April is here and usually that would mean Tiffany is on a break until the end of the month when we go to the Tulsa OCHEC homeschool convention but this year is different. Tiffany is graduating this week! It is her last week of school because we decided that it was silly to take off most of April only to finish her last couple of weeks at the end of the month and into May.

One of the best things we did was to change our calendar to a year round learning style, so that she did school work during the months that are too hot to be outside and be away from the things that seem more educational when it is nice outside. So instead of book work or following our usual routine in April, we plan and plant a garden, which is still educational and can still be counted as school days. But it also means that we can take a day or two and binge watch movies we really enjoy or try out a season of a tv series, as long as we get our household essentials done.

Prior to changing our calendar, I would get a bit antsy about not finishing up a curriculum we had started or completing _____ that I had planned for us to complete. Then I heard (and subsequently remembered) that even brick and mortar schools don’t finish our their curriculum. Of course, I didn’t let myself off the hook that easily because I had paid good money for said curriculum and, by golly, we were going to get our money’s worth out of it. The thing is that if your children are learning and moving forward, you don’t really have to finish anyone else’s checklist to say you have studied the subject. Not all teachers in the country or even in the same school district teach the exact same things. The whole point of education is to teach children to read, write, basic math, citizenship, and how to learn (and in our case, to know God and His word and have a relationship with Him). If they have these fundamentals then they can find out any information they need to have when they need to have it.

I do not know any one person that knows absolutely everything, although I have known a few who think they do. Truth is that there is always someone that knows something you don’t and that is fine because you can learn what you need to learn. When you go to a new job, you have to learn how to do the job the way your employer wants you to do things, even if you prefer to do the same job differently.

Be aware of the things your children like to do. Find ways to encourage their interests and to learn even more about those things. The most fulfilling jobs are ones that you enjoy doing.

Here is a good article by Kasey Norton over on Free Homeschool Deals about finishing the school year when your curriculum says you are not ready to do so.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

It’s been a good week. Lauren stayed with us several days this week while Brian was out of town. We have enjoyed her being here. It has just been a relaxing time, which is necessary from time to time.

Last Sunday was Easter and I came down with a migraine on our way home from church. I’m thankful that I had dinner in the slow cookers while at church because I went straight to bed when we got back home. It took three hours of sleep to get it manageable. At least the chicken and mashed potatoes were ready to eat when we got home. Brian and Lauren didn’t come as we expected but that was okay.

We had a good time of fellowship with a couple in church last Saturday. I fixed a veggie platter, Lasagna, simple salad, bread in my bread machine, and then apple crumble pie ala mode. I’m grateful it turned out well. Ever since that night, I’ve been toying with an idea and praying about it to see what God wants me to do with it. We shall see, what shall become of it.

Lia, Gwin, and I have been planning the next fellowship night at the church. Lia has had some good ideas and Gwin has had wonderful decorating ideas. Thankfully the Lord has given me some good ideas for fun activities for the evening as well.

It’s hard to believe that Tiffany will graduate next Friday. We have schooled year round, taking off weeks here and there. April is usually one of those times but since she was schedule to graduate in May we decided that she would just not take her break in April and finish up the curricula she needed to finish and graduate early. It is hard to believe that as of next Friday, I will no longer be a homeschooling mom. Thankfully, my kids plan to homeschool their children so it will never be far from me. My kids have already told me that they will need me to help, especially with math.

Since Tiff is graduating, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to go to the Homeschool Convention this year. Fortunately, my baby sister, Lauren, and Tiffany really wanted me to go with them. I’m glad it all worked out. It is the last weekend of this month; I’m really looking forward to it. There are always so many encouraging workshops. Even though my girls aren’t actively homeschooling yet, they like to go because it is so encouraging and reminds them that they CAN do it.

We don’t have any big plans for this weekend. I hope to get some tangling practice this weekend.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

I am a procrastinator BUT I am working towards rectifying this. I am working at organizing my schedules so that I don’t procrastinate on things that need to be done. I’ve already got laundry sorted out. I do one load a day Monday through Friday and a load of whites on the weekend.

I usually run errands at the end of the week. I had been making my menu and grocery list the night before but lately I haven’t been getting it done until the day I am running errands. The problem with that is that we don’t get out of the house until nearly noon, which means we don’t get home until late and then we are rushed to get groceries put away and dinner made. So, I am planing to get my menu made and grocery list started earlier in the week. Then all I have to do is add to it as the next few days elapse and it will be ready to go first thing in the morning on errand day.

There are other areas I’ve had trouble keeping on top of too. My goal is to look at each area and figure out a way to stay on top of it. The first thing I’m going to do is decide if it is something that is best handled monthly, weekly, or even daily. For many tasks, it is best to handle tasks weekly. If that is the case, pick a day that is suitable for completing that task and add it to the routine for that day. If it is monthly, it would be best to pick either a date, like the 12th, or a certain day of the month, like the second Tuesday, and such. If it is daily, then pick a time of day and add it to something you are already doing at that time of day. For example, when I wanted to remember to run the dishwasher daily, I added it to my before bed routine.

Sunday is Easter or Resurrection Sunday. This will be the first year that we don’t go to my parents house on Easter. It will be a little weird but I am making the most of it. I’m going to make Roast Sticky Chicken and the Crockpot Mashed Potatoes. I don’t know what else I’ll make with it. I’ll probably post the Roast Sticky Chicken recipe next Tuesday; it really is delicious. I may also make Hot Fudge Pudding Cake for dessert Sunday. Brian and Lauren are coming out for dinner. It just could be a fun new tradition!

Well, I need to run. Have a great weekend and enjoy celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº