And so it ends...

Homeschooling isn't ending for our whole family, but Bee has decided to make the transition to public high school, preferably a magnet program.  We've really struggled with structure since school has started, and he wants to be around more people.  I am feeling stretched too thin.  My husband and I went to our high school reunion this summer, and I think that got Bee thinking that he didn't want to miss that experience. 

I'm happy and relieved about the whole thing, to be honest.  He was supposed to be doing 9th grade this year, but he's a relatively young 9th grader, and my husband suggested that the best thing would be for him to apply to the magnet programs as an 8th grader this year, to avoid complications with trying to apply as a transfer student from homeschool.  To my surprise, Bee was amenable to this.  He can still go to college if he wants to on time because we have dual credit options, but he doesn't have to.  I am happy about this choice because I think he needs the additional year to mature.  I think he will be extremely well prepared for a magnet program or honors classes in the coming school year. 

So, this year will be focused on planning and study skills for Bee, as well as continued academic development.  And next year, I will only be home schooling Bug!  (Dot will still be too young to be in school.) 

This has also made me think about Dot.  She is a May birthday, and I think I will have her start "kindergarten" at age 6 and keep her a year back.  And then if she wasnts to accelerate in middle/high school, she can have that option.  One thing I've finally learned in my 14.5 years as a parent is this:  Don't rush!!! 

EDITED TO ADD: Three semesters later, a new beginning; we brought our Bee back to homeschool!  

Good Sources for Boys Husky Sizes

I have 2 boys, one skinny and on the short side and one chunky and on the tall size.  This means that I can't hand down clothes from one to the other, and I have had to become an expert on both body types. 

The skinny one was very hard to shop for as a toddler, but now it's much easier to find clothes that fit him.  The chunky one was easy to shop for as a toddler, but as he reached the tween stage, normal boy clothes no longer fit him well. 

So I had to work a lot harder to find him clothes that flattered him and fit well.  I have to shop online because the husky sections in stores are nonexistent or abyssmal.  This requires me to plan in advance so that I can get free shipping. 

Dressier Pants:  These can be really hard, especially for dressy styles!  The best I have found for khaki and dress pants are Land'd End husky.  In some styles, you can have them hemmed for free to the correct inseam. 

Jeans:  Sometimes Land's End offers boys' husky jeans, and sometimes they can be hemmed to a good length.  Also, once the boy gets tall enough, men's jeans at Land's End will custom hem them as short as 26 inches. 

Dressier Shirts:  Land's End and Old Navy have a lot of great options. 

Casual Pants and Shorts: Old Navy has great options in athletic shorts and pants in husky styles. 

T-shirts:  I like both Old Navy and Land's End for colorful shirts in husky sizes.  I prefer patterns because they hide stains!  I have found great, fun shirts in husky sizes. 

Underwear:  This has been a problem.  I was going to have to go to men's underwear, which I worried might not fit right, but I found that JC Penney offers husky underwear styles in colors and patterns that boys like.  I have ordered some to try. 

Pajamas:  I have had a lot of trouble finding these, but I see that JCP is now offering boys pajama pants in husky sizes as well!  I will have to give these a try for the winter.  Right now we are using very stretchy boys pajama shorts from Target, but they look like they may be getting a little uncomfortable.  Men's pajama shorts are an option I can try too, as he approaches 5 feet tall. 

Swimsuits:  Land's End makes some nice boy's swimsuits and rash guards in husky styles.  These do run really big.  My son can wear XL husky in some styles (with a little room to grow), but in swimsuits, the L Husky is fairly big on him, and the drawstring has to be tightened pretty tight.  The XL husky swim trunks I got were enormous, and he could not wear them, so I put them away for a future year. 

We have had a much easier time finding clothes for my skinny boy--slim pant sizes are easy to find in most stores, and most boys' pants have adjustable waists that can be buttoned really skinny.  As he's getting older and filling out, he is starting to ask for regular rather than slim fit.  For shirts, he wears an adult medium for height, but they are a little baggy.  The shirts that fit him best are Old Navy XXL boys.  These are cut slim for a boy but are long enough for him.  He still wears boys underwear, size large. 

Where do you shop for your husky or slim boy? 

Useful Apps for Parents

Here are the apps I'm using lately that help me in my child raising and household management.  They really aren't specific to homeschooling: 

Google Calendar:  I put every activity in it.  I have it set to automatically give me a reminder an hour before an event.  I look at it every day and jot down in my bullet journal the events for that day and the next. 

AllowanceBot:  How I love allowancebot!  It automatically adds the kids' allowances and allows me to reward them for chores or punish them for not doing chores.  How would I keep track of their allowances otherwise?  My husband and I have even begun giving ourselves allowances to limit our personal spending.  My allowance goes to things like clothes, shoes, books, yarn, and other crafts supplies.  All things I tend to overspend on! 

