Encouragement - For homeschool teaching worries

[salmy]

I am in agreement with the things said. I was just wondering if all of your little ones have a naptime in the afternoon. If so, that might be the perfect time to get some one-on-one with your K'er and get her school work done. Just a thought.
Courtney

We are thankfully able to work together for about a solid 30 minutes during nap time which is when we do the reading plan and phonics. If that has already been done then we will work on a project or something that would be more difficult to do with the littles around.

Do you HAVE to babysit the 2 year old? I've kept a 2 year old for two days a week since she was an infant & now that she's in preschool I can tell a HUGE difference in the way our days go. Perhaps you and your husband can pray about letting that go and perhaps God will provide for you in another way.

Unfortunately, yes. We are searching for another way to meet our financial needs (as even me watching this extra child is not helping enough), but for now I am committed to watching him through the end of the school year. Hopefully at that point God will have provided a new plan! We are working hard on this one!

Take for instance lesson 7 -- US. With my first I expected her to be able to tell me all about her five senses and how they worked -- repeating what the Magic School Bus presented to her -- okay I can't even do that. Now I am pleased that my K'er knows her five senses and that God is who so wonderfully made her. After that it is gravy, chocolate cake with ice cream and a cherry.

oh, that is so me with the magic school bus thing.... :) My poor DD. I am not an overachiever by instinct, but when I see what others are doing I feel insufficient, like I'm not doing enough. Also, as a first year hschooler I think its difficult to gauge if you are doing enough?

One of my resolutions for 2009 is to play more with my children. To really enjoy being on the floor with them, and think that extends to my DD as well. I need to relax and enjoy this.

What a blessing this thread has been to me! Thank you all who have taken time to respond and lift me up. The Lord provided this opportunity to HS DD, there is no denying it. And I know that he is faithful!

[heathermay]

I wanted to give a word of encouragement to all of you home schooling parents. At the beginning of the school year I put my daughter into one of the top Christian schools in my city. I have had an eye opening revelation. Not all “Christian” schools have Christians in them. They don’t always have Christian teachers either.

I have home schooled my daughter using MFW for three years and knew that we would eventually put her back into school. We put her in school a little earlier than expected. My husband and I thought we needed to conform to the world’s standards. After all, society will tell you that children in school have more opportunities. Thankfully we did so that we could see the error of our ways and get back to the plan God purposed for us while she is still young.

We had the pleasure of hearing David Hazell speak about a biblical world view and the importance of raising children of purpose. After that, our outlook on “opportunity” has changed. Are we raising children that conform to this world or raising a generation that will change it?

My daughter has done exceedingly well in school and seems to take it all in stride. She has made many friends, great grades and her teachers love her. What that tells me is that she was adequately prepared. She got that from us! The home schooling parents! Needless to say, we will be returning to home schooling.

I am so thankful to teach a curriculum to my child that stands for something. MFW is so much more than academics. We support a business that wants to change the world by bringing up children who know God’s word, practice those biblical principles daily, build up the kingdom of God, and reach the nations with His amazing Word! Just by faithfully teaching your children you are helping to make that difference as well.

So with all of that being said, I want to encourage you to keep on doing what God is telling you to do. Stay with the program and don’t lose heart. We answer to God and no one else. Our children may never be the captain of the football team or the prom queen but they will be people of purpose. They will be a beacon of light in their lost generation!

May the Lord give you grace and mercy as you take on the most important job there is, raising up disciples for Christ.

Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

[meagabby]

Well said!
Thank you for sharing. I'm sure many homeschoolers are reminded this Thanksgiving weekend of all that we are truely thankful for and the blessings that our children are to us.

[RachelT]

Thank you so much! What an awesome post! I need to print this one and laminate it so I can look at it whenever I need to remember WHY we are on this journey called homeschooling. Thanks for the encouragement along the way. I'm glad to hear that your daughter has done well, but that you are happy to bring her home again, too.

