Past Problems haunting the Present

We are nearing the one month down point here at Home School and I have realized that I am still fighting some personal demons while I teach my children.

You see when I was younger, I was a very intelligent child. I could type at the age of three, reading at a pretty advanced level by 4 and was determined to be gifted when I was in Kindergarten. I picked up on things very quickly and was bored with the slow, tedious pace of Kindergarten. I also could have been pushed up 2 grades as well.

During this time, I realized that I was a little different than my peers. I caught onto things quickly and if someone around me didn't catch on as quick as I did, I became annoyed. Sadly, this past problem is infecting me during learning time with my daughter.

My daughter is very bright and I am proud of her. But sometimes, she likes to act silly and pretend like she doesn't understand something when I know that she knows what we are going over. It's becoming hard for me to distinguish between if she is messing around or if she really doesn't understand the subject. I am working on being more calm and working with her on this. I assure her that she is smart and that she knows many things.

For example, we had to backtrack with math. We had to do a extensive review of multiple digit addition and  subtraction before we move onto something different. I've worked on different learning tips that are helping her to understand when to borrow in subtraction. It's going okay.

It's a tough path but I know that we can overcome this. I will continue to share our journey with all of you during the month of October.

See you then!

Tiffany

Wacky Wednesday

I am attempting to spice up my blog a little bit more. I will still be posting things related to being a Home School Mama but I also have another side of me: the crazy wacky side of me. :D So for today, I have scoured the Inter-Web for wacky things that make me giggle...today I have found a website dedicated to wacky inventions. Some of these are interesting...others are yeah....no words are needed. Let's get started, shall we?

The Self-Twirling Spaghetti Fork.

Yes, this is one that I would buy! When I eat spaghetti, I tend to get it all over the place, so this would make it super easy for me to eat...and it looks cool. Like a Pasta Magic Wand...that my kids would not be allowed to play with. LOL

Spring Water Ice.....seriously????

The Healthy Handle.

Now, this is something that I would purchase. Like many of you parents out there, one of your worst fears is placing your child in a cart that has been touched by someone that is sick, or worse: didn't wash their hands after using the restroom! GROSS!! Yes, many stores have sanitation wipes that you can use, but then you are throwing those away and causing a mess...why not just bring your own cover for your cart? You can take it off and wash it at home for later use. I'd buy this one.

If anyone wants to be nice and get me something for Christmas: I will take this!!! Currently, as we speak...or type...I am lying in bed typing. I could be just as happy as this woman lying in bed! This thing is awesome sauce! I want it! Take my money!!!


I hope you all enjoyed this little wacky detour...what else would you like to see on here???

"Wacky" Tiffany

Slow and Steady

Another week is in the record books so to speak at Home School. You would think that by now I would have my groove and everything would be going smoothly...yeah, that's not the case. I'm more confident that I can come up with some lesson plans for my daughter and son. I am still working on getting a stream lined curriculum going on so everything is in line for them as well. The one thing that I can't figure out how to do well is the pace at how to teach home school.

For example, I planned out an entire week on lessons and what I wanted to go over during that week...want to guess how far I got with that? Not very. It seems like my daughter is still going slowly with her math studies. She is getting better at it though. We are taking our time and doing more work together before I let her go and have her work on the problems herself. I am giving her tons of positive praise when she gets the problems correct or when she is close. Her Grammar lessons are doing pretty well. Spelling is taking a little more time as I went back to second grade spelling words to build her confidence up in that subject area. She loves Science class and she is trying to get into the swing of Handwriting class. She think cursive handwriting is just wrong. LOL

So, even though I am getting better with learning how to schedule lessons, I think instead of doing in Monday through Friday, I am going to jot down all of the lessons that I want to teach her. When she has mastered one of those lessons, I will move onto the next one.

See, I'm getting the hang of this...slowly but surely.

Keep Smiling :)

Tiffany

Math....the bane of my Home School Existence....

