Delayed Academics???

A field trip taken with Jason's cousin's kids, who also homeschool.  

I am still reading a lot on educational philosophies, and am trying to find a great balance for my kids.  I'm reading The Read Aloud Handbook.  After reading the idea of delayed phonics in probably 5 books now, I think I am finally letting it sink in.  Just because a child CAN learn to read at age 4 doesn't mean they SHOULD.  That's what these books are saying.  Hmmm.  In, I think it is Finland, by law they cannot teach children to read until age 7.  After a year or two, the children are caught up, and eventually surpass the other countries in standardized reading tests (I think, actually they are one of the top in the world).  Hmmm.  Why do I have such a hard time with this?  Earlier has always been better, I thought.  I was proud of Levi potty training himself at an early age.  Parents like this kind of thing. But when Dana didn't potty train herself, I waited until she was 3, and there was practically no "training" at all.  I bought her undies and that was the end of it.  No small potty.  No rewards.  No staying at home for days on end with a bare bum.  Just so easy.  Some homeschool moms I know say, "If this is something my child can learn easier later, I'm going to wait."  But do I DARE to do this?  I loved Levi's charter school because they actually taught the kids stuff.  It wasn't about shapes and colors.  It was about reading and history and art.  I liked that.  Now, I just don't know.  (Okay, the fact that he was IN school, to me says he should be doing something, otherwise, he should just stay home.  I'm okay with kids wasting time, but I don't want them taken away, and wasting time away, if that makes sense.  Now that he IS home, I think I am considering what will help him grow up the most emotionally healthy).  One book I read said something to the effect of, "We are in such a hurry to get our kids to grow up.  Maybe something actually HAPPENS in childhood, and it's disastrous when that skipped."

Obviously Levi already reads, and he loves it.  But Dana doesn't read.  I know she CAN read.  I know she has the ability.  But she's not asking, she's not wanting to.  I read to her lots, and she loves it.  Do I DARE wait until she is 6 or 7 and/or asking?  I guess I feel I am under scrutiny now that I homeschool.  When a kid learns to read says a lot to people around.  Like the potty training thing.  How smart are they?  How good of an education are they getting?  I have no idea which of my Young Women are good at school and which aren't.  But everyone knows whether a child can read the scripture off the chart or not.  So silly I would think about this, but it's true I do.

So far, I have our homeschool set up with some things intense, and other things relaxed.  Piano is intense (we are up to 75 min. a day).  Academics are somewhat relaxed.  They take about 1.5 hours.  Then we read, read, read.  (usually 1.5-2 hours).  Read history and discuss, and use the tablet when I don't know stuff, which is often.  I feel like the reading we do doesn't seem like school.  It is on my bed, and the kids love this time.  I've been reading to them their whole lives, so it's just an extension of this.

Then again, Dana shouldn't read music before she reads words.  Is she developmentally not ready for piano?  I am considering a Suzuki instrument.  (Suzuki piano, I have heard is a joke, since it is so visual). We'll see how that pans out.

Ode to the Internet

I am increasingly amazed at the internet. A lot has changed in my life recently because of it.  People can learn anything at any time.  I remember when it was newer, people mostly warned to not believe everything you read on the internet.  Well, yeah, don't read everything you read in books, either.  Research is so easy, and well-rounded on the internet (I often think if I read a book on a topic, and someone has 200 pages to convince me, they probably can).  Read a little of this side a little of that side.  I think our world will be able changing drastically in the next generation.  From health stuff to other areas of my life, I never thought I would be who I am today, particularly in the last 6 months or so.  I don't know if anyone else is feeling the same way as I am, but I just had to put  that out there.  Things aren't always as they seem, and the internet gives people the opportunity to be open minded.  Mark twain said travel is fatal to narrow-mindedness and prejudice.  Now we can all "travel" from our own living rooms.  The internet is a crystal ball.  The end.

Perks of Homeschooling

We started officially "schooling" in mid August.  We are finally finding a good schedule that works well for us.  (More on that later.)  I have had to threaten Levi a couple of times to send him to school, to get him to work.  That sounds terrible, I know, but it is effective.  He liked school.  He was good at school.  But he is well aware that he has more play time because we homeschool.  Enough said.

The other day a neighbor friend said, "Do you homeschool?"  Dana jumps in, "Yes we do!  Except Millie.  She doesn't do anything.  Well, she does chores when Mom asks her. That's all."  Dana is also proud to be a homeschooler.  Her school consists of opening up Explode the Code or her math when she wants to (usually when Levi opens up a workbook, Dana will also for 15 min. or so). I've decided I don't want to force the very young children to do much.  Levi was reading well at her age.  She is very different from him.  While I think she is just as bright, she is more wiggly, squirmy, more in her imagination.  She gets frustrated and distracted much more easily. I tried about 3 different reading curriculum with her before we tried Explode the Code. So far, so good; we'll see if it lasts.  That's advantage #1:  If a curriculum is just not working for my child, I can CHANGE it!  Dana does seem to be a math girl.


Another perk:  we went to Disneyland in September.  Vacationing during the off season is great.

Perk #3:  We enjoy the outdoors.  When I went to college, I discovered I had to learn to be outside again.  I spent time outside in elementary, but it dwindled away as I got older and had more homework. (There is a heavy price tag to being a good student, and I paid that price in full and then some.)  Obviously we could enjoy the outdoors after school, but I have fit it into our schedule to have approximately 2 hours for a break mid-morning to go outside.  Spending time outdoors is so important for mental and emotional development.  My kids love to ride their bikes and all that (Dana btw, just asked to learn to ride a 2 wheeler, which totally shocked me, since she is my timid/fearful child.  She learned in an hour and is doing great), but I also like them to play in/with nature (these are the Waldorf ideas coming through), so we try to head to the canyon at least once a week.


Perk #4:  Funding!  Turns out homeschool is not only not expensive, but we are getting lots of stuff we otherwise wouldn't be able to.  Technically Levi is registered as a charter school student (an independent learner student), and we are receiving $800 to reimburse curriculum for him.  And I will get that much per year for each child that is school aged. They also took us on a paid-for field trip to the zoo, and we'll see what else they have lined up for us.  This does mean he is tested somewhat. I also need to submit bi-weekly assignments. I need to give him the Dibels test 3x a year for the first few grades.  Then it gets into more testing.  It also means we are part of common core, I guess.  But it's not that bad, and I don't feel like we are doing anything different this year than we otherwise would be doing.  For the first time I have a budget.  I mean, I have had a budget since I got married (I am married to an accountant, remember), but it's always been a "spend as little as we can" budget.  Now I have a budget of "spend this on whatever you want, because if you don't spend it, you lose it."  It's a weird mentality that I am really enjoying. I have most everything I need, and have only spent about half the money.  I think I will be stocking up on literature.