Chatbooks:  This app automatically makes and sends me photo books from my favorite photos on my phone.  Dot especially LOVES looking at them.  And I don't have to feel guilty anymore for not making books or not printing snapshots. 

Audible:  This is used massively by Bug, our obsessive reader.  Husband also uses it, especially for his awful commute.  I use it sometimes, probably will use it more as Dot gets older.  

Overdrive:  This is also used massively by Bug, who checks out audiobooks from our local library on it. 

Keepy:  I've started using this, especially for Dot.  I'm so tired of feeling like I need to keep artwork.  Now I can take pictures of her scribbles and throw the papers away, guilt free. 

Homeschool ID's

In case you ever wondered what we look like...

I don't post a lot of pictures on this blog, but I made these homeschool ID's just for fun, and they are so cute that I had to share.  It is easy to make them at homeschoolbuyerscoop.com, and I have definitely used it in the past to get teacher discounts.  (I also keep a copy of my letter of intent to the state in my purse, in case that is needed as proof of homeschooling).  I'm sure my younger 2 won't need to use them, but my oldest might need one to get a student rate somewhere.

At the end of the year, I will tape them into the 2018-2019 section of my homeschool records binder, for a cute reminder of how we looked that year. 


[By the way, I have no relationship with Homeschool Buyer's Coop, except as a very occasional customer!]

Homeschool Plans 2018-2019

I can't believe that Bee will be in 9th grade (high school!), and Bug will be in 5th grade!  Dot is 3 years old.  I made some really cute ID's (teacher for me, student for them) at Homeschool Buyer's Coop.  I'll try and share them if I can figure out how best to cover the identifying information. 

This past year was really, really hard for me, but one where I grew a lot.  I've been in therapy for anxiety and OCD and have been taking an SSRI for several months to help with my lifelong issues with intrusive thoughts and anxiety.  I am feeling better than I have in as long as I can remember, and certainly vastly better than I felt last summer after 2.5 very difficult years that included two incredibly stressful moves, one out-of-state and one local, a new job for husband, a new baby, a family member with cancer, and a dear friend who died from suicide.  And a religious conversion.  All while homeschooling. 

I am loving being a stay-at-home mom again.  I am loving homeschooling again.  I finally have friends here and feel like part of the community.  I am also prayerfully and thoughtfully considering making some major life changes in the next few years that would involve me going back to school and into a vocation that would take me outside of my home and family more.  I plan to continue homeschooling our children, but it may take a different form, and I may very gradually become less involved. 

Next year, I am moving to more of a role as a facilitator (transcript maker) in Bee's schooling.  I will not be the primary teacher for ANY of his subjects.  We are ready for this transition! 

Here is our plan for the school year: 

Bee (9th): 

• English (outside classes in World Lit and Writing)
• Math (outside class in Algebra II)
• Social Studies (outside class in World History)
• Science (Thinkwell's college biology, and some kind of laboratory kit)
• Spanish (continue lessons with Homeschool Spanish Academy and continue language exposure via youtube gaming videos in Spanish).  
• Electives will include a debate class (if it makes), climbing team, and hopefully some music.  

Bug (5th)

•  English (outside class in World Literature, All About Spelling level 5 [done in a very loose manner], Jump In! Creative Writing Workbook, & Spectrum Language Arts.  Multiple hours a day of personal reading time by choice). 
•  Math (Dreambox and Khan Academy)
• Social Studies (outside class in World History)
• Science (outside class in Engineering)
• Electives will include an outside foreign language class (if it makes), swim team at the Y, and hopefully some music.  

Dot (PK3)

• Playing at the park!
• Story time at the library
• Playdates
• Playing at home
• Listening to stories read by mom and dad
• Drawing and stickers and cutting and gluing and playdough
• Hugs and kisses
• LIFE

MOM (post master's)

• studying modern and Biblical Greek
• knitting and crocheting
• lots of volunteering
• taking year 3 of the Episcopal church's Education for Ministry
• many fun days with friends and family; so thankful to God that I feel rooted in our new community
• bullet journaling
• blogging

Bullet Journaling for the Homeschool Mom

Yes, yet another post about planners and organizers.  Obviously, I have an ongoing struggle with how to organize myself.  And sometimes a system will work for a season, and then things change, and I need a new system. 

So, at various times I have used Planner Pad to keep track of my to-do list and appointments.  It's an excellent weekly planner.  Off and on this year, I have used it, and it has been helpful.  However, I have had some problems using it.  One problem is that I need the electronic reminders from my phone/google calendar.  And there was too much redundancy in the system.  The second is that my schedule is too complicated and full right now for a weekly layout.  I really need to focus one day at a time. 

So, I looked at daily planners and couldn't find any that I felt would suit my needs.  I did make a custom planner online, but it was going to cost me around $60 to order. The term "bullet journaling" kept popping up, and I decided to look into it. 

