What About Wednesdays:Our Homeschool Story

We are about to begin our 12th year of homeschooling. I can't believe it! We are about to graduate our first 2 graduates in May/June of 2012. How did we get here?

Well, it all began with our oldest who has several special needs.  He has autism and epilepsy. When we first began to notice issues, we spoke with our neurologists on how to tackle the speech issues we were seeing, and they recommended the local school district.

At that time, our son was 3 years old. We did contact the school district and had a battery of tests administered and came up with many answers to the questions we had about our son.  We enrolled him in the early intervention classes, and then into Kindergarten (twice) and First Grade. During this time, he started a diet to help control his epilepsy ( The Ketogenic Diet) which was very stringent, and required a one on one aide. So, for 4 of the years he was in the school system he had a one on one aide.  These aides actually served dual purposes, they helped our son, but they also helped inside the classroom. The classroom teachers were always thankful for the help of the aide, especially since they usually had more than our child that had special needs.

Most of the time that my son ( and younger two sons) were in the school, we had a great experience. We were blessed by wonderful teachers and aides. However, it was becoming  abundantly clear that my son had specific needs, and there were very specific ways to meet those needs. And the school district heads, more specifically the head of Special Education, refused to approve those treatments.  The law states that each child, no matter their needs, are to receive Free and Appropriate Education ( FAPE), however, what I learned during this process is that what I believe to be FAPE and what the school district believes to be FAPE are two very different things. And if they say no, then my child gets the short end of the stick so to speak.

Now, I know that I could have fought tooth and nail, and I very well may have won, however, what we decided to do was to throw the energy I would have thrown into a long and costly legal battle, into educating my children. This was an easy decision for us to make, for several reasons.

First, we worked diligently with our children at home, and we were seeing tremendous progress with the what we were implementing.  I had taken a class during that last year the kids were in school, called Brain Gym. We implemented all that I had learned, and the growth we were seeing was amazing.  Also, 'homework' time took him hours, so we knew that we would be able to put forth the effort to help him. (and our other children)

Second, at this time, my husband was taking college courses, and seeing the product of the Public School System, and it was a scary sight!

Putting all of this together we embarked on our homeschool journey. Our first couple of years, we began with a Charter School. A Charter School is a school that has a charter with a local school district, or district from a neighboring county. These schools are publicly funded. However, there is more freedom than a traditional brick and mortar school. We lasted with them for about 3 years. However, we found that we did not need their services any longer. We found that the amount of  'paperwork' (red tape) that was required was not conducive with our learning styles, and took too much time away form actual learning.

And that is when we had set out on our own!  We have been filing our own affidavit with the state of California every year since then.  When you file your own affidavit you are declaring your home a private school ( this is one of the legal options of homeschooling in the state of California).

We have, all in all, loved our homeschooling journey and path. Our family has been very active with homeschool supports groups since our very early days of our homeschool journey. Something I would highly recommend for anyone looking into homeschooling.  Now that my children are in high school, I think that homeschool support groups are just as important. Teens need to feel like they are a part of a community. For us, that is our homeschool group and our church family. We are very active in both of these arenas.

Now comes the interesting part! We are doing something this year that I never thought that we would be doing, and that is signing up with what is called a PSP ( Private School Satellite Program), yet another option of legally homeschooling in California.  I have never wanted to do this in the past. I have often felt like I do not need to pay someone for something that I can do, which is keep records. Because, with these programs, you the parent are still responsible for purchasing all of your own curriculum, you are doing all of the teaching.  You are even doing all the grading, so I never saw the purpose. Until now!  Now, I have high schoolers, who want to play sports. That is the one thing that I cannot offer them. They are very athletic, and the church leagues, while they are fun, they simply are not challenging. So,  now I am finding myself taking a new path I did not expect to find myself on.  Even now as I type up this post, I am sitting a coffee shop, using their free air conditioning ( and wi-fi) as I wait for my daughter who is at her volleyball practice... in the heat of summer...  oh how my life is changing.

I am looking forward to see what these next several years will bring as we wrap up our homeschooling. In the next 3 years I will have 4 of my children graduated, and I will only have my youngest left.... I can sense the season changing around our home!

While, I would have never thought I would have homeschooled m kids, when I was first having them, I have loved our journey together! It has been a great joy to have the opportunity to have such a hands on role in their life. It has been filled with joy, tears, frustration and laughter! But all in all... we did it together!

