas such as Bible Study, Arts, and Music.

Unit Studies

Samantha has completed a variety of unit studies (of her choosing) this year.

How Things Work: Samantha briefly worked on a study at the beginning of the year where she experimented and read as much as she could to see How Things Work.

Activities: Experiments, How It’s Made Videos and Books

Dogs: Samantha really enjoys dogs and has two of her own, so she chose to complete a short study on dogs. During that time everything she did was about dogs, from looking up images of dogs to consistently looking up questions about dogs. Her goal was to train her newest dog to sit, stay, and roll over on command.

Activities: You Tube Dog Training Videos-Zac George’s Channel, Clicker Training, Care and Observation

Books: Marley and Me, Bad Dogs, and various informational books about dog breeds, caring for dogs, and dog training and competitions

Activities:

Art: Samantha’s main unit of study this year has been art. She has covered various form of art from sewing and knitting to drawing and painting. She has used numerous mediums to make her creations and finds her inspiration in many different places from outdoor scenes and nature studies to imitating another artist’s work. She has even been inspired by classical music selections. (Her favorite artists to imitate are Van Gogh and Monet.) Samantha’s art unit brought about so many opportunities for art exploration. She spent time in many areas looking for inspiration and paying attention to details, asking questions to help her get a more accurate idea of what she is painting or drawing. She would ask about what kind of stone the statues in the Chickamauga Battle Field were made of. She would question the History of places we went. She would ask why the water flowed a certain way and if it would be wrong to paint it the other way. She noticed bugs in the grass and wanted to know if they came in other colors. She would see the sunset reflecting in the water as she fished and would ask about why the reflection happened or why the Canadian Geese across the water were so aggressive. Were they nesting? Her art has brought her closer to the world around her and made her more aware of her surroundings over the past year, which has given her a depth of understanding that only art can give a person.

For her big project, Samantha spent the entire school year preparing an art gallery to display several mediums of work for all her friends and family to see. The gallery contained clay statues, sewing projects, drawings, and many, many paintings-watercolor and acrylic. She will continue this project into next school year.

Sewing: Samantha continued to hold an interest in sewing from last year and has learned many new skills. She can thread a needle and has been practicing needlepoint in order to make her sewing more precise. She can also prepare her sewing machine and use it with minimal assistance to complete a project. Some projects she has completed include a pillow, cat outfit and doll clothes.

Crocheting: Samantha also showed an interest in learning to crochet this year and went to her grandmother for assistance. She started by learning to cast on and hand placement and can now finish a complete chain. She hopes to be able to complete a dishcloth in the next few months.

You Tube Videos: Samantha has taken her art to a new level by making her own instructional videos, usually containing instructions on how to make Play-Doh figurines based on video game characters-inspired by the sweet treat You Tube channel Nerdy Nummies by Rosanna Pansino. Samantha has also made videos on cake decorating, clay making, and magic tricks. Samantha goes through the process of planning: what to make, how to make it, gathering materials, rehearsing what she will say. Then I assist her in filming the videos, sometimes taking several takes for one scene.  She has her own You Tube account and has learned to post her videos/upload, name, and type a description. (She follows a few channels such as How It’s Made, the History Channel, Zac George, and Nerdy Nummies. She also enjoys browsing the videos on You Tube for art videos and other topics of interest.) Samantha will soon learn how to edit videos on her own.

Drawing and Painting: Samantha loves drawing and painting and practices several hours a day. She loves reading How To books and looking up videos to help her understand how to make things look more realistic. She has started a few projects including several of her own books.

One day she spent at the library looking for Children’s books about foxes to get an idea of the illustration style she wanted to use. She named her book The Fox and the Chicks. She illustrated the cover, typed the story with some assistance, and completed the pictures inside using sketch pencils and charcoals.

Her paintings have made a marked improvement over the last year. She is learning to control her brush strokes better. She can mix colors to make the colors she wants. And she knows the effects each type of paint makes. Some of the projects she completed with painting include her own interpretation of Starry Night, her favorite painting by Van Gogh and her painting interpreting The Four Seasons classical music by Vivaldi.

She has studied on Impressionism artists, sparked by her interest in the storybook called, Katie Meets the Impressionist. She subsequently signed up for a Homeschool class on Impressionism and toured a museum exhibit that included paintings from famous Impressionists like Monet.

Books: Katie Meets the Impressionist, Katie and the Sunflowers, Artist to Artist, several “How To” books

Birding: Samantha participated in a group fundraising event through Audubon Acres called Bird-A-Thon. As a participant, Samantha used was to identify as many birds as possible and collect pledges based on the number of species she identified. Samantha learned how to use a field guide for identifying not only birds, but also other animals and plants in the Southeast area. She learned to use binoculars to see far away objects. Samantha set up and observed several different types of bird feeders including a Humming Bird feeder and homemade toilet paper roll with seed feeders. Samantha participated in some group bird watching activities at Gilbert Stevenson Park.

Geography Fair: Samantha completed a geography project on England this April and displayed it at the CHEA Geography Fair. Samantha researched information including the country’s flag, population, climate, culture, native animals, and government. Her finished project was a tri-board filled with information she found, which she presented to a group of about 15 children and 20 adults.

Field Trips: One of Samantha’s big field trips this year was to the Downtown Chattanooga Bluff View Art District. Samantha took a walk through Downtown Chattanooga, an art focused area. As she walked to the Art District she saw many statues, some that were abstract and others that were merely statues of people. She read about each one and talked about it, what she liked, what she didn’t like, what it could mean. Once she entered Bluff View, she visited the River Cress Art Gallery where there were many different styles of art. Each medium of art was in in a separate room. There was a glass room, a room with pottery, yard art, wood, paintings, drawings, etc. (Samantha found inspiration in an oil painting on wood and was determined to learn to use oil paints. She received a set of oil paints for Christmas and has been experimenting with them ever since.) After the art gallery she discussed what it must be like being an artist, starting out as an artist, how to get displayed in an art gallery, the prices of art, art styles, mediums, and interpretations.

Reading:

Samantha started the year being able to read simple sentences without having to stop and sound out each word. Most of her reading has evolved into recognition more than phonics. By December Samantha was able to read storybooks on her own and intermediate elementary chapter books (8+) with some assistance. She practices her reading throughout the day without being prompted by challenging herself to read road signs, text messages, instruction manuals, game boards, etc. She also challenges herself to spell out the word she is trying to convey when she talks as opposed to saying the word. She writes out lists, stories, and prayers, spelling the best she can. By the end of the Summer, she was had greatly improved, but still has not broke the barrier to being a completely independent reader.

Samantha has read a variety of texts including those listed above in her unit study topics, hundreds of easy reader books, children’s classics, cookbooks, poetry books, historical fiction, and books about topics she is interested in such as books about horses and gymnastics.

She listened to and assisted in reading chapter books such as Marley and Me, The Samantha American Girl series including Meet Samantha, Samantha Learns a Lesson, Samantha’s Surprise, Happy Birthday, Samantha, Samantha Saves the Day, and Changes for Samantha as well as the Samantha Mystery series including The Curse of Ravens Court, The Case of the Stolen Sapphire, and The Call of the Loon, the Kit American Girl series including Meet Kit, Kit Learns a Lesson, Kit’s Surprise, Happy Birthday Kit, Kit Saves the Day, and Changes for Kit, The Boxcar Children series including the first Boxcar Children and part of Surprise Island, and Who Was Leonard DaVinci?.

Samantha also began her own books, which included several Tinkerbell Story collections and the beginning of the fairy book, “Rani and the Mermaid Lagoon.”

Grammar and Punctuation: Samantha has a firm grasp on tenses as well as a beginning understanding of punctuation. She knows what periods, exclamation points, question marks, and quotation marks are for. She is beginning to use capitalization and punctuation in her writing when she writes letters to friends, notes in her diary, or when writing her own stories.

Activities: Samantha takes bi-weekly trips to the Library. Each visit she checks out 20+ books, some related to her unit studies and others not. Some she reads individually and others are read to her in a variety of environments such as the Library, home, outside, and in the store or car.

