A day in the life

Even before we started our dayI had been thinking of taking more photos of what we do around here share them. Here is a day in the life of 4 of our home educated children; Reegan, Cael, Quincy, and Addelynn.

You may wonder where Carter and Mackenzie are. Today Carter worked on his workbook subjects in his room, he prefers to do his school work in there and as a 7th grader he works independently and alone most of the time, unless we are on a family adventure. He is doing a study in Forensic Science right now, as well as a study of our county's history and all things military.

Mackenzie is also on her own mostly. As a senior she knows what to do and how to schedule it. I did give her a suggestion and right now she is working on one subject a day. A weeks worth of work each day.
Addy working on her letters.
Quincy working on math.








Math time - Reegan must be happy!








These are word tiles, we used them to make sentences, copy them, and identify nouns, verbs, and adjectives.









Science - today we studied water in all three forms and the kids noted observations in their notebooks.




Learning states and capitals.










Jack observing blowing leaves and the activity of squirrels.








Reading Bible, poems, and about Lewis and Clark.







Watching Popular Mechanics for Kids in Reegan's room. Where is Addy you may ask? She fell asleep during the Lewis and Clark book.






You can see Jaycie hanging our for our reading. Cade and Kyler? They were playing so quiet this morning with cars. Cade could play for many hours alone. Tomorrow we are off to pre school power hour at the Science Station. Is is a Hall o ween party and so they are going to dress up. Some will listen to the program and others will just explore.

A full life

The science station:


















































Education around the house:































Birthday Fun:








































Little Jaycie - with some love from Kyler:

Education what is it?

Noah Webster's definition of education:
The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and
guardians who neglect these duties.. Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary.


I have been thinking a lot lately of what makes one educated. Mostly in terms of what my role is here at home as an educator of my children. I got to thinking about whether or not in order for my children to be educated they needed to be proficient in filling out workbook pages, reading at an early age, a spelling guru, in an advanced math class, scoring really high on ITBS tests, memorize a lot of facts and dates, or any other tool used to judge knowledge. I have decided no they do not. I do not need a stack of workbooks here for them to fill out each day. I do not need them at the table each morning at a certain time. I do not need a set schedule. I do not need to do "school at home". I need to educate them. I want them to learn about what interests them. If one of my children wants to watch a video on the history of our country and wants to watch it for hours - then why not? Even if that means that science goes undone for that day. So what? Who says science has to be done everyday? I call a day at the zoo a great day filled with science, we had a day trip to the zoo a few weeks ago.

Today, I had a child who read for about 2 hours, because he was interested in that book. A month ago I would have told him he had to put it down so he could get his other lessons done. Really? That makes no sense to me now that I think about it. I have been living in fear, and I am done. This is a house of education. A house where changing flat tires counts as education. Where making a diving board out of a 2x4, the monkey bars, and some bricks is education. Where cooking lunch is education. Where learning to care for horses is education. Where learning to serve one another is education. Where building a patio is education. I could go on and on.

Yes, I still have some workbooks, the kids do them almost daily, however, the stress has left. The workbooks are for the few things I am not comfortable with them learning in any other way - math for example. I am renewed as are they. We are learning a lot, learning what we would like to, for as long as we would like to, and when it interests them. I am no longer in fear of what someone else may think of my kids not filling in the blanks, regurgitating information after I spoon feed them, or reading a little later then what others say is the right time. Which leads me to something else.....who says? Who says what the right age for a child to read is? How is that even known if you do not know the child? Who says what has to be learned and when? At this point who says is........ all of us as individuals here. There has never been more educating and learning going on in this house then right now. I wrote everything down they did two days ago that involved educating themselves in some way, shape, or form, it was incredible. School is not 8-3 and 5 days a week at our house, it is all day every day and we are loving it. School is life and life is school.

We are taking a trip to the science station tomorrow, I am looking forward to it and will be buying our family membership! No worries that "science" with a textbook was not done today. I would say that all the thinking and planning of the diving board experiment today was some good science. For a few hours tomorrow there will be science. All is good. They are learning and remembering - because it interests them.

Why wearing your brother's t-shirt is a bad idea

So Mackenzie decides that since Carter's Lisbon baseball shirt was in her pile and she wanted one, she wore it tonight to play practice. She danced, raising her arms many many times, twirling, and other general dance moves, while in the front row. Finally, after it is all over and done with, one girl has the heart to tell her, there is a major hole (rip) in the arm pit of the t-shirt. Thank goodness for shaved armpits or this could have been way worse!

