School Days, School Days

Our first week is almost done! Here's a recap of his first two "first days" which were a big hit- his first day at our classical school co-op, and then his first day at home. I love that this boy just oozes excitement over life so it was no surprise he was up at 6am the last few days because he was so excited about school. Part of that is that it's one-on-one quality attention, which he THRIVES on, and the other part is that it's simply "something new" (although wouldn't it be great if he loved school that much?! haha! I'll just have to remind him when he doesn't how much he looked forward to it)!

Here are some snapshots from our "firsts."

Mekonen Jack

1st Day of Kindergarten

September 9, 2014

Weren't we just here? 

(Did I not say he always oozes excitement? Oh I LOVE him).

We are in love with the philosophy of classical education and have begun that for our kids. Mekonen's going to a one day a week classical school co-op. He LOOOOOOOOVED it. And bonus, two of his best buddies Jacob and Josiah are at his table. He especially loved recess and lunch. What boy doesn't?!?! He came home happy and exhausted, chatted the majority of the way home, then konked out cold in the backseat.

(A post on "What is Classical Education Anyway? coming soon!!)

1st day at home the next day. 

Here's our morning meeting board. This is where we do all the miscellaneous educational things like learn how to read a calendar, learn about weather, telling time, place value, our address, and do things like our monthly poetry reading, monthly artist study, etc. I'm such a teacher nerd and just love all this "teachery-stuff." 

 Most curriculums have a paper edition of this kind of stuff if you are homeschooling, but I didn't want more worksheets and he gets a kick out of doing it on a huge board. I made it portable so I can put it away when school is done so it's not just sitting in our living room. 

 Little Sis just had to join in. Which is fun because I'm getting in some preschool stuff too and she just thinks she's so cool. 

 We got a new to us table that seats ten people from some good friends and I just love it. We find ourselves spending a lot of time in our open dining room/kitchen. It's the brightest portion of our house and the morning sun coming in is just amazing, even if you can't see it here. The kids usually pull their toys from their room into this area to play. It's the perfect spot for now to do school (until we get a great big schoolroom, right Daddy? haha).

 He is quite excited about the fact that at the end of kindergarten he will be able to identify on a map all fifty states and their capitals. So far he has nailed down the first five. 

 Signs of a great morning. 

Daddy wants to be involved with the kids school too, which Mekonen LOVES. He saves the back side of his math paper to do with Daddy in the evening. Daddy is also memorizing our classical grammar work each week alongside Meko. 

We've had a great first week. My heart is full, so content with where we are in life right now. I'm sure there will be hard days, and days so stressful and difficult that I want to send them to school and quit this homeschooling shin-dig. But this week wasn't one of them, and for that, I'm thankful.

(Although, both our kids were running around this evening making all these weird noises and "play fighting" motions. We said we might need to take back our previous post on homeschoolers being weird because their parents are weird. Maybe we will need to write a new post on how we couldn't handle their weirdness and had to send them to school). 

If you're interested, "Why We Are Homeschooling" is also up on the blog.

Homeschooling- But What About Socialization & Being Weird?

One of the BIGGEST push-backs we hear in regards to choosing homeschooling is "But what about socialization?!" People make comments about kids dressing weird, being socially awkward, not being able to hold a normal conversation, and not being "street smart." While I have to admit, I have held these thoughts about homeschoolers before, and I have met homeschoolers who would fall into those stereotypes. However, I have grown to understand that these issues have less and less to do with a method of schooling and more to do with the parents.

A fellow homeschooling, adoptive mom, photographer and blogger, Kristin Rogers, explained these issues so well. So rather than re-invent the wheel, I've included her amazing words.

"Being Socially Awkward:

I have known numerous awkward public, private and homeschooled children. One of these forms of education is not the remedy to the issue. Whenever I have met a socially awkward child, I have noticed the parents are too. The parents have an awkward way about them that has influenced that child’s personality and way of interacting. If the child is homeschooled then yes, they will have been more influenced by their parent’s ways simply because of being around them so much…the good and the awkward (notice I did not say bad). But a child who is in public or private school does not escape this influence...that is not the cure.