Side Notes: Samantha is excelling in her reading without being coerced into practicing or showing interest in certain books. Samantha goes to the Library by request where she is able to find the books she is looking for with little assistance (just spelling). She has several book series that she enjoys and reads continuously. Even when Samantha is being read to, she enjoys following along and pointing out the words. I have sometimes found her reading ahead of me in her head. It was too difficult for me to keep up with all the book series she wants to read, so she has taken it upon herself to read some of her chapter books to herself at night before bed.

Math:

Samantha began the school year true counting to 100. By December she was able to true count to 1,000 by 1s and 10s. And can, although does not when prompted, count by 2s and 5s. She has continued to work on her addition and subtraction fact memorization and by December was familiar with most of her addition facts from 1 to 10. By August, she was able to complete most one digit facts quickly in her head. Those that she could not, she was able to do on her hands. She also began working with double and triple digit addition, including “carrying the 1.” To help her better understand the concept, we covered place value by learning expanded form and using an “underlining method” on the marker board.

Samantha has continued to be exposed to and learn a little about fractions. However, by August, she still a has limited understanding of what a fraction is. For example, she understands that if the pizza is cut in half, we both get one piece. And that when something is divided into 3 pieces it is called “thirds” But she does not understand how to complete word problems with fractions and has limited knowledge on how to write out a fraction. (Although, she can occasionally read them out of a recipe book.)

Samantha continued working with money this year by becoming more familiar with the value of each coin, how to add totals in columns, and how to skip count to add money. She knows how many quarters equals 25 cents, 50 cents, and a dollar. She also knows how to give change in quarters back from a dollar. She can add cash easily and can read totals and prices. She still struggles to add quarters, dimes, and nickles together, but is in the process of learning it. She is around money daily whether she is making a purchase herself and receiving change, watching others make a purchase, going to the bank, and watching budgets be made.

She has also been made familiar with the use of debit and credit cards as well as checks as forms of “currency.”

Activities: Samantha learns math through playing board/card games such as Go to the Dump by Right Start Math, Smath, Math War, Math Mat, and Race to a Quarter. She frequently plays computer games such as funbrain.com, fun4the brain.com, powermylearning.com, and cool-mathgames.com.

Side Note: Samantha struggles with math at times because numbers are a hard concept for her to grasp. This year, we came to the conclusion that she needs to complete lower level maths in order for her brain to understand the concepts taught. Samantha is slowly learning mathematic basics as she shows readiness signs.

Science:

For Science this year, Samantha has been focusing on Earth (Geology) and Life (plants and animals) Science as well as basic Physics.

Earth and Life: Samantha has been camping and hiking on several occasions. She has been to many different parks and trails in the southeastern part of the United States. Samantha is familiar with some of the plants and animals in the parks and is continuously identifying every plant or animal she sees in her Audubon Society Field Guide. She has learned about which insects are poisonous and which are safe. She has learned about some of Earth’s formations (caves, stalactites and stalagmites, mountains, plains, etc.) and she knows how to identify them on the map. (Beginners Map Reading) She has learned about weather patterns and causes for specific patterns, while being stuck in the rain many times. She has also learned to start predicting the weather. She has watched and assisted in building fires, giving her better understanding of its properties and uses.

Samantha has also spent much of the warmer months fishing where her understanding of fishing as a sport and fish behavior has really surfaced. Samantha has learned about which types of baits which fish like the most. She has caught and held a fish and seen the different types of forms they come in, and also identified them in her Guide. She can name many of the common species by sight and can tell you how to handle each one.

Samantha, just like in previous years, assisted with a small garden this Spring. The garden included potatoes from seed and bell peppers from plant. Samantha helped to plant them in containers, watered them, and watched them as they grew. She helped to harvest the potatoes also.

Physics: Samantha has performed several experiments, some that were preplanned and some that she came up with on her own. She uses the scientific method to carry out her experiments. Some of the preplanned experiments included Elephants Toothpaste, Density, and Goop.

Her own experiments include mixing things up in the kitchen to see what happens. Two of her successful experiments include baking soda mixed with vinegar and a mixture she made to dye flowers blue (using food coloring).

Samantha has covered some Medicinal Science, holistic form. Throughout the year Samantha has learned more on how to make and measure the PPM of colloidal silver. She has also begun learning about essential and carrier oils and how to mix or diffuse them to help with illness or injury.

Samantha has completed several Nature Studies every month. She has a nature journal and art set with pencils, colored pencils, pastels, and water colored paints, any of which she can use in her portraits. She has used each of these individually as well a mixture of them together. Topics range from unit study related, such as dogs, based on what she has heard, or seen in pictures and videos, to nature related topics based on close observation such as the top of the clouds from the Chimney Tops Trail in Gatlinburg.

Samantha has also used a variety tools throughout the year. She has used measurement tools such as a ruler, scale, and measuring cups/spoons, as well as observation tools like a magnifying glass. Microscope, and binoculars. She is learning more in depth how to use these tools and why we use them.

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0881984.html

Activities:

•       Bird-A-Thon (See Unit Studies)

•       Nature Sketch Book

•       Caring for Pets

•       Fishing Trips

•       Camping Trips

•       Everyday Questions

History:

Civil War: Samantha’s carried her focus on the Civil War through the first part of the school year.

Activities: She continued to look through non-fiction books, watch documentaries online, and visit local sites. (Our area is full of Civil War History including the local Battle Field which has many statues with inscribed histories and stories on display as well as a museum where they show a historically based film, put models on display along with several gun cases full of era guns, and put on reenactments.)

Field Trips: Samantha took a trip to a local reenactment at the Western Atlantic Railroad Tunnels. She was able to visit several tents set up to tell about popular sports and hobbies of the time such as archery and quilting. She sat through an outdoor reenactment and asked questions about the battle. She also was able to tour the WAR Tunnels museum, which included Civil War relics such as guns, bullets, and old letters, and even walked through the actual tunnels.

Early 1900s: Once Samantha completed her Civil War study, she started began studying the Victorian time period, starting in 1904. She read several of the American Girl Samantha books, which tell the story of a little girl growing up in the Victorian era. We made the study come to life while looking through a book that discussed all aspects of the Victorian era: hobbies, clothes, toys, etc. She also cooked recipes from a Victorian recipes book.

Great Depression: After completing her study on the Victorian era, Samantha began learning about the Great Depression. She read several American Girl Kit books, which tell the story of a little girl growing up in that time and enduring many of the hardships families of those days did. The readings sparked many questions and subsequent discussions about the Great Depression including questions about Herbert Hoover, President Roosevelt, the stock market, soup kitchens, and more.

Geography: Samantha knows all over her US States and is working on reviewing the oceans and continents, at the same time that she is trying to become familiar with placement of countries. She has also learned about map keys and legends, direction, and geographical feature maps.

Activities: See Unit Studies England

Physical Education: Samantha stays active during the day by playing outside-doing flips, running, playing games with friends, playing on the playground, learning to skate, or simply taking a nature hike. She also spends much of her time on her trampoline practicing her gymnastics.

Samantha participated in a homeschool gymnastics class for the second year through Southern Adventist University. This year, however, she only attends class once a week for an hour. She was placed in a mixed class that put emphasis on form for basic exercises including rolls, cartwheels, headstands, stall bars, trampolines, ropes, and other exercise.

For Spring semester, she continued gymnastics and also began swim classes through the University. In swim class she learned the basics floats: back float, front float, jellyfish, tuck, etc. and strokes. She passed Level 2 Swim in April. During the Summer, after lessons ended, she continued to swim at least twice a week where she mastered most of the skills she learned in Level 2 of swim. In September, she will begin Level 3 swim class.

She also began playing outside on her bicycle. She learned to ride with two wheels and has been riding at parks with the family regularly the last few weeks. Next year she plans to ride more trails.

