Our two little ones have FINALLY started preschool.
I have been homeschooling all five of them {and NOT very well I might add} How do you teach 5 kids, one with ADHD and switching between a 12 year old and a 2 year old? I know many do it, plus hold huge jobs at church, run home businesses, have dinner on the table promptly at 5:30 and have a spotless house. The only thing I do well is dinner on the table. It's my thing. Here is our youngest taking his "pack-pack" off. They were both so thrilled this morning. {Pretty close to my level of excitement.} I handed the camera to Troy, didn't he do such a good job here. There are bars everywhere here in Costa Rica. Stealing just isn't really considered a bad thing. So everywhere you look you'll see bars. Even in my little guy's preschool. This is Aiden during P.E.
Last night Aiden asked me, "Mom are we really going to preschool or are you just kidding like last time?"
Ouch!
Wes and I have told the kids they were going to preschool 2 times now over these last 9 months. We've gotten them all pumped up and then backed out at the last minute. Once when the "actual" price was double what the paper said it was. The other time, we realized the money needed to pay a taxi to get the kids there everyday would be just too much.
"Yes Aiden, you are going to preschool! I'm not kidding this time!"
Troy and Dallin are doing quite well. Paige is doing well also, Mythology being her favorite subject. She just seems to enjoy stretching her class time to 7+ hours. Yep, that's what I said. Today we actually broke a record with the school bell ending at 6:15 pm for her {and I}. I would say I'm a very patient person, but "ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?"
O.K., I'm better now.
So after a fun filled day, I received this sweet note from my dearest daughter:
Dear Mom- I ran away. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with my family. So I have to move along. Good bye! Paige I love you! Bye. I'm at Rusti's. Bye mom. I love you! Bye.
Well, at least she still loves me. :)
She didn't really run away, she was playing under her bed {thank heavens}. That could have really added the element I was missing from this fun filled day.
Did I mention my sweetheart left for the states and will be gone for 8 days.
It has been weird to think that I'm here in a 3rd world country with our 5 little ones, without my "fluent" husband. Yeah, it's been weird. Miss you honey!
We started school promptly at 9 am, stopped at noon for an hour lunch break and my last "student" finally finished her school assignments at 5:15 pm. I'm proud to announce we all survived.
I'm sure by the end of the week, I will have all school assignments completed and neatly on my organized desk (the kitchen counter) by 11:30 am. We will then proceed with lunch and finish just in time to march my perfectly groomed children out the door for an educational field trip.
(YEAH RIGHT!) that comment was entered by my oldest, Troy. I'm afraid he might be more accurate than me. But I do have high hopes.
You know what's so funny to me? Every home schooling site I go to the women says something to the effect of the following, "I home school, not because I want to shelter my kids or they aren't able to keep up in the public school system. I home school because I love to have them around me "all the time"."
Now I love my kids, deeply. I am a fun mom and enjoy playing and getting dirty, but I do need my space! I really want to contact these women and see if they really mean that statement or if they feel pressured in the home schooling arena to make that statement. It has to be the latter.
I am in H-E double hockey sticks!!! Why didn't someone stop me when I mentioned that I was going to home school 3 kids, one with severe ADHD while watching and entertaining 2 little ones. Why, why why!?!?!?!
It is not going well. We started at 9 am and it's now 11:20 and only one of my kids has made it past the first subject, Math.
Did I mention little Landon just threw our brand new wii across the tile floor to it's death? Now it won't turn on.
I should never write when I'm at the depths of despair as I am now, I just realized I hadn't done a post for today. I need to hear that things will get better, right?
Hello...is anyone there?
***It's now 12:20 pm and we've had lunch. Paige has now realized I'm not kidding and she will be doing schoolwork at 3 am if she needs to!!! Things are going much better. Thank heavens!!!! Please disregard the above post, let's both pretend I didn't write it. O.K. ? (Until tomorrow when it all starts over again!)
I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL!!! I know it's old, I remember my mom laughing every time it came on, and me, not getting the joke! Yesterday we saw our first back to school commercials. What a wonderful time of year it really is. I love the smell of a brand new box of crayola crayons! New school supplies, new classrooms, new friends and new wake up times. I have to say the J.C. Penny, Mervyns and Khols advertisements made me homesick for life in the states. Sniff, sniff.
Instead we will be HOMESCHOOLING. Yep, that's what I wrote, homeschooling.
The private school the boys attended, well, let's just say, it was costly and not worth the price. They wouldn't be able to make it in the states if they attended there one more year. I'm quite overwhelmed to think about teaching the three oldest, especially my sweet Paige. I love her, but if she doesn't want to do something, other than me tying her arms and legs to mine and making her do it, she won't do it. {Which by the way, works!} I remember one day quite a few years ago, talking loudly to her {screaming actually, but I won't mention that here!} "You are 4 and I am 30! You will not win!!!" as we were in a head to head, I'm more stubborn than you stand off. So as far as the idea of a sweet mother lovingly teaching her youngsters at home, Paige has me shaking in my flip-flops.