Basically, you log your day in bullet form, using different symbols for events, to-do's, facts, and memories.  You can create more long-term and monthly pages as well and keep notes from meetings.  An index page is used to keep track of important pages. 

Some people go insane with their bullet journals, creating all sorts of elaborate and artistic layouts, while others keep theirs very simple. 

The great thing about it is that you can use supplies you have around the house to make it, if you have a spare notebook.  Or you can buy a very cheap notebook.  People sometimes use expensive ones, but they are still cheaper than many traditional planners. 

I like the ability to customize and the lack of wasted space.  I can stop using it for a while and then come back to it.  So far, I'm not using it so much for logging my kids' homeschool but for keeping up with my insane daily schedule.  Having three kids at very different stages as well as my volunteer work at church and a night class I take makes my life very complicated.  I am grateful to have such a full life and so many things that I am passionate about, but it is messy and crazy and extremely difficult to organize. 

Helpful links for learning more about bullet journals: 

• http://bulletjournal.com/
• http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/how-to-bullet-journal

Tweaking our Planning/Record Keeping Yet Again

I am forever changing our planning and record keeping.  As my boys get older, I feel like it is more important to keep good records, but it doesn't come naturally for me.

I started the year with The Ultimate Homeschool Planner.  I really liked it at first but found that I didn't keep up with it well. 

I have found that a monthly calendar with a subject checklist for each day works well for Bug (4th grade).  I leave extra time on Fridays in case we don't get everything done the other days.  So that's our plan, and I can retain it as our record of attendance.

For Bee (8th grade), I tried using an weekly extensive checklist by subject for each week that I made in Google Drive and that he could check off online . This worked for a couple of weeks, and then it didn't.  He just stopped using it, and I couldn't seem to get him to start again. 

I have now printed out a monthly grid for him and am simply filling out a "reverse checklist" with what he accomplishes each day.  I typically only write the subject done, so not too specific.  He is doing math and Spanish daily, and we are blocking history, science, and English for the remainder of the year.

I will continue with a version of this system for as long as it works, tweaking it as needed.  Both grids are up on the fridge where I can remember to fill them out/check things off frequently.  And I only have to print them once a month! 

Homeschool win with Nature Journaling

I have struggled to do science well this year.  We have had some successes, but have been struggling to get into a good flow.  And then today Bug suggested that he go look for things outdoors and learn about them.  I had already been thinking along these lines, so I was more than happy to agree. 

For some reason we then had a long argument about whether he should be required to take a photo of whatever it is that he found.  I insisted that he would need to take a photo, identify the plant, animal, rock, or other object, research it, write about it in his own words, and cite his source. 

Bug was able to do this really well and is making his nature journal in Google docs.  He chose our neighbor's ornamental cherry tree for his first entry, and I am so pleased with the result.  It was good writing and research practice as well as science learning.  And it was very much self initiated with just a little guidance from mom. 

A scattered mom homeschooling a scattered son

We deal with attention issues in my family.  I don't write a lot about it because, even though this blog is kind of anonymous, I feel odd about blogging about my children's medical issues and what treatments we choose to use.  There is a lot of judgement in the homeschool community towards those of us who take a medical approach.

Anyway, I have attention issues and so does my son Bee.  Sometimes I really struggle to make a schedule for him and get him to stick to it.

I have been trying a new approach this week, which is to use more of a block schedule, to have him do math and Spanish daily and one other subject.  So, we are going to finish social studies, then geology, then writing, but not do them at the same time.  We are going to try a more block approach with subjects that lend themselves to it and see how that works to finish out this school year.

I just absolutely can't believe that Bee is going to be finishing up the 8th grade in May.  Eight years of homeschooling.  I'm really proud of what he's accomplished and excited for what is to come for him.

Next year, I will just be his mom and facilitator because he will be taking all of his classes either at our co-op or online.  I think it will be really good for both of us to have someone else create the structure for his learning.

Next year, I will just be homeschooling Bug (who does not have attention issues) and raising Dot (who will be 3).  Big changes. 

DreamBox Math for Homeschool: A review

I decided to let Bug (10 years old, 5th grade, gifted) try DreamBox math for a semester and see how it goes.  With a toddler in the house, I have been really needing programs that take the teaching load away from me.  About two months in, I am extremely pleased with this program.  It is completely game-based and designed to be used indepedently.  He seems to enjoy it, and it has identified some areas that we had not worked in sufficiently (mainly geometry concepts).

It is common core based, and it "forces" children to learn and use a variety of strategies.  I think it's developing his number sense and mental math skills, so that is great with me.  It does a good job of assessing his level in various concepts and keeps track of what standards he has completed.  I will be able to print out a graph at the end of the year for his portfolio to show what work he has done.

It's very visual and uses a lot of virtual manipulatives.  He can work at his own pace and doesn't have to repeat things that he already knows.  I'm happy to use this program through middle school if he continues to enjoy it.