Celebrate

I love having something to celebrate. This weekend we celebrated Memorial Day. We had company all weekend and then yesterday was a fantastic celebration for my little brother Chad who got married. I love spending time with people and visiting and talking and seeing relatives. It was a very fulfilling weekend.
Today was our first real day of summer vacation. I would have to say that I was in recovery mode. It was one of those days that at the end of the day I was feeling pretty down in the dumps. My house was a mess, the kids were fighting and I don't think I even looked in the mirror the whole day-
But then I started thinking about all the little victories we've had today- So I am going to list them so we can celebrate:
1)we got up and read scriptures together and had family prayer even though Nate was out of town
2) I took my children to line the street at Elkridge drive to welcome home the body of Cody's Touse who had been killed in Afghanistan we talked about patriotism freedom and respect
3) I made one healthy-ish meal for my children from canned chicken and leftover brown rice, which they whined about considerably, but in the end were asking for seconds
4) I got my six-year-old off to his baseball game in time and we watched part of the game
5) My two-year-old wore underwear the whole day- his only accident was right before bed when he was brushing his teeth
6) I took a nice little power nap on the couch for almost 30 minutes
7) I got to talk to a friend on the phone while I was feeding the twins
8) when they were not fighting, the kids were playing great together and the got some grass stains playing outside while we waited for the military procession.
9) we didn't turn on any movies or video games the whole day
10) all my kids were in their pajamas and ready for bed before 9:00
I say it was a day worth celebrating!

To Homeschool or not to Homeschool- That is the Question

So here we are the end of another school year thinking about what to do next year. For the last year my kids have been attending liberty Academy charter school in a program called CAP three days a week. They absolutely loved it. my first grader and my third-grader were in the same class they loved their teacher and I was able to feel good about their education because with moving building a house being pregnant with twin's and moving again I wasn't in a great position to have a very consistent homeschool schedule.
In my heart, I always want to homeschool. I think that homeschooling can be the absolute best education. There are so many reasons that I love homeschool. I love the flexibility it offers us. I love that we can choose our content and study from classics and go on field trips. I love that my kids Play with each other and are best friends with each other. I always have these grand expectations of what we are going to accomplish and what we are going to do, but to be quite honest we always fall short of what we think we're going to do.
And I'm always doubting myself and wondering if I am going to ruin my kids. I wonder if they're going to think that the world revolves around them. I wonder if they're going to be too shy to try new things or to meet new people. Do I have the patience and the ability to keep our house in order to keep my kids on track to foster love of learning without major contention in our home?
And though it really doesn't matter I do sometimes worry about what people think and how my kids will be perceived or if they'll fit in with the kids in the neighborhood.
Next year that charter school program that we were doing is going to be gone there's a new director of liberty Academy, And the school is changing all its policies to reflect to that of American preparatory Academy in Draper.
I think, in general, it will be a very positive thing for the community and for the school. We went to a meeting last night that discussed the changes. They have a very structured methodology. Their test scores are outstanding and their curriculum is sound. They have high expectations when they don't mess around. Much of what the teachers are teaching is scripted. The children break into Achievement levels that can go across grade level. There are many things that I like about what I was hearing.
Sometimes the worst thing about homeschool is the lack of consistency the lack of discipline the lack of a strong work ethic- Will I really be able to teach my kids to work hard? Will I prepare them academically and socially for life?
Where and how to educate your kids is such a personal choice. It all comes down to what my commitment level is.
Homeschooling is a lot like the decision to have kids in the first place- it's between parents and God. There are so many opinions. And they are strong opinions. There are so many options and ways to do things. There's something for every style of parenting. I have the children that I do for a reason.
So what are we going to do next year?
I have absolutely no idea.

A Great Day in Paradise

Field trip to the Mohave County Museum of History and Art

We had a fantastic time at the museum last week.  The highlight was this passenger train car complete with beds, a stove, a bathroom, and all kinds of fun nooks and crannies for the kids to climb into and explore.

Halloween Pumpkin Birthday!

Halloween Part 3

The Viking warriors getting ready to Trick or Treat at the Convention Center in Orlando.

Our two casualties slept through all of trick or treating. We had tons of fun making the costumes- especially the clay accessories. Don't we look pretty Vikingish?

Here we all are in our Viking Costumes

Halloween Part 2 Homeschool Party

Mixing Orange Paint to make Pumpkin Bags.

Getting wild at the cupcake walk.

Bobbing for Apples is Fun,

But Luke will take donuts any day.

Some of our Spooky Treats.

Jake was the Grand Champion apple bobber. With all the girls around,
he has to prove his manliness.