Why are the Home-Educated Doing So Well?

May this post encourage all my homeschool friends on their journey to home educate their children. I know it encouraged my heart as we begin another school year!

I recently read an article from The Homeschool Magazine titled "Research Revelations About Homeschooling" by Brian D. Ray.

In the article he cites numerous studies and summarizes the statistics with this quote, "Multiple researchers and their studies repeatedly find, however, the home educated to be developing as well or better socially, emotionally, and psychologically than institutionally schooled children and youth".

So we ask the question, why are the home-educated doing so well? Mr. Ray tries to paint the picture for us with another question for the "professional educator". He says this,
"Ask any "professional educator" the following questions:
1.   How would you like a class size of 3 to 6?
2.   Would you like to be able to individualize or customize the curriculum and pedagogical            approach for each of the students, according to his or her talents, needs, desires, and dreams?
3.   How would you like it if you could essentially tutor each one of your students?
4.   Would you like it if you could depend on the student mastering the knowledge or skill before moving on?
5.   Would you enjoy being able to be flexible and change the curriculum or pedagogy if needed?
6.   What if you regularly had time to stop for the teachable moment?
7.   What if there were essential value consistency between you and your students, or their parents?
8.   Would it be beneficial to have large amounts of social capital-for example, trust and love-in your classroom?
9.   How would you like it if the biggest distraction during your day was, typically, a 7-year-old arguing with a 10-year-old about whose turn it is to wash the dishes?
10.   How would you like it if you almost always had time to thoughtfully and carefully work out, according to a solid and dependable philosophical framework, with each student how to face dilemmas, challenges, issues, temptations, and difficult relationships in life?
11.   What if you cared so much about, loved each of your students so much, that you would teach for free (i.e., no salary and benefits) all next year?"


Now that, sounds like a system that can and does work! There are a million reasons why we homeschool. The list presented, names a few. And it reminds me of how important the work (that I do for free) is!

Birthday Boy Turns 2!!!!!

My sweet baby Austin is 2! Even though this is my third time around, I still can't get over how fast they grow up. I remember when I had my first, my Dad said "don't blink because they will grow up that fast". I didn't believe it was true at the time but now I understand why he warned me.

Austin Michael is so precious to us all. He is always smiling (except when he's angry) and snuggles with you like there's no tomorrow. He is anxious to be 8 years old just like his biggest brother and thinks he can do anything. He loves to be sung to (especially Jesus Loves Me and ABC's) and can out eat anyone in a PB&J contest!

6 Weeks Old

2 Months Old

 8 Months Old

1 Year Old

2 Years Old (no way!)

Fall in Love...

I have really enjoyed being a consultant for Thirty-One. In fact, this month marks my one year anniversary with the company! Woo-hoo! When I joined Thirty-One, I wasn't sure where it would lead me or how far it would go.

In this first year, I have promoted to Senior Consultant, had parties with dear friends and made lots of new friends. By far my favorite part has been meeting so many wonderful ladies and getting to help them as they shop with their friends. I realized this was serious when I started doing parties with complete strangers. It was at that time, I became incredibly busy with something I thought would be a hobby. I quickly had to learn how to balance home, school, family and parties.

With a new season and new catalog at Thirty-One, I find myself reminiscing in all the memories from the past year. So many good times and so many lessons learned. I am so grateful to be a part of a company with so much integrity, knit into a fabulous team with other consultants (who consistently encourage me) and grateful to continue meeting fun-loving ladies.

So here's to another wonderful year with Thirty-One and another fabulous Fall catalog.

(I just love the Fall kit and new prints!)

It's That Time Again

Monday marks the beginning of the Jorgensen Academy's 2011-2012 school  year. It's time to pull out our 3rd grade and kindergarten books and snap to it. I know it's just the beginning of August but with baby #4 coming in December, we would be wise to get ahead rather than fall behind this year.

So this post is really a request for prayer. Please pray for us that God would be glorified in our school year. That the boys would not only grow in their education but in character as well. That through learning, many valuable teaching moments will be utilized. That we would see learning as a joy rather than a chore. That we would be wise in how we give and spend our time. And most of all...for patience, for me. 

For those of you interested, I updated my blog pages with the curriculum I am using this year.

Day Four

I'm very happy to say this will be my last post on my experience with potty training Austin-because he's officially potty trained! (I can just hear all the mother's breath a collective sigh of relief)

"Potty Training in Less Than One Day" says you may consider your child potty trained when they initiate the potty sequence (recognition, go to potty, pull down pants, sit down, and go) themselves. And my baby did this several times on day four.

He had a few accidents, and this will probably be the case for a little while longer but I am most proud and happy that he understands the concept, is able to complete the steps and is aware that dry pants feel better than wet pants. Having him be more independent in this area, will be such a help when the baby comes. Now, I don't have to consider changing two diapers anymore!

