one month down

I think I am getting used to this homeschooling thing. Every day is different. I have my good days, productive days, and lazy days. Those days are especially good when someone is sick. I also love my field trip days too. The kids also love going out at least once a week. We are all learning so much. I am learning that each of my children are different and unique. They each need one on one Mom time, Alone time, and time to explore on their own. I find when I spend the time with each of them, our relationship is better and there is a special degree of trust and love. This last week I gave our routine a change up. I let them decide when they wanted to do school as well as their other duties around the house and gave them all a point value. That proved to be successful and motivating to them. Instead of me telling them how their day was going to roll, they had more of a choice in what and when things were going to happen for them. I think we all liked it much better. I also have been giving them choices and being more relaxed in having a clean home. Nobody wants to feel like they are constantly cleaning up all day long. Especially me! So I am being more forgiving and giving a lot more grace in having the perfect home. I do notice that I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately. Mostly due to the fact that I am making most of the food we eat from scratch, the other part is that we are all eating about 6 times a day. Our food expenses have gone up. Because the kids are growing- they eat more, the homemade food tastes so much better- they eat more. But it all takes time too, and I notice they rarely help, probably because they see it as a chore they only help if they are rolling out cookie dough, or pizza dough. I may have to add it to the chore chart. You don't want to know how many dishes I do! This is a work in progress. Today I made crock pot beef stew it is one less meal I had to prepare today, I think I need to do more crock pot meals. The season Is right too, I may enlist one child to take over and make a meal a week. I do love to cook, but if Mom doesn't make anything, no one eats. Larry helps cook on the weekends, that at least gives me a break. He also gives me Sat morning off, my only day off. When I have the kids every day, all day long it gives me a chance to re-group, think about the week and make some adjustments. This next week I am thinking already about how to incorporate worship into our day, and how to make Bible learning fun. I will ask the Holy Spirit to direct my steps, He has already opened my eyes to so much, not only are the kids learning, but I am as well and there is so much more peace in our home.

wow, where do I begin?....

So... we started homeschooling a few weeks ago. What a ride it has been! I am not sure how to begin to catch up over the past few weeks. Let me do one kid at a time. I have seen the most growth with Trinity. She surprises me! Let me paint you a picture. Before: she was so hard to wake up for school. I tried to get her to go to bed early, alarm, warnings, favorite breakfast foods, etc. After: She is Up. 7am, up. When are we starting school? Up. Sometimes before me, up. Little miss who hardly said a word, is miss talkative non-stop. I went shopping with her the other day and she said, "Mom, I am talking a lot, I think I am getting tired of hearing myself talk. Do I ask a lot of questions?" Who is this child? Gideon is next. First day= he was the first one up and ready to start school. Once I told him and showed him the paperwork he was to do. He did one paper, then refused to do any more. Next day= sat at the table and watched the others while doing nothing. Third day= nothing. Fourth day= he found an interest in dry ice. Asking questions, writing down ingredient lists, projects he wants to do with dry ice. It got him reading, writing and watching science videos. I think he is my visual learner. Hands on. He has been asking me every day when we can go buy some dry ice. Today he made pancakes for us all. Aiden, he has been a little tricky. He will do paperwork, and tells me he wants more of a challenge. I am struggling to find something he likes or doesn't know. I may have to step it up a notch and challenge him with high school stuff. I forget he is more advanced and I have to give him more work to do. He wants to be the one done first and will work quickly at his work. He even asked me for math paperwork. So far he has learned how to balance a checkbook, do his own laundry and we are working on parts of speech. We will have fun with madd libs next week. I want him to work with his siblings to help them understand what a noun, verb, adjective is. So this will be a challenge, to get him to work with his siblings instead of teasing them or goofing off with them. Liberty, she is my storm. I realize today I need to have more one on one time with her. She will go crazy and have a tantrum when things don't go her way. We have to start over with her. I know her world is turned upside down. She is used to having lots of mommy time plus baby time. Now she has to share all her time with all her brothers and sisters who are home all the time. She will have a meltdown when daddy is home, then I know she either didn't get enough recess play or alone time. This is all new to her. This next week we will work on the final touches of our schedule. I got sick this week, the only one sick, so I had some grace in there for the teacher who needed a nap or to adjust the schedule to make a sick day. Next week I am sure I will have more adventures to share or stories to learn. Right now we are making a picture of what homeschool looks like for this family.

