Hello, my name is ______ and I use Teaching Textbooks ...

My biggest challenge when it comes to homeschooling has not been the commitment itself, but doubt - specifically, my self-doubt. Am I giving it my best, are my children excelling, not just plodding along, but truly excelling? Am I missing the mark in any aspect that would lead me to believe another option regarding their education would benefit them?

One area I have improved on over the years is realizing I need to give more to my older students, rather than the younger ones. My oldest daughter truly delighted in academic work from a very young age, so it was easy to get caught up in her enthusiasm. At the same time, I had a young man who was less than enthusiastic when it came to anything academic. I tended to give more time and effort to my daughter's studies, pulling the next in line along with her, and finding myself avoiding the inevitable battles over the less than stellar output of my oldest pupil. He rarely gave me any attitude or typical teen-age angst, but it was the simple lack of initiative, lack of interest that put me off. I found I could not break through his wall and it was disturbing to me.

Fast foward many years, the oldest has graduated and my daughter is now in 7th grade. She has an incredible work ethic, and would easily complete any task set before her with little input from me. And while that sounds like a dream, I realized I did not want her so independent. I needed to sit with her, discuss with her, clarify for her. In order to do that, I needed time, the enemy of anyone homeschooling multiple children.

Now the place to go for input on curriculum changes you may be contemplating is The Well-Trained Mind forums. And the place to avoid when you are contemplating curriculum changes is ... The Well-Trained Mind forums. The women there are brilliant. They are from all walks of life, with diverse backgrounds and years of experience. And they are opinionated. One program that receives many mixed reviews - some not so kind - is Teaching Textbooks. And this is the program that has helped me achieve my much needed goal of freeing up time.

Teaching Textbooks has become a favorite of mine, especially for the elementary grades. I have two children using it - Little Bear is working on level 4, and the youngest twin is on level 6. They are independently working their way through, and I am so pleased with their progress. The single most important aspect of the program - for me - is they are receiving immediate feedback on any problems they get wrong. I could not provide that, as, by the time I graded their work, they were on to something else. Bringing them back to that math problem in their mind was simply not the same as them entering an answer in the computer and knowing immediately if they are correct. It is a blessing to our homeschool.

I am spending the time I would have dedicated to their respective math instruction with my oldest daughter, who is making her way through two different pre-algebra programs. I want to make sure she is solid in what she needs to know before she tackles algebra next year. The plan for her is to continue with MUS and Fred, but there is still time to decide if that is truly the right path for her. Little Bear will finish level 4 of TT this December, and move on to 5. The younger twin will complete level 6 and go straight into pre-algebra with the start of our new school year in May. The research I have done says level 7 is not necessary if the student does well with 6.

So that is our story of how TT has fit into our homeschool. It truly was a process of researching options, weighing opinions, and allowing myself the option to not be responsible for all the instruction my kids receive. It does feel good when you choose well.

We began our new school year in May. We were at the beginning of the history cycle, once again, and I put together my own schedule using a variety of resources - Sonlight Core 6, Tapestry of Grace Unit 4 of Year 1, Truthquest Guides for Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Our Bible studies included an Old Testament survey from Grapevine Studies. This resource took us 7 months to complete. We also studied the life of Christ, in its historical context, along with a reading through the Gospels, and the development of the church.

As our Old Testament studies started to wind down, I felt a need to examine the role Christian Studies and the Bible were playing in our academics - and in our lives. I love Sonlight. Each year, I reexamine their program, and conclude, once again, how full, rich, and well-done they are. The only thing that has really left me feeling unfulfilled was how disjointed the religious studies seem to be.

It is so easy to study the Bible along with Ancient History. My children marvel at the fact that some people leave the Bible out of their studies, wondering how one can ignore its significance and its veracity as corroborated by numerous other sources. As we complete our study of the Middle Ages, and head into the Renaissance and Reformation periods, I am feeling pulled toward a curriculum that does a more deliberate attempt to weave God's Word into our studies.