One thing helped us get through the rough days.. well actually, even the not so rough days too is; Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. While I may have never thought I would be homeschooling. The Lord knew! And He gave me the heart to homeschool and He enabled me to do so! And for that I am so grateful!

I give God all the glory! Anything that we have accomplished as a family, it was with His power and enabling!

Happy (Homeschooling) Trails!

 

PS.. I know, this is an unbelievably long post.... sorry... but I must admit it was great to write it all down in one place!

PPS.... I included photos from our homeschool journey.. just to document all the fun we had!

For What Are You Thankful For??

You know, as we walk through this life, so often, we are so wrapped up in our own little world that we really don't even take the time to see the world we are living in.

The problems of the world and circumstances of life can keep us from seeing the gifts that each day bring us. Which leads me to this question....

For what are you thankful for? While there are many things that are a challenge in my life, at this very moment, there are far many more things, for which I am thankful. I thought I might share a few of them here...

• I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His free gift of salvation!


• I am thankful for my 5 beautiful children!


• I am thankful the Lord has given me the opportunity to home educate them for the last 10 years.


• I am thankful that no matter our circumstances over the years, God has provided a way for us to continue to homeschool.


• I am thankful for an awesome church and church family!


• I am thankful for children who love the Lord and long to live a good life!


• I am thankful for a family that loves and supports me, no matter what!


• I am thankful that JR has not had a seizure in over a year!


• I am thankful that Sybrina is healing and able to leave the hospital!


• I am thankful for the awesome homeschool group that I am privileged to serve and be a part of!


• I am thankful for The Homeschool Crew!


• I am thankful for the new opportunities the Lord has laid at my feet!

And believe it or not, I could go on, and on, and on! I have heard it said, the best way to change our attitude, is to have an attitude of gratitude! The children and I have started a new  'assignment' every morning.  As part of our family devotion time, we are listing at least 5 things that we are thankful for.  It is amazing the difference it makes in your attitude towards your day changes when you  are thankful for the gifts you have received.

So what is it that you are thankful for? Please share them in the comments below!

Have a wonderful gratitude filled day!

TOS Crew Review - Travel Kits E-book

Just picture it, traveling down the interstate  with a handful of  screaming kids..with the incessant  'Are we there yet??? ' coming from the back row......have you had a car trip that resembled this tale?? I know that we have!!!

Travel Kits, A Simple Way to Bless Others an E-Book by TOS is here to save the day...

As part of the Homeschool Crew we were given a free copy of Travel Kits E-book in exchange for our honest opinion.

Donna Rees the author of Travel Kits challenges you to demonstrate a little love, a little ingenuity, and a little organization: by making a travel kit—a simple way to bless others.

So what is a Travel Kit you ask ~ it is a collection of gifts that you can create for your family, or as a gift for a family you know who is about to set sail, that are designed to entertain and/or delight the recipient.  I should note here, that Travel Kits are not just for young children. While that was my example, and yes, little ones need lots of things to keep them entertained. Everyone, any age, love to be thought of, and Travel Kits are a wonderful way to help them feel loved and cared for!  Even grown ups!

Within the pages of Travel Kits,  Donna Rees takes  you step by step on how you can create your own Travel Kits.

At the foundation, you are ministering to the family you are blessing. Whether it is your own family or a family you know the principle is the same. In the bible we are instructed in Luke 6:31, ' And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.'   In Phil 2:3 it says '...let each esteem other better than themselves'.

Keeping these biblical principles in mind, Donna has you look at who your recipients are, how long will they be traveling, and what are some of their interests. Once you have done that, you will be able to create a Travel Kit that will bless those who receive it.

Donna will then show you how you can gather items for each member of the family. How to wrap them, assemble them and even how to disperse gifts throughout the trip.

Donna really makes the process fool proof! No expertise needed, only a loving heart, and a desire to bless!

As I read this book, not only did I think of many ways that I could use travel kits for my own family, as well as, families I know. But, I also thought of several ideas that I could use for many occasions, using the same principles.

I challenge you to stop by the The Schoolhouse Store and purchase your copy of Travel Kits, (available for $12.45)  and start blessing those around you! And better yet, come up with even more ideas to bless those around you, using the ideas you learned using Travel Kits, and then come back here and post about them!