Today started our next week of home school. My son is still doing okay, it's really hard trying to teach a preschooler especially one like my Thing 2. He likes doing lots of paper and work but his retention of the subjects are there yet. Perhaps this is because he is only 4 but I'm not sure.

My daughter is doing a good job with all of her subjects expect for Math. She is in third grade but I decided to start her back with second grade math to build her skills back up...that isn't going so well either. I'm not sure if it is me or what, but teacher my Thing 1 math, it is not going so well. Is it because I am not the best person at Math? I'll admit it, I have always hated math...never liked it. Could this be why I am not good at Math?? Is it something going on with my daughter? Is she getting too distracted by her brother being in the same room with her while she is learning?? I am not sure.

To all of my readers, and those of you that are more skilled at Home Schooling than I am: what tips or tricks do you guys have for teaching Math? What works and what doesn't work?? Please help me out because I am really concerned...should I be concerned or is this something that will pass?


Tiffany

Getting Back On Track

Sorry I haven't been updating my blog recently. I got my brand new laptop this past Wednesday and I have been working on getting it all set up. I gave my kids a week off of school so I could get all of the files and things set up. Good thing that they don't need a strict schedule or anything. I will be back on track with school on Monday. I have written out my daughter's plan for next week, including her first two tests on a couple of subjects. I know she's going to be scared but I plan on rewarding her for retaining all of her knowledge.

My son is getting something of a structured school week as well. We are going to working hard on his letter and number recognizance and also getting him in the habit of writing letters. My goal is to have him to be able to print his name soon :)

In other life news, nothing much is different around here. Weather wise, we are in a cool snap and I am really liking it. Money is still doing some what okay, however my hubby might have to start working again soon to make ends meet. I am also working on finding frugal and cheap tips on blogs and websites so I can integrate those ideas into my home life. This whole frugal living thing is new to me but it's not as bad as I thought it would be...who knew.

I also will be working on some product reviews for various sites that I am a part of. I will be posting those reviews here on my blog so stay tuned for that as well.

Is there anything that you guys would like for me to post here? Any questions or comments? Would you like a blog button to share on your blog? Let me know what you think so I can tailor this to my readers. I appreciate and thank all of you for taking the time out to read about my life.

Stay Blessed

Week 2 of Home School

I just finished Monday's lessons for my son and daughter for week 2 of Home School. My daughter is really enjoying herself. She is learning at a pace that is good for her and she doesn't have to worry about being embarrassed. I did have to do a refresher course on math with her before going forward to third grade math but she is doing a great job with the review so far. I am going to start incorporating Science and Social studies for her starting tomorrow. She is really looking forward to it. Her reading skills are good, we just need to take a field trip to the local library and get her a library card so she can get back into reading and keep those skills up. The only area that she is having some trouble with is Spelling. I had to start her back with second grade spelling to build her skills up. I have a view plans that I am going to work on in order to help her with this skill. My girl is quite smart so I know that she will be able to grasp this.

My son si still working on his Preschool lessons that I found online. The only thing is that being 4, he gets bored with some of the things that we are going over. He wants to do more in school, like his big sister, but I know that he won't be able to sit still long enough to do more coursework. I mean, he's smart enough that I might be able to start some Kindergarten work with him but again, i know that he won't stay still that long...

Do any of you all have any suggestions? Do I continue to do the Preschool curriculum with him or do I move on to harder Kindergarten work? I would appreciate any sort of help with this new venture that I am working through.

Peace & Blessings-

Tiffany
aka Jaydie Bella

Getting into the Swing of Things

So I have been homeschooling my little ones for a whopping 3 days now and I am liking it. My kids enjoy having me as thier teacher. My son is having fun learning his shapes and colors and other preschool things. I am working with his sister on building her math skills back up.

The only thing that I am having some problems with is finding the right things to teach them. I have two cirriculum books that I bought second hand off line that I am using...they are okay but not really what I was expecting. Being brand new to this, I didn't really know where to go or what to get. I am pretty much going by the books and also snagging ideas and tips and tricks from other bloggers and mothers out there. I am enjoying this journey and learning as I go.