2009-2010 Schedule

Our daily schedule will be roughly the same as last year, but every year is a little different because we add in more subjects and new extracurricular activities. I will be up by 6am and waking the kids by 7am. We will eat breakfast together as a family each day (Daddy included) and have Family Scripture Study every morning. We will do an hour of chores each morning, on a rotating schedule.

Homeschool will begin at 9am. We will have about three hours of homeschool before lunch. Our morning classes are seminary, reading, writing, math, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. After lunch, we’ll have two to three more hours of school. Latin, history, geography, science, art, and creative writing will be covered during this time. We will study each subject two days per week. When school is finished, the kids can have freetime and time to invite friends over.

Activities are every evening. Brenna will have gymnastics on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Joshua will have football on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (but I heard that they are cutting back to three days a week in September). Braden has gymnastics on Monday morning. Maddie has cheer on Monday, but it’s in the same facility as Brenna’s gymnastics practice and during the same time as well so it’s very convenient! Brenna has choir Tuesday evenings.

Weekends will be busy as well. Rick works Saturdays and has Mondays off so we use Monday as our personal Saturday (no homeschool). Our morning schedule will remain the same on Mondays, but rather than starting homeschool around 9am we will take our weekly library trip. It will work out well because the younger kids can listen to Story Time at the library. We will also be able to get all the books we need for the week of homeschool. Gymnastics is right after our library time and right across the street. We will go grocery shopping and run errands after gymnastics.  Saturday will be my weekly baking day. The kids can do craft projects and have friends over. We will have football games and gymnastics meets on certain Saturdays, and wrestling tournaments starting soon. Rick is doing the piano lessons for the kids (along with voice lessons for Brenna) and will be having lessons on Sunday afternoons. Family Home Evening will be on Sunday night, followed by our weekly Correlation Meeting (Rick and I take an hour or two each week to discuss kids, school, budget, schedule, meals and so on for the coming week and to review the previous week as well).

Thankfully, it works out to squeeze dinner in between activities from 5-6 each evening. Once Rick is on nights, he will be able to eat with us during that time as well.

Bedtime will be between 8:00 and 8:30 (with quiet reading time afterwards) on nights we don’t have football practice and 9pm on the nights that we do. The 9:00 nights are later than I like (I really prefer a bedtime between 7:30 and 8:30) but there is no way around it during football season. This is another reason that I am looking forward to practice being cut back to three nights a week, and by the end of the season our coach has said we’ll probably be down to just two nights a week.

That’s our schedule for the coming year. I know it sounds very, very full (and it is), but it is so similar to what we did last year that I am sure we will be fine. Each child and each family is so different and a busy lifestyle is not for everyone, but so far our children and our family is thriving on being active and busy.

We are striving to still create balance in our lives. Our busy schedule still allows for down-time and social time for the kids, and time as a family. And it enables us to eat breakfast and dinner each day as a family with Daddy and study the scriptures together daily. Even though it’s full, the important things are all fitting in easily, and the less important things (but things that we still want to include) are falling into place as well. It’s like a big, giant puzzle that just fits together perfectly. The beauty of homeschool is that I can easily change our schedule if it doesn’t work for our family. But, for now, I am sure it will work well and I am looking forward to a busy, full school year.

UPDATE…

We began our fall schedule this morning and the day went beautifully. I was sick today thanks to the iron supplements that I just started (I just found out that I am anemic). But even between barf-runs to the bathroom, I was still able to get everything on my list done. We were up on time, and we finished breakfast and scripture study and chores as planned.  The kids and I took our weekly library trip and went grocery shopping afterwards. I ran the kids to their various activities and finished the flash cards that I needed for Latin and Greek. We enjoyed some quiet downtime while the kids all poured over their new library books (they even chose reading time over computer time when both were offered as options). Before bedtime we made gluten-free doughnuts for a yummy treat. Everyone was in bed on time and most of them were asleep before 8:30. School starts tomorrow and I hope that it goes as well as today went.

Family Reunion

We are home safe and sound after a wonderful, fun-filled family reunion with my side of the family. We had a great time and made so many wonderful memories. It was truly a fabulous reunion. Great job, Mom and Dad!