One thing that public and private schools do is give the child an opportunity to interact with many children of all races, personality, style and tone. This allows them to learn and have opportunity to interact with all types of people and be able to learn how to communicate with them. When homeschooling parents do not give their child similar interactions then yes, they may not be as practiced in interacting with all different types of people. This can turn into them being “awkward” socially. But, we as homeschooling parents can provide this for our children when educating them at home. We can join groups for play dates with other children, join co-ops, put them in a music class, play with kids at church, and be around friends that have children, play with neighbors….etc. One thing I am thankful for is that I can get them this exposure to people and ages of all different races, ages and personalities, but it is under my supervision. If there is a conversation I think is too mature for her with a child at the park, I can have her come away from it. If I see her being overly influenced by a friend that has captivated her attention in a way I don't prefer, I can distance them until I think she is ready for that. If someone is exposing her to wrong ideas on something, I can be there to hear it and can walk her through how to think about it. I can offer them a form of protected exposure to people and experiences.

I am not saying I am a better mom for doing this… I am simply saying I want to do this and homeschooling offers me this ability.

Dressing Weird:

I do know many homeschooled children of all different ages and once again, the dressing of the child is a direct influence of the parent’s style and preferences. I would say in general that many of the homeschooled parents I know have convictions of modesty. They do not care as much that their child is wearing name brands and the trendiest style out there…so in that way, are they weird? Maybe. If so, who cares? I love that weirdness. If the child is wearing a dress to their toes and bonnet with purposely outdated attire…this might be because of the mindset of the parent having an unhealthy view that this is more spiritual. Or, it could simply be their style and their influence in this manner, not homeschooling.

Madison and Adia are often in thrift shop finds with a slight hippy or vintage look, an old scarf in their hair, kind of a raga muffin eclectic look. That is because that is a style we like as their parents. That is why they are dressed like that, not because they are homeschooled. If someone thinks they are dressed “weird”, so be it, but it’s not because they are educated at home and would be dressed differently if they were not.

Not Street Smart:

It all depends on what someone means by this as to what my thoughts are. If someone means that a child is awkward because they are not aware of the current music and shows in the MTV culture, doesn’t know lyrics to the hottest teenage pop artist, is clueless on name brand clothing and never heard of certain sex or bathroom humor…then PRAISE GOD they are awkward!! That is a naivety I wish more children knew and did not embrace as “cool” or  a necessity to being not awkward. When they are an adult they can watch what they enjoy and have liberty to do so through their adult mind and conscience. For now, we parents are the guardian of their conscience and thoughts. This is something that we as parents long to protect. If our children are awkward because of that then that is because of our personal convictions on these topics that we enforce in our home, not because they are educated at home. I hope we are raising the type of child who will not get older and feel neglected because they were not exposed to these topics and content. Even if they are, that is a risk we are willing to take, wishing good for our children based on biblical principles.

If someone means a child is nervous around adults, children of different ages or races because they have purposely been unexposed to them then I think there is room for criticism. If the child knows nothing of evil, death, crime or a need to protect those they love, then I also think there is room for criticism. Of course this is all exposed to the degree of age and maturity but these topics of life and the reality of the world need to be taught and made aware of. Appropriately protecting your child is one thing, trying to shelter them from any form of displeasure or ugliness is not wise. They need to know how to live in this world and know how to handle it well and in good character. We have to prepare them for these things and the scriptures give us great wisdom on how to think about these things. In general I think people need to look to the parents as liable for their children’s worldview, dress and way of interacting instead of the manner in which they are schooled. What influence has the parent been or what influence has the parent allowed their child to be exposed to form their current state of awkwardness or lack of.

I pray we as parents grow more aware of our responsibility in the thinking and growth of our children. Weather it’s our direct influence or the influences we subject them to. Our influence is huge…even down to their style of dress and what they know and don’t know that is going on in the world. I am not saying that a parent who does not home school does not understand this. I am simply saying that whether your child is educated at home or public or private school, we as the parent are responsible for our children and helping them form a solid and good worldview. Protecting them where we think necessary and providing a methodology to have them achieve this until they are old enough and mature enough to measure these for themselves, whether that methodology be in the form of homeschooling or not.

By God’s grace and wisdom, He gave us His word to help us know what to think about this world and our place in it. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Well said, Kristin. And thank you!

Why We Are Homeschooling

Homeschooling! Eeeek!!! There, yep, I said it! We are homeschooling! If you know us well, you already know this. With our oldest starting kindergarten this year, we have gotten the question of, "Where is he going to school?" many times. Often, when we say we are homeschooling we get a wide range of responses, and then more questions. It's one of those words that carries so much weight for a variety of reasons. So, I figured I would write out some blog posts about how and why we've grown to be passionate about homeschooling.

