I really intended to start blogging long ago, it has been almost two years since I have been homeschooling. I intended on doing this blog as a way to keep me sane, but life got in the way. It is ok..it happens.
My journey was not a short or informed one. ;-) I didn't have a group to help me (which is why I created one on FB). I spent eight long dreary months trying to find my way. This is a long winded post, but to truly understand why I do what I do now, you have to see the whole picture.
I started out with WAVA for my oldest (didn't think there was anyway I could homeschool him much less multiples! Thanks to Liberty for being my mentor!), eventually after a hair pulling experience I made them take us back a grade or more. He was in 3rd (just started...it was a crisp November day, never will forget it) when I pulled him out of schoool (even longer journey there and horror stories) against their advice. We had to literally go back and re-teach everything. Time spent in Public School (PS) was a waste of time and energy we will never get back.
After putting him back a grade or so he went from an F student (I was public schooled so only know that system) to an honor roll student in 3 months!!! We still had our struggles and fights but who doesn't!
After hearing about a possible co-op wanting to be formed in our city, I knew I had to go prepared to that meeting! I took a list with me, all action items I felt needed to be addressed as a homeschooling mom who had NO support group, no friends for her kid who were homeschooled, etc.
Thus I helped form the EHS co-op and formed a fantastic FB group, so that no one else had to go through what we did. After helping get the co-op started last year, my kids (yes both as of June!!!) were Part time WAVA, both of them and full-time pretty much at the co-op. Once we went part time I started getting braver...still didn't think I could do it without WAVA (for core classes) but in time...
Abruptly in December, I got a call...my mom's husband was dying. She needed me, didn't need me, needed me...Come January we had to make the decision to move to Austin,TX, leaving behind friends we had come to love as family, our lives we had worked so hard on for 10 years together (my husband and I), our home, life as we knew it, kids left toys, friends, people they had come to love. We put everything we could into a truck, still leaving so much behind, YEARS of stuff...to start a new journey or chapter in our lives.
We closed our WAVA accounts, decided to un-school and for six months that is what we did. It wasn't for us, the 100% un-schooling option, so just as before, I did a mix, this time my own thing, online courses, un-schooling, (decided against co-ops - long story) and just enjoying life. With that move came the brilliant idea to live as a full time nomadic family on the road! We didn't know where we would live, ended up living in a tent for two months having a blast (couldn't deal with my mom watching her husband die in front of her). So for the last eight months now we have been preparing for our next chapter. We live a nomadic life right now, in an RV, soon we will get on the road full time and see everything we can and want. My kids are so much better off, I am better off, hubby will be better off (when he leaves work for full time home work) and as a family we are stronger.
Now I use time4learning.com, free resources I find on the net, lapbooks/unit studies, we use books from the library to spark interest in other subjects, netflix, hulu, khan academy, mangahigh, local one day classes (like sea world, NASA, etc.), roadschool, whatever I can that doesn't take up much space and just live life to the fullest!
I never thought I would be doing what I am doing, life has a funny way of showing us things. My journey is unique yet I keep finding others who have done something similar, living their dream rather than chasing it.
OK that was super duper long winded but I think it really brings to light how I got to where I am now and why I do what I do. Do I always think I am doing the right thing for my kids? NO. That being said, the group I created has been an amazing sounding board, friend when needed (close and far) and like family (or how family should be...caring, supportive and helpful!).
My oldest son just started 5th grade Language Arts, he still does some 4th grade math and Language Arts extensions, but I won't hold him back. My youngest is doing 4th grade everything.
My oldest is doing Math, Language Arts & Language Arts Extensions, Science, Social Studies, Geography, French & Latin, Art, handwriting (cursive), journaling, Tae Kwon Do, Piano (when he can), Typing, Gaming, field trips and just being a kid!
My youngest is doing Math Language Arts & Language Arts Extensions, Science, Social Studies, Geography, Arabic & Latin, Art, handwriting (cursive), journaling, Baseball (when he can - commitment when being nomadic is hard) Break Dancing (when he can), Typing, Gaming, field trips and just being a kid!
I wish you the best luck on your journey (to all who are just starting, started or have been doing this a long time). It is an amazing one, take a deep breath, exhale and start! No matter what you do, you really can't fail (so I am told...perhaps still don't really believe it yet but I am getting there!!)! :-)
Until later...
