We Need to Teach Our Kids the Value of Life!!

There's been a lot of death in the news recently: the shooting in Orlando, the young boy drowned by an alligator at Disney World, and the rape and murder of a young woman in Okinawa.

I have a hard time dealing with death. To me, it means the person (or animal) who has died now ceases to exist. At least in this world, even though we're pagan and believe in an afterlife, no one is 100% that there is an afterlife.

And belief in reincarnation aside, as far as we know, we only get this one life.

We recently lost another cat. After losing three cats to a landlord who took them from us and released them into the wild, losing one of the cats we hid from her has been a severe loss to all of us. But to me more than any of us I think. Mainly, because I blame myself for not doing more to prevent the loss of the first three cats because I was afraid of being evicted. I also blame myself for not seeing the signs of illness in Anubis sooner.

5 Tips for Homeschooling ADHD Children

Homeschooling is difficult enough for parents who attempt it. Add in ADHD, and you have a recipe for frustration for both the parent and the child.

Sam hates being serious.

I know this from personal experience. Sam has ADHD, with emphasis on the H (hyperactivity). In fact, the only thing Sam can really focus on is video games, which is why I'm glad there are so many educational video games out there!

Symptoms of ADHD in Girls

ADHD is often times misdiagnosed in girls because the symptoms for hyperactivity present differently. Girls also tend to hide it better than boys since it's typically socially unacceptable for a girl to run around like a chicken with her head cut off. It's expected that boys are going to be rambunctious. Girls not so much.

2014 Summer Reading List

I love to read, but with all the writing I do, plus homeschooling, plus my part time job, I don't really get a lot of time to do so. I have found that this has made my writing suffer, reading and writing go hand in hand. So I decided I'm going to have to find the time to read.

Since Sam doesn't really like to read, I decided to make both of us try a summer reading challenge. We're both going to try to read seven to 10 books, and we'll be keeping a log for accountability.

Sam actually reading!!

Life as a WAHM: My Interview with Mint.com

I recently did an interview for Mint.com about making the switch from a regular 9 to 5 job to working from home and the changes that switch makes to your personal finances.

If you've never heard of Mint.com, they are a personal finance website, that offers an app for the iPhone, iPad, Android devices, and Windows Phones that allow you to track all of your finances...and I do mean all.

After the interview, I decided to try the app and fell in love. This app does everything. It automatically updates your balances on credit cards and bank accounts and lets you set financial goals and budgets. Every week the app emails you a financial update, and if you happen to go over your budget, or your bank or credit card charges you a fee, you get an email that lets you know.

Now, I'm not getting paid to plug the app. In fact, they aren't even aware that I use it. I just think it's really a handy application to help you get those personal finances under control and keep you on track. Best of all? It's FREE!!! And there are no annoying ads in the app.

What does this have to do with homeschooling? Well, aside from the fact that the app helps me keep track of school supplies and curriculum purchases, not much. But it's a handy app that I think all homeschooling moms should check out. When you're not stressed out about finances, teaching your kids is a lot easier, and the app from Mint.com has really helped alleviate a lot of my financial stress.

If you're thinking about making the transition from a typical 9 to 5 job to staying at home to homeschool the kids, check out my interview. I talk about things you may not have thought about, and really need to, like all the work that being a WAHM entails!

Our Current Math Curriculum

I'm really not fond of math, which is interesting considering my love of science. Consequently, my math skills are not as strong as they could be. For this reason, I wanted to make sure that Sam didn't end up with the same problem.

I ended up actually going a bit overboard. Sam is now doing math that is actually a few grades beyond what she should be doing. She's supposed to be in first grade, and she's actually doing third to fourth grade level work.

For example, today she did this:

Chasing Dragonflies for Science Class

At the beginning of this year, I took up photography when I bought a new camera. I decided that as a blogger, I needed a better camera. I just couldn't get the close-ups I wanted with the camera we had.

This lead to an obsession with macrophotography, specifically dragonflies. Consequently, Sam became obsessed with dragonflies as well, so I turned it into a learning experience and began teaching her everything I was learning about the insects. She thorughly enjoyed learning about them, and goes out with me anytime I "chase dragonflies" (as she calls it).

A male Golden Winged Skimmer

 

Netflix Movies for Kids on Thanksgiving

If your like my husband, you're still cooking dinner and have been since early this morning. If you need something to keep the kids busy while you put the finishing details on dinner before the company arrives, here are a few movies and shows that you can stream on Netflix that should keep the kids out of your hair for a few minutes.

I've listed the times of each movie so you know how much time you have to get those finishing touches done!

Homeschooling Isn't Just For Kids

I absolutely LOVE to learn new things. It keeps my mind active and life enjoyable. To me, learning is the meaning of life. There is so much to learn about in this life that we couldn't possibly learn it all.

But I'm damn sure gonna try!

As a writer, learning new things is imperative. In order for me to think of new ideas, I'm constantly reading, and studying. My coworkers call me a nerd, and I'm okay with that. Because I am. I admit it.

But we all need to continually learn. Our brains are hard-wired for learning. The more we learn, the more synapses we create, even as adults. This helps to fight neurological diseases such as Alzheimers. The saying really is true, if you don't use it, you lose it.

My latest thing is taking online classes, or MOOCs as they are called. Massively Open Online Courses. There are several websites that allow you to take courses from big name universities such as Stanford, Harvard and Duke, all for free!

