Category: parenting

faith · fall · family · food · homeschooling · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · learning · marriage · motherhood · parenting · projects · seasons

How to Get Your Life Together In a Day

amandasexton2 Comments

Sometimes I make things so complicated, and truly that is unnecessary.  I realize there are circumstances that require extreme measures, but my life is not one of them.  Why do I get so stressed and anxious…wound up like an eight day clock?  I suspect it is because I am tired, just plain tired.  Being tired is not a sign that my life is falling apart.  Maybe it is a sign that my life is good, that I have a full and wonderful life…so much to be thankful for.

However, when things start piling up, pressing in, and coming undone I know it is time to do something different, settle in and refocus…just tweak things a bit.  There is no need for me to take a magic eraser to my whole life or to go through everything with a fine toothed comb.  Just a gentle redirection is all that is needed.  Gentle, but thorough.  You see, the bones are good, the underneath is still in tact, the anchor is what holds this ship in times of crazy schedules and busy days.  In times past I would begin a complete overhaul when I felt this way, but I have learned that extreme makeovers are most often the acting out of obsessions.  You know…that running dialogue in your head that makes you feel thin and shaky, nervous and irritable.  We moms have to learn to be gentle, even with ourselves.  

A very dear friend asked me the other day if I believed that sometimes there are cases where a person who was once whole could now be broken, with no hope of being whole again.  I listened to the question and took my friend seriously. I told this friend that, yes, I think it is possible, and that she did not have to be whole.  As I have thought about our conversation I have come to the conclusion that we are all broken in some way, and that it is most likely that we always will be.  Being whole is not about being completely put together…there is a reason that all the King’s horses and all the King’s men could not put Humpty together again.  Life comes down on us, it presses us, it breaks us, and we fall apart.  Once we have been broken there is no way to be whole again…not the kind of whole that we desire.  Being whole often times means we do not want to suffer this life and its trials, we long for naivety and simplicity.  But, those who get out in the world and bare burdens, get hands dirty, work hard, walk with damaged people, befriend the unfriendly, and try to be a part of the world will always be broken..it is inevitable.  The only way I ever imagine that I can avoid this is by shutting the world and people out.  In the end, I would rather be broken.

And this can apply to practical areas of my life as well.  If I desire to be out in the world living and learning with my kids, if I value relationship over everything else, if I put people on the top of my priority list, well then other things suffer…my house, my laundry, my body, my put togetherness.  I always feel that my life is a little undone, a little unkept.  But, in a way this is intentional.  I have chosen other things, to me they are more important things.  When criticisms come, and they will, I must be prepared to OWN my own life and choices.  I must be rooted and grounded in my heart.  I must also be willing to be honest, truthful with myself most of all.  This is the way that I face my life head on and how I deal with brokenness.

Today, as I was dealing with all of the emotions and stress that obsessions cause I waited for the panic to pass.  I got still and a wonderful thought came to me.  It does not take much to Get Your Life Together, Mandy.  In fact I am confident that it only takes one day of gentle internal work to feel better. This is because I am not expecting too much from myself or anyone around me…we are all broken. It is easy to be gentle when I recognize this.  Here are a few things I am doing today to regain a sense of confidence and beauty…how I am getting it together.

I Am…

  • Recognizing the dialogue in my head.  I am not trying to change it, just being aware of the Editor in Chief, the voice that keeps bossing me around, criticizing me.
  • Writing this post to share my thoughts, getting them out in the open.
  • Talking to my mom on the phone and enjoying our friendship.
  • Putting on a fresh face and a nice outfit.
  • Planning a trip to the pumpkin patch near our house.
  • Lighting candles.
  • Letting my kids be tired as well, we have been very busy.  No drill sergeant barking or correction.  
  • Taking a survey of my pantry and planning the meals I want to cook this week.
  • Doing a few loads of laundry.
  • Taking care of a speeding ticket that I got a few months back.  I made it through my probation period, and a big stress is off. 
  • Opening windows and doors to let the cool fresh breeze in.
  • Drinking Ceylon Tea..a new favorite and a wonderful gift from my husband.
  • Being quiet and just doing the next thing…gently walking through this house…room by room… accepting and being very thankful.
  • Praying the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” Over, and over again.
  • Accepting the financial stresses of a large family lifestyle and owning my spending choices.
  • Letting my kids be who they are…not requiring that they be caught up, on target, or ahead. 
  • Washing dishes in warm soapy water.
  • Listening to sounds…a lawn mower, Mockingbirds, eggs boiling on the stove.  Just listen.
  • Smelling the things cooking, the fresh autumn air, Samuel’s little head, Elinor’s sweaty puppy dog yumminess, out of the dryer laundry.
  • Waiting for my husband to come home so I can give him a hug.