When the weather warmed up closer to Summer, Samantha began boating more with family and friends. She has learned to tube and is beginning to learn wakeboarding. Samantha enjoys exciting physical activities on the water the most.

Music: Samantha is surrounded by a variety of different music in her everyday life including Gospel, Classical, Rock, Pop, Country, and traditional music from other countries.

Her favorite music is Classical Music, with her favorite artists being Vivaldi and Beethoven. (She enjoys Bach’s softer music.) She could sit and listen to Classical music for hours and hours. Many of the more famous pieces she has memorized and likes to create art to accompany the music.

Art: (See Unit Studies: Art)

Fine Arts: This year Samantha attended a play called Seussical Musical. Samantha thoroughly enjoying seeing a live play in theatre and intends to see more. While at the play, we discussed casts, scenes, acts, and other stage procedures and vocabulary. Leading up to the play, Samantha completed a small study on Dr. Seuss. She spent many of her days reading as many of her books as she could find. She even spent a day at the library sorting through and reading all the Dr. Seuss books on the shelf.

Technology: Samantha has started learning many basic programs on the computer including Paint and Word Processor. She has been allowed many hours to just play around with the programs and explore the buttons.

Now that Samantha can read and spell and enjoys writing her own books, she showed interest in learning to type. She practices and plays games on http://www.freetypinggame.net/ By December she knew where her home row keys were located and knew how to place her hands and reach each key without moving her other fingers. She can type at an average of 12 words per minute, 8 words adjusted speed. Her practice tapered downward when warm weather began. Although, she still remembers what she learned.

Activities:

·      Playing on the Computer, Wii U, etc.

·      Taking objects apart.

·      You Tube Channel (See Unit Studies Art)

Home Economics: Samantha is able to do a variety of housework with little or no assistance. She understands the basic concepts of cooking/baking from scratch, simple cleaning, and household errands. Samantha has ample knowledge about the health benefits of eating organic foods. She is familiar with the process of making household detergents and cleaners. Samantha goes grocery shopping on a regular basis and knows to look at the labels and ingredients and what to look for. She has been taught the benefit of buying from local farmers and is encouraged to do so. Samantha is also learning ways to be more economical with her money.

Bible Study: Samantha has a basic knowledge of the Bible and some of the stories in it. She knows who her creator is and what he sent his Son to do for us. Recently we have begun putting emphasis on reading the Bible for herself and interpreting it based on its Hebrew origins.

During Easter/Passover, Samantha completed a family study on Exodus. To begin, she attended a Seder at a friend’s house where she learned about Jewish traditions and customs. (Samantha’s friends are not Jewish, so the Haggadah was adjusted accordingly.) The book of Exodus was retold. Games were played. Songs were sung. And prayer was the main focus of the day. With assistance, Samantha completed reading Exodus in her Adventure Bible.

As part of the holiday celebration of Christmas, Samantha was retold the story of Jesus’s birth. She also decorated the Christmas Tree using traditional ornaments and homemade garland.

For Easter, Samantha was retold the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection. She dyed eggs using natural dyes (carrots, onion skins, spices, etc.), as well as made traditional pace eggs.

Volunteer Work: Samantha assists in volunteering three places: Women’s Enrichment Center in Dalton, West Side Elementary School, and Christ Chapel Share and Care Mission Food Bank in Ringgold.

WEC: Twice a month Samantha assists me in volunteering at the Women’s Enrichment Center. This year she has been able to complete more simple office work such as making copies, licking envelopes, and placing stamps.

WES: Samantha takes bi-weekly trips to WES during the school year where she helps with clerical work such as making copies (like at WEC) or classroom assistance such as making work samples.

Share and Care Mission: Samantha volunteer sporadically at the food bank filling bags for families in need.

Special Field Trips: Ripley’s Believe it or Not Gatlinburg, TN, Cades Cove Smokey Mountain, TN Ruby Falls Chattanooga, TN, Pumpkin Patch Riceville, GA, Apple Picking Elijay, GA Pioneer Days Audubon Acres Chattanooga, TN, Strawberry Picking at Sims Farm Ringgold, GA, and Hunter art Museum Chattanooga, TN

Conclusion/Main Goals: Samantha is on track and met her goals for the 2014-2015 school year. 

3...2...1...

Our busy "Fall" schedule is approaching fast. Just one more week and my brother will be back in school and we have the days to ourselves again. Although I will Miss him, I can't wait to start spending my days with S just working on projects and reading the days away.

There are a lot of changes this year. My Husband is going on 4 10 hour shifts and will work Wednesday through Saturday. We will still have things to do on Tuesdays, so S will continue to volunteer with me every other Tuesday when we do not have Bible Study and we'll spend the afternoons working together. (No gym this year!) DH will have Tuesdays to himself to study for his computer certs.

S has been waking up at 9 AM lately and Hubby won't be getting off until 6:30. That makes for a long day and more time to do things before we have to get home and cook dinner.

This is what our new schedule will look like:

Sunday and Monday: Weekend. There is no limit to what we will do. But lately we have been enjoying tons of time on the water. In the boat. Learning to wakeboard and tube. And also how to drive jet skis. S has been becoming more acquainted with the water and does not mind jumping right off the side. This Fall and Winter I know we will be bike riding more frequently and hiking.

Tuesday: Still a weekend, somewhat. S and I will head to the Center in the mornings. We will come home, clean up, make dinner, and then head to Heritage Girls.

Wednesday: This will be our swim day, but other than that, no frequent plans.

Thursdays: We will ride bikes at least once a week-Thursday OR Friday early in the morning. Then we will see where the day takes us.

Friday: This will be our library day when we feel like we need more books. If she feels like it, we will volunteer at the food bank. And I expect many of our CHEA activities to be on Fridays. But no definite plans.

Saturday: Home Day

On our home days, we have several projects to work toward completing. Gallery, Board Game, and Movie. Samantha is learning iMovie on the Mac. And still enjoys posting videos on her You Tube. She is hoping to open her gallery soon which will include her board game, videos, and lots of sewing projects/paintings. We will also work on "academic type" things.

Samantha's reading is improving immensely as she nears 7. She really isn't requiring much help from me anymore. We are reading another Kit Mystery together and she is in a Tinkerbell chapter book herself. After Kit, we will probably start on a classic like Stuart Little. S LOVES talking animals and E.B. Webb.

For math, we are still just hanging in there. Reading some of those math novels, Life of Fred, playing computer games when she feels like it. Board games. You know, living life. She reads just about any normal number now up to the thousands. And she can read prices like nothing. And she is starting to add money in her head. She understands addition and subtraction up to any number of columns. So I am not at all worried. We do have some super cool math related songs to burn to CD and start playing in the car when we drive to activities together. DH just has to fix my radio wire.

We always have Science covered. Last Summer we were so into hiking and this Summer she learned all about water and why boats float and how and the way the water reacts to certain forces. And what wildlife and plants are in there. She can name you a ridiculous amount of fresh water fish species. Tomorrow we are having a Science day packed with experiments because she wants to know more about chemical reactions. There is no limit to what she will learn about Science because it is there more than anything. She plays with magnets and asks why the electricity goes out sometimes. Why our bikes are susceptible to being stuck by lightening. She loves watching weather maps and makes her own records of the weather. And she watches potatoes grow. She visits farms and she takes Science classes. A few weeks ago she saw a red moon and the planets that were visible. Then we researched it. She goes on nature walks. Last week she found a snail and her and my brother researched snails together and made him a little home. Then followed him around outside and they studied his body and behaviors. It was neat. And I know she will participate in the Bird-A-Thon again this year. Science, I have no worries about.

History...I worry about teaching. You never know the truth.  Let's just leave it at that. So she learns bits and pieces and we like living books a lot. She wants to start a Thomas Edison biography. Kit talks about the depression. And we like to attend historical places and whatnot. Watch documentaries. Take them for what they are worth. And we study a lot of current events recently.

Bible. We will continue to do our morning reading and she attends the adult service with us at a new church we are going to.