I just love this.

I've gotten lots of emails asking about this, so here is our news:

We homeschool, and it's really awesome.  I was so worried.  Basically this whole last year I tried to get things in order/i.e. get more organized (it only sort of worked), and I read everything I could on homeschool.  But telling Levi's charter school he would not be coming back was super hard.  In fact, they didn't even respond to my email!  (I know what they were thinking...).  Anyway, but once I did that, things have been awesome, and I can't believe I was so nervous.  It just feels so natural to homeschool (for us).  I'm sure I will have frustrating days.  But so far I have been grateful every day Levi is home. 

Every day we 1. practice piano (so important), 2. do math, 3. do writing and spelling 4. do reading.  Some days we do history, and I haven't even ordered our science stuff, yet (but I will).  It takes us about 3-4 hours a day (since 1 hour is piano, that's not bad at all), and less if we don't do history.  (I picked some curriculum that needs minimal help, so me actually sitting there is really not long at all.  Today I folded laundry while the kids did math and spelling, and asked some questions).  So by the time I take Levi to soccer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I don't worry at all that I'm sending him away and keeping him too busy.  By that time his responsibilities are all finished and he's had at least a good 5-6 hours or so of play time (and more after soccer).  It really is a sweet deal.  

I'm still tweaking my educational philosophy.  One advantage of homeschool is you can do whatever you want.  I mean, as a mom I can think, "what do I want my kids to learn, and how is the best/most natural way for them to learn it?" rather than, "The state requires this, we need to show that they've mastered a skill by doing this, etc."  I have so many thoughts on this, and I have been on the swinging pendulum for a while now.  (If you aren't one to research educational philosophies, the rest of this paragraph won't make much sense, so you can skip).   The idea of unschooling is intriguing to me, but not quite convincing.  So far I do a lot of The Well Trained Mind, except, I believe in taking a somewhat softer approach (I think I'll be adding in some Montessori and even some Waldorf as well), and some other views that really respect childhood, and the child's need to explore and have freedom.  Right now I kind of view learning as either 1. a skill that needs practice (i.e. reading, writing, early math, piano), or 2. knowledge that can be acquired.  You don't need to practice history.  You can just enjoy it for what it is (unless you are worried about that quiz at the end, then all you think about is what the quiz will be on - hence we will NOT be doing tests/quizzes for many years, and then ONLY to train my kids to play the school game.  I digress).  Anyway, you can enjoy history and science for what they are now.  But to really enjoy writing (or piano or reading), you need to be somewhat fluent.  If you have to "draw" every letter (little kids have to really concentrate on the formation of letters) it is exhausting, and not fun.  But if you are good/fast at it, it is therapeutic.  So basically what I think I will do is require my kids to do these skill tasks of reading, writing/spelling, math, piano whether or not they want to (of course I try to make it as painless as I can) and the other stuff we will learn it as it seems natural and fun.  No pressure.  I do believe The Well Trained Mind in that little children are sponges and they LIKE to memorize.  So I will capitalize on that.  We have been memorizing things at meal time (they learned Fifty Nifty United States song, and we're working on United States geography as well the order of the presidents.  I'm excited to add in poetry.  I think this is natural.  My kids like doing this.  And there are no tests (have I said that, yet?)  That's my current philosophy, but I will try to stay impartial, because I'm sure things will change as I move forward.  And it is so important for me that my kids have lots of time to dig in the dirt.  That is as important as anything.  Reading is also super important.  We read together, I read to them, and he reads alone.  Literature, good literature, is amazing, and I didn't even know it until I'd graduated from college.  

I want everyone to know that I completely respect your decisions to send your kids to public schools.  I absolutely loved Levi's charter school.  I think there is a sense of judgment when people hear someone is homeschooling.  Either the judgment is they think the homschoolers are weird, or they think the homeschooler must think they are bad parents for not doing it.  In all honesty, I am a person who really needs validation.  I ask people's opinions, and I worry if they don't agree.  If they don't agree, I question myself, or try to justify things.  But I feel God has really been trying to teach me as of late that it's okay if we are different.  It really is.  There is no one perfect way to educate; this is just what I have chosen for my family.  So I hope no one feels bad or threatened if I talk about why I love it.  It's totally cool for people to talk about why they/their kids love school, and I hope it's cool for me, too.  Also, homeschooling/reading about homeschooling has given me a different view on life.  Everything we do is homeschool.  So if I refer to things (like piano, cooking, chores) as homeschool, and you think, "Well, I do that with my kids, too, and they public school," just know I know homeschoolers don't have a monopoly on teaching their children.  But I don't distinguish too much between school and life.  I just wanted to clear the air on those issues.  We can all be friends, right?  

Best Parenting Book Ever

http://www.amazon.com/Hold-On-Your-Kids-Parents/dp/0375760288

I am over the moon about this book.  I read a lot of parenting books (I can't read fiction books often, because they, uh, take over my life until they are over, but I DO read a lot of parenting books, like I'm sure many of you do).  This one takes the cake.  Love it, love it, love it.  He discusses something I would have never supposed, until about two years ago.  When I started that super exhausting/time consuming/restrictive diet, Levi was left to his own devices for the first time.  He'd run outside and play with his friends basically whenever he wanted.  I kind of let him because I was so darn busy in the kitchen.  I started noticing something:  he was mean to me when I'd ask him to come in.  He was mean to me if I told him he couldn't go out.  He was generally much more disobedient.  What was going on?  He was only 4, so surely it wasn't teenaged rebellion.  The friends he played with had the best family, so it wasn't negative influence.  When we moved to our new house, there were no friends we had met.  In fact, I didn't set up any play dates for several months because for the first time in a while Levi was happy.  And he and Dana became best friends.  And he was much more obedient.  I loved it, and wanted it to last.  Now I am more restrictive of friend-time in general, and when my kids want to play with neighbors, they play together.  I like to invite sets of siblings over, instead of just the child my kids' ages.  It works out so well.

Although this seemed instinctive after I saw what happened to Levi two years ago, I didn't realize there was a psychological explanation for this:  Peer Orientation.  And the authors gave me so many great ideas of application.  Oh, I just can't rave about this enough.

Read this book!  Trust me on this one.