This is what my day is shaping up to be…a wonderful day, a blessed day, another day to be a mom, wife, daughter, friend. 

   

family · home tour · parenting · projects

A Room of Their Own

amandasexton6 Comments

When I read Virginia Woolf’s A Room Of One’s Own a few years ago I was struck by the notion that women are in desperate need of personal space, literal space.  The reality of having a special space that is all my own is something that I cannot manage at this time in my life.  I cannot even go to the bathroom by myself.  But, I remember a time when I did not share everything, I had a little place to be by myself and dream, sing, pray, read, and think.  I had a room of my own when I was young.

It is this memory, and the warmth it creates that inspired me to create a special place that my daughters call their own, a room of their own…even if they do share the space.  For my oldest two daughters, sharing is all they know, they have always shared a room.  But, it is ok…it is their own room together. I love listening to them giggle at night, sharing secrets, whispering things to each other that they will never tell me.  Sisterhood is nourished in shared space, their special place.

Being the oldest in a large family has its perks, but the perks come at a price.  The older children bear a kind of burden that the littles will never know. When the littles are big will they remember all the little sacrifices their big sisters made for them, all the times that they were shown kindness or allowed to be a part…the gentleness, the patience, the caring?  Just last night I overheard my oldest two making Christmas gift lists for their little sisters, and I think a major homemade doll furniture project is underway.  This makes me hope…maybe this lifestyle creates and nourishes true affection.  I try to keep that in mind when I see attitudes, bickering, and drama.  

As Queen Mother, I like to inspire and facilitate affection…to encourage it.  When my older girls give, I like to give back.  In this way I hope they feel the rewards of their kindness, hard work, and selflessness.  It keeps things reciprocal, and shouldn’t all relationships be reciprocal?  I do not do these things to be fair…fairness is overrated and impossible in large families.  I do these things because I love my girls, and they love me…we are family.    

I like to give back to my older girls by treating them to special things like going to a favorite restaurant, spending time alone with me, buying a new outfit, picking up a specific treat when I go grocery shopping, giving them time alone when they request it, and making sure that I help them pursue their own interests and passions.  And that leads me to what I want to share with you in this post.

A new room of their own!

For a couple of weeks we have been working on this project together… refreshing paint, buying new bedding, ordering new accessories, and having a ball. I taught the girls how to paint a room, make and hang curtains (no sew), and we even made a fun little wall accessory out of twinkle lights.  They have been wanting a more “teenagery” (as they call it) room.  So here it is!  I hope you enjoy the before and after pictures.  As you will see, this room was in desperate need of a make-over.

Before & After

We ordered a few posters of their favorite musicals and movies and framed them; The Sound of Music, Gone With the Wind, The Princess Bride, and Meet Me in St. Louis.  
An Audrey Hepburn of her in her famous gown from Sabrina has still not arrived.  
The girls can’t wait to see it.   

          

The girls love reading in bed…

On Caroline’s Night Stand
Robinson Crusoe
The Story of the World Volume 2
Hans Christian Anderson
Lord of the Rings
Alice in Wonderland
Out of the Silent Planet
On Addy’s Night Stand
The Trial and Death of Socrates
The House of Hades
Eusibius The History of the Church
Pride and Prejudice
The Norton Anthology of World Literature
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
  • You can visit my Pinterest Board and see all the links and inspirations.  I warn you though, I am not a good Pinterest person.  I cannot seem to get into it that much.  I did find it useful when trying to put together this room.  Maybe some afternoon I will sit down with a cup of tea and discover what everyone else seems to love, but for now I remain a novice. 
  • We spray painted the bookshelf and lined the back with contact paper from the Dollar Store.
  • We also spray painted the lamp shades.  I have watermelon pink spray paint dust all over my garage. 
  • We have a navy and white chevron rug on our wishlist…maybe for Christmas! 
For those of you with older kids who do a lot, how do you keep the balance?  Do you do special things for those who help you carry a heavy load?  