Heritage Girls will teach her some of everything. Some of the badges are Science related, like the camping one and fishing and such. The History ones are fun looking because they focus on things like making a family history. Then there are interest based topics like tennis and computer, videography, etc.

I will also make EVEN MORE time for play this year. I only plan to "work" for 2-3 hours a day. Seeing S come leaps and bounds during her play this Summer has been encouraging. I love to see her play with her American Girl and OG dolls. She comes up with creative projects and does their hair. (She recently learned to braid.) She plays school with them. (I love to see her have them do math problems and explain how it is done.) She also really likes her free art and building ideas. She can make something from anything. And her experiments are off the wall crazy, but they work sometimes.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, we made a big leap Saturday night after a year of prayer. Samantha joined the American Heritage Girls! She is over the moon with excitement! We attended orientation and we got to ask questions and talk to other members. All the women are so nice and not at all like I had pictured. You know, a bunch of snobby, "Christians" who are more focused on the politics of God than actual service. They weren't. And the kids were all just so well behaved. While I filled out paperwork, S went into a room to color and play with some of the older Heritage Girls-whom, might I add, were all very mature and responsible. Afterward, one of the girls came up to me bragging on Samantha and her friend, Emma. Saying they were very polite and she really enjoyed them. That girl had excellent leadership skills. Not because she was saying nice things about my kid, but because when she spoke, she did so clearly and looked me right in the eye. I was impressed. She had been in AHG for 6 years. Whatever they are doing, the girls are learning to apply it. So I ordered S's uniform and "Class B" t-shirts for both of us. And afterward we went to Target to get her navy skorts and white polo. Luckily it was tax free weekend and they were on sale (school uniforms) so we saved $8.00 The 18th is her induction ceremony. She will get her badge for joining and her numbers and uniform. Then every Tuesday after that-with the exception of the 4th Tuesday of the month, she will have meetings. We are allowed to drop her off, so Hubby and I were thinking, since he is off Tuesday we can do a date night once a month while they meet. (The meetings are 2 hours long.) And then sometimes we will *maybe* go on a double date with our friends that also joined Heritage Girls this year. I'll attend the other 1-2 meetings a month. This is of course after she is established and comfortable in there. I like to know exactly what she is learning, but it will be good for her to have some time to do that without me and it will give us something to talk about. There is so many good activities planned for the year. What I love the most is that all the age groups participate together. So they are only segregated for classes. As far as "field trips" go, they will have a race (with boys), mud run (with boys), kick off camp-which is neat. The whole family will get to spend 2 nights on a member's farm. They are having the dads help their daughters earn a fishing badge and several other activities. They will do a TN River Rescue and Cleanup, group hike (with the boys too), parades, Wreaths Across America, Mall Service, Lock In, Feed My Starving Children, Daddy Daughter Dance, Building Burks Blooms, Mother Daughter Camp, and Summer Camp! Whew. It sounds like a lot, but we don't have to do it all. And I love that it involves the Dads too. I will get the calendar in the next few days so that DH knows what days he needs to ask off for for the next year. Good thing he is going to start getting 3 weeks of vacation next year-since he has been there for 5 years. I'm also assuaged because they welcome siblings to everything and involve the boys side (Trail Life) in a lot. So when we do have another baby, toting it around to the activities will be no big deal. :) Everybody there has 10 kids. Slight exaggeration. But close. S is going to love it. She can't wait to do the community service (her main reason for joining) and earn the badges. She REALLY wants that cake decorating badge. I know this will spark some new interests for her and go along great with our unschooling lifestyle.

This year is going to be great.

To Trying Something New

I have a great Husband. He isn't perfect. But he is perfect for me.

I know I say it all the time. I never can get over how God is growing us together.

Our marriage still has some of those "today" kinds of struggles. Like, my Husband won't attend church because of "hypocrits." And struggles with reading his Bible because he doesn't quite know what to make of it. Which kinda bothers me. But-I get it.

And of course he struggles with the fact that I am a go, go, go kind of gal and I get caught up in every day life-especially in the afternoon when I am trying to get everybody fed and make everyone happy. Sometimes there just is not enough of me to go around. Guess that is Motherhood.

Which is why I must be crazy to want another baby!

I spoke with a certified Nurse/Midwife doctor-whatever you want to call her-a few days ago. And she told me about a great alternative to the surgery for endometriosis. (A doctor I spoke with over a year ago gave me an exam and a checklist and told me she is about 90% sure that is the issue. I've prayed about it. I am sure too.) The problem is, I don't do Western medicine. Even if I did, I don't have insurance. And the surgery is hardly guarenteed to work. I have heard of women needing several surgeries just to conceive once. And even then it sometimes does more damage than good....I'm just not up for that.

So she told me about systemic enzyme therapy. A NATURAL alternative. She said it will work as good as any surgery could and sometimes better. Because if you continually take it, you can keep the scar tissue gone and reduce miscarriage risk too. It all sounds great, but it is a very strict therapy. I have to take 6 pills a day at certain times. And I have to take it with room temperature water or colder. I have to change my diet-completely. Like I'm not really supposed to even eat gluten. It is going to be work. And it looks like it will take 3-6, maybe 9 months or so to even find out if I will get pregnant with it.

Stressful.

But hopefully worth  it.

I discussed it with my Husband. It is definitely NOT cheap. And it is for sure a dedication that I need support on. And his exact words were, "Why haven't you already bought it?" Gotta love that man. He did say he is afraid for it not to work though because that basically means we have hit a dead end.

Dead end.

I don't like the sound of that.

Neither does he because he dreads seeing me depressed like he has in the past, only-this time he knows it will be way worse.

We discussed it-our other options. I told him God would change his Heart if we were meant to adopt. But that I just don't feel like this is it. He wouldn't have laid it on my heart-our hearts-if there wasn't SOMETHING. And S is just so gentle and caring and understanding. There must be a plan there. For all 3 of us. I just can't get over it. I can't figure out what it is.

Guess that's how it goes though.

It's weird. I never thought it would come to this. In fact, I still don't think it has hit me. Like, 3 years-2 actively trying years, and we haven't been able to have another baby. There must be something wrong. And I am going through all the motions. I am waking up every morning and charting my temperature. I am keeping track of ovulation and making sure we maximize our odds. I am taking 10+ pills a day. And month after month I am not pregnant, but I don't think it has hit me that I can't have more. As of right now, my body won't allow it. But when I talk about it and when I think about it, I still have all the hope in the world. I just know it will happen any day now. I already bought a carseat because I found a good deal on a brand new one. That's how much hope I have. I was holding a newborn the other day and it didn't hurt me inside. It made me excited because in my mind, it will happen very soon. It is like my head knows it isn't realistic, but my Heart won't give up. My heart keeps saying, "It has already been X number of months. Any day now..."

Anyway, I put an order in for the enzyme therapy pills-after HOURS of research. And I also ordered a hot water bottle and castor oil to use for detoxing the liver and uterus. The mixture of the two should really help pull out the scar tissue. I can't wait for it to come in. I will keep taking my other supplements too. They are all safe to take together.

Omega 3 and 6-Fish Oil and Evening Primrose. Those will help keep my body balanced AND it does something else my Husband likes. But I will spare the details. ;) Bee Propolis because it helps with inflammation and scarring. (In a clinical trial, 60% of infertile women with endometriosis became pregnant in 9 months vs 20% in the control group. It raises my odds 40% but I have only been taking it 2 months. So I was looking for something else to help.) My Vitex keeps my hormones SUPER balanced. And I MAY stop taking bee pollen. It is supposed to help egg health, but I don't think I need help in that area. Overall health. It doesn't seem to be helping there. I still stay tired all the time and it is supposed to help with that.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. But I just keep praying it happens-before I come to terms with what is going on and the reality of it hits me....