The reunion began on Thursday. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon at a new fun center near my parents’ home. It is filled with giant inflated bounce houses and slides. We were there early enough in the day that we had the place to ourselves for several hours. All the kids from ages 1-7 had a blast and even the adults joined in the bouncing fun. The “big boys” (Rick and my brothers) raced each other and timed themselves through an obstacle course. They ended up with sore elbows and knees, but they had fun.

We also enjoyed a family dance. Michelle put together some fun, lively songs, the boys moved all the furniture out of the family room and kitchen, and then we all danced. It was so fun to dance together, and between all the adults and all the children, there were plenty of dance partners to go around.

We had a family talent show as well. It began with a crazy glasses parade. The day before, all the kids had crafted their own crazy sunglasses using pipe cleaner, feathers, fake jewels, stickers, pom poms, and all sorts of craft items. They were so excited to parade around and show their fancy glasses off. Every family member performed at least one talent, including two-month-old Taylor whose talent was simply being extra cute. We laughed and had a fabulous time.

We spent a day at my parents’ cabin, swimming and visiting with some very dear, long-time friends. We worked together on a humanitarian service project as a family. We set up the giant screen and the projector and watched a movie outside after dark. The kids went on a very elaborate picture scavenger hunt that my parents put together. The prize at the end was a big pinata and the kids were so excited to break it open. The girls went shopping and got new hair cuts. Every night the adults stayed up late playing games, talking, and laughing.

I loved seeing my children with their cousins. There are nine grandchildren now- our five plus two of my brothers each have two kids (ages 3, 1, 1, and newborn). Braden had such a great time playing with his cousin Laneah. They two of them are inseperable when we are together and miss each other terribly when we are apart. They play and giggle constantly and carry on the cutest conversations with each other.

My New Hair Cut!

Last month, my brother and sister-in-law offered to pay for a hair cut as a birthday present to me. I really wanted a hair cut, but I was a little hesitant to take them up on their kind offer because I didn’t want to take advantage of their generosity.  I was also a little nervous to make a drastic change, even though I really, really wanted a new look. I was so tired of wearing a ponytail every day!

Thankfully Jonny and Michelle were sweetly persistent, and today Michelle went with me to get my hair cut. I was glad to have the company and the moral support. It was also such a treat to not have to pay for the cut myself. Michelle paid, as a birthday present to me and I was so grateful. It was so sweet of her!

I really, really like my new hair cut. It’s short and cute and I think it will be easy to take care of as well. My stylist said it makes me look younger. I just turned 29 so I am getting old enough that it’s nice to look “younger.” Of course, if I really do look younger, it will be even harder to convince strangers that I am expecting my SIXTH child instead of my first.

I will have to take some pictures and post them for all to see. I love my new hair cut! Thanks so much, Jonny and Michelle!

The Results Are In

The results of my 3-hour glucose tolerance test are in. I do NOT have gestational diabetes. My numbers all came back fine. I was pretty sure that I didn’t have gestational diabetes, but it’s nice to know for sure. And I am excited that I can continue to eat like a pig and indulge my large sweet tooth for the rest of my pregnancy.

Geography!

The last of my geography books came today! It’s as exciting as Christmas morning when a box of books shows up on our doorstep! The kids gathered around and we eagerly opened the box. The books were used and showed a little more wear than I expected from the “like new” description I was given. But I only paid one or two dollars a book so scuffed corners aren’t too bad. The insides of the books were in great shape so I was pleased overall.

I love our new geography books already and I am having  a blast pulling together the last of my lesson plans. It is so exciting! Again, I find myself so eager and so ready for the new school year!

I also have been putting a lot more thought into our creative writing curriculum and I am thrilled with the results. Creative writing will be such a fun subject this year!

I keep thinking that I am DONE with my school preparations for this year… and then I find something else that I want to change or add in a certain subject. It is really fun to plan and prepare though! Even when I think I am done, I am never disappointed to find out that I’m not as done as I thought I was!

Whew! This homeschool stuff is addictive!

Three-Hour Glucose Test

I had my 3-hour glucose done today. It wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t terrible either.