A few new things

Well we now have a 7 year old in the house - well we have had a few of those before but Quincy is now 7. I still remember everything about the day he was born. He is a little man for sure at 40 pounds, but it amazes me how much his looks are changing as well as his thoughts. He enjoys the outside. He just finished his first year of flag football. He was a Super Pee Wee State wrestling champ last year, finishing the year with only one loss (which he avenged). I happen to think he is pretty cute, and he has an awesome sense of humor. He is in the 1st grade. I am super thankful for him. I love watching him and Cael together. He loves Jaycie and has told me how happy he is that we have her. I think at least once a day he tells me he loves me. Today he yelled it as he ran past me hanging laundry. Speaking of running, he can fly too.

This is Mackenzie and Brandon. He is from Dubuque, I keep telling you there is more to this story and here it is.....they are now in a relationship. This was after much thought from Mackenzie and many hours getting to know each other over the phone. They met in March at a state wrestling meet - I mean where else should one meet? They have talked on the phone first weekly and now daily. A few face to face visits in between. I am happy for them both, and feel good that they care about each other for who they are. Have spent hours getting to know each other and are very comfortable around each other. It is pretty special to watch develop. He is a great guy too, I have also enjoyed the time I have spent with him.

One of my favorite sayings is 'Dance like no one is watching and sing like no one is listening'. The girls (Mackenzie) bought this plaque for me last week and it is hanging in the kitchen; which is where most dancing occurs in this house. Carter hates this saying, I guess he does not find it normal or acceptable to have your mom dancing and singing in the kitchen. I thought it was normal, my mom did it too. Lighten up dude, how about dancing with mom for a while? It will do wonders for you!!

Check these out

The date today to get new wrestling shoes resulted in the purchase of these bad boys. The Addidas Vaporspeed ClimaCool Henry Cejudo Wrestling Shoes, in 2 sizes bigger then the shoes we bought last year.

Dean is a big fan of Asics shoes and it kills him that Carter loves to wear Addidas. He did try and Asics, he even had one foot in an Asics and one in an Addidas, these flashy shoes won out. I told him they reminded me of Michael Johnson's gold spikes. He says "Michael Johnson? Don't you mean Michael Jordan?" No son I do not, must be before your time.

As I am sure I have mentioned in the past, taking Carter shopping is a crap shoot at best. He is not the biggest fan of it, and has no real reason in his mind not to remind me of that. I drop down a lever of coolness each time a car passes me, or I am not the first off the line at a red light. However, today was different. It was pleasurable, I might even call it fun. Shoes, lunch, haircuts for both of us, Goodwill, WalMart, and Dollar General. I have heard more then enough "teen" music for a day or even two, I am sure the music I listened to at his age was far less annoying to my mom.

When I refer to Mackenzie's comment about us being the leftover house, it really is true. We have leftover pieces of granite making our patio, leftover swing sets in our backyard, hand me down and Goodwill clothing, a floor in our house with leftover wood, used cars, used bikes, most things we use each day seem to have been something someone else was done with. What a huge blessing that it! We do however, have 1 new pair of wrestling shoes in the house, the other 3 kids who are wrestling will be wearing hand me downs, and at this point there is no preference to brand and style, just what fits, and again I am thankful.

Writing Your Story

I have been thinking a lot lately how our interactions with others, experiences good and bad, and various interests write our life story. I have been observing lately people interacting with each other, mannerisms, and what my kids like to spend their time doing. Also, how each of these things has the potential to write a sentence, paragraph or even a whole chapter of their life and even my own life.

Quincy made this evident when he had a new friend over to play two weekends ago. He was showing the friend around the house. He showed him his school drawer where he keeps his school books. He walked him through the kitchen and showed him the light above the stove and told him that is the light Dean would leave on if he ever spent the night so he could see his way into the bathroom. I thought, wow Quincy that little effort that Dean does, matters to you, and is imprinted into your mind. Then he walked the boy into the bathroom and showed him the scale and let him know that is where you check your weight if needed! LOL - the life of a wrestler, even a young one, the scale becomes a part of who you are.

Speaking of wrestling; Dean, Carter, Cael, and Quincy are heading out this week to go to Wrestlers of Faith. A Bible teaching wrestling camp - God, faith, and wrestling - super cool!!

Mackenzie is heading out to Dubuque on Friday as well to go to homecoming with her friend Brandon - and there still is more to this story as well.

