Happy Holidays

The holidays are upon us.  Only a week to go and ol' St. Nick will be making the rounds.  We spent Thanksgiving with one of my very best friends and her family, it was a wonderful day.  More importantly I was so proud of the girls.  They were answering forced choice questions with people they barely knew.  They were being bribed shamelessly with left over Halloween candy, but whatever works right?!  I even got reports of them saying "Please, Thank you and reciting first names!"  Our psychologist has said before that those three are the hardest for SM kids to say.  I kept hearing from everyone too how relaxed the kids looked. Their body language wasn't quite so curled in and they did a much better job with their eye contact and maintaining it. 
I think I can say this for all parents of kids with SM.  People outside your child's vocal circle don't get to experience your child like you do and we just want them to see what we see in them.  I have friends who just oooooh and ahhhh when we're on the phone and one of the girls is hassling me, like ALL kids do.  Sometimes that's the only opportunity they get to hear my kids.  I had recently posted a video of my two reciting the pledge of allegiance on my Facebook.  For some of my family members that's the first time they've ever heard them talk beyond saying "hi."
I am diligent with trying to help my kids get over the anxiety they feel and to help them connect and build relationships with those that want to love them so badly.  They deserve to be able to be confident enough to tell their Grandma they love them. 
I saw great strides just this past week in fact.  Last year I took them to a portrait studio to get their yearly pictures taken.  It took nearly an hour to get a few decent shots.  This year I told the girls what my plans were and that if they were brave and looked at the camera, held still and kept their hands down away from their face we could go and visit Santa.
Days ago I was shocked when they asked to go see him.  Since they've been 2 I quit taking them to go see Santa cause they'd throw such a fit.  This year they wanted to make sure he knew what they wanted for Christmas.  They dictated a list to me just in case they couldn't tell him and promised to sit on his lap and look at the camera for a quick picture. 
The seeing Santa bribe worked.  We were in and out of the portrait studio in under an hour with pictures in hand.  I took them to the mall and they got to see Santa.  They even said "Hi" to him without much coaxing and sat on his lap to get their pictures taken without fidgeting. 
If we go somewhere through out the week to run errands they ask to "be brave" to the people we may encounter.  Lately I've been telling them, "You don't have to ask to be brave, just be brave and say hello."  Not sure how to transition them to start spontaneously speaking on their own to these folks.   A question to ask the psychologist on our next visit. 
We've taken a break from our curriculum and have been enjoying the holidays.  We've been counting down the days til Christmas and learning about the birth of Jesus.  It's been a nice break.  I'm hoping they don't completely forget their vowels sounds by the time we start back in a couple weeks.  Keep your fingers crossed for me. 
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and my God bless you abundantly in the New Year.   

PS. Hug your little ones no matter how big they may be a little tighter and don't take anything for granted.  Tomorrow is not promised, that's why today is called "the present." 

I'm thinking it's called Progress!

We visited the girls psychologist yesterday.  Last time we were there was in June before I started homeschooling.  The Dr. has been on maternity leave and that's why the long interval.  Her conclusions were so good to hear.  She said she was super impressed with the girls' progress.  She could tell that there was  a difference in their attitudes and a lot more willingness to "be brave".  They greeted her in the waiting room, (always after my prompting, not spontaneously) and it didn't take any time at all for them to warm up and start speaking in her office.  Since her leave, the Dr. had moved rooms, so we didn't have access to her normal board games that she utilizes and had to improvise with reading aloud.  We read "The Nose Book" by Dr. Seuss.  They don't know all the words yet but enough of them to get a good assessment of their skills.
She complimented on how nicely they read and how patient I was helping them.  I admitted it's been a process and a definite learning experience but the girls have given me a generous learning curve.
I told her our normal weekly routine has been a big part in providing opportunities for me to work with them.   Since the girls are going to their "specials" at their old school; ie, gym, music and art classes on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with Co Op too on Fri mornings, we've really focused on finding one person each time we go somewhere to 'be brave' with.  I reward them with "Be Brave" (I'll post a link below)  cards and  they need one card every day we venture out of the house to get their reward at the end of the week.  We usually take a trip on Saturdays to Jo-Ann Fabrics for something small.  During the week I also reward them with Hershey kisses immediately after they've been brave.
  The Dr. and I set some more reasonable goals to achieve within the month.  Oh, that's the best part.  I asked if we could visit her on a monthly basis on from now on.  I feeling well equipped with the tools she's given me over the last year to work with the girls.  I said I didn't want to quit seeing her all together because I value her opinion and advice and I want her direction to continue.  She said that monthly visits would be fine since she hasn't seen a regression.  Yeah for us!!!!  I'm sure there were moments where she might have speculated over our choices.  She hasn't come out yet to say we've made the right choice in homeschooling but she's said whatever I'm doing to stay consistent.
Speech Therapy has also started for them at their old school.  We go twice a week to meet with the therapist there.  The girls spoke to her (not spontaneously, only forced choice one worded answers) but on the first day no less!  A huge milestone considering the therapist is a new face to them.  The therapist, our Dr. and I are meeting together next month to discuss the girls speech therapy goals.  I'm looking forward to what she has to say.
Lots of horn tooting with this post.  I'm just so darn proud of all our hard work.  It's probably too soon to say this is the way to go, maybe not, but for these two it feels like it's been the right choice. Today we've been homeschooling for 49 days.  I pray in the long run, this will be my legacy for them.  I can only hope and pray that God continues to support our decision to homeschool and He'll see fit to bless the girls with a long happy, balanced life.  There's a quote I've heard by Erma Bombeck that struck a chord with me lately, it goes:

 "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me". 

