Life update for Sept 2014~priddymomma

Hey guys!  Welcome back to yet another fantastic post about me!  Life update time.  You must be so thrilled. 

I have exciting news:   

I’M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding.  But now I have your attention.  Bwahaha!

I’m still in the process of getting Cheerio Champ evaluated for Asperger’s/autism.  We have another appointment on October 2^nd, so we should know more then.  Princess Cheerio is as smart and adorable as ever.  My husband has been really interested in conspiracy theories lately (IT'S A CONSPIRACY!), and I’ve been writing a novel.  Yes, a novel.  How novel!

The biggest thing going on this week for us is the start of school.  We home school and love it.  I will share with you what we covered our first couple of days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).  If you have any questions, feel free to ask.  We are eclectic homeschoolers and quite proud of that.  :)

 

Curriculum 

Cheerio Champ (6) has a curriculum (created by me) based entirely on volcanoes.  There are so many subjects related to or concerning volcanoes that I can’t even list them all.  It is plenty for one school year!  He’s in “first grade”, though he is participating in some of Princess Cheerio’s projects and can do some 2^nd grade work.  He also reads at a 6^th grade level.

Princess Cheerio (2) has her curriculum based on a book called, “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen.  She really adores the book.  In case you aren’t familiar, the book tells the story of a family going on a bear hunt to catch a big bear.  On their journey, they find obstacles that they can not go over or under.  They realize to their dismay that they must go through them.  They include such things as caves, snowstorms, and grasses.  The book allows us to talk about weather, bears, environments, etc.  I'm even planning to set up a bear hunt obstacle course.  I haven’t figured out how I want to replicate “snowstorm” yet, but I’ll figure it out!  Princess Cheerio will also participate in some of the experiments and such with Cheerio Champ’s studies.

Structure

Our school week is not Monday to Friday.  Instead, it is Tuesday to Saturday.  My husband is off on Sundays and Mondays, so our "weekend" is different.  Also, if there is a sick day or what not, we are able to flex the school week into the weekend or wrap into the next week.  We don't take time off for holidays.  We usually complete more than 180 days of school in a year.

Here is a "typical" school day schedule:

7:30 a.m.-wake kids, hygiene, writing practice (vocab words for Cheerio Champ, drawing for Princess Cheerio), chores

breakfast

9 a.m.-reading and discussion; any brief lectures on topics we're covering that day

9:30 a.m.-yoga and meditation

10:00 a.m.-short educational video for the day and brief recap

10:30 a.m. -quiet time/nap time (provides chill time, nap time, and play time)

12:30 p.m.- worksheets, playing, chores, lunch

after lunch until 2:30 p.m. - buckle down learning/projects (For example:  Wednesday we baked GF apple crisp and drew an orca)

2:30 p.m.- dad gets home; go outside (sometimes outdoor learning for no more than 10 minutes); play and explore

3:30 p.m. -school day over

Only about 3 hours of material taught over the course of 8 hours.  They learn plenty, don't get frustrated, burnt out, or bored, and sleep hard each night. 

Princess Cheerio drawing a picture of a volcano and a rainbow in the clouds.

Reading and discussion with Harry Potter

Yoga

Meditation

Letter of the day for Princess Cheerio

Unit books

Labeling parts of a volcano

Explaining "cone" volcanoes

Mentos-diet soda experiment

Mentos-diet soda experiment

Exploring

Watching "Magic School Bus Blows Its Top"

Baking GF apple crisp (Washington State apple).  We Covered some of Washington while talking about Mount St. Helens.

Drawing an orca (Washington State mammal)

Hanging a thistle sock for goldfinches (Washington State bird)

Painting like Michelangelo did in the Sistine Chapel (Italy).  We covered a bit of Italy with Pompeii.

Cheerio Champ insisted I take this picture of him completing a worksheet.

Princess Cheerio is very outside-the-box.

They got a bit freaked out by a Pompeii animation.  I also had the volume cranked.  It was awesome.

Italian flag

Italian flag. 

Waving arrivederci (learning a few words in Italian)

Meditation

Alrighty!  That's about it for me!  I hope you guys have a great weekend, and I'll see ya next week! 

Home-school vs. public school~priddymomma

Hey guys!  I’m a little late posting this due to the weather.  Yesterday, it was marvelous!  My family spent as much time as possible outside; running around with the dog, roasting marshmallows on the fire, and playing badminton.  I didn’t get to do much writing during that time, as you can imagine.  Today, the weather further complicated things by being horrible.  Thunderstorms are passing through the area, and my satellite internet is finicky when it comes to storms.  Excuses excuses.  (Also, I forgot until today.  Shh!)

The topic this week is home school vs. public school.  I know, I know!  We’ve done this before.  (If you’d like to read what I had to say however long ago, look here http://thecaseofthemissingcheerios.blogspot.com/2013/03/fanatics-and-superhumanspriddymomma.html  and ignore the typo that I only just caught -_-)  It’s a hot topic though, and I promise not to bore you with the same things (mostly).

