Over the course of my years as a parent, I have gained weight and lost friends. In truth, I’m not as fun as I used to be. I’m not as spontaneous and I’m not as carefree. When you are a special needs parent, much of your energy is sucked up by the day-to-day and you are hesitant … Continue reading
Filed under home schooling …
Express Myself
I would be lying if I said that homeschooling took away all the frustrations. It is better… SO much better because of the breaks and the reduction of noise and crowds. He can eat and use the restroom when he needs to and he isn’t bumped by students in a narrow hall or busy lunchroom. We can … Continue reading
Roaming School Saturday
As part of our homeschooling experience, we try to use weekend getaways as a way to extend the learning that takes place during the week. For example, to go with our Washington State unit, we decided to travel East and see how the apples that we tasted earlier in the week (we did a blind taste test) were … Continue reading
September Mondays
Last night, we enjoyed Sunday S’mores. As we sat in our chairs under the white twinkle tree lights, we stared at the flames while also keeping a close eye on our toasting marshmallows. There were fewer words tonight and more thinking. This seemed to be our goodbye to summer. We had beautiful weather over the … Continue reading
Our New Normal
Most of you know that while this was “back to school” time for me professionally, it was also “Thank God We Can Home school” time for our family. As expected, I had mixed feelings. I welcomed many excited students back to school, while my own did not return to his neighborhood school. I saw all … Continue reading
Where We Are Now
As Labor Day quickly approaches, summer feels as though it is already gone. I return to work (officially) on Tuesday. I know what back to school feels like, I’ve been a teacher for 20+ years; however, I don’t really know what it feels like to work Fridays and home school the other days. In addition … Continue reading
This Fall
Recently, I wrote the “Top Ten Reasons” why I’m glad that we are a homeschooling family. To date, it was the article that has been shared the most of any of mine. As I saw the numbers climb, I realized that I was not alone. There were others out there like me. They shared my … Continue reading
Top Ten Reasons
I would be lying if I said that I was done thinking about how it could have been, should have been, for my son at school. We fought. We tried to change things for him, for others; however, things didn’t get any better, they actually got worse. When I start to go there, back to … Continue reading
Can’t This Be A Stay Home Day?
If it was up to my son, we would rarely leave our house. We might visit our neighborhood Starbucks, stop by the library, or walk around the block before ending up at the mailbox; however, additional destinations require prior planning and convincing. “Can’t this be a stay home day?” To be honest, I understand why he tries … Continue reading
Sacrifices?
Sometimes, it’s hard to make sensible and responsible decisions, especially when you have a credit card staring at you, taunting you. Typically, we plan three or four small trips during the summer. We seem partial to fancy hotels with scenic views, beautiful pools and luxurious sheets. Unfortunately for us, those things come at a price … Continue reading
My Twice Baked Potato 