Rachel

[TurnOurHearts]

Oh, Heather! WOW! What a beautiful testimony! Thank you for taking the time to share it here. Isn't it amazing how God uses our choices? Even the ones that we are tempted to look back & groan about? Those moments always leave me humbled & grateful. WOOHOO ~ Go GOD! I'm so excited for your family. (((hugs))) ♥

[TriciaMR]

What makes your home school successful/ Help!!!

My oldest is now in first grade. I am one of those who decided to home school 8 years before my children were even born. We are now 1 1/2 years into my attempts to use curriculum and teach my children. Yes, my oldest & second born know how to read. Yes, they know much about the Bible. Yes, they know basic math. Yet, I really feel like I have no idea what I am doing or how to do it or how to help my children know whatever it is they needs to know 10 years from now when my oldest is 17!

Yes, the curriculums help. But, I don't really have any idea of how to teach a child. I don't have a teaching degree. I feel like I try to either do too much with them, or do too little. I sometimes feel like my college degree hurts more than helps. I was an over the top disciplined person before children. Yet I feel like I lack the true discipline needed to home school, because babies un-did years of discipline in about 2 weeks.

So I would love to hear what makes your homeschool successful. I am really wondering if I have what it takes to do this. I want the best for my children. If I am not the best teacher for them I would rather know and help them find what is best rather than struggle through with me and not end up knowing enough in the end of whatever it is they need to know beyond the Bible & Jesus.

Blessings,
Carin

Hmmm...

Prayer.

A little more prayer.

Did I mention prayer?

For me, switching from a workbook/textbook style to MFW really made things better for our family.

I don't have a teaching degree (I have a degree in computer science with a minor in math). So, I just follow along what the T.M. says and off we go. It works (until you figure out two of your three kids are dyslexic and you need to use something a little differently.)

Being sensitive to my kids.

Trying to do the fun stuff too, even when *I* don't want to and don't want to have to deal with the clean-up afterwards.

Did I say prayer before?



Trying to remember that learning to do real life things is part of learning, too. Baking, cooking, cleaning.

It's all good.

Mix in a little more prayer and trust God with the outcome.

-Trish

[Joyhomeschool]

Simplify and also trusting God with your homeschool. That helps a ton. I mean that God will fill in the gaps wherever needed. You just do your best to be faithful and consistent and He will take care of the rest.

And what I mean by simplify are things like monthly menu plans and shopping lists, laundry schedules, routines for morning and evenning, getting the kids involved in caring for the house, and limiting your outside activities. Sticking to a budget and keeping the main thing the main thing help too. (Like prioritizing daily bible study for yourself and time with your spouse)

[rjsmomma]

My biggest lesson that I've learned over the years (this year will be the end of our 7th year of homeschooling) is that this does work. It seems simple and easy and fun (most of the time:), but they are learning, and it does work. I can look back and see how far my dd has come, she has a good, well rounded view of the world and what really happens out there, and yet maintains her innocents. She knows what she knows, but more important, she knows how to find the imformation that she needs. If we miss something in the long run, she'll know how to fill that in.

I've learned to relax a bit, take time to (try to) enjoy the journey and read, Read, READ to them:)

[SonShineJewel]

Remembering to stay hydrated, so that my throat doesn't get dry from all the Read Alouds ;-)

Oh! & things flow better when I "take it slow." Not pushing Full Steam Ahead.
Plus, helping my children "see" a list of what we do for the day & checking each thing off.
Like: Bible, Math, Handwriting, THEN Lunch. That way I don't have a twin asking me what time it is EVERY 5 mins.


But, Water for Mummy is VERY Important!! ;-)

[erin.kate]

Simplify and also trusting God with your homeschool. That helps a ton. I mean that God will fill in the gaps wherever needed. You just do your best to be faithful and consistent and He will take care of the rest.

