If you also have a student that will graduate late because of late development- I wonder, how will you cram it all in? And, what if you have a learner that can't cram?? Well, it seems these are the subjects we have to squeeze into another year (yes, summer school will have to happen)

 Algebra II Geometry Statistics Spanish English lit (and finishing up classics like: (A work by Dickens, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and one more apologetic book) US Government Totally doable, I guess. At this juncture, however, it seems totally overwhelming. So, here is what we are doing this year : 

History: younger kids: Story of the World, Child's History of the World, History Pockets

Language arts: Older kids: Sonlight, Story of the World younger kids: First Language Lessons Highschool: Some Easy Peasy English Lit, Introduction to Poetry

Writing: Younger kids: Writing With Ease Older: Narration, Dictation and Copywork given through Sonlight and Story of the World

  Math: Everyone (Shocker) Math U See Thank you to the homeschool mom who said pick a math and STICK WITH IT 

Reading: Everyone: Sonlight

Science Biology (A sonlight book) Apologia, Human Anatomy Big Fat Book of Science (co-op class) Sonlight: intro to Biology, Chemistry, and Physics With our electives of: Spanish (Duo-Lingo and class with our neighbor), Fallacy Detective for Logic, Total Health (Apologia), Economics (Whatever Happened to Penny Candy), Typing (Typing Club) With a little Easy Peasy Language arts thrown in... My favorite thing this year is again going through Story of the World and a Child's History of the World and doing History Pockets with my younger kids.

 By far, my favorite time of homeschooling is when we go through Story of the World and History Pockets.  How I regret not buying the student workbook pages to go with Story of the World the last time I did this history with my older kids.  I love the corresponding literature suggestions. I love learning Geography through history.  I love the reiteration through narration and dictation.  I love it all. 

 History Pockets was such an added treasure.  All the projects your kids can do; Mesopotamian puppets, making a popup ziggurat-  I wish I had learned this way as a kid. 

Curriculum loves

  Homeschooling has crossed the precipice from chaos into a pretty predictable schedule.  Well, order for me.  As an incredibly abstract-random learner and processor, I need lists and order.  I don't like them, I need them.  My personality is too easily distracted by new curriculums.  So-and-so introduces something at the homeschool share and I have to try it.   If I don't, we are missing out.  They will not develop appropriately!   Yes, this phase passed quickly with a little thing called an overwhelmed and burnt out mind.  So, the things that have stuck:

  All About Spelling
     For my special needs, dyslexic child.  I was convinced this child just would have to rely on autocorrect for the entirety of his life, and honestly- may never write at all.  Still,  dyslexia does keep a constant obstacle (while finally reading with somewhat ease, he will come up with random backwards spellings.  This program does wonders.   For Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, it is so much more gentle than Rod and Staff spelling and includes your dictation for the day.  (I am not faulting Rod and Staff- I love those Mennonites and will join them as soon as the husband is de-teched. I don't think that is a word)
  This method breaks down everything into phonograms and diphthongs.  The letter tiles are great. I cannot recommend this enough.  Last year was the first year I had a decent homeschool budget. I think I spent about 75 for this program. Worth every penny. I use this for all my kids and see the benefit. 

Having said that, our board is always a mess.  They offer the app now. Nope, I will always stick with the letter tiles. 

 Math-U-See


   The blocks helped my dyslexic child finally understand place value.  We use the blocks for Multiplication all the time.  Still using them.  I love Math U See because it explains the why of Math.  I never fully understood borrowing  (It was that bad.) Now I do! I was never confident converting fractions.  I love you, Steve Demme!  We will do Math u See until graduation and with every child. If you have a genius math family, you may look for a more challenging program. But, oh, Math u see, I love you.  I guess by now it is obvious we thrive with kinesthetic learning.

 I never knew higher concepts could still be illustrated using manipulatives. 

Sonlight 
 It's not you, it's me, and I need to use Sonlight.  In a house where electronics were unfortunately welcomed-and with boys- I need to use a literature based program to help with my mental health. My boys have been doing it for so long they have just accepted that read alouds will always be part of the daily (and nightly) routine.  However,  I will always add caution- If your books have to compete with electronics with young brains- Electronics will always win.  If you get a the final say in your marriage and family in regard to electronics, I am struggling with my envy.

 ANY AND EVERY BOOK BY RICHARD MAYBURY
   Recommended by Sonlight. If you get nothing else, make your kids read, "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?"

Lastly, I adore Story of the World's approach to history, Draw Write Now, and a bit of Rod n Staff for Bible readers and Grammar. 