Cute Children's Books

Here are some finds from the library that we truly adore:

http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Monster-Little-Stone-Rabbit/dp/0099455951

This book is sad, I don't know why I like it so much.  But it is a cute, and I like reading it to my kids over and over.

http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Was-Raised-Librarians/dp/1561453919/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365533411&sr=1-1&keywords=the+boy+who+was+raised+by+librarians

http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Birthday-Party-Ever/dp/0375847634

I had a hard time getting Dana to like books.  I wondered for a while if she had ADHD.  Levi's shining trait is his attention span, but Dana, not so much.  She's doing better now, and likes me to read to her.  This was the first book that really caught her attention.  I love the pictures.

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Clara-Vulliamy/dp/0618194592

My kids love this one.  I like it pretty well.  Words are endearing.  The illustrations are average.

http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Ship-Book-Candlewick-Press/dp/0763655937/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365535341&sr=1-1&keywords=circus+ship

http://www.amazon.com/Jamberry-Bruce-Degen/dp/0694006513

This one's not a library one.  We've had it for many years.  I'm usually not a fan of rhyming books.  Rhyming book usually means less than great story trying to sound more special than it is.  It also makes it harder for my kids to understand.  I want my kids to appreciate good real poetry.  But most rhyming books I don't even read to them at all.  I love this one. And so do they.  It's so rhythmic and fun.

I have a thing for picture books.  I love them as much as the kids.  We have a lot of books, most of them from yard sales.  At first this seemed to make sense, so we could build up a library without the huge cost.  And when a toddler ripped it up, I didn't panic.  I'm not so sure what I think of this anymore.  I'm getting more to the idea of quality over quantity. (90% of picture books at the library are pretty dumb; dumb story; dumb illustrations, etc.). I just went through our books and threw some out.  I didn't want to get rid of the ones I "liked" but I also realized I didn't "love" very many of them.  I'm trying to simplify my life and my kids' lives and possessions.  They have so many toys.  Sometimes I wish they would stop having birthdays, because they have so many grandparents, and things just add up.  Most of them are packed away, but I don't think they really cherish anything because they just have so much.  (I'm not sure they have more books or toys than most kids.  Or more than I had as a kid.  Just all kids in America have a lot).  So I'm toying with the idea of mostly just getting them a few great hardcover picture books for birthdays and holidays.  But I don't know how well that would go over, since they can get mounds of books for FREE from the library.  Anyway, just some things I have been thinking of lately.

Oh, and while I'm recommending stuff here's an awesome pencil sharpener:


http://www.amazon.com/School-Smart-Vertical-Pencil-Sharpener/dp/B003U6VSHU
I bought it at a school supply place online (can't remember the name) for only $16.50.
We tried a few different ones from Walmart and they kept breaking.  This is a best-seller on amazon, and it really is so much better than others we've tried.

The Best Story

My little brother emailed me the funniest story that just happened  to him.  In his words:

So I saw a car in the law parking lot with its lights on.  I crouched and examined the light to make sure it wasn't just the sun reflecting.  Then I walked around the car to see the model so I could tell the school so they could inform the owner was their lights were on (the school sends emails like that).  After looking at the model and considering memorizing the license plate, I figured it would be easier to just take a picture with my phone, so I did.  Then I thought it would be easier for the owner to recognize the front than the back, so I walked around and took a picture of the front.  I spent probably 2 or so minutes probing around the car, then walked on my way.  But as I walked away, the car turned on and drove off.  I looked at the pictures I took, and sure enough, I didn't notice the person sitting in the car, watching me examine his vehicle.

Here's the front picture:

Honestly, I'm not sure if it's more creepy for him that some dude was examining and photographing his car, or more creepy for me that he just watched me do it in silence.

Oh, and I posted this on Facebook.  Scott commented, "I wonder what story is on HIS Facebook page."

Great video

This is several years old.  Two months after this appeared on television in England, Brian Deer began his allegations against Wakefield.

I know most of you think I am crazy, but I really love Andrew Wakefield.  This video is heart wrenching and interesting.  I have a lot of exposure to kids with Autism, from my brother to my students when I taught school.  I love all people with disabilities.  I can't help it, I just do, even if I am only passing them in the grocery store.  But I feel the most emotion for children with autism and their families.  It surely is the most tragic, as it is the lonely disability.    Just thinking about this because there was an article in the paper today of a "new" study finding heavy metals in much higher levels in children with autism.  So crazy how the majority of people are surprised by this.  The article, of course, will not say where the metals come from.  (I know, Tuna has more mercury than a vaccine!!  And since we are all injecting tuna into our bloodstream it really is no problem).  A man commented that people should stop listening to mass media and get their facts straight, and told the garbage on Wakefield.  Ummm mass media?  Helloooooo, no.  Instead, it's the reverse.  I am so grateful for the internet.  I can't imagine if I was only limited to what I was taught at school and what is in the local papers.  That said, I'll read all sides of the issue.

Firsts for Levi

Levi had a some great firsts this year.  It really is so fun to see him grow and learn.  I honestly never thought I would say that, as I just loved to mindlessly throw rocks in the gutter with him every day for hours.  I dreaded him getting bigger.  Every age he has been at, though, I think I want to freeze life right there.  So here were his firsts when he was 5 (in celebration of him just turning 6):

Levi started piano in February.  He rocks.  My mom is his teacher, and usually recommends kids start at 6 or 7, but Levi, as I've said many times, is non-self entertaining.  I mean, he really truly is non-self entertaining.  And when the girls were napping, I would BEG him to play with toys by himself.  And he couldn't.  He'd yack and yack, and lay on his back and look at the ceiling, and I would get frustrated because I expected nap time to be productive time for me.  And it wasn't happening.  (In fact, as I write this post, he's doing Legos, and I kid you not he has not left me alone for 2 complete minutes).  So I threw in the towel, and found something useful for us to do together - which is practice piano, and I absolutely love it, and he's learning so much.  Every now and then (like today) I still insist on a little me-time, and he's back to yacking.

Levi also started school, which I've already talked about.  But I wanted to talk just a little more to let you know I absolutely adore his school.  I am so very, very impressed.  Every time I'm at his school I stand in awe when his art teacher walks down the hall.  I feel like I'm looking at a celebrity.  I admire her so much.  ALL the kids' art is fantastic.  Levi's by no means an above-average artist, and look at this chalk cowboy!  This was done in 45 amazing minutes as instructed by a very talented teacher who has neither a degree in art nor in teaching.

