I was reading through my emails one day recently and there among the usual messages discussing various topics related to homeschooling was a message that made me stop in my tracks. A family had lost their young teenage daughter over the weekend when she inhaled helium at a party. Apparently, she unwillingly had a mask placed over her face, inhaled helium and died.
It broke. My. Heart.
I don't know this family at all, but I can assure you they have been in my thoughts and prayers since I read about their horror. I can't imagine anything worse in this life than losing a child. How do you carry on after that?
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Confession - Or That Crazy Thing That Catholics Do
Yes. I'm going to be touching on a religious topic today. Normally I shy away from discussing anything too political or religious because I'm just not one to start controversy or an argument. The Cleveland Homeschooler audience is a diverse group of families and it's one thing that I love so much about it - finding common ground in homeschooling our children despite our differences.
But I was sent an email about Catholic Blog Day and immediately decided that I wanted to participate.
Why?
You might ask.
But I was sent an email about Catholic Blog Day and immediately decided that I wanted to participate.
Why?
You might ask.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Presidents Day Links
My oldest turned TEN over the weekend - where did the time go?!
I got the idea to make this picture when a Facebook friend posted it via Pinterest. I don't know the original source, but it's pretty simple to do with any photo editing program - I used Picnik, of course. I think it's a really cute idea and I plan to do them for my other boys on their birthdays from now on. I'm also thinking about getting a few prints of it made to include in the birthday thank you notes - I'm pretty sure the grandparents would love a copy.
We had a wonderful but exhausting weekend of celebrating!
Speaking of celebrating, are you doing any special activities with your kids in honor of Presidents Day? If you need some ideas for things you could include in your school work this week here are some links I found:
BrainPop featured movie today is Abraham Lincoln. You can click on the BrainPop button in the sidebar anytime to see a new featured movie of the day that has extra activities along with it. I'll be doing a more in-depth post about this fabulous site soon.
The Homeschool Mom has some Presidents Day printables, etc...
Homeschool Freebie of the Day is doing a special Presidents Day Blowout called American for the Ears - check it out today.
Homeschool Share has an extensive list of books that tie on with learning about Presidents, along with links to other activities and worksheets.
Finally, here's a Pinterest Board full of great ideas for those of us who like some visual inspiration.
Hope you had a great weekend! If you have any other ideas please share!
~ Dori
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Homeschooling Mom
You've probably seen variations of this circulating on the internet - I could definitely relate to the Stay at Home Mom one. I also had a friend post a Lawyer one that was really funny even though I'm certainly not a lawyer.
Anyway, I thought there should be one for us homeschoolers.
Many of you already saw this on Facebook, but for those of you who haven't "liked" the Cleveland Homeschooler page (and why the heck not, I might add?), here is my attempt at capturing the "occupation" of Homeschooling Mom:
What do you think? Funny? Lame?
But don't tell me if it's lame, of course.
~ Dori
Anyway, I thought there should be one for us homeschoolers.
Many of you already saw this on Facebook, but for those of you who haven't "liked" the Cleveland Homeschooler page (and why the heck not, I might add?), here is my attempt at capturing the "occupation" of Homeschooling Mom:
What do you think? Funny? Lame?
But don't tell me if it's lame, of course.
~ Dori
Monday, February 13, 2012
Making a Mid-Year Switch to Homeschooling
Update: The one year-old has remembered, once again, how to sleep through the night. And there has been much rejoicing.
Often we think of embarking on the homeschooling journey as a well-planned, highly-researched decision that takes place over the summer and is ready to be perfectly executed in the fall. But this isn't always the case, is it?
Or ever.
I've been contacted recently by a number of moms who want to pull their kids out of a traditional school to homeschool them mid-year and are unsure of where to begin once they've made the decision to do it. While there's no short answer to the question of "I've taken my kid out of school, now what?" I thought I'd share my recent response to a mom who presented me with that very question. Her questions were, more specifically, "What do I need to do to comply with the (Ohio) law?" and "How do I choose a curriculum?"
Often we think of embarking on the homeschooling journey as a well-planned, highly-researched decision that takes place over the summer and is ready to be perfectly executed in the fall. But this isn't always the case, is it?
Or ever.
I've been contacted recently by a number of moms who want to pull their kids out of a traditional school to homeschool them mid-year and are unsure of where to begin once they've made the decision to do it. While there's no short answer to the question of "I've taken my kid out of school, now what?" I thought I'd share my recent response to a mom who presented me with that very question. Her questions were, more specifically, "What do I need to do to comply with the (Ohio) law?" and "How do I choose a curriculum?"
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Keepin' It Real
My kids have spent the better part of today alternately playing with light sabers and legos or reading. I think one of them did his math. Unless you count playing a math game on the Leapster, in which case two of them did math.
I had planned to have a couple posts this week detailing our workbox system, complete with pictures, free printables and a Link Up. You would all think I was a well-organized, homeschooling genius.
