Wishing For Pine Needles

a School Days Decision...

This decision is one that practically had a mind of its own!  There was no agonizing over it, no second guessing it, and no turning it about in my mind until the wee hours of the morning.  It was surprisingly easy, painless, and peaceful.  Things fell nicely into place, just the way they needed to.

What started as a casual, theoretical, on-vacation type of conversation between Dan and I quickly moved into a much deeper, this-might-actually-happen conversation.  After we found ourselves on the same page, no time was wasted in developing a plan of action into which we dove head first.

And then it was time to talk to the kids.  There were mixed emotions, as we suspected there would be.  There was surprise at first, followed by a quick question and answer session, followed by a glow of excitement as the idea began to "sink in."

Girls, how would you feel about going back to school????

We again had the opportunity to send them back to a school that we love!  This is the same school where Rylen attended kindergarten and first grade....the one we pulled her out of to homeschool her for second grade.  It's a Christian school that uses the classical model of education and does the most fantastic job of it.  We were thrilled at the prospect of having both of our girls there!

 

 

 

The hardest part of this decision was, of course, making the mental shift from homeschooling.  I loved having all of my kids with me during the day and I enjoyed our adventures and great multitude of conversations.  I truly will miss them.  (I already do!)  But the many benefits my children will receive from this special school are ones that I couldn't possibly give them here.  I'll even admit that throughout our novice year as homeschoolers I couldn't get this small-but-mighty school out of my mind!

 

Just as I am thankful for the freedom to be able to homeschool my kids, I am equally thankful for this school that has become dear to us.  It is a true blessing to be back!

(And both girls are having a fantastic time!!!)

 

 
 

on homeschooling

Our first year of homeschooling has been a combination of enlightening, entertaining, frustrating, tiring, and satisfying....to name a few!   And just as I felt our "little-engine-that-homeschooling-could" slowly start to run out of steam, Dan and I attended a very inspiring and much-needed homeschool convention.  We listened to great speakers, poured through the hundreds of curriculum booths, and even saw a comedian that we've liked for a long time.  Just what we needed to make it through the rest of this school year and get excited all over again about the one coming up!

And as we wandered around the convention center with the other 10,000 homeschool moms and dads, I felt a great sense of camaraderie and peace.  Although I'm certain that no two families in that entire place homeschool in exactly the same way, there is comfort in knowing that so many other people got what I was going through....the daily struggles, the breakthrough moments, the highs, the lows.

At home, as we muddled our way through the last few weeks of the school year and felt summer break gloriously peeking in from around the corner, I began to feel a sadness about leaving behind the schedule and routine that we'd worked so hard to create.  It wasn't exactly a feeling I was expecting to have, but one I eventually welcomed, because it gave me reassurance that homeschooling is something I actually like doing.  I do believe I needed every bit of this first year to figure that out.

And my kids were as eager as any to close the books for the year,  but when I suggested taking the summer to work on some state history here and there, they couldn't wait to start!  It's funny how when something gets into the lifeblood of a family, it's next to impossible to get it out.  

Do enjoy wherever your summer takes you!  (Even if it is Ohio history.....:)

Happy Enchanted, School-less Monday!

First year of homeschooling  - DONE!

Summer...here we come!!!

(We hope your week is off to an equally great start...!)

Back to the books...for the most part

Last year, when we were earnestly trying to decide whether or not homeschooling was for us, we received much welcome advice.  And the one piece that we heard over and over has resurfaced (with quite a vengeance!) in the forefront of my mind.

"Homeschooling sure gets rough during the winter months..."  "After Christmas is the hardest..."  "January is the toughest month of all..."  "If you can make it through first your winter, you'll be fine..."

OK, OK.  Now I know what you all were talking about!

Actually, in some ways, it's kind of cozy to be tucked away inside for sometimes days on end.  But I've found that we all, in different ways, reach our points of saturation with hibernating.  (And that's when those What was I thinking? thoughts start to seep in;)

So, I've found that straying from the books a little has been just what we've needed to spice it up a bit and to keep it interesting for us all.

For example, penmanship is much more fun when cutting, gluing and stamping are involved!

And how can you really learn about seasons and weather patterns without drawing such a fine illustration of them?

 

How about planning a meal for a good lesson in home economics?  (There's no denying that this skill involves some math and a little creative design as well.  Also, I'll throw in some credits for business, since they very efficiently managed their employee, Chef Mom.)

I think (and hope and pray) that with a bit of creativity we will be a bit more hospitable to our cold and sometimes grouchy guest, Old Man Winter.

Any ideas that you have are welcome here!

Homeschooling Moment number two

My posts have a homeschooling focus this week, mainly because I am beginning to see past the "responsibility" of this new endeavor and, well, feel that I have begun to exhale.

This journey, which really started last winter, has evolved from being a small thought of could I ever really do that?, to a decision made half-hearted-ly, not because of homeschooling itself, but because it would mean taking our daughter out of a school that we adore.  From there, our homeschooling journey became an anticipated something but we really weren't sure what.  Yes, we had done lots and lots (did I say lots?) of reading, researching curriculums, talking with other homeschoolers, and fervent praying.  Still...what was homeschooling going to be to us?

How were we going to adjust to learning math here at home?  Grammar?  Spelling?  Art history?  Music?  Science?  Latin????

How was home going to magically transform from a comfortable, sometimes clean, sometimes messy place where emotions often run high and no two days are ever quite the same into an environment suitable for my children to be educated?

How was I going to be mom on one hand and teacher on the other?

HOW WOULD THIS WORK?

