I ran across a story about the dangers of Adderall that ABC's Good Morning America ran earlier this Week. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7829005&page=1 We gave Jordan Adderall XR every morning for about 18 months. The doseage went up and down, the least was 15 mg and the most was 30. We settled on 20 mg the last 6 mo. he was on it. When Jordan began kindergarten in public school, by October he was taking meds to "control" his ADHD. He began with Concerta (with minimal results) and then switched to Adderall XR. I never saw any significant results or changes in behavior. He did seem calmer at times but would become sad and weepy at the drop of a hat. We felt frustrated that even though Jordan was taking these meds, he would still get into trouble multiple times a day, on a daily basis. Because of his ADHD diagnosis, we were railroaded into agreeing to extended special ed testing to see if Jordan would benefit by moving into a moderate needs classroom during his first grade year. He scored very well on all of his intelligence tests, but it showed he would do better in a small classroom with minimal distraction. It definitely made him more accountable, but he learned very little in the way of academics. He missed out on most of the fun and special things that his class did because his teacher would often send him back to the moderate needs room because of his 'behavior'. By spring I was ready to pull my hair out - Jordan had missed so much but was gaining in other areas. Like all of the neat 'socializing' he was doing with the other kids in the moderate needs classroom. Kids that had some serious issues like oppositional/defiance and emotional/behavioral disorder. To all those naysayers out there that say that kids NEED socializing in public school, I say - REALLY? Does Jordan REALLY need to learn all of those 'neat' words? Does Jordan REALLY need to have classmates give him graphic pencil drawings of death and destruction? Does Jordan REALLY need to witness another student being openly defiant with a grown-up? REALLY? (Where is Seth and Amy when I need them...)
The tide turned for us that summer after the decision was made to leave public school behind. I read a book, Please Don't Label My Child, by Scott M. Shannon, MD. He stressed that there are other methods to working with kids with behavioral issues than using drugs. He stressed addressing vitamin deficiencies and altering their diet. That led me to The Feingold Program, http://www.feingold.org/. We tweaked Jordan's diet a bit and there was some change. For it to really work, you need to go all or none - preferably as a family. I know that Jordan is sensitive to artificial colors and preservatives, and MSG is also a trigger. Which is frustrating because it is in practically everything... Another great read is Fed Up, by Sue Dengate. http://www.fedup.com.au/ She is an Australian mom who has really worked to figure out the dietary connection to kids and their behavior. I found it very informative, albeit a little overwhelming trying to keep all of the different dietary restrictions straight.
I think that by removing Jordan from school, controlling the amount of chaos in his life by keeping his days loosely scheduled and predictable, taking stock of his dietary needs and addressing them, we have come a long way in helping him cope with his behavioral issues. Drugs are not the only answer out there and the inherit dangers of mixing kids with psychostimulants makes it an easy decision to try other methods.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Life without TV
We recently (and very reluctantly) disconnected our digital cable box/DVR and returned it to Comcast. It was just taking too much from our budget to continue to pay for it. We miss it very much - especially the DVR. I got so used to programming the DVR to record every episode of Reading Rainbow, Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, How it's Made, America's Test Kitchen, and a whole host of others. It was nice to have a wide selection to choose from, depending on your mood. There was a lot of good stuff out there, after you sorted through the riff-raff on network TV.
Now we are stuck with network TV and PBS. I am thankful for PBS because Rylan can still watch her favorite show: Super Why - as long as she is up at 7:30, which has been hit or miss in the last week or so. Reading Rainbow comes on at the ultra popular time of 2:30 am, so we never get to see it anymore. I wonder what programming genious thought that one up. Because you see, Dragontails is just so superior.... (I hate that show, I hate that show...)
We are of course getting a lot more done around here, just as I thought we would. I didn't have TV either, before I met Dean. I had cut the cord with cable company in the months before, and 'enjoyed' getting a lot of stuff accomplished. Like grading papers and making lesson plans. Ya' know, fun stuff like that... We listen to NPR all evening. Rylan and Owen like the music on the World Music Cafe. I am glad that I get to listen to that again - I've missed it.
Jordan will be in for a little shock to the system when he gets home in a month's time. We had turned in the DVR before he left, but they hadn't sent a guy out to turn off the cable yet. Right now he is in TV heaven, because that is about all he does while he is there. Sad. But that will help in the transition back because we can immerse ourselves in all that we do every day anyway. There won't be time for TV!
Now we are stuck with network TV and PBS. I am thankful for PBS because Rylan can still watch her favorite show: Super Why - as long as she is up at 7:30, which has been hit or miss in the last week or so. Reading Rainbow comes on at the ultra popular time of 2:30 am, so we never get to see it anymore. I wonder what programming genious thought that one up. Because you see, Dragontails is just so superior.... (I hate that show, I hate that show...)
