Homeschooling by the Numbers [Infographic]
When we encounter individuals who either don't understand homeschooling OR individuals who attack our decisions to homeschool, I like to be prepared with information that backs up my choice.
I found these stats to be about as straight forward as you can get!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
A is HOME!!!
The summer is over and I have my boy back! 3 inches taller and 8 lbs heavier!!! Thank goodness his Grandma bought him a bunch of new clothes and shoes! The stuff he left behind doesn't fit at all. Donation time at the Goodwill:)
B is thrilled/sad to have him home! One half of her is so excited to have her beloved brother back. The other half is dreading the prospect of having to share(toys, food, parents) having to ask for permission to enter his room and having to share the bathroom.
We'll be starting a number of new activites as well. Our first meeting with 4H is next week at a nature center. B has weekly dance classes. A will be trying an introductory martial arts class to see if its something he'd like to persue. And the animal shelter is anxious for him to come back to the doggies and get back to training new volunteers!
Our plate is full - Life is Good:)
B is thrilled/sad to have him home! One half of her is so excited to have her beloved brother back. The other half is dreading the prospect of having to share(toys, food, parents) having to ask for permission to enter his room and having to share the bathroom.
We'll be starting a number of new activites as well. Our first meeting with 4H is next week at a nature center. B has weekly dance classes. A will be trying an introductory martial arts class to see if its something he'd like to persue. And the animal shelter is anxious for him to come back to the doggies and get back to training new volunteers!
Our plate is full - Life is Good:)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Summer is here
Getting ready for a summer with only one kiddo at home! A is making a huge jump into tweendom. In the past he's gone to England with his grandparents for about 3 weeks. This year he's going for 2 months!!! I struggled with that for a while. Not for him, but for me!!! LOL
Thank goodness he's very independent and adapts well to changing situations. He's never been a clingy kid. Never cried when dropped off at preschool, never fussed when mommy had to leave him with a sitter to go to work. He's got a stong and adventurous personality. So needless to say, he's SUPER excited about his summer in England!
We've also got some plans for B while her brother is gone. Working on her independence and her clinginess!! haha She does seem to sprout while he's away. She comes out of her shell and feels much more confident. It's interesting to watch. We shall see what she accomplishes this time:)
Excited for both of them during this exciting time!
Thank goodness he's very independent and adapts well to changing situations. He's never been a clingy kid. Never cried when dropped off at preschool, never fussed when mommy had to leave him with a sitter to go to work. He's got a stong and adventurous personality. So needless to say, he's SUPER excited about his summer in England!
We've also got some plans for B while her brother is gone. Working on her independence and her clinginess!! haha She does seem to sprout while he's away. She comes out of her shell and feels much more confident. It's interesting to watch. We shall see what she accomplishes this time:)
Excited for both of them during this exciting time!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Passion, creativity, art, music, team work, talent, friendship, JOY!
After 15 years of being away from theater, I found my voice again! It never left of course, but my life had taken a different path. Being a wife and a mom will always be my number one role, but to have the opportunity to express myself creatively has renewed me. It also showed my children that Mommy is A LOT more than what they see every day.
This was a goal that I had been waiting to achieve for 20 years. But I also believe that had I played the role back then it probably wouldn't have been as fulfilling or as multi-dimensional. There's a lot to be said for 20 years of life experience that one can bring to a character.
I also reconnected to a group of people that give me so much joy. 'Theater People':) People who 'get' you. People who have the same love and respect for the craft. These will be life-long friends.
This will not be the last production I do. The fire has been sparked and this time I won't let it go out!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Mom & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
For the last 6 months my brothers and I have been planning a celebration for our parents 50th wedding anniversary. We decided to all gather in Southern California and surprise them with a cruise to Mexico.
We really wanted to do it up for them. We planned the cruise, we rented a limo for the ride to and from the port, we ordered them a special cake, crystal champagne glasses and I created a photo book of their life together. It was really fun surprising them. And also it's been about 10 years since ALL of us were together. That was probably the most touching thing for them, having all their kids together - getting along!!!! haha
There were a few issues with sea sickness. My dad, my brother and my husband all got sick the first day. It was really bad. The weather was crazy. The ship was all over the place. They even had to change the cruise itinerary because it was unsafe to get into one of the ports. It was also very cold. So we spent most of our time indoors. We never even unpacked our swim suits!
