Enforced Idleness or masterly inactivity??

Have you ever heard of this? It's a first for me too. "Enforced Idleness or Masterly Inactivity", it's all the talk in the homeschool world, it's making your kids do things like play outside, read a book, make a craft, chop wood, garden, play board games, play with dolls, or play with Legos.

LOL.......ok, I thought all those things were just about being a kid? I am so excited now and I can even relax over the fact that we now have a technical name for it, I fretted for years wondering what on earth to call it........LOL.

Though idleness is a topic that does need some looking into to make sure we know what our kids are doing during these idle times, because being idle or having inactivity can cause serious issues in the middle school and teen years  :) Three Bible verses come to mind when I think of Idleness.

1. Proverbs 31:27
   She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
2. Ecclesiastes 10:18
   By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
    
3. Ezekiel 16:49
   Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

I think Enforced Idleness is not a good term, it should be called "Kids Playing."

A Homeschoolers Experience with the Public School

I’ve had an interesting time with the Homeschooled Young Man during a volunteering opportunity. We spent 2 days with around 140 kids ages 8 ½-11 years old. These public schooled kids took part in engaging and hands on activities over the course of two school days. The presenters were upbeat and kid friendly. The kids were well behaved and quiet...too quiet actually for my liking.

Over the course of 8+ hours I spent with these adorable 8 ½-11 year olds, I did not hear the usual giggles from the girls that I am use to hearing, nor small talk amongst boys that I am use to hearing. I saw emotionless faces, frowns and blank stares from these children. But, I saw a hunger in the children for attention from the presenters, when those men and women engaged one on one with these children. Each boy and girl was eager to talk with and spend time with these adults. But after each session they became like little robots. Back to frowns and staring at the floor while being told to line up against the wall, "1-2-3 eyes on me" by their public school teacher. I know that public school teachers will say that this is a must to keep order. But it makes me think of when we had 4,000 adults and children for a homeschool meeting at the state capitol a few years ago. There had to be order and quiet voices with almost 2,000+ kids involved, there were no robot children in the group nor forced lining up against the wall, yet there was no chaos.

At 14 years old The Homeschooled Young Man was a group leader of about 25 children and 2 public school teachers. He held the door open for the group on 11 different occasions and was told “Thank you.” only 3 times over the course of 2 days each lasting 8+ hours.

I was pushed and shoved numerous times throughout the days without so much as an excuse me, sorry or anything by these students.

Then after awhile I had opportunity to sit back in a chair in the back of the room and sort of take it all in. It was then that I noticed the clothes that the teachers were wearing. Skin tight workout pants that stop at the calf, that showed panty lines and a bold written word across their backside, another one wore a similar pair of pants that were way too small and every time she bent over her pants came down and her shirt went up to expose her bare backside (she looked like a plumber, KWIM?). Yes, these were public school teachers of 8 ½-11 year olds.

I guess I could look past that, but the thing that really struck me was the manners that the teachers displayed, yes these are the people that are entrusted with most American children for 7+ hours each day, 30+ hours each week, 5 days per week, 180 days per year and nearly 1,300 hours per school year. I saw teachers not sitting properly in chairs (ya know one of the things that drives us parents crazy at the dinner table is when our kids don’t sit properly, slouching down in the chair with the rear on the edge of the seat and their neck on the back of the chair), teachers talking to each other during the presentations (ya, know it drives us crazy when our kids do this), teachers yawning like roaring lions (ya know how many times you have been trying to teach your child to yawn with their hand over their mouths?). I saw so many kids being grabbed by the arm and yanked around like dogs on a leash and teachers yelling in the face of the kids and the blank looks on the children’s faces while they have an adult standing over them yelling. This must go on often because the other teachers never even looked over to see what was going on. Think about where your kids bad habits are coming from, those things that drive you crazy when your kids do them.

The icing on the cake was the way that the teachers spoke to the children. Every time there was an instruction of “Throw your trash away, PLEASE & THANK YOU!” I thought to my self that “PLEASE & THANK YOU!” really comes out sounding snide and rude no matter how you say it. That phrase seems to be up and coming. We were eating out about a month ago and the waitress said that to us when she gave us our check. The Homeschooled Young Man commented how rude that sounded, even though he knew she was not meaning for it to be rude. 

Now mind you this is NOT a representation of all public school teachers, I happen to know some fine teachers. But this was a peek into the system and I do think this was a typical day in many school systems.

As we drove home I was thinking about all this and here was my take away. Hey Homeschool Momma, are there things that you are doing during your homeschool day that might be negatively effecting your children? Are there things that you are unknowingly passing on to your children?

This brought to light a few things I need to work on in my homeschool. Take some time to assess things that you think of and then improve your homeschool for you and your children.

Ideas for Homeschooling High School

There are lots of brand new homeschooler starting high school this year.

What worked for you and what did not work? How do you make a push for independence? How do  you set up school work accountability? Will you work in dual credits? AP classes (where did will your kids take these tests? Did you get your material approved for AP?), will you do dual enrollment? College classes? Online classes? Any non textbook things you plan to use?
Oh, the list seems endless!

Work Life Balance Hacks for You Homeschool Mom

I am a paper calendar kinda gal. This is so cool! I love this idea, I do not like to program my phone or add events to program my calendar. Can't wait to try this.

Homeschool Mom's need to be constantly watching that calendar because things can get out of control!
What do you think? Anyone know what HACK means? lol...sometimes I'm slow  :O)

What a great suggestion from an M.D.

$10 Off Kids Craft Kits!!!

My friends Hal & Melanie Young over at Raising Real Men are offering up a $10 discount on this awesome kids crafts/activity boxes. 

One bright spot has been Craftsman Crate - our subscription box has been growing like crazy as people try to keep their kids busy at home! If you haven't heard of it, Craftsman Crate is our monthly box that teaches artisanal crafts, from wood-carving to candle-making to scrimshaw. Every box contains everything you need (no trips to the store!) – real tools, complete instructions, and every supply! Use newcrate10 to get $10 off your first box!

This is such a great idea! Kids LOVE getting packages in the mail!

Check them out and share pictures of what your kids create!

Moe

Homeschool Convention Time

If you find yourself asking "Is it Friday yet?" in your  homeschool, it may be time for a homeschool convention! Every state has a homeschool conference or sometimes called a convention. It is a time to go and refresh, learn new techniques, meet others just like you, meet others that are different than you are and to see what is new in the curriculum world. 

Homeschool conventions are AWESOME, we have been attending since 2008 and we love them. So much fun for Mom, Dad and the kids too. There are topics for all ages, the Homeschooled Young Man enjoyed attending sessions that were taught by his textbook authors. He got to meet the authors, talk shop with them and sometimes even get in on some freebies or new ideas that the authors are kicking around. 

Kids will get interested in their school work when they help pick it out. We started using IEW all because the Homeschooled Young Man sat through Andrew Pudewa's sessions. 

I learned about different teaching ideas, learning styles and methods. I learned how to use my specific name brand curriculum better, during vendor question/answer sessions. I got to touch and feel, look through and read the different textbooks to see if they were a good fit for my learner. I got discount codes for materials. I drooled over the Rainbow Resources booths, I got tons of cool stuff from that place. 

Homeschool conferences are also a great place to invite those interested in learning more about homeschooling, they offer sessions about homeschooling laws, getting started etc. 

The sessions range from any number of the following...

New homeschoolers

Homeschooling laws

Special needs homeschoolers

Keeping toddlers busy while homeschooling

Getting household chores done

High school

Transcipts

College

Non-college bound homeschoolers

Marriage

Meal Planning

Large families

Only children

Car schooling

RV Schooling

Finances

and more!

Start looking now for a homeschool conference near you, they are so worth it!

Moe

Ahhhh...A Day Of Rest...

Winter blahs got you down? 

Surprise the kids today on Valentines Day!!

Shut those school books,

Let that laundry pile grow higher,

Grab some pillows and blankets,

Head to the living room and camp out for the day!

Some days you just need to chill out and this is one of those!

Enjoy those little ones while they are still yet little,

Play games with your junior high kids,

Hang with your teenagers...

Let them all have cookies and hot cocoa for lunch,

If you have the fixin's create some fun treats like the guy below.

Homeschool Mom, you are doing great! Create memories that last a lifetime with your kids and 

crack the school books open tomorrow...

Moe

p.s. It's Valentines Day, grab a nice hot shower before hubby comes home and have the kids do a quick 15 minute pick up of the living room before dad gets home.

What's that smell?

LOL...The Homeschooled Young Man asked me the other day "Mom, you need to help me figure out how much cologne to put on." My husband replies "Son, don't ask things like that of your Mother, you know how she is. She will plan a unit study, you will have to get on a plane and travel to Zimbabwe to study some exotic herb that is harvested to make cologne." LOL...Me? A Homeschool Mom, do that?

YES!!! I would do that! What about you?

My reply to my husband was, "How do you even know what a unit study is?" He says "I just know."  That totally threw me for a loop, I thought my husband's only understanding of homeschooling was the following...

1. The house is always messy with books & papers

2. We are always taking a field trip

3. The child will graduate with a diploma

4. The house is always messy with books and papers (oh, wait, already said that one...lol...but it's a biggy.

I guess we are rubbing off on him, hahaha. Got to love those husbands that are faithful in many things and know what is going on, even when we think they don't.

Back to school funny & our homeschool tradition

So glad that we homeschool and don't have to spend much on supplies. We just use the same stuff from last year. No one breaks our Crayons or steals our pencils in homeschool...lol
We have a tradition of buy something fun and new for the school year though. For me I usually pick out a cute pack of sticky notes (you know I have a passion for STICKY NOTES!) I blogged about my overstock of sticky notes. This year I got some Post-It Notes with a cute Pug dog on the front.
The teenager decided on a folder/notebook with a Pug on the front.

You would think that we have a thing for Pugs at our house  :O)

Moe

Worried About Socialization In Your Homeschool?

Thinking of homeschooling your only child? Or many you have more than 1 and you worry about socialization, read on....
When we first started home educating 6 years ago (has it REALLY been that long?) I worried and worried about socialization. Now as my dear homeschooling friend Christine says "My kids don't know a stranger!" I would totally agree. Even with our son being an only child, he is chatty, bubbly and full of all sorts of chatter. He is able to converse with toddlers, little kids, elementary & junior high kids, high school & college students, grown adults, the elderly and so many more types of people. His pediatrician and him discuss gardening and their love of sauteed zucchini, garlic and olive oil...lol. Yes, my son and his doctor sit around and discuss the finer things in life during his well checkups. He gets lot of comments on his phone etiquette and how he handles himself in various social situations. I think that comes from him being in many different situations throughout the day.

He does struggle to understand how other kids around him that are in the "school" setting are embarrassed to answer questions, say "I don't know" & "I dunno" all the time, are embarrassed to get up and speak or afraid to speak up about things. So he does see a difference in himself and other kids, but is this really a bad thing? Our son has been interviewed on radio & TV, he has written newspaper articles as well as being interviewed by newspapers. He has given many different types of speeches to a variety of audience ages, he has done piano recitals and played piano at church. Yes he has flopped at times, but has used those as learning experiences. He figures that he is young and learning. What a blessing to not be bummed out, but to think on "How can I do this better next time, what would I change or how can I use this experience to further my learning?"
HipHomeSchoolMoms has a pretty HIP article on socialization and the only child. Check it out before the new school year starts.

Have you socialized your child today?

 

Are you a good mom?

I've been pondering that question for awhile now as I've been sick again with corn allergies sneaking up on me from somewhere. I've been miserable and tend to make everyone else miserable during this time. ( or so I think!)

I read a blog post about stay at home moms and as I read through it, I got thinking about what in my mind a good mom is and what a good housekeeper is. Well here is what I came up with, that I picture in my own mind when I think of a good mom and how my home should look.

A clean bedroom, toys picked up and kids playing well together.

The house is always neat, never any dirty dishes in the sink and bedrooms are neat.

Clean house, everything in it's place, bedrooms neat and tidy and no piles of dirty laundry.

 

Smiling happy kids, no dirty dishes, no piles of dirty laundry and clean bedrooms.

Where on earth did I ever get the mindset that this is what my life should be like with my family? Of course there is no dirty laundry, dirty dishes, piles of mail and magazines, messy cluttered kids rooms or toys all strewn about. These are FAKE homes, they are sets/props in which people/actors PRETEND to be homemakers, wives and mothers. Wow can our perspectives on life really be that inspired and convinced by years of media? I'm saddened that I allowed myself to believe this lie, of how things should be in my life. Is this what the Lord has for me? Am I reaping His very best for my life and my family?  Here is a link to the blog post, I hope it helps you to gain the perspective that the Lord has for you and your home. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2012/08/

May you find blessings in your family life this week.
Moe

Got clutter? Check this idea out.

This is such a great idea!!! I plan to start this up right away. chores for my ransom box.
$aving Make$ Cent$ website has some really neat ideas.
Thought this might help with the summer messes that kids seem to make around the house. She has some great chore ideas on her blog.

Have a great week!
Moe

Teaching kids survival skills

I came across this great blog article and thought I would share it.  I run into so many moms that have kids in public or private schools who say that they can't teach their kids anything because there is no time with them being gone all day at school. This article has some neat ways to teach these things even if your kids are gone all day. Survival Skills for kids helped me to see the importance of these things and how they can be worked in to the lives of our children.

4-H is something that has helped us to, our son can read the 4-H books about the subject we are looking at tackling and then we put our hands and feet to work on it. 4-H is free in most areas and "It's Not Just For Farm Kids Anymore!" Many inner city clubs have popped up across the country. Most clubs meet 1x per month for a meeting. 4-H is a great way to learn new skills that will be used for a lifetime and it also helps us get something out of our tax dollars that we pay in as 4-H is part of the US Department of Agriculture.

Have you taught your kids any survival skills? Share with us.
Moe

Something fun for your homeschool

I just love these dry erase dots, they make school work so much more fun!!! Math problems are a breeze for boys. I have found them on sale a few times and bought different colors. They are a big hit around here. You can see one of our Magenta colored dot in the bottom picture.
What fun things do you add to your homeschool to spice things up?
Moe

Pantry Challenge January Round Up

Let me count the ways that I bombed this past month in the Pantry Challenge.....lol. But I had fun and hope you did too.

For starters DO NOT EVER shop for groceries after being under anesthetic..lol. I felt so well after my upper and lower scopes that we decided to shop at Meijers (remember I love that place!), I wandered through and blew a cool $50 some odd dollars, can't find the receipt now. Got some wonderful produce (did I ever tell you how I just love Meijers produce? I think it's the lighting!).
My dear husband pushed the cart dutifully up and down the isles for me as I plucked things off the shelf (who knows what!) and dropped them into the cart. What on earth was I thinking? That is right I was not in my right mind and what did that paper say that I signed before surgery? "I will not make any financial decisions for 24 hours." I wonder now, does grocery shopping fall under that category? I think so! That brings me up to $122.09 for the month.

Then another $49.56 at the local grocery store this was sort of a woe is me shopping trip, I had to do the prep for my upper/lower scopes (drink the nasty stuff to clean your insides out) and I wanted to treat myself, so I bought my favorite soda Canada Dry, my favorite kool-aid drink TANG, the good ice pops (not those nasty cheap watered down ice pops......lol). Since I knew once the tests were done I would be back on a gluten free diet, I got some Lenders Bagels and Thomason English Muffins, no generics for me on those! I also bought the good juices to drink during my prep time, nothing like Welches White Grape Juice $4.50 a bottle and Mango Peach Juice. Those items added up very quickly. $171.65 for the month.

Then on 1/30/12 I ran to the store real quick like for milk & chicken (remember I did not want to butcher our laying hens so I had to buy chicken)........that cost me $23.76.
They had milk on sale for $1.50 so bought a few of those,
Cannelli Beans on sale for $1.00 a can, I stocked up on those since I can sneak them into a lot of things..lol
Tyson Chicken was on sale for $1.99 lb.

January 2012 cost us $195.41 for three people, doing homeschool math that comes to an average of $65.14 per person for a month or an average of $48.85 per week. I was hoping for less, but I know that I could have done without the $50 bucks spent on surgery day, I am still kicking myself for that one! I am thankful for what I saved and did not spend with being gluten and dairy free, I could have spent a lot more $$ on fancy products.