I want this for my children, to use every single talent the Lord has given them to serving Him without anxiety, being happy and content.

PS, Here's the link I promised to the website for the reward/chore cards  I use.  I use the whole system she's designed but I used sticky magnetic tape and use the side of the fridge to display them.  After the girls do their chore then they move it to the pockets, I got at Ikea, under their side.  The "best beehavior" cards are our "Be Brave" cards here.  They've worked wonders!  Good luck.

Guest Writing for another Blog

A friend had asked me to be a "guest writer" on her blog and write a piece discussing my recent frugal-ness.   I'll get back to writing about homeschooling next post.   There is only so much I can say about it and still hold an interest, so I thought I'd sprinkle in a few of these every now and then.  This post holds a little more insight into our family.  Enjoy.   

Labor Day weekend came and went, signaling the ending of summer.  Time to send kids back to school, bring in the harvest and get busy with canning.  A few short months to prepare for the long cold months ahead called wintertime. 

In our 12 years of wedded bliss I've never been put in charge of the "Big budget".  That's the husband's department. I'm in charge of the families 'consumable' budget; ie, groceries, toiletries, kid's stuff.  Like everyone else on a budget, I've gotten creative with trying to make it stretch.  As you may well know that's not an easy feat in today's landmine of a ridiculously priced market.  

My husband, is a frugal under appreciated super genius.  He grew up in the land of sunshine.  Spending a lot of time outdoors and working with his hands.  He was only 17 when his home was devastated by a class 4 hurricane.  He lived for nine months without electricity and helped his father rebuild their house which was flattened.  I think the experience of living in the aftermath of a natural disaster played a significant role in shaping the person he is today.  I call him a "Redneck", or more affectionately, my "Professor  Gilligan".  We pride ourselves on recycling, repurposing and are huge fans of self reliance and sustainable stuff.   We plant a garden every spring from seed and make our own compost for it from worms.  We frequent the farm market through out the summer for fresh produce and visit the orchards in the fall to supplement what we don't grow.  I've only recently started canning but I enjoy the pay off of all that hard work.  Months worth of spaghetti sauce, canned diced tomatoes for cooking,  green beans and peas. My kids are crazy about the refrigerator pickles I make and enough yummy salsa to host many game nights.     

On any given weekend Professor Gilligan can be found in our backyard or in his garage building something, making something or trying to figure out how something will work.  Here's a picture of his latest thing he's built, it's some sort of waste oil burning stove.  He put it together from things he's had laying around the house.  

May I add, they don't just miraculously appear here, he actually drags them home from a curbside, junk yard or they come as gifts.  He's been affectionately nicknamed by friends as Sanford, from the old show "Sanford and Son".  Every time he brings home something new I hear the Sanford and Son's theme song.  I could go on about him for days.  Needless to say he's had an influence over me all these years too.  I frankly don't even recognize myself from the kid and young adult I grew up as.  I used to poke fun at the person I've become.  "Domesticated", married and old with kids.   I was the rocker chick wearing spandex with big hair of the 80s that never had a concern for the future or the environment.   I probably single-handedly  destroyed the ozone layer with all the Aqua Net I used back then.   

 Years ago, when I became a mother to my girls, I became very aware of all the chemicals that are in the products we use on a daily basis.  My first realization was the soap and lotion I used on them.  They have very dry skin and need lotion on a daily basis sometimes twice a day.   I started reading labels and educating myself on the ingredients which led me then to the use of organic products.  Believe it or not organic products still contain chemicals that can be toxic.  Being a member of the medical field since 1995 hasn't helped calm my quandary either.  Our skin is the largest organ of our entire body.  It's like a sponge, releasing and absorbing constantly.  Those trace chemicals applied every day to my babies for many years ends up looking like a huge amount if you consider what it actually means in terms of ACCUMULATION.  Which was enough for me to take action.  Now buying organic anything on average costs more in a retail setting.   For instance the lotion I started purchasing for the girls costs almost $7 for a 12oz bottle.  But I let it slide because I thought it was a small price I had to pay to feel better about my "future generation".   Until the day I stumbled upon recipes for making your own lotion and soap.  The Professor figured out the schematics of soap making for me, wrote the exact recipe down and Volia! my first batch of homemade soap was created.  The very next day came the lotion which is made from the same ingredients as the soap with a few added luxuries and I've never looked back.

    On top of my kids having very dry skin they're also very sensitive to laundry soaps.  I've had to use Tide for years because it's been the only thing that doesn't break them out in a rash.  I had stocked up on laundry soap over a year ago on a coupon shopping frenzy and I had noticed we were finally running out.  I absolutely loathe paying full price for it and I didn't have any recent coupons so I was dreading the purchase.  Which brings me to poking around on Pintrest one day.  Some random girl pinned one of my pins, so in turn. I was stalking her boards.  Come to find out this random chick and I had a lot in common!  She had a recipe for laundry soap,  I thought maybe I could try for all of us.  

