Today it snowed all day and I loved it! I had no where to go, no where to go tomorrow either, so let it snow! It was also the first time in a long time that I wasn't immediately faced with the thoughts of "Are there going to be a snow delay or school closing? If so, who will watch the kids? Do I need to juggle someone to watch the kiddo?" I love that I did not have to juggle or worry about that. I know I can be home if they have a delay or a closing! Yay for being a stay-at-home Mom, even if it seems I'm never home. :) K did pray at the supper table for a snow delay or closing.
Now on the other hand, Math...the current thorn in my side! Mr. J has always been good at math, always loved it. He is still good at math, but for some reason he has decided he doesn't want to do math without being so slow! I let him get behind before Christmas, my major mistake. Now he has 6 lessons he needs to do before tomorrow night to be on schedule. He's on schedule with everything else! He gets no TV, no Wii, no playing with the neighbor kids, nothing until his Math is caught up....and it's still like pulling teeth to get him to work on his math.
UGH! Friday is a light homeschool day for us. The schedule is built that way, which I appreciate. So tomorrow is going to be very heavy on Math...and hopefully by the end of the day, he will be caught up. If not, I might just have to buy a wig because I will have pulled my hair out!!!
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
A New Week...
Today was the first real day we did homeschooling since the holidays. Big sister went back to school last Thursday and we used those days to finish up some stuff we didn't finish before the holidays, so today we started our new week. With the new week, Teacher Mom decided to try a few things new as well...
1) We started with a "task list" for the homeschooling day. I have a schedule I use that came with the materials, that's what keeps us "on schedule", but I have seen that J loves to check off lists. He gets that from his mommy! So together we created a list, and then he decided the order in which we checked the items off. He knows he can not play until his list is checked off.
2) I added 15 minutes of independent reading to the schedule. Now this was the best part of the day! Mr. I-Hate-Independent-Reading sit down on the couch with his book, I set a timer, and the timer went off and he kept reading. He was actively reading, not playing, not goofing off, so I turned the timer off and just let him read. He read for 30 minutes! He said he liked the book and is already planning to read it again "at bedtime". Hopefully, I can get him to enjoy reading! If I achieve that, this entire year will be well spent. Not that it's not well spent just from spending the time with him.
So, we'll see how he does the rest of the week with these 2 new features to our homeschooling day.
As for me, I weighed myself today, while I refuse to publish numbers...I set the first goal on 12-31 and not only had met it today but had passed it. I refuse to weigh myself too often, so today was the first time I had checked it since then. So I have set a new goal, and once I make that one, will set another one, and so on with my weight.
I have also finished 4 books...I kinda knew the goal of reading 52 books in 2012 would be way too easy for me if I started reading again, but I set it because I wasn't reading at all, so this would get me going again. Hubby and I also had a coupons/shopping trip late Friday night, and we saved over $80 with our coupons. I have to keep myself in check here, because I can easily see myself turning OCD with the coupons. But I will say, J made us all laugh Saturday night when David was looking for something in the freezer and I said "oh we are out", and J pipes up with "But we have a coupon for them!". *smiles* He has became my little helper, cutting out coupons almost every evening as he watches TV.
Unfortunately, my desk is starting to look like..."my desk" again. It's NO WHERE near the mess it was, but I can see piles starting to creep back so I will be putting an end to that today! Otherwise, the office is still not organized/cleaned/sorted/decluttered. Joy is suppose to come tomorrow so hopefully we will knock that out.
On other notes...I have to add this in, because it is INSANE! For some reason, K and I got onto watching "Dance Moms". If you haven't seen this show, I'm not sure if I should say "check it out" or "RUN when it comes on"...it's like a train wreck! You continue watching not because it's good or you want to see what happens next, but because the parenting is so terrible that you keep watching. The moms who push their children to compete in these dance competitions...OMG they need the 2X4 attitude adjustment! There is at least one girl who is going to end up with a serious injury! The doctor was on camera telling Mom she shouldn't compete that weekend....and yet there she was! I swear TV shows like this and "SuperNanny" makes me think you should have to take a test or something to become a parent.