And what I mean by simplify are things like monthly menu plans and shopping lists, laundry schedules, routines for morning and evenning, getting the kids involved in caring for the house, and limiting your outside activities. Sticking to a budget and keeping the main thing the main thing help too. (Like prioritizing daily bible study for yourself and time with your spouse)

I second ALL of this. Teach MFW as it is beautifully and thoughtfully written and only add what your heart says you cannot do without when it is for the very best of your child. Be faithful and intentional in all things homeschooling and homemaking. I cook dinners for 3-4 weeks at a time ... it's an amazing time saver and ensures healthy dinners every night. Lots of outdoor time with creation. Routines routines routines. Budget and stewardship. Make time for mama, even if it's devotional time in the shower. Revel in the gift of homeschooling and raising these little people!

[gratitude]

I truly appreciate the amazing women that have answered. Your answers are wonderful.

I think it leaves me even more convinced though that I really don't have what it takes to do this. Perhaps too much has happened that I did not choose, and could not control. Too much grief from the loss of both parents and a child born with Trisomy 21 and my DH business failure last summer.

If God wants me to home school I suppose he will continue to open doors, but I am not sure at this point if I am meant too.

Once again your answers are amazing. God is richly blessing your efforts and I am glad that he is. Praise the Lord for your success.

Blessings,
Carin

P.S. I am really needing encouragement & support. Is this a place to ask for it?

[Smoakhouse]

((hugs)) I know how you feel. There is no way to be OCD and have children. (Referring to myself - I use to have everything in order. A place for everything and everything in it's place, in alphabetical order. LOL! But no more. If you can walk through my living room without stepping on a lego you are lucky!)

Just relax and have fun. No curriculum is perfect and every child is different. I'm just starting with my 3rd child and I feel like a new homeschooler again.

Be consistent and do a little everyday (or most days) and don't burn yourself or them out. You are their mother and know what's best for your child. There is no teacher out there that cares more about how your child does than you do. I know you will do fine. (I know, because you are asking. )

[gratitude]

Just relax and have fun. No curriculum is perfect and every child is different.

Too true! The problems in our home school, that at times I have thought were due to curriculum, actually have to do with me.

Be consistent and do a little everyday (or most days) and don't burn yourself or them out. You are their mother and know what's best for your child. There is no teacher out there that cares more about how your child does than you do. I know you will do fine. (I know, because you are asking. )

Boy, did I need to hear that!.

My over the top discipline referred to years of training as an ice-skater and then pianist - both which required a lot of discipline. Yet I have a difficult time getting my oldest son to do school work that is structured. This started when we started curriculum at age 6. Should I take a year off curriculum and just work on character issues? What should I do? ADV didn't work due to some of these issues? He is in first grade and reads at a 4th grade level and is in 2A for Singapore math. What should I do??

[TriciaMR]

Carin,
{Hugs} You've had a lot of big things happen this year. When we lost our first child shortly after she was born, our support group counselor told us not to make any major decisions for at least 6 months. For some people that's a year. You've had several major loses and challenges to face. I wouldn't make a major change at this point.

What would *I* do?

I would keep working on math. Maybe do it every other day. Slow it down. Yeah, so he can do 2A. But, maturity wise, maybe he's not ready to sit and focus. If that's the case just play Uno, Monopoly, or any other game where you have to think. There are lots of logic games and stuff out there. Have him help you cook and measure ingredients. Play scrabble.

I would keep working on writing. Get Handwriting Without Tears, or some other handwriting program and just use it daily. Spend 5 minutes at first. That's it. Give him a reward if he does it without complaining. Then up it just a little. Then after a while maybe have him copy a proverb or something.

Get good books and just read aloud to him. Even though he's reading at a 4th grade level doesn't mean he's ready maturity-wise to be reading 4th grade content, at least in the fiction category. Let him get fact books (my boys love me to read about animals and boats and race cars and anything factual). Can you do field trips? I know with little ones it can hard, so I'm not accusing or blaming (I'm the anti-field-trip mom unless Dad can come).

He's 7 and already reading and already in 2A. He's not going to lose ground if you take it easy for a year and take time to grieve and heal your loses and find new footing for yourself.