 I could hardly believe how little it costs to put this concoction together and it only uses ONE TABLESPOON per load!    I said to myself,  "This can't be?!  No way!  I'll make a little batch to try and hopefully the kids won't turn into a gigantic hive".  I was so impressed.  It gets your clothes clean AND they smell good (I use the Fels Naptha version).  I'll never go back to buying commercial laundry detergent.  I'm picky about the way they smell so I haven't given up my dryer sheets just yet.   I was telling my bestie about the laundry soap find one day and how I wasn't prepared to ditch the fabric sheet and she suggested getting the liquid stuff, adding a little water to thin it out then spraying it on coffee filters to toss into the dryer!  I'm surrounded by super genius(S)!  I haven't tried it yet but she swears it works and that's good enough for me.  

The very same website also had a recipe for automatic dishwasher detergent which I've tried and like as well. My dishwasher is cheap and I've battled the post wash crud on my dishes for years.  Professor Gilligan won't take a dish down to use without pre rinsing it first because of the ensuing battle.  I hate stuck on filth and despite my best efforts of scrubbing the dishes before putting them into the machine it would continue.  Since the switch, I have to say it's gotten better.  I won't go as far as to say eliminated, but a difference for the better has been noted by the hubby and he never sugar coats anything.  Again both recipes share the same ingredients so they're easy to make and I love that!   If you have to have a rinsing agent, I've heard you can use one cup of vinegar and the dishes will come out looking like you've used a commercial rinse.  I have also discovered through trial and error if you put the dishwasher detergent powder in the freezer it won't clump up as Lemishine has a tendency to do.   Trust me on that one, it's not pretty.  Testimonies swear on both recipes effectiveness in hard water too.  Bonus!

I urge you to give these a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.  Speaking only for myself, it gives me piece of mind saving a little money and possibly not using harmful ingredients.  That has been my biggest motivator for sticking with them.  I haven't tallied how much money I'm saving yet, but I do know I'm NOT missing listing these items on my shopping list.  

Now if only I could find a recipe on how to make my own toilet paper.  No matter how much I stock up, inevitably we're always on the last roll without a spare in arms reach!  

Quick Update

Today was the kids first day back to their old school since they left last fall.  Three days a week they go in for extra curricular classes, Gym, Music and Art.  I took them in this morning to go to their Gym class.  They complained about their newly purchased big gym shoes and too small socks.  The shoes kept slipping off the back of their heel and their socks were slouching down as well.  If I would have bought stuff the other way; ie, shoes too small and socks too big they would have complained about it too.  What's a mom to do?
Back to our morning.  The school was well prepared for our arrival.  The kids were greeted by their most favorite literacy para.  She took them in and walked them to the Gym.  I went and briefly talked to the new Speech Therapist and we tentatively set reasonable goals for them the children to achieve this year.
Afterward I sat in the school office waiting for my two to return.  I got a report that while in their class someone spied them laughing and playing with the other kids.  YES!  Laughing!  I don't think they've really ever done that in front of the other kids before.  I'll have to do some asking around, but I'm pretty sure about the last statement.
Upon leaving the girls said they had fun and recognized a lot of the kids from their Kindergarten class.  I think that was a relief to them, seeing familiar faces.

Golden Garden Spider

We came home to have some lunch and to explore the back yard.  Look what my little scientists found!  They've always had an affinity to spiders for some reason.  They're fascinated by them and, as you can see, pick out some pretty amazing species!  My two know every creature that resides in our back yard.....all the way down to these big ugly guys.  This thing was the size of a quarter easy.  I googled it and found out it was a Golden Garden Spider.  Completely harmless and the females are almost twice as big as the males with the abdomen being wider.
Looking forward to the rest of the week to see how the kids will transition into our new fall routine.  Co op starts the 21st of this month and  I'm praying this is the good foot that will set the tone for the rest of the school year.  LAUGHING on the first day! YES.

Continuing Speech Therapy

Last week I was contacted by the kids' old school mainly because I left last year telling them I was still intending to keep the children in their speech therapy sessions.  They listened and inquired if I was going to bring them in this year.  I have to admit, I'm very impressed by their willingness to help my kids and to work with me and my families decision to homeschool.  I also have the opportunity to put the kiddos in extra curricular classes at their old school which would include PE, Art and Music.  I've been thinking and praying about this option all summer and I believe this would afford the kids opportunity to relate and socialize with their former and new class mates on a regular basis.  In their speech therapy, the therapist puts them together with kids out of their class to help with their 'being brave' work.  Since they're not in a 1st grade class per say, I thought that maybe if they were in the extra classes it wouldn't make them feel nearly as awkward when paired with their classmates.
SM kids need plenty of opportunities to 'be brave'.  My children had progressed a good deal last school year and family and friends were voicing they could see a significant difference in their attitude.  I'm hoping all the opportunities this year, especially with me being at a lot of them, will help settle their anxieties.
I have to report my pride.  The kids have been asking to 'be brave' when we go out on errands.  I will negotiate with reward cards or a candy bar if their efforts are turned into audible words strangers can hear.    The last few days when practicing they have been twice as loud as normal.  I've upped the ante and told them they have to 'be brave' to two people or say "hi and bye" to one person on our outings to receive rewards.  They've even been as loud and ambitious when out with their Father too.  It's a small gain, but I'm counting anything that looks like a giant one.
On a side note, I want to express my pleasure in the curriculum we're using.  We're on our second month of using My Father's World and on Friday the kids had to listen to and then draw the story they heard.  The story was of a fisherman, his boat and fishing lines getting tangled.  The fisherman leaned over to untangle the lines and fell in and then he sent up a balloon distress signal.  This story was meant to help the kids remember the bodies of water in the region we will begin to study.  They were able to recreate the bodies of water on paper and then we learned a way of labeling them.  It was incredible to see the light in their eyes turn on when I compared their drawn maps to the globe.  They kept asking if these places were in "real life"?