Sonlight Books I would have skipped

I realize this is incredibly subjective and when it comes to books, I am picky.  I just wish my boys, particularly the one that struggles with reading could have been spared a couple of these reads.

Samuel B. Morris: I would have enjoyed a summary of his life, rather than a biography.  We found it very dry.  It does give kids a wonderful look at perseverance in the face of constant failure and setback.

The Journeyman: I so wanted to love this book.  Since Elizabeth Yates is such a prolific, wonderful writer- I'll have to chalk this one up to taste. Amos Fortune should be on every reading list, so I should have stopped there.

Mr. Popper's Penguins- Not just Sonlight, this book seems to be everywhere.  I just hated it. I wanted to find it charming, like Five Little Peppers, or No Children, No Pets. I just COULDN'T. I actually found the story very unimaginative.  I mean, it is creative to think of a man keeping penguins in his basement, but it's like that was the only idea and an entire book had to be drawn out from exactly one idea.  We couldn't wait to finish and almost quit.

 Slopes of War:  This one isn't Sonlight's fault.  After all, it's discontinued.  I should have gone with Shades of Grey for Civil War History but NO- It just had to be on that Goodwill shelf for half off just at the right time.  As much as I love a story about falling in love with your first cousin as much as the next gal.... I ......Just.....can't.  My boys are still over American History because I ended on this note.

  And here it comes: The book that will get me kicked out of the Sonlight club: Carry On Mr. Bowditch.  So dry...So long...so much ship talk... you're becalmed again, we get it.  I just so wish I was the kind of person that liked Carry on, but alas- I'll choose that bratty Johnny Tremain anyday just so I don't have to experience another becalmed ship.


   I will be adding to this list..

Simplifying

  It took a couple years for this to happen and homeschool co-op responsibilities, pet-sitting, older kid requirements, younger kids needing to read, and my husband's self-employment stress caused the fissure that sent my world into near collapse.   There are so many things I cannot pitch.  Darn it, the kids do need to know how to count, read and be able to construct a somewhat legible sentence.  Over and over I would ask myself, "What can you ditch?"  I would fantasize about my yurt more and more.  I'll live in that.  It won't require cleaning.  However, since the husband wasn't on board, I kept muddling through- going from "all from scratch dinners" to eyeballing those boxed dinners that would have reverberated in my mother's ear the second the box hit my cart, and she's four hours away.

  Then, I kept on trying to read EVERYTHING Sonlight had to offer.  We can't give up the books! What if they only learn about the Revolutionary War through a textbook!? I might as well send them to public school.  I would end the day with aching feet and wonder how many night-time reads I could add in to get through our booklist.

 NO MORE.   Because I was gifted three, older Sonlight Instructor Guides- ALL for American History-  As the rule follower I am- I ended up trying to read almost every book.   Why I thought Sonlight had to be the staple in my homeschool?  It's an easy thing to idolize.  I am now giving away all three.  I'll keep my books, and I'll pick and choose my favorites to read to the younger kids, but my POOR boys.  They were the guinea pigs.  They had to sit through some BORING, DRY read alouds.

  I'm switching to just Story of the World.  And, just like that- I'll actually get through every time period before my eldest graduates, even though he has done THREE YEARS of American History. (Hangs head in shame).

     I opened Story of the World and fell in love with it.  I had owned the Ancient History one, but didn't love it- I peeked at the Early America and fell in love.  I love her approach.  I love that literature is still woven in with corresponding activities (something we were lacking.)  Hopefully, I can figure out a way for them to learn Math and Reading by osmosis. :)
 
 

Throughout our  whirlwind of a start to the school year, there have been moments where I long for some simple downtime.  I haven't been pet sitting the last week, the kids have a nice break from classes and activities, and the housework doesn't seem to be consuming me.  I decided to take a rare walk on our land.  Our land backs up into adjacent backyards and a nature preserve.  It is unused and beautiful.  Sometimes I can't believe we own it.  The silence was beautiful.  I wish I would force myself out there daily.  It's such a two-edged sword- being busy.  I remember when I longed for activity, my idle children really played my emotions at times.  Now I cannot wait for next year, when I hopefully will be cutting back.  Homeschooling should be less stressful because we aren't prisoners to the clock.  Why do we let ourselves become part of the grind again, or think we have to?   

  I welcome you, boredom.  I welcome more read aloud time, less hustle, less crockpot dinners, more fires in the fireplace.  I know my kids are social, but they have plenty of social time and I worry that our increased activities haven't increased their gratefulness, and that's very much my fault. 


  Here is to the simplicity I long for. 

