HS Holidays

It's holidays again! For 2 weeks.

We had planned to go to the zoo today, but alas, it's been raining all night, and still is, so we'll have to postpone that. In any case, I had double booked with the air conditioning serviceman, so we'll just let them come and do their job.

Chinese lessons will still go on though, because their Beijing Language School enrichment classes still continue, and they definitely must be consistent with their Chinese, otherwise they forget everything!

So what are our plans these two weeks? Besides daily Chinese practice, we hope to scrub the grouting between our floor tiles (can only do that when Gabriel is asleep otherwise he'll probably try to walk all over our work in progress), we'll bake some cookies, visit the Jacob Ballas Gardens with some other homeschoolers, play at the Pasir Ris Park, maybe do a little shopping. Sarah still has gymnastics 3x a week, and Ben once a week. Mummy intends to do some wardrobe organising for the kids, and scrub and tidy parts of the kitchen. Most importantly too, there's the application for exemption for Sarah to complete. Hmmmm.... looks like quite a lot to do! Hope we can achieve it all.

My DH's nephew last night was feeling the Monday blues, and actually asked his mummy to homeschool him! LOL!!! He's doing very very well at school, top boy, prefect etc etc. So what does that actually say about how kids are enjoying their schooling? If even the top boy can ask his mummy to homeschool him, and this was not a one-off thing, it apparently has been going on for some time, then what of those kids that are struggling with coping in school? Food for thought.

Wow, it's been a month and a half since I blogged. And to think that I was going to blog every week! Well, I still have that ambition, so here goes for a new start. (Yeah, like real. Let's see how long this lasts)

P1 registration is upon us. We were going to register Sarah at the nearby Horizon Primary School, which is a new school nearby. But after giving it some thought, we figured that it might be easier not to register her at all, than to get her a place and then have to write in and go to the Principal to get her withdrawn. So we're NOT going to register her. We're still in the process of writing up the curriculum et al, and waiting for the MOE to release the CE Exemption application forms. We're sure we want to homeschool, and I'm sure that's the direction the Lord would want us to take on this. I pray that our homeschool will be a place where Sarah can be nurtured and loved, and taught the truths of God's Word, in addition to learning her 3Rs, and Chinese :),

I've been tweaking the kids' timetable a bit more recently, and it's a challenge to keep to it. I just needed to get lunch on the table a little earlier than before. So far, it's only happened about 3 days out of 10. Let's try to do better this week. May the Lord help me to redeem the time.

I think my itchy skin has not helped my time management one bit. I find that I spend quite a bit of time scratching myself. *sigh* Just started taking aloe vera. It's supposed to help. Let see how it goes. Have to take it constantly for several months.

I've been reading from Proverbs with the kids. I was reminded of my favourite verse in the Bible : "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths" Prov 3:5-6

Let us wholeheartedly trust in the Lord almighty for the souls of our kids, for their education, for our own direction in our lives. He indeed will direct our paths.

Flexible

HFMD has eaten into our homeschool schedule. We were off school for nearly 2 weeks. So now it's catch up time! But then this is what homeschool is all about, isn't it? No need to be so uptight about schedules. Flexibility is the keyword. That's the beauty of it all.

Ben has started 'formal' homeschool, with Christ Centered Phonics minus the written work for now. I will be starting him on CCC Math as soon as I get his little study table tidied up so that he can sit there. It's such a joy teaching these little children who are eager to learn and look at you with eager eyes, sitting straight up in their chair. Sooooo cute!

Sarah and I have loosened up on the Mystery of History work because it's a bit beyond her. We'll probably go through it again, and do the timeline and other projects at a later time.

Someone I know was lamenting the fact that her Primary One son has lost interest in learning. She was wishing that he could learn at his own pace, and go back to having fun while learning. So I told her to homeschool! LOL! She's genuinely interested, and will come and visit me one of these days soon.

Exemption is due soon, and I'm not ready! So many things not done yet, and so little time to do it! I must once again sacrifice the homeschool schedule to do this 'nonsense'. *sigh*. But then again, exciting times are ahead!

We're back

WOW! It's been a long time since I last blogged here. Lots has happened. Let me see, where shall I begin?