On Exploration Day we saw these two yellow finch .

In science this past week we've been studying rain, clouds, thunder and lightening.  We've read many books on the subject and now they've even been introduced on how hail is made.  They can answer questions intelligibly on how clouds are made or how you can tell how many miles away the storm is.    I'm amazed how fast they are picking up their vowel sounds and learning how to read.  I've read to them since they were babies and it's hard to tell if they just are remembering words they've seen over and over or if they can really sound the words out.  I think it's a mixture of all the above but leaning more toward calling it a growing ability to sound it out.  It's exciting to see them become critical thinking little people.
It's such a blessing to be able to be home with them and I'm so grateful that I've been given this chance to teach them.  Such a rewarding experience even on the days when they're being challenging and there have been a few so far.  They're all teachable moments.  Everyday we're gaining so much and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Be encouraged, stay positive and look for the blessings that each day may bring.

 this post is linked to Homeschool Highlights in MFW at Discover Their Gifts or 2ladybugsandalizard

Not Back to School

What a month it's been.  August is a month usually spent back to school shopping and getting ready for going back to school.  Two years ago I was sending the kids off to public Preschool.  I collected coupons, watched the sales fliers and gathered my courage to go brave the mob hungry crowds for deals.  I did a little shopping last year before Kindergarten because I bought the bulk of everything big enough for them to last thru two years.  Way to go me!  This year I've been mourning the passing of back to school shopping.  I did a lot of their 'school shopping' in spring time with tax return money.  Where am I going with this?  Frankly I don't know.  I think it's finally really and truly dawning on me that I'm a rebel and won't be sending the kids off to school this year.  That's a huge proverbial step in my parenthood journey.

A side story  to back up my choice;  we went out of town last week.  I attended my milestone high school class reunion paired with a few days spent with two other couples we adore.  I left the kids with their Uncle to watch overnight.  The kids love their Aunt, Uncle and cousins but have been spotty about speaking to them spontaneously.  In the past it usually takes a week or so for them to warm up on their own.  Their Aunt reported to me when I picked them up the next morning an I'm quoting.  "I figured I'd lay the law down, I was nice but firm.  I told them that we were eating in 5 mins.  If they couldn't tell me what they wanted for breakfast then I wouldn't know what to feed them."  She said it only took seconds for the pair to reply in unison "Pamcakes".    On errands we may run through out the week they ask me to "Be brave" to cashiers and clerks that we visit.  I've heard them in the backyard yelling and squealing delightfully with the neighbors kids outside too.  I don't know if it's a matter of maturity, therapy or the release of anxiety from having to return to 'school' but I think they're happier and feeling more secure.  I've noticed a more carefree attitude in their demeanor.  I'm not going to toot my horn too loudly yet.  Just wanted to put it out there for posterity.

On another very exciting note.  We finally got to register for our Co op classes.  The kids are in 3 different classes during a morning once a week.  They're taking a Geography class called "I love the USA".  Second hour will be occupied by Nest Entertainment videos.  I believe they are the Animated Hero Classic Series.   And Fun with Math will be presented in the third hour.   I'm really excited about the prospects of meeting other home school families in the area.  I feel like such a hermit.  I don't have time to make friends and I'll admit, I'm an older mom, some days I just don't have the energy to put into it.  Does that sound odd?  Is it just me?

I'm getting the HSLDA sorted out and I've registered the kids with the state so that they may still receive Speech Therapy and their specials, ie, meaning Art and Music classes at their old school.  I thought the interaction with old school friends would be good for them.  I've heard controversy before about sending the kids to ST, but the last two years have been good.  This year has yet to be seen.  The therapist that had diagnosed them and was so invested has returned to college a state away.  This year we will be experiencing a new therapist and they have pretty big shoes to fill, I'm hoping for the best.  I'm in for a lot of educating people on how to approach these two and bringing them up to speed so that they are useful to us.

A quick update I wanted to share about the homeschooling 'thang'.  We've took off last week because we were getting ready to leave mid week on our mini vacation and took this week off coming back home due to registering, doctor's appointments and just in general cleaning the house and putting things away from our trip.  I felt the 'good vibes' resonate that homeschooling doesn't have to be a pencil in hand pouring over text books or worksheets.  We did 'short school' this week where we've cuddled up on the couch, juice boxes in hand reading stories.  We reviewed the Godly Character traits and I started reading aloud  The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  (suggested from a friend)   We practiced computer skills at Sheppards Software which is FREE and is really good stuff!  We went over their memory verses, we're studying Proverbs.  I started teaching them some basic signs to help trigger their verses from memory. (yet another suggestion from a very good friend and veteran homeschool mom)
A foolish man gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.  Proverbs 29:11

 Have I stressed the importance of making friends with like minded people?  They have been a Godsend.  Literally.  God knows what He's doing when He calls your heart and will give you the tools to help you succeed.  If I can share one more thing I read from another homeschool mom on our Co op site;

"Dear Moms—especially new homeschool moms— 
this is a Public Service Announcement: Homeschooling should NOT be overwhelming.

