Homeschool

It is finally March and Asheville is possibly getting the last snowfall of the year out there today. OK, probably not but whatever. We have felt the effects of the plentiful snow this season considering when Seth (or me which accounts for a little income) can't get out to work, he does not get paid, and the electric and gas bills are through the roof, but whatever, the snow is so pretty and complaining won't help. Besides, the boys have had a blast sledding.





We have really buckled down on the home school front since November. Without going into too much detail, I will say that during the time leading up to the wedding we were really struggling. Both boys, in particularly Caleb, were "behind" for there grade level and many days were a battle with bad attitudes and frustrations for everyone involved....me, the boys, Seth, and even Annabelle. Angie, my sister in law, recommended that we set up an appointment with a Learning Solutions specialist, Ms. Moore, so she could help us out.
So we did. She met with Caleb and then with us a few days later. It was just what we needed at that point to get us set on a better, happier, and more productive track in life.

There were tears, there was laughter, and there many "ah-ha!" moments of realizations in the meeting and days that followed. I won't go into everything but will sum it up with a list of a few things we learned:

1.Most importantly she laid out a system of organization wherein the boys each have 7 or 8 baskets containing their assignments or work for the day. I lay them out and when they are completed the boys take them across the room to the "finished stack." I know it sounds simple but it has had a profound effect on our life. The concreteness of seeing what was to be done and what was finished was so very significant. The baskets have an assortment of things in them from flashcards and a book, to a workbook, or even a puzzle. It was very important that a couple of baskets had a drawing pad or a puzzle which they considered tolerable, if not almost a fun activity.
2. Ms. Moore noticed that Caleb has a hard time hearing some sounds....not that he has hearing problems, just he doesn't hear correctly or something. She recommended a program called Earobics that he plays on the computer everyday. They all three play it everyday. Yep, even Annabelle.
3. We talked a lot about Seth getting involved so that the boys have someone else other than me for accountability.
4. She recommended looking into Mothers Morning Out for Annabelle possibly once a week.
5. I also decided to rethink my aerobics class schedule mainly because we all function so much better in the mornings rather than afternoon.

Things started going better after that. much better. Annabelle goes to a neighbor's house one morning a week and I changed my class schedule so we were home 4 out of 5 mornings of the week. We are using the basket system for better organization. Attitudes have gotten better and skills have improved.


I decided a while back that the only downside to homeschooling (in my opinion) is this: Children tend to behave the worst for their mother. Honestly, I cringe when I write this but I do have to admit the tendency is there for most kids. I am quite sure that at least Adam would not have a meltdown and fall in the floor crying over reading a book if he were in a classroom setting and with a teacher. (not so sure about Caleb) I have considered this and given it a lot of thought. My mom has spent some time with the boys since then doing schoolwork to help with this issue. A friend and I even took turns reading with the other's boys a few times.

HOWEVER, I have come to another conclusion.....of course not on my own. As a parent we do our best to look at an issue and consider what is going on in our child's heart. Shepherding a Child's Heart is a book that explains it all so much better.... you should read it. For example, the unders battle with Annabelle was a major heart issue rather than just a physical thing. It really comes down to what is going on in my boys hearts when they act like jerks and don't want to do their school work. Sure, it is because the work is hard and they would rather be playing, but it is also due to a rebellious spirit toward me. Which needs to be dealt with......... now while they are young.
Should I add that I should do all of this with a compassionate heart toward my children? Again, thank God that his mercies are new every morning and I do not have to rely on myself to take care of their souls.


That may be over-simplifying it all but it is all I can muster up for the blog at this point.

So we push on through and I try to keep things fun and interactive, but they still must do handwriting everyday. And sometimes that means that we just work through a math worksheet. But other days it means that we play monopoly for our math lesson or we draw pictures of the book we are reading as another. By the way, that book is The Education of Little Tree right now which is awesome and another reason I love homeschooling my children. We are laughing. We are crying. We are learning. I remember reading that book as a sixth grader and am ashamed to admit that I hated it then. I think it had more to do with not liking my teacher and that my friends hated it than the book itself. I love it now.

This is a picture Seth took of the boys this past weekend when they drove up to Johnson City, TN to pick up Seth's cousin, DJ, who is a truck driver. The boys were highly impressed with his rig.

We were searching through the hand-me-downs in the basement for cleats and found these size 8 footy pajamas. Adam thought they were hilarious and has taken to wearing them every night.




Annabelle is at that point where she could use a nap, but if she takes one she won't be sleepy until 10pm. Therefore, the nap has been officially dropped. Sometimes she does fall asleep in the late afternoon and this particular time she just happened to be having a snack at the bar!

*It just dawned on me that I should probably go back and add that the boys are "behind" in reading and handwriting. Math is fine and of course they don't test their knowledge on revolutionary and civil war happenings! Plus you should see Caleb chop wood or ride one of those rip-sticks! :)

February is a month I have to just endure and push through. It just is not my favorite month. Maybe I am writing this because we all have crummy colds and it is making me a little whiny this morning. Thank goodness for a netty pot and that I am not teaching aerobics today!




We got a Monopoly game on Tuesday and have spent hours playing since then. Caleb is an exceptional player and has bankrupted the entire family in every game so far. It is neat to play it with them and see it from a learning prospective. Their little brains are working hard adding up the dice, making change, giving ten times the dice when landing on a electric company and all of that stuff. Our biggest dilemma is Annabelle. She does OK hanging out with us rolling the dice here and there and delivering money or handing out houses. BUT, as you know, the games tend to be pretty long and her patience wears thin, so she starts living up to one of our favorite nicknames we like to call her, "Sabotagie".



