Memorizing by Osmosis

I thought it would be funny to ask Julia to start us out on our memory verse (1 Cor. 13). To my shock, she was able to recite the first 4 verses (altho she did skip verse 3 altogether). 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2 And if I have aprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith,bso as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

4 eLove is patient and fkind; love gdoes not envy or boast; it his not arrogant 5 or rude.

Rsvp

I picked up a Miss Manner's etiquette book at the library the other day and have been reading it a little here and there. Her personality is quite entertaining if you haven't read anything by her before. She's definitely good for a giggle.
Anyway, I learned something. And don't you want to know what it is?
The correct way to ask for a reply to an invitation is to use the acronym

Rsvp

Not RSVP. If you capitalize it all, you may as well yell: RESPOND PLEASE! And that would just be rude.
And you should never say "Rsvp please" because that is redundant.
The "svp" means 

s'il vous plaît

In other words: Please.

Now, aren't you so glad you have this new information? Your life is about to improve dramatically.

Homeschooling with a Toddler

Homeschooling with a 2-year-old around is not easy! It took me the whole first month of school to figure out, through trial and error, a schedule that would work with Julia present. The good news is: I did figure it out!
I separate our kids into pairs that are on the same level: Maya and Isaac are on the same level. Pretty much everything they're doing is the same. Elena and Chloe are on the same level. They're working through different math books, but otherwise everything else is the same. (Same history books, same literature, same language arts - I did it this way on purpose.) Daniel and Lydia are on the same level also. They're both in first grade. Daniel is learning to read (online) and Lydia is reading. (I did this on purpose to. I see no reason to teach two kids to read at the same time if I don't have to. Been there done that, thankyouverymuch.)
So while I work with Maya and Isaac on the subjects they need me for, Elena takes care of Julia, and everyone does their independent school work. 
While I work with Elena and Chloe on the subjects they need me for, Maya takes care of Julia, and everyone else does their independent school work .
While I do school with Daniel and Lydia, Isaac takes care of Julia, and everyone else does their independent school work.
The afternoon is set apart for chores. I came to the conclusion some time ago that we couldn't keep the house clean AND do school at the same time. So the house pretty much stays a mess until school is done. I like a clean house, but I also like finishing school while the sun is still up. ;)

Why I Make Lists

I have a little spiral notebook that follows me everywhere. It's my brain on paper. I don't write the day, I just write down my to-do's as I think of them. Then I check them off as I do them, regardless of order. The reason I don't write down the day is because then I feel like I'm behind if I don't get to something. If I don't declutter the game closet today, I won't be behind. There's no deadline for that, I just want to get it done.
Things that are recurring go on my Cozi calendar, like starting my laundry Monday morning. I don't need that on my list because I'll get an email reminding me anyway.
Things I do write down: projects that need doing, people I need to call (I'll get distracted 100 times a day and forget to call if I don't write it down), people I need to email (ditto), things I need to buy/order, and places I need to go.
All day my notebook sits next to me on my desk or at the school table (aka dining table) and I take to my room at night so I can write down things I need to remember for the next day.
I can't imagine how scatter-brained I'd be without my paper brain handy.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me. . .

. . . about Homeschooling. 

One of my favorite bloggers wrote today about 10 things she wished someone had told her about homeschooling. These are the ones I could relate to the most:

1. You will never stop analyzing.

Every subject you teach, every method you use, every word you speak will race through your brain day and night. No matter how many homeschool conference speakers drill into your head that you truly are your child’s best teacher, you will still question yourself and worry about everything from teaching your 6 year old to read to making sure your high schooler is complying with state standards. You will pray and research and pray some more, tirelessly looking for the best in everything you do. And this will never cease, even after your last child is long graduated from your homeschool. However, all this analyzing will make you a better mother because it will teach you to capitalize on your strengths and rely on God to fill in your weaknesses.

2. You will learn much more than you will ever be able to teach.

You will learn to love history because you homeschool. You will appreciate the world around you more because you homeschool. You will become a lifelong learner because you homeschool. And you will never, ever be able to impart to your children all the things you want to teach them. You will own piles and piles of books in which lie pages and pages of projects and information you want to teach someday…a day that will never come. And hopefully, you will learn to let go of your need to be everything to your children, finally understanding you cannot possibly hold yourself responsible for teaching them everything they need to know. Besides, one day they might homeschool and learn everything you couldn’t manage to teach.

6.  You will feel inadequate…often.

There is an entire world out there telling you you aren’t qualified for this job.  Let’s get one thing straight before I say any more…that world lies.  And the very fact that you question yourself, leads straight back to #1.  Because you analyze and stress about your child’s education, you are the PERFECT person to teach them!  You actually CARE!

10. You will cry…a lot.

Homeschooling is a huge gut-wrenching responsibility. It is also a tremendous blessing that will leave you speechless. The first words your child reads will be because of you.
The outbursts of frustration that come from a difficult math problem will be spewed on you. The daily ups and downs of life as a homeschooling family will primarily belong to you. You will cry tears of joy, tears of anger and tears of exhaustion. God will bottle those tears and bless you for your faithfulness and you will cry at the beauty of it all.

Even though homeschooling brings anxiety and angst and tears aplenty, you will never regret being humbled and awestruck daily by the precious little children sitting round your dining room table (or all over the house, in my case). And someday when you wish someone had told you what homeschooling was really about, you will realize it doesn’t matter. You are changed forever. For the better.

I'm curious: What do you wish someone had told you about homeschooling? 

It's Still Hard

Grammar is still so hard for my adoptees. Well, that's not true, it's only hard for Maya and Isaac. Daniel was just turning 2 at the time of adoption, so most of his speech was acquired in our home. Maya and Isaac unfortunately had heard only improper English for the first 9 and 6 years of their lives, respectively.

I was at an adoption support group recently and introduced myself to the mom sitting next to me. She had just adopted her daughter from Ethiopia 9 months earlier. When I told her I had also adopted from Africa, and told her about my kiddos, she gushed: Isn't it amazing how quickly they pick up English? My daughter has such excellent grammar and it hasn't even been a year yet.
I smiled.
I figured that was a more socially acceptable response than to start bawling hysterically.

(I'm being dramatic.)

(But only a little.)

Teaching Children to Love Reading - All Ages

One of the key ways to teach your children to love reading is to love reading yourself. Let your kids see you reading books in your spare time. Tell them enthusiastically about the latest thing you've read or learned. After you read to them, gush (honestly) about how much you love that book. 

Passion is contagious. Be passionate about reading.