Take a moment to visit the Crew Blog to see what my crew mates have to say about Travel Kits!

May you all be blessed as you bless those you love!

Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays - What's Wrong With This Picture

For this weeks installment of Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays, we are looking at something that you the parent can create over and over again, to help your special needs child.

With this project you might choose to print out these projects, however, you can also put them in a photo album on the computer and just flip through them.

Many special needs kids have a problem at look at the big picture. They cannot look at something and find items that do not belong, for example.

So I made up two samples of  'What's Wrong With This Picture' cards, that can be used with your special needs kids. These cards I made a bit obvious, however, depending on the needs of the child, and the age of the child, this might be where you start. As time goes on, you can make more subtle changes in the pictures. The possibilities are endless.

So look below and see if you can see what's wrong with these pictures.....



In the above picture, it is plain to see that we have added a crown on this soccer players head.. clearly not the appropriate head gear for a soccer match! As well as changing the soccer ball to a football.. one of my teenagers thought that was quite clever, considering we are the only country that refers to it as soccer and not 'football'.  With both of these changes, I used an irregular frame to pull out the image from it's original background and then added it into this photo. You can use this feature for many different reasons, not just the 'What's Wrong With This Picture' card.

And..........



In this photo I placed an apple in the pitcher's hand,  using the same technique as described above.  We also changed his show to a purple color. We used the color change option for that. We framed out the shoe, by tracing around the outline of the shoe, and then we were able to change only the color of the shoe.

As you can see Graphics Toolbox is a versatile tool that can help enhance your child's educational experience, no matter their age or learning abilities.

If you would like more information on Graphics Toolbox, please visit our website at

www.greatsoftwaretools.com

or email me at jennifer@greatsoftwaretools.com

Graphics Toolbox equips homeschoolers with cutting edge tools to enhance their education today, and give them the skills they need to be competitive tomorrow.

TOS Crew: Beeyoutiful

Over the last several  years I have been struggling with my health. During that time, I have done plenty of research on supplements and healthy eating. While researching I remembered about a company that I had heard through the homeschool world. And that is Beeyoutiful. I believe I first heard about them from the Pearl family from No Greater Joy.   Here is how Beeyoutiful describes themselves;

At Beeyoutiful.com, we believe that each individual is responsible for their own health. It is not a doctor's responsibility to keep you in good health. Instead they are a tremendous resource, especially for those times when urgent care is required. But, they are only one of many resources. And the tools they use, while powerful, are not the only tools available. But a tool is worthless unless one knows how to use it.

We have found a lot a tools that have worked very well for our families, and made Beeyoutiful a repository for those tools, as well as the information to effectively use them. As we learn more, we share more. Our goal is to eventually carry every natural product that we use. We're not there yet. We may never be as we are constantly being exposed to new and great products. As much as is in our power, we want to aid others in obtaining and maintaining good health.

Back when I was in thick of not feeling well, I looked into their product line and sure enough that had a long list of things that I needed. I began to take their SuperMom , Pure Chlorella, Liquid Chlorophyll, Cod Liver Oil, Digestive Enzymes, Bee Immune, Bee Strong and Super Mom.  And, my health did steadily improve!

I have to tell you, that I have found their products to be of high quality! And their customer service has been superb! Their catalogs are a wealth of information as well!

When I heard that Beeyoutiful was on deck for the Crew Reviews this year, I was thrilled! And the best part, I was able to try a product that I had not tried yet!

As a member of the crew, I was sent a free Tension Tamer. It could not come at a more perfect time. In fact, the day it came in the mail, I was dealing with a headache! Which is what Tension Tamer is designed to help! It is a roll on that you roll on your forehead, neck and wrists. You can get your own Tension Tamer for $11.00.

Not only did it help my headache that first day. It has helped every time I have used it! I even was battling a cold, and was having sinus pressure and a sinus headache. It used it through out the illness and it was always beneficial.

If you are interested in taking the health of your family into your own hands, please visit Beeyoutiful! They can help you get started on your journey!

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about Beeyoutiful.

