Just because:)

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Glee Cast - Don’t Stop Believin’ lyrics

Another year older

Both of them!!! A & B!!! 10 and 6. Where does it go? 

We had a very fun-filled birthday week.  Since the kiddos were born 2 days apart it makes for quite the exciting week of festivites.  Shopping, wrapping, hiding so they won't find things, planning, inviting, and CELEBRATING!   Since we actually have friends now (lol)  they decided they wanted to have group party at the ever-famous Chuck E Cheese.  Notice I said "they"!!!  Not my first choice of venue but hey, it's their day.   It turned out to be a smart move.  15 wild and crazy kids running around, playing games, getting tickets and prizes with pizza and cake on the menu. Everyone had a BLAST!!!  A says that "Chuck E Cheese is the BEST place EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  B shared the sentiment.

So despite all the chaos and craziness that comes with having 2 kids born at practically the same time, AND a few days away from Thanksgiving,  I loved every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing!

My Thanksgivings are always filled with gratitude for the joy that those 2 beautiful children bring to my life.
Happy Birthday A & B. May this life bless you with all the happiness, love and excitement that you've blessed me with.
xoxoMommy

A major goal accomplished

One of the main things A wanted to do when we moved back was to volunteer at the Humane Society.  He is absolutely passionate about animals, dogs in particular.  He has such a way with them, that we call him the Doggy Pied Piper!  Well little did we know that the Humane Society has an insurance issue and will not allow anyone under the age of 18 to volunteer!!!  I know!  But I guess I understand:/
So I went on a google search for some private rescue organizations around the county.  Low and behold, the first one I emailed, we got a response from!!! 
Animal Aid, Inc. is a not-for-profit, no-kill, rescue shelter.  One woman started it years ago all by herself and has literally found thousands of animals forever homes.  She's very cool, too.  She could care less that A is only 10. She said "he's bright, capable, learns quickly and is not afraid to get in there and get his hands dirty!"  Well, amen to THAT!
So he's on the schedule.
  
He thanked me tonight  :)

While I'm at it.............

Since I'm here, I should write a bit about how our 'at-home, learning-time" is going.  FYI, we call it that, because ANYTHING that remotely resembles 'school' just will not happen, (without much protesting anyway:)   And we don't want to go down THAT path.   SO...........

Story of the World is going really well.  Both A & B love the stories, the art projects, the maps and the extra literature that the activity book suggests.   Since we can now ride our bikes to the brand new library down the street, we get as many extra books as possible on the particular chaper we're on!  This week we started Ancient China!

Our Literature program has been working quite well.  It's Junior Great Books. I got it at a yard sale from a retired teacher. She highly recommended it.  We skip around a lot to fit our needs.  Each lesson will either be a folk tale, a classic story or a poem.   We take turns reading it may times throughout the week and there are corresponding art projects,  comprehension questions, even skits for the kids to act out.  It's very similar to SOTW, so that's probably why they're enjoying it so much.

A is working on mastering his times tables.  He's also discovered that he loves fractions! And he's going through a sudoku phase:)
Animals are such a huge passion of his. I found a great Animal Encyclopedia. He reads it freely and writes facts that he didn't know about each animal in his notebook. 
Lauguage Arts, grammar, etc. are all touched on and explored with his curriculum workbook.

B is enjoying learning her sight words with flash cards and a bingo/rhyming/word game I found. We do phonics pretty much every day.   Daddy works on math concepts with her since that's now my strong suit(hehe).  I picked up a copy of Teaching Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons from the library. I wanted to see if it's something we'd use before purchasing it.  I'll try it after I've read the Parent Guide.
Oh and, B makes these special cookies from France with her Poppy every time they get together!  She's getting so good at it, she'll be able to make them on her own soon! 

Catching up on the blog!

The business of facilitating my childrens learning has taken quite the busy turn! Man, it seems like we have not stopped since moving here. Rick and I were calculating the days and it turns out we've only been here 43 days! That's not a whole lot of time when you consider unpacking your family's entire life, dates with friends and extended family, dates with my husband (:)), field trips, the library, park days, parties and learning-time at home. 43 days goes by really fast!