Before the cruise we also had the opportunity to go out and spend time with my birth-mom, Marina and my grandpa Del and his wife, Helen.
My brothers had been wanting to meet them for a while now. So Grandpa Del took us all out for dinner. Mom and Helen really hit it off too. Helen told my mom the story of how she was the first person to give me a bath when I was not even a week old. My brothers, SIL and niece all thought that Marina was really nice and bubbly and they could see where I get my outgoing personality from! LOL
All our planning was a HUGE success. The parents will never forget their 50th Anniversary:)
We really wanted to do it up for them. We planned the cruise, we rented a limo for the ride to and from the port, we ordered them a special cake, crystal champagne glasses and I created a photo book of their life together. It was really fun surprising them. And also it's been about 10 years since ALL of us were together. That was probably the most touching thing for them, having all their kids together - getting along!!!! haha
There were a few issues with sea sickness. My dad, my brother and my husband all got sick the first day. It was really bad. The weather was crazy. The ship was all over the place. They even had to change the cruise itinerary because it was unsafe to get into one of the ports. It was also very cold. So we spent most of our time indoors. We never even unpacked our swim suits!
Before the cruise we also had the opportunity to go out and spend time with my birth-mom, Marina and my grandpa Del and his wife, Helen.
My brothers had been wanting to meet them for a while now. So Grandpa Del took us all out for dinner. Mom and Helen really hit it off too. Helen told my mom the story of how she was the first person to give me a bath when I was not even a week old. My brothers, SIL and niece all thought that Marina was really nice and bubbly and they could see where I get my outgoing personality from! LOL
All our planning was a HUGE success. The parents will never forget their 50th Anniversary:)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Lots of stuff going on
So we're already at the end of February!!! Unbelievable! I thought that after the holidays things would slow down or get back to 'normal'. I'm finally starting to see that THIS IS NORMAL! LOL I thrive on organized chaos I guess.
Since the last time I wrote, we've continued our learning journey with all it's ups and downs. A is coming along nicely with his math. I kind of got off his back about the times table situation and moved on to division concepts. It was a good move, because he's seeing how division is the opposite of multiplication. And isn't that what I want anyway? I want him to understand and use the concepts!
B is reading, on her own schedule. Her math skills are progressing to doing actual addition problems. She enjoys adding EVERYTHING! haha
One day, out of curiosity, I was googling local theaters to see what's going on around town. And up pops an audition notice for the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!! I was up for the lead role of The Narrator about 20 years ago in L.A.! I didn't get it then, so it's always been in the back of my head that I would someday do it. Well, I got up enough nerve to actually go to the audition and ---I GOT THE PART!!
YAY! This was actually a huge hurdle for me to overcome. Having been out of the game for so many years, my confidence was, shall we say, lacking!
But, just like anything, if you love it, it comes back to you. It feels like I never stopped. I'm having a blast at rehearsals and can hardly wait to open in April!
One of my dreams has been to have my kids and husband see me on stage in a musical. And now it's going to come true. I couldn't be happier:)
Since the last time I wrote, we've continued our learning journey with all it's ups and downs. A is coming along nicely with his math. I kind of got off his back about the times table situation and moved on to division concepts. It was a good move, because he's seeing how division is the opposite of multiplication. And isn't that what I want anyway? I want him to understand and use the concepts!
B is reading, on her own schedule. Her math skills are progressing to doing actual addition problems. She enjoys adding EVERYTHING! haha
One day, out of curiosity, I was googling local theaters to see what's going on around town. And up pops an audition notice for the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!! I was up for the lead role of The Narrator about 20 years ago in L.A.! I didn't get it then, so it's always been in the back of my head that I would someday do it. Well, I got up enough nerve to actually go to the audition and ---I GOT THE PART!!
YAY! This was actually a huge hurdle for me to overcome. Having been out of the game for so many years, my confidence was, shall we say, lacking!
But, just like anything, if you love it, it comes back to you. It feels like I never stopped. I'm having a blast at rehearsals and can hardly wait to open in April!
One of my dreams has been to have my kids and husband see me on stage in a musical. And now it's going to come true. I couldn't be happier:)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Learning update.....