Good job Austin, Mommy is very, very, very proud of you!

Day Three

Day 3 - accident free!

I can't even believe it. I don't know how this happens. How did we go from having a day of questioning if potty training was even possible to practically completed? I'm still not sure but woo-hoo!

Also, thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. It was so helpful to hear from experienced mom's routing me on. Thank you, thank you.

Ian and I have questioned what changed over night with our little two year old. How did he go from deciding he wanted nothing to do with the potty to embracing the dry pants? My theory is that he realized on the morning of day 3 that Mom was not going to give up so it wasn't worth the effort. Anyways, I'm grateful it connected for him.

We even pushed the limits and decided to go out for dinner. After three days straight of being at home potty training, I had a severe case of CABIN FEVER. So when Ian got home from work we all went out to dinner. I was anxious to see how Austin would do so distracted. We put him in plastic pants and brought the potty in the back of our SUV, just in case. Before dinner arrived, he had already downed a glass of lemonade so I took him to the back of the car to try and go. To my surprise, his pants were still dry and on command, he went!

It was actually quite the site to see. Imagine this, a two year old, with his pants down sitting on a potty in the back of an SUV. To make it even more comical, he put on his sunglasses and started waving at every car that drove past us. One lady even waved back.

By the book's standard, you can consider your child potty trained once they initiate the potty sequence. This is the last step that we haven't seen yet. Maybe soon...but for now, I am grateful for a little less cleaning today.

Day Two

"Potty training is NOT for the faint of heart"-Angie Jorgensen

If they ever do shut down Guantanamo, I have an alternative form of torture. Take suspects and stick them in a room full of potty training toddlers. I believe it is cruel and unusual punishment :) The constant whining, tantrums and crying is enough to get anyone begging for mercy.

All jokes aside. Day two was NOT so much fun. I encountered a little boy who no longer thought it was cool and fun to go to the potty. And boy did I see his defiant side. I don't know which was worse, addressing the constant accidents or addressing the constant resistance. There were many dark moments where I contemplated throwing in the towel. After spending a moment praying, I recalled the success from the day before and was encouraged to keep going. I also remembered even though this is hard, it is a great opportunity to work on character and heart issues (both his and mine!).

On a positive note (the one and only) he succeeded in going #2 in the potty. I remember that was a BIG deal when we trained Jacob. He just wouldn't do it. So I was glad that Austin was already comfortable relieving himself.

Well...here's hoping day 3 is much, much, much better!

Baby Iggy (not really the name)

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. Normally, this is the time you go and find out the baby's gender. This time, we didn't want to know. It was such a joyous time just focusing on the fact that our baby (boy or girl, loved either way) is HEALTHY!

Jacob and Nathan were extremely helpful as they made predictions that we were indeed having a vampire or a robot baby. So glad we brought them along :)

This is the only picture of the lower half we got. Do you see anything? :) Ian believes he saw boy parts in the very beginning when the technician was trying to get the camera positioned. Once she did, she was VERY careful not to go down towards the legs. Ian's theory is because she knew we would see parts. I'd like to think she was just respecting our wishes. We're trying not to analyze her actions too much.

Here comes baby!

  

Day One

For those of you not interested in this kind of post...I do apologize. I write this for all Mom's with little one's yet to be potty trained.

The time has come for my littlest guy...to potty train. He has been showing signs that he is ready for weeks now (awareness of wetness, taking off his diapers, staying dry for longer periods). In my procrastination and lack of desire to do the work, I have put it off. Alas, here we are, before our 4th baby arrives, before the start of another school year and I can't help but think, NOW is the best time!

For my last two boys, I read and used the methods outlined in the book "Toilet Training in Less Than A Day" by Azrin and Foxx. Jay was just over 2 years old when he started and Nathan was a whopping 18 months old during his training. So the time is just right for Austin who will be 2 in a few weeks. Although, I know for boys, this seems early but I probably should mention we use cloth diapers for our babies and I am a firm believer that because they can FEEL the wetness in a cloth diaper, they are prone to potty train earlier.

The premise of the book is simple, "to teach your child to toilet himself with the same independence as an adult and without the need for reminders, continued praise or assistance." This is done through a very thorough method. It starts with the Doll-That-Wets-Herself. Using the doll to demonstrate to the child how one uses a potty.
I think dear little Austin has enough brothers around to show him that so we skipped this step.
Next is creating the motivation for correct toileting  by approval. Essentially, rewarding them for each step achieved along the way. This is what our basket of rewards looks like...

Yep, that's right. Pure sugar!