I cannot, however, get over the 7 hour time demands of first grade and on.  So I am enjoying his time in Kindergarten, and I still have homeschool on the back of my mind for the future.  I am glad I sent him, though, because 1. It's been a great experience for him, and 2. Even if I do homeschool, my motives for doing so will be very different.  Basically it would ONLY be because school is too long.  Love everything else about his school.  What a dilemma I am in.

Jason taught Levi to ski this year.  My friend told me about some bunny hills around that are free.  We also took him night skiing to a resort where kids are free, and with a rope tied around him, he could do the blue squares.  So fun to be out on the slopes with him.  I am, however, completely afraid of heights.  There is no activity I like more than skiing (although because of cost we don't go much), but I'm always a little afraid of the lift.  And having Levi on the lift with me was all the much more nerve racking   I told myself I would not be an overprotective mom like this.  But here I am.

Levi also started gymnastics a couple months ago.  Because gymnastics is expensive I was waiting to start him, until I felt he was at an age where if we waited any longer he couldn't catch up easily, and I thought 5 was probably it.  Besides soccer (which is cheap and was not new this last year), and a semester of Kindermusik when he was a baby, these are the first lessons we have paid for for him (piano is free with my mom).  I am realizing that kids get more expensive as they get older.  I suppose if Levi loves gymnastics, he can do it for a long time.  But the plan right now is to let it be a springboard (no pun intended) in gross-motor development into other sports, preferably basketball, according to Jason.

Happy birthday to my sweet, wonderful, everything to me little boy.

My Girls Recently

These are some things I heard Camille say recently,
"Dad!  Levi's not getting me toilet paper!"  (He had asked her to get some for him to blow his nose, and she thought she'd ask the favor in reverse, though Levi was already asleep, and Camille didn't like him ignoring her).
"I take a bath.  Actually, a shower."
And I'm thinking, did she just say 'actually'?  
Not bad for 22 months old.

She learned to climb out of her crib a month ago.  Bummer.  It's been a rough month in the sleep department (not that it was ever great), but she's done much better the last few nights, knock on wood.

We went off our diet after 1 year (in June) to pursue another healing venue (I'm shooting for the same purpose, but decided on different means).  Camille immediately took a turn for the worse.  She got a chronic diaper rash that she still has.  She has a rash on her cheeks this winter that she didn't last.  She had an immediate change in behavior - anxiety (though not as severe as Dana), and irritability. Night waking galore. She also got really constipated, something which is finally clearing up.  Jason had questioned our diet all along, but as soon as he saw Camille's changes, he said, "What happened to her!  We need to go back on the diet!"  But we couldn't.  I was doing horrible on it (besides the dark under-eye circles, which are still gone).  Camille was doing the best, and everyone well, but me, horrible. (I still nurse, so can't do her on and me off). I've been hitting this other protocol pretty hard, and am finally *I hope* seeing positive improvements in Camille.

And Dana.  Oh, my sweet little Dana.  I am so worried about her.  She has major emotional problems.  People ask me why I go through the efforts I do with food.  They must not understand what it is like to have a child with anxiety.  But most likely they must not believe anxiety has anything to do with digestion.  Who could let their child live like this?  Daily panic attacks over nothing. I keep imagining her as a 14 year old running off with a 35 year old creep, because she's so insecure about herself.  So, yes, I would do anything.  I thoroughly believe her problem lies in her digestive system.  She has chronic diarrhea, and when I can get her stools solid (by use of bentonite clay), she is calm and happy. A very obvious correlation to me.   It just takes a long time to heal a gut.  I wish it could go faster.

Gosh, this health stuff is really annoying.  I am determined to finish up a job I started, but I am so sick of it all.  The good news is this other protocol is not a diet.  We have even been out to eat a handful of times, which has been fun (though I often bring our own salad dressing, ha ha), and am choosy about what we get off the menu.  We eat all whole foods at home, still honey and fruit as our only sweeteners, still lots of butter :) But it's not so strict. (But still very strict compared to most people's standards).  I felt absolutely paranoid of everything on the other protocol.  Now I am more relaxed.  But I'm also still trying to simplify my time in the kitchen, because I actually do not have a love of cooking, by any means (I basically hate it).  I simply have an intense desire for my family to be happy and healthy.

Does trying to eat healthy make you sick?

That's what someone asked me the other day - she said it seems the people who care most about food have the most problems.  When I was pregnant with Levi, I was working in the public schools, and I ate school lunch every day.  I "cared" about nutrition enough that I bought whole wheat bread vs. white, and I tried to have a dark leafy green salad with dinner.  That was about it.  And yet Levi still came out with colic and reflux.  My  girls I ate different things, and still the same scenario.

I think having health problems leads people on a quest to find a solution.  It is no fun having a baby that cries all the time.  It is no fun not feeling good.  Actually, I was so miserable during Levi's pregnancy.   I realized if that was what chronic health problems were like I would do whatever I could to prevent them.  However, I didn't really change anything in our diets too much until he was about 8 months old. Restrictive diets can be damaging to some, and not others.  But I think all in all, if your body is healthy - if you have good bacteria, it doesn't matter what you eat.  You can eat junk, you can eat vegan, you can eat paleo, you can eat whole foods, whatever, and your body can handle it.

Just thought I'd say that in case anyone has wondered.

What REALLY Makes You Healthy (Hint: it's not healthy food).

*I had a change in what I wrote on the percent of women who get breast cancer.  Thought I should point it out, because I was just remembering a number off the top of my head, but I should double check my facts before I write them down, I guess. Anyway, it's updated in here.

Camille eating an apple.
An apple a day, however, does not necessarily keep the doctor away.

I think a few of you follow Greensmoothiegirl.  Did you read her posts about how she "Accidentally walked for the cure?"  She went jogging in NY and happened upon a bunch of pink-wearing supporters.  She talks about the marketing genius of the campaign (did you know greensmoothiegirl actually teaches marketing - or something in the business department - at BYU?).  Anyway, her insight is interesting, and worth your read, I think.  But I don't totally agree.

For a while now, the "Walk for the Cure" has made me unsettled inside.  My mom had breast cancer about 4 years ago.  My mother-in-law had it this past year.  It's not that I didn't want treatment for them, but it drives me absolutely nuts how breast cancer is on a very steep climb, and yet, we're so worried about the "cure" and no one does anything to figure out the cause.  I mean, what if 12% of women didn't have to have their breasts chopped off in the first place?  In addition, my MIL is now on a medication she is supposed to take for the rest of her life, and it is making her absolutely ill.  She has become a different person this past year, since her treatments began.  Because of "early diagnosis" she had no clue of her disease until her yearly mammogram   She's been though so much.  She was so full of energy, came to visit all the time, just generally happy.  She is really struggling now to feel good, be happy, and have energy.  And yet she's getting top of the line care from the nearby cancer treatment center that is world-renowned.