Welcome Home Wednesdays
faith · homeschooling · learning · motherhood · parenting · pregnancy · saints

Liturgical Life: August & September

amandasexton1 Comment

August & September

August and September were full months indeed!  Baby Samuel was born on the 13th of August, and afterwards I observed my forty days of rest and healing.  Father Gregory came to the hospital to give a blessing after birth, and it was nice to have him there.  We had a small brunch at our house for Samuel’s eighth day naming, and Father Gregory came to our house for the first time.  We really enjoyed having him here and praying at our altar.  My churching took place at St. Arsenius hermitage.  As the end of the Church year approached I felt somewhat disconnected, until the Feast of the Dormition.  We did not do anything special as far as services.  The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos was two days after Samuel was born.  It was a wonderful way to end my pregnancy.  Samuel’s name day was on the 20th of August, and we celebrated with a kiss and a blessing.  I was just not well enough to do anything more.

The beginning of the Church year, September 1, did not feel like a beginning to me.  I was still recovering, and the quiet of this house felt good and healing.  My brother Joshua’s name day falls on the same day.  We called him and said special prayers for him that night.  My husband is his Godfather.  I spent part of the day observing and praying before the Nativity of the Theotokos icon on September 8.  It meant more to me this year than in year’s past.  On September 14 we sang our Elevation of the Holy Cross song and studied the icon.  Sophia’s name day was on the 17th and we took her out to eat Asian food, her favorite.  We talked about St. Sophia, a favorite in our family.

What we are reading:
The story of Saint Sophia.

Special Prayers:
Prayers for the beginning of the Church year and the school year.

Special services:
Blessing after birth.
Eighth day naming.
40 day churching.

Special Projects:
We gave the plant shed a makeover.  We turned it into a little schoolroom for Addy and Caroline.  We bought an air-conditioner and new laptops for the online classes.
Beginning school year – September 9  

faith · family · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · parenting · pregnancy

The Crying Baby Test

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The Crying Baby Test
A good reminder for me as I go back to Church.  It was difficult to manage my seven and three year old at times.  I wonder what Church will be like adding Samuel to the mix?  My friend posted this article on Facebook and I thought it would be nice to share here.

Below are photos of my Churching. I told my husband afterwards, “Well honey, we did it.  We got another baby born into this world.”  Churching has helped me find closure to a difficult journey, and I am thankful.  What a blessing to be Orthodox!

 

family · homeschooling · learning · parenting

Relax and Enjoy!

amandasexton2 Comments

My husband and I knew we would homeschool our children from the beginning.  In fact, we decided that before we were ever married.  We are both second generation homeschoolers and knew we wanted to homeschool our children as well…yes, I was homeschooled (only through high school)!

I left public school at a crucial time, a time when credits and tests are necessary to graduate.  However, my mother took a different approach.  I was allowed to sort of decompress for almost half of my freshman year.  I had to wean off of performance driven education and discover the joy of learning.  This took a wise mother and space.  Many mornings she let me sleep.  Many afternoons she let me read and do housework and connect with my younger brother.  He was homeschooled as well, however he was just starting kindergarten. I am ten years older than him, and that first year of homeschooling for both of us was a year of bonding.  We are extremely close to this day.  I would not trade those days for anything.

His kindergarten year was very different than if he had gone to public school.  My mom read to him a lot, he began a massive collection of knives, he went to the coffee shop with our grandfather, he played dress up a lot, and he played outside a lot.  She did a small phonics lesson with him most days, and she took him and I to the library often.  I remember thinking that he was the luckiest kindergartner in the world.

A few years went by…I got married…

And then I became a new mother, and I started feeling the excitement of teaching my own daughters at home…I love to teach.  When my oldest was four and my second daughter was two I went to my first homeschool book fair.  At that conference I was bitten by the curriculum bug, the one that turns moms into teachers and hoarders.  I was on a high when I left, ready to run home and organize my curriculum and project ideas.  I really wanted to start school early..I really loved the idea of making little students out of my toddlers.

And then there was this friend of mine..this wise woman that was in my life at just the right time.  Her oldest child is older than mine by about three years.  Her advice to me was hard to take, and at times I felt like she was a buzz kill when it came to my homeschooling excitement.  She used to say to me, “Don’t school early, Mandy.  You are going to be doing this a long time…put it off as long as you can. Just do fun things and be relaxed while the girls are young.”  My mom took her side, and I should have expected that.  I experienced her relaxed, relational homeschool style first hand.

