There are days when I question homeschooling. I dream of having from 8-3 everyday on my own and what a house would look like that stayed uncluttered for more than 5 minutes. Shopping without feeling as though I am being pecked to death by ducks. Then I read the newspaper and everything is put into perspective. This was just in today's paper:
1. A 3 part series of articles on how much sexual abuse goes on to students by teachers and how little is reported or dealt with.
2. An article about parents in Tampa that are suing a private school because their 12 year old boy was bullied to the point of having his arm broken.
3.The new Florida Science plan to be implemented into every public school in the state that will be required to teach evolution as fact and nothing else.
When we first began homeschooling, we basically did it as a final option. We didn't feel comfortable with the kids in public school in Bartow and we could not really afford the $15,000 plus it would cost to place them in a private school in central Florida. Now I look at it as such a blessing. My kids are happy. They are well rested, they get along together and play for hours on their own without having to be entertained. I have time to get to know them during the day and not when they get off a bus, cranky and stressed with the pressures of homework and measuring up. They are learning about God as the Creator and Scripture to back that up. They are safe.
Is homeschooling a calling? Yes. Is it for every family? No and they shouldn't feel guilty for that. Is it for us? A resounding yes and not just as a calling, but as a blessing from above.
I realized today that I have not been posting very many school photos. One reason is that when I have all three kids up in the schoolroom ,on task, I don't want to break the momentum by running downstairs and getting my camera. One cool thing that happened this month was that Nathan is saving for a guitar and his Pa asked him to come spend a Saturday working for some cash. Well ,Nate worked all day killing hogs and Pa gave him a check for $40! Nate was so proud of his first paycheck! He wanted to save me the hog kidneys to dissect, but Pa wouldn't let him. (thank you, Pa!)
In Mystery of History we studied Moses and the Tabernacle and then Joshua, Rahab and Jericho. We drew pictures of the Tabernacle and we made a thankful tree to thank God for our blessings like Joshua did. For Science, we are studying nocturnal animals, and did a week on owls. The kids made puppets and put on a puppet show while I read the book "Barn Owl". We also looked for owls at night, which is called owling.
Then we did a really cool study on bats and the kids made a lapbook. We made bat cookies on the last night of the unit. It's kinda neat because we have bats in our chimney, so we could hear them coming home in the morning. Stellaluna was our favorite book.
Of course, they also did folder work (math and language) every day. The girls and I are reading the Kirsten American girl books and we are almost finished with book 3. It is about a girl who comes to the US from Sweden in the 1850's.
Up next is a Five in a Row book called the Pumpkin Runner and in November we are taking the whole month to do an in depth Pilgrim unit. I am looking forward to it.
OK, so now my homeschooling blog has some homeschool stuff on it! I included some pictures on a slideshow below. If you want to hear the music you have to click the sound button, I made it optional because it was kinda getting on my nerves!
A Pumpkin Prayer
Cut off the top:
Lord, open my mind and fill me with Your wisdom and guidance.
Scoop out the yuckies:
Lord, take out all my fussies and frownies and fill me with Your love.
Carve out the eyes:
Lord, open my eyes to see all of the beautiful things You have made. 
Carve out the nose:
Lord, help me to be a sweet fragrance for You.
Carve out the mouth:
Lord, help me to always speak Your words of love and kindness.
Place in a candle:
Lord, let me be a light to others for You have filled me with Your light
Last night I was tucking Esther into bed and I handed her a purple stuffed elephant that she sometimes sleeps with:
Esther: " Ewww. I am not sleeping with Lumpy anymore!"
Me: "Why?"
Esther: " Because Lumpy farts in his sleep and it's disgusting! I'll sleep with Fiona the puppy, she is not nearly as rude!"
I was trying so hard not to laugh, I couldn't even say anything about using a word not allowed around here!
OK. I admit it, I like things orderly and planned. When I go on vacation, I usually pack 2 to 3 days in advance. My meals are all planned out for the next two weeks. I already know or have bought most of my Christmas gifts. So, the fact that in the next few weeks our social worker can just call and say, "Guess what, there is a newborn baby waiting for you to come pick up" is driving me just a little nuts!
I have sort of put the whole baby equipment idea out of my mind. I mean, the domestic adoption process feels very abstract to me...there is no referal picture to stare at and count down days until you go to another country and pick a baby up.
Well, after our homestudy and all we have found out about them showing our profile very soon, I have started thinking on it a little more. We went to Target tonight and I found myself in the baby aisles just looking and making a mental list of all the thing I don't have or use to have and have given away or sold with each of our moves in the last 3 years. Car seats and strollers, monitors and bottles ect ect... Do you know you can get pacifers that glow in the dark? Only if you have been on your hands and knees under a crib at 2:00am looking for a pacifer, do you know how cool it would be to have one glow back at you! They also have an icrib. It is a dock for your baby's mp3 player! Who would buy that?? What baby has an ipod??
I was hyperventelating by the third aisle because I have a crib. That's it. Nothing else. A crib.
Now, I know that the Lord who provides this home with a new baby will also provide all the stuff this baby requires, but still I am a little annoyed that I don't have a drawer full of freshly laundered sleepers and onsies and a nice neat stack of size 1 diapers. What's that about counting chickens?? Cart before the horse? I know !I know! I am not going to be buying anything until I get that sweet little guy in my hands. Still this process has made me rely on God and realize that HE is in control. I just wish that set better with a freak like me!
Here is a timeline of our adoption journey:
Oct. 2006 ~ Found FBCH while researching domestic adoptions online, called for info.
Nov. 2006 ~ Sent Application to Florida Baptist Children's Home
Dec. 2006 ~ Sent out Christmas letter letting everyone know we are adopting through FBCH
March 2007 ~ Began 10 week MAPP class at FBCH
May 2007 ~ Greg finishs Mapp class
Aug.2007 ~ Set up crib
August 27. 2007 ~ First HomeStudy visit...began paperwork
August 30 2007 ~ Jackie finishes MAPP class ( I had 1 makeup class)
September 10 2007 ~ Fingerprinted
September 13 2007 ~ Delivered most of paperwork to FBCH to begin proccessing
October 11 ~ 2nd Homestudy
October 12 ~ 2nd fingerprinting and Jackie's physical
Left to do:
Greg's physical
3rd Home visit
CPR class (scheduled for Nov 3)
Well, we had our 2nd homestudy last night. I think it went well, she said we were easy to interview (I am taking that to mean boring!) We will have one more home visit next Thursday where she will talk to the kids. I warned her about talking to Esther..no telling what that child will say to her! Only things left to do are:
1. our physicals ~ I am hoping to go today for mine and Greg can go Monday
2. We have to be fingerprinted again thanks to WV and them not taking the info we had already sent!
3. Our CPR class scheduled for Nov 3
I cannot believe I sent our application to Florida Baptist Children's Home last November. Adoption is not for the impatient that's for sure! Our Social worker told us last night that they have 3 maternity cases and no profiles right now to show the mothers! That is why we are rushing to get approved. She also said they can go ahead and show us even without the cpr class taken, so that leads me to believe she wants to show our profile this month!
One of the couples that we took our adoption class with was placed with a baby boy 3 weeks ago. They had adopted a little girl a year before and now have a boy! I am so happy for them. They were so encouraging to me throughout the class and now that they have been placed with another baby, it makes me feel like the end might be in sight!! Please pray God would bless us with the perfect baby for our family.
"My greatest fear is not failure. My greatest fear is being successful at something that does not matter."
I went to a community Yard Sale in Celebration, Florida this morning. This is all I bought for $55! Click on the picture to enlarge it!