I've taken a number of different courses including:

• Human Physiology - Duke University
• The Upper Limb - Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
• ADHD Through the Lifespan - Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
• Medical Neuroscience - Duke University
• Virology - Columbia University

I'm currently finishing The Upper Limb course, and I'm retaking the Medical Neuroscience course simply because it was so fascinating. Plus, they're going to dissect a real human brain and I just can't miss that!

You also get a statement of achievement if you get over a certain percentage in the class. So far, I've gotten two, and one of which I am particularly proud!

Reading - Inspired by Penelope Trunk

My husband hates to read, and unfortunately, that apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Sam doesn't like reading much either. I'm the only weird one of the family, I love to read, but as a writer, that's kind of an occupational hazard!

So how do you get a kid who despises reading to actually read a book? 

This is one of the main reasons I let my daughter take my college level courses with me on Coursera because she loved to read all the quiz questions. At least she was reading, right?

One of my favorite bloggers, Penelope Trunk, also homeschools, more specifically, she unschools. She's not afraid to let her kids play video games all day and let them guide their own learning. Because of this, her kids are brilliant.

Combination Curriculum: Unschooling and Classical

Although I haven't been posting on this blog like I should be, we've still been homeschooling. We probably haven't made as much progress as I would have liked, but we've also been doing a combination of unschooling and our current curriculum.

I've recently been taking a number of different classes online at Coursera such as Human Physiology, and a course on the Upper Limb. Sam has become fascinated by my classes, which lead me to try a course of unschooling with her and let her take the class with me. She even started her own notebook.

Sam's notebook for our class "The Upper Limb"

Homeschooling Lesson Planners

I love to plan. Although, admittedly, I'm horrible at it. I find it to be one of the most calming things I can do when my anxiety is high, mainly because it gives me a sense of control, even if that sense is an illusion. But I still love to plan. I have a blog planner, a Home Management Binder, a Financial Binder and of course a homeschooling binder that keeps all of Sam's worksheets (both to do and finished) all in one place - on her "homeschooling shelf" on the book case next to my "office."

I, now, have a lesson planner!! Here's the thing about me and planners: the have to be pretty or I won't use them. They have to have some sort of aesthetic appeal or it will just sit and collect dust. I found several lesson planners online, and even made one of my own, which is the one I used the most:

 

I actually really liked this one. It had plenty of room for me to write stuff, but there was something just not right about it.

Our New Curriculum

As I said in my last post, I started reading a new book called The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, and it discusses... well... a classical education curriculum.

 

It's an awesome book, and reminds me quite a bit of my Catholic school education, which isn't necessarily a good thing.  But, it was definitely classical!

Creating a Homeschool Notebook

Since we live in Florida, our unschooling has to have a bit of structure. The state requires that any homeschooling parent keep a record of the child's progress throughout the year. Although the records may never be checked, you have to be able to produce said records within a few days of being notified that the superintendent wants to see them.

I won't lie, I've been worried that the superintendent is going to pound on my door and say with a menacing voice "SHOW ME YOUR RECORDS!" 

 

So, instead of staying in a constant state of anxiety, I decided to create what I call a "Homeschooling Notebook."

Family Household Rules

I'm really not a rules person. I've never set rules for my family and I've never really had a problem.

But things are getting a bit out of control!

 

2013 hasn't started out the way I intended. We have an inspection of our home coming up and since we're hoarders clutterbugs, we've got a lot of cleaning to do. Unfortunately, my husband is still out of work due to his hernia, and I'm the only one bringing in any money, which means I don't have time to clean. But I have a list a mile long of things we need to do to get the house ready for the inspection.

On Choosing a Curriculum

Strict Curriculum vs. Unschooling

Taking our puppy outside allows Sam plenty of
opportunities to learn about nature and get
plenty of exercise.

Both my husband and I have ADHD, so we knew our daughter would have it without a doubt. I also knew a traditional school setting wouldn’t allow her to excel, and certainly wouldn’t foster a life-long love of learning. When I decided to homeschool her, I found there were quite a few ways to do it. Choosing a curriculum proved difficult because most of them were patterned after a traditional school curriculum.

I came across a book called The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith. After reading just a few pages, I knew this was the way to go. Since ADHD causes my daughter to jump from one thing to another, I knew trying to set up a strict curriculum would only aggravate both of us. But, when I read about how unschooling worked, I was ecstatic.

On Being a Stay at Home Mom

The clutter was driving me nuts!

I had no idea what I was getting into. I quit my job because I could no longer work for someone who didn't have one shred of integrity. I thought being a stay-at-home-mom would be a cake-walk compared to my career. WOW, I was so wrong. 

The first few months of my SAHM life was completely chaotic. I’m a creature of habit and routine. Since I quit my job, I had no routine. I also had no reason to get up at 04:00 am to work out, and nowhere I had to be. It was almost as if I had lost my life’s purpose.

Why I Chose Homeschooling

When I got pregnant 6 years ago, I was on the fence about sending my daughter to formal school versus homeschooling her myself. I didn't have the greatest experience when I was in school. I didn't have any friends and I was routinely picked on by bullies. My mom told me it was because they were all jealous, and looking back, she was probably right. I had a high IQ, and I was told by adults that I was very pretty.