Sick kids

 Homeschooling is amazing but as I always say, everything in life, has its ups and downs. Being sick is one of the downs if you want to see it like that. If you want to have the right perspective being sick and homeschooling is better than going to public school. 

Since the child goes at his/her own pace, when they are sick they work as much as they can or nothing at all. We had a few days for each kid when they were sick. It took over a month (taking into account that we are a family of 6 and we were sick for 3 or 4  days each and then the recovery process where you just don't feel enough energy. ) to go back to normal and having everyone healthy again.

The good thing about it is that we won't have to catch up, do extra homework or anything like that. We stop when we need it and we resume when we feel better again. I am glad the kids have that freedom to just stop until they feel better without worrying about missing classes, getting doctor's notes to take to school etc. 

My kids and husband had some extra time to rest and cuddle with Osa. As you can see in this photo, Osa was on top of them and they didn't even realized of that until I showed them the pictures!

Bed time stories

 Our kids spent a lot of the time with me. We really enjoy it and they just love being with their mom. However at bedtime, is my husband the story reader. Our routine is very consistent. We go upstairs where the rooms are, they change into pajamas, brush teeth and go to the restroom. 

When they are all done, we start reading the scriptures, sometimes we do it straight from the real book and sometimes we use our kids scripture stories where they have the stories in a summarized version and with the little pictures.

After we talk about our reading, the principle taught or answer their questions. Sometimes those nightly chats are small, other are long, we share our experiences, testimonies or question are never ending and from one topic we go to the next. Other times, they are not so awake and we just try to keep it small and give them the chance for only one or two questions. 

After our conversation, we do our bed time prayer and go to their beds. Usually they won't sleep unless we listen to a meditation session from the app we have or a reading from a talk or book from church.  

Our days and nights are filled with loud voices, homework, laughs and playful kids but even when some days feel so long we sure enjoy these years and I would not change a thing. I feel so blessed to have a family like the one I have, and even more when I realized it is just the way I wanted!! With this I don't mean the kids don't get mad at each other sometimes, or that I don't get tired or stressed out. Our family is far from perfect... we are just a real family with the good and the bas as all of them but what I mean is that I really try to enjoy the day as it is, some times good and others better. I try to focus on that. The good thing is that we are a family and families are supposed to grow and learn together more over, we are supposed to love each other even with our imperfections.

Easy math

 I wish Math would be as easy for all of us as it's for Liam! He has a gift for numbers. I don't have the same "luck" with all the kids but he amazes me in many ways. Sometimes I teach his the "hardest" way just because I know he will get it. 

He was learning to do division on his level 4 workbook and I taught him what NOW I think it's the easier way, I'm not sure if I thought the same when I was his age. I told him he didn't need to write the product of the quotient and divisor to then subtract that from the dividend just think about the product in your mind and see how many more you need to get to the dividend and then write that in under it. and then bring the next number down and repeat the process. 

He learned fast and now that is the only way he does it. After a few more days when the book asked him to do some more division he showed me the quotient and reminder but no numbers under it!!!  So I needed to divide that to make sure it's the right answer... just to make sure hahaha

When he was still little, and I was reading my oldest daughter a math problem, she was still thinking and trying to solve it when he suddenly was telling us the answer. He had no paper or pencil and he could think all those numbers in his head. and now that he is 9 almost 10 he can do many math problems just in his mind. 

Here is the link to one of his assignments. Order of operations

So far, math has been one of his favorite subjects and he always works on his math workbook first . As all of us, we all have some subjects that we don't really enjoy or take too long to do it and not because of lack of understanding but for what we feel about one or the other. He doesn't enjoy as much language arts and is always trying to find distractions while we work on that subject.  

Another example of his mental reasoning fractions to mixed numbers

Don't feel so bad!!!

 

I know we all as homeschool moms are always judging ourselves too much! We should give us some grace. Homeschooling our kids is a big decision. We want to do it and to do it well and having that goal in mind makes us feel not so confident in our job when we have some difficulties while teaching, or while organizing our homes. cooking, helping them also have fun... all those thoughts make us feel sometimes like failure. 