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but anyone can do it.  Different states (or

countries for you international readers) have different rules and regulations for the homeschooling parent.  Fortunately for us, we live in Indiana.  Indiana is probably the most lenient state in regards to requirements for home-schools.  We are required to keep attendance records and to attend at least 180 days each year.  It is also compulsory for kids to attend from the ages of seven to eighteen.  That’s it.  The superintendent can theoretically request to see attendance records, but I don’t see that actually happening often.  We aren’t required to do any type of testing, nor are we required to learn any specific subjects or file any forms. 

Here are my reasons for homeschooling my kids:

• No one knows my kids like I do.  I understand them and their learning styles better than anyone else, because I have been around them more than anyone else.
• They don't fall behind if they are sick.  In fact, they can't fall behind ever as everything is adjusted to their learning pace.
• My son has ADHD as well as having mild autism.  He is really advanced in some subjects (like reading and math), but struggles with other things (social skills, listening).  I don’t believe he would have reached his full potential in public school.
• My kids can wear whatever (even pajamas).
• I love homeschooling my kids.  They learn, I learn, we bond.
• We aren’t in love with our school system.  The local district isn’t the best, and we don’t think any public school is terrific.
• Curriculum- We always have the final say in what our kids learn.  We can change it, we can cut it, or we can add to it.
• Bullying-We are a four-person household.  Any bullying is always noticed and never tolerated.
• Threats- There have been awful things in the news in the past ten years concerning schools.  Our kids don’t have to ride the bus or walk the hallways in fear.
• Diet-Our kids ate good foods when we started homeschooling, but now they are on a more selective diet (gluten free).  I would consider homeschooling also if your child has something like a life-threatening peanut allergy.
• We can travel and continue to learn without being tied to a school schedule.  Any time of the year can be vacation time.

There are more reasons, but these are the biggies.  If you do send your kids to public (or private or charter) school, that’s great as long as you are pleased with the education they are receiving.  Your ultimate decision should take your family’s individual needs into consideration.  

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment or make topic requests below.  :)

Getting Your Kids Away From the TV~priddymomma

Hey guys!  Nice to have you tune in again.  I know you are just chomping at the bit to know what the topic is this time.  We have for you our tried and true suggestions for getting your child to put down the remote (or game controller) and do something else for a while!  Yay!  Awesome!

Okay, truth time.  I am not the best person in the world to offer advice on this topic.  We do not have cable in our household.  I don’t tell you that because I’m all goody goody about it.  We just decided we couldn’t afford to have cable about five years ago and never looked back.  We don’t miss cable.  We get our news and weather from the internet.  Shows we “have” to watch are eventually available on DVD, and we do own a DVD player (and television.  Don’t be weird.)

That being said, I plop my kids down in front of it daily.  I am a stay at home mom.  I am a homeschooling mother as well.  If you work 9-5, you get a lunch and breaks.  Afterwards, you get to go home and presumably stop working (or at least work on something different).  If you are a stay at home mom or dad (and do not homeschool), you likely send a kid or two off to school during some part of your day.  Me?  My job is 24-7.  I have both my kids ALL the time.  Kids are fighting with each other or bombarding me if I have to pee, I’m the one to get up in the night if the kids need me, and my lunch is usually an after thought when I realize I haven’t eaten and that is way I’m feeling sick to my stomach.  While my kids mean the world to me, they are not my entire world.  I need some time for myself as a person too.  I challenge anyone to listen to as much high-pitched screaming as I do on a daily basis and not want to throw in the proverbial towel.  I will let them watch a movie to save my sanity, yes yes yes.

Cheerio Champ gets video games as well as a movie each day.  *gasp*  The horror!  Yes, well…not every day.  He earns them.  You heard me.  He has chores and knows that we expect a certain caliber of behavior from him.  If he doesn’t keep up his end of the bargain, too bad so sad.  That means if there is a movie that day (and usually there will be at least one), it is mom’s pick and it will be educational.  (Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes not so much.  There was a recent “naughty” day in which his movie was a lecture on DNA.  While he did take away a bit about protein bonding, he would have much rather watched Frozen).

I do my best to make sure they have other things to occupy their time.  They do a pretty good job of keeping themselves busy (when not demanding things from me of course).  Even when there is a movie playing, the kids like to run off and do something else before making their way back to whatever was on.  I like to think they occupy themselves in part because I have never been one to plan their entire day.  Certain things are set in stone (bedtime, lunch, etc.), but outside of that, whatever. 

I told you all that so that you would know more about the reputability of your activity planner.  Take or leave what I have to suggest to you here, and feel free to comment about some of your favorite busy-making for kiddos!

