Brett and I have been talking a lot lately about how much Austin has grown this year (and perhaps mom and dad have too!). I remember thinking he was going to be a handful all his life. He used to throw big fits when he didn't get his way. I was at a loss. "How do I make him stop doing this in public?", I would think to myself. I would be really embarrassed. When he started Cubbies last year, I was totally appalled at the way my child was acting. He wasn't listening to the leaders and no matter what I said to him, he would just keep being a handful. (He actually wasn't that bad! In fact, some of the other boys were being just as rotten as he was. I just couldn't see it!) I thought there would be no way I could home school this child, even though I felt like it was what we needed to do.
Anyway, this year, his behavior has improved so much! I'm not taking any credit here though! It was through prayer and a program Brett's step mom Jennie sent us we were able to shape his character into what he is today. The program is called Honorable Character and it was developed by the Christian school she teaches at. It's a point system, which at first I thought he wouldn't understand but he loves getting points! He gets points for displaying different honorable characteristics (honor, obedience, diligence, wisdom, kindness, self-control, orderliness, service, attentiveness, cooperation, initiative, honesty, forgiveness, responsibility, and we added graciousness.) All of the characteristics came with bible verses. Whenever he starts to throw a fit I can just say, "Austin, are you showing self control right now?" and usually he will stop. It helps me not yell so much! Initiative is one he rarely gets points for so I made a chart with all his chores on it so maybe he'll remember to do them without being told, but so far that has only happened like once! Whenever he does something without being told we try to make a big deal out of it so he'll try to do it more.
The program also rewards points for doing his chores. He gets points for cleaning his room, helping Brett take out the trash, helping dry and put the dishes away, getting his things out of the van, helping me dust, and feeding Lola. We also give him points for eating his dinner. He used to be so picky and wouldn't even taste the things I would cook. He would gag and cry if we made him. Now he'll eat everything on his plate (well, most of the time!)! We discovered he is a "closet broccoli lover!" He says he hates it but the gobbles it up! Whenever I started taking him to big church, we added points for church behavior too. We also consider Cubbies for those points. He's being doing really well so far! His Cubbies behavior has definitely improved. He's one of the big kids now so he sits and listens when all the other kids around him are fighting and talking. I only see him during story time and rec time so some of the other teachers might have a different story but so far I'm impressed with his behavior!
I really like the Honorable Character program. Jennie's school uses a version of it in their classrooms. If anyone wants information about it, let me know and I'll send you the website. I'm sure you could make up you own home version. I can't wait until we can use it with Logan! He's in his terrible two stage but I feel a little better knowing we came through it with Austin. Austin still struggles with some behavior issues. Self-control is still an issue but when I see kids throwing a huge fit in the store and Austin is standing beside me having a light saber battle and bumping into people, I feel somewhat better. Then I smile at the person he bumped into and say, "Boys!" and tell him to apologize. :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Curriculum woes!
So we're about half way through the school year and we are BORED! This Horizons curriculum in NOT good for us. Austin is frustrated and bored. I'm even tired of doing the same thing over and over. He's doing really great with his reading and writing, but I feel like it's torture for him to sit down and do it. I was thinking I was a horrible teacher and it was time for him to go to school. The Lord has really been dealing with me about it today. It's not me. It's not Austin. This curriculum is just not a good fit for him. He loves science and wants to know "Why?" all the time. I forgot how boys are more science based. (Brett loves to argue with me about that but I'm sorry; I believe it's true!) I didn't get him science this year because I figured we could just explore it on our own. Yesterday he wanted to talk about the planets and I was kind of brushed him off. I feel terrible! He also loves to do draw and sometimes just wants to draw all day. Today he literally has colored most of the day. He made a book about pumpkins. :)
The Horizons lessons have 3-6 pages of phonics work everyday. The math seems all over the place. Each lesson has four sections of different things for them to do. I get him focused on addition and then the next section is time. I don't remember ever learning about four different math things a day. I thought this year it would be best for us to focus on reading and math but I'm learning he needs something different. I guess that's how it work with homeschooling though! Brett and I have been looking at My Father's World for next year. It has lots of science in it so I'm really leaning toward it right now. I think he will love it!