Disclaimer: Before I go any further, Jon and I have experienced homeschool, public, and private schooling and have had good experiences in those options. We are in no way saying that homeschooling is the best and only option, but for us, for this year, it is the best option for our family.Please don't read our passion for homeschooling and classical education as us saying it is the only way and that everyone should do the same. We've also learned "never say never" (did I really give birth to my daughter in my house, and do I really live on a hobby farm?!?!), so we are not putting our foot down and saying we are never going to consider other schooling options. But at this point, we are choosing to educate our kids at home. 

As our blog title states, and as I've blogged about before, we are seeking to live a "one piece life." Families today are so fragmented. Most of their days and activities are spent separate from each other, gaining most of their perspectives, beliefs, and likings from other people (peers, teachers, coaches, etc). Children spend the majority of their waking hours at school, away from their families, and then the majority of evenings are spent ushering kids all over creation to activity after activity. Meals are rushed, if eaten together at all, and it seems as though children prefer the company of their friends rather than their siblings. Even the way churches are often set up, families walk in the door to worship on Sunday morning, and kids and parents go their separate ways, only to regroup in the parking lot afterwards and drive home.

We are messy, fallen, sinners and we desire to gather around our children, living out this crazy and glorious mess all day, every day, together. We strive to model the supremacy of God and the Gospel to our children and feel we can't do that properly if we are time-torn, fragmented, and living most of our days apart, rather than together. This is one of the biggest reasons we are homeschooling. Sending my five year old to school means that he spends 40 hours a week in the care of someone else. Christian or not, he is being discipled by someone for 40 hours a week that are not his parents. Yes, educators are trained to teach, and most of them are great with kids. However, they don't know our children, and they certainly don't care for and love our children the way we do. No one has more of a desire to disciple, teach, and care for our kids like we do. We have intimate knowledge of each of our children's physical, spiritual and mental needs. We know where they are at, their strengths and weaknesses, where we need to speed up or slow down. We know what motivates them and can evaluate what they are truly understanding. We can give them the individual attention we know they need.

We do not want our children growing up and seeing life as a dichotomy, where family, faith, and learning are separate from the rest of the world. We want that "one piece life" where we do family, faith, learning and everything else as a complete whole, together.

With each new stage and season of life, we are learning what that "one piece life" looks like every day. It doesn't mean our kids aren't going to do sports, and doesn't mean that our kids won't participate in age segregated church activities, and doesn't mean we will homeschool indefinitely. We will tackle each road and season of life as it comes, and who knows, some day that might mean our kids attend school away from home. We know many families who don't homeschool but still live by these values. But what it does mean, is that we will pay close attention to our own hearts and the hearts of our children, and constantly look for ways to nurture the whole being of our family as ONE- not time-torn and not fragmented...living out a one piece life.

So please hear our hearts when we talk passionately about homeschooling and classical education...we are not declaring a certain kind of schooling option as better than the next, we just know that this pursuit is where God is directing our family. A certain kind schooling option does not fix our sin soaked problems and does not change the condition of our hearts, or the "tune" of our family... only the grace of the Gospel can do that.

We are really excited to begin this journey of educating at home and excited to see how God uses it in the life of our family and children.

I'm looking forward to blogging about the other questions that frequently come up about homeschooling like socialization, choosing curriculum, why classical education, what is classical education,are parents equipped to teach, etc.,etc.

Catchin' Up- Our Days In June

This summer has flown by (hence why I'm writing a June post in late August)! The majority of the month of June was spent here at home, getting into a groove with our newest member of the family, and giving the kids the time, freedom, and space to run around outside like a bunch of crazy people. They are loving it.

Our sweet colicky Pip usually has rough late afternoons. This particular day, she wanted her face right up next to mine. It was the only thing that made her stop screaming. Then, she fell asleep. Praise Jesus, the child fell asleep. But, how do you cook dinner like that?

She has a baby sister now and this little lady just looks so grown up these days.

and the braided pigtails make my heart skip a beat

Our days have been filled with play dates, long summer days of playing outside, not much of a schedule, and staying outside with Daddy until dusk.

Mekonen and his Ethiopian buddy Luke have played together so much this summer. We are so thankful to be just down the road from them. They run around doing boy stuff all day long. Super cute.

We've also had fun taking walks pushing our babies....

As well as buzzing down a country road on a Lighting McQueen tricycle with a flashlight + crayons in tow. You know, for emergency princess coloring in the dark.