If God has called you to homeschool your children, He WILL equip you for the journey. If your "core" curriculum is overwhelming, take a step back and really pray about how much work you are taking on for both yourself and your kids.

I fear we are focusing too much on the "3 R's" and we're forgetting the things that matter most. They will never be found inside a text book. They will be found in the most unexpected places-a bed time story, a conversation over breakfast, a steady guiding of conscience and spirit by a mom who is surrendered to the One who loves her children most.

Character before curriculum. Marriage before mothering. These are the things that matter most. ♥"

 So as August comes to a close and September is edging it's way in, I'm going to watch the school bus go by my house for the first time and that sinking feeling will finally reach the bottom of my toes.  The kids are being homeschooled.  With God's grace, He's gonna move mountains through me for them.  I hope and pray He has intended this all along and that these two will flourish confidently and find their voice.  Amen.

Pictures of our Schoolroom

Our School Room

I thought I'd drop some pictures of our school room and suggestions of what we use.  Liven it up a little with some photos.  I've read and seen others who have whole rooms and shelves dedicated to schooling at home.  I aspire to have one of those lovely rooms someday, but in the meantime.  This is what we're working with and it's just enough for us so far.  I'm sure as the years go by, I'll accumulate more "stuff" and a shelf to stick it on.    We have school in our dining room, under the sunny kitchen window at a little bar height table.    We use a converted shelving unit that my husband put caster wheels on as the central nerve of the operation.  It holds all our workbooks, supplies and my teacher's manuals.  On the back of the shelves I attached a foam board to hang our morning board from.  So first part of the day I pull this out of the corner to turn around and we go over our morning board routine.  I copied the general idea from here and then tweaked it to my liking.

Our Morning Board

We read our devotionals first.  A dear friend gave this book to me and I really have loved starting our school day this way.  We talk about the days of the week, month and date.  The date cards are hanging on three different hooks.  There are up coming holidays cards and they have their own hook and "special days" such as birthday, field trip, etc have their own hook too.  You can't see them very well, cause they hang sideways.  I got the date cards, the months, days of the week, the weather wheel and graph from a close out teacher supply store online, they literally were going out of business.   They came in huge poster like size, but I cut them down to manageable sizes for the board.  I got the clock from the Dollar Tree.  It came in a big poster size too and again, I cut out just the pieces I wanted to keep.   I saw the "Make the Date" idea but couldn't find a print out version so I just made one of my own on Wordpad.  I put a large piece of velcro under the title and then used real money and put corresponding velcro dots on the back of the coins with another long strip off to the side to keep the extra coins.   Here's a video from 1plus1plus1equals1 explaining it.  I printed off the Days in School at Homeschool Creations.  Thank you Homeschoolcreations.com!  We are using My Father's World curriculum for 1st grade.  So we also do the number of the day and bean counting, on a popsicle sticks to teach place value.  Kindergarten Crayons does a very good job at explaining it.  We do this along with our Days in School manipulative.

Make the Date & Days in School

I got the pledge of allegiance off of a Google image search here.  Just noting quickly, there are some
copyrighted images in that search.

Godly Character Traits from Sarah's Sweeties

I loved the idea of working on Godly Character Traits, but the link supplied from Homeschoolcreations was a little pricey for my budget.  So I found these from Sarah's Sweeties    for the cost of my own printer ink and they're perfect!  There's even a whole curriculum designed for these here at Hubbards Cupboard.  We've been working on one a day, I made the title again on Wordpad, printed it and mounted it on a piece of construction paper and then again used velcro to attach the cards to the board.  I would like to add most of the manipulatives  are laminated.  But if you don't have a laminator or access to one then just use card stock and contact paper or clear packing tape for the smaller pieces.  I've heard they hold up just as well.

We're use the Skip Counting sheets that I printed from Homeschoolcreations again, and they are stored in a page protector that's glued to the foam board.   I love the way she put her morning board together.    But there are many sites that utilize great ideas and layouts.  Here are a few more sites that I like and took inspiration from.
Mama Jenn's Website
Confessions of a Homeschooler Website
1plus1plus1equals1
homeschoolparent.blogspot

A re purposed kitchen cabinet turned bookcase/dry erase board

My Fater's World focuses on one memory verse a week.  Usually a Proverb and I've incorporated a Charlotte Mason system to memorize and review them.  You can review it here.  I write them on the board and then I've also printed off from Mama Jenn.  for the board as well.  I just haven't put them up yet.  I only found them a few days ago.