I still think homeschooling will work best for us. If we stay in the house, the public school they would attend is not in the best area of town. :( If we put them in private school, it would probably be $20,000 a year! I know from my public school experience that it's hard to be a Christian and be in that setting. I lost my way. I know if I give him a strong Christ based home life he would probably make it, but do I take that chance? Especially with boys. I feel like they try harder to fit in. I worry that Austin lacks some things that kids learn in school, like how to sit quietly, how not to interrupt adults, how to be still for 5 SECONDS!!! I need to work on those things at home. It's easy to forget how he needs to learn those things. Then we get in public and I feel like people are annoyed by him! Any thoughts on teaching those things, homeschool mamas?
The Horizons lessons have 3-6 pages of phonics work everyday. The math seems all over the place. Each lesson has four sections of different things for them to do. I get him focused on addition and then the next section is time. I don't remember ever learning about four different math things a day. I thought this year it would be best for us to focus on reading and math but I'm learning he needs something different. I guess that's how it work with homeschooling though! Brett and I have been looking at My Father's World for next year. It has lots of science in it so I'm really leaning toward it right now. I think he will love it!
I still think homeschooling will work best for us. If we stay in the house, the public school they would attend is not in the best area of town. :( If we put them in private school, it would probably be $20,000 a year! I know from my public school experience that it's hard to be a Christian and be in that setting. I lost my way. I know if I give him a strong Christ based home life he would probably make it, but do I take that chance? Especially with boys. I feel like they try harder to fit in. I worry that Austin lacks some things that kids learn in school, like how to sit quietly, how not to interrupt adults, how to be still for 5 SECONDS!!! I need to work on those things at home. It's easy to forget how he needs to learn those things. Then we get in public and I feel like people are annoyed by him! Any thoughts on teaching those things, homeschool mamas?
Friday, October 7, 2011
Repost from Facebook
I posted this on Facebook, but I wanted to post here too:
I was listening to David Jeremiah on the way to the gym tonight and he told this story. It was originally told by Dale Hays. It's kind of gross, but a good illustration.
I heard a Haitian pastor illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ. His parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it,but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.
After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.
The Haitian pastor's conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation."
I was listening to David Jeremiah on the way to the gym tonight and he told this story. It was originally told by Dale Hays. It's kind of gross, but a good illustration.
I heard a Haitian pastor illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ. His parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it,but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.
After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.
The Haitian pastor's conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation."
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Disney and Homeschool. Do I ever blog about anything else?!
I'm really awful about updating my blog! I never feel like I have anything interesting to say!
We've been back from Disney for almost 3 weeks now. I'm already planning our next trip! I love being there so much! My goal is to stay at every resort on site. I know that is totally ridiculous, and it probably won't actually happen, but it could! So far I've stayed at 4. I've been 5 times but the 4th time we stayed on grounds but not in a Disney resort. I never want to stay in a non-Disney resort again!
I've been trying to talk Brett into getting a job at Walt Disney World since we've been back. He said he thinks we would get tired of it if we were there everyday. I don't think I could ever get tired of being there! I'll be a good wife though and not nag him about it! :)
School is going great! Austin is almost finished with his first Phonics book and reader. He's doing really well with reading and writing. He likes Math but I feel like he's not really learning anything. Yesterday we were behind a school bus with the number 12 on it and he said, "Mom, what number is one two?" I feel like he should know what a "12" is! We look at the calendar everyday and he also counts a lot with his math lesson. He is really good at counting and this time last year he was still skipping 16 and only counted to 20. I'm not a huge fan of the curriculum we picked this year. We're looking into Sonlight and My Father's World for next year. Sonlight is expensive but they do have a payment plan. My friend Breanna told me that My Father's World is good and a little less expensive. Brett is working on a spreadsheet with all of the curriculums broken down by price!
Better go start school!
We've been back from Disney for almost 3 weeks now. I'm already planning our next trip! I love being there so much! My goal is to stay at every resort on site. I know that is totally ridiculous, and it probably won't actually happen, but it could! So far I've stayed at 4. I've been 5 times but the 4th time we stayed on grounds but not in a Disney resort. I never want to stay in a non-Disney resort again!
I've been trying to talk Brett into getting a job at Walt Disney World since we've been back. He said he thinks we would get tired of it if we were there everyday. I don't think I could ever get tired of being there! I'll be a good wife though and not nag him about it! :)
School is going great! Austin is almost finished with his first Phonics book and reader. He's doing really well with reading and writing. He likes Math but I feel like he's not really learning anything. Yesterday we were behind a school bus with the number 12 on it and he said, "Mom, what number is one two?" I feel like he should know what a "12" is! We look at the calendar everyday and he also counts a lot with his math lesson. He is really good at counting and this time last year he was still skipping 16 and only counted to 20. I'm not a huge fan of the curriculum we picked this year. We're looking into Sonlight and My Father's World for next year. Sonlight is expensive but they do have a payment plan. My friend Breanna told me that My Father's World is good and a little less expensive. Brett is working on a spreadsheet with all of the curriculums broken down by price!
