Sorry, sorry, sorry!

I suck. I've tried at least 20 times to get on here and blog, but I always end up finding something else to do. The truth is, home schooling isn't just something we do for a few hours in the morning. I'm constantly trying to figure out how to teach my boys things in ways that will stick. I'm aware that it doesn't sound as intense as some of your jobs, but it's been way more of a challenge than I thought it would be. I've already decided that we won't be using the writing curriculum I had intended to use because it's just enough over their heads that it's frustrating them. I've also decided to look for a new math curriculum. The one we were using was just not working for us. We may revisit both of those curricula, but not in the near future. I'm trying to make this as low-stress for all of us as possible and finding the way to do that is a whole "trial and error" process...which I hate. A lot. I hear a lot of home schooling is trial and error. I'm trying to adjust, but it's not easy.



Oh! So, last weekend was the boys' first football games. All I can say is, "HOLY COW!!!" I am amazed and surprised at how much my children actually LOOK and ACT like little footballers!! They both had great games (both teams won) and I had a great time watching them. If you go over to my facebook page, you can check out the pics other moms have posted of my kids. Tell me they aren't the cutest things EVER!

I'm not going to give you too many of the gory details of the last few days. I'll just leave you with my mug and hope that you'll come back!

Coffee Cup of the Day

This coffee mug reminds me of a couple of things. Of course it reminds me of where we bought it, but it also reminds me of my grandparents. My Papa Walt and Grandma Jackie were serious (Folgers/Yuban) coffee drinkers. And many of the mugs they had were brown or yellow, kind of thick, and perfectly round. Kind of like this one. Oh, and I SUPER LOVE the little message inside. Makes me warm and fuzzy.

2 1/2 years ago, I said goodbye to my Grandma Jack. 2 months ago (yesterday), I said goodbye to my Papa Walt. Let me tell you something. The older I get, the harder it is to say goodbye to people. Death sucks. And, to be honest, I have a lot of questions about it. My first one is, "Why do we have to go through this over and over and over?" Listen--I'm not God (which is a glorious fact all in itself). But I have to tell you that I just don't understand the concept of death. I get the theological concept. I just can't grasp the emotional part. And if you know me, you know that the emotional part plays a huge part now that I'm getting older.

Sorry. Downer. Check out the mug. Have a great day. Come back!! I promise the next post won't be so heavy.

Artsy Fartsy

I am NOT what you would call an "art" type. I like crafty stuff, but true art is not my thing. But my kids need to learn it, so now what? Well, we spent a little time in the backyard today with a roll of brown craft paper and some paints. We've been reading about Nomads and how they lived. The boys thought it was especially neat that they drew on cave walls wherever they lived; that way people would know they had been there. Kind of like a primitive "Joe wuz here" graffiti thing. So we decided to make our own cave drawings and include things that are important to us or that define our living space. Big Boy is on the upper half. That green thing is Indy, our tortoise, also known as the "Ninja of Destruction" according to Big Boy. He also included a football, a grandfather (which we DON'T have, FYI), his dad's foot (don't ask...I didn't) and a TV (shocking, I know).

Lil' Man is on the lower half and also included Indy, but decided to include the dog, Koa, as well. He painted a laptop and his paintball gun. Pacifists, beware...my boys are armed. And not with lattes.

Coffee Cup of the Day

Did I ever mention that I did a brief stint at Starbucks? (Did you think I was going to say I did a brief stint at San Quentin? I could have you know. I'm gangster like that.) Yes, I was a barista...and a really good one, if I say so myself. I got the job to make a little extra money and to hang out more with one of my bffs, who also worked there. It was a lot of fun, but being a mom just isn't conducive to early morning shifts that overlap when your kids are in school, so I quit. But not before I fed my coffee cup addiction!! This cup is one of the commemorative Pike Place items Starbucks sells every so often. I love how they designed it to look like the disposable cups, don't you? I'll have a venti, 4-pump, non-fat white mocha with no whip. PLEASE! (Always say, "Please" and totally mean it. Just take my word for it.)