Princess Cheerio and her art

• Art.  I completely agree with Leslie here.  Cheerio Champ has never been much for drawing or coloring, but he loves to paint.  Princess Cheerio loves everything to do with art, but she doesn’t enjoy coloring books.  She likes to have a blank sheet of paper to put her scribbles to, and as a result, she has a massive amount of fine motor skills.  She is two and regularly holds a writing utensil correctly.  I highly suggest leaving out paper, pencils, markers, and crayons where your kiddos can get them, preferably on a little table or something of that nature.  Insist that the supplies stay there if you like the current color of your walls, floors, carpets, and furniture. 
• Reading.  Again, agreeing with Leslie.  My kids have loads and loads of books.  They spend hours pouring over them.  Cheerio Champ can read and has recently picked up chapter books.  Princess Cheerio can’t read yet, but she loves turning pages, looking at pictures and words, and having someone else read them to her.  Sometimes her bubby even reads a book to her, which melts my heart.  Use your local library if you don’t have a lot of books at home, or if they are getting tired of the same books.  We get each kid ten books a week.  They love it!
• Go outside.  This sounds like a no brainer, but many families never do this.  You don’t have to plan an activity!  When we first moved to our new house, my mother wanted to buy the kids a swing set.  I didn’t want to get one just yet, as I hadn’t planned out where my garden or shed or anything was going to be and had no idea where I wanted a swing set placed.  She exclaimed, “But what will they DO?”  Um…play?  Outside?  While enjoying nature?  Why is this so hard to comprehend?  That floors me.  I played outside for hours on end as a kid.  Granted, I did have a swing set.  While all of us kids spent a lot of time on it, I have more memories of chasing each other around, looking for bugs, and exploring.  Cheerio Champ spends time in his garden patch, watching birds, and playing with designated outside toys.  Princess Cheerio looks at everything.  Our neighbors have horses, she loves bugs, and she likes to pick dandelions.  During the summer, kids can have fun with water.  Snow is great in winter. Leaves to play in during the fall. There are countless things to enjoy.
• Cooking.  My kids love to help cook anything at all.  Great jobs for them include whisking, adding pre-measured ingredients, slicing things with a plastic knife, counting, and getting out ingredients from the refrigerator or pantry. 
• Get them active.  Okay, so this may or may not be away from the tv.  We have some exercise DVDs aimed at kids that we let them watch, but you can also show them how to do it without the movie help.  We also have a home gym, but you don’t need one to share fitness with your kiddos.  Any kid will dance along if your Zumba song comes on the radio.  Our kids love the trampoline.  Jump ropes are super fun and a learning experience.  My family had several pogo sticks when I was growing up.  Go for a walk or a hike or a bike ride.  Try a yoga DVD together (we love Gaiam’s YogaKids series).  Play tag!  Play Simon Says or dance the hokey pokey.  Go swimming or sledding.  Have a tickle fight!  The sky is the limit (unless you are into hang gliding, and then I guess it isn’t).

Here, hubby is teaching Princess Cheerio and Cheerio Champ about tai chi posture

That’s it for me!  If you have any topic requests or comments, we would love to hear from you!  Comment below, or email us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios@gmail.com .

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What's New This Month~priddymomma

Hey guys!  As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we haven’t been updating frequently.  We’re all super busy, so bear with us!  With that in mind, here’s where my thoughts have been this month:

Exercise

yeah...this is legit one of the moves -_-

My workout schedule this month is elaborate.  Some weeks can’t play out exactly the way I want, but for the most part, my week looks like this chart.  (The abs workout is killer)

	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Early Morning	10 min. yoga	10 min. yoga	10 min. yoga	10 min. yoga	10 min. yoga	10 min. yoga	10 min. yoga
Morning	Aikido Stances	Plank	Horse stance	Side plank	Aikido Stances	Horse stance	Side plank
Nap Time	Train*	Abs **	Train*	Abs**	Train*	Abs**	Strength training
Afternoon	X	Hiking	X	Hiking	X	Hiking	X
Evening	X	X	Zumba	X	Zumba	X	X

*Self defense and Aikido

**With stability ball

Big News

We’re looking at houses, ready to buy!  We made an offer on a house, actually, but then we found out it doesn’t qualify for the loan we were hoping to get (USDA).  Long story short, we need to come up with a down payment.  So unless that money just falls from the sky (I’m not ruling it out.  Anything could happen!), it looks like we’re going to be looking into other homes and/or waiting until our tax return so we can put up the $$$.  I hope it works out with that place, or a place very similar.  Wish us luck!

Kids

Chrysalis

alphabet

Cheerio Champ is doing a Health Unit for homeschooling this week.  We talked about teeth today.  Princess Cheerio keeps waking up at night and I can’t figure out why. 

Random

I have fleas.  Or so it seems.  I’m the only one getting bitten, and we don’t have carpet, so I have no idea.  We have a cat, but she stays outside.  Go figure. 

 

Coming Up

I have no idea what kind of schedule we are on for this house hunt thing, my godmother’s daughter is having a bridal shower this weekend and getting married next month, my cousin just had her baby son yesterday, I’m looking shaggy and need a haircut, I should really start Christmas shopping soon and buy a gift for aforementioned wedding (and wrap bridal shower gift), we’re throwing a Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Halloween party this year (don’t judge me!) so I have to get on planning and what not with that, I need new contact lenses, I’m hoping to drop eight more pounds this month while simultaneously fighting my addiction to coffee and chocolate, the kids get their flu shots next month, I’m helping a friend to plan her wedding, and I’m pretty sure I have a cavity that needs dealt with.  *gasp*  So that’s what’s coming up soon!  A mother’s work is never done, eh? 

Hope you guys are doing well, and see you next week!