I used to be a very disciplined person. I'm up at 5:00am to work out and get my day going. But you know, we don't get started with school 'til 9:00 most days (I would love to have it be 8:00). But, with 3 kids it's herding cats (especially twin boys).

You'll be okay. Your kids will be okay. Maybe do school-ish things 3 days a week. Reward him for good behavior and good attitude. (Bad behavior gets my kids sent to their rooms.) Love on them lots.

Thank you Trish. You have some great suggestions. Thank you also for sharing. Our dd2 survived 4 months of near death with 2 surgeries, but is doing well now. So I can imagine what you went through. I am so sorry for your loss. For us it has been more of the grief of losing the child we thought we would have; Praise God we do have Christina.

I guess I still have some discipline, I too get up at 5 a.m.! Thanks for reminding me! Thank you for encouraging me to do 3 days a week for awhile. We just have far too much on our plate. The last few years have seemed like everything at once. We just keep praying God will land us somewhere inside His will for our lives, and on our feet again.

We have so wanted to home school our children, and have it be successful. Since our oldest turned 5 we have just had much too much happen for success.

I think God has amazing plans for us, we just don't get to see them from His perspective. I think of Joseph, sitting in prison for however long. Finally, one day he's called out to interpret Pharaoh's dream, and then he's appointed ruler over Egypt, just like that - in one day! I think he was just faithful in his day to day duties, those over him saw it and eventually he was rewarded. Sometimes I sit and wonder what God's plans for me are. But then I think, if I knew I'd be chicken. I certainly wouldn't want to be appointed ruler over Egypt just like that. But, as we move forward, trusting God, He makes us able to be ruler over Egypt, just like that.

Just be faithful. God is always faithful. God's rewards are abundant.

I have a friend with a grown son with Trisomy 21. Everyone at church loves him and he loves on everyone. He is just a blessing. He sings his heart out and is friendly to everyone. And the kids just love him ('cause he's just a big kid to them).

God will use you and your children in amazing ways to bless others.

-Trish

[gratitude]

Trish gave you some excellent advice. Don't make any major decisions right now. You can always change your mind in the fall if you feel you really need to. For now, just take it slow. I'll say a pray for your family.

God Bless,

Thank you for the prayers and support. Too many changes in the past few years, and unfortunately we are having to make major decisions about my DH next career after 15 years as a professional artist. God is good though, and even a little support via the computer right now goes a long long ways.

I used to be a very disciplined person. I'm up at 5:00am to work out and get my day going. But you know, we don't get started with school 'til 9:00 most days (I would love to have it be 8:00). But, with 3 kids it's herding cats (especially twin boys).

You'll be okay. Your kids will be okay. Maybe do school-ish things 3 days a week. Reward him for good behavior and good attitude. (Bad behavior gets my kids sent to their rooms.) Love on them lots.

Thank you Trish. You have some great suggestions. Thank you also for sharing. Our dd2 survived 4 months of near death with 2 surgeries, but is doing well now. So I can imagine what you went through. I am so sorry for your loss. For us it has been more of the grief of losing the child we thought we would have; Praise God we do have Christina.

I guess I still have some discipline, I too get up at 5 a.m.! Thanks for reminding me! Thank you for encouraging me to do 3 days a week for awhile. We just have far too much on our plate. The last few years have seemed like everything at once. We just keep praying God will land us somewhere inside His will for our lives, and on our feet again.

We have so wanted to home school our children, and have it be successful. Since our oldest turned 5 we have just had much too much happen for success.

I have a friend with a grown son with Trisomy 21. Everyone at church loves him and he loves on everyone. He is just a blessing. He sings his heart out and is friendly to everyone. And the kids just love him ('cause he's just a big kid to them).

God will use you and your children in amazing ways to bless others.

-Trish

Thank you so much Trish. Your post really touched my heart. I shared this with my husband.

Sometimes I too sit and wonder what God's plans are for me. But then I too think if I knew I would be chicken.