Yesterday our journal topic was "If I could have one superpower, I would want..." I was thinking invisibility or super speed or super strength. No. While Big Boy chose the ability to fly, his brother chose telekinesis. Yes, folks. Telekinesis. Why? So he could change the channel on the TV without a remote. (Clearly, he gets that from his father, Master of the Boob Tube.) Oh, and so he could shut down his brother's computer from another room. Who's kid IS THIS?

One thing I've noticed about home schooling is that it uses an awful lot of paper. I know one logical solution is to have the kids do more stuff on the computer (they each have their own laptops...please, don't judge. It's their father, again.), but I'm not too keen on having them on the computer more than they already are. I like the idea that the computer is still somewhat of a treat. I also like that it's the first thing I can take away when they're bad (I know, rotten reason to like it). Yeah, I said it. B-A-D. Sometimes my kids are bad. I know yours aren't, but mine are. Feel better about yourself? I aim to please!

Anyway, the paper thing. I need to figure out some sort of system for completed stuff and pending stuff and just stuff in general. I think binders are the answer, but I have to sit down and think of how to organize them. Any suggestions? Takisha? (Just checkin' if you're still reading!)

Coffee Cup of the Day

It may be painfully obvious why I have this cup. Yes, y'all, Mr. Armed with a Latte is also armed in general (oh, THAT was funny!). He's a cop. My dad was a cop, my Papa was a cop, my uncle was a cop, my cousin (said uncle's son) is a cop, and I am probably breeding little cops. Lord, have mercy (you have to say it like "Lawd" or it ain't funny). Oh, and my mom is the Police Officers' Association secretary, which means I get free mugs and stuff. Shhh...I probably am not supposed to tell that. Nepotism and all that. She pays for the mugs...I just don't. At any rate, I've had this mug for about 8 years. See how the flaky, gold crap is flaking right off? That's because you shouldn't put said mug in the dishwasher. Yeah, right. And there is apparently another thing you should NEVER do with this mug. Anyone? Anyone? You should avoid the microwave when your coffee gets cold and you need to reheat. Sparks. Fly. Everywhere. And your husband gets really, really irritated. Grump.

Monday, Monday

I don't mind Mondays like most people do. To me, Monday is just another day; it always has been. So the only reason today was any big deal at all was that it was our first Monday as a home schooling family. And it was great. Well, it was good. I think I packed our day a little too full of academic "stuff" so I reaped the consequences of that at around 2 when Lil' Man was staring at me like I had 8 holes in my head. The good news? We just stopped. I like that about home schooling.

I introduced our vocabulary and cursive curricula today. Both boys are excited to learn cursive, but don't really want to practice, so that will be interesting. But they both really loved learning vocab words. The words weren't even that difficult or out-of-the-ordinary, but they liked using them in sentences, making a graphic organizer with each word, giving me examples and non-examples, and that kind of thing. I love when my kids love to learn.

The other thing that surprised me today was that they both enjoyed their writing curriculum. I told you I was little anxious about this one, but I had no need to be! We watched the DVD as the instructor explained how to do things and paused when we needed to pause and went into more detail when needed. This could be a sign of something good! This week, we're writing about sea snakes. Can life get any better for a boy?

Coffee Cup of the Day

About 3 years ago, we took a family vacation that none of us will ever forget. We went to DisneyWorld in Florida. Now, I am completely aware that some of y'all take amazing vacations every year (or more often, even) and DisneyWorld is not big thing to you. This is not the case for us. We are a single-income family, so a big vacation for us is not taken for granted (or taken yearly for that matter!). :stepping down from soapbox:

Anyway, the mug is from DisneyWorld's Animal Kingdom. I swear to you we must of gone on the safari ride 4 or 5 times. We were like little kids (2 of us were little kids, but whatever) on that thing. They have amazing real animals roaming like it's Africa or something! So when I look at this mug, I remember the looks on my boys' faces when they saw a lion or an elephant or a rhino. Yeah, it was that cool.