                                                                            

 

  The holiday bustle is pretty much over for us.  Em's recital was so lovely.  Her teacher is a God-fearing woman who loves to use ballet as a ministry. Em is so blessed to have so many close friends to choose from.  I have a feeling she will never want for them.

                                               

Sweetwater Park

  This school season has proved to be extremely stressful.  I am constantly finding myself on the precipice of burn out, which makes me a really less-than-stellar mom.  We needed a day off.  Sweetwater Mill was lovely and almost entirely shaded.  Always my standard of enjoyment here in the deep south.

 

We walked a little further down because the kids saw something in the distance, and there was the mill ruins.  I looked up the history of the mill and read it to them while we were there.  What a tragic past this mill had.  During the Civil War, The Confederate Army was removed from the river leaving it open to the Union army, which proceeded to arrest all 500 or so mill workers (all of which were women and children), round them up and end up abandoning them in Indiana.  Many died from starvation and exposure.  Many of the fates remain unknown.  I look at my kids and I really cannot and do not want to imagine the lives so many have been forced to live.  

Out of our usual spots: Yellow River, Stone Mountain and all the playgrounds, this is my favorite so far.  That being said, I have yet, yet to get up to the Georgia Mountains.  We are very limited while my husband works so much and is too nervous for me to go with the kids alone.  One day. 

All Good Things Must.....

  Well, my favorite person at my church is moving.  That is how life works.  Funny, we both saw each other before officially meeting and had purposed in our minds that we were going to be instant, kindred spirits-Anne-of-Green-Gables-style.  So, in due fashion, the first time we hang out, she informs me that it is likely they will be moving to Massachusetts. Figures.  We are both misplaced hippies, married to the anti-hippies.  Both desiring to live off the land in a yurt while our husbands put new chrome hubcaps on their Beemers.  Well, if hubby could afford a Beemer.  Off to Massachusetts she goes.  Even our kids loved each other.  It was a cosmic friendship for those entire three months.   I wouldn't let our last meeting go without a picture.  I feel like I'm finally learning to make that happen.

She also loves hole-in-the-wall-Mexican Restaurants.  It was meant to be. 

Johnny Mac

     After attending one night of a reformation conference here at a local Baptist church, I noticed John Macarthur was going to be an upcoming featured speaker.   I jumped at the opportunity to hear him speak for the first time.
       We got to the beautiful (and rather formal) service complete with the teen that slept in, threw on a shirt, and managed to sneak his unkept, narly toes in sandals into the service.   It was the roughest night sleep he had had in a while, and he actually nodded off.  While listening to Johnny Mac in the most beautiful church I had been in in who-knows-how-long.   If he ever nodded off in church before, I would have been ready, but this was a first.   I simply had to let it slide..   His dad said I could go to this church alone and he would keep the kids, since we had all overslept- but, the teen wanted to go.   I couldn't fault him for trying.

   It's a funny thing about seeing a very well-known speaker.  You see other people you know only from the internet.  On one hand it was fantastic.  I got to see a woman I instantly recognized from her blog..   Unfortunately, when a regular reader, it's easier to remember the name of the blog.   And, that is what I shouted out when I saw her.   Not her name, her blog.  Embarrassing- She was great about it and very sweet.

     Now, being the awkward, social idiot I am- I of course had to reference my son's narly toes at least once, and the fact that I went to a school John Macarthur would deem heretical: The Brownsville Revival School.  I made sure I referenced this to any ear that would listen.  Because: socially awkward.

  I preferred to post this picture zoomed in to make it look like I got a front row seat.  No such luck. I am too low-tech for that.

Musings.

 Husband just got back from Florida.  Hurricane Irma, thankfully, turned out to be less devastating than everyone planned, and he was back sooner than expected.  Every time we chatted on the phone, he would remark how very, miserably hot it was there.  Several screen shots said 97 degrees.  No thank you.  I said to my kids a few times, "I will never step foot in Florida again."  Statements like that usually get me into trouble.  I remember back in the day remarking, "I could live anywhere again, except the south," and you see where that got me- to the heart of the deep south.   Both statements are purely climate related, however.  So, my heart sank a bit when he came home announcing that when we go on vacation, it will be to Florida.  No, everyone really is lying when they say, "it's hot, but a different hot because its near the water."  I call foul.  Been there, and still miserable and he said the same thing, but apparently, there was one island that got his adoration.   I have actually been stressed about it since.   This can't be normal.  It cannot be normal to obsess about weather all year long.   "It's so hot,"  "It's miserable,"  "I can't because there is no shade," "It's a bit cooler but it won't last,"  "Yep, it didn't last,"  "I can't believe I have to bring out the short sleeves again,"  "Cold weather is her..... NEVERMIND, it's summer again. "   Georgians have my respect.  I just can't do it.