I've got a bookcase that is an old re purposed kitchen cabinet that I turned over and now it also is a great space for the dry erase board.  My husband got it at one of the big box stores.  I  just leaned it up against the wall and the turned over cabinet makes the perfect ledge to catch and hold the board and all my dry erase markers and erasers.  I originally wanted to put it on the rolling bookshelf somehow, but I think this way turned out much better.  This is where I got my bookshelf inspiration from A rolling easel, isn't it awesome?  My husband did a good job on ours and it wasn't nearly that expensive.  I wish it had one more shelf, I'll have to talk to him for an addition.
(The aloes look pretty pitiful in this photo.  Between the cat chewing on it and us using it for cuts, burns and homemade soap, it doesn't stand a chance.)
That's about it.  Our morning board routine and a glimpse into our school room.  It's meager but it works and we're making memories.

Blessings onto you,

Officially Homeschooling!

We are official.  We're a couple weeks into our curriculum, "My Father's World" and enjoying it immensely.  We're made clay jars that hold scrolls, a worm terrarium, growing sweet potatoes and beans from seeds.
I'm teaching them how to draw and we've created many works of art so far.  My girls are also a lot smarter than they let on.  I'm finally beginning to understand how much they learned in Kindergarten, and I can confidently say their previous teachers have done an excellent job.
It's been trying at times, as usually most new things are, but I think with lots of prayer and a stickler for routine, we've found our groove.  I can say I've truly enjoyed these last couple of weeks....we're on school day #17.  Today I drug out "66 thin books" to help the girls visualize how many books are in the Bible.  They both agreed they'd much rather carry around an actual Bible than all those books.  It was entertaining watching their eyes bulge while trying to pick up a stack of books.  They are enticed by our science projects, they remind me when we need to check on the beans or sweet potato that we're growing.  The worm terrarium did not wow them so I'm going to see if I can send away for some ants instead.  We are also studying how things grow while enjoying the fruits of the garden we planted this spring.  Strawberries are sweetening on the vine, the potatoes are ready to be harvested and I have quite a few onions, bell peppers and even a few cucumber for pickles that need picked.  Ummmm, refrigerator dill pickles!  I'm gonna try my hand at canning this year for the first time and am looking forward to making my own salsa and spaghetti sauce.
So back to the kids.  I really wanted to share my insight on their anxieties and speech interactions.  I've asked them if they like having school here at home and each child has said yes, they're not interested in going back to public school in the fall.  They've been pretty resistant to the idea of starting the Co Op on Fridays this fall as well, but that's one thing I'm going to stick to for certain.  They need the social interaction whether they're comfortable with it or not.  Some of that cognitive behavioral therapy stuff.  I called the school district yesterday to make sure they're ready to go for Speech therapy through the school district and I'm even thinking about making them take the music and art class at their old school.   The school they used to go to will allow their participation in 'elective' classes which I found quite interesting.   I haven't sprung this on them yet, but I think I've noticed a calm that has overcome them this summer.  Wishful thinking?....maybe.  Maybe not.  I'm hoping and praying God sees us through this and that He can lead me to help strengthen their confidence and find their voices.

Long Overdue

Summer is upon us, and me and mine have enjoyed a lengthy vacation already.  My two "graduated' from public school Kindergarten and as I picked them up from their school on the last day.  I've not looked back. This spring I attended a curriculum fair and got to touch, pick up, flip through and ask questions about several home school products.  I highly advise you check one out if you ever plan to do this, or if you're a veteran, then you know the value of these events.  Also, I can't express enough my pleasure of being able to meet and talk to like minded folks there.  As a newbie to the home schooling thing, it was extremely validating.
As I stated earlier, we've enjoyed a summer filled with sleeping in late, staying up even later, playing outside in the wade pool, making mud pies and just generally relishing in our freedom from the day to day grinding routine.  All things good, usually come to an end.  I decided to start home schooling the children earlier on in the summer to make sure I get cooperation from them and that I will be confident in my own personal abilities to do this whole thing.  Besides, if I failed miserably, my back up plan was to send them back to public school.  Now that sentence is used as a threat and the great motivator to get cooperation from the children!  "If I can't get you to participate in today's lesson, then I'll send you back to school and you don't have to be home schooled."    Understanding Selective Mutism as a social anxiety, you can see their motivation for wanting to stay home.  That being said, it doesn't lend itself to CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) but I've got a solution for that too.  We joined a home school co-op that the kids will attend on Fridays this fall.  For now we're getting our socialization opportunities with friends, family and a few select waitresses, cashiers and the librarian.  I'm excited about the co -op, it should prove to be a valuable time for all of us to connect with other families.  
The curriculum we've chosen is called, "My Father's World".  It's a Charlotte Mason"ish" type approach and I'm hoping it instills a love for books and learning.  We made clay jars today from modeling clay and it was fun watching my children trying to manipulate the clay into their own creations.  One day out of the week, typically mid week, is set aside as a day of exploration.  Science projects, watching ant hills, making an enviornment friendly for a bunch of earthworms to love are done on this day.  I'm really looking forward to spending this quality time with my kids.  Watching their faces light up is the best!
I'm grateful for the Kindergarten foundation the children have acquired.  It makes my job of picking up where they left off that much easier.  
As for all good things coming to an end?  I think we're going to be alright, the "back up plan" is securely on hold.  Now, if only I could get a raise?  (My husband loves that joke.)  