Our First Friday!

I made an executive decision. Public schools (and private schools, too) do Spirit Day on Fridays. You know the drill. Everyone dresses in their ridiculously expensive school t-shirts and sweatshirts and school colors. I'm not hatin'. I bought said expensive stuff...for 4 years. Well, we're having Spirit Day on Fridays, too. As long as we don't have to leave the house, we're wearing our pjs. For real. Yes, I'm totally feeding some idiot's stereotype of the home school family that doesn't really do anything but lounge around in pjs all day, but I don't care. Fridays will be glorious. It's 2:24 pm and I'm still in my pjs. Halellujah!

Each of my boys is using some adaptations of classic literature in their Language Arts program. Right now, Big Boy is reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Lil' Man is reading Frankenstein. I'm so glad we chose this curriculum to use. I love that they actually like what they're reading. And there are comprehension questions and activities every few pages that we review so we can be sure they're following what the author is saying. Love it.

Monday we'll introduce our writing, handwriting, and vocabulary curricula. Sounds like a lot, but the handwriting and vocab are only about 5 or 10 minutes worth of work each day. I have to be honest. I'm a little nervous about our writing curriculum. It's an amazing program, but I just don't know. I'm going to watch the DVD that accompanies each lesson tonight while the boys are at football practice just to get a head start. We're supposed to watch it all together, so we'll do that Monday. Stand by for the update on that one.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

The Coffee Cup of the Day!

Please don't trip over each other. You'll all get a chance to see! Today's cup is one of my Lil' Man's faves. I mean
faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaves. The child is 8 and still LOVES him some Pooh Bear. I love that about him. He is one of the toughest children I've ever met. I mean like break-his-arm-at-school-and-not-even-cry tough. Like the-ear-infection-is-so-bad-the-eardrum-is-going-to-rupture (and he NEVER even told me it hurt!) tough. But do NOT mess with his Pooh blanket. He's had it since he was two and it's his homey.

We bought this cup in Disneyland about 3 or 4 years ago and he made me buy another Pooh Bear cup the next year and the next. But this is his best. And it holds a lot of coffee...always a plus.

Our First Day of Home Schooling

We started school on Wednesday. Today is Friday. I don't want to rip all my hair out today. This is a sign that it was a good first couple of days. I needed to have a good first couple of days in order to kind of bank them and draw from then when the days are rough and I actually DO want to rip my (or someone else's) hair out.

We had a very typical first day of school. We talked about why we're home schooling and what each of them hoped to learn about this year. Big Boy wants to learn about sports and U.S. History. Lil' Man hopes we do some music and sleep. No, seriously. He said he wants to spend every break he gets sleeping. God bless him.

I didn't take any pictures on our first day. The truth is that I forgot. I was so worked up and nervous that I completely forgot. But I have pictures of the area where we do most of our school. That has to count for something, right? I'll get better at pictures. I promise.

Our first day we did a lot of assessment. It helped me figure out where both boys are in spelling, math, grammar...you know, the usual stuff. Big Boy woke up first, ate breakfast, and we started right in with the spelling evaluation. Then he wrote in his journal and started to look through all of the materials we're using this year. He was so excited and I have to be honest. I almost cried watching him get pumped up about being able to learn about anyone in history he wants to.Lil' Man had to be woke. You aren't surprised at that, are you? I woke him at 9:15, he had breakfast and we started doing his spelling evaluation and journal work and then he looked through everything. Then he asked if we could do some math. So we did. And they both smiled the whole time. Please be aware that I realize we are in the honeymoon phase of home schooling, but I will take anything over the tears and frustration from one kid and boredom and frustration from the other. Like I said before, I'll take what I can get.