We are of course getting a lot more done around here, just as I thought we would. I didn't have TV either, before I met Dean. I had cut the cord with cable company in the months before, and 'enjoyed' getting a lot of stuff accomplished. Like grading papers and making lesson plans. Ya' know, fun stuff like that... We listen to NPR all evening. Rylan and Owen like the music on the World Music Cafe. I am glad that I get to listen to that again - I've missed it.
Jordan will be in for a little shock to the system when he gets home in a month's time. We had turned in the DVR before he left, but they hadn't sent a guy out to turn off the cable yet. Right now he is in TV heaven, because that is about all he does while he is there. Sad. But that will help in the transition back because we can immerse ourselves in all that we do every day anyway. There won't be time for TV!
Whatever...
Last night, as soon as her daddy came home from work, Rylan wanted to go outside and throw a small red disc. We both told her she couldn't because some dark clouds were rolling in and it was beginning to thunder. She insisted that it wasn't, and I opened the front door to prove it to her. She turned away, said a few sentences under her breath, and then tossed over her shoulder this little gem:
"Whatever..."
"Whatever..."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Storm damage
Wouldn't you know? Just when you finish off a garden project, a storm has to swoop in and mess everything up. Rylan and I sat and watched as the clouds started to swirl and darken, and hail looked imminent, so she and I scrambled to cover the tomato bed with a tarp. I put a bowl over the rhubarb to protect it as well. Then we stepped inside just as the rain started to pick up. Then I saw the clouds continue to swirl, and I thought it would be best if we went to the basement. The news channel was brodcasting that a tornado had been sighted nearby. We listened to about 15 solid minutes of hail and hard rain. I noticed a small stream of water leaking in around one of the window frames as well. We're going to have to do something about that too. Add it to the list!
When we stepped outside, this is what we saw...
Garden Week 3
The previous weeks were all construction shots, so these photos are now documenting actual plant progress. On Saturday we filled in the remaining beds with enriched soil and tamped it down. On Sunday, Dean finished the top of the frame on the shortest bed. So we now have 3 completed beds. Bed #1 is the shortest bed, Bed #2 is of medium height and Bed #3 is the tallest. Beds 1 & 2 have rabbit fencing around them to keep out the dog and the kids. :)
Rabbit fencing doesn't always deter a determined toddler
While daddy was working on the top of the frame for Bed #1, Rylan, Owen and I planted the bed. Rylan helped make holes and dropped the bigger-sized seeds in. Owen busied himself by removing all of the plant markers I put in place. (Sigh). We planted 1 zucchini, 1 squash, 2 rows of peas, 4 rows of carrots, 4 rows of beets and 1 row of chives.
In bed #2, we planted 1 rhubarb (from a nursery), 1 zucchini, 3 rows of peas, 1 row of jalapeno, 1 row of anaheim, and 8 cucumber.
In bed #3, (which was planted about 2 weeks ago) I put in 10 tomatoes, and multiple bush beans.
Bush bean seedling, approx. 12 days after planting
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Kids in Motion
I've captured a lot of great pics lately of the kids when they are in motion.
Here is my photo essay...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The latest quiz...
Last week a quiz was running rampant on Facebook - being passed along to all that belonged to our homeschooling group. I didn't have the time to sit and write out my answers as we were getting prepared for our trip to OKC, but I did want to respond, in time. I didn't care for how the quiz was written, however. The questions were too vague and didn't really address how we homeschool. So I took the liberty of tossing some questions that I thought were pointless, and amended others so that they were a better fit to our situation.
1. What time do you get up?
The set time is always evolving, as the youngest is transitioning from infancy into toddlerhood. When we first began homeschooling, there was a general rebellion against having any kind of time table (from Jordan and myself). It was just so nice to no longer have to have any kind of morning rush-out-the-door routine that we rejoiced in getting up late. I was also pregnant, so it was twice as nice. As time has marched on, we have eased in our rebellious ways and gravitated toward a schedule again. There is order where there is predictability, and having a schedule helps all of us meet our goals as a family. By getting up earlier, we also help daddy get out the door earlier too. I tend to get up at 5:45 am, and the kids get up at 6:30 -7 am (on their own!). It has just become part of the routine to have breakfast with daddy before he leaves, and then we can get the kitchen cleaned up and the day underway by 8 am. It used to be much, much later (like 10 am), but that was really hampering other things that needed to happen - like errands. I am also a morning person, and I feel like the day is wasted if I haven't accomplished anything by mid-morning. I have found that several of the families in our local group do practice a later schedule, and it seems to really work for them. For our family, it was really dragging my husband down, since he has to keep the respectable hours of 9-5. So the change was made to help him stay on track, and it has just proven to help all of us get more done.
