GETTING STARTED WITH HOMESCHOOLING FOR THE PRESCHOOLER

When I first decided that I wanted to start my daughter on a homeschool curriculum she was 2 years old.  I had no idea where to start and it was so overwhelming to look at things online.  When she turned 2.5 it seemed that many of her friends were starting preschool.  I knew that I need to make up my mind on what I wanted to do with her.  We had already been working on the basics; colors, ABC's, numbers and shapes.  But, I was needing something more structured.  I wanted to share with you a wonderful website that I have found with everything that you need and best of all it's FREE!  At this stage of her education I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on her curriculum.  I know that eventually I will have to, but not at the moment.  Before I tell you the website I just want to tell you that I get no payment for posting this and promoting their website.  I just think it's just a great resource and people need to know about it.  The website is called www.easypeasy.com  The curriculum can be started as early as 3 years old.  It's called "Getting Ready 1".  Everything you need is laid out and ready to print.  I wish I would have had someone to tell me about it when I was looking.  I hope that this post helps you as you start your homeschooling journey.  :)

WHY WE ARE CHOOSING HOMESCHOOLING FOR OUR CHILDREN

After speaking with my husband we have decide to homeschool our children.  The more we look at how the school system is being ran it was very clear to us that the morals and values being taught didn't go with our own.  Being a christian household we want our children to learn about God and not have other influences tell our children otherwise.  We are very strong in our faith and of course teach our children ourselves.  But, we want a curriculum that has learning not only academically, but also spiritually.  It seems that the school system wants to teach about every religion with the except of Christianity.  If our children decide later on that they would like to try a more traditional schooling then we would be open to that also.  But, they would be attending a christian school. 

One thing that I have learned over the last year or so is how the homeschooling community is growing.  Religious families are realizing that the best interest for their children is to teach them at home.  To me this is wonderful news!  Not only is there homeschooling co-ops, but local parks and recs are actually starting to have sports just for the homeschooling children! I grew up playing sports and it was a huge part of my childhood.  I want to make sure that my children have that opportunity and now they can.  

There is also the concern with school violence.  It seems there is constant reporting on shootings.  The horrible feeling those parents must having not know if their child is safe or not.  I couldn't imagine those feelings and hopefully will never have too.  It seems to be a reoccurring trend and I want no part of it.  

Lastly, as most of you know if you have read previous blog post we are a military family.  Our family will be moving around every few years and homeschooling our children will make that easier for not only us, but our children.  There will never be a delay in their education while we are PCSing.  

I know there is lots of stereotypes of home schooled children.  But, it seems those are slowly starting to fade away.  The research is there and below I have listed just a few reasons why it's great to homeschool if you can.  

 There are about 2.2 million home-educated students in the United States. There were an estimated 1.73 to 2.35 million children (in grades K to 12) home educated during the spring of 2010 in the United States (Ray, 2011). It appears the homeschool population is continuing to grow (at an estimated 2% to 8% per annum over the past few years).

• The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. (The public school average is the 50th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99.)
• Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.
•  Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges
• The home-educated are doing well, typically above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development. Research measures include peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem
• go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.

WHY IS STAYING AT HOME WITH YOUR KIDS CONSIDERED A BAD THING?

Being a stay at home mom is a wonderful experience.  Before having children I would have never imagined staying at home.  I had always had a plan to be out in the world working and earning a living to help support my family financially.  I went to college and completed my master's degree.  When I got married that all changed.  I married a man in the military and a stay at home wife is normal.  Mainly because people don't want to hire someone that isn't going to be around for long.  That is why you see so many military wives that work from home.  After having my daughter I couldn't have seen myself going back to work.  Luckily we were blessed enough that I am able to stay at home with our daughter.  You do have mainstream society telling you that if you aren't in the workforce that you aren't contributing and at first this was hard for me.  But, over time I realized that I have the most important job in the world!  Raising my daughter to be a loving, kind, generous, courteous little lady was the most important job I would ever have in my life!  Why does our world feel the need to make a women feel that she isn't important unless she is contributing financially.  I understand that if you have to work to pay your bills then that's okay.  But, if you are like me and can stay home if you wish then that's okay too.  :)

It's a ........!!!