I'm amazed at how well our learning has been going! OK OK, it's only been 2 days back from Christmas break!!! But really it feels like there is a renewed sense of goal setting and accomplishment. On everyones part. B pretty much asks to do 'school' every day. A on the other hand is usually pretty resistant. But yesterday and today he was totally into it!
We're still working through Story of the World which we all really enjoy. It covers a lot of subjects. History, geography, social studies, literature, cultures and art. Right now we're on the chapter of Ancient Africa.
A has been writing thank-you notes to everyone who sent him presents. Which is awesome, because for a while now he's been hating anything to do with writing. The gratification of receiving responses helped too. It's nice when someone writes back, isn't it?:)
He also asked to do fractions and is getting into his own little routine of independent reading first thing in the morning!
OK, I better stop right now before I jinx it.....LOL
We're still working through Story of the World which we all really enjoy. It covers a lot of subjects. History, geography, social studies, literature, cultures and art. Right now we're on the chapter of Ancient Africa.
A has been writing thank-you notes to everyone who sent him presents. Which is awesome, because for a while now he's been hating anything to do with writing. The gratification of receiving responses helped too. It's nice when someone writes back, isn't it?:)
He also asked to do fractions and is getting into his own little routine of independent reading first thing in the morning!
OK, I better stop right now before I jinx it.....LOL
Sunday, January 3, 2010
2010 -HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
I certainly brought in the new year with a bang! I got back on stage and sang in front of an audience for the first time in eons!!! LOL Well it felt like eons:) Since moving back to FL my friends who I used to perform with all the time decided to put our 'little show' back together. A Broadway review that we can pretty much perform anywhere. We use recorded tracks and honestly we don't even need a real stage! It's mostly comprised of solos, duets and a couple group numbers.
When I was pregnant with B, I quit singing with the rock band, because I had some small complications. But really, I was just SO DONE with the stress, the hours, the people, the time it took away from my being a Mom! AND I didn't love it anymore. I could have done that gig in my sleep, in fact, I think I did sometimes!
Now that A & B are getting a bit older, I found that I was begining to miss the creativity, the excitement, the joy really, of singing and performing musical theater. It's totally different than singing with a band. I enjoy expressing the story of a song, portraying a particular character.
Another very funny aspect of this whole show thing is how the kids are responding to it! I had to go to a few rehearsals and I would get home late at night. That took a little getting used to, because since they've been alive, I've always been home at night!
Also, I found out they told their friends that "Mom's a singer and she's in a show on New Years Eve." I found this out when the neighbor boy who is 10 asked me what kind of music I sing! haha (I then found myself discussing my career with him:))
I'm more than a bit happy to see that A & B realize that Mom is more than what they live with everyday! This particular show was private, but the more we get booked, they will have opportunites to actually come and see me in action! We'll see what they think THEN! LOL
2010 is going to be a year of setting goals and doing our best, as a family, to reach them. Personally, spiritually, educationally, and all the other -allys! I feel really good about this year. I'm sure it will be full of a lot of music, many blessings and good fortune.
When I was pregnant with B, I quit singing with the rock band, because I had some small complications. But really, I was just SO DONE with the stress, the hours, the people, the time it took away from my being a Mom! AND I didn't love it anymore. I could have done that gig in my sleep, in fact, I think I did sometimes!
Now that A & B are getting a bit older, I found that I was begining to miss the creativity, the excitement, the joy really, of singing and performing musical theater. It's totally different than singing with a band. I enjoy expressing the story of a song, portraying a particular character.
Another very funny aspect of this whole show thing is how the kids are responding to it! I had to go to a few rehearsals and I would get home late at night. That took a little getting used to, because since they've been alive, I've always been home at night!
Also, I found out they told their friends that "Mom's a singer and she's in a show on New Years Eve." I found this out when the neighbor boy who is 10 asked me what kind of music I sing! haha (I then found myself discussing my career with him:))
I'm more than a bit happy to see that A & B realize that Mom is more than what they live with everyday! This particular show was private, but the more we get booked, they will have opportunites to actually come and see me in action! We'll see what they think THEN! LOL
2010 is going to be a year of setting goals and doing our best, as a family, to reach them. Personally, spiritually, educationally, and all the other -allys! I feel really good about this year. I'm sure it will be full of a lot of music, many blessings and good fortune.
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