2. What do your children wear to school?
At first I wanted to toss this question because it's silly, but then I thought that it might be important to just address it and move on. It is a common misconception that homeschoolers just wear pjs all day. Not so in our house. We all shower every morning and dress in normal, casual clothes. We do up our hair and brush our teeth.. the whole 9 yards. I have always found that the days when I don't shower and stay in my pjs or wear grundgy sweats, my attitude is lousy and I hardly get anything done. Same with the kids. On the days I clean up and dress nice and put on makeup - I have an unstoppable urge to get my whole to-do list done by 10 am. It may be just a mental thing, but it works. Dress for Success!
3. What curriculum works for you?
What works best for Rylan is reading out loud. Reading, reading, reading. We get about 10-15 books per library trip, just for Rylan. They wind up being predominantly nonfiction, because that is where her interests currently lie. She loves to color, and create pictures using stickers. She also loves to cook and dig in the dirt. Rylan is a hands-on type of kid for sure. I don't know what direction this will take in the future, we will just have to wait and see.
What works best for Jordan is having a structure set forth by using a guided curriculum, with wiggle room for personal adjustment. Jordan loves to read as well, although he has yet actively start pulling books off the library shelf (other than Garfield comics). So here are our guided curriculum choices:
Language Arts:
Wordly Wise 3000 (Vocabulary)
The American Heritage Children's Dictionary
English from the Roots Up (Latin and Greek)
Write! Foundations and Models for Proficiency
Mountain Language (a daily exercise in grammar)
Comprehensive Handwriting Practice in Traditional Cursive
Steck-Vaughn Spelling: Linking Words to Meaning
BrainQuest Workbook: Grade 3 (various activities)
A variety of writing activities (letters, poems, descriptive stories, ect.)
Math:
Daily Math Practice: Grade 4 by EvanMoor (daily warmup exercises)
Mathematices Enhancement Programme: Year 3 www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm
Social Studies:
Books, books and more books from the library
The Story of the World (Ancient Times, The Middle Ages, Early Modern Times, The Modern Age)
A History of US
World Geography: grades 4-6, Carson-Dellosa
United States Geography: grades 4-6, Carson Dellosa
Spanish (Rosetta Stone)
Science:
R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey by Pandia Press:
Chemistry
Earth & Space Science
Life Science
Weekly experiements from Krampf's Science blog: http://www.thehappyscientist.com/
The Arts:
Piano lessons
Artistic Pursuits: An Introduction to the Visual Arts
P.E. - We don't have a curriculum here. We just run, bike, hike, swim, and play!
Plus a smattering of other things: computer programming with Lego Mindstorms, typing, technology skills, photography, gardening, cooking, health-related stuff... everyday life!
4. Who is your most inspirational homeschooling role model?
Well, I would have to say that I have taken my inspiration from a variety of places. When we started on this venture, I spent months trolling the internet looking for ideas and ways to go about it. Everyone has their own take on what homeschooling is, as they should. It is about each individual child and their needs - not someone else's. The author John Holt helped illuminate some of the basic tenets of what homeschooling should be for me. I draw a lot of inspiration from fellow homeschooling bloggers (visit some of the places I go...). I am only two years into this adventure, so I feel I still have a lot to learn and experience. Every homeschooling family I meet is an inspiration in its own right.
5. What homeschooling method do you use?
When I first began my forays into the vast information vaccum that exists out there, I was astounded by all of the different methods of homeschooling there are. A lot of new terminology to learn! As much as I would love to completely embrace unschooling and all the wonders it can potentially hold, I do not have the personality to sustain that for my kids. I need schedule, order, and predictability in my life. We experimented for a time, just before and after Owen was born, with having no schedule or formal lessons. It just didn't work. Jordan has very strong right-brained tendancies, but he lacks the self-motivation or discipline to see anything through. He likes the visual presentation of what he needs to do, and he actually likes working in workbooks. He will do them independently, when he can. We have adopted an eclectic approach to most everything that we do. We have a daily list of subjects/lessons to work through (see my blog post Barometer Soup), and yet there is a great deal of flexibility as to how we do these lessons. History and Science lend themselves to be attended to while I am cooking. We discuss as we work, cook and eat. Math is about the only highly structured lesson format that we do - the rest are done as we go about the day. It is early yet to tell with Rylan, but I think she will not require as much structure as Jordan.