Better go start school!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Our week in Disney!
We're home! We spent 6 days in the most magical place on Earth! We also discovered that 6 days is a looong time to be at WDW with kids.... :)
We left last Saturday and made great time. We checked in at Port Orleans Riverside a little after 5:00. Check-in was a breeze because we used online check-in. All we had to do was give them our name and they had all of our things ready for us! We ate at our hotel the first night and it was pretty good. We had the dining plan, so it was free!
We got up the next morning and headed to Epcot. Test Track only had a 20 minute wait and we missed it last time so we got in line. We took Austin with us and he HATED it. That was the start of many meltdowns on rides. We discovered Austin is not a thrill seeker! The next day he wanted to do Splash Mountain. He was jumping up and down and all excited. Then, we went down that first little drop. That was the end of that! He was crying the rest of the way and really came unglued on the last drop! We tried to take him on Big Thunder Mountain since he had been talking about it for months but he started to freak out in the line so Brett's stepdad took him back down. We got on It's a Small World after that and I guess he was thinking there would be a big drop so he whimpered the whole way through that one! He hated anything in the dark. He had also talked about Star Tours for weeks, but cried and screamed all through that one too! Before we got on that one we had signed him up for Jedi training. When we got off the ride, they were doing one of the shows. He saw Darth Vader and started to get nervous. He told Brett he didn't want to do it. Brett talked to him and told him he didn't have to, but it would be a lot of fun. He finally decided to do it. We went back to the hotel for naps (oh and so I could change out of the shorts I was wearing when Logan pooped in my lap!) Brett and I went back and rode the scary rides (with no wait!) and my inlaws brought them back later. Austin was pumped for Jedi training by then. He did great! He looked a little nervous with Vader came out but when it was his turn to fight him, he did it! We were so proud! We let him build his own lightsaber at the gift shop for being so brave!
Another thing we discovered is although they say September is the least crowded time to go, there is ALWAYS a crowd at WDW! I hate crowds so I was excited about having the parks to ourselves, but unfortunalty we did not! I was always nervous we would lose Austin in a crowd. The wait time on rides wasn't that bad, thank goodness! It seemed like there was a lot of familes with little ones and older people so maybe they just skipped the big rides. The wait for the Toy Story ride at the Studios was still an hour long everytime we checked though! We had never ridden it and had heard awesome things about it so when it got down to 40 minutes (about an hour before the park closed!), we decided to tough it out. It was great! We only got to ride once though. Besides that, we pretty much walked onto rides. Splash Mountain had a 30 minute wait the last day we were there, but I think that was because Big Thunder Mountain was closed for repairs. It opened back up right before we left for the day. The wait for the Mt. Everest ride was 30 too but that's probably because it's the best ride at Animal Kingdom! In fact, we did that and the safari and left! I'm not a huge fan of Animal Kingdom! We also discovered after a Summer of crowds, a lot of the rides aren't in tip top shape! They got stuck a lot and some of the animatronics weren't working.
Our hotel was pretty crowded too. It was the cheapest hotel you could stay at and get the free dining plan, so we think maybe that was why. The pool was always crowded. We got to swim one day but the boys had to stay by the stairs the whole time because there were so many people there. We always had the longest line to ride the bus at our stop. Most of the time, it was standing room only. All of the other hotel bus stops would only have a few people. The dining room was always crowded too.
Like I said, 6 days was a long time to be there with kids. I don't think I would suggest that to families with preschoolers! They offer a 5 day hopper with the 6th day free so thats why we did it. Logan got pretty fussy and Austin kept asking to go back to the hotel. By the end of the 5th day, I was a zombie! I felt like I could fall asleep at any time! On our last day, Epcot had Extra Magic Hours so we wanted to stay late but we ended up leaving about 9:30.
We had fun, but we learned a few things for sure! Brett wants to check into getting a cabin at their campgrounds next time we go. We're thinking we may wait a while before we go back! We want to have another baby and have it potty trained! :)
Friday, September 9, 2011
Disney!