That said, I'm not sure that alternative treatments have all that much more to offer.  I have told many of you how I got interested in alternative medicine in the first place.  Dana had a urinary tract infection.  We took her to the ER on doctors orders.  The bill came out to be $5600.  This was a non-complicated UTI, but the bill was as much as it costs to have a baby!  Anyway, I decided then I wanted OUT of the system of our health care.  I am so frugal in every way, and yet it was always those medical bills that we were throwing huge chunks of money at.  I have not even spent $5600 to clothe my ENTIRE family for our ENTIRE marriage, and yet, all that for one UTI.  (PS. We had insurance and got a lawyer involved, so our insurance paid up except $1500.  But still).  In addition to that, I felt completely HELPLESS watching Dana be so sick.  She was only 4 months old at the time, and there wasn't a thing I could do for her.  Because I think about emergency preparedness a lot, I realized w/o antibiotics she would have died.  So all this led me on my natural quest, which has been an interesting journey.

We have seen several natural practitioners for this and that.  In western medicine, there is a standard of care that is predictable.  If my kid has a fever for more than a few days, I know what to expect:  check the ears, the throat, the lungs.  If nothing, either wait, or check the urine. And then, of course, out come the antibiotics.  Pretty simple.  But these natural doctors are all over the place.  One will do foot-zoning, one will recommend homeopathics, one spine adjustments, etc. etc.  In fact, I have been to several chiropractors, and they are all so different from each other.  But the thing that bugs me most about them, is they are all SURE they can fix the problem.  See, a regular doctor will send you elsewhere if they don't know what to do for you.  Not these natural guys (except one lady I saw).  You may have to go in 10 or 20 times, but don't worry, they have the solution!  Hardly. I started becoming pretty suspicious when I looked at the people around me in the chiropractic office, and realized they were really not any healthier-looking than the general population at Walmart.  And I could say the same for the natural practitioners themselves.

So what are we to do?  Breast cancer (and every cancer and disease for that matter) is on the rapid rise.  Is eating a raw vegan diet (or a Weston Price diet, or a whole foods diet, or whatever) going to prevent cancer?  No, as you'll see if you read greensmoothiegirl's comments.  It definitely helps people be healthier than they otherwise would be, so may prevent some cancer.  But ultimately your food does not make you healthy.

Did I just say that?  I think I'll say it again, because I'm sure you are all dying of shock that I, of all people, just said that.  FOOD DOES NOT MAKE YOU HEALTHY.  Maybe a little healthier than you otherwise would be.  But I'll tell you, we eat pretty darn perfect (and have also been all over the map mostly vegan, Weston Price, whole foods, etc.), and my kids have more digestive problems than a lot of kids who walk around drinking sodas and eating chips all the time.  So what makes you healthy, I believe, is your body.  But it's not your genes.  You see, if it were GENETIC, these diseases would not be on the rise, because there is no such thing as a genetic epidemic.  I believe it's your body, but NOT your genes.  It's the bacteria in your body.  If your bacteria is healthy enough to eliminate toxins from your body, you are healthy, even if you eat toxic food (i.e. junk food).  If your body does not have enough good bacteria, then those toxins stay inside you.  Eating healthy foods will bind to some of those toxins and help them to not damage you so much.  And a healthy diet will help you not add too many new toxins to your body.  But healthy food, even juicing, does not eliminate those toxins.  It is crucial to have that good bacteria.  I learned about this almost 2 years ago, and have been on a quest to find the best way to replace that good bacteria (Nice try, Yoplait, but you aren't anywhere near strong enough to make someone healthy).  What I am finding is that this gut health idea is not new, and there are many possible solutions to the problem.  I'm finally making good progress (I took a terrible down-turn for a while), but I'm doing better.  I have a ways to go, still.

So back to what greensmoothiegirl said.  I, personally, am cutting western medicine some slack.  It really is much more complicated than drinking greensmoothies. Our bodies are so very complicated.  Not that there isn't a way to be healthy, but that the solution is not simple.  I am glad I have come to these terms, because when I first entered the natural world, I became pretty bitter against western medicine.  Besides the fact that they ripped me off financially over and over, I was mad that the stuff I'd been giving my kids to make them healthy was in fact, treating symptoms and ultimately made them more unhealthy.  I was mad that they make all natural people seem like quacks.  They have a total monopoly on the market.  Who, after all, wants to fall for quackery?  But really, a lot of the natural treatments I have seen are in no way "healing" us any more than the drugs were.  They are also treating symptoms, they are just doing so naturally.  So we're on a quest to fill our guts/bowels with good bacteria.  It's exciting, expensive, and I hope and pray that in a year or so I can tell you all about our successful journey *please oh please.*  That's what I think.

(Halloween at end of post)

I got a card in the mail today.  This is what it said:

Dear [us],

I just had to write a brief note to tell you what a superb job your little son did on Sunday [primary program].  I was so impressed at how well he sang.  He knew all the songs, practically word-for-word of every verse, and performed as well as his dear little voice would allow.

In this day and age children's attention spans are limited but he is to be congratulated for paying attention and picking up what he has learned.  I have worked in Primary as a Chorister and know how difficult it can be to teach songs to children.  He must be one of the exceptions to the rule.

I so much enjoyed sitting in the front row listening to him sing.  He really put his heart and soul into every song, it was a joy to watch and listen.

Thank you for raising such a precious, stalwart young child.  You have every reason to be justly proud of him.  If he's like this at Sunbeam age, think of the possibilities as he grows into adolescence and young manhood.  It will be a pleasure to watch him develop.

Thank him for bringing such a beautiful ray of sunshine into my life on Sunday.  I could hug him to pieces.

Love, [Lady who I didn't know by name, who I have hardly talked to]



This note is one I am keeping.

Well, Levi does makes me super proud.  I've been trying to upload videos of his piano playing but blogger isn't letting me.  But he's making crazy progress.  I found it interesting she mentioned his attention span because it's so true.  He is so out of this world with his focus. He catches onto things and remembers everything, I tell you.  Oh, except he doesn't remember to go to the bathroom.