Thank you for your Trisomy 21 story. I know it is sad, but it has taken me two years to accept this change in my life. I love my dd dearly, but it has been a lot of denial and grief for me. I guess the good news is that I am processing the grief. I feel sad when I meet moms with older Trisomy 21 children who are still grieving. God has been good to keep putting on my heart the need to rejoice in His choice of making our lives what they are becoming (after all He created her exactly the way He wants her to be.), and that it really is for the best, and being grace filled enough with me to process the grief so that it doesn't have to be a permanent part of our lives. She really has been a blessing, and she has made me GROW! I like hearing the stories though. She is my forever child. I just keep praying I will live to be 100 so I can always be here for her.

Thank you ladies. I am continually amazed by the heart of MFW & this board. It is very motivating.

In Christ,
Carin

[Julie in MN]

Hi Carin,
What an interesting question you pose. I've been thinking about it a bit and here's what I came up with over at my house:

1. School hours. A certain time that we start school (which helps me get going) and that we stop (which helps the dc keep going ).

2. Bible together every day. For some, it's prayer or devotion time or personal Bible study. For me personally, it's family time in the Word that makes our days better.

3. Just having the MFW guide to fall back on has been a great help to me over the years. Not the curriculum per se, but the grid that helps my eyes stop swimming and focus on making simple choices about what I will or won't get done on stressful days.

4. I decided I need a #4 Make time for your marriage, if you are so blessed. It's the best gift you can give your children -- even greater than homeschooling.

She is my forever child. I just keep praying I will live to be 100 so I can always be here for her.

And about your worries for your dd, I have lived long enough to have known several special children grow up into adulthood (while their parents worried). I had a Girl Scout troop for 10 years or so where I welcomed unique girls.

I can tell you that the autistic little girl has grown into a young woman who calls me on occasion when she needs to chat and has run out of people to call. She graduated high school, went through an independence program the following year, and now attends college where they really seem to understand how to help meet these challenges. For instance, her college invites the special needs students to campus before the rest of the students move in, in order to get used to their surroundings.

Another of "my girls" worked to compensate for having a pacemaker since birth and strokes at about age 4, using helps such as a special writing board in school. She went on to graduate high school, went to college, and then in her last year of college she was hit with another devastating stroke. But I'm happy to report that she's back finishing her university degree, has a helper adapting her courses for her, and the last time I saw her at my daughter's house, she told me she has taken a special interest in children's literature & illustration (which made my heart glad!).

I just wanted you to have a peek into the future and know that there are more and more helps out there today. Folks are getting more and more knowledgeable about what is needed and what works. And with the special blessing of your one-on-one teaching over the years, your dd is sure to find meaning, success, and contentment in her future.

Blessings,
Julie

[dhudson]

Carin,

I think Julie and the others gave you wise advice. Here are a few things that I have found to be beneficial in our home school journey.

1. Set a beginning and ending time for school. Leave one day a week empty to pick up anything you have missed and to have time for regular house keeping chores.

2. A daily, mandatory quiet time for everyone, regardless of age. This gives me time to rest and prepare for the rest of the day. It also gives my kids a mandatory down time.

3. Scheduled date nights with my dh at least twice a month. I traded babysitting with a close friend for years so that we were both able to do this. It has been vital for our family's health.

4. Giving the results of my kids education to God. I do my best, stay focused during school, make goals for our kids and work hard but at the end of the day, it's ultimately up to God. This has given me great peace and confidence.

5. Try not to over schedule our lives with activities. My dh is better at this than I am so he has final say on our activity level knowing that I am a confirmed over-achiever.

The last thing I have to say is to as when the last time you took a break and just played with your kids. Take a week or two weeks and just play and rest. If your school year is almost over, finish it up and then take a week or two to just play. Go to the park, I like to drive to the mountains and picnic, go to the pool, watch movies, blow bubbles and generally just play and rest. We Moms have a tendency to not allow ourselves the time to play and rest and it harms us in the long run.