6. What about socialization?
Oh my. That really has become a dirty word. All you have to do is walk by a public school playground during lunch recess and the difference is clear. In our 2 years with our homeschool group - not one argument or minor disagreement, no hurt feelings... everybody plays with everybody. Every child can intelligently converse with any of the adults. We socialize with every adult we meet on every outing we go on. I don't want a pack of 3 year olds socializing my 3 year old. What magical social skills do they possess that she doesn't and therefore must learn from them? Are they the ones to teach her how to behave? They may teach her social skills all right - how to tease, taunt, scorn, bully and flaunt for that is how they get a leg up in a classroom setting. Um, no thank you?
7. Favorite field trip?
We recently attendend a WaterSHED class at a local watershed in an adjacent neighborhood. We used field microscopes and got a very good primer on water ecology, botany, insects and more. I think what made this class extra special was that it was just Jordan and me (without the little ones along). Just a small handful of other families from our group attended, so the low numbers were nice. I am still kicking myself for not bringing the camera along...
8. Best thing about homeschooling?
I wrote about it in my first blog post (the New Normal), and it still rings true for me. Each day holds a promise and a chance to learn something new and wonderful - on our terms. Always on our terms. I love that!
9. What is our priority?
Our priority is to see to it that the kids are always engaged in learning something new. In addressing the needs of the whole child, a child that can think and chose wisely after careful deliberation is of utmost importance. An empathetic attitude towards others and a healthy respect for our environment and all who must share it is also important. I (we) refuse to raise a brat, a princess, or a child that is lazy and refuses to pull his/her weight.
10. Best one stop shopping for school books?
The most popular answer seems to be the library, and I can concur with that. I also enjoy shopping at The Bookies, in Denver. I just wish the store was bigger!
11. What will you do when the homeschooling years end and the last child leaves for college (or whatever...)?
My degree is in elementary education, but I do not think I can ever return to public (or private for that matter) education. There has been just too much water under that bridge - especially now that I have seen the 'other side'. My best loved subject was social science/anthropology. I might do something in that direction - and see if there is a way to use my education degree. Right now though, my education degree is serving me just fine! :)
12. Better to start schooling late or early?
It all depends on the particular child. It is best not to push, but when the child seems ready, you go for it. Rylan started avidly 'reading' books when she was old enough to hold one on her own. She is now ready (and receptive) to working on her letters, numbers, colors, using tools - all in a very informal way and mostly on her own. Owen is almost 16 mo. and could care less about books unless there is something to grab a hold of (like a pop-up book). He watches everything like a hawk, and after a single demonstration, he can do it on his own. Kids are much more capable than we ever given them credit for.
1. What time do you get up?
The set time is always evolving, as the youngest is transitioning from infancy into toddlerhood. When we first began homeschooling, there was a general rebellion against having any kind of time table (from Jordan and myself). It was just so nice to no longer have to have any kind of morning rush-out-the-door routine that we rejoiced in getting up late. I was also pregnant, so it was twice as nice. As time has marched on, we have eased in our rebellious ways and gravitated toward a schedule again. There is order where there is predictability, and having a schedule helps all of us meet our goals as a family. By getting up earlier, we also help daddy get out the door earlier too. I tend to get up at 5:45 am, and the kids get up at 6:30 -7 am (on their own!). It has just become part of the routine to have breakfast with daddy before he leaves, and then we can get the kitchen cleaned up and the day underway by 8 am. It used to be much, much later (like 10 am), but that was really hampering other things that needed to happen - like errands. I am also a morning person, and I feel like the day is wasted if I haven't accomplished anything by mid-morning. I have found that several of the families in our local group do practice a later schedule, and it seems to really work for them. For our family, it was really dragging my husband down, since he has to keep the respectable hours of 9-5. So the change was made to help him stay on track, and it has just proven to help all of us get more done.
2. What do your children wear to school?
At first I wanted to toss this question because it's silly, but then I thought that it might be important to just address it and move on. It is a common misconception that homeschoolers just wear pjs all day. Not so in our house. We all shower every morning and dress in normal, casual clothes. We do up our hair and brush our teeth.. the whole 9 yards. I have always found that the days when I don't shower and stay in my pjs or wear grundgy sweats, my attitude is lousy and I hardly get anything done. Same with the kids. On the days I clean up and dress nice and put on makeup - I have an unstoppable urge to get my whole to-do list done by 10 am. It may be just a mental thing, but it works. Dress for Success!
3. What curriculum works for you?
What works best for Rylan is reading out loud. Reading, reading, reading. We get about 10-15 books per library trip, just for Rylan. They wind up being predominantly nonfiction, because that is where her interests currently lie. She loves to color, and create pictures using stickers. She also loves to cook and dig in the dirt. Rylan is a hands-on type of kid for sure. I don't know what direction this will take in the future, we will just have to wait and see.