BUUUUUUT, this lady!  What a sweet woman.  I don't know if she wrote notes like this to everyone (she's not even in the primary, and I didn't know she knew who Levi was), but either way, what a thoughtful thing to do.  I feel like I am always in my own little world.  I have so much to do.  I try to be nice, but I don't notice things, and I don't remember to congratulate people.  It sounds so bad, but I really truly have horrible brain fog.  I used to think it was me being blonde, but after being in the world of natural health, I completely believe in the term "brain fog."  I think being thoughtful like this should be my end goal in life.  I want to send nice sincere notes to people to make their day (or their month, like this one).  What a sweetheart.  I definitely know who she is now.  And she's my hero.

And because I don't want to leave this blog w/o a picture, here's Halloween:

Levi wanted to be something scary.  I was relieved when he thought a Ninja was scary.  As far as Dana, well,  I want my kids to be what they WANT to be, but I am selfish when I say I don't want my girls to be only fairies and princesses for the next 10 years.  So I was so happy when Dana liked this little get-up, probably because of the lacy underskirt.

This year was store-bought, mostly from the consignment shop.  So for $24 and very little effort, 3 kids were happy.

Tomatoes

Using butter knives.

My MIL is the best.  She really is.

One thing she does is gardens for us, harvests it for us, and delivers it to our door. Sometimes she even helps me preserve it.  This is our first year w/ a back yard, and the first thing Jason did after moving in was build a little garden box in the back yard.  But it went in late, and it's small, so certainly not enough to preserve.  Anyway, so in-laws have been our garden source for years, which we truly appreciate.

So I came to the conclusion a while ago I don't bottle food to save money.  What do I save, maybe $2/hr?  But I think it's a good thing to do.  The kids are getting old enough to be semi-helpful, which is nice.  Okay, it's really hard to hold down the fort around here and preserve food at the same time. But Levi and Dana do help some.

Funny story:  I remember when I was first in college I was so surprised to see my roommates use bottled spaghetti sauce from the store.  I didn't even know it existed!  My mom always used tomato sauce and a seasoning packet.  Fast forward a couple years, after I was married my MIL told me I could make spaghetti by using a can of diced tomatoes and spices.  What?  I had no idea.  I remember having a surplus of garden tomatoes one fall a few years back, and I opened a can of tomatoes to make "homemade" spaghetti sauce.  Ha ha.  Shortly thereafter, I realized I could use fresh tomatoes to make it.  I just thought back to this today and laughed at myself.  DUUUHHH!!!  Needing packets, bottles, cans (eye roll).  That's completely opposite how I cook now.

A call to parents to not give in!

Okay, Moms, let's talk.  We have a problem.  Our children are turning into ZOMBIES!!!!

It's a horror movie come to life.

I've recently mentioned my dislike for technological addictions, but I am just thinking, perhaps us moms could do something about it.

I went to my SIL's babyshower today.  I was talking to a relative who just pulled her children out of a charter school to homeschool for two reasons, one of them being that her third grader came home every day and cried and begged for a phone because all her friends had one.  She is nine!!!!  Um, there is a problem here.  

Later at the shower my niece said that being in the Beehive Presidency makes her feel like she needs a cell phone because she is expected to "text her girls" to let them know about the activities.  She is the best girl ever, super mature for her age, and super reluctant to grow out of childhood, which she relishes.  She talked about how it is stupid that everyone texts all the time, but it's annoying to have to borrow her mom's phone to text her girls.  (She's one of the only youth I know who recognizes this, ha ha).

Okay, so it's definitely not just a problem at the schools.

But is this really a problem?  I am definitely not the only one to think this.  I was thinking of linking to some studies and articles, but there are just too many.  It's all over the web.  Here's one, just the first one I found today, but it does its job in explaining the problem.  It's alarming to a lot of people, and no one seems to know what to do.  Well, teach our kids how to use technology safely (not while driving, not putting to much info on the web, etc.).  That should help, right?  Maybe.

The point is they are ADDICTED.  It's not just a habit.  If you wonder if you are addicted to technology, when you get an urge to do whatever it is you do (text, get on the computer, smart phone etc.), check your feelings.  Do you feel unsettled inside.  Is the technology your release from that feeling?  Then after you use your tech stuff, how do you feel during?  Do you feel more calm?  Could you go for a week (or a day) without it?  How would you feel if you went for that time without it?  Our RS Pres has a rule in her family no techy stuff on Sundays.  She said it is painfully hard for her children.

Children and adolescents that have so much life ahead of them should not have to rely on anything to feel normal.  Do they feel anxious if they don't brush their teeth for a day?  That is a habit.  Their mouths would feel gross, but likely they would feel emotionally just fine.  Not so with their smart phones.  

But it's the way the world is going.  We would be outcasts to not follow these trends, to expect things to be different!  We couldn't function in society!  To that I say, who the heck cares?  If you saw people lining up for a shot that turned them into zombies, would you feel like you needed to put your kids in line so they would fit in?  Of course not.  You would run! 

So, you might ask, what's the damage?  They still go to family parties.  Who cares if they are texting while there?  They can still go hiking, even, and text on the way.  What's the big deal?  The big deal is if they are addicted, their agency is being constricted.  They are dependent on something else for happiness.  They CAN'T NOT do it.  What's NOT the problem with this?  Sure, texting causes some car accidents, kids have a problem with face to face interaction these days, missionaries go out and have a problem giving this up can't cut it in the field, Young employees are zoning out at work with virtual socializing, etc.  But most importantly, they need something to make them happy, which is artificial, and should not be happening.

My nephew mentioned that the seminary teachers talk about this quite a bit.  "You shouldn't be using your devices so much.  You shouldn't be playing games so much. On your missions you will use these devices to organize your schedule, and if you are used to spending so much wasted time on them, it will be hard for you."  Thank you, seminary teachers.  I appreciate the gesture.  Nevertheless, this is an addiction, and telling someone to do their addiction less doesn't really work that well.  They may want to, they may even see a need to, but they CAN'T.  Their agency is damaged.  

I understand not everyone sees a problem with virtual zombie-ism.  Fine, whatever.  But I know many people who do.  And their kids come home from school and beg for a phone (and at a young age, I might add), and after a while they give in.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?  I'm sure you've heard the argument from a parent who dislikes video games that they buy them because otherwise their kids would go to their friends houses to play.  Well what if us parents banned together and decided that individually and collectively we would do what we believe is best for our children, instead of giving into this crazy social pressure?  If as many parents did this who believed it, the kids would not feel like they were the only one without.  Because they wouldn't be.

I don't plan on helping my kids keep phone-free forever, but I firmly believe maturity is a key factor in this issue.