The program we are using is the one everyone here uses. Calvert. Then we will look into putting the three oldest into a local private school part time. {at about $80 a month per munchkin, you can't beat it!} So as you get your little ones prepared for their newest adventure in life, pray for me. :)
Do you have a back to school tip or tradition that you can share with the rest of us? Since I only have 5 readers, if you could all 5 comment, that would be great. :) Think how much more efficient we could be with 5 more tips to get our wee ones out the door. Oh, and MaryAnn. Good luck with seminary this year. {hee! hee!}
Here's mine
The night before we make the lunches including the sandwiches. I don't put any condiments or lettuce on it if it's a meat sandwich. If it's PB&J I put a thin layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread. That way it keeps the jelly from making the bread soggy. I pop the sandwiches in the freezer the night before. In the morning all we do is pop the sandwiches into the lunches and they are off. Extra bonus: the cold sandwiches keep the rest of the lunch cool.
So I have had some requests to know more about how the boys are doing in school. So here it is. The school they attend is quite pricey. It is down the street from us so very convenient. However, I have been disappointed with the overall quality of teaching. Thank goodness for the Math and Spanish instructors. Their curriculum consists of
Math Social Studies P.E. Science Language Arts French Art Spanish
with the last two taught completely in Spanish. They are doing well. Twice a month P.E. is taught at the Los Seunos pool. {It’s a gorgeous resort pool} They just load up in a bus, head across the street and swim. How exciting is that? Maybe I’ll embarrass them and be there. I’m sure I could find a tiny string bikini just to make sure I have the full effect! {Why do I like to tease them so much?!?!?!}
As far as the uniform thing goes, we have only had one incident with Troy trying to avoid it. It’s a funny story and I got an invitation to visit the principal personally. Apparently the staff didn’t get the punch line. Don’t worry, I pretended it was a serious situation. Troy doesn’t even know I found the humor in it. Sometimes that’s a parent’s obligation.
I love the uniform thing!!!! It is easy to see whether or not they have clothes for the morning. I don’t have to look at Troy and pretend what he is wearing doesn’t shock me. Sometimes that has been a huge feat! {An Emmy could be in my future.}
When school starts again I think they will be taking a bus to another city. It makes me quite nervous, but they will be together and will have their first cell phone. Who are they going to call in CR besides mom and dad???? Hee! Hee!
Tell them that if you get a negative call from the school you will come down during P.E., take a picture of them in their gym shorts and post it on the blog!
Works everytime!
{I have to tell you that the above picture is NOT one of my kids. }
Nah, just making Play-Doh. However we did talk about molecules. It went something like this. Me: "Paige, when the molecules of the items we put in the pot get hot, they start bouncing around really fast." P (my daughter):"So they are like, having a party!" Me: "ah, yes." "Now that they are cooling down, they are different, they have changed. They are tighter together." P: "So now they are hugging really really tight!!!!" As she hugs me to show how tight. Me: "Yep." Kinda cute I thought. :) You can check out the lesson we used with a great Play-Doh recipe, it's a link on the right. Enjoy!
Today is a wonderful day! T and D start school! Bless this day. We coughed up the money for private school yesterday. All I can say is “ouch!”, that hurt!!!! As if the monthly fee wasn’t bad enough they attach 2 more “outrages” fees just to start. I’ve been home schooling these past 2 weeks; seems like a month. Without Internet access in our “cozy” home, it’s been about impossible. As of last night the Internet has reentered our lives. Whoo hooo!
I will continue to home school Paige and Aiden. He’s just starting to read little words. If anyone has a two year old (or older) I HIGHLY recommend “Leap Frog’s Letter Factory” DVD. It is the best thing I’ve found for learning phonics! You can find it at Target or Wal-Mart. Aiden has known his phonics for awhile now. His cousin Ethan picked them up after a week of watching the movie. It’s worth the $12.00.
As long as I’m recommending things here are two more recommendations I have. I have found the best dentist on the face of this earth. Well, at least in the Inland Empire. His name is Dr. Mohns. He and his staff are amazing. They are happy, and kind and Dr. Mohns is so gentle and careful (and honest) with your teeth. So if you are nervous to go to the dentist, or tired of grouchy staff at your dentist, call his, they are wonderful! He's in Riverside on Tibbits off of Brockton. (I actually can’t claim I found him, my good friend Christine B. found him first. Way to go Christine!)
And for my final recommendation, a book. “The Peacegiver”. Most of us understand the atonement but when we need to apply it to our lives, do we know how? This book is written in story form so it shows the practical application to the atonement. It is about a severe problem in this man’s life, but even though we aren't going through the same situation, it is a huge benefit to understanding our part in the atonement. When you read it have a pen handy to underline! Great book.
I have been homeschooling all five of them {and NOT very well I might add} How do you teach 5 kids, one with ADHD and switching between a 12 year old and a 2 year old? I know many do it, plus hold huge jobs at church, run home businesses, have dinner on the table promptly at 5:30 and have a spotless house. The only thing I do well is dinner on the table. It's my thing.
Here is our youngest taking his "pack-pack" off. They were both so thrilled this morning. {Pretty close to my level of excitement.}
I handed the camera to Troy, didn't he do such a good job here.
There are bars everywhere here in Costa Rica. Stealing just isn't really considered a bad thing. So everywhere you look you'll see bars. Even in my little guy's preschool. This is Aiden during P.E.
I am in H-E double hockey sticks!!! Why didn't someone stop me when I mentioned that I was going to home school 3 kids, one with severe ADHD while watching and entertaining 2 little ones. Why, why why!?!?!?! 