  Lately, the fixation has been looking at properties in Maine.   It's just.... I've done New England, and I know what "nice" weather (that is good summers) can't buy.  It can't buy community, biblical churches, lax homeschool laws, and friendships.  I had a heck of a time finding a community up in Rhode Island as a married adult, and I don't kid myself to think that New Hampshire would have been any different.

   It's just easy here.  I'm not a networker, but I have a network.  I'm not gifted socially, but it's easy to be social.  I don't have extra money or resources but I have free stuff and people who do at my fingertips.  Homeschooling is popular enough, and if it isn't, Atlanta is a melting pot and a major city.  I have those conveniences with the benefit of being in a suburb within a 20 minute commute.   It's affordable.  I just don't see that option anywhere up north in the weather I prefer.  There is also my preference of hospitality.  I have in fact, found it so much friendlier and open.  That's after living in four states above the Mason Dixon line and four below it.

   I decided to start writing about my pipe dreams instead of talking to husband about it.  I can say he makes all the decisions, and ultimately the decisions are his to make- but I influence him more than I like to admit.  I know full well he never would have dreamed of moving to Atlanta, had I not mentioned it and been fully on board.  So, after a few nights of, "Wow! Look how cheap these properties in Maine are!"  I got a "You really inspired me with those properties in Maine."  He has mentioned a few times buying cheap property and building on it later.  Sometimes I wonder if I will look back on my life and say, "I said it was God's will, but was it really just mine?"  "If it was God's why did I have to hark on it?"  "What if I just sat back and waited, like what I should have done?"

    There are moments when life is so idyllic in Georgia I want to smack my ungrateful self in the face.. and then the 89 degree weather smacks me in my pale face when I step outside, the sun mockingly throwing some pre-mature-aging rays right at my freckled face and I go right back to Zillow.

     Today was a homeschool field trip to the Harvest Bread Company.  Just the drive alone was worth it.  We had to drive through a country town to get there-worth it.  I'm thankful to live in a suburb and even metro-Atlanta has lots of trees and grass and everyone isn't completely piled on top of each other (**cough**Rhode Island***), but to get out to a moral rural location, I'm always game.  Every farm house, cape cod, and cottage had my name on it.   My husband also informed me that our next house will be a ranch.. How are we married?  I don't think he knows that our house in Maine will not include internet while we are building that hut.   I'm pretty sure I can picture his dream home-  A floor plan so open, it doesn't even have walls; Every fixture: CHROME or something shiny; man cave with leather furniture; manicured bushes...    While he was in Florida, I managed to put one hole in the wall and TWO burn marks on the table.  I didn't even know about the second one until tonight. Yippee, can't wait until he sees it.   Now I have to go youtube how you even get that off.

   Harvest Bread Company is definitely a field trip I'd recommend. 

 

Somewhat orderly Chaos

 Homeschooling has crossed the precipice from chaos into a pretty predictable schedule.  Well, order for me.  As an incredibly abstract-random learner and processor, I need lists and order.  I don't like them, I need them.  My personality is too easily distracted by new curriculums.  So-and-so introduces something at the homeschool share and I have to try it.   If I don't, we are missing out.  They will not develop appropriately!   Yes, this phase passed quickly with a little thing called burn out.  These are the things we went with:


    Spelling: All About Spelling alternating with Rod and Staff Spelling.  For my special needs, dyslexic child.  I was convinced this child just would have to rely on autocorrect for the entirety of his life.  Still,  dyslexia does keep a constant obstacle (while finally reading with somewhat ease, he will come up with random backwards spellings.  This program does wonders.
 This method breaks down everything into phonograms, vowel/consonant teams, and  diphthongs.  The letter tiles are great. I cannot recommend this enough.  Last year was the first year I had a decent homeschool budget. I think I spent about 75 for this program. Worth every penny. I even use it for my non-dylexic child.
 For Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, it is so much more gentle than Rod and Staff spelling and includes your dictation for the day.  However, because AAS has no word lists and I have one child playing catch up, we alternate on days when I need to dedicate time to teaching another child.  AAS is parent/teacher led.  No workbooks.


Math; Math-U-See

   We have stuck with this since almost the beginning. The blocks helped my dyslexic child finally understand place value.  We use the blocks for Multiplication all the time.  Still using them.  I love Math U See because it explains the why of Math.  I never understood borrowing fully.  (It was that bad.) Now I do!  I love you, Steve Demme!  Having said that, we will stopping at Geometry and switching to business math for practical reasons, unless one of my kids show a strong interest in that direction.
 