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is EXACTLY why we moved back! Our homeschooling journey went from: "what are we going to do?" to "which activity are we going to pick?"

And honestly, we have met some of the coolest moms and kids, ever! My daughter has girlfriends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm exstatic for her. Here are pics from our field trip today with the group.

Treasure Hunting

That's what it feels like! Opening each box and discovering what we packed is like discovering it all over again! haha I'm not about the materialism of 'stuff', but I do have a lot of memories attached to my things. All the places we've traveled, all the little things my parents kept for me from my childhood, my kiddos special do-dads from their 'baby days', beautiful items given to me from my elderly or passed-on relatives. All that energy is right there in those special trinkets!
So unpacking hasn't been the drudgery that I thought it might be. It gives me a chance to remember and appreciate the path that has gotten me to today.

Welcome Home

It's crazy! The last 3 years we've lived in NC, trying to make a go of things and it just never really happened for us.

Here we are, back in Florida only 2 days.......I'm feeling like we just took a 3 year break and NOW we're HOME. The familiarity is comforting. Having my friends back! Having opportunities to work and create again! I don't regret the last 3 years at all. I believe we needed to be there at that point in our journey. But it also opened our eyes to what is important to us, as people, as parents, as social/creative beings.

Now we have the task of getting unpacked, organized and comfortable in our new house. Baby steps is my new mantra! It will get done. I'm happy to know that this is where we'll BE.

Take Back Your Education by John Taylor Gatto YES! Magazine

This is an amazing article. Makes me passionately believe that the decision to homeschool my children is the right decision - for us:) So many of the things I see going on in our society today can be attributed to the very things John Taylor Gatto speaks of in this article!



Take Back Your Education by John Taylor Gatto YES! Magazine

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Homeschooling, packing and moving.....OH MY!!!

Yes, you heard right! We've decided to pick up our little family and MOVE AGAIN!

I guess it was only a matter of time. As I've written about in past posts, we've been going back and forth to Florida for about 8 months now. The drive has not been a problem at all. We've actually gotten so good with our little system, that it was pretty easy a trip.

Our dilemma would come when it was time to come back to NC. We'd look at each other and convince ourselves to "stay another week (or two)!" We'd be at the beach or at our favorite restaurant, or hanging out with Nanny & Poppy, or going to a home school group field trip....and we'd say the same thing...."let's just stay another week (or two)!" LOL

We really had to be honest with ourselves. We had to decide what we wanted and where we wanted to be! We came to the conclusion that the opportunities down in FL are more plentiful for us. The access to anything really is so great! We were able to find a house that suits our needs and its in an area that will be fantastic for the kids. Parks, library, museums, the list goes on.

So in 3 weeks we will be packing our life onto a moving truck and going back to the very city we so badly wanted to get away from!!!! Its ironic. Bu we can also admit when something is not working. When we left FL, our situation was completely different. Especially financially. Our expenses were growing with the real estate market and we felt we better get out before it was too late. Also, A was in public school and it was grueling! Kindergarten felt like college, or prison for that matter...take your pick! I guess we needed to come up here to let go and gain courage to jump into our homeschooling journey. So we're returning with a different lifestyle, a different perspective and a better financial picture too!

And it'll be awfully nice to have the grandparents close by!!!!!!!!!! It takes a village. Well, I'll settle for a couple family members:)
Until later.

Documenting our Year of Homeschooling

My OCD is coming out -- AGAIN!!!

I recently found out about Google Documents!!! Oh my goodness, what a find. Even though in my state I technically don't need to keep a portfolio of the years learning, I am compelled to JUST DO IT!!!

So yesterday I started going month by month, writing a document of all the 'educational' things we did. I had originally thought this blog would be for that purpose, but then I really started including other random, life things.

I have a calendar diary and every day I kept track of all the cool, interesting, learning stuff we did. Now I'm transferring all that information into the Google Doc. I know that no one will ever come knocking on my door asking to see proof of our schooling. But at least I know I'll have it in an easily accessible place. And it looks pretty professional and organized!!

