New Discoveries

The interesting thing about homeschooling is the new discoveries you find on almost a daily basis.

For example, Diva is a writer. She astounds me with the maturity she writes with. She wants to do NaNoWriMo this year, so that's going to be a chunk of our LA for next month.

I also (because I am disorganized as all get out) discover books I've purchased on a whim, or more likely, because they were a set of books someone was selling, and since I wanted 3 out of the 4 in particular, I end up with books that get shoved aside because they weren't what I was looking for.

I ran across one of those books today. Its called, "The Childrens Book of Virtues" and although it was published in 1995, it has illustrations that are in the 1940s style. I was reading through it this am, and was thrilled with what I found. Aesops Fables, Robert Frost, stories taken from First Nations culture...divided up in the table of contents with sections such as "Courage/Perseverance" "Compassion/Faith" etc. Most definitely a Christian resource, but that works for our family.

Diva, as part of her writing exercises, has been copying Proverbs from the Bible. I think she's going to be copying out some of the short poems from this as well. Its also going to make a wonderful read aloud for the Littles.

On another note, I really need to get my space organized. I simply don't have the shelves I need. *sigh* I do have some, but its going to mean a total reorganization of the house...which means Wolf has to tote and carry, since I can't manage it one armed.

I wonder what other books I'm going to find? LOL

You Think YOU Have Inlaw Issues!

Try being a homeschooler sometime.

Or better yet, just try having my MIL sometime. I think that really, she crosses the boundaries of ANY possible issue in society...but homeschooling gives difficult in-laws some extra weaponry in their arsenal that wouldn't be available otherwise.

Especially lucky for me, is that my MIL, aside from being in her 80s, and an hysterical attention seeking manipulative narcissistic personality all her life, was ALSO a school teacher.

Yay me!

In my defence, I didn't meet her until six days before my wedding. I still believe that was on purpose, and Wolf has never denied it. I know God loves me, because she lives in another province.

Anyways, moving on.

She's adjusted to us homeschooling Diva. She was asking last night about Tazzie going to kindergarten in 2010. Yes, she starts her nagging in advance. Again, she's in her 80s, and worries if she doesn't start now, she'll miss the chance. I told her that he wasn't going.

Well, you'd think I'd announced that we had decided to stake the child to an ant hill coated in honey. Repeatedly.

Gasping, moaning, "You can't do that!" more gasping and moaning. I realize that part of this is she was a teacher, but geez!

Then she told me that I HAVE to let Tazzie try school and Princess too. Just because it wasn't a good thing for Diva doesn't mean it won't be good for the Littles. I told her that I didn't need to let the Littles sip bleach to prove its not good for them. We already know that homeschooling works for our family.

*sigh*

Sometimes my patience wears a wee bit thin.

We have been hoping that she'd move closer, due to her age and some health concerns. And honestly, dh and I have talked about her helping homeschool the kids. I love my husband. I love my husband. I love my husband. Sorry, somehow that mantra always crops up when the thought of MIL being in the same city comes to mind.

Where was I?

Oh yes, MIL helping with hsing. I forbid it. She's one of those 'give an inch, take everything' kind of personalities. If I allowed her to help, say with art, she'd be so far up my tush I'd feel like a Muppet.

In fact, she mentioned at one point, early on in our hsing, that she'd better move out here so she could take over, since she was a REAL teacher. *groan*