And then it just happened.  One day in late August, we arbitrarily chose to start our school.  Our house was still the same; no magical transformations into a quaint, little one-room schoolhouse happened here.  The girls still chattered with each other and to me, and Hans still crawled around everywhere.  I still made lunch and they still wanted to play outside.  Dinner still had to be made and laundry still had to be done. 

I was surprised that not much had changed!

But somehow, in between the things that make up our life, we have managed to find spaces of time to do our math, grammar, reading, spelling and history.  We have also baked cookies, recited poetry, studied the Bible, gone to the park, worked on our knitting, met new friends, taken field trips, and jumped in piles of raked leaves.

Really, our life is exactly the same as it always has been, except now we are learning more, and the joy of it is that we are doing it all together.

 

Exhale.

Homeschooling Moment number one

We are entering our second full month of homeschooling.

How is it going, you might ask?

Very well, for the most part, but probably still too early to tell.

I do know, however, that I wouldn't trade a moment of the extra time I get to spend with my daughter.

Especially when it's a moment like this one!

(And yes, we do school work, too.  See the math on the whiteboard?)

An Off-the-Beaten-Path Kind Of Day

When we awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning on Saturday, we knew that it simply could not be a day spent working inside, no matter how much we would like to have our door project completed.

So, after chatting for a few moments on what to do with our day, Dan and I decided that we both had the urge to do some garage sale-ing.   We have not been to many yard/garage/barn sales this season. This is mainly because we have been very intentional about ridding our home of items that we don't really need and are leery of bringing more in!

But after all, it was an amazing day for walking around outside and hitting a yard sale or two sounded like lots of fun.  We looked in the local paper and found the most perfect sale for us!  The ad claimed to have educational books and materials for sale - again perfect for this first-time homeschooling family!

This particular sale happened to be out in another town in a more rural community.  Even better.  Now our day was to include a drive in the country!

Our directions led us to this farm.  It was a darling alpaca farm, complete with a barn filled to the brim with homeschooling books and materials for sale.  This, to us, was a gold mine.  After filling our arms with books, books, and more books, we talked with the owner of the farm and discovered that she homeschooled all five of her children.  She was kind and knowledgeable, and just a delightful person to have met.  

I mentioned to her the angora goat giveaway at Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm, and she seemed genuinely interested.  So I would be thrilled if, the next time we visit the alpaca farm, there is a small herd of angora goats roaming her pastures!

From there our travels took us to a small town known for its cute shops and antiques. With three young children, cute shops and antique stores are not so fun, but we did manage to walk through a couple.

I have mixed feeling about antiques.  Mostly I think they can be mildewy, dusty and just plain too old.  I know, I know....this is part of the charm, but I have just never quite gotten into it.  That being said, my grandmother used to own an antique store and there are things left from it that are fabulous.  And I actually have come to appreciate old quilts, fabrics and fancy work.  I have slowly gathered a collection of them over the years, and would love to share them someday.  (Now there's a future post idea!)

We also wandered into a small woodworking shop, where they made these wonderful-but-expensive owls.

This was exciting to Marianne since lately she cannot get enough of owls.  We have read owl books, purchased an owl stuffed animal, and are looking desperately for an owl costume pattern.  (She wants to be an owl for Halloween.)

     

The bear was Hans's favorite part of our day.  Aaahhh, so easy to please...

Our last stop was to look at fabric, because this town also happens to have a great fabric store.  Did I need any new fabric?  No. But how could I resist letting each of my daughters choose their own flannel fabric for a new nightgown pattern I have?

(Can you guess who chose the fabric on the bottom?)

We ended our day-long thrifting adventure at a rummage sale at the local fairgrounds.  As with any good rummage sale, the key is to arrive early. We got to this one about an hour before they closed, so as you might imagine, the pickings were slim.  And all three of our thrifting kiddos had just about had enough.

  

So homeward bound we were, complete with a carload of new books, new fabric, and a day spent not working on the doors!  (It was definitely worth it!)

A Well Used Room

:Dining room, Craft room, Sewing room, and now Home School room

 

:China cabinet, Wedding gift storage area, now Textbook shelf

:Very ugly chandelier that has been here way too long and will be replaced SOON

We are ready to plunge into week 2 of home schooling.  I hope your weeks are off to a great start!

Preparing...

We are about to embark on something very new here.  Exciting?  Yes.  An Adventure? Absolutely! Daunting?  At times.  

The latest and greatest of our journeys will begin right here at our kitchen table.  This Fall, we will being homeschooling.  

I realize that with this I have about as much freedom as this hot air balloon.  I can go any direction I choose, and although that kind of leeway can be frightening at times, it really is a wonderful thing. There is no right or wrong way and the opportunities are limitless!  This is the exciting part. And the scary part, too.

What I am thankful for:

1.  A supportive husband who knows I can do it, because with God all things are possible.

2.  Three great, eager, inquisitive kids who always want to know more.

3.  These same kids want to be around me and I want to be around them.

4.  Encouraging women who have gone down this road before and offer their support and kind words.

5.  The seemingly never-ending stream of resources available - books, magazines, websites, blogs, conventions, co-ops, and on and on and on!

6.  To live in a country where we are free to educate our kids in a way that is best for our family at this time.

The rest of the summer will be spent reading, researching, and reading some more.  I will be praying for wisdom, patience, and resourcefulness.  I will be praying for my children and that this would be a positive and rewarding experience for them.

And as I prepare and make plans, I am anxiously awaiting the new kinds of memories that will be made, right here at this kitchen table.