Another cool perk of doing this - I get to see that our first year of HSing was jam-packed full of learning, fun, family-time and goals met! All the doubt, the questioning, the hoping and praying that this was the right decision -- relieved!

It was, and is the right decision. For my kids and OUR family!
It hasn't been easy, but anything worthwhile is going to be challenging.
Here's to another year of School-Free Learning at the Avalon Academy:)

The Day the King of Pop Died

Michael Jackson died today!

What a shock, what a loss. Yes, he turned out to be an odd, confusing, strange person.....
But the talent, the music, the inspiration, brought so much joy to my life.

May he finally be at peace.

A has returned! Let the chaos begin!

Our world traveler A, is HOME!! After a whirlwind, 4 week trip throughout England, he has now returned to REALITY!!!!!! haha

We always have a decompression period when A returns. I should have been more prepared this time. This was the longest he's ever been away. All attention on him and all activities revolve around him. So you could imagine the shock at coming home and remembering he has a little sister, a Mom & a Step-Dad!!!! Of course, I'm joking, he did call quite a few times and he actually sounded as if he missed us:)

But, the problem with A getting these wonderfully generous adventures, is that he thinks it should continue. That it's the way we should live. That everyday should be a field-trip, a shopping-trip, a horse-riding lesson, a day of surfing, or a trip to the theater!!!!

So here is the dilemma.......how do we help A understand that those trips are very special, but when he returns home, it's back to business as usual?

My other dilemma......B has really come out of her shell this time! She's 5 1/2 and she's really developing her personality, her independence, her own voice. She tends to get 'squashed' by A's BIG personality. He assumes that she's exactly the way she was when he left, that she hasn't changed. When in fact, she has, A LOT!!! I find myself trying to bridge the gap. She missed him SO much so all she wants to do is be around him, constantly! He want's his space, which I can't blame him......but.....I'm working on showing him how to be more sensitive to her needs as well.

All in a days work, I guess:) It's all a process. It's all about the journey, not the destination!!! This too shall pass!!! OK, does it sound like I'm trying to convince myself of something? haha

Test Results

OK, there is this part of me that SO doesn't care about A's standardized test results........BUT the other part ........................is SO relieved!!!! Forgive me for that:) But he scored average and higher than average on all the material. So he's offically graduated from 3rd grade!

A is a pretty brilliant kid. I've never doubted his ability to 'learn'. His ability to motivate himself, yes, but not to learn! hahaha I guess though, that I have doubted MY ability to facilitate his learning. I'm just really glad that this first year was a success, with all its ups and downs. All its adjustments and tweeking. All the adventures.

So, as I write this, A is enjoying a month in England with his grandparents! His grandma, the retired teacher, has many exciting things planned. A musical in the West End, surfing in Cornwall, King Arthur's Castle in Tintagel. And of course, just hanging out with his family and his little dog Rinky! I'm really happy for him.

Meanwhile, those of us that he's left at home, are going to use this time wisely!!!
I've started my veggie beds, B and I are going to have some 'girlie' play-dates. AND we're going back to FL to work on the house some more. And Rick and I may be able to sneak in an Anniversary getaway. Just the 2 of us!!!! Keep your fingers crossed that we can pull it off. B is still pretty attached to me, especially at night. But her Nanny & Poppy, thankfully, are cool with co-sleeping! hahaha

Miss Me?

Just kidding! It's been such a long time since I posted. And so much has happened!

We went to FL, moved into the new house. Slept on mattresses on the floor for 2 weeks until we could find beds we liked. Lived out of an ice chest for a week until we could get appliances delivered. We enjoyed the beach, we spent time with the grandparents. Rick and I had a date almost every week!!!! We even went to the Hard Rock casino and 'pretend' gambled! LOL

A & B had an OK time. It was hard on B not being in her usual habitat. A, on the other hand, is completely adaptable. He just gets bored if we're not 'doing' something ALL the time. The days we were physically working on the house were tough. But we managed to do learning almost every morning and we completed his standardized test for the NC requirement. So that's very exciting and I'm proud of him for doing so well:)

We also joined the local homeschool group! What a diverse, interesting, fun group of moms and kids. We went to a couple park days and an ECO Nature Class. Both A & B made new friends and look forward to spending more time with them in the future.