After many conversations with my mom and watching my friend with her younger children, I began to warm to the idea that young children do not need to start formal school too early.  In fact, I have since adopted the opinion that formal school should be short and sweet for most of the grammar school stage.

Instead, why not just have lots of fun with the littles… read lots of books, make silly crafts, sing silly songs, eat yummy snacks, take naps together, play outside a lot, and live unpressed. I am glad we have never stressed our little ones with too much school.  As I watch my middle and high school students move on to harder subjects and more demanding schedules, I am happy that they had those years of wonder and freedom.  I am glad I had those years with them as well…oh the memories.

As a second generation homeschooler I have an advantage…I have a different perspective.  I was not pressed…even in high school.  My mom was not super big on schedules and checking boxes.  I did learn to run a house and be a servant.  I also went to college, and I did just fine..well in fact.  My kids will do well also if that is what they choose.  If they can read, write, listen, and have a developed work ethic they will succeed.
     
My highschooler is doing great in her classes.  My middle school student is coming into her own. Did their relaxed younger years hinder them? Did my mom’s relational style hinder me?  Certainly not.

So, just a bit of humble advice for those with little kids who are wondering if they are doing enough…you are! Enjoy your little kiddos…they grow up so quickly. Set down and add up how many years you will be homeschooling…that sum is close to thirty years for me!  No rushing that!…and I don’t want to.  
        

Welcome Home Wednesdays
faith · family · parenting · saints

Happy Name Day My Sweet Sophia

amandasexton1 Comment

It is an amazing story of love, devotion, and ultimate sacrifice.  A mother and her three daughters…an allegorical challenge to live virtue.  I asked Sophia today if she realized how blessed she was to have Saint Sophia as her saint.  She said yes, but that her story was sad.  In a way, I guess…but even sadder still is a mother who does not try to follow in Saint Sophia’s footsteps.  Lord have mercy.
For a wonderful retelling of this story visit this link:
I love you Sophia, my love in the middle.  Happy Name Day!

The Church celebrates and rejoices in the feast of the three daughters: Faith, Hope, and Love and their Mother Sophia, named for her wisdom: for in them she gave birth to the three godly virtues. Now they eternally behold their bridegroom, God the Word. Let us rejoice spiritually in their memory and cry: O our three Heavenly Protectors, establish, confirm and strengthen us in Faith, Hope and Love. Troparion – Tone 4 

homeschooling · learning · parenting

But really, how do I do this?

amandasexton7 Comments

My life these days is a work in finding a new normal.  After a very difficult pregnancy, I am exhausted.  I guess I did not expect my body to respond this way.  I usually bounce back from pregnancy and c-sections rather quickly…I usually feel so good afterwards.  This time has been different…bed rest I suspect is the culprit.  I feel as if I cannot get a handle on my days yet.  Will I ever be able to manage again?   I say all this to say this,

“Sometimes I do not get it ALL done.  In fact, sometimes this homeschool mom barely scrapes by.”

I have been here before, and I wonder at how I could so easily forget the very thin feeling of barely scraping by.  And then it comes to me.  Instead of feeling a sense of lack, I should be offering thanks.  I know from experience that everything comes together in time and that my anxiety is based on lies…I cannot do this, everything is falling apart, I am not enough.  It is my need to push and perform that is driving this anxiety.  My husband tells me I am beautiful and that I am doing a great job.  Why don’t I believe him?

Today I am trying to give thanks for this very special season and to listen to my husband.  I give thanks for this dirty house and piles of laundry…and school books everywhere…and lunch left out on the bar…and thank you notes to write…and clothes that don’t fit… and pain and exhaustion…and all the wonderful undone of my life right now.  Giving thanks truly is the first step to the question, “How do I do this?”

How do I do this? How do I homeschool in the midst of finding a new normal?  I don’t quite know yet, but I do know what I have done in the past.  I imagine some things will change.  Below is a list of things I do, and some very important things I do not do.  Your situation is different than mine.  Maybe its a move, or unemployment, or illness, or burnout, or whatever.  Whatever you are facing, the task of homeschooling in the midst of daily life can at times be very challenging.  I hope this list is encouraging, perhaps personal, and most importantly honest. Do not give up…I’m not.