Carter finished junior high football last night with a 19-0 loss to Camanche. Rough game and I felt really bad for him because his last pass would also be the only interception he threw all year. OUCH! Also the first game he had been sacked all year was last night too. Junior high wrestling will start on Monday, and the crazy kid cannot wait. This is a surprise to me, it seemed to me that some years he enjoyed himself and some years he tolerated it, but never has been excited for it to start. Tomorrow I will take him on a date to get new wrestling shoes.

Reegan, Cael, and Quincy have a few more flag football games left. Reegan is going to try basketball next. I will have to say it now, but I have never been a huge fan of girls sports and so Reegan will stretch me through the years. Cael and Quincy will have some time off before starting wrestling.

Addy still has a day of soccer left, and it despite my dislike of soccer I have enjoyed watching her play. She has no trouble at all getting in there and kicking that ball. I also like to watch her making decisions as to which way the ball is going to go. Interesting for sure.

Cade is so much fun, and growing up way too quickly, and I love watching him and Kyler play. Kyler took serious offense when Dean asked Reegan, Cael, Quincy, Addy, and Cade to pick up the front yard, but did not include him. He laid on the steps with his thumb in his mouth crying and saying he wanted to go too. He has also graduated himself from the high chair to one of the stools in the kitchen.

Jaycie has had some better nights but no where near good, and a lot of very rough nights still. Crazy to me, how you can go from sleeping all night to getting up every hour of the night, and that is not a big fish story, that is the truth. Somehow we are making it through. I long for and really appreciate a nap when one comes along. I wish I could say it was a few times a week for a mommy nap, but once a week is more like it. I take what I can get.

The patio is almost done. As I type this, Dean has the kids outside with the power washer - washing it down, then a sealer and we are set. Dean, Mackenzie and Carter put mortar in on Saturday. It looks nice, and it prompted Mackenzie to call us the house of leftovers. Funny but very true.

So much to say so little space or time

Wow, can life ever get busy at times, and this is one of those times. I have tons of ideas, thoughts, and events to write about but have not found the time to sit and write it all out. So here is a very condensed version of what has gone on around here in the last week.

• Mackenzie went to the Lisbon Homecoming Dance, she was stunning.
• Reegan scored another touchdown - Cael handed her the ball.
• I have always wanted to see one kid give the ball to another and score, I was not there, I was watching Quincy.
  
• Quincy was as cute as ever playing flag football, his flags almost touch the ground, and I was half frozen watching.
• My friend Skeeter watched too, she is not the weather wimp I am.
• I am tired of workbooks and textbooks.
• I am one week into schooling outside the box and loving it.
• I have decided having 3 children 3 and under and 2 teenagers in the house is difficult at times.
  
• Carter threw a touchdown pass to the neighbor boy, it was sweet on many levels.
  
• Took a field trip to Naobi Zoo.
• Addy was funny playing soccer - no goal.
• I assisted in cooking for many children and some adults tonight; goulash, biscuits, and peaches.
• I am not a fan of cooking, and so serving in the kitchen is a perfect stretch for me.
• Dean is teaching junior high / high school boys.
  
• Cade had a bloody nose tonight.
  
• Kyler had a fake bloody nose for sympathy, and made me laugh.
• Jaycie still gets up almost every hour of the night.
  
• Kyler moved out of his crib and into the kid pile, I mean his own bed.
  
• Dean has been helping Dale with a sweet little addition he put on.
• I miss my blog.
• Been selling on EBAY trying to make some extra cash.
• Mackenzie made a surprise trip to Dubuque to see her friend Brandon run in a cross country meet.
  
• He is running in Cedar Rapids tomorrow afternoon, I am sure she will be there....more to this story to come.
  
• I really want 2 museum memberships, science station and history museum.
• Yesterday I told the kids that we live too far north for me to be saying "get off the dog".
  
• I super love my Leslie Sansone walking dvds, she makes me feel good about myself.
• Got 5 boxes of popcorn for free yesterday, coupons and sales rock.
• I had a cold that was thinking of taking me out, but I fought back and got over it quick.
• Reegan and Addy have been playing a ton with pretend horses; feeding, caring, and riding. Even though these are not real, there is a lot of real learning going on.
  
• Cael was the planner of an in house carnival, Quincy, Addy, and Reegan helped. Again, lots of learning happening.
• I wish I had a few days to do nothing but read.
  
• I have spent a lot of time in observation lately.
• God is so very very good, all the time.