I am currently using the original version of Tapestry of Grace, Year 2, as my primary curriculum, and it is very good. Almost everything I have wanted in a curriculum. But the time I spend each weekend planning, and scheduling, and photocopying is just too much. As much as I love that aspect of homeschooling, there came a point where I had to ask myself, is this really a good use of my time? And the more I looked at My Father's World Exploration to 1850, the more I felt pulled in that direction. I love how they are known as a truly Christian curriculum. There is no wavering on that ideal. When I switched my little guy over to their first-grade program, I also made the decision to switch the older children. The materials arrived today, and they are wonderful. As soon as we finish SOTW V. 2 we will begin anew.

I do not believe this was a case of "the grass is always greener". Rather, there was a feeling of being unsettled about the direction of our schooling. My children have a deep love and understanding of the Bible, a desire to know more about God's Word, and an innate desire to live Christian lives. The lens through which they view the world is one based on scripturally sound precepts. I feel compelled to build upon that as they get older.

Seriously?

I took Emma to the pediatrician for her 18 month check-up today. After the usual questioning regarding my beliefs on vaccinations, and have I changed my mind yet (read: come to my senses regarding allowing her to be vaccinated against Hep A), the doctor informs me that she was turned down by my insurance company for the Synagis vaccine. Now this vaccine is - as has been explained to me - critical for infants, especially preemies, during the winter months. It protects them from complications of RSV. In babies with compromised pulmonary function, it is especially crucial. It is extremely expensive. But the alternative - hospitalization - is more expensive.

The irony of this situation is, when Emma was still in the NICU, I expressed my concerns about introducing vaccines into her body when 1. she was just recovering from NEC; 2. gestationally, she was technically not even at full-term yet. I was told in no uncertain terms that they would not allow me to even delay her vaccines by more than a few days, and that I was jeopardizing her health by even considering doing so. The doctors did what they wanted to regarding vaccinating her, and I was left feeling somewhere between angry and embarrassed.

Why is it alright for a third-party to decide my daughter does not receive a medication, but, when I make a decision concerning her health care, I may be threatened with social services? I am the parent. If she gets sick, it is I who must take care of her, and it is I who will take responsibility for those risks. It means nothing to the unknown individual who turned her down for the vaccine. Their decision was not born of careful consideration, education, and prayer concerning the issue. When did their decision begin to assume more weight than my own?

I have asked this question before, but it begs repeating: If public schools are so wonderful that I have to justify educating my children in another manner, why then do graduates of the public school system get treated as if they lack the mental ability to make decisions for their own family? What are we really saying about the perception of the average citizen in this country? We need others to think for us, and we can not be trusted to know what is "best" for ourselves or our families. I am so tired of being talked down to, of being told that others know my needs better than I do, and I need to ask permission to parent my own children. Emma's doctor actually used this as an opportunity to glorify the need of socialized medicine so that I needn't encounter these trials anymore. Seriously? This is all going to go away when the government does all my thinking for me? Please, it is only going to get worse. I really need to find a new pediatrician.

Our First Week with MFW First Grade...

My little guy is 7. Last year was to be his first real academic year with me. But I found it very difficult to put much time in to his studies in a consistent manner. Too much of my time was already being spent going to the hospital, and the older kids needed me for their work. I have renewed my efforts with him this year. This week, we began My Father's World First Grade, and I am very happy that I made the purchase of this curriculum. I could have just pulled together some phonics, and he is already way ahead in math. But the cohesiveness of the teacher's manual, the convenience of all the books, and the schedule all ready and waiting for me each day is just a blessing right now.

Rocky's enthusiasm while working with me each day was wonderful to see. He really did well with the seat work, which was not overwhelming. He loves the idea of being able to read the Bible. I did supplement a bit with Starfall each day to reinforce the phonics lessons, and he is using Flashmaster to really get strong on his math facts. The math workbook is way too easy for him, but he lacks strong fine motor skills, so I have him completing many of the coloring type pages to work on those skills. I believe he will easily move on to Singapore 2 next year, or perhaps Teaching Textbooks 4, which my daughter is using right now. He is working on multiplication facts alongside his addition and subtraction, and he is very intuitive when it comes to math. There was one craft that called for making your own playdough, and he enjoyed it. Didn't really like getting his hands all sticky, but he cooperated.