practice run

Tomorrow I will start the official "first day of school". Today we did a run-through. To get them used to a routine and to iron out some kinks in the schedule. Well, it still needs work, not just one day, but I realize it is an ongoing process. Yesterday the kids were acting bored, or irritable and I knew it was time to start. I could not wait any longer if I am prepared or not, there will always be time to do more planning, there was no point in delaying the excitement of having school at home. I know I was ready. So today, Trinity,(who loves school) was up at 7am. The only kid up at 7. We did have a delay and started our day at 9am. They did chores without complaining and I told them I was going downstairs to do school in 10 min. They were ready to begin. The only kink I realized today was that when it came to computer time, they all wanted to watch each other rather than to just "explore" educational games, it just took too long and they became frustrated. I found a website that I will try tomorrow, http://www.allinonehomeschool.com. It will keep them more on task as well as within their grade level. Today, I noticed Trinity playing games that were too easy for her. Glad that someone has done the work for me. I know I don't want any of their time to be a waste, and it is easy to do when you are on the computer. So many distractions and are you really learning anything or just being entertained? I will have to teach them that there is more to the computer than just games and videos.

step 1

Here is our new homeschool room. The kids are so excited about it! They are ready to start school now. I think I may be ready the last week of August. We will be a week ahead of most schools in the area. That will just give us a jump start. I am slowly adding in more things into their daily summer schedule. Just to get them ready for routine, so I don't get a ton of complaints when they have been so relaxed and lazy. Isn't that what summer is supposed to be like? We got a new pet beta fish, they named him "fishstick". This week we will work on goals for the school year, or at least the first three months. So we have a guide and the kids are part of the process.

Here it goes...... beginner here

Hello digital world. I wanted to have a blog specifically for my new homeschooling journey. It will be a new adventure for the Chagnon's. In April I heard the Lord tell me that I needed to homeschool all 5 of my kids. I was enjoying my break when the kids were at school, having playdates, going to MOPS, shopping with one or two kids, having the freedom to clean my house and enjoy the peace and quiet and no clutter. But now my world is turning upside down. I was hesitant at first, change can be hard, but I knew it was the Lord when I had baby #5 and felt so overwhelmed with the bad behavior from all of them when they came home from school. It was a mix of disobedience, rudeness, selfishness and bullying. Plus getting a phone call from the Principal concerning my boys. The beginning of school I had tears from my daughter and felt like I was making her go to school and trying to figure it all out. Also towards the end of school I was getting kids starving when they got home and they all complained of the "school lunches". All of this piled into 3 children once they came home seemed so chaotic. I was thinking about my role as a mother and how can I create some peace in our home. It was up to me to pray and seek the Lord and he gave me the "homeschool" answer. I was hesitant because I was looking into working at home doing "daycare" and getting licensed. He convicted me and said What about your children that I gave you? He gave me a vision that my children are precious pearls. I have always felt an urgency in instilling Godly values into my children before they get too old or mature and want to go their own way. My time is running out. They are getting older, but He reassured me it is not too late. My oldest is entering middle school. I feel like it is God's perfect timing that this is all happening by his design in the perfect time that it is. I can't imagine doing it any other time than now. This summer I had a chance to ask the children what they thought of me being their teacher and praying and seeking God's will concerning curriculum and what my "day" will look like? I also went to a few friends houses to get a feel of what homeschooling looks like through their family. It has helped prepare me. I feel like the path I am on is God breathed. He is the one Mentoring me, showing me how to "do it" by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As long as I seek his face concerning all things, he will provide the way, the money, and the resources. I am excited to see a change in my children's heart and minds. To be able to love school at home, and to love their family. This year our "verse" will be 1 Corinthians 13. We will be practicing love in our home according to God's word. Already with back to school sales. I can feel their excitement in starting school. I may start earlier than September. Today they decorated their binders and were making plans to where their seat would be at. We are going to work at this together, so they will be a part of their "schooling" and learn and grow together. I am anticipating good things. It was God's idea, and his ways are perfect!