Living Abundantly-Homemade Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener

I have been making my own laundry soap for years. I used to make a liquid soap, however, several months ago I have found a recipe for a powdered version. I like this one A LOT!!!
Here are the ingredients:
2 cups Bar Soap (finely grated)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
Now, you can use any bar soap that you would like. Recommended is Fels Naptha, Zote, and Ivory. However, if you have a favorite bar soap, use it! You can use chemical free soap, or traditional soaps that you find at the local grocery store. I have used all of the soaps listed above, and some others!

First I grate the soap into a bowl. Then I measure out the portions and add them to the food processor and mix until it becomes a fine powder. I store mine in an old ice cream tub. Use 2 tablespoons per load. We have been using this recipe for a couple of months and it works very well!!

When I found the powdered laundry soap recipe, I also found a recipe for fabric softener. We have been using this for a couple of months as well. Here is the recipe…
2 cups hair conditioner
3 cups white vinegar
6 cups warm water
Optional, few drops of essential oil of choice.

I purchased a plastic ‘cookie jar’ from the dollar store to keep it in. And I actually make it right inside the jar. I pour in the conditioner, then the vinegar and then the water and then whisk it with a whisk. You can add an essential oil if you would like to add a particular fragrance. 


I really do not smell any fragrance when the clothes come out of the dryer. They are soft and have no static clean. I purchased a bag of small sponges at the dollar store and I use two at one time. One
stays in the jar, while the other one is thrown in the dryer with each load. When putting it in the dryer squeeze the excess liquid out then put into the dryer.

Tales of Glory Nativity Set, by One2Believe

As part of The Homeschool Crew, we were fortunate enough to receive the "Tales of Glory Nativity Set" from the kind people of One2Believe.

Now, I have to tell you, that this is not a product that I would have purchased on my own. My children are older, 9 and up.  However, my 9 year old, was thrilled when this package arrived. She has played non-stop with this wonderful playset!  You see, we have 2 other Nativity Sets we bring out during the Christmas season, and her eyes, have always dreamed of having those little figures in her little hands. However, they are all breakable, so she cannot play with them.

That is where this wonderful playset comes in! She has been playing to her hearts desire!  She has been using her bible felt set, with this play set and quite literally plays for hours!

If you have small children I would highly recommend this product. It comes with a mini book with the story of our Lord's birth. The other neat thing that was included was a paper with "Spiritual Stepping Stones". It talks to parents about general spiritual development of kids. At what age they are ready for what level of faith or belief. This would be very helpful, especially for new Christians or young parents!

This is a wonderful tool to integrate Jesus Christ into a childs every day life!

Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas!!! And Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Prayer and Thanksgiving

     I love this time of year.  The air seems to be full of thankfulness.  Isn't that really how we should approach  everything i nour life?  Whether it be a trial or a blessing, we as Christians should be thankful.  Why? In Philippians 4:11 it says, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."  Over the years this verse has minsitered to my heart.  Independent of external circumstances, we can be content, because Christ lives in us.  In Romans 8:28 it says, " And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according in his purpose."  God is so good!  Resting in this promise is one way that we are able to be content!  Thank you Lord for being a faithful God!

  I am so thankful that we serve a loving God.  A God who want His children to come to Him with their needs, and not to worry about them,  and try to solve them in their own power,  "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.", Philippians 4:6.  And in Psalm 55:22a it says, "Cast they burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee."

   When reading these verses, the bible is clear, we should be thankful, and content in all that we do.  And we should go to Him with our needs.  And He will be faithful to His children.  We Christians have so very much to be thankful for. Let us share our joy and thankfulness with the world around us this month! A month when the people around us have a more tender heart!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What to Do When You Fell Overwhelmed

 

Fall is upon us, and if we are not careful, we can become “weary in well doing”. Our planning for the upcoming year, should be done, and now it is time to put action to those plans. As our calendars fill up with class schedules, and field trip dates, and all the wonderful activities available, it would be easy to become overwhelmed, asking ourselves, “How will we get this all done?” Those thoughts are not of the Lord. We talked about "Worry and Fear? Or Fatih?" , in this entry I would like to look at what we should do when we are feeling overwhelmed.

 In Psalm 61:2 the bible says, “ From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” First and foremost when we are filled with that overwhelming feeling, we need to turn to the “Rock of our Salvation”, Jesus Christ. Below, you will find some ideas on how to keep on task, while finding comfort in our Lord.