What works best for Jordan is having a structure set forth by using a guided curriculum, with wiggle room for personal adjustment. Jordan loves to read as well, although he has yet actively start pulling books off the library shelf (other than Garfield comics). So here are our guided curriculum choices:
Language Arts:
Wordly Wise 3000 (Vocabulary)
The American Heritage Children's Dictionary
English from the Roots Up (Latin and Greek)
Write! Foundations and Models for Proficiency
Mountain Language (a daily exercise in grammar)
Comprehensive Handwriting Practice in Traditional Cursive
Steck-Vaughn Spelling: Linking Words to Meaning
BrainQuest Workbook: Grade 3 (various activities)
A variety of writing activities (letters, poems, descriptive stories, ect.)
Math:
Daily Math Practice: Grade 4 by EvanMoor (daily warmup exercises)
Mathematices Enhancement Programme: Year 3 www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm
Social Studies:
Books, books and more books from the library
The Story of the World (Ancient Times, The Middle Ages, Early Modern Times, The Modern Age)
A History of US
World Geography: grades 4-6, Carson-Dellosa
United States Geography: grades 4-6, Carson Dellosa
Spanish (Rosetta Stone)
Science:
R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey by Pandia Press:
Chemistry
Earth & Space Science
Life Science
Weekly experiements from Krampf's Science blog: http://www.thehappyscientist.com/
The Arts:
Piano lessons
Artistic Pursuits: An Introduction to the Visual Arts
P.E. - We don't have a curriculum here. We just run, bike, hike, swim, and play!
Plus a smattering of other things: computer programming with Lego Mindstorms, typing, technology skills, photography, gardening, cooking, health-related stuff... everyday life!
4. Who is your most inspirational homeschooling role model?
Well, I would have to say that I have taken my inspiration from a variety of places. When we started on this venture, I spent months trolling the internet looking for ideas and ways to go about it. Everyone has their own take on what homeschooling is, as they should. It is about each individual child and their needs - not someone else's. The author John Holt helped illuminate some of the basic tenets of what homeschooling should be for me. I draw a lot of inspiration from fellow homeschooling bloggers (visit some of the places I go...). I am only two years into this adventure, so I feel I still have a lot to learn and experience. Every homeschooling family I meet is an inspiration in its own right.
5. What homeschooling method do you use?
When I first began my forays into the vast information vaccum that exists out there, I was astounded by all of the different methods of homeschooling there are. A lot of new terminology to learn! As much as I would love to completely embrace unschooling and all the wonders it can potentially hold, I do not have the personality to sustain that for my kids. I need schedule, order, and predictability in my life. We experimented for a time, just before and after Owen was born, with having no schedule or formal lessons. It just didn't work. Jordan has very strong right-brained tendancies, but he lacks the self-motivation or discipline to see anything through. He likes the visual presentation of what he needs to do, and he actually likes working in workbooks. He will do them independently, when he can. We have adopted an eclectic approach to most everything that we do. We have a daily list of subjects/lessons to work through (see my blog post Barometer Soup), and yet there is a great deal of flexibility as to how we do these lessons. History and Science lend themselves to be attended to while I am cooking. We discuss as we work, cook and eat. Math is about the only highly structured lesson format that we do - the rest are done as we go about the day. It is early yet to tell with Rylan, but I think she will not require as much structure as Jordan.
6. What about socialization?
Oh my. That really has become a dirty word. All you have to do is walk by a public school playground during lunch recess and the difference is clear. In our 2 years with our homeschool group - not one argument or minor disagreement, no hurt feelings... everybody plays with everybody. Every child can intelligently converse with any of the adults. We socialize with every adult we meet on every outing we go on. I don't want a pack of 3 year olds socializing my 3 year old. What magical social skills do they possess that she doesn't and therefore must learn from them? Are they the ones to teach her how to behave? They may teach her social skills all right - how to tease, taunt, scorn, bully and flaunt for that is how they get a leg up in a classroom setting. Um, no thank you?
7. Favorite field trip?
We recently attendend a WaterSHED class at a local watershed in an adjacent neighborhood. We used field microscopes and got a very good primer on water ecology, botany, insects and more. I think what made this class extra special was that it was just Jordan and me (without the little ones along). Just a small handful of other families from our group attended, so the low numbers were nice. I am still kicking myself for not bringing the camera along...
8. Best thing about homeschooling?
I wrote about it in my first blog post (the New Normal), and it still rings true for me. Each day holds a promise and a chance to learn something new and wonderful - on our terms. Always on our terms. I love that!