Like my daddy used to tell me, “Mandy, you ain’t got no shine.”  His reference to my tomboy undone style was not a criticism.  It was his way of saying he liked my wild hair, and Wrangler blue jeans, and unpolished manners, and happy- to- be- near- you friendliness.  I am getting in touch with that girl today.  There is something very attractive about a woman who seems a little undone, real, gritty, and undeniably happy.  My life is not always picture Pinterest pretty…in fact it never is…but it is red dirt real.  Here is how I do it…the list could go on for miles, below is just a few of the highlights.  

Here is the real dirt…

What I Do…

  • I do the next thing.  That means I just keep going… doing the next task in front of me… trying not to worry about the future.  I say to myself, “This is my task, I do it unto the Lord.”
  • I get up early…when I don’t I see a marked difference in our day.  Getting up early changed my life for the better, and is key to how I get things done…especially homeschooling.
  • I pray alot…the kind of prayer that accompanies me as I go about…while I’m cooking, folding laundry, teaching a reading lesson, playing at the park, or changing soiled sheets in the middle of the night.
  • I keep close to my mother and listen to her advice.
  • I go to the hermitage and talk with my Spiritual Father.
  • I buy quality books and avoid high maintenance curricula.  I have studied and researched to find simple and beautiful books and teaching materials that do not overwhelm me or my kids.  I love to KEEP THINGS SIMPLE. We are a hybrid … a mixed bag of Charlotte Mason/ relational/ unschooling/classical/ Montessori/ style homeschoolers.  I have no idea how to classify what we do, but it works.  
  • I go on dates with my husband.  This is crucial for me and my husband.
  • I ask my husband’s advice and try to listen to his practical solutions to problems that arise.  His level headed, but sometimes difficult to accept advice helps me to keep things real.  He is my number one go to for help.
  • I have one good friend that I share my days and secrets with.  I do not have the energy or time to maintain more friendships, and this makes the one I have very special and enjoyable to me. 
  • I write.  Whether I am blogging, journaling, sketching a scene for my novel, or just running a dialogue in my head, I am always writing.  I sometimes have a hard time justifying the time I spend blogging, but so far I have managed to keep my blogging about writing which is why I began blogging in the first place.  Writing helps me wrap my brain around my life and inspires me to live intentionally.  It helps me be a better mother, wife, and person.  I organize my thoughts when I write, and this frees me to homeschool from my heart.  Writing is crucial for me.  
  • I schedule schoolwork by the week and not the month or year.  I realize that this is impossible for some people, but it is the only system that works for me.  In fact, I may not write anything down at all until after we have done it.  My curriculum planner is more like a journal…it gets filled up as we accomplish things.  I have grade level book lists, math and grammar spines, and a general idea of the seasonal projects I would like to do, and then I just go about doing the next thing.  This gives me the freedom to follow my kid’s interests and accommodate special needs.  I love this way of homeschooling.
  • I enrolled my older kids in an online homeschool program.  This has been wonderful.  It was time to let them go a little bit so that I can concentrate on the littles.  For high school subjects that are very teacher intensive I purchase curriculum that comes with lectures, solution manuals, and built in schedules and grading.  This is great for math and science.  Take a look at DIVE.
  • I drink coffee…
  • I cook to unwind…
  • I listen to all kinds of music…
  • I laugh out loud and try not to take myself so seriously…
  • I dance in the kitchen with my kids…
  • I say sorry when I am wrong (and that is often).
  • I take naps when I can.
  • I plan meals a week at a time and shop with a grocery list.  I cannot manage once a month shopping, even if it would save me a weekly trip to the store.  I have grocery lists and menus set up in Excel, and I print and highlight.  This helps alot!  (This is an area where I am struggling right now.)
  • I never expect the laundry basket to be entirely empty…it NEVER is!
  • I plan dinner at breakfast and get it started.  (Another routine that I am struggling to resume.)
  • I expect the unexpected and I try to be at peace with interruptions and distractions.
  • I try to be gentle.