I have a brand new carseat-Safety First Alpha and Omega. 5 lbs-100 lbs. sitting in the basement. I have an entire closet of maternity clothes that will fit me from early pregnancy to the "about to bust" stage. Boxes of baby clothes I have collected-not bought. Most of them were from a yardsale that was closing up early-told me to take anything. Others are from friends. I have the exact right sling I want. The pump. Cloth diapers from birth to 3 years old. One size fits all sort of thing. Everything. I could give birth today and be prepared. I. am. ready.

But God isn't.

However, he did give me an amazing Husband, whom, although he isn't great at talking about tough subjects, he doesn't want to see me hurt. He supports me. And that is the only thing that has mattered this entire 3 year struggle. He could talk all day long, but if he didn't back me, it would be a real struggle.

So on to the next steps in our Journey. To trying something new.

Beautiful

Dear Daughter,

I miss you.  This Summer has been a blast,  but you and I both are missing or alone time together. We are struggling to make it through these last few weeks before school starts back for everyone and it is just you and me once again. The parks will be empty in the day. The neighborhoods will be quiet and. No more babysitting. We will be free again to do completely and totally as we please.

It makes me cherish our time together even more when we go through times like this when playing alone is few and far between.

I like to take that time to get to know you. Not just to live the days with you,  but to know you. I know all the little things about you.  I know you prefer blue Jean shorts to gym shorts. And dresses to jeans.  They make you feel too restricted.  I know you don't like a bathing suit that exposes your back. I know you grind your teeth in your sleep. And that you are afraid of the dark.  I know you like cold showers but hate washing you're hair.  I know you are a compassionate person and amazing friend. I know you like art and chess. But you don't like to be told how to draw. And you prefer to watch the moves the computer makes to learn strategy. Again-with the whole "being told what to do." I know you like to invent things, especially things to help animals. And you adore the newest form of Tinkerbell-a Tinker Fairy who creates things from scrap to give the animals what they need. I also know you like to spend hours in the kitchen concocting experiments to see if you can turn things blue or get them to disintegrate. But that adds to your insecurity every time you "fail." Some of the most famous people failed over and over again. They felt like failures all their lives and yet we still study them and their life changing discoveries today. Remember that, girl.  I know you like to go outside and decorate spots to worship on the ground. I know you like to pray in your head as opposed to out loud and that music and dancing is your favorite form of worship. I know you also idolize Beethoven and Vivaldi. And Rossana Pansino. You are free to do whatever you choose with your time and these are the things you pick. I know that you like your things so-so, but they never seem organized to me. An artist's mind is a hard thing to get into, but I see how your mind works. It sees beauty in everything. Even the most "evil people." It thinks of things in an abstract way and therefore does not see the same things others see in the clouds or on the streets. "Look at all those beautiful shades of green in the trees, Mommy," you say. "Those rays of sun coming from the clouds.....it is like Good is trying to tell us something...." I know you have never liked fighting. As a baby, you would cry and scream if Daddy and I would wrestle. You still do. I know you are sensitive. You hurt easy and you connect strongly. I know that you cry everytime you wake up from a nap. I know you sleep with me instead of your bedroom because you prefer the comfort of another person-anybody. I know that when you play kitchen, your feelings are hurt if nobody tries your "food." I know you like to write in your journal prayers and letters to your future sister. But sometimes you lose Hope in God's Promise to us. I know you treasure your sparkly pens and notebooks the most.  I know you get embarrassed easy, so stop picking your nose and  scratching your butt on stage. I know you bite your nails when you are nervous and you have a bad habit of waiting to the last minute to pee. At which point you begin The Dance and still don't say anything. I know you like spicy foods and signing in the car with Dad. I notice when you fall down on your bike,  the first thing you do before you get up is look around to see who saw you. The tears only come if somebody knows you fell. I know you always start jumping on the left side of your trampoline. And know you want to do everything right.  I know you want to travel and go to college for science AND art. I know you want 2 kids because 1 is not enough but 4 or 6 is too many. I know you don't like to be thrown off balance-never have-probably never will. And I know you don't like asking for things. It's rude and sounds ungreatful, you say. I know you keep a running list in your head of all the people you want to do nice things for.  I know you count in your head a lot and spell words. I know you repeat and rhyme things too. A lot goes on up there. I know you can't wrap your head around why people can be mean. And I know, to you, like me, their is an excuse for everything....I could go on. .

These are just some of the things I know about you. These are things that make you Beautiful inside and our. Your heart, soul, and mind. And I appreciate every second I get to know you more whether it is noticing which way your eyes shift when you are unsure of yourself or finding out your views on God. Beautiful.

American Culture and Teen Pregnancy-It's Okay!

What is wrong with American culture? Where should I start? Could it be how much we focus on our material possessions?  How much we base success off annual earnings? Or how about the way so many people parent based off the preferences of others because they are too afraid to be labeled as one of the bad ones. You know, because if you don't do at least 3 totally Pinterest-y sensory activities with your child every week, you suck. And you fail as a Mom. So don't have your kids too old.  Don't have your kids too young. Don't have too many kids.  But don't only have one. Don't put them in bed early. But not too late either. Good lord,  don't spoil them,  but don't do what I consider depriving them either. And holy jeez, spank them. Wait, Don't.  Yes. Do. Actually, do whatever the newest issue of Parents magazine tells you this week-unless I think they are wrong.

One of the biggest parenting stigmas I hear about the most is how bad being a teen mom is. And don't forget the show 16 and Pregnant that made it look like a ticking time bomb to have a child young.  Well, I'm just going to come out and say it.  I don't think there is anything wrong with being a teen Mom.  In fact, I think it is right. I believe it is the way God made our bodies. Ever see how easy it is on a younger person to endure pregnancy in general? I hear people in their early thirties complain about how much harder it is being pregnant after age 25. I hear a lot of comments about how easily a young lady's body bounces back just because of their age. Or how easy it is for teens to get pregnant. Ever wonder if that is a sign that our body takes conception and pregnancy best while we are still young? And why would God model our bodies that way if he didn't want teenagers to get pregnant? (Note: I'm not saying having kids at an older age is wrong. I'm saying there is nothing wrong with the way God programed or bodies.)

I hear quite a few arguments about having kids young, but in general, they are all pretty much the same. There is so much buzz about immaturity in young Moms, which as I mentioned earlier is generally caused by that thing we have today called "modern society." But, when you truly look at it, the ones that are going to be totally neglectful parents as teens, probably would be no matter what their age. Generally, they have endured something like neglect growing up or alcoholic parents. Maybe they are on drugs themselves, and the chances of the effects of those things disappearing as they are older are well, slim to none. So again, I say, what about the older Moms who don't care for their children, who abuse their children. Who never took two seconds out of their day to hug their child or learn how to be the best patent they can be? There are just as many of those as their are neglectful teen parents. Age is not a factor here, people.

I was raised by a teen Mom. And she may not have known everything-which by the way, she still doesn't - and she may not have been perfect, but I will always remember the afternoons where we colored in Barbie coloring books together, me striving to color just like her. And I will always remember the energy she had to be a kid and discover with me as a child. She was a great role model for me as a young child. She shaped me into who I am today. She taught me to volunteer my time. She taught me to love education but resist blindly following the masses. Her age, what she wore, the way she talked, like a younger person- did not determine her ability to parent me.

The other thing I also hear a lot about is the lack of resources for "poor, young, Moms." That we have to support them with food stamps and free diaper programs. But people, that is not what young Moms need. That is not what any Mom needs. We, as a society, need a paradigm shift into a different form of thinking. What if we went back to the old ways? Cloth diapers. Growing our own food. It would take a serious revolution, but ladies and gentlemen, this new age way of thinking-disposable diapers, preprepared foods-THIS IS OUR FAULT. These parents don't NEED these things. We have just told them they do! One generation after the next we quickly began relying on big companies to provide for us. Maybe we can't change the world to see it all happen in our lifetime, but we can help Moms learn to do things more cost effectively. We can teach them to cloth diaper with the simple run of the mill, oldin' day cloths. We can teach families how to start gardening and passing it down to their children. We CAN teach families to begin working their way toward self sufficiency so that slowly, but surely, we can change that cycle. This crisis. This crisis of poor and destitute. That is a man made crisis. Not God. Man.