9. What is our priority?
Our priority is to see to it that the kids are always engaged in learning something new. In addressing the needs of the whole child, a child that can think and chose wisely after careful deliberation is of utmost importance. An empathetic attitude towards others and a healthy respect for our environment and all who must share it is also important. I (we) refuse to raise a brat, a princess, or a child that is lazy and refuses to pull his/her weight.
10. Best one stop shopping for school books?
The most popular answer seems to be the library, and I can concur with that. I also enjoy shopping at The Bookies, in Denver. I just wish the store was bigger!
11. What will you do when the homeschooling years end and the last child leaves for college (or whatever...)?
My degree is in elementary education, but I do not think I can ever return to public (or private for that matter) education. There has been just too much water under that bridge - especially now that I have seen the 'other side'. My best loved subject was social science/anthropology. I might do something in that direction - and see if there is a way to use my education degree. Right now though, my education degree is serving me just fine! :)
12. Better to start schooling late or early?
It all depends on the particular child. It is best not to push, but when the child seems ready, you go for it. Rylan started avidly 'reading' books when she was old enough to hold one on her own. She is now ready (and receptive) to working on her letters, numbers, colors, using tools - all in a very informal way and mostly on her own. Owen is almost 16 mo. and could care less about books unless there is something to grab a hold of (like a pop-up book). He watches everything like a hawk, and after a single demonstration, he can do it on his own. Kids are much more capable than we ever given them credit for.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
My Mother's Day present
When asked what I wanted to recieve for Mother's Day, I told Dean that I really wanted a garden. I built a garden at my previous home, but it has been 6 long years since the move and I've missed it. I don't know exactly why I hadn't gone about starting up one when I moved into my new house. I discovered early on that the backyard is extremely difficult to do anything with. It gives the appearance of a nice, blank slate, but there is evil lurking beneath the surface. Like the worst soil ever known to man. Top that off with a steep slope on one side, a very rough and uneven surface with sloppy grading, and icky grass that is needle thin and lifeless. The backyard is the bane of my existance. I think that after all of the time and energy I put into creating a landscape from scratch at the old place, I just ran out of steam.
Well, after aquiring a very handy husband and taking a break from major landscape renovation, it was time. Not only to suit my needs, but the kids need to grow up knowing how to garden and how to take care of a landscape. Since the ground itself is either riddled with old tree roots or sprinkler system pipes, the only direction to go was above ground.
I looked at the options for materials, and settled on some pine beams that were for sale on Craig's List. The timber is from the city tree removal program (either condemned trees or beetle-kill) and a guy milled them into 4x6 beams. We purchased sixteen 4x6x12 beams and Dean constructed 3 different beds, each measuring 4x12. The beds are graduated in height, to accomodate different crops. We will have to amend and rotate the soil around at the beginning of each season since we won't rotate the crops. My dad helped us fill the beds with garden soil (about 4 cubic yards worth). The bulk of the work was accomplished just this past Saturday. Dean had completed most of the construction over the past 3 weeks (a little here, a little there), and we were finally ready to fill and plant last weekend.
Dean had to rent a beam saw in order to cut the beams to size
Dean lapped the corners for the frame and mitered the top level. We also decided to use 10" & 8" screws so that we would be able to disassemble them in the future, if we needed to.
The kids 'helping' unload one of many wheelbarrow loads
Grandpa took a break to give the kids a ride
It was a fun afternoon!
My Lil' Honey
Over the weekend Rylan and I got to go shopping (well, for groceries - how exciting is that?) on our own. As she and I were circling the aisles, she said something very sweet to another customer, and as we walked away I said to her...
"You are my sweet little girl. My little honey."
"I'm not your honey, mommy. Daddy is your honey. I'm your little girl"
Of course this was stated so loudly that everyone within a 3 aisle radius could hear.
"You are my sweet little girl. My little honey."
"I'm not your honey, mommy. Daddy is your honey. I'm your little girl"
Of course this was stated so loudly that everyone within a 3 aisle radius could hear.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Barometer Soup
We have a cold weather front that is in the midst of moving through. I don't even have to look outside though, to confirm that. You can tell just by listening to the kids. I remember that during my public school teaching days, I hated days like this. The kids were always off kilter and it was a classroom management nightmare. So it is with homeschool. Here it is, four in the afternoon and I am done. Done, done, done. I don't care if the to-do list says I'm not, I'm saying I am. I sent Rylan to bed about 45 minutes ago, and Jordan is keeping Owen entertained in the playroom. Maybe my sanity will collect itself if I keep sitting here, writing. I even put on some soft, classical music (Bach) to smooth the edges. It's sorta working.