The next step is training through accidents. The child is taught to practice the potty routine when they have wet their pants. Part of the training also teaches them how to change their own wet pants and help in cleaning up the mess. This is the most time consuming but most efficient step. The last step involves gradually removing the need for reminders and rewards.

Before I began, I was sure to ask God for help for this tedious task. Day one began with an encouragement. The first attempt on the potty was successful and proved to me what I hoped was true, he was indeed ready. He responded well to the rewards and approval but the practice through wet pants proved trying to his patience (and mine). It was a looooooong day but I'm glad to say there were more success's than accidents. And the Lord was faithful to provide patience that was not my own and strength in time of need.

I pray for the same for day two!

One of the Many Reasons...

Reason #13,701 that I love being a home school family starts with a story.

Imagine a little boy, grabs his lunch, kisses his mom goodbye and hops on the school bus. He's headed for a day with his teacher and third grade classmates. He enjoys a morning filled with math and reading time, then finds himself ready for lunch as his tummy grumbles. When instructed, he heads towards the cafeteria with his lunch his mother packed with love.

He arrives at the lunch room and stops to survey the best place to enjoy his break. First he sees the tiny but sweet kindergartners enjoying their pb&j's and grapes. They aren't quite as mature as he is but they're still having lots of fun. He looks a little farther over and sees all his best buds sitting together eating their cool kid lunchables. He knows he'll have great conversations with them about all their favorite video games and best poop jokes. He puts on a smile and he walks over to hang out with the kindergartners to make new friends.

What would you think about a scene like this in schools today? Is this typical or rare for classroom students? Would he be labeled "weird" for interacting with children not in his grade?  How often in your environment or work place do you interact with people who are only exactly your age?

One wonderful outcome of having the privilege to home school is my children are learning to interact with many different age groups throughout their education. While they spend the day with their older/younger siblings, they are learning how to enjoy different age groups. I believe this will serve them well when they become independent men in the workforce. They will have the ability and desire to appreciate all different age groups.

I witnessed this in my oldest son this weekend when we spent the morning with neighbors at our favorite coffee house, Pearland Coffee Roasters.  Our neighbors have two girls, 5 and 3 years old,  and a baby boy. I watched my son as he happily played a game of Dora dominoes with them because he knew they would like it. I remember being a third grader and I remember how important it was to be cool and shed "baby" ways. But here was my son, adapting to another age group easily.

And I was reminded that the work I am doing with them is so important and so valuable.

Almost Half Way There!

We're Going on a Berry Hunt...

So far this year, we've been strawberry and blackberry picking. By far, my favorite fruit to take the kids out for is blueberries! They get a decent size bucket and it takes them FOREVER to fill it up. Unlike strawberries where you fill up a bucket within 15 minutes. And, the blueberry bush doesn't have thorns like the blackberry bush. The other day, Nathan reminded me of how much fun we have whenever we go and we decided to make a trip for some fresh blueberries.

Unfortunately, even by 9am, it was 1 million degrees out and we couldn't take the heat too long. So we didn't end up with enough blueberries to freeze this year (that also could be a result of the fact that Austin didn't add any berries he picked to the bucket, only to his stomach!). But we still made the memories...

Making Up Words

As our resident little guy learns words from the world around him, we laugh at the ones he's made up in the meantime. Sometimes it becomes a guessing game because one word can mean many things for him. Like...

"doh" = dog, down or doughnut

"b-b" = bagel? Don't ask me how that came about

"doo-doo" = car, truck or tractor (or lately, anything Cars 2 related)

"Jay" = Jacob

"poon" = spoon

"ba" = ball or book

"da" = yes

"jue" = juice, milk or anything in a sippy cup

Just to name a few. Thankfully, Dad is "Daddy" and Mom is "Mama". At least there's no confusion when it comes to knowing who loves him!

Food For Summer

One of my all-time favorite things to have in the summer is bruschetta. Think fresh summer tomatoes and basil on top of sliced crusty bread...mmmmm. Especially this summer since I have tomatoes and basil growing abundantly in my garden.

I wanted to try a recipe that plays on bruschetta but uses different ingredients. It's super simple and super yummy.

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

To make them:

Take a pint of strawberries, slice them and add a little sugar to let them macerate for 30 minutes.

Slice your crusty bread and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. But don't forget them!

Smear a dollop of goat cheese on top of each slice of bread.

Add a spoonful of strawberries on top of the cheese.

Now for the yummy part...

Sprinkle a little bit of balsamic vinegar over the strawberries and the top with bits of sliced basil.

Beware, these are addictive and you won't want to stop eating them.

Enjoy your summer food!

Kids Triathlon

My oldest boy...

 had the privilege of trying something new this weekend. A really good friend asked us if Jacob would be interested in training for and competing in a kids triathlon. Since he's competed in numerous team sports, I thought it would be a good experience for him to try an individual sport. So we agreed and started training.