    What I don’t do…
                 

  • I do not schedule my day in half hour segments…please spare me the guilt.  I just follow a rhythm of morning, afternoon, and evening routine.
  • I do not knit or sew, or hang around people that do…just joking, but really I am not cut from the crafty mold.  My mom, the artist, gave up on me long ago.  I am a lost cause.
  • I do not own an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or any other handheld device beginning with i.  If I did, I would be the worst addict of all.  Better keep the cookie in the cookie jar.
  •  I do not cook gourmet organic meals.  I love to cook, and I love to eat.  However, I do not stress about organic.  I pray this prayer instead, “ if they should drink anything deadly, it will never harm them.”  I buy lots of fruit and veggies, and I cook healthy meals the best I can.  Regular veggies are better than no veggies, right?
  • I do not apologize for not answering the phone during the daytime rush hours.
  • I do not pretend to know the first thing about extreme couponing…I tried it once and ended up in the hole.
  • I do not give grades…we just keep at something until it is mastered.
  • I do not read blogs that make me feel like pond scum…you know the ones.  If they ain’t real..they ain’t worth my time.
  •  I do not ask advice from people who have no clue of my situation.
  • I do not exercise in the wee hours of the morning…I feel like active housework is all I can manage right now.  In time, I would like to resume my neighborhood walks.
  • I do not micro-manage my two older students.  They basically handle their own schedule and online classes.  This gives me the opportunity to be with my littles.
  • I do not put make-up on everyday.  In fact, I have become a make-up minimalist over the years.  I rarely wear it, and when I do it consists of mascara, a little cover up under the eyes, a soft blush, and a shear lip gloss. 
  • I do not make my own bread.  I make artisan bread, an occasional sour dough bread in the bread machine, and quick breads, and that’s about the extent of my homemade bread making.  
  • I do not do co-ops.  We have in the past, and they were wonderful when all of my kids were younger in regard to socialization and fun.  However, I cannot manage teaching a class outside my own home at this stage in our family, and the tuition based co-op near us has not offered a class selection that I deemed worthy of our precious time.  Co-ops are very time and energy consuming, and I always weigh if the cost is worth the effort.  In the past it has worked for us, but right now I have decided to stay home and spend my energies elsewhere.
  • I do not keep a perfect house.  I like to get up and put order to the house before school starts.  This seems to frame our day and keep things running smoother.  In times past I have set up a daily cleaning schedule, and this worked great for a season.  However, I find that we have come into a stage where I will need to do a once a week cleaning on Saturday, and leave the weekdays open.  I want to be available as this is vital to relational learning, and this is impossible if I am anal about housework and order.  I have to accept this new normal. 

I could go on and on, but really anyone can homeschool, and homeschool well.  I get comments all the time from mothers who claim that they could never homeschool.  I believe them, if their image of homeschooling is this perfect little home, with perfect little children, a perfect little school room, a perfect supportive husband, and perfect days filled with learning and adventure.  NOBODY can do that!

However, anyone can share their days with their children…anyone can live life with their children…anyone can learn and grow as a homeschool family…anyone can DO THIS!  The trick is to look to the Lord and keep grounded in the heart.  Never compare, and never assume that life is perfect for any homeschool family.  We all struggle, and we all have areas where we shine.

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    books · faith · homeschooling · learning · parenting

    Reading, Writing, & Arithmetic

    amandasextonLeave a comment

                   

    Education as Communication          

    As my children grow I am concerned about the mind and how it processes information and how it is developing.  A child that has no academic skills can scarcely have a decent conversation or express himself properly.  Academic education is essential in the arena of communication.  To begin the wonderful process of learning to communicate, I concentrate on awakening the mind with great literature, lots of outside in nature discovery, many conversations, playing nursery rhyme games, learning to read independently, and learning to do simple math.  I also use dictation as a pathway to writing.  I believe in an easy approach, very gentle, and free to adjust to the needs of the young child.  If a child’s life is full of all the things I have written about in this series, I believe this experience is quite enough.

    This foundation of reading, writing, and arithmetic continues even as my children get older.  I feel that if they are reading good books and having great conversations about the books, learning to communicate with sentences, and if they are progressing in their understanding of arithmetic this is more than enough.  The extra classes get swept up in all the conversations of life and left for the child to pursue as their interest leads them.  I may introduce science and history and art as we go along, but I try to always keep it organic to what we are experiencing in literature or our daily life.

    Here are some my favorite resources for reading:

    The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading  
    This phonics based reading program is absolutely my favorite homeschool resource.  The pages of this book are worn, stained, written in, and filled with memories and reminders.  I have taught three children to read with its simple and straight forward approach.  No bells and whistles, just plain old reading instruction.  I look forward to using the same book with Elinor, age 3, starting this year.

    Reading Strands
    This is published by the same people who offer the Writing Strands curriculum.  I do not use the writing curriculum, but the Reading Strands book is a great resource for the Socratic method of discussing literature.  It gives great examples of literature conversations, and it also has wonderful reading lists for all ages.  I return to this book all the time.