The Fallout

Bullying.  One of the public schools dirty little secrets.  They’ll tell you to your face they're against it.  ”We have a zero tolerance policy.”   They’ll plaster poster boards and banners all over the walls of the school hall ways.  But when it comes to your child being in the cross-hairs…..well, personally, there’s not enough they can do short of snubbing out the little snot faced perpetrator.   A few weeks ago my husband came to me after brushing the girls teeth for bed, he said dd told him that two girls came into my dd bathroom stall and wouldn’t let her leave.  We’re talking about 5 year olds here!  When I asked her about it later she told me it really happened and when I asked how they got into her stall, she told me they had crawled under the door.  That’s when it hit home for me, I knew that instant she wasn’t lying or just telling me a sensational story.  I reminded her that telling something this serious was like calling 911, once we ring the bell, there’s no point of return.  She again assured me that this incident really happened and so I proceeded to call the school principal to spill my guts and frustration.   The principal told me how sorry she was that this had happened, that she would get the other two girls and question them but told me she’d never seen kids confess so not to hold out much hope.  This is not the first time these two little girls names have come up with my dd.  I’ve heard them before when dd comes home complaining of a bad day.  My girls don’t talk at school, they still don’t talk to one another or even to friends they might have made at school.  They have little laminated ‘help cards’ that are bunched together on a key ring that hangs from their belt loop.  They say, I’m hungry, I need help, I’m thirsty, bathroom etc.  This is how they communicate with people at school.  So even after the bathroom incident took place my dd never uttered a word to anyone or showed her “Someone is hurting me” card.  Which just broke my heart.  This child has such an anxiety of people and being in a social situation anyway and then to have two mean girls invade your privacy while you’re sitting on the toilet only to harass you and say mean things!!!!  I was livid.   The principal called me back hours later with a full report of what she could gather.  Of course it didn’t even resemble the story I got.  Those girls said my dd ‘needed help’ and they were assisting her.  When asked how did they know she needed help, there’s where the story got super sketchy.  I never did hear a convincing answer and was left to believe my dd.

This is not the first time the girls haven’t spoken up for themselves.  There was a time back in Nov or Dec of 2011 when one came home with a axillary temperature of 102.5!  Her eyes were glazed over and she was pale, cheeks flushed.  I called the school as soon as I laid my eyes on her and the teacher had the nerve to tell me she was fine when she had left the classroom for the ride home that day.  There’s no way on God’s green earth my child struck a fever that high in a short 10 minute ride home from school.  She had to have been sick for most of the afternoon and NO ONE of authority noticed.

SO here’s where I derail the whole system and homeschool them instead.   I arrived at the decision to take my daughters by the hand and lead them off the train tracks.  I’m not going to stand idly by and watch the train run them over.  I can’t in good conscious send them out into the world, the same world they’re so anxious about anyway just to “desensitize” them without my supervision.  Cognitive behavioral therapy happens at the Dr’s office when I’m in the room with them.  Until they can find their own voices, I will speak for them.  These two are my responsibility and gifts from God, I can’t entrust their safety and well being to policy and the experts advice.

So I believe God has been preparing me all along for this task.  It feels like I’ve finally rounded a corner, being a mom gives you a lot of reason to go above and beyond.  These two are so worth the effort.

Public School Kindergarten

The summer between Preschool and Kindergarten came and went.  The new school year hurled itself toward us and the girls mustered up a tad of enthusiasm to start.  One question all moms of twins have is whether to separate them in school and when?   We opted for them to be together in Preschool solely for the reason there wasn’t another choice.   They’d play independently but never spoke to one another nor another child.  At the end of the year they were whispering a few words in their Preschool teacher’s ear but that stopped once Kindergarten started.  In Kindergarten we chose to separate them due to professional advice and what we thought would be best for them.  In the hopes they would gain some independence from one another and possibly the ultimate….make friends.    Our Dr. traveled to the school to meet with staff and give everyone a blueprint for treatment and to answer any questions the school faculty had.  I can honestly say they all were truly concerned and genuinely wanted to know the best way to help my children succeed in school.  The speech therapy started almost 6 weeks after the first day of school which was a little concerning but understandable.   Our schools Speech Therapist has two schools she’s giving services to.  She started seeing the girls at least twice a week and on an optimum week, three times.

The girls began to really come out of their ‘shells’.  There was a noticeable difference in their body language and personalities right around Christmas 2011.  Family and friends were noticing and making comments.    Myself or their father can get  them to respond to forced choice answers without much prodding and depending on who’s around.   They seemed to be happy and enjoying school, although some days they would fight to get ready to go.  They never really talked about school, it’s like pulling teeth to try and get them to tell me what happened in a day.  When they get home from school, they go onto their usual routines, playing outside or in their rooms.  At home they are loud, talk like they’re trying to make up for being silent all day and are quite funny.  They rarely disagree and when they do it’s because one wants to do something the other doesn’t and won’t do it with them.   Whenever there was a problem at school I’d eventually hear about it.  Seems like it’s always the same kids names that are involved.  ”So in So said I stink.”  I’d try to explain to her and comfort her.  Even going to the teacher a few times to try and get an unbiased story, if she could give me one.  Whenever they come to me I listen intently, offer my advice and chalk it up to Kindergarten politics.  Little did I know how cruel kids can be these days.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

As stated earlier, I found a Child Psychologist that specializes in working with SM kids.  I felt like this was a divine appointment.  The Dr. met with my husband and I initially and confirmed the speech therapist and my suspicions, the girls indeed had selective mustism.