1) We started with a "task list" for the homeschooling day. I have a schedule I use that came with the materials, that's what keeps us "on schedule", but I have seen that J loves to check off lists. He gets that from his mommy! So together we created a list, and then he decided the order in which we checked the items off. He knows he can not play until his list is checked off.
2) I added 15 minutes of independent reading to the schedule. Now this was the best part of the day! Mr. I-Hate-Independent-Reading sit down on the couch with his book, I set a timer, and the timer went off and he kept reading. He was actively reading, not playing, not goofing off, so I turned the timer off and just let him read. He read for 30 minutes! He said he liked the book and is already planning to read it again "at bedtime". Hopefully, I can get him to enjoy reading! If I achieve that, this entire year will be well spent. Not that it's not well spent just from spending the time with him.
So, we'll see how he does the rest of the week with these 2 new features to our homeschooling day.
As for me, I weighed myself today, while I refuse to publish numbers...I set the first goal on 12-31 and not only had met it today but had passed it. I refuse to weigh myself too often, so today was the first time I had checked it since then. So I have set a new goal, and once I make that one, will set another one, and so on with my weight.
I have also finished 4 books...I kinda knew the goal of reading 52 books in 2012 would be way too easy for me if I started reading again, but I set it because I wasn't reading at all, so this would get me going again. Hubby and I also had a coupons/shopping trip late Friday night, and we saved over $80 with our coupons. I have to keep myself in check here, because I can easily see myself turning OCD with the coupons. But I will say, J made us all laugh Saturday night when David was looking for something in the freezer and I said "oh we are out", and J pipes up with "But we have a coupon for them!". *smiles* He has became my little helper, cutting out coupons almost every evening as he watches TV.
Unfortunately, my desk is starting to look like..."my desk" again. It's NO WHERE near the mess it was, but I can see piles starting to creep back so I will be putting an end to that today! Otherwise, the office is still not organized/cleaned/sorted/decluttered. Joy is suppose to come tomorrow so hopefully we will knock that out.
On other notes...I have to add this in, because it is INSANE! For some reason, K and I got onto watching "Dance Moms". If you haven't seen this show, I'm not sure if I should say "check it out" or "RUN when it comes on"...it's like a train wreck! You continue watching not because it's good or you want to see what happens next, but because the parenting is so terrible that you keep watching. The moms who push their children to compete in these dance competitions...OMG they need the 2X4 attitude adjustment! There is at least one girl who is going to end up with a serious injury! The doctor was on camera telling Mom she shouldn't compete that weekend....and yet there she was! I swear TV shows like this and "SuperNanny" makes me think you should have to take a test or something to become a parent.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Answered prayer or added stress....haven't decided yet.
If you know me at all, you know I hate waiting, especially waiting on the unknown. So I tend to push the issue until I get an answer, rather it's the answer I want or not. In this case, I'm not sure what answer I wanted, but at least I got an answer.
A couple weeks ago, a former co-worker told me they were looking for instructors again and planted the seed if I wanted to go back to teaching now might be a good time. I decided to at least test the waters and contact the new dept chair to see what's available. I heard via some former students that they were struggling to find instructors for the next semester as well. My initial email was returned with a "we'll be in touch" message, then I heard nothing for almost two weeks. So I decided yesterday to send a "just checking in" kinda message, and I got back the answer that they wouldn't be needing me this coming semester. So, the unknown is now known...but I'm left examining how I feel about it.