The bad: I was fasting for the test so I was already not feeling great. The sugary drink made me feel even worse. As I was struggling to drink it without gagging, a lady sat down next to me in the waiting room. She smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke that I felt myself turning green. I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke anyway, it’s worse during pregnancy, and it’s almost unbearable when I am pregnant and already feeling sick as I was today. I continued to drink my glucose drink, willing myself not to throw it all back up again. The blood draws (four in three hour time period) made me feel dizzy and sick as well. By the time I got home at 2pm, I was feeling pretty yucky and weak.

The good: I did a lot of reading while I waited. I was able to think a lot about our Greek, Latin, and creative writing for the year and to really solidify some of my recent ideas on those subjects. I jotted down notes and felt pleased with these added plans. So that was wonderful. And, in spite of feeling pretty bad when I got home, I felt a lot better after I nibbled some crackers. (Can you use the word “nibble” if you consume half a box of crackers in one sitting?)

Now we await results. I really don’t think I have gestational diabetes. I have no risk factors for it, my weight gain is actually on the low side of normal, I feel fine, and my number for the one-hour test was not even outside of the “normal” range. But even if- by some fluke chance- I do have gestational diabetes, that really won’t be the end of the world. I can handle a healthy diet. I’ll just really miss milkshakes for the next two months!!

Jumping Baby

All of my babies have moved differently while I was pregnant with them. I have found that their movements before birth were often very indicative of their personalities afterwards.

Brenna seemed pretty average. She moved just like my pregnancy books said she should. She wasn’t an extremely frequent mover or a really hard kicker, but she still moved a good deal and packed a pretty good punch. She did more rolling than kicking.

Joshua was crazy. He moved a lot and he his movements were really strong as well, to the point of being quite painful. He was just such a hard kicker! I often joked that he was moving pianos around in there.

Madalyn was so mild. I hardly felt her move at all. My placenta was in front, cushioning her movements, and I had lots of fluid as well so both of those factors contributed. But even so, I rarely felt that baby move.

Braden was mild also. He moved more often than Maddie did, but he was just a soft kicker. He moved frequently, but he always felt so gentle.

Asher was a wiggle worm. He didn’t kick as painfully hard as Joshua did, but he was a lot more active. Asher was the most active of all my babies so far, and he never, ever stopped moving. He felt like he was cartwheeling from one side of my uterus to the other. I suppose it was quite true to form when my little monkey flipped breech during labor in the brief space between contractions!

And my Sweet Baby #6… For a long time this baby has seemed like Braden- soft and mild. But lately, he has reminded me more of Asher. I do believe that he’s grown an extra few pairs of legs because he kicks me so often now. Seriously, this guy wiggles so much and so rapidly that I would think I was carrying twins if several ultrasounds hadn’t already revealed just one healthy baby! I feel like I am pregnant with a little octopus who is always busy kicking with those eight little legs!

I’m in Love

I admit it freely- I am absolutely, completely, whole-heartedly, head over heels IN LOVE with this curly-haired, bright-eyed, dimpled little darling of mine! Isn’t he so super cute?!

I love everything about this precious child. There still is not a moment that goes by when I do not thank my Heavenly Father for the miracle of his life. Asher was conceived after over a year of trying. We prayed so long and so hard for him! My pregnancy was very difficult… and very worth it! During labor, Asher’s heart rate crashed and nearly stopped beating all together. He was born by emergency c-section. He dealt with many challenges in his young life- most of which he has overcome and some of which he continues to deal with. Still, Asher is bright, engaging, and delightful. He has such a joyful soul and radiates such happiness. It’s hard to describe the way Asher can fill up a room simply by being in it. Asher is a MIRACLE to me! I am so thankful for him!

Ready, Set, GO!

I am ready for the 2009-2010 school year! Well… as ready as I can be anyway. I still have to buy a few basics supplies (like 3×5 cards, staples, and so on) and I will do that Monday when I make my weekly grocery shopping trip. And there are still a few small things that need to be finished, but that can’t be finished until I do go shopping. (For instance, I need those 3×5 cards to make my vocabulary root word cards.) But, for the most part, I am ready! My lesson plans are finished (both my outline for the entire year and my detailed plans for the month of September). My copies, supplies lists, and book lists are ready. My new File Folder Games are ready to be used by eager little ones. My cupboards and files and shelves are neat and organized, and the kids’ notebooks are all cleaned out and ready to go.  

