I’m joining in with Timberdoodle’s blog hop.
November is upon us and I thought I’d take a moment to focus on some things we are thankful for. To be honest, it’s been a rough year in our world and I’m trying to get my own mindset back in check. Working on being an example and practicing calming strategies to show Monkey how to handle our big emotions. Writing is calming for me… and I don’t do it enough. So what am I thankful for this year? Obviously, I need to do this exercise because making this list was far more difficult than it should be.
I am thankful for…
- Mr. Man, who shows me daily how to love with your whole heart and is the world’s best cuddler.
- Money, with all those traits that will make a successful adult one day but, at 5, is costing Mama FAR too much anxiety. Who I can’t even be upset with as we are called to the principal’s office and sent home (yes, that was our day! 1 day a week kiddo….1 day!) Who has the best smile, but thinks kisses are gross! (Keep it that way, sir! Those dimples are dangerous!)
- My car, which I don’t fear will leave us on the side of the road in 120-degree weather. Last year, this was a real concern.
- My job, which has opened up so many opportunities for me. It allows me to stay home and homeschool my boys. To focus on their needs and (attempt) to alleviate the stress of full-time work away from home AND balance the boys’ extra needs. It has given me the opportunity to work on finding myself after I had lost myself in those early years.
- Friends, who are present and bring substance to your life. The ones you can count on to laugh with, vent with and cry with.
- My church, a wonderful little group who cares for one another and aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions. Who will listen to your thoughts and respect you, even if they don’t always agree with you.
- My little house (yes, even my old, falling apart- too many issues to count house), which keeps us dry- most of the time. Whose mortgage can’t be beat and keeps us so close we have no choice but to deal with our issues. My tiny house which, after more years than I want to admit of decluttering and minimizing, is starting to show signs of hope.
- My husband, who knows how to push my buttons like no other. Who believes in me more than he probably should, who I’ve known more of my life than not, and who has been by my side for more than I’d ever imagined over the past 10 years. He puts up with my junk and challenges me to do better. He does the laundry… we can stop there, right?!
I had the boys do a similar activity and I was so surprised at their responses. It made my heart happy to see that we must be doing something right!
I thought I would take a moment to introduce my boys to our new readers and update those who have been following our story.
These two are my life, my reason and the fire behind my blog. They keep me busier than I ever imagined and have taught me more than I ever knew I could learn. They’ve tried me far beyond any patience I thought I had and have brought incomprehensible joy to my days. 
I am a planner. I love creating curriculum, planning our days… I just love it. Don’t ask me to create a bulletin board ever again! But, I will plan a unit study for you, no problem. I’m the mom who would spend July planning our entire year. Then get frustrated when those plans were ruined within the first week. I had to teach myself to start planning for a shorter amount of time. I’ve also tried just about every planner on the market (digital and physical). Yet, I always found myself frustrated. Look at all the things we didn’t get done! Then I started something new. Instead of writing down what I planned to do, I wrote down what we actually did each day. While this was a big confidence booster that we do indeed accomplish a lot, it still didn’t quite fill my need to plan. This is our current method and it’s actually working for me. My kids go to an enrichment program on Fridays, so this is my planning day. I use regular old lined paper and write down the lessons we plan to complete in the next four-day loop. Then, as we complete a lesson or activity, I highlight it. This shows me exactly what we accomplished, while still giving me a basic outlined plan to follow. On Friday, I simply move anything we didn’t get to into the first available spots for the next week and we move on with our lives! It is so ridiculously simple. Anyone else LOVE simple?!
One of the things I love about homeschooling is how every activity becomes a springboard to learning. Whether it be a trip to the aquarium leading to an in-depth look at the creation of in-home aquatic habitats, which is still currently under discussion. No, we cannot keep jellyfish in our pool! Or, a simple family outing for ice cream sparking curiosity about how ice cream is made. There is an abundance of opportunities available, that don’t require a book.
After one such trip out for ice cream, the boys practiced reading a recipe, following measurements and listening to directions in order to make their very own blueberry ice cream. They were intrigued at how the cream thickened from a liquid into ice cream, as they know it. However, they were not impressed by how much time and work the process took. While they enjoyed the experience and treat, they still prefer to get their ice cream from the store. Oh, well. Perhaps, next week I will show them how to make their own butter!
Whether an outing is the culmination of a learning experience or the start of one, don’t miss the simple opportunities available within your own communities. These real-world experiences are what make education real to our children. These will be the lessons they remember.
Here, the children were each given a crayon and chose a mold to design a ring or racecar crayon. Of course, the boys chose racecars. They would insert their crayon into the machine and watch the crayon melt and fill up the mold. Then, they watched as the crayon was cooled and rehardened. After the activity was complete, they were able to take their racecar with them. The children enjoyed watching the process and I was surprised that they were patient throughout the activity.
Drip Art: Like Melt and Mold, the children are given crayons to put into the melting machine. At this station, the crayons are dripped onto spinning paper, similar to the old paint spinners I remember as a child. The outcome is a unique work of art. There is a lever that allows you to control the speed of the spinning and change the effect of the design.
At this station, you color a picture (dragon, unicorn, fairy, etc.) and then scan it into the computers. Your picture is turned into a digital design. You can choose a background for your creation and email it to yourself.
in front of a screen. Their picture was projected in front of them as a rainbow of paint poured down over their heads. The kids spent quite some time enjoying this station.
There is also a snack and dessert shop available if you get hungry. We stopped here to enjoys some brownies (who needs birthday cake?) The last activity we enjoyed was a panning for gold type station. Although, this is an added cost activity. You purchase a bag of sand and pan for different types of rocks. Monkey loves rocks, so for his special day, we went ahead and got the kids some sand. This activity was much faster than expected, but they were happy with the treasures they were able to take home.
know we will walk through this and come out the other side. I know we will walk through more valleys along the way, too. But for now, I must wrestle, and come to terms, with the fact that it isn’t going to get easier.
end, the benefits of therapy did NOT outweigh the stress. Our tutor is amazing and is able to give him one-on-one attention, while giving Mama a break and the ability to give Monkey some much needed….uh, demanded…. attention.)
MamaBean Az 