We also did a little world history. We'll do world history M, W, F and Big Boy does California history on T, Th when Lil' Man works on learning about communities.

Yesterday was the day I took pictures of the boys actually doing some work and the (much anticipated) coffee cup photo. We had a much fuller day (although the first day was nothing to cough at) and I learned that packing the day with no breaks is probably a very stupid (yeah, I said it) idea. The good news is that I figured it out before the inevitable revolt of two very hardworking boys. We added in some grammar and typing. That typing program has my kids cracking up and they've actually already done a great job learning the home row. Check it out! My only warning is that it is a BBC program, so the voice has a British accent. When he says, "Push it!" my kids thought he might've said something else that would get him in a heap o'trouble.

The coffee cup from yesterday was my very favorite coffee cup of all time. I bought it 2 years ago when the boys and I went to Idaho for one of my favorite cousin's surprise 30th party. I love that it's a little old looking and that it reminds me of the amazing week my kids had playing with their family in an area that God must've reached down and touched Himself. I loved Idaho. I love this cup.

The Journey Begins

I told you that we've decided to home school. I also told you that this is a BIG deal for our little family. (I would imagine it's a big deal for every family, but then again, maybe not...) Well, my friends, the journey has begun. And we are sure, now more than ever, that we've made the right and best decisions for our boys. Granted, it's only day 3, but come on now! Let me enjoy this.

You might know about my little addiction to facebook. I keep in touch with people I haven't seen in 15 years and people I just saw 4 minutes ago using facebook. Last night, I had a Tastefully Simple show at my house and two of my girls from JUNIOR HIGH came out here to hang out. We hung out until 1:30 this morning! I never would have talked to them if it hadn't been for facebook. Long live facebook! OK...that was a bunny trail. Where was I?

Oh yeah...facebook. So I love facebook. I was on the other day (which has to happen only during breaks and after school now...or we'll get nothing done EVER!) and happened to update my status to:




Boy, did it go from there. I never expected anyone to pay any attention to my little post. Quite frankly, I update my status because I like to think that people are sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to hear what's happening in my incredibly exciting (read: NOT exciting)and glamorous (again, really?) life; not much unlike the idea of blogging. I'm a talker. (I know you're shocked. Pick your chin up off the floor, homey!) I like to talk for the sake of talking. It's a character flaw...and you're encouraging it by reading this!!! Good grief. Another bunny trail. Lo siento...

Ummm...facebook...posted update...oh yes...my status! So within a few minutes, "it" all broke loose. Not in a bad way, my friends. In an encouraging, loving, supportive way that I never expected. Please do not get me wrong. I have good friends. Scratch that business. I have great friends. But what transpired next was a little humbling. Take a look at this, y'all:



Very sweet, right? Yep. It gets even sweeter. I told you I have great friends, right? Keep looking. This is where it gets good:




Did you see that? I have a fan club! OK, so I won't start printing t-shirts, but that's not the point! My friends believe in me. They believe in me and they support me and they LOVE ME! You can't buy this stuff, my friends. Let me swoon for a moment and then I'll get back to the blog...

So...here it is, you guys. A blog to chart our progress, our struggles, our hopes, our fears, our accomplishments, the whole shebang. I've thought a little about it and I'm going to have a couple of regular things on the blog. First of all, I'll try to post every day. I said try. I'll include the curricula we're using, links, things the kids have done, photos, or some other cool little stuff. Please bear with me if I get a little caught up in the whole "schooling my children" thing. Thanks.

Secondly, I like when I go to someone's blog and they have some quirky little feature. Mine will include coffee cups. Yes, it's weird. But I love coffee cups and this is my blog, so there will be coffee cups! Every day I'll post a picture of the coffee cup I'm using that morning. I know. You can't wait. You don't have to. The first two posts are coming very, very shortly...like, I'm working on them right now.

Stand by!