Yard time fun with friends. The kids had a blast this month with this slip n' slide from Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda Spencer. Meko's buddy Jack joined in on the fun. 

 Great summer purchase. The kids had a blast flying down the slide and blasting into the pool at the end. It was super funny to watch. Meko and Evan are taking a break from the daredevil activities and chatting away like old men.

The kids have been doing so well with Penelope. She is a very fussy baby and they have done such a great job loving her and being tender with her, especially Mekonen. Seeing his tender care for her has been incredible. He's a natural.

We've also gotten really good at early morning snuggles. It's been one of my favorite new family happenings since Penelope arrived. Not only does Pip usually snuggle in, but the kids make their way in there too, in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes even falling back asleep.

The kids have especially loved our first summer of #thisfarmlife as my social media tag so adequately describes. Here is the very first baby chick, hatched right in our chicken coop by its mama, not an incubator! Very cool. Isn't it so cute!

We also have our first bee hive. It's called a nuc and houses a starter colony of honey bees. We won't have honey until next year, but I sure am looking forward to that crunchy homegrown honey. I hear it's good for seasonal allergies so I'm hoping that's true! Mekonen and Evie are begging Daddy for kid bee suits so they can take care of them. :) 

Here's a tiny sparrow nest that fell to the ground in our backyard. Constructed out of shallow Cedar roots, grass and one sprig of Meko's hair from his last haircut! Haha!!

The first thing ready in the garden this year was radishes. The kids were so excited about these radishes and were stoked to eat them right after they picked them. I made a yummy radish nectarine salsa that we ate with grilled chicken. I love that they are growing up eating what they've grown. Mekonen talked about the radishes for days. 

Summer's are filled with magical evening like this... when I sneak up and find this little one waiting for Daddy at the window. The princess slippers placed at the bottom of the stool are my favorite. I will cherish this moment I waltzed upon, forever.

When your kids land anywhere, at any time, and pass out asleep, you know it's summer.

4 Months!

Little Miss is 4 Months Old

These months are just flyin' by...

Penelope Mae

Don't mind the poor quality of these studio pics. Our scanner isn't working so I had to take a picture of the picture. I'm not typically a studio pictures kind of girl, but I do like getting them when they are babies since they grow so fast. I can't believe how red her hair is looking! 

She looks quite amused that I'm making her sit by this huge chalkboard again. I'm sure she'll make fun of these some day. But oh well! She'll find something equally torturous to do with her kids too! 

As you can see, she's growing and learning like crazy. I forgot to also list up there that she's starting to scoot around too. I'll put her in her bed one direction and come back in later and she's facing the other way and at the other end of the crib. She typically scoots off of her playmat too. (The kids think this is wildly hilarious). 

She's started to giggle. They're just small, muffled giggles, but they are oh so cute. She always does it when I nuzzle my nose in her neck. 

She chews her hands like mad and the doctor thinks she might be getting her bottom teeth. I know it can take awhile for them to come in, but man, she is cranky about it! My sensitive Pip- belly, teeth, who knows! 

She almost always gets the biggest smile ever when we sing our little song to her- Pipper-dee-doo-dah (to the tune of Zippity-do-da). "Pipper-dee-doo-dah, Pipper-dee-day, my oh my what a wonderful day. Plenty of sunshine, coming your way. Pipper-dee-doo-dah, Pipper-dee-day!" I know, weird, but it just happens. 

Despite my often crying Pip, I really do love the baby stage. Baby snuggles and having them right up against me are some of my favorite things. Apparently, Penelope thinks so too as this has been her latest. It almost always calms her down, and it's almost always required late afternoon- her crankiest time of the day! Most of the time, I love it, although truth be told, sometimes I just wish she would not cry and play happily on the floor. It's not super easy cooking dinner with a baby strapped to your belly! But I know these days of this kind of snuggling are so short. So I'll take it! 

All the single pics I took of her were fuzzy because she kept wiggling all over the place. This was the best one. Boo. But I love her expression. Her hair doesn't look so red in this picture. 

 We got a few free cards with the pictures. 

 And for kicks...

Evie at 3 months

Penelope at 4 months- bad quality b/c I didn't scan it. (I was a month late with her picture!)

Me at 3 months

I think all 3 of us have the same nose and all 3 of us have the same squinty left eye. Both of my girls definitely have Daddy's mouth and the cutest lips ever.