The next trip will be at the end of April. A is going to the UK with his grandparents for a month. We'll be seizing that opportunity to get some more work done on the house. One kid is easier to entertain in that situation than 2. We have some really ugly wallpaper to take off, we have a bathroom to pretty much gut and start fresh. We want to enclose the carport so it can be utilized as a storage room. That requires permits from the city and the headaches that go along with it!!! But we're taking that all in stride and it'll get sone when it gets done.

In the mean time, we're here in NC enjoying the beautiful weather. The dogwoods are blooming, the bees are going NUTS!!! It's amazing. Thank you bees for pollenating my blueberries!!!!:)
Plotted out my veggie beds yesterday and look forward to planting seeds very soon.

Heading Back to Florida!

Yay!!! We got the house!!!

We're heading down to Florida this weekend to start moving things in, paint, and hopefully work out all the logistics for Nanny and Poppy to move in as well! My hope is that we can help them rent out their condo while they live in the house. It's unfortunate that they didn't try to put the condo on the market a couple years ago when they first wanted to. Trying to sell anything in FL now is next to impossible. Since we've owned a number of rental properties and we know the ropes, we think that this may be the best option for their situation.

So, it's on the road again for the family! We love it, it keeps things exciting and fresh!
Keeping the family together, experiencing what the world has to offer, doing what's best us at this very moment. That's what it's all about!

Ups & Downs

Let me preface this by saying -- I REALLY DO love homeschooling, REALLY!



But why, oh why, does it have to be such a struggle some days??????????????

Honestly, days like today make me want to throw in the towel. But then I tell myself, this too shall pass. The benefits far outweigh the risks! haha



Granted, A has been sick with some kind of bug for the last week. On those days, he enjoyed coloring, making paper airplanes, watching Animal Planet, and a lot of other stuff too! It's not like he didn't learn anything.



So today he felt better and I wanted to get back to some learning time. After we all wake up, have breakfast, get washed up, etc. we usually sit at the table and do some lessons. We're eclectic home learners, so it's not like I have stacks of curriculum that I demand he finish.

I pick out a few things, or I even let him pick what he would like to do.

Towards the end of our time, (mind you, it's only been about 45 minutes) he was doing his times tables video game and he LOST IT!!!



I eventually told him to get of the computer for a breather, have lunch, go outside, get some energy out!!! I was going to have him try again later in the day, but I figured, give it a day.

My struggle with this times tables thing is this...I've tried drills, I've tried flashcards, I've tried songs. When I found this video game, it was something I thought would really work. He LOVES computer games!!! He was very enthusiastic about it ---UNTIL he reached level3! He also realized that he had to get all the way throught the 12's!!! I think he feels this is going to go on forever!

I'm torn between giving him a break and making him stick to it!
AAAHHHH, the joys of homeschooling:) Tomorrow's another day, right?

Learning to let go and move on

The entire last post was for nothing!!!

The house we were so excited to get ended up being a complete mess! The inspection report revealed that there is extensive mold, termites, plumbing and electrical problems. The 'cosmetic' work that had already been done, was so good that you would never suspect these kinds of issues INSIDE the walls! Thank goodness for inspectors!

It really is a blessing, because major remodeling is NOT what we want or need!
It's been a very good lesson for me. Sometimes I get so caught up in the planning. I had the paint and the floors picked out already! I was starting to put my heart into it. Not a smart thing to do in this kind of situation:)

Oh well.

So thankfully while we were in FL we had looked at another house, to have for a back-up in case this very thing might happen!! It's gone very smoothly so far. They accepted our offer, we've signed the contracts and the inspector goes in this Tues. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but I'm not holding my breath!!