Tomorrow we leave for the happiest place on Earth! We're almost packed and I just have a few errands to run. We're staying at the Port Orleans Riverside and I'm so excited about staying there! I've been four times in my life and I've never stayed at one of Disney's nicer resorts (well, I stayed at Shades of Green once but I mean like a Disney hotel!) We got such an awesome deal because of it being the off season. (Cheap room and free dining plan!) We've made reservations to eat all over the world (English, Mexican, Germany, haha!) We're also taking the boys to Chef Mickey's. We'll be there for six days. I've had my eye on the tropics for the past couple of weeks. They expect Maria to make a turn for the north so I'm praying she does. Even if we get rain, we'll still head out to the parks! I'm not made out of sugar! :) Austin is excited about getting to ride the big rides this year. I'm hoping he likes them and doesn't freak out! He likes water slides so maybe he'll be okay. We're hoping to take it slow and enjoy ourselves this year! Last time we went, it was Spring Break and it was so crowded, we didn't get to ride some of the rides. I have some tips for all my friends who aren't Disney freaks:
1. Go during the off season. Everyone and their mama is there for Spring Break, the week of Christmas, etc. The wait time for rides can be over an hour and moving around in a crowd of large people can be nerve racking. Check to make sure it's not President's Day or some random holiday because some schools get out for them. We went one year for Mardi Gras, thinking only coast schools would be out, but it was also President's Day, and all the schools up North were out! Plus, during the off season, they have awesome discounts! The Fall is a great time to go. They have lots of fun extra things going on (you have to pay extra for them though!)
2. The dining plan is actually a good deal! We got it for free, but if we hadn't we probably would've purchased it. You pay up front for all your meals, so if you decide to have a sit down meal every day, you end up saving a ton.
3. If you don't want to do the dining plan, you may want to try to bring lots of breakfast, snacks, drinks with you. You can bring soft sided coolers in so we are bringing one with bottled water. (The dining plan only allows for one "snack" and bottled water is considered a "snack".) Food and drinks can really add up at the World!
4. I recommend staying on grounds at a Disney resort. They have transportation to the parks and Downtown Disney. One year we stayed on grounds but at a resort that wasn't considered a "Disney" resort. They still had transportation to the parks, but we had to share it with two other hotels. We were last to be picked up, during Spring Break, and ended up having to wait for another bus because it would be so full. Plus, they have really cool restaurants and pools! The All Star resorts are pretty cheap if your not wanting to shell out the big bucks!
5. You can buy park merchandise on The Disney Store's website. They always have discount codes. I ordered the boys both a "I'm Going to Walt Disney World" shirt and Logan's autograph book and got free shipping. Stuff at the parks is expensive!
6. I made a Disney notebook and put all our reservation information, the park schedules, and anything they sent us to take with us.
7. Do online check-in! They'll have all your stuff printed out for you when you get there!
8. Disney's website lists all their restaurants with a price range so you can kind of plan ahead if you decide to skip the dining plan.
9. Get the free planning DVD to show the kids! Austin loves to watch it!
10. We've been saving all our change and I'm cashing it in today to take with us. They boys both have piggybanks too. Brett's grandfather loves to bring them change to put in their piggybanks. We ended up having $50 in change! We had a yard sale too and made some spending money!
Okay, I really should get off the computer and start on my To-Do list! I'm sure I'll think of a million more tips while we're there so maybe I'll do a 'Part 2!" See you when we get back!
1. Go during the off season. Everyone and their mama is there for Spring Break, the week of Christmas, etc. The wait time for rides can be over an hour and moving around in a crowd of large people can be nerve racking. Check to make sure it's not President's Day or some random holiday because some schools get out for them. We went one year for Mardi Gras, thinking only coast schools would be out, but it was also President's Day, and all the schools up North were out! Plus, during the off season, they have awesome discounts! The Fall is a great time to go. They have lots of fun extra things going on (you have to pay extra for them though!)
2. The dining plan is actually a good deal! We got it for free, but if we hadn't we probably would've purchased it. You pay up front for all your meals, so if you decide to have a sit down meal every day, you end up saving a ton.
3. If you don't want to do the dining plan, you may want to try to bring lots of breakfast, snacks, drinks with you. You can bring soft sided coolers in so we are bringing one with bottled water. (The dining plan only allows for one "snack" and bottled water is considered a "snack".) Food and drinks can really add up at the World!
4. I recommend staying on grounds at a Disney resort. They have transportation to the parks and Downtown Disney. One year we stayed on grounds but at a resort that wasn't considered a "Disney" resort. They still had transportation to the parks, but we had to share it with two other hotels. We were last to be picked up, during Spring Break, and ended up having to wait for another bus because it would be so full. Plus, they have really cool restaurants and pools! The All Star resorts are pretty cheap if your not wanting to shell out the big bucks!