I am so excited! We are ready to start the school year and I can hardly wait. The kids are as eager as I am. They continue to beg daily for school work. We are all looking forward to a great year- in  homeschool, in the kids’ activities, and in life in general.

As I have planned and prepared, I have truly felt guidance and direction from my Heavenly Father. I love feeling those promptings. I love watching how neatly everything falls into place when my efforts are completely guided by the spirit. I love knowing that homeschooling is what is best for our family right now, and I love the security and peace that I feel because this knowledge has come as an answer to many prayers. Homeschooling is such an enormous (and sometimes intimidating) task. I am so thankful that I am not doing it alone!!

We are very blessed and life is so good. I still find myself in awe of all that I have been given.

Joshua’s New Look

Joshua tends to favor longer hair. I like to keep him trimmed and neat looking so I don’t let it get past his ears or his collar. But I also like to give him control over his hair so I let him decide how long or short the top will be. He always prefers to keep the top as long as I’ll allow him to.

Recently, Joshua has discovered that his head gets hot inside a football helmet during the August heat. Last night after football practice, he asked for a hair cut so that he’d be cooler. I’d been meaning to trim him up anyway and told him that I’d cut it Saturday morning and he could decide how long or short he wanted it.

This morning Joshua reminded me again that he wanted a hair cut.

“I want to be bald,” he added with a grin. “I want to be SO bald that I need to wear sunscreen on my head!” I had to chuckle at his description and got out the clippers.

I buzzed Josh down to 1/4 of an inch. Josh felt his hair with his hand, checked in the bathroom mirror and declared that it was still too long.

“I can still see too much hair and not enough of my head underneath,” he explained.

I buzzed his hair to 1/8 of an inch and his response was the same- his hair was still not short enough. I guess I didn’t realize HOW bald he really wanted to be! Our clippers have lots of length attachments, but an 1/8 of an inch is the smallest one. There are, however, two different length settings when there is not an attachment on. One is really, really, really short. The other shaves bald- it’s the one I use for Rick and the boys’ necklines. I talked Josh into going with the really, really, really short setting, rather than the totally bald setting!

Joshua was very pleased with his new hair cut. Surveying himself in the mirror, he proudly declared, “Wow! This really is a new look for me!”

At his football game, he got lots of compliments on his new hair cut and a bunch of the boys rubbed his fuzzy, almost bald head for good luck. (They did win so bald heads really must be lucky!)

Josh loved how cool it was with short hair and how quickly his hair dried after his shower. He was also pretty convinced- and very excited as he thought of it- that he’d never have to wash his hair again because he had so little hair left. I explained that his hair still needed to be washed. Josh was thoughtful for a moment and then surmised, “So it’s just as important to wash a bald head as it is to wash hair?”

Joshua has already decided that he wants to shave his head completely bald next time. No more of this really, really, really short nonsense for him. He wants to be BALD.

I trimmed up Braden’s hair after I cut Joshua’s. I am not ready to cut Asher’s hair yet because avoiding that first hair cut makes him seem younger somehow, as if he’s not turning into a little boy right before my eyes. But while I cut the older two boys’ hair, I couldn’t help but think that someday soon I will have FOUR little boys that all line up for haircuts on Saturday. Thinking about these four precious sons of mine and how blessed I am to have each of them (along with my two daughters, of course), then made me wonder how many boys I will have eventually. Maybe someday I will have eight or nine or ten sons that all need hair cuts! I sure hope so!!

Here are Joshua’s Before and After pictures that I insisted on taking.

BEFORE…

AFTER…

And here’s a side by side comparison of the same pictures…

  

It’s quite the change, isn’t it? Drastic changes like this one can be hard to swallow sometimes, but Joshua loves his new hair cut and it suits him well. I love how his new hair cut really makes his blue eyes pop!