I'll start picking out paint colors once it's actually OURS!:)

To update the homeschooling adventure:
A has been doing a lot of sketching and playing guitar.
Working on a lot of Language Arts too, including silent letters, pre-fixes and suffixes.
He loves to do science on the I Know That website.
He's been taking a break from his times tables. Frustration was becoming a problem, so I told him to come back to it when he's ready.

Will it happen?

Who knows! I'm referring to the closing of our (but NOT ours) house in Florida!

We were supposed to close on Jan. 15. Well that obviously didn't happen! There have been a lot of glitches with the electric meter. For one, it wasn't there!!! It was vandalized or something. So the owner had to have a new one installed, which required pulling a permit with the city! After that was accomplished, they had to get an electritian our to hook-up the electic and get it turned on with FPL!!! For some reason this takes 3 weeks!!!!

Anyway, the electric IS ON as of yesterday. We hope to get it inspected in the next couple days,
get the paperwork to our lawyer and hopefully close on Wed., the 28th. And we're trying to accomplish all this from 800 miles away. Thank goodness my husband is a very organized person:) And he doesn't get easily frustrated.

The plan is to have Rick's parents move out of their tiny condo and into the house. They need more room to 'be' happy! If we can help them do that, then we'll be happy as well.

Keeping our fingers crossed and saying a prayer.

Tears of Joy!

What a beautiful, historic day!!! The beginning of a brighter future!

It's snowing where we live today!!! Making it even more beautiful!
We have been cleansed. We will start fresh! All is new!

I will remember this day for the rest of my life!

"I HAVE A DREAM"

The kids and I just watched the re-broadcast of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech from 1963!
It brought tears to my eyes. Absolutely POWERFUL!

We studied a little about the history and A seems to really get it! The oppression, the inequality, the injustice! It's amazing how children get it so much more than adults do! A said "all this because of the color of their skin????".

YES!

We're very excited about tomorrow's inauguration of OUR 44th President. We're going to watch it on tv and have a little celebration. It's means so much, on so many levels. I want it to stay in the kids hearts and minds forever.

DREAMS are the things that keep us moving forward! CHANGE is what gives us new perspective and hope for the future! It's a beautiful thing!

HOME!

We arrived back in NC last night. The trip went well. Didn't REALLY seem like 12 HOURS!!!!
Yeah right! But the kids were great. They actually keep themselves busy on the road. I think now that we've done this so many times that they're becoming very well-seasoned travelers!

Thank goodness, because we intend to do this A LOT!

We had planned on closing on the house in FL before coming home. But that didn't happen.
Once we do finally get this house, Rick will be going back down there, with our contractor to do work to make the house "livable". Once those things are finished, we'll be able to go back and add the finishing touches!

We're excited and keeping our fingers crossed that everything works out. If it's meant to be.....it will be!

2 weeks into 2009!!

I can't believe that it's already 2 weeks into this new year!!! What the......!

We're in the process of purchasing a house! We're waiting for the usual paperwork....etc...to go through. We have to secure the property and get back to NC!

We decided that we really do miss the warmth, the beach, the culture, the chaos, the parents, the old friends..... So buying this home is giving us the opportunity to have (hopefully) the best of both worlds! NC is still going to be our first home. But when we need to change it up, a short 12 hour (ugh!) drive to sunny South Florida will be the cure for our restlessness! Especially when it starts getting chilly!

I'm so thankful that our family has the opportunity to do this. Homeschooling has really opened up so many new possibilities for us. Since we've been here, we've continued with our learning, supplemented of course, with really fun outtings. The laptop has also been a huge help! Whenever A has a question about something he's seen or heard, we google it!!! We all learn something!

The World is our classroom. Learning happens everywhere, everyday! We're lucky to have realized it when we did. Life is too short to not grab it and make it what you want.

Slackin'

Ok, I'm totally slacking here.

But honestly, we are having so much fun it's hard to take the time out to post!
We've been going to the beach, hanging out with my best girlfriend and her baby, house shopping (details later) eating and drinking!!!!

When things slow down a bit, I'll get back to my regular routine;)