Now, fellow Christians don't get your panties in a wad because I know a few of you right now who are reading this, rolling their eyes, and thinking, "She does not need to be advising anyone who is pregnant.  Typical hippie." But as Christians, how can we deny that GOD is FOR teen pregnancy?

Hasn't it been speculated that Mary herself was a teenager? God is steadfast. He does not change. The world has changed. But HE has not changed.

"I, the LORD, do not change...." Malachi 3:6

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." Hebrews 13:8

Christians, we know that God allows things to happen for a reason. That he has plans for each one of us. He "knew you before he knit you in your mother's womb." Jeremiah 1:5. It didn't matter how old your parents were or if they were married on paper when they had sex. It doesn't matter how much money they have or how many assets they owned. We all know the ever popular Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you..." Romans 8:8-also popular, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. "We recite these words to people at church and around town, but do we honestly know the value of them? What would God think if he saw us throwing his book around at people? What do you think he would think about teen pregnancy now?

Sure, maybe people shouldn't be sleeping around-not my life, not my call-but if that is the true issue here, then why aren't people everywhere getting the stink eye and being judged? I know more people who have slept with multiple people than I know that have only had relations with one or even none. What about people like me and my Husband? We were each other's first. We had sex and had a baby on purpose and we wanted to be together. Yet, people still saw a problem with this. Why?

Young people have been having children for years and years. It was never a problem until recent years. For those of us who took any sort of Science in school, if young pregnancy is our constant, what is our variable?....It's culture. And as I stated before, there is something seriously wrong with America's culture today.

We live in a world where allowing children to watch show depicting super stars shaking their butt on stage is okay. But it's not okay for our children to live that way. Hello! They are learning from what they see. We live in a world where it is okay for somebody like me to wear a top cut as low as I want because it attracts men, but it is not okay to breastfeed. Again-we are talking about food, survival here. We live in a world where it is okay to swear like a sailor before going to church on Sunday, but talking about the facts of sex is unnatural. We live in a world where promiscuity is hailed, but the value of a pregnancy-a life-is diminished.

The stigma that American society has placed on young pregnancies is one of the top reasons for abortion. How much longer should we sit by silently and let innocent babies suffer because their parents are terrified of the eyes of judgement staring at her, fingers pointing at her, and Bibles flying at their head? How many more lives are we going to allow to be taken because we think the amount of money in a Mom's bank account or the amount of clothing and toys they can afford for that child should be a factor?

In this age of school, big business, and family planning, it seems teen pregnancies are wrong. But what if we looked at it from another culture's viewpoint? What if we went back to our roots and we quit worrying about all the luxuries that we want and we quit worrying about everything that society tells us. What happens if we go back to a time where things were done more naturally, before man butted in and tried to fix everything that wasn't broken.

We have lived so long in this culture that it is all most of us know. It is all most of our parents know. Maybe grandparents. And great grandparents. And we have allowed this horrible,  awful culture that teaches shallow thinking and promiscuity to permeate or children's lives.

What if we did this,? What if we went against the grain and told or children it is okay to have sex with the person you love. NOT just anyone. (Christians reference Ephesians 5:31. God never mentioned a piece of paper to be married spiritually. Although, according to Romans 13:1-7, we are to obey the government, and they will once they want to begin to receive legal benefits, the government does not command us to get married to have sex. And sex is the way to have a spiritual marriage.) When most of us tell our children not to have sex outside of a paper marriage, let's face it, it makes us hypocrites. And nobody wants to And no child is going to listen to a hypocrite. We want to save our children from pain without pushing them into rebellion, so we need to teach them what love really is and to be thoughtful and prayerful in what God wants. That they can discern Satan from God's Will. What if we taught or children that IF they DO get pregnant,  we will still love them and their child even more than we already do.  That if they need or help from time to time,  it truly does take a village and that's okay. Most cultures have this familial code that says,  "Your kids are my kids and my kids are yours and they all live together and are taught by each other. And it is nothing to have a house full of grandkids for the night. They feed off of that.  But in today's culture,  children are often viewed as sucubi. And nobody wants to watch them. And if they are living at home after turning 18 or after getting married and having children,  they are somehow failures.

What if we started looking at the important things like LIFE, Family, time together, relationship, helping each other, teaching each others, and having fun. And we became less concerned with things that don't matter,  like how old others are when they have children or get married or how much their job pays as we whisper about how "they may have gone further if they hadn't had kids so early.  They really should have gone to college." But in reality, they are some of the best parents because they know money doesn't matter and they know how to have fun and spend time with their kids without a dime in their pocket. If we took material out of the equation, what do we get? What if we did that?  What would happen?

July

We are half way through Summer break-for my brother that is. Of course we never took a break.  Our days just changed.  And S has learned so much so quickly! I take them to swim as frequently as possible.  (Bought her am outdoor pool on clearance for Christmas so she can practice all next Summer too! But she didn't know that.) Just in swimming alone,  she has greatly improved.  She has gotten brave.  So brave (compared to her usual self). She will jump in on her own.  She has learned to dive down to the bottom.  A 9 year old that is on a swim team (same kids who taught her to dive/swim to the bottom) has taught her different strokes and how they take off. She can swim under water and on top and she isn't too afraid of the deep end, as long as she is near a wall. We will work on that.  But she likes the lake. And she enjoys waves.  We were in a pool at Six Flags that simulated ocean waves and she was not scared to dive right into them. My hippie for her is that she will be able to fly right through this next level of swim and get started on the good stuff-diving!  She wants to.  She is afraid. But she wants to push her own limits. She is learning.

Recently she spend the night with a friend and all 6 kids there could ride bikes. The oldest 4 could ride with 2 wheels. Even though she was nervous, they took her and worked with her. Their Mom helped her too. And even though the next day, she hadn't really gotten anywhere with it, they had left an impression on her. (Seriously, this is the best part about Summer. Everybody is available to play long hours and it inspires her to try new things she normally wouldn't do without them around.) She learned to ride her bike in just 3 days!  The first day we worked long and hard.  Her,  Daddy, and I. She was learning the basics since she never could ride a bike with training wheels.  She also learned not to lean on us for support and not to say negative things about her own abilities. That made all the difference.  At the end of the night,  we made Daddy go inside because she just does better when he isn't there watching because she so badly wants to impress him.  And within 5 minutes she was riding a tiny distance on her own.  The next day, within 30 minutes,  because the rain, she was riding further and turning herself.  But she still didn't have the break.  Next day.  30 more minutes.  She had it down completely.  Long distances. Breaks. Taking off by herself. She is definitely growing. I'm happy with myself for holding back and never pushing a bike on her. Not even one with training wheels. And she is pleased with herself for learning.

Chess-she is doing well in.  For being 6. I still kick her butt every time,  but her and my brother tie a lot. And she is putting forth a LOT of effort. And playing consistently.  Her and my brother played for 4-1/2 hours one morning. She plays with her Daddy every night. And when one of us can't play her,  she hopes on the computer and plays on a kid's online site. We are being brutal and not b letting her win in hopes that she doesn't get into bad habits. But CHEA is offering chess club with a professional instructor for a nominal fee and only twice a month this coming up school year,  so it looks like she may be doing that.

One thing she is falling behind on is reading.  She complains about her eyes a lot. We have backed off quite a bit. She was prescribed reading glasses, which she is excited about, but I am having an inner battle about whether I should let her wear them or just wait for her eyes to develop more. I mean, she shouldn't be able to see this close up very well at her age. Her eyes are meant for long distances. To see out in nature. Not to read books. For now I am reading to her. She follows my finger and looks away when her eyes get tired. We will just see where time takes us. She can essentially read, just not 100% on her own which is not big deal at 6 years old. By time she turns 7, we may see improvement. And we have discussed finding a way to let her practice on our projector screen. She will get there.