In some ways, I really don't want to go back to teaching right now. I'm home with my son, I'm enjoying this time in his life. Homeschooling is going...OK. I pledged to be honest in these blogs, especially to myself, even if I don't want to admit something. Homeschooling is challenging, because it means keeping a schedule. Some days, that's fine because deep down I like a schedule. But there's other days, when the schedule seems too restricting, like today, when I need to run some errands, and homeschooling isn't done. But I do feel like he's learning well, and getting the work done, just not as structured as I would like at times. We are about 2 weeks behind the "schedule" of where we should be, but at least it's not a month, and we are working to close that gap and be back on schedule. So, it's all good. I just would rather be "on schedule".
At the same time, I worry that my son is falling into bad habits with homeschooling. He doesn't sit still during the lessons, like I know he would be expected in public school. He takes too many breaks, and he watches more TV these days then he did when he was in public school. I'm sure these plays into the being behind, so it's a cycle we must break!
Part of me is also a little saddened, because I would have rather been offered a class or two for ME to decide if I wanted to teach them, rather than be told I wasn't needed. I mean everyone likes to think their employer recognizes their value and wants their contribution. Plus I have always been told I was good at what I did; I felt like I was good at what I did, so I would have liked to have had the opportunity to do that work again. I would have at least liked the opportunity to evaluation what she offered and decided if it was right to go back or not. But instead it feels a little like I wasn't "good enough" to be asked back. I know that's not the case, truly, but the devil sitting near ready to whisper negative things, did get that in before I could shut him down.
The bottom line is I will be continue homeschooling come January. I will be more determined than ever to get us on schedule, because I want us done with our school year at the same time that our daughter is done with her public school year. I will continue to try to get this "couponing" thing figured out, because without my teaching income, things are tight at times. And I'll continue to spend time at home with my favorite little guy and the dog. That's the best part of the entire deal!
A couple weeks ago, a former co-worker told me they were looking for instructors again and planted the seed if I wanted to go back to teaching now might be a good time. I decided to at least test the waters and contact the new dept chair to see what's available. I heard via some former students that they were struggling to find instructors for the next semester as well. My initial email was returned with a "we'll be in touch" message, then I heard nothing for almost two weeks. So I decided yesterday to send a "just checking in" kinda message, and I got back the answer that they wouldn't be needing me this coming semester. So, the unknown is now known...but I'm left examining how I feel about it.
In some ways, I really don't want to go back to teaching right now. I'm home with my son, I'm enjoying this time in his life. Homeschooling is going...OK. I pledged to be honest in these blogs, especially to myself, even if I don't want to admit something. Homeschooling is challenging, because it means keeping a schedule. Some days, that's fine because deep down I like a schedule. But there's other days, when the schedule seems too restricting, like today, when I need to run some errands, and homeschooling isn't done. But I do feel like he's learning well, and getting the work done, just not as structured as I would like at times. We are about 2 weeks behind the "schedule" of where we should be, but at least it's not a month, and we are working to close that gap and be back on schedule. So, it's all good. I just would rather be "on schedule".
At the same time, I worry that my son is falling into bad habits with homeschooling. He doesn't sit still during the lessons, like I know he would be expected in public school. He takes too many breaks, and he watches more TV these days then he did when he was in public school. I'm sure these plays into the being behind, so it's a cycle we must break!
Part of me is also a little saddened, because I would have rather been offered a class or two for ME to decide if I wanted to teach them, rather than be told I wasn't needed. I mean everyone likes to think their employer recognizes their value and wants their contribution. Plus I have always been told I was good at what I did; I felt like I was good at what I did, so I would have liked to have had the opportunity to do that work again. I would have at least liked the opportunity to evaluation what she offered and decided if it was right to go back or not. But instead it feels a little like I wasn't "good enough" to be asked back. I know that's not the case, truly, but the devil sitting near ready to whisper negative things, did get that in before I could shut him down.
The bottom line is I will be continue homeschooling come January. I will be more determined than ever to get us on schedule, because I want us done with our school year at the same time that our daughter is done with her public school year. I will continue to try to get this "couponing" thing figured out, because without my teaching income, things are tight at times. And I'll continue to spend time at home with my favorite little guy and the dog. That's the best part of the entire deal!
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