Instagram Update : A day late and a dollar short

A day late and a dollar short. 

It could be my life theme right now. 

Welp, I'm dealing with it and moving forward the best I can. There has been so many big things happening at our house that I realize there's no good way to keep up with it all. 

Instagram Update

Happy wednesday! Here's what we've been up to since last week:

Here we are on a morning walk in the new (to us) wagon. 

I QUIT! & Other things ...

We are enjoying some amazing weather here in Iowa. 

Yesterday it was like 70! Ok I actually didn't check the temp (I usually don't) but it FELT that warm so I hurried and packed a yummy lunch for the kiddos and we were off the the zoo. 

Even though we've gone 3x in the last few weeks, it isn't getting old AT ALL. 

also...

Did I tell you guys I quit smoking? 

Did you even know I was a smoker?? (I hope NOT)

Homeschool : A day in the life of a secular homeschooler

Hey guys! So glad to be back and ready to show you how my teaching methods have changed since beginning our journey called "homeschooling" nearly a year ago. 

When I first began, I had the vision of a classroom and school set up like the public schools I had taught at for nearly six years. Why would I want that? I'm not even sure, I really didn't enjoy being micro-managed or scolded over mismatched chairs and curtains that were hanging long enough. It was exhausting how much was expected to be shoved into a day, and what was not included.

So, as the months progressed I came to the realization that this was my chance to make school whatever it was that worked for us. 

Homeschool Wk. 1 Lesson Plan All About Your Body

***Disclaimer*** this is not how I schedule homeschool anymore. I really want to show how I have grown even after less than a year of homeschooling***
This post was saved from almost a year ago, and looking back at it makes me EXHAUSTED.
I spent a lot of time in the evenings preparing my lessons, finding websites, resources, etc etc...

That is in no way how I choose to homeschool now, but you can see where I began. (now back to the original post)


Hello !!  I'm sure I have mentioned this before, but for this post it needs to be repeated: I have an exceptionally smart little girl. Yep, that's it. Bet you thought it was going to be a bit more profound, huh? 

I point this out because this post is the first of 5 discussing how I homeschool. I have wanted to create this series long before I began keeping her home. Partly because I feel that I don't homeschool quite the same as other mommies and also because it is SO DIFFICULT to find curriculum to keep an exceptional student engaged. I especially find it difficult to locate curriculum that is void of religion. I do teach my daughter that religions exist, but not that one is true compared to others.  I began my planning (curriculum planning) a month before she started to stay home, which was May 1, 2012. It was tedious and fun and frustrating and liberating all at the same time. 

I certainly don't mean to discourage anyone, instead I'd like to do my part in helping other parents who have a smarty pants at home.  ALSO- I AM NOT AN EXPERT. I don't claim to be and don't want anyone to think otherwise. I'm just a mommy who wants to teach her child as best she can& I strive to give her lots of knowledge! I pull things from online, in books, and right out of my old noggin' to do with her. 

What I've been doing...

Hello all, it's been quiet around my house these last few days. We had my dad and sister in town visiting for Thanksgiving, so lots of hustle and bustle... even for this quick moving family. 

Since my dad was occupying my craft room/spare bedroom there wasn't much going on in terms of sewing. 

Baby Boy/Littlest monster chose Thanksgiving to debut his new crawl. I was so excited. He went down for nap a boy who rocked back and forth and woke up a crawler. So, one day after his 8 month milestone he crawled. That'a boy. 

Creating Preschool Curriculum that's FUN!

My husband and I had discussed keeping my daughter home for her second year of preschool. Though I enjoy her being at school with friends and have noticed the great strides she's made in terms of letter recognition and sounding out letters, I have also noticed LOTS of other things she's began to pick up. 

For example:

YOU'RE not my friend anymore. 

This or that person is my boyfriend/girlfriend.

(insert name here) says/does that.