But then my one year old suddenly forgot how to sleep for more than a few hours at a time for the last couple of nights. No sleep at night = crabby baby (and mom!) during the day. Last night when my husband got home from work he took one look at me and the look of exhaustion on my face as I struggled to stay awake at only 6:00pm, and said jokingly to the boys, "what did you do to mommy?" It was pizza for dinner and every last ounce of energy I had (even with husband's help) to get the kids to bed.
That's the reality on many days, isn't it? So I decided to just write about that instead. Because it's a reminder that the things we read and look at online often don't give us the whole picture. People show us what they want us to see - in the virtual world and in the real one. We collect visions of other moms out there schooling their children who are all two grade levels ahead, in a clean and well-organized home, while providing delicious, nutritious meals that everyone enthusiastically eats. I can tell you that I have a pile of laundry worthy of a Guinness Record, I would have to think for a minute as to when my five year old last bathed, and we eat pizza for dinner far more often than I care to admit to. And I'm pretty sure that this is closer to the truth for most families.
Please tell me I'm not the only one?
Maybe your daily reality includes a stubborn teenager and financial stress. Or maybe you're dealing with a very sick family member, the demands of a newborn or potty training gone awry. The point is that we all have things in our day-to-day lives that make homeschooling extra challenging. And we don't always choose to share them with others. I think it's important to keep that in mind when reading about and talking with other moms. Believe me, I say this more as a reminder to myself than to anyone else.
Now, that's not to say that we shouldn't bother reading about other families and their homeschooling. I thoroughly enjoy getting a glimpse into the lives of other homeschoolers by way of interesting blogs and homeschooling websites. I think that the connections we make with other moms via blog posts and online forums can provide a necessary supplement to our real-life relationships. I often enjoy taking a break, sitting down to read on the computer and feeling connected to other moms, even though I may not really know them at all. But, depending on the day I'm having, I can feel encouraged by reading about another family or else the same article only ends up feeding my feelings of inadequacy. Which is why I try to keep things in perspective and remind myself that what I'm reading, looking at or listening to from another homeschooling mom, is only one small piece of a very big picture.
In my last post, I mentioned some links to other interesting things around the web. I highly recommend the article "Don't Carpe Diem" at Huffington Post, and also Simcha Fisher's post at the NC Register, "To the Mother With Only One Child." Both are well-written words of encouragement for any mom.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and find myself a cup of coffee and some chocolate.
~ Dori
I had planned to have a couple posts this week detailing our workbox system, complete with pictures, free printables and a Link Up. You would all think I was a well-organized, homeschooling genius.
But then my one year old suddenly forgot how to sleep for more than a few hours at a time for the last couple of nights. No sleep at night = crabby baby (and mom!) during the day. Last night when my husband got home from work he took one look at me and the look of exhaustion on my face as I struggled to stay awake at only 6:00pm, and said jokingly to the boys, "what did you do to mommy?" It was pizza for dinner and every last ounce of energy I had (even with husband's help) to get the kids to bed.
That's the reality on many days, isn't it? So I decided to just write about that instead. Because it's a reminder that the things we read and look at online often don't give us the whole picture. People show us what they want us to see - in the virtual world and in the real one. We collect visions of other moms out there schooling their children who are all two grade levels ahead, in a clean and well-organized home, while providing delicious, nutritious meals that everyone enthusiastically eats. I can tell you that I have a pile of laundry worthy of a Guinness Record, I would have to think for a minute as to when my five year old last bathed, and we eat pizza for dinner far more often than I care to admit to. And I'm pretty sure that this is closer to the truth for most families.
Please tell me I'm not the only one?
Maybe your daily reality includes a stubborn teenager and financial stress. Or maybe you're dealing with a very sick family member, the demands of a newborn or potty training gone awry. The point is that we all have things in our day-to-day lives that make homeschooling extra challenging. And we don't always choose to share them with others. I think it's important to keep that in mind when reading about and talking with other moms. Believe me, I say this more as a reminder to myself than to anyone else.
Now, that's not to say that we shouldn't bother reading about other families and their homeschooling. I thoroughly enjoy getting a glimpse into the lives of other homeschoolers by way of interesting blogs and homeschooling websites. I think that the connections we make with other moms via blog posts and online forums can provide a necessary supplement to our real-life relationships. I often enjoy taking a break, sitting down to read on the computer and feeling connected to other moms, even though I may not really know them at all. But, depending on the day I'm having, I can feel encouraged by reading about another family or else the same article only ends up feeding my feelings of inadequacy. Which is why I try to keep things in perspective and remind myself that what I'm reading, looking at or listening to from another homeschooling mom, is only one small piece of a very big picture.
In my last post, I mentioned some links to other interesting things around the web. I highly recommend the article "Don't Carpe Diem" at Huffington Post, and also Simcha Fisher's post at the NC Register, "To the Mother With Only One Child." Both are well-written words of encouragement for any mom.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and find myself a cup of coffee and some chocolate.
~ Dori
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