 Reading: Sonlight and Rod And Staff
    While Sonlight would have been enough, Rod and Staff does reading through the Bible, so I couldn't pitch it altogether.  My sons officially know the Old Testament better than I do.  In a year or so, one of their readers will be an Abeka book.  That will be the only time we ever utilize Abeka. I was drawn to this reader because its lessons are all through the  The Pilgrim's Progress.



    Some of my highlights of literature: Any book by Richard Maybury
 

   Recommended by Sonlight. If you get nothing else, make your kids read, "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?"

 Little House on the Prairie Series (as it turns out, I never read these as a child??),  Indian in the Cupboard Series, (So far, we are on the fourth book.  The first three did not disappoint!)

Grammar: So, this category has definitely changed the most.  I tried, I mean really tried to love Rod and Staff Grammar.  It is so thorough, so organized, so wonderful.   So why couldn't we pull it off?  Oh, those traditional Mennonites.   They know I want to be one of them.  Alas, we are not.  There was just that groan when I would pull the book out.  There was no love of grammar, and I knew there never would be.  I just wanted the boys to grasp cohesive sentences.  This will be a real struggle with my PDD learner.  We switched to Easy Grammar.  So far it's been going well. 
                   S3: Also alternating between Rod and Staff (Preparing to Build), and The Well Trained Mind's First language lessons.

Science:  My curiosity was piqued after reading this review.  I was going to go with Apologia's Human Anatomy, but since it has extra goodies, like copy work, scripture verses, and a lot of extra writing,  I decided to save that for another year when we aren't attempting so much writing.
               I am already looking forward to doing human anatomy after watching this extensive review.

      Edited to add: This year, we ended up shelving Apologia for another year and instead did a more unit study approach.  Sources used were a- bit-of- this and a- bit- of- that. *Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials, *Science and the Bible (a personal favorite- Thank you,  Church Library!, *It Couldn't Just Happen (various reads), *The Usborne book of Science, *The Everything kid's Science Experiments Book.   


Bible/Apologetics: Easy Peasy, And Josh McDowell's, "Is Christ Really God?"
  In homeschooling, a lot of these subjects overlap.  Rod and Staff reading is still used once a week, and since that is entirely taken out of the Old Testament, I always know they are getting good Bible in.  We start the morning now with Easy Peasy. I tend to either over think Bible.  I tried many various devotionals.  Turns out, I rarely like devotionals.  Easy Peasy is simply a chapter out of either the New Testament or the Old Testament (Proverbs) at a time with review questions at the end.  So simple, yet I actually now look forward to it, knowing the boys will give it their attention.


 D1 curriculum:  We alternate these.  Keep in mind, I'm lucky to get one of these in besides her reading lesson and practicing her writing.
                           Teaching Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons 
                           Explode The Code (Phonics)
                           Rod and Staff: Bible Lessons to Read with Bible Pictures to Color
                           Rod and Staff: We Learn About God
                           Starfall
                           

Curriculums that I didn't like:
Apologia- Botany
and, I hate to say it, because I tried: any textbook put out by the public schools. It is a hard thing to stick with Botany for a year.  It was so dry for us.

All of these books except for All About Spelling, and Rod And Staff, I bought used on amazon.  As many know, Rod and Staff is so affordable, it's just an added bonus that it's a wonderful curriculum!
 Handwriting? Well, let's just say I was trying Pentime. It doesn't work for M for cursive. We are trying to just do the work mat. Cursive is a real struggle for my eldest.

  D1, being a typical youngin', doesn't need much. Whatever we don't do in just reading and art, she is doing through Easy Peasy, and I can't say enough about it, nor the creator Lee Giles. There is no other woman I have met that puts homeschooling in the right frame of mind for me.  I wish I had known about her during the days when I felt alone in having zero dollars to put toward a homeschool budget.  If you are having even a second of comparing your homeschool situation to others, or if you get depressed when people mention the classes their children are taking, the expensive curriculum they are doing, listen to her interview. 

   While some curriculum choices come with picking and choosing, selecting, pitching-  Rod and Staff, and Answers in Genesis - Not just absolutely wonderful content, they are EXCELLENT companies. I bought AIG on amazon used, and much to my dismay, found an essential teacher DVD was missing. I called them and they sent it for free- even thought I bought it used and not from their site!

  Other than that, my goal this year is to take the pressure off the kids. Let them enjoy learning a little more.  That is why we shelved Rod and Staff grammar, and with Rod and Staff reading, stopped doing the worksheets.  More learning songs, and break up to activities.