From what I had read and understood, SM varies in degrees but manifests in the inability to speak in public.  It’s a social anxiety that grips the child in fear and renders him mute.  It’s not a choice the child makes, rather it’s fear that the body can not overcome.  Many believe the earlier the disorder is discovered and therapy is sought,  the better the chance the child will develop tools to overcome and the anxiety is desensitized.   There are many sites and helpful books that will lay out a plan of action, but most parents are contributing factors to the child’s demise.  I personally needed help implementing the approach.  Those of us with SM kids have a way of loving them right into the protection they seek and relent to talking for them when it comes to our children being vocal.  This author is a major offender!   We lived on an island in the middle of nowhere for three years and although the island was 30 miles long and 12 miles wide and population hoovered around 200,000 people.  So I had every opportunity to make friends, but I myself have gotten quite introverted in my old age.  I did manage to seek out and make friends with other homeschool moms along with some other locals.  Knowing what I know now, there needs to be more of an effort on my part to get my kids around more and more opportunities to be social.

With all that being said, the Dr. accepted my two into her care and began working with them in June 2011.  We would drive an hour one way to meet once a week.  She taught me about using the “Fear Hierarchy Ladder” which is a technique they use in moving from non verbal responses to questions with a head nod or pointing to verbal responses.  I was so nervous at first “making” them do this, it was pretty obvious how painful it was for all of us.  Little by little every week the girls gained some ground and the didn’t lapse as far back on our new visits.  Over the summer we worked solely with the Dr. and I personally gained a lot more confidence and proficiency at moving up and down the “ladder” to elicit responses.   It’s cognitive behavioral therapy.  The Dr. explained it as being afraid of heights and taking small steps toward the edge of a very tall building and eventually being able to look over the edge without the fear of falling off.   In the SM child’s mind, just looking is synonymous with falling, leaving them literally frozen with fear and not even able to take the smallest of steps.  So getting them comfortable and rewarding them at any response in the beginning and then moving up the ladder to bigger responses is the goal.

They will do almost anything for a M&M!  :-)

A "Foreward"; looking back

I've decided to start this blog at the beginning of this journey into the unknown, uncharted territory.  At least uncharted for us.

As a new parent you have all these dreams and desires about your contribution to the raising of your children.....and then you meet your children.  

When my girls were around 1 year old we moved out of the country.   I  found myself dropped into the middle of an island surrounded by homeschooling moms.  I was fortunate enough to considered some of them very close friends.  I got to experience and see first hand how the whole thing worked on different family dynamics and personalities.  So I began to hope that one day I'd be brave enough to face my fears and homeschool my children.  

I had noticed since birth my girls captured a lot of attention, it was a whole "twin" phenomena that would amaze me every time I took my daughters into public.  As babies complete strangers would stop me to oogle over, touch and smile at my children.  Most of the time they were friendly uninhibited comments that meant to edify my place into Twin Momma stardom.  My children from a very early age never enjoyed the attention as much as I did.  I liked hearing how cute the were and how lucky I was.  I felt like I had won a lottery when I found out we were going to have twins!  As the girls grew I would chalk their introvert behavior to being "painfully shy".  You could almost see them physically curl their bodies into themselves whenever someone besides mommy, papi or very close friends would even look at them and God forbid, talking to them.  

When they were around 2 1/2 years old, I'd noticed they didn't have the vocabulary as other kids their age.  I know you're not supposed to compare children, but common, we all do anyway.  So at the suggestion of another twin mom I sought an early development evaluation hoping they'd qualify for the early childhood intervention and get sent to preschool at age 3.  They were evaluated and fell within the "6 month window" for their age and we were denied any further assistance other than the advice to get them tested again if I still had concerns in the future.  

By the time they were 4 years old we moved back to the United States and I finally felt it was time to enroll them in Preschool.  I felt the socialization would be good for them and after a month of attending.  The teacher told me they hadn't spoken a word not even to one another!  They were referred to a fresh out of college Speech Therapist who was working at their school.  She is the one who closed in on the girls lack of "pragmatic speech"  That one word, "pragmatic" changed our lives.  It wasn't labeled shyness anymore but a whole new world of information and understanding opened up.  

For the first time I had a word to run with, a symptom of a much larger picture.  I found out it wasn't anything that I might have done!  I wasn't a miserable failure of a mother.  I was finally feeling like a advocate once I found my direction.  

I went home with that one word and did a google search and all kinds of things came back under Selective Mutism.  I printed off what I had found and took it to the Speech Therapist upon our next meeting.  Funny thing was, she had the same website printed out.   The girls switched into the early childhood developmentally delayed preschool and started speech therapy.  That school year was spent watching and trying to figure out how we get them to communicate.  At the end of the year I stressed about them being out for the summer and not getting the stimulation of interacting with the other kids.  I sat down one day at the computer and again "Googled" for doctors that treat Selective Mutism in my area.  To my delight one popped up and she's very well respected in this field.  I felt so lucky to be so close and have access to her.  Our insurance was approved and we were even cut a break by treatment partially being covered.  Our doctor collaborated with our school at the end of their preschool year and we set into motion a plan for Kindergarten.