"Presidency" is going well. :) I'd say so anyway. We have had a crazy start to the year with two crisis on our hands. One, the treasurer thought we had missing checks. But that was easy because I helped her find them. The second was the fact that the IRS does not and never has had a tax status from us so we are having to start from scratch on that. So I'm super thankful for my vice president who loves research as much as I do and gets things done so quick just like me. We make such a great team. I enjoy working with her already. She is the first to reply to the emails we send out and the first to raise her hand when something needs to be done. Things will start slowing down once the school year starts, but right now we are cleaning up messes and getting things taken care of so that we can lay it all out for the next board. (Seriously, I was given an accordion folder with hundreds of papers just stuffed in it  I had to go through and get rid of things from 9 years ago in there! I kept what we needed. Stored the rest. And relabeled all the tabs. I was also given a handwritten paper from 4 years ago with a list of (some) of the president's duties. So I'm working on a list of ALL of them to print out and put in a binder.) We are also working on...GOING DIGITAL!! Woo Hoo! My Vice president made us a drop box account. My treasurer made us an online banking account. And we are good to go. No more storing files from 10 years ago and having to burn them. Just right click and delete. This is going to be good. Our first board meeting is July 10th. I expect it to be a VERY long meeting. So many new ideas for CHEA. When I set out the agenda for the meeting and a request for anything else they wanted added, I didn't expect the response I got! Everybody was throwing out ideas. TShirts. Parade floats. New field trips. We are looking at art classes. And drama classes.....Some things may not pan out completely. But we have lots of things flowing and so many people willing to do them. That's a good sign. I hope to get everyone excited and involved this year. With 100 families in CHEA, think of the possibilities.

Oh, and just a side note. I am really enjoying the relationship building going on with this board. One of our board members suggested we all do a bible study together, so we are. :) We just started, but so far it has been a great way to get to know each other better!

This Fall we have lots coming up. Some smaller things like a little plant fossil dig with the Chattanooga Nature Center. That should be lots of fun. And we are going to the Impressionism exhibit at the Hunter Art Museum to finish up some of her Impressionism study. She will go back to working on her art for her gallery. She says it goes on pause during the warmer months because she wants to be active. Which is very true. (When she went back to drawing the other day, she impressed herself with how much she had improved just because of her age.)

Chess I already talked about. That will only be twice a month. Unfortunately it will have to be a drop off event since it is the night that I have Bible Study. :( But it will be good for her to learn something out of my presence I think. And I'd like to have something big to talk about that I wasn't there for and don't already know. Plus we won't be any busier due to chess because otherwise she would just be at home that night. And it is in Ringgold on my way to the study.

Art-That will be monthly if she even participates in it. We coordinated with a local art studio to set up classes. Because everybody stays so busy and they are already spread so thin, we decided on monthly, but to be honest, that may even be too much for us with everything going on. Since it is in Ringgold, not even 5 minutes down the road. Literally a straight shot, I will give S the option to do it. But we will see.

Swim. She decided to stick with swim this year! Woo Hoo! I am so glad. She has the build for it and she has really gotten so good. I want to see her keep going. That will be weekly, but well worth the time. I am glad she seems to have found an activity that she REALLY enjoys.

AHG...I am a little nervous about this one. They meet 3 times a month for meetings then as scheduled for extra activities...I don't know where to start with this. I think it will be good for S. Such a great way to experience a lot of new things. They volunteer and do different outdoor and indoor activities. But...heh...I don't know. We are going to give it a shot. I am just so terrified of religious politics considering the group that they run under. I'm just worried. And while I refuse to use the girl scouts because they are basically acting very unGodly, I am afraid AHG may be too Godly. I hear a lot about modesty and how they shouldn't wear shorts above their knees....Uh Oh. Very old fashioned it seems. But we always have the option of taking her out.

So on top of all those classes....we have everything else. CHEA. Volunteering. Friends. My Lord, what will we do when we have another baby...I'm getting nervous just thinking about this Fall.

I can NOT believe we are going on our 3rd year of homeschooling. YEAR THREE! When did that happen? Have we really been at this officially for 2 whole years? The first year we were unsure. The second I gained my footing. And now, I am leading bands of homeschoolers. I am mentoring nervous, new homeschooling Moms. And the best part is-I am feeling super confident about it.

As for S, her first year, she was feeling very lonely, although she repeatedly said she wanted to be home. The second year she had friends and she was really into it, but she still was not sure of herself as a person. (This may have to do with age or experience, I am not sure.) But starting this year off she is very sure of herself. Confident in who she is and what she can do. She has friends and she doesn't mind going to make new friends and try new things. We have both changed. For the better. Three years in...wow. So much has changed. From formal to unschool. From unsure to confident. From 4 years old to almost 7...

Every Fall I go crazy buying different stuff for S. One year it was board games. The next it was computer games. This year-CDs. We spend so much time in the car that I feel like we need to start using it wisely. And one of those ways is memory work CDs. She is so excited about them. I bought a few math CDs. But then we also explored You Tube together and picked out tons of songs from School House Rock and other channels. Then loaded them up on a CD. The curriculum fair is coming up. I hope to find more there. :)

Next month I start preparing hard core. I have to submit her letter of intent and we are going to have to write out a rough schedule just to make sure we remember all her activities. I have to start signing her up and paying dues! Making sure CHEA is completely ready for start up...Oh my!

Sounds like I have lots to do...toodles.

Summer

So much has been going on in my head lately that I just need to blog!

Two of the big things on the list are Summertime and Being CHEA President.

Summer is going well. For us, it is just another season of unschool. S has been practicing so much swimming. I take them swimming at least once a week. And then we swim a lot on the weekends at the lake and such as a family. S has been using a life jacket until she builds her stamina, but I was worried it gives her too much support to rely on. (Even though she still thinks she has to swim the whole time to stay up.) But I found her a foam back that I can remove the layers to give her less support over time-and for only 50 cents! (Yardsale, of course.) Anywho, she had been using that. And recently she saw a friend trying to build up her endurance without any support-swimming in the deep end. With her head barely bobbing above water. She is, determined next time she goes to give it a try-now that she sees you won't drown. ;) Her and my little brother are challenging each other to learn new things. And they have spent time with some children who are better swimmers than they are and actually taught them some strokes and other cool swim related things. So swim has been a huge focus this Summer. I am just so happy to have them playing outside so much. Even if we aren't swimming, they spend a large majority of their morning outdoors. S wakes up at 10 and they stay out until at least 2 o'clock playing with some of the outdoor things I got this Summer. Scooter. Rollerblades. Of course we have the water and trampoline. Nerf Guns.  Jump ropes. S HAS MASTERED THE BASICS OF HULA HOOPING! So much to do. I have even found them playing with sticks. Thank God! (I should have trained them to do that from the beginning.)

When they are inside playing, they are usually creating. S has taught my brother to dig through the recycling bin and make things from nothing. "Inventions" is what she refers to them as now that she has seen an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy on Inventions. And they really enjoy You Tube. S is getting back into her YouTube channel. They made a video of themselves using an invention to pass each other notes across the living room...Ah. Those two. Now this what a call a technologically updated 70s Summer.

While the kids do that, I watch some and play some, but try not to hang over their shoulder too much, because well, they are kids, and S and I get a lot of alone time throughout the year and even at night in the Summer when we do our reading and work on her projects like her art board game she is making. Eek! She does need her time to learn from someone else and let's face it, as cool of a Mom as I am, I am not the only one she needs.

Just a side note,  I am SO happy S gets to spend time with my little brother over the Summer.  There is nothing better than being with somebody close to you-constantly-during the warm months to create,  play,  and innovate with.  I am thankful for the connection they have.  He is like a sibling. Arguing and all. But she gets to send him home. :) I hope she will look  back on Summer as some of her fondest memories, playing in the pool,  making silly videos,  letting ice cream juice run down their faces. Getting into the recycling. Creating games on the driveway with chalk. Bumping heads on the trampoline. Playing Mario on the Wii...I'm happy for her. Summer days were the best with my older brother. Nothing could replace that time we got to just...PLAY.  No Pinterest ideas.  No over bearing Mom. No demands to do school work. No outside activities. Just plain learning to occupy ourselves for 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

We have so much planned.  Of course lots of camping trips and Boat outings. Swimming. A trip to Six Flags. We will probably hike in the Smokies for a day.  They will get to keep seeing all their friends...

