Home Sweet Home School

Deuteronomy 11:19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

Ephesians 6:4 .... but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

I am super excited to get back to school. That probably sounds strange. I am thinking of starting the day after Labor Day. I am still waiting for some of our new school books to arrive. Here are a few of things I am using this year:

Simply Grammar: Some old-fashioned teaching models are timeless. In this revised and expanded edition of First Grammar Lessons by Charlotte Mason, you'll discover one of them---the simple method of narration that focuses on conversation as a natural means of teaching grammar to your fourth to eighth graders.

Considering God's Creation: This hands-on approach to learning science is a wonderful alternative for all types of students! Chapters cover all aspects of God's creation, including the natural world, solar system, the human body, animals, plants, weather and more.

Spelling Power is a multi-sensory, multi-level spelling customized program.

This is by no means all that I am doing. This is just a few things I am excited about. I am still using Abeka math. Hoping to find a new curriculum next year for math. I am not excited about Saxon. We will see.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you home schooling mommies out there, that are still reading this.

Have a great school year.

12 Years Ago Today.

...the perfect day.

Happy 12th Anniversary my dear.

Welcome Aboard!!!

This is my fifth year "home schooling". My intention was never to be the "teacher" and my kids the "students". I never had any intentions of turning one of our rooms in our home into a classroom...with little desks lined up, etc.. That is just not what we do. I have read sooo many home school books. So many ideas. So many curriculum's. What I do has evolved in so many ways.

I heard about "unschooling" and a light came on!!!! Most people have no idea what unschooling is. This is not exactly what I do..but you get the idea.

I plan to put all of the stuff I'm going to use this year up soon. I am so excited for school to start this year. :)

The following is from http://www.unschooling.com/

Ever hear of the private school Waldorf? (click link) This is what they do.

What is unschooling?
Have you ever described 'red' to a person who is color blind? Sometimes, trying to define unschooling is like trying to define red. Ask 30 unschoolers to define the word and you'll get thirty shades of red. They'll all be red, but they'll all be different. Generally, unschoolers are concerned with learning or becoming educated, not with 'doing school.' The focus is upon the choices made by each individual learner, and those choices can vary according to learning style and personality type. There is no one way to unschool. Click here for more definitions.

If you don't do school, what do you do?
Read, play, sing, dance, grow things, write. All of these things and more are things unschoolers do. We do them because they interest us and bring us joy or because they help us accomplish our dreams. We do the things that have meaning in our lives and contained within those activities is real learning.

You mean I'm supposed to let them run wild?
Unschooling doesn't mean not being a parent. Children need loving adults interested in helping them grow and learn. Choosing to build a lego village will include the opportunity to learn math and culture, maybe even history depending on the type of village. We do chores, have a family life, and participate in the wider community. The children are actively engaged in living and learning during all of this.

But, what about math?
It's easy to see how children can learn many things without using traditional, formal methods of teaching, but many people see math as a huge stumbling block, mainly, because most of us have learned to hate math because of the way it was taught in school. There are a great many ways to encounter math in the real world. Geometry can be found in quilt making, algebra in painting a room. Shifting perspectives, from textbooks to the real world is sometimes difficult, but math that is actually used is math truly learned.

Is this legal?
Yes. Each state has its own specific guidelines that many unschoolers choose to live within. Some, like NY, are more difficult than some others, but there are unschoolers in every state in the union.

How do you know they are learning?
You will know by listening to them speak, by watching them play, just by being with them. You will know they are learning at 8 the same way you knew they were learning at 18 months. You will see them use their skills and knowledge. This does take some effort on the part of the parent. The information is not contained on a worksheet or within a report. It is not all nice and neat and tied up with a grade. It's spread out over the course of the day while the children are living their lives. You have to be observant and tuned into your child, in order to know.

The nice thing about this is that it's great fun to observe your children so closely, to be so in tune with their lives. It brings contentment to both parent and child to know each other so well.