I still have some time before this issue is really affecting my children.  And I plan to get creative.  If I could give my kids the gift of being free from addiction as they enter adulthood, they would be the luckiest children around.  

Levi, Dana and Camille were fingerpainting.

Levi: Camille, that's pretty!
Levi quietly to Dana:  Actually, it's not but we just want her to feel good.

I'm a mom of a school kid

So Levi started school.

I don't even know what to say about this. It's really weird.  But, ya know, I think that by having the mentality of "this may be our only year of sending him to school, and if we do send him later on, it'll be because we choose to and think it will be best for him and our family," has made it a lot easier on me.  Prior I always felt like it was the government ripping our children out of our hands at much too young ages.  So this change of thought has made the transition much easier on me.  Also, two years years ago, I had a wrestle (in prayer, of course) with the Lord about Levi growing up.  I told the Lord I would let it happen (like I had any choice), but He'd have to make me okay with it.  You know, it really helped - a lot.  Also, since I taught him to read and started him in piano, it has been so fun to watch him learn, and has made me more anxious to see him grow and develop, rather than basking in his baby-ness.  All of these things have helped me be okay with his first day of Kindergarten.  I didn't even cry ... or worry.

This is the "casual day" uniform.  The "dress day" requires button up shirts and ties.  So darling. And no, he doesn't mind the tie at all.

Each time I get on to type, I think, "I want to talk more about homeschooling."  I do actually have more reasons than those I've listed.  But I write these posts pretty fast, and I'm not thinking of all my reasons at the time.  Then as I go through my day I'll remember others.  

BUT I'm not going to talk about homeschooling. :) I thought I should tell you why we decided to do the charter school.  

1.  Fear.  Yes, it's true.  I was afraid of giving up our spot in the charter lottery when I didn't really know what we should do.  So if anyone thinks I shouldn't homeschool out of fear, perhaps I also shouldn't send him to school out of fear?  Ha ha.  But anyway, in all honesty, this did play a role.  

2.  I'm up to my eyebrows in responsibility.  This is a challenging time for me, mostly trying to solidify everything with our health.  It has taken a big tole on me (and our budget), and ya know, one more year to get things all worked out (w/o having to worry about school) would do me some good.

3.  I wanted to see what the charter school was like.  It's not very fair to base my decision on his educational opportunities over at the charter school based on nation-wide stats of public schools.  Or even my experience in public school.  This is a fabulous charter school.  Sometimes when I see info about public schools they are talking about inner-city, low-income, etc. etc.  Not the best comparison, even to a nice district like I live in.  But the charter goes beyond the nice district, I think, and I wanted to really see what it would be like. Yeah, he's still in a big classroom w/o individualized instruction (though they do a lot of leveled breakout groups).  But I just wanted to test it out to really see.

Those are the 3 main reasons.  I know I didn't type as much about them as the homeschool stuff.  Funny why that is.  But anyway, the charter seems pretty good, so far.  At least he's having fun if nothing else, ha ha.  Oh, he did say he wants to be an astronaut, now, after learning about the moon today.  I'm sure that will happen.

School

I'm pretty sure we will be sending Levi to the charter school this year.  It is a bitter sweet realization.  But if my concerns are really just as I've said them, I shouldn't have much concern with the charter this next year.  It is only Kindergarten, so the time length is great.  I'm sure I will be going through this process all over again next year, though, because doubling the time demands will be really annoying to me, I think.  But anyway, I think this will give us a chance to see how we like the charter in general.  If it really is outstanding, then perhaps it is worth the time.  There is also a private school not too far that is a half day.  It is also only $120/month.  This may be a good option for us in the future if we decide, if we move a bit closer, and if/when we can actually afford the (small) amount of $120/month.

But I think I will forever more have a love for homeschooling, even if I never do it.  I think I should clarify I had no intention of sitting at home all day with my kids and cutting out leather to make shoes.  I chuckled to myself when I wrote that in the last post, as I was just demonstrating that there are a lot of valuable skills not to be had in schools.  But really, it probably came across as pretty weird.  I am actually very concerned about academics.  There are a lot of homeschooling parents, especially locally, who believe in delayed academics.  While there are possibly some good things about it, in general, I think it merely makes the kids fall behind, which then gives homeschooling a bad name.

There is a blog I read and this mom has such an amazing homeschool.  Her children are a few years older than mine.  They are playing the piano (and getting good, I might add, since there is playing the piano, and playing the piano).  They are soaring with academics.  The 9 year old daughter goes to sewing once a week.  She also picked up the flute the last couple years.  She hires a tutor to come teach her kids Spanish. She is able to make scripture study a part of school. And she has her girls in competitive gymnastics.  They go for 3 hours 2-3x a week.  Here is what she wrote on her blog about gymnastics:

People are always curious as to my reasons for homeschooling the children.  The reasons are myriad but include my desire for the children to be excellent and not overwhelmed.  I want them to excel and develop talents. ...


Gymnastics adds a wonderful balance to our homeschooling.  It gives the girls large blocks of time which they spend with a peer group and other adults.  It is a situation which requires discipline and performance.  Brent and I have no desire to train them for a future in gymnastics, most likely by the time they are 12 we will have reaped all the benefits of the sport.  The rigorous time demands can be very difficult for teammates who spend 7 hours at school.  It is a drain on the child and the family.  This has become very clear from my conversations with the mothers of their peers.  For now, gymnastics is serving an excellent purpose in the health and well being of the girls. 


Isn't that great? I just love that.  You see, homeschooling isn't about keeping your kids at home all the time and missing out in society.  You just get a different taste of society, still great interactions.  Since today is the Olympic Opening Ceremony, I've been thinking about this.  I don't ever plan on raising an Olympic athlete (that's called putting your eggs in the rarest basket), but I did gymnastics as a kid, and I really loved it.  I've always regretted quitting.  You want to know why I quit?  Because I was tired.  It was exhausting to go to school, then go straight to gymnastics, and never feel like you have any free time.  And if you do want to learn an instrument on top of that, or anything else useful... And what about family time, anyway?  You see.  So here I am again talking about homeschooling, when it's not what we will be doing this year.  I'm just trying to show you what I feel like I will be leaving behind if I don't homeschool, and why it makes me a little sad.  But I do have to say there is no one perfect way.  Each of the educational choices we've considered have their pros and cons.