In a triathlon there are three legs of the competition...swimming, biking and running.

In the kids version, 8 year olds swim one full length of the pool, bike 1 mile and run 1/4 mile.

The night before the race, he was the most nervous I had seen him in a long time. The fear of doing something new, even things he could do well, was playing with his mind. I reminded him of how well he's done in other areas and how he would know what to do when the time came.

The morning of the race, the hardest part was getting him accustomed to the routine of a triathlon. There was the signing in, getting marked, chipped and numbered...

Then we had to show him where he would find his bike and park it when he was done biking. He had to learn where the bike and run trail were since we would not be available to direct him where to go during the race and he would have to know that for himself.

Finally the race was about to begin and after he saw the first few heats of older boys and girls go, he couldn't wait for his turn. I prayed with him before he started and then it was his turn. I was so excited and nervous for him at the same time. And just like that, off went my baby.

He was amazing! He didn't come in first (or even close in his age bracket) but he sure tried his hardest. And that's what matters. This was just one of many proud moments with him. When it was all said and done, he even said he'd like to do it again next year! My boy is awesome.

Overboard

I have been meaning to try a cookie idea I had seen somewhere on the internet. After the craziness of a broken-down car, online stolen credit card information and a very busy 3 day home school conference last week, I decided it was the perfect time.

It's a simple process that yields INCREDIBLE results. In fact, Jacob actually said "don't you think this is overboard mom?" What does he know, he's 8 right? =)

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Basically you make a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. (We used dark chocolate chips because they're the best) Apparently shirts are optional for baking!

And you grab a bag of Oreos. This is the part where you say, "isn't this overboard?" Scoop a dollop of cookie dough on top of an Oreo and a dollop underneath. Then mold the cookie dough around the Oreo.

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 

If you are not pregnant, you can clean out the bowls and spoons as well.

And you wait as patiently as you can while they bake. If necessary, pull up a chair and stare at the oven, it might go faster.

Enjoy!!!!!

Privileged

This weekend I had the privilege of being in the company of some phenomenal women. Don't get me wrong, I know so many incredible women. From the home school moms that pour their hearts, time and energy into the training of their children, to the working moms that keep the fine balance of work and home, and so many more in between that inspire me as a woman.

But these ladies have a special something. We used to be a part of their world. I couldn't see it then, their worth and importance in our society (mostly because I was one of them and didn't consider myself special). Even as I sit here and think of who they are and what they do, my heart becomes full of gratefulness and admiration.

They are the military wives across our country.

I'm sure people think very little of the sacrifices these amazing women make. How could they? It's almost like labor. You don't know what it feels like until you've been there and done that. Maybe it's because I've been there and done that, that I am filled with such admiration for them. Maybe it's just because they are deserving of our appreciation just by doing what they do.

I stepped into a world I had long forgotten. Very dear to my heart, but no longer mine. Being in a military community has a feel of it's own. It's obvious the work that is being done and you know the sacrifices that are being made and have been made on our behalf. You can't help but recognize you are the outsider looking in. As I listened to these women talk about the difficulties involved in comforting their children when missing their daddy's, the daily struggles to maintain the home front and all the while, dreaming of being with their husband's again, I was so moved by their remarkable strength.

These are brave, strong and fearless women that love soldiers. I am encouraged by their example of support for their husband's career (in the face of danger), love and care for their families (even when it's not easy) and their strength to keep each other going (even though they barely know each other). Even though they don't go to the battlefields and take up arms, what they do is extremely important. I can hear them saying "oh I wish I could go back to the day's when doing the laundry was the biggest obstacle of the day" during a deployment.

God bless our American soldiers and God bless the military wives! Thank you for all you do!

Bountiful

This post makes it official...

I AM A GARDENER!!!!!!

Here is the proof...

As you may or may not know, I have been trying my hand at vegetable gardening for a few years now. All with NO success. Finally, this year, I made a break through. I've been harvesting my herbs for a while, and even some cherry tomatoes but here is real produce, straight from my own garden! 

I'm also excited about what's still in there. Tomatoes waiting to turn red, a handful of bell peppers, carrots still burrowed and even a few large cucumbers. I'm hopeful for a few other items but we'll see if the heat and drought don't kill them off first.

Happiness

Summer is for fun!

Among some of our favorite summer activities, summer book reading clubs and sprinklers are at the top!

The big boys can't wait to get 60 books read so they can earn the grand prize of a...trophy. After Jacob showed me his updated book reading list he said "Mom, I love to read". So thankful for that.

Even the littlest guy is working on his reading list!

When our community pool opens, that's where you'll find us during summer if you need us! In the meantime, the sprinkler provides temporary relief and entertainment, even if Dad was just trying to water the grass!