Yeah, yeah...I know.... Ladies don't usually blog about politics.


But this time it is important.
More important than breastfeeding.
More important than midwifery (my current passion).
It is about the future of this country.
The future of YOUR children, and mine.
The future of all of those thousands of American soldiers over in Iraq.
They too, are some one's children.


And Ron Paul wants to BRING THEM HOME. NOW.


So. Could you take a moment to learn WHO this guy is?


Ron Paul is a true freedom loving statesman, and a Republican candidate for the Presidency, 2008.
He is a Texas Congressman. And he wants to fix what is WRONG with this country.
He is unlike any other candidate.
Watch one You Tube video, or Google video, and see for yourself.
He is amazing.
He will blow you away.
I double dog dare you to watch just one clip of him. Do it.

International Breastfeeding Symbol! Look for this symbol when looking for a breastfeeding friendly location.

Businesses that display this symbol make it clear that we (breastfeeding mamas) don't have to hide in the bathroom stall to feed our baby.

Which I refuse to do anyway. I think if a person is uncomfortable with a mother nursing her baby, he/she should look the other way. And if they are still uncomfortable, I will loan them a blanket, they can put it over their head, and go sit in the bathroom. :)

And yes!!! I am still nursing my 14 month old. That alone offends half the population. I might blog about that another day.

My Personal Favorite Natural Remedies

Oreganol (oil of oregano)- A natural antibiotic, for use in eliminating:

- colds and flu: several drops under tongue, rub into soles of feet for infants, or into chest (think Vicks VapoRub) for older kids

-respiratory illness: same as above

-ear infection: a couple drops warmed into ear canal, may need to dilute with olive oil

-yeast infection: several drops under tongue, 3 times a day until condition clears.

-staph infection: internally and externally

-bacterial infection: internally and externally

-Toothaches/oral lesions: Apply directly to involved region as often as needed.
-Athlete's foot/ ringworm: Apply directly to involved areas twice a day.
-Seborrhea: Apply to involved areas gently. Take also internally, 5 drops twice a day.
-Sunburn: Rub on involved region.
-Rash or hives: Rub on involved region twice or more daily.
-Psoriasis or eczema: Use internally primarily for adults. In children, apply small amount to the lesions once or twice a day.
-Warts: Saturate a cotton ball and apply to wart with paper tape. Repeat twice daily. Also, take the oil internally, 5 or more drops twice a day Available online, or at the health food store.

Arnica gel- a topical pain reliever for bumps and bruises. Fast relief for muscle pain, and stiffness swelling. This stuff is awesome! You can find it in the homeopathic section of your health food store. I use it on my little ones bumps on the head (when learning to walk), and for the inevitable bruises the older boys get all over their legs from who knows what.

Supertonic- a liquid concoction made from organic garlic, habanero peppers, horseradish, onion, and ginger in a base of organic apple cider vinegar. Make it yourself (just ask me for the recipe) or buy at:

http://www.herbdoc.com/ Whenever anyone feels a cold coming on, or has the sniffles..this will chase it off!!! I gargle it for a sore throat.

Echinacea- Boosts the immune system. It works by boosting the number of immune cells and the amount of natural immune chemicals in your body and then stimulating them into being more active. There are literally hundreds of other known and researched healing and protecting abilities of Echinacea besides colds, flu, sore throats and upper respiratory infections. A partial list includes inhibiting tumor growth, killing strep and staph bacteria, halting urinary tract infections, healing infected wounds, relieving hives and allergic reactions, stopping allergies, neutralizing toxic and poisonous insect and animal bites and stings, etc. I buy from http://www.herbdoc.com/ (You can make your own..just ask me how)

Since putting my kids on a regular regimen of Supertonic and Echinacea in cold/flu season, we have hardly had a cold, and no flu!! This stuff works!

My favorite stuff for prevention in a few days.

Have a great weekend!