[gratitude]

Thank you Julie. What beautiful insights & stories. My dd has a pacer too, like one of "your girls". God really used this thread and an email I received yesterday to keep going forward with the gift of home schooling. He also used both to make me realize that I really need to slow down, back down, realize my limitations, realize my children's real needs & limitations, and acknowledge that a slower pace (turtle wins the race - - makes me think of MFW K) will actually accomplish more in a fun & relaxed way. I am grateful.

And thank you Dawn. The wisdom I am receiving is a warm breath of fresh air.
We need a start and finish time to school. (Julie mentioned this too)
We could use more quiet/down time; we lost it at some point in the past two years.
We lost the date nights when we moved two years ago; but we have a move back coming up soon, so hopefully they will be re-instated with my friend I traded with.
I go back and forth giving up my home school to God and taking control - when I take control I am too much of an over achiever and we all suffer.
It has been a rough 2 years; I pray we can learn to play again like we used to.

God Bless,
Carin

P.S. Elizabeth wants to click the smile. Here it is:

[jhagberg]

So I would love to hear what makes your homeschool successful. I am really wondering if I have what it takes to do this. I want the best for my children. If I am not the best teacher for them I would rather know and help them find what is best rather than struggle through with me and not end up knowing enough in the end of whatever it is they need to know beyond the Bible & Jesus.

Dear Carin,
When I first started homeschooling (2003), I had just come out of teaching in a private school for 7 years, and I had exactly the same thoughts that you're having: "Maybe I'm not the best teacher for my son." He was 8 years old, struggling to read, and I had a newborn baby. We clashed constantly, and after 11 weeks I gave up. I put him in public school in 2nd grade.

One year later, 11 weeks into his 3rd grade year, God spoke to me and convinced me that I WAS the best teacher for my son. He showed me that no one else could possibly understand all of his struggles or truly help him as well I could, so I pulled him out of p.s. and started homeschooling again. I'm so glad I did! We still had hard times, but we also had wonderful times.

The main reason I'm telling you this is so that you will know that you're not alone. Even an experienced school teacher can feel desperately inadequate at times! You have received so many good comments already, so I won't add to the list, but I will say, feel free to try new ideas from others, but only keep the things that work for YOU!

[Jamie]

I was just on this Home Educating website so that I could subscribe to their magazine. Well, I listened to this from the Wilson family. I thought it was kind of refreshing.... One of his last lines included, "...I taught them so much, but I missed out on God's best." Take a listen....it's only a little over 3 minutes. http://www.wellplannedday.com/indexconstruct.php (You have to click on "Meet our Feature Family")

[gratitude]

just a quick typing here.... it's a busy time where I live..

top three in no particular order
1. a sense of humor is a must
2. proper care of mommy - physical and mental health. meds are good for some. I like mine.
3. reminders that yes, I want to homeschool because of religious reasons - i.e. a response to the greater call of our lives to raise generations


practical side of date nights when you have special needs children:
*think outside the box on it. I found no one was willing to babysit our children because of my autistic kiddo. No grandparents live nearby. Once upon a time, my dh and I were invited to this event called mfw vision weekend. It took a year for us to attend b/c even the grandparents weren't willing to watch youngest until God changed their hearts.

So, date night outside of the house was a dream and a way for other christians to taunt us. Date night instead became: get kiddos to sleep, and watch Star Trek episodes together, eat take out, and watch silly videos on youtube.
Then, all of a sudden, our oldest became old enough to babysit her sisters during the day. Date time became "ooh.... let's drive in the van for 10 minutes and go to the grocery store". during non traditional date times. A recent "date" was me driving dh to work in his car while my van was getting repaired all day, and I needed his car for everything else.

It's ok Carin, before you know it, the oldest will be old enough to watch siblings for a few minutes.

and for the benefit of anyone who is in the grieving process with having a special needs child...... time to say Welcome to Holland

c. 1987
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, Gondolas. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. After several months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland!” “Holland?” you say. “What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy. I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.” But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It’s just a different place. So, you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It’s just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around. You begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. And Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.” And the pain of that experience will never, ever, ever, go away. The loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

-crystal

Thank you Crystal. You really have touched my heart again today.
We haven't had grandparents either. Mine passed away early into parenthood and my DH are on the east coast (we are on the west coast), so we haven't had the help. Many date nights of sushi take-out at home, picnic style. Many 5 a.m. cups of coffee for talk time. Rarely are we ever away from the kids together alone. It has now been 2 years since the last date night out of the house. Thank you for the encouragement of the fact our oldest will be able to baby-sit some day.