She just watched. When I handed her a piece of the dough, she tried to eat it. Then she got upset that her hands were sticky. I do not know where these kids get their fastidiousness from.

I have decided my camera takes lousy shots indoors.

Of course, the older kids had to get involved. She will do anything to get out of math!

Mommy, my hands are sticky!

The object was to make a jar in which to house your scroll. Rocky lost interest when his jar did not turn out exactly the way he wanted it to - and when the stickiness became more than he could bear. But the kids had some fun with the dough, a craft was attempted, and the mess was cleaned up.

I am going to try to blog consistently about our year with MFW 1st grade. It was a huge decision on my part to make the investment, simply because, after doing this homeschooling thing for so long, I do not really see the need for early formal academics. But this program is very light, yet focuses on the very skills I would like to strengthen before I must formally report my son's existence to the state next year. I see it as a clearly defined time for the two of us to spend together each day, reading, sharing God's Word, and hopefully instilling in my son a love of learning.

On Cast Iron Pans and Personal Growth ...

When I was first married, I was the proud owner of new pots and pans, among them, one cast iron pan. Having gone from single life - on the go, not much time spent cooking - to attemping to be more domestic, I would take that pan out from time to time. It was soooo heavy, and so hard to clean. I did not know it was "different" from my other pans. Eventually, it and its rust were put out in the shed, to be used when the children make their mud pies.

Today, I was cleaning my new cast iron pan, one I procurred a few months ago, after having researched the dangers of ingesting the chips I was finding flaking off my non-stick cook-ware. I was marveling over the change in me as I cleaned the last remnants of sauce from my pan. I did not mind the cleaning of the pan. I did not flinch when I remembered I had to get to the cleaning before resting, or run the risk of rust. I took pleasure in the meal I had just made, with the better cast iron material, avoiding having toxic materials served as a course alongside the lasagna. I was actually admiring the way the skillet has already aged a bit, how it cleans so easily because I have learned to care for it, to properly dry it, to ready it for its next use.

The deliberateness in caring for that pan is something I have grown into, something that did not fit me in my younger years. I was too busy, too distractable, too unwilling. Now, I want to tend to the pan, and the children, and any other things in my life that need care, and attention, and time with more than an obligatory passing swipe of the sponge. Things worth caring about take deliberateness. Oh that I had a cast iron pan earlier in my life, and was taught how to properly tend to it. Perhaps I would have loosened the shackels of selfishness and want even sooner.

Then ...

One year ago, there was a family waiting for a baby ...

This baby, to be precise. But this baby was sick - again - with Necrotizing Enterocolitis, an illness as horrible as it sounds.

This little girl was 5 1/2 months old, and weighed a mere 6 lbs. 2 oz. She was emaciated, because, each time the nasty NEC reared its ugly head, the docs took away her food. Her face was compressed from the pressure of the ventilator, which was a presence in her life for many, many months. She was so lethargic from lack of calories that she could barely open her eyes, and could not hold her head up. And, boy, was she yellow. An ugly yellow, like a jar of Gulden's Mustard had spilled and, as it dried, crusted over her body. Her liver was severely damaged, perhaps beyond repair, some surmissed. Her intestines? Who knew. There was no definitive way to know unless we agreed to have the surgeons take them out, place them on a table, and take a closer look. But, that, of course, was no guarantee of anything, since the surgeons could not see inside the walls, where the damage would most likely be found.

So the little girl lay in the hospital, far, far away from her mommy. She was tied to a pole, tubes in her chest, buzzers going off around her, other little ones with other illnesses lay sick - some dying - around her. And the docs, well, some of the docs, were not too kind about her prognosis. "Swiss cheese for brains" is one of my personal favorites. Talk about bed-side manners.

But, at a home far, far away, there was a team of therapists ...

... including the bold and the beautiful,

the long-snouted, always elicits a shout of joy from the baby, mascot #1 ...

the I-do-not-know-what-it-is-but-she-loves-it mascot #2 ...

the bold (again) and the teacher/dancer who delights her sister with her mere presence ...


and the serious but loving older brother ...

They were waiting for a chance to shower their sister with love and devotion, and never complained or whined or cried out that none of this was fair, and they wanted to get back to their regular lives ... never ... not once.