Well, at the end of March, the family took a break from homeschooling (not our scheduled break, mind you) to make a loooooooonnnnnngggg trip to the US for Gary's PhD defense. Foolhardy or not, it was quite a nice time away. The long flight was quite a pain though, and the kids took a week to get over jet lag. We thought we could have some nice field trips looking at the spring flowers. But alas, when we got there, the trees were still bare to the bone. Hardly any flowers to be seen, let alone leaves! It only started to turn green on our last week, and by then we were too busy with other things to really do much study.

The good weather there did not do much for our eczema. It was far too dry. In fact, we all got itchier. Gabriel loved the fresh milk there, but we had to stop it after he started having mucousy stools. Too much lactose in the milk I think. Ben was acting up, as always. Sarah had a good time, met new friends, renewed old acquaintances, watched PBS.

The kids most enjoyed visiting the Indiannapolis Children's Museum, Wonderlab and Conner Prairie.

Now it's back to the grindstone, have to catch up on what we missed. I'm also starting to get my curriculum for the next 6 years together and write a document for the Exemption from Compulsory Education for Sarah. It needs to be done bit by bit otherwise I'll never be able to finish it.

Our prayer needs for this week are that Sarah learn not to waste so much time in dilly-dallying; that Ben be more cooperative and less rebellious, and that Gabriel put on some weight.

Ok.... breakfast time.

Back to the grind

We've been having our 2 week vacation.  That's why I haven't blogged.  During those 2 weeks, our schedule just went haywire, but it didn't really matter because there were no lessons to be done.  We only managed a visit to Ikea and another visit to the zoo.  

Today, we started Term 2, with a slightly tweaked timetable.  From the end of March, Sarah will be going to Prime Gym for 6 hours a week.  Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.  So I've had to reorganise the timetable and I was trying that out last week (without the lessons, of course).  

This term's goal is to be more on time, to get the kids to be more on time, to get myself to be more on time as well.  First day - pretty good.  Only Sarah took too long to do her Maths homework.

We're going to America!  At the end of this month.  So I've got to get ahead of the Scheme of Work, and bring some stuff there to do as well.  We want to bring the Botany book because of the possibilities that Bloomington in Spring would offer.  We'll be missing 3 weeks of school, and 9 gym sessions!  Sarah is looking forward to the trip.  The boys are clueless.

Gabriel has started walking independently.  He's so cute!  Looks like a zombie when he walks, with his hands uplifted.  He always has a broad and bright smile on his face when he's toddling about.  

I've got so much to think about these days - planning curriculum for the exemption documents for Compulsory Education, sorting the kids' clothes, making packing lists for the trip etc.  Don't have enough time!  Help!!!

I need much grace to get through the next 3 weeks.  

Happy CNY

Wow, it's been quite a few days since I last blogged.  

Wishing everyone a blessed Lunar New Year.

We are on a long 'holiday' because of the New Year, will resume lessons on Thursday.  But then Sarah missed a few last week because I was busy spring cleaning.  Maybe we'll do a make up tomorrow.

Sarah still finds it difficult to say that she's homeschooling when people ask her which school she goes to.  Maybe we should give our homeschool a name, and I should compose a school song.  Then she'd get some school identity.

We've started singing the National Anthem and saying the pledge daily.  Must start the NE early, you know?

Today she was bored, and I forgot that she could do her history pockets.  I guess there's always tomorrow.

The Lord has been so good to sustain our homeschool schedule this term.  My 8 week first term is nearly over.  Ben has been having just a little bit of lessons each day.  Can't make him do things he doesn't want to.  Stubborn streak.  Sarah has been in the routine really well.  

Oh yes, Ben can almost answer the first 5 questions of the Catechism for Children!  Sarah is making good progress there too. 

Q38 Can you go to heaven with this sinful nature?

A.   No- my heart must be changed before I can be fit for heaven.

That's around where she's up to now.

 Next week, we'll probably go to Ikea and some other places for the holidays.  

Itchy

I've been defeated by my eczema!  Declared a homeschool 'holiday' today cos I'm SO itchy everywhere, despite taking an antihistamine.  Anyway, Sarah was not in the mood.... dwadling over Monday's Math homework.  

Ben did some good work though, counting dots, and stamping figures.  

We're still debating whether to send Sarah to primary school or not.  At home, she can get quite lazy, and have a bad attitude.  Perhaps school might be good for her?  Let her learn the hard way, rather than be the centre of attention all the time.  *sigh*.  I dunno.  We must pray hard over this  (and for my itchy skin too).