5. You can buy park merchandise on The Disney Store's website. They always have discount codes. I ordered the boys both a "I'm Going to Walt Disney World" shirt and Logan's autograph book and got free shipping. Stuff at the parks is expensive!
6. I made a Disney notebook and put all our reservation information, the park schedules, and anything they sent us to take with us.
7. Do online check-in! They'll have all your stuff printed out for you when you get there!
8. Disney's website lists all their restaurants with a price range so you can kind of plan ahead if you decide to skip the dining plan.
9. Get the free planning DVD to show the kids! Austin loves to watch it!
10. We've been saving all our change and I'm cashing it in today to take with us. They boys both have piggybanks too. Brett's grandfather loves to bring them change to put in their piggybanks. We ended up having $50 in change! We had a yard sale too and made some spending money!
Okay, I really should get off the computer and start on my To-Do list! I'm sure I'll think of a million more tips while we're there so maybe I'll do a 'Part 2!" See you when we get back!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
We're back!
We had a blog a couple of years ago but I deleted it because I felt like I had nothing interesting to say. Now that we homeschool a 4 year old and almost 2 year old (who is way more active than Austin ever was if you can believe it!), it seems like we may have some interesting things to share! :) I read a lot of homeschool mama's blogs and get ideas from them, so I thought maybe I could share some of mine.
I keep saying "we" but let's face it, Brett is probably never going to get on this blog. I'm the one who manages his Facebook! I'll try to encourage him to get on though! He's pretty busy workin', lovin', fatherin', guitarin', yard workin', car fixin', etc. (Is my Mississippi showin'?) :)
So update on us: Brett and I will be married 6 years this month. He's an amazing husband and father and I love him so much! Austin will be 5 in December. We started him in Kindergarten this year because I've homeschooled him since he was two and I can't imagine doing preschool another year. Our plan was to take it slow and not stress, but he loves it and is really chugging along! He does school every day and even asks to do it on the weekends! Monday Brett was home for Labor Day so he did his Phonics lesson with him. Logan is almost 2 and into everything! We used to always say, "What if Austin is the calm one?" Well... he is! We're trying to potty train him and he's doing pretty well. He's nowhere near ready for big boy underwear, (which Brett found out the hard way on his lunch break one day!) but he's doing pretty good. We recently adopted a sweet dog named Lola. She was supposed to be my sisters dog and we were just going to keep her until she moved out, but we fell in love with her so she's staying! Our days are usually pretty busy doing school, MOPS stuff, and playing hard. Austin is obsessed with Star Wars and has taught Logan well. Logan could probably beat you in a game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit! They have epic Star Wars battles all over the house and I have seen Episode 2 way more than anyone should ever have to!
That's our life right now! I'm hoping to get this blog up and running today and keep it updated frequently.
Lauren
I keep saying "we" but let's face it, Brett is probably never going to get on this blog. I'm the one who manages his Facebook! I'll try to encourage him to get on though! He's pretty busy workin', lovin', fatherin', guitarin', yard workin', car fixin', etc. (Is my Mississippi showin'?) :)
So update on us: Brett and I will be married 6 years this month. He's an amazing husband and father and I love him so much! Austin will be 5 in December. We started him in Kindergarten this year because I've homeschooled him since he was two and I can't imagine doing preschool another year. Our plan was to take it slow and not stress, but he loves it and is really chugging along! He does school every day and even asks to do it on the weekends! Monday Brett was home for Labor Day so he did his Phonics lesson with him. Logan is almost 2 and into everything! We used to always say, "What if Austin is the calm one?" Well... he is! We're trying to potty train him and he's doing pretty well. He's nowhere near ready for big boy underwear, (which Brett found out the hard way on his lunch break one day!) but he's doing pretty good. We recently adopted a sweet dog named Lola. She was supposed to be my sisters dog and we were just going to keep her until she moved out, but we fell in love with her so she's staying! Our days are usually pretty busy doing school, MOPS stuff, and playing hard. Austin is obsessed with Star Wars and has taught Logan well. Logan could probably beat you in a game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit! They have epic Star Wars battles all over the house and I have seen Episode 2 way more than anyone should ever have to!
That's our life right now! I'm hoping to get this blog up and running today and keep it updated frequently.
Lauren
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