    Caldecott Medal Winners
    Nothing is better than building a great picture book library in the home.  Even my older girls still love a good picture book.  I also have added many Orthodox picture books to my growing collection.  Reading aloud to young children is a great privilege and joy.  This Caldecott list is a great place to start.

    Newberry Medal and Honor Books
    Some of the greatest books I have ever read were written for young adults.  This list is an invaluable resource for those who want to expose children to life changing literature.

    The New Lifetime Reading Plan
    I bought this book, I think it is the first edition, for myself when I was twenty years old.  I have referred to the concept many times.  Over a lifetime I plan to read and read well.  I use this persuasion on my children.  If you are going to read, read well.

    A few writing resources:
    In this section I have not bought any resources that I think are any better than dictation and copywork.  I use the Bible, a child’s own thoughts, lines from literature, and whatever comes to me to help children begin the awesome journey of sentence writing.  All writing requires is one well put together sentence after another.  As the child grows in confidence and creativity the sentences become paragraphs, and paragraphs become stories.  Essay writing comes afterward when a child has had enough life experience to have an opinion, to stake a claim in the world of ideas and argument.  This Rhetoric stage requires more instruction.  I am yet to have a resource list for this stage.  So far, I have used the five paragraph essay, and basic story writing instruction mostly found on the internet.   

    A few arithmetic resources:
    Blocks, beads, M&Ms, pennies, and other fun things to count.  Calendars, tally marks, and counting the inventory in the pantry.  Colors, shapes, and seeing them everywhere.  All this stuff is free and easy to teach a young child.  Why buy a curriculum?
     
    Math-U-See
    AS the child grows, but is still very young…2nd grade… I like to introduce adding and subtracting.  Keeping with my foundation of math in the real world, I like Math-U-See as a spine.  It is just what it says, it is math you can see.  I use the manipulatives consistently, and I love how it teaches place value.  Numbers are abstract and very foreign to the concrete brains of youngsters.  This curriculum does a great job of making numbers tangible and fun for young mathematicians.

    Key Curriculum Workbooks 
    My kids have loved these workbooks, and I guess I would pay a lot for them.  Fortunately they are very economical.  The price is not reflective of the value.  Again, the approach is simple and the content is engaging.  I have been pleased at how well my oldest daughter learned fractions, decimals, and percents through this curriculum.  She even did their Algebra workbooks..can’t complain there either.  My second daughter finished fractions and the process was almost painless.  I was a little worried with her because she does not like Math all that much.  Love these workbooks!

    Orthodox Homeschooling
    cleaning · cooking · faith · family · friendship · homeschooling · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · organizing · parenting · pregnancy

    I’m Back…

    amandasexton2 Comments

    Well this has been a very difficult recovery for me.  After an allergic reaction to a pain medication, a trip to the ER for what turned out to be post pregnancy hypertension, and a more painful recovery than ever I finally feel like posting something today.  Before today I could not even set at the computer, and I did not feel like doing anything.  Thankfully I have been able to hold my precious new baby boy, and nurse, and snuggle practically non stop.  That part is wonderful.

    I hope to return to my homeschooling series this coming week.  I am also looking forward to getting our homeschool plans finalized and a few things organized.  I have high hopes for some cooking and general homemaking.  After being practically immobile for 21/2 months, surgery, and recovery complications my body is slow and a little weak, however I do not mind taking it easy.  It feels so good to be up and moving and really present.  My mom pointed out that instead of surviving my day I could now take things in and let things go out again…I could be at peace after a hard work.

    Things can never go back to the way they were before Samuel was born.  My work, my schedule, my time, my priorities…they are all changing and adjusting and coming into a new normal.  I love it!  And I love making a place for Samuel.

    As fall approaches and summer fades I can barely write this post without crying.  For all those who prayed for Good Strength…thank you.  A season has come and gone…it was hard, but I love the fall.  My struggle is now my joy…it is joy for my whole family.

    faith · family · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · parenting · pregnancy

    Introducing…Samuel Andrew { 10 lbs and 22 1/2 inches }

    amandasexton7 Comments


    Birthday: 8-13-2013


     Happy at the Hospital!

     Already out playing with baby brother!

     Dad and Father Gregory at the eighth day naming.

     Father Gregory and my children.

    We are  happy to have Samuel home and healthy.  We are so in love with him..  A boy has brought a different kind of joy, and our hearts are so full.  Glory to God for all things!