So anyway,  I do my work while they work. Housework. Work on our new boat we are trying to fix up. Projects of my own. Sometimes I read. Other days I just watch them play. This Summer has been especially hectic full of emails and to do lists for CHEA (her homeschool support group) because I am officially president! Whew. It is a lot more work than I thought. Everybody wants my approval for everything. And I get cc'd in every conversation between board members and/or volunteers so that I can be up to speed with what is going on.

I know who is leading what and what every idea for the upcoming year is. Somebody asked another person for the financial information to update PayPal, which is not really my area of business, but I know because I was part of that convo. so I could approve it. I finally got a planning meeting for July coordinated between everybody's vacations and kids' nap times and summer camps. I had to make an agenda with everything we want to start planning for the upcoming year. From community service projects to the big field trip in the Spring. We want to do tons of new stuff like have tshirts made and do a Christmas Float. My Vice President suggested that we all walk over at the end of the parade to her Husband's office in the center of the town-He is a lawyer-and he will turn on the fire and make hot chocolate. And everybody can bring some kind of goodies. It sounds so nice. I think that would be a memory S remembers for a long time.

So many ideas. This is all so new, but it is coming so naturally. Making it a habit to check the PO Box and tell everybody at the end of each email that all of CHEA appreciates what they are doing. And making sure to show support for families who have family members in the hospital or who have recently passed away or even the ones who have just had a baby. Being responsible for every action of every member in the group. Sounds exhausting. But it is fulfilling. I don't get that "high" that most people get out of "being in power." I still feel equal because I am equal, just with added responsibilities. That's where my "high" comes from. And it is my way of taking more part is S's "education," investing in her future. Making sure she has fun memories with friends and an array of experiences.

Which brings me to my next point...I feel so happy when I am doing these things. I keep telling myself that when I volunteer, I am doing God's work. I especially feel that way in the post abortion area, but that is only super active twice a year for about 10 weeks. And when I think about homeschooling I feel that way, like I am dedicating 100% of my life to the work of teaching my child to serve God and teaching her about His world...But part of me wonders if I am doing the right thing. (Not by homeschooling, but by doing all this other extra stuff that is not directly for God.) Does he care if S goes on fieldtrips to the News Station while other children are starving? Does it make a difference in eternity if I check the CHEA mailbox and reply to all the emails from board members? I prayed about taking the President's spot and I talked to my Husband to get his permission. It. Felt. Right. Everything we join is pretty much "Christian." When I think about S joining American Heritage Girls next year, it makes me smile because she will be learning to serve and be making friends and learning more about God's world...Stop right there. Then I think, "Is this the way, we, as Christians, picture Christian living? Is this the right way? Or is this the way that Americans view it. I am so conflicted. While we are going to be sitting inside a church eating pizza and scooping out ice cream for the girls at their indoor sleepover, thinking we are being good Christians by letting our children converse with other Christians, does it anger God? I doubt it makes him happy. While there are thousands and thousands of children out there who are in desperate need of clean water or shoes, we are not solving it. We are contributing to the problem. While there are so many people out there who have not accepted Jesus, we are sitting inside a church trying to keep our children in groups of other Christians and away from the "hooligans" of the world. Is this what we are teaching them? Didn't Jesus sit and talk with even the "biggest" of sinners? Does EVERYTHING we do have to be 100% for God? Or can life be about a different type of enjoyment too, after we have "done our time," so to say. Should we feel guilty about enjoying what God has allowed us to have? It is not that I feel obligated to do what I already do. I do that because I want to help and I enjoy it also. But I do feel obligated to do more. Is it okay to feel that way? I have talked to my Hubby and prayed continuously for the answers to this. I am getting a bit frustrated because I wanted a direct answer, but all I keep getting is "read your Bible." Not just from Hubby, but from God too. Now I feel like, in order to grow at all,  in order to decide what kind of person I want to be, in order to be complete,  I NEED to read my Bible every single day. Sometimes more than once. I have never felt such a desire to read it. It had always felt like somewhat of a chore. It is nice because it has given me the drive to really jump in there every single day and read and interpret and research and figure out the Greek roots and what things really mean, and how many things we learned growing up were only visions we were given through commercialism and not really things that are necessarily true. I have learned so much in a week's time.  If course there is always more. S and I have been working on Exodus together since the seder she attended. Amd I chose to start in Luke.  But I have been going through all the gospels to see what details the similar chapters reveal about the same stuff.  Like the birth of Jesus.  But I am still just so confused. I have more questions than ever about what God thinks of us as typical, or even somewhat typical Americans.

And while I am being busy being a Debbie Downer, I had a rough time this past month with this whole trying to conceive thing. I'll spare the details, but I struggled quite a bit. Just thinking how much more do I have to go through during this season of my life? Am I paying for what I did? If so, why do only some people have to endure that? Will it only get worse? According to my Husband, the good news is, we know my supplements are working. But I worry when I do end up pregnant again, will I make it to 8 months and end up delivering a stillborn baby? Will I end up enduring an ectopic pregnancy, which is common for people like me. Ugh. It shouldn't be so stressful. When we first started trying, I imagined it so magical. Then, the longer it took, the less magical it seemed. And after we took a break from actively trying then when we started back because it wasn't working, I felt renewed. I learned a better way of tracking BBT. I started taking my supplements. I thought, "This is it! Not long from now! This time is different because I have things figured out." Nine months later...nothing.

And it made me really sad because I got some free baby clothes the other day. (A yardsale that was packing up. The lady told me to take whatever I wanted. And she had some good clothes!) I brought them home, along with a few clothes for S, and I spread them out on the floor. Nevermind the clothes I got her, she was all into the baby clothes! She couldn't believe how small and cute they were. She was looking at the sizes and talking about how cute a baby would look in these. And she would read them off, "Daddy's Girl." Ooo...I thought for sure that would make her jealous. But it didn't. She thought it was totally adorable. And she kept talking about how great it will be when her Dad is a Daddy AGAIN! And I'm like, "Okay, God! She is older now. I get it. I like the older age. It will be great when we have another. I got to enjoy my one on one time with her for several years and I am thankful for that, but please!" I don't know what the future will bring to us. But I know it involves someone for S. I don't know if that is adoption or a family member we end up with or if we will have another one. Or a combination of those things. But one thing is for sure, when it happens, it will be worth it. I just keep having to tell myself that. :/

On a happier note, that "Life of Fred" was ridiculous. S enjoyed it. I did not. I realize they are for her learning, not mine,  so we will continue them, see if they get better and more in depth,  but they are not teaching her much math and they are ALL over the place! So I found a series-that is a little more grown up called "Math Lessons for Living." The best part is, it was free! Online. The printable version. I saved it all on my computer and printed a little, but there is SO MUCH! I need to figure out a way to go about it. Maybe reading them off the computer. They are longer, more detailed books.  And have the option to work the problems out with the characters.  They expose kids to a lot of things from what I have seen. It talks about farms, Mission work, art....

Speaking of art,  I'm trying to refrain from talking so much about plans for Fall because we haven't even technically hit Summer yet! But it is going to be great!!! That's for sure.

Making a TV Show-well, several shows actually. 

She discovered Paint on the computer.  

Oh, you know,  just going through the most recently bag of recycling and making another wacky invention.  

Note Passing Invention - the Note-inator. 

Collecting Geese Feathers at the Local Pond While Daddy Fishes

Mastered Keeping the Hula Hoop Up!!!!

Daddy taught Samantha to skip rocks.  

And catch Crawl Dads. She was totally excited to come and tell me. 

Getting to Ride on the Boat Before Me

My Free Baby Clothes Stash-Inside my $6 co-sleeper find at a yard sale. ;)