In college I attended a presentation and the speaker was the mother of the year a while back.  She said that the education of your children is your responsibility.  You can use the schools as a tool, if you choose, but ultimately you are in charge of their education.  She also said that in any given year she'd have some children in public, some in private, and some homeschooled, depending on the child and the year (she had 11 children).  I've kind of kept this as my motto ever since, and will probably always consider the individuality of my children for the education.  I don't know if I could do that much juggling with 11 kids, though :)

More school talk

(Sorry, my blog seems to be forever picture-less.  Sure sign of laziness).

SOOOOOOO school is starting here in another few weeks, and I still have no idea what the blasted heck I am going to do! Jason has basically left the decision up to me (he agrees with the pros and the cons), but did tell me that I really need to set a time limit for myself.  I can't stew about it forever.  So this week is it.  I need to either buy the uniforms (I do like the idea of uniforms), or buy the curriculum.  I am feeling a big weight on my shoulders and my blog is my ranting outlet, so here I go with some more thoughts.

Am I wanting to homeschool out of fear?  I cannot deny this is partially true.  However, I recognize this, and I won't let fear guide my decision.  I have a funny habit of reading anonymous blogs of women whose husbands are addicted to pornography.  It is weird, since my husband is not, but I have a lot of strong feelings in this area, and I think it is best to be highly educated in this regard, and the blogs have a lot of good info.  And I have a lot of sympathy.  Anyway, when I read them I think our society is a mess, and frankly, I'm ready for the world to burn up.  C'mon, aren't you?  You know what I mean.  And almost every time I see a teenager (family function, church function, public setting, etc. ) they are inevitably texting.  Sheesh. (Okay, I don't mean to offend.  I'm sure not all kids do, and perhaps you see nothing wrong with it.  I just don't personally want my kids to be that way).  So, will homeschooling keep my kids out of these things?  I don't know.  Perhaps chronic robotic texting is inevitable in our society.  I always hear it is not good to make fear-based decisions.  But sometimes I think, I wouldn't jump out of my window because I'd be afraid.  Maybe that fear is there for a reason, ya know? (I know, jumping out the window also doesn't make sense.  Cheap analogy off the top of my head). But, several years ago I had a very big decision to make.  I felt so so so nervous and fearful about going through with it, but everyone told me, "Fear is not from God. From God is a stupor of thought."  (I had all encouragement from everyone to go ahead).  Let me tell you, everyone was wrong.  I don't know why I felt fearful, but I AM SO GLAD I DIDN'T GO THROUGH WITH THAT THING.  My life would be 100% different, and likely 100% worse.  So is fear a bad thing?  Sometimes answers to prayers are so clean cut for me, and other times I struggle.  Like now.

Since our move to our new house, the kids are PLAYING together.  They are so happy!  I love it.  Levi was constantly begging to go play with friends before.  I mean CONSTANTLY.  We are still new enough that he hasn't gotten into the habit of perpetual friend-playing, and it is really, really nice.  Nothing against friends, but I love to see my kids play together.  I remember growing up and resenting that there were friends at our house all the time.  Why couldn't we just hang out together.  I like my siblings.  When Levi has been playing with friends for a while (over an hour), he starts to get a little mean.  He's more disobedient, less careful in what he does, less inclusive of his sisters.  I don't know why this is, but I don't like it.  Now, how much is too much?  How much is not enough?

I have so many aspirations for my kids.  Maybe I'm not realistic.  Could I really pull it all off?  Many of the things I want my kids to learn are things that I DON'T DO, and I partly blame it on me spending too much time in the public school playing their game (cram, regurgitate, forget = 4.0).  I really want my kids to learn blue-collar jobs.  Not for a job necessarily, but to have that skill.  I believe/hope they will live to see the day of the collapse of everything, and it might come in handy for them to know how/where to dig a canal, how to be really good at gardening, how to build a house, and maybe even how to make shoes!  (I know, and you thought I was weird before.  Making shoes, come on, Erin.  Yes, yes, but really - I did  have religion professor who said we'd need to learn to make our own things, including shoes, but I don't have the quote he was referencing.  But if not shoes, I would atleast like my girls to be seamstress extraordinaires).  Anyway, I'm totally rambling.  I really resent the time-suck of school.  I WISH it could be 3 hours.  There is so much to learn.  I want my kids to do apprenticeships, and lots of them.  I think THAT is the best way to learn, in so many areas.  Not worksheets.  Not simulations. Not even oral reports and video aides.  It's funny because I keep hearing schools say they need to make financial literacy courses required for graduation.  I don't blame them - our society is debt-crazy, and that in itself is totally scary.  But a class or two isn't really going to do all that much.  I took two financial literacy classes in college, and was totally determined to save.  It seemed easy.  But it's only easy in theory.  Jason has taught me more about managing money than I could have ever learned even if I had a degree in finance. And I only learned it because he twisted my arm, ha ha, something for which I am eternally grateful.  And he learned it from his family, not really from Accounting.  Anyway, sometimes living something, practicing something, is so much better than just knowing about something.  And the schools don't give us that practice (not their fault, just limited resources).  We can learn some things after school from our families.  But there's not much time to learn many things, really well, after school.

There are wonderful things about the charter as well.  Not trying to play up just the homeschool.  I just don't have to explain so much what everyone already knows on the other side of the coin.

I have prayed and prayed about this, and have not gotten an answer.  I have sincerely told God that I will do whatever He wants me to do, but that I'd appreciate Him letting me know.  Also, from instructions on how to receive answers to prayers, I have made a decision and prayed about it.  When I got no answer, I made the other decision and prayed about it.  Perhaps He is telling me it doesn't matter.  Either choice would be good.

You see why I am so confused?  I know, it's just Kindergarten. Maybe I should just try it and see how it goes.  But that would mean giving up Levi's spot in the charter school.  The charter is drawn by lottery, and he only got in after being on the waiting list for a while.  What I don't want to have happen is homeschool a year, decide it's not for us, and end up sticking him in public school because he can't get into the charter again.  So I need to be confident.  But I'm so confused!!!

New House

Just before Jason graduated, he approached his real-estate professor and asked if he thought we should buy a home before we left for the summer, or wait until we returned.  He said that he thought we'd be better off waiting a year or two to purchase.  When Jason told me that, I hit the roof.  What?  A year or two?  At this point we already had 2 children, and I was so excited for my very own home.

It has been over 3 years since then, and we still haven't bought a house.  We're better off for it, although I do suspect the market has finally bottomed out.  But because we are non-commital, we decided to move to another rental with a yard, that is closer to the charter school (in case we decide to send Levi there).

That's a short version of what we are up to.  We moved in a couple weeks ago and love it.  The kids playing in the hose all day just like children should in the summer time.  I'd like to take bets.  How long until we actually decide to buy?