A major frustration of mine is that Jordan cannot stay on task to get his stuff done. In my ideal world I have scheduled for him about 4 hours worth of lessons/independent work each day (gotta make the education police happy...) and I swear we have not had a day yet (in 2 years!!), where we have completed EVERYTHING. Weirdly enough, science always gets the short shrift, even though that is Jordan's favorite subject. Each day, at about mid-afternoon, I reach my utter frustration point because there is still a mound of school work to slog through, and my own work load hasn't been attended to even in the slightest, save the load of laundry that was thrown in the wash before I came down to make breakfast. And there it sits, festering in the washing machine, long forgotten...
Well, I came up with an idea this afternoon, just after I escorted Rylan to her room for her nap (she wasn't exactly a willing party). I needed to spend some time in the kitchen to whip up some meringue for a pavlova tonight, and I thought to myself how nice it would be if the rest of the day were mine. I could get done what I needed to get done, without any guilt of what I should have been doing for/with Jordan. Several weeks ago, I made some changes to how we schedule our day. A fellow homeschooling mom gave me some advice (thanks Dalliss) about how she got her kids to do their daily chores. She posted a list for them to refer to so that they wouldn't be constantly in her hair. I took her advice to heart, and configured a list of my own. I had also been reading up on Rebecca Rupp's Home Learning Year by Year, to make a database for myself (to feed my quest for order in the midst of chaos) for what kinds of items we needed to address as far as Geography, World History, US History and Science goes. We have had such a spotty record for staying with a routine (having a baby in the midst of all of this did not help much) that I needed to get an idea of where exactly we were and where we needed to go. So, I came up with this.
We have had a good first run with this, but it needs some tweaking. "The List" seems to dominate the entire day. I added the 'Independent Work ' list for good reason: Jordan desperately needs to develop some self-management skills. He seems to do much better when he has the list to refer to and keep him on track. It also stresses the need for him to take some responsibility in his daily work. The months that passed between the final weeks of pregnancy and throughout Owen's infancy were left unstructured. Jordan (and Rylan for that matter) was pretty much left to his own devices about what he would learn and when. I guess you could say it was an experiment in unschooling. It did not go well, in Jordan's case. He would wander aimlessly about all day, and if he cracked open a book, it was a miracle. And it was not like interesting stuff wasn't dangled in front of him. We went to the library weekly. Yet all Jordan wanted to check out was Garfield comic books. He was not motivated to learn anything of consequence. All he wanted to do was to play video games, and I was not going to give in to that. Here we are about a year later, and Jordan has matured quite a bit. He will pick up his chapter book frequently (without being asked) and he will constantly rummage through the picture books (which is a complete library in it's own right...). We began to structure our days again around mid-January, and it has been better for all of us, ever since. Since the inception of this schedule, it has removed much of the burden from me of seeing to it that Jordan is on task and trying to remember what else it was that he should work on. It also meant that subjects like Earth Science wouldn't be shelved for weeks on end. We have a different version for each day of the week (so that all subject areas are addressed over the course of a week), and each day has it's own rhythm. Each day has been printed out and housed in a plastic sleeve. We use a wet-erase pen to mark things off as we go - it just washes off at the end of the day.
Well - back to the thought of the day. My complaint is that the burden of completion falls squarely on my shoulders, when it really should belong to Jordan. My portion of the work, the 'Lessons' part, is my only sole responsibility. It can involve any number of things - demonstrating a skill, reading out loud, handling materials for an experiment, ect. . It is this box that is continually left undone, when it is (IMHO) actually the most important box as far as keeping up with the knowledge base we should be continually building. It occurred to me today that I should enforce a time limit on this box in order to preserve a portion of the day for me that is 'lesson free'. If I say that it needs to be done by 3 pm, then I can ensure that my part is done, and I can go about my business for the rest of the day. It stands to reason that we should make good use of the portion of the day that Owen will take a reliable nap. Since Owen will typically nap from 11am - 2ish, that is the best time frame within to work in our lessons. Addressing the subject of History (World & U.S.) during lunch time works especially well, because we can read & discuss while I am making lunch. Our world map also makes for a nice 'tablecloth'. One fun game is toss a spoonful of peas across the map and see how many different countries you can land a pea on...
I admit it may sound like over-the-top authoritarianism, but structure is what holds the tears/frustration at bay in our home. Jordan's ADHD is very difficult to manage (at times). I have done my best to come up with solutions that we can all live with. We opted for homeschooling because of all of the problems that the ADHD behaviors presented in the classroom. The most frustrating of which is impulsivity and high-distractability. Having a schedule to refer to helps to suppress some of the impulse to get up and mess around. Some days though (like today) are absolutely impossible, no matter what tools are in place. Sigh.