Oh, my joke about Holland (I hope you will find funny) is that we had a 3 week honeymoon in Italy! I have been all over Europe, but never to Holland. I guess God decided it was time for me to see it.

a sense of humor yes I'm laughing with you.
on no.... middle gal just yelled "run CAT run!" as youngest was trying to put sunscreen on the cat.

I agree with Crystal if there are any other special needs moms out there who prayed for & hoped for & expected a healthy baby please be encouraged that you are not alone, and that for some unknown reason God has chosen us for this task. We learn too much about the hearts of others in the process, far too much about our own hearts & characters too, but also a great deal about forgiveness. I just said too much didn't I?

((Hugs Crystal))

Ladies this board has been so so so encouraging on this thread. I am very grateful. I am in continual awe of the heart I find at MFW both in the curriculum and the people that use it. God Bless all of you.

[gratitude]

Take a listen....it's only a little over 3 minutes. http://www.wellplannedday.com/indexconstruct.php (You have to click on "Meet our Feature Family")

This 3 minutes is well worth listening to, and ties in very well with this thread. The encouragement to make sure our home schools don't miss the point of home schooling in the middle of academics. I have a tendency that direction, so I understand all too well what he is saying; now if I can just apply what God is teaching me and opening my eyes to.

[mamabear23cubs]

Keeping the hours for school for school only. I try really hard for the 8-12 but it's not easy.
Routine. Do the same order everyday during the hours of school. Again I am not perfect at this.
Prayer. This is constantly done in my home.
If I can get the top two consistant than our school runs fairly smoothly. Unfortatally in our home its not easy since we had medical appointments every week, surgeries and natural and man made disasters this past year.

[MuzzaBunny]

As someone who has been facing several hard years myself, I want to offer just this:

• Joel 2:25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten."

How many times I have thought of Elisha, in 2 Kings 6, when he revealed to the struggling servant that they were indeed protected by God's flaming chariots. He is all around you. Just keep holding on.
In His Love,
Bunny

[momma2boys]

Because MFW doesn't have achievement testing, I downloaded Lifepac's placement test, to assure that our kids had learned the basic standards of education.
We were so disappointed, because there were many concepts our kids never even went over in 2nd grade (defining prefix, suffix, adjectives, nouns, verbs, guide words in a dictionary, dictionary spelling, adding fractions), some items that were covered very early in the school year, were never reviewed and are now forgotten (time, money), and some things that were just difficult to answer because the kids had never taken a test before. For instance, while our kids know to capitalize the first word in a sentence, they did not understand what the test meant when it said, "Which words need to be capitalized?"
We plan to send our kids to public school some day, and we are scared they will not pass basic placement tests. I don't want to develop my own tests, because I chose MFW because it took all the planning out of my teaching experience. Yet, I feel like our kids didn't learn what they should have, and the things they DID learn, they couldn't demonstrate on a test.

It will be okay. Big hug from me to you. That's the great thing about home-schooling - you can adjust to what works best for your kiddos.

I ran into the same exact problem with my kiddos, so I switched to a different language arts program! No big deal and we are all happier for it. I use Christian Light Education for both math and language arts and my kiddos passed the state tests with flying colors. My oldest failed the state test when he took it at the end of 3rd - then we switched from MFW recommendations to CLE - and at the end of 5th he scored in the 97th percentile. Hooray!

Anyhow, I'd suggest researching some other options for the language arts portion of your schooling, pray about your different options and then go from there. The MFW recommendations are just that - recommendations. By the way, I love, love, love the MFW curriculum and don't ever plan to switch over to anything else!