Let me tell you....LOVE YOURSELF MORE AND HAVE SOME COMPASSION for yourself. I know some of us work part time, some of us work FULL time while homeschooling, other do it full time but waking up so early so you have time to homeschool. Some don't work, like me, and have to live a frugal life in order to make one salary be enough for all the need of the family. Some of us have more kids which makes homeschooling even hard to manage perfectly or as desired. Some of us care for our elderly parents too! So, let me invite you to do a few things:

1.  Don't compare yourself, to others not even compare your day yesterday to today. There will be somedays that everything might seem so hard that will make you feel like throwing the towel. Don't stress days only have 245 hours, tomorrow you will have a new one!!    

                2.  It's not a race or competition, So many of us not only as homeschool moms but  moms in general are trying to (without noticing sometimes) race. We have to take time to enjoy our journey. Days can be so overwhelming sometimes that if we don't stop to see, for real observe our lives, family, we would be missing a lot. 

                3. It's ok to have one day your house clean, your school room/space tidy and it's ok for some days to have it so messy. the world will not end for that. you won't die because of that, I promise you, so my advice in that regard is to breath and do what is more important. Some days for me is just picking what I want to accomplish that day. 

Lets try to be nicer and love us and our job as homeschool moms more as our kids do!! Want to see my video about that topic?? Click the link!!

Messy days

Blessings from homeschooling!!

 What can I say??? I'm living my dream!!! I always wanted to be able to teach my kids and to enjoy my time as a mom!! I can do both now and I am serious when I say it makes me so happy! 

I know that for some people that is not something they would enjoy as much and some others might do but  they just can't for many reasons. I really feel blessed for being able to do it.

I can't express with words what I feel. My heart feels over excited when my kids express their love for me, as all you moms can feel when your little ones are showing their love for you, but on top of that I feel that the time we spend together makes our relationship even deeper. The time we spend together are creating memories that will last forever and I really hope those memories of their childhood makes them feel joy when they are adults.

I love that most of the time when they have to make thank you notes in their classes they pick me as the person they are grateful for. Sometimes as their mom and sometimes as their teacher. I can even count the times they kiss me, hug me, and tell me I love you mommy!... Te amo mami!!  Sometimes I'm just  cooking or cleaning or reading and they come looking for me or even if we are in the same room call me: mami!! I love you! Those words make my heart beat loud and fast.  Sometimes they write that on the whiteboard sometimes on paper or as part of their writing from their books.

I can't say more than I really enjoy being their mom and spending as much time together as we do!! 

Reading time... a time to enjoy!

Reading is one of all my  kids favorite activity. You will always see them with a book, the oldest one can be literally all day with a book and not even feel hunger... the other ones like it too but they do go play outside, eat and run around. I love reading with them. I try to help them find books in Spanish too so they can keep both languages not only in the speaking part but all the other skills too.

Having good books to read that are interesting, fun, and teaches them good values is hard in these times. Being able to be with them while they read also gives me the chance to help them realized something the book is saying is not as good as it should be. I try to do the same with screen time. I like watching what they like so I make sure they learn to notice a good from a not so good choice. Going to the library is one of their favorite too. They can bring so many books that I have to set a limit or I won't be able to lift those bags. 

 Liam also  likes reading but I can't find a picture of him reading... the most funny thing about Liam's reading style is that he can do that in very weird positions hahah I wish I could fine a picture of those.

Krystal, my oldest, can bring books even when we are going to the park, she says I can read them on the ride but she usually finds a place to keep reading unless I tell her: Leave the book in the car!!!

Kinder level experience

 Three out of my four kids went to school first at least to kinder before i started homeschooling them. Laila, my last child, has never been to school and even when I always taught my kids at home before they went to kindergarten, that's why they always were ahead when started schools, I never formally homeschooled a kindergartener so I was a new experience. 

I must say Laila was an easy student.   She learned to read without much trouble and in both languages. I will be attaching videos of her progress but sorry if they are in Spanish. When I made them I never thought I would be posting them in a blog in English .I love this video of her when she was learning about tally marks ...Tally Marks. It is a little funny and innocent.