After waiting 21 weeks we now know what we are having!!!!

It's a Girl!!! 

Baby is healthy! 

We're having a baby!

Losing a child was one of the hardest things I have went through emotionally.  But, God helped me through it.  After 5 months we found out that we were having another baby.  I'm so grateful and happy that God has blessed us with another child.  But, to be honest this pregnancy isn't the same. For the first trimester I was so scared of miscarrying that it wasn't very enjoyable for me.  Every time I would go to the bathroom  I would wait to see if there was blood.  It was awful.  At 5, 8 and 12 weeks I did have some bleeding, but it stopped.  It was just a reminder of what had happened a few months prior.  But, once I was in the second trimester I had some relief knowing that the chances of losing this baby was very slim.  I was able to start enjoying the pregnancy.  If anything this experience has brought me closer to God.  There was a reason we lost our child.  Only God knows why and I'm okay with not knowing.  I find comfort in knowing that my little angel is with God and I will see them again.  I know that if I was to dwell on the fact we lost a child that wouldn't be fair to this one.  So I have prayed and learned to accept that God has a bigger plan.  I might not always understand it, but I do trust in him.  God is Love!

Dealing with Loss/Miscarriage

My husband and I had decided it was time to start trying for another baby.  Our first child is now 2 years old and we would like for them to be close in age.  We made the decision to let nature take its course and put it in God's hands.  The first month we tried we were successful and found out we were pregnant!  Little did I know that this happiness I was feeling would be short lived.

FRIDAY

I will never forget the joy that comes along when you first find out that you are having a baby!  It was a Friday morning when I took the test to find out.  I had been having symptoms and thought I might be pregnant.  But, I was skeptical because the chances of getting pregnant on the first try were very slim. Plus with our first child it took almost a year because I had fertility issues.   I woke up and took the test.  I walked out of the bathroom to get my husband.  As we walked back in to check we were both overjoyed and somewhat shocked when we read the words "pregnant"!  

SATURDAY

By Saturday I was already trying to figure out what to do with the nursery and thinking about a birthing plan.  Since we are military we have to think about who will watch our daughter while we would be in the hospital.  The excitement was really kicking in for the both of us.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning started out like any other morning.  But, I noticed my stomach muscles were feeling tight.  I didn't think to much about it, just that it was uncomfortable.  Then as the day went on I started to spot.  I knew that spotting early on in pregnancy was okay as long as no cramping went along with it.  I wasn't in any pain and the spotting was very light.  I decided to go on about my day and try not to worry about it.  

MONDAY

I slept awful during the night.  My daughter was up a lot crying and I was so tired.  We slept in until 9am which was not like us at all.  When I went to the bathroom I then seen one of the worst things I could have, lots and lots of blood.  My heart just sank and I knew what was happening...I was losing the baby.  I had no idea what to do and was so lost.  I called my husband, who was at work, and told him about what was happening.  Unfortunately being a military wife I know all to well that duty comes first.  He was able to come home, but it was a couple of hours later.  After speaking with two doctors and the insurance company I was informed the best thing would be for me to go to ER.  

I still don't know if that was the right decision, but I had no idea what else I could do.  I knew that once a miscarriage started there was nothing you could do to stop it.  But, I had to know if that was 100% what was happening, so I went.  I sat there in the waiting room for 7 hours before I even got to see a doctor.  It was a horrible experience and I honestly wondered at some points if I was going to bleed to death before I could even see someone.  I had later learned the women that took my information only put down that I was there for "pain".  I'm sorry, but me losing a child and having a miscarriage is more than just an average person having some pain!  I was so furious after I learned that, but what could I do.  After 8 hours at the hospital I found out that I was still pregnant, but I was miscarrying and within the next few days I would lose the baby.  This has to be one of the hardest things I have had to go through.  I seen a saying after this happen and it has given me comfort.  

"AN ANGEL IN THE BOOK FOR LIFE WROTE DOWN MY BABIES BIRTH THEN WHISPERED WHEN SHE CLOSE THE BOOK TO BEAUTIFUL FOR EARTH..."

The only comfort I really have is knowing that my little angel is in Heaven already and that I will see them again.