 

Organized-   “Let all things be done decently and in order.”, 1 Cor 14:40. Know your priorities! Write them down, the Lord should always be first. Develop a system that works for you. We all remember the story of Martha and Mary.. Luke 10:40-42, Are you a Martha or a Mary? Focusing on the Lord, or focusing on the meaningless tasks. When we take our eyes off the Lord, that is when that cumbered feeling comes over us.

  

Visualize- Visualize your day, week, and month. Visualize the completion of the school year. Make a time line for larger projects. And work that timeline backwards. Start at the complete date, and work towards the start date. Being sure to create mini-deadlines along the way. Proverbs 29:18, “ Where there is no vision, the people perish: but her that keepeth the law, happy is he”.

Enlist Help and Realize Your Limits Really go hand in hand. - Acts 16:9, “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.”  Delegate. Do you know your limits, remember, everyone has them. Don’t allow pride to get in the way of allowing someone to help. Pray! Allow the Lord to lead you, He will guide you to the perfect “helper”. Exodus 18:18, says “ Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: thou art not able to perform in thyself alone." 

Work a plan- II Kings 11:5-7, Ask yourself, Who?, What?, Where?, When? And then refer to that timeline you created and set goals. Reevaluate and adjust to keep yourself on target with the end goal.

 Hide God’s Word-  Psalm 119:24, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.” Choose your verses, memorize them, and claim them. There is nothing as comforting as being able to recall God’s promises from His Word, and to have them tucked away in your heart to depend on, and guide you , just when you may need it the most! God is so good that He will meet us, right where we are!

 

Everything Happens for a Reason-  Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” Learn from those errors. Ask the Lord, “What is it that you want me to learn from this?” and “ Help me Lord, to be wiser at the end of this”.

 

Learn How to Say NO!- Genesis 33:13, “And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them, all the flock will die”. Do you struggle with telling people no? One of the ways to do this is by letting people know, what you can do. Respond something like this, “ I can’t do ___, however, I can do_____. With that said, do not say no, when you do have the ability to be a blessing.

Meditate- Psalm 119:15, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” Take time to pray. Not only should we pray as we have needs, we need to have a designated time for prayer. Don’t let yourself get so busy working for God, that we are not spending time with God.

 

Engaged and Determined- These last two really do go together. If we are not engaged, how will we be determined? In I Thes 4:11, “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” Are you spending too much time visiting? As homeschoolers, the phone and the internet, can be the biggest drain on our time. We need to eliminate our time wasters, in order to be determined and focused. Read II Tim 2:1-5, and then look at II Tim 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” The Lord will bless our time, when we keep Him first in all things.

 

 

Worry and Fear? Or Faith?

In the world we live in today, it is easy to get carried away in our fears. With the falls of the banking institutions, with the stock market so volatile and even closer to home, the struggle to keep food on the table and gas in the cars and to pay the bills that are due. Not to mention, will we be able to keep educating our children at home, while living on the single income that most of us live on. With all of these very valid concerns, we can easily be consumed with what our future holds.

   Friends, we need not fear, in John 14:27 the bible says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not, your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” In 1 Kings 17, we are told of the widow woman Zarepath who sustained Elijah through the famine. We all know the story, the widow woman only had enough meal and oil to feed her and her son, just one meal, then they would eat and then die. And what was Elijah’s response? See in verse 13 it says, “And Elijah said unto her; Fear not; go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son” and it continues on in verse 14… “For thus saith the Lord God of Isarel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.” We know that the widow woman did just that, and we know that the Lord was faithful in His promises. However, what strikes me, is that the Lord did not just fill the barrel to the top with meal, nor did he just fill the cruse. Why is that, do you suppose?   He wants us to see that it is He that is providing for all of our needs. Every morning, when she went and scooped out the last handful of meal, and used that last bit of oil, she knew that meal had been provided by the Lord.  The Lord could put a million dollars in each of our bank accounts, if He wanted to. Though, He created us, He knows our nature. We would be come “self” centered, and “self” reliant. Or so we would think. We would lose sight, “that every good thing is a gift from above”. When you have to get down on your knees and pray in your next meal, or your next years curriculum, or for the bills to be paid, when those things are provided, it is clear, the Lord has met your needs.

 I think what Jesus says in Matthew 6 sums it up beautifully, verses 30-33… “ Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

 May the Lord bless you and your family, richly!