A major frustration of mine is that Jordan cannot stay on task to get his stuff done. In my ideal world I have scheduled for him about 4 hours worth of lessons/independent work each day (gotta make the education police happy...) and I swear we have not had a day yet (in 2 years!!), where we have completed EVERYTHING. Weirdly enough, science always gets the short shrift, even though that is Jordan's favorite subject. Each day, at about mid-afternoon, I reach my utter frustration point because there is still a mound of school work to slog through, and my own work load hasn't been attended to even in the slightest, save the load of laundry that was thrown in the wash before I came down to make breakfast. And there it sits, festering in the washing machine, long forgotten...
Well, I came up with an idea this afternoon, just after I escorted Rylan to her room for her nap (she wasn't exactly a willing party). I needed to spend some time in the kitchen to whip up some meringue for a pavlova tonight, and I thought to myself how nice it would be if the rest of the day were mine. I could get done what I needed to get done, without any guilt of what I should have been doing for/with Jordan. Several weeks ago, I made some changes to how we schedule our day. A fellow homeschooling mom gave me some advice (thanks Dalliss) about how she got her kids to do their daily chores. She posted a list for them to refer to so that they wouldn't be constantly in her hair. I took her advice to heart, and configured a list of my own. I had also been reading up on Rebecca Rupp's Home Learning Year by Year, to make a database for myself (to feed my quest for order in the midst of chaos) for what kinds of items we needed to address as far as Geography, World History, US History and Science goes. We have had such a spotty record for staying with a routine (having a baby in the midst of all of this did not help much) that I needed to get an idea of where exactly we were and where we needed to go. So, I came up with this.
We have had a good first run with this, but it needs some tweaking. "The List" seems to dominate the entire day. I added the 'Independent Work ' list for good reason: Jordan desperately needs to develop some self-management skills. He seems to do much better when he has the list to refer to and keep him on track. It also stresses the need for him to take some responsibility in his daily work. The months that passed between the final weeks of pregnancy and throughout Owen's infancy were left unstructured. Jordan (and Rylan for that matter) was pretty much left to his own devices about what he would learn and when. I guess you could say it was an experiment in unschooling. It did not go well, in Jordan's case. He would wander aimlessly about all day, and if he cracked open a book, it was a miracle. And it was not like interesting stuff wasn't dangled in front of him. We went to the library weekly. Yet all Jordan wanted to check out was Garfield comic books. He was not motivated to learn anything of consequence. All he wanted to do was to play video games, and I was not going to give in to that. Here we are about a year later, and Jordan has matured quite a bit. He will pick up his chapter book frequently (without being asked) and he will constantly rummage through the picture books (which is a complete library in it's own right...). We began to structure our days again around mid-January, and it has been better for all of us, ever since. Since the inception of this schedule, it has removed much of the burden from me of seeing to it that Jordan is on task and trying to remember what else it was that he should work on. It also meant that subjects like Earth Science wouldn't be shelved for weeks on end. We have a different version for each day of the week (so that all subject areas are addressed over the course of a week), and each day has it's own rhythm. Each day has been printed out and housed in a plastic sleeve. We use a wet-erase pen to mark things off as we go - it just washes off at the end of the day.
Well - back to the thought of the day. My complaint is that the burden of completion falls squarely on my shoulders, when it really should belong to Jordan. My portion of the work, the 'Lessons' part, is my only sole responsibility. It can involve any number of things - demonstrating a skill, reading out loud, handling materials for an experiment, ect. . It is this box that is continually left undone, when it is (IMHO) actually the most important box as far as keeping up with the knowledge base we should be continually building. It occurred to me today that I should enforce a time limit on this box in order to preserve a portion of the day for me that is 'lesson free'. If I say that it needs to be done by 3 pm, then I can ensure that my part is done, and I can go about my business for the rest of the day. It stands to reason that we should make good use of the portion of the day that Owen will take a reliable nap. Since Owen will typically nap from 11am - 2ish, that is the best time frame within to work in our lessons. Addressing the subject of History (World & U.S.) during lunch time works especially well, because we can read & discuss while I am making lunch. Our world map also makes for a nice 'tablecloth'. One fun game is toss a spoonful of peas across the map and see how many different countries you can land a pea on...
I admit it may sound like over-the-top authoritarianism, but structure is what holds the tears/frustration at bay in our home. Jordan's ADHD is very difficult to manage (at times). I have done my best to come up with solutions that we can all live with. We opted for homeschooling because of all of the problems that the ADHD behaviors presented in the classroom. The most frustrating of which is impulsivity and high-distractability. Having a schedule to refer to helps to suppress some of the impulse to get up and mess around. Some days though (like today) are absolutely impossible, no matter what tools are in place. Sigh.
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