How is your February going on the pantry challenge? I am going to just keep on going with it and see where it leads me. Remember if you are not gluten free or dairy free you can still use my recipes (comment if you have questions about them), just use whole wheat or white flour and regular dairy and butter in the recipes.

If you are new around here we are having a Pantry Challenge, here is how it works.........It's easy, before you head to the grocery store, shop your freezer, refrigerator and cabinets to see what you can use up. For the first 3 weeks I try to only buy milk, butter and bread, since I usually have an abundance of canned fruits and veggies on hand. If you don't have chickens you may need to buy eggs :-p Make a family game out of this, let the kids pick some can goodies from the cabinet, find some meat in the freezer and go from there.
Moe

Back to school day!

How is your back to school day going? We did school on and off during Christmas break since we like to take time off in February for cabin fever.

Our first day back starts with homeschool bowling, our son loves PE and bowling is a fine way to get it in.

Are you starting anything new and exciting this semester? We are going to finish up Latin and start on Proverbs People from The Learning Parent, love all the materials from the Boyer family. Click the link to see what they have going on. They are running a sale right now and a lot of items. They are Godly conference speakers and have 14 kids and started homeschooing back in 1980. Check them out!

Have a wonderful day back.
Moe

Sorry to be gone for so long.........

I ended up in the hospital for 5 days with acute diverticulitis. Had an incredible ambulance ride when they transferred me to a larger hospital. Those 3 guys has me laughing all the way there!
I am to be home resting and healing up so that they can do some testing. My dh's family has been wonderful!! His sister has really helped me out tons with doctors, nurses and hospitals, it can all be so confusing when you are very ill and out of your head. My church family has been bringing meals in, how wonderful is that!! It's been a real blessing to see our son step up to the plate while I as gone. He did his school work and chores, made meals for himself and dad, he also knew where all the 'hidden' meals are in the freezer......lol. I always have some sort of chili, soup or casserole in the freezer for a quick and easy meal.

Well my point for being on here today was to share something that I found from the Bible that has been a  real encouragement to me today, as I know that I am not the only person on the Internet feeling poorly today. I was pouting around this afternoon, had a very bad day reflux wise, as I am flared up from my throat all the way down to my colon  :P      Ended up on the phone with the nurse 2x and finally think I will make it through until tomorrow when they want to see me again. So here it is.

Weakness in the Bible: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
It is a paradox of Christianity that true strength is found in weakness. Jesus himself embodied the world's idea of weakness, even to the point of submitting to an excruciating death. However, just as Christ's saving power worked through that "weakness," so God's power is often most visible in the midst of suffering, humility, and weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (KJV)
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Gospel.com

I do have a few prayer requests:
1. No more reactions to antibiotics (had 3 in the hospital)
2. Antibiotics will be effective since I am on so many stomach drugs
3. No more blood thinners, these T.E.D. Hose are driving me crazy!
4. DH can concentrate on learning his new job, lots of reading and testing along with the stress of me being ill.
5. Insurance issues won't occur, our current insurance ends 12/31 and the new job insurance is to kick in 1/1.
6. Doctors and Nurses will be competent and know what is going on with me. Since I was told that what I have has been missed for many years and severe damage has been done. I have actually prayed that the doctors would be woke in the night thinking of my case, I pray that they will be milling it over in their mind and looking at it from all sides. This new doctors even apologized for the suffering I have endured, that in itself was a real blessing to hear.

Everyone have a wonderful week!

Chicken Humor

A six-year-old boy told his father he wanted to marry the little girl across the street.
The father, being modern and well-schooled in handling children, hid his smile.

'That's a serious step,' he said. 'Have you thought it out completely?'

Yes,' his young son answered. 'We can spend one week in my room and the next
in hers. It's right across the street, so I can run home if I get scared of the dark.'
'How about transportation? ' the father asked.

'I have my wagon, and we both have our tricycles,' the little boy answered.
The boy had an answer to every question the father raised.

Finally, in exasperation, his dad asked, 'What about babies? When you're
married, you're liable to have babies, you know.'

'We've thought about that, too,' the little boy replied. 'We're not going to
have babies. Every time she lays an egg, I'm going to step on it!'