Annabelle has learned how to maneuver the computer mouse and loves playing on the starfall site. It took some time because she is very much left-handed but wouldn't take my suggestions on using that hand rather than the right. I decided it would be good for her to use the right instead so she can be more ambidextrous, though I didn't say a word knowing that would probably make her change her mind. I am hoping it will teach her to read and I will be off the hook on at least one kid! (just kidding y'all, but she really has learned a lot and amazes me with the activities she is blowing through)

my new favorite song

Monday was the big "unders" battle with Annabelle. Tuesday she wore them all day long with no spankings needed.....except she wore them right at the top of her thighs. That right there is proof that this is no comfort thing. It is all about control. So whatever, I let it slide. Sure she was walking a little funny but I figured that eventually (even if it took a month) she would get tired of it and pull them up. Then came Wednesday and they were at her knees all day. She was walking even stranger but whatever, I didn't sweat it. That brings us to today, Thursday. Yep, she wanted to wear them at her ankles. Seriously?! Talk about giving an inch and taking a mile! (Is that right? a mile? or is it a yard? maybe a foot because that is about the length of her legs)

The battle lines had to be redrawn earlier. She sobbed... and flipped out...... and cried and heaved...... and gagged.
New rule: they must be on her bottom and she may not touch them.

The good thing about having a long drawn out battle of discipline is that it is easier to stick with it, because if you give in, all your efforts were in vain.

I am sitting here recording this because I hope to look back in a few months and chuckle.........

I am so not chuckling now though.

It is now Friday morning and I just had to add:


Annabelle's final stand came yesterday about an hour after the repeated discipline episode to keep the panties up on her bottom. I asked her if her panties were up while she happily was playing with the boys. She pulled up her dress triumphantly and said "Yes, moma!" Then she turned around and showed me the horrible wedgie she had given herself and said, "I have them in my booty crack!" I couldn't help to laugh and after some thought just let her go on playing. I know that when we discipline our children, we have to consider what is going on in their hearts. In light of that, I probably should have made her wear them properly because she was certainly still rebelling. Frankly, I was just too tired to go through it all again so I just said, "OK honey, that is fine if you wear them like that. Just make sure they stay up." I did take a picture but decided it would be inappropriate to post so it will just have to go in the scrapbook instead.

Fortunately within an hour she gave in and was wearing them properly.
She tried again to wear them this morning as a wedgie but gave up within 30 minutes.

In conclusion, if you see my little girl out and about on these cold winter days with bare legs, please know that it is not due to her mother's negligence. I will not even try to fight the tights battle.

Just in case you aren't from around here, we have had the coldest, snowiest winter in about 15 years in the mountains of western North Carolina. Our second big snow fell this past weekend. This time was so much better than the last (although I certainly loved staying with my folks) because we had plenty of groceries and ELECTRICITY!








Friday evening was the best because our neighbors came over and we had a big ol' bonfire and did some sledding. We finally burned the Christmas trees which made these huge awesome flames that lit up the snow covered neighborhood. Then we put the kiddos to bed and Sam and I busted out some Wreckers and Ryan Adams covers.

The next couple of days were full of sledding for the neighborhood kids.

Here are a few random Christmas pictures. I can't think of much to report on aside from telling you how excited Annabelle was this year.....mostly about the decorations. She thought everything was GORGEOUS! Oh yeah, and this was the first official year the boys knew Santa wasn't real. It proved to be a real problem because any time there was any reference to Santa, they both would have to declare out loud how he WAS NOT REAL. In fact, Caleb would randomly blurt it out as I suppose it had just come to his mind. I had a time convincing them not to spoil all of the other kids fantasies.




Lastly, thanks so much for the comments and thoughts on my Annabelle struggles. I thought about all of the suggestions and considered many ideas (my favorite being to dress her in her sleep and tell her a fairy must have come in a put her clothes on. I told her that might happen and she informed me that she hated fairies) We had a rough day yesterday but I feel like in the end I stuck to my guns and she has accepted the fact that she must wear underpants. The day will go down in my parenting history though along with the battle with my 2 year old Adam to stay in his "big boy bed" and the battle with Caleb on ......well, everything.
Also, Aunt Amie gave me a cute pair of boots and she has accepted that she will wear them when we go out.


Alrighty, I have got to go practice the guitar for our church retreat this weekend. It is something I am looking forward to, but will admit I am a little overwhelmed now that I have heard the count is up to 190! Y'all pray for us to lead well so that God would be glorified.

And pray for our house to sell too.

PS Annabelle picked the colors for the blog. She loves purple pink and red!

So, does anyone want to take Annabelle off my hands for a week or so?

Honestly, I need a little break from her. A recurring theme in parenting for me has been "this stage will pass" so I am constantly reminding myself to just hang in there and be strong. I have already said many times that Annabelle is different from the boys, but it needs to be said again.

She is sooooo different from the boys.

Generally speaking, Annie has been easier than them as a toddler, but oh-so different. The battle is still over clothes and hair. (I remember blogging about this but don't have time reference the link). Here is our latest typical scenario: Time to get dressed. I don't particularly care what she wears as long as it is weather-appropriate. Nope, she can't do it. She doesn't want to wear tights.....or leggings.......or pants.......or socks. So I spank her and get the clothes on. Here is where she differs from the boys; rather than rebelling and immediately taking the clothes off, she just pitches a fit and cries for a half hour. If I tell her to stop crying and spank her for not complying, then the heaving and crying just continues. Same goes for the hair. Ugh. I am trying to plan ahead for adequate time to deal with this situation before we leave to go out for the day.

And yes, I know it is a control thing.


So don't let this sweet smile fool you. Seconds later she will be collapsed in the floor distraught over who-knows-what. poor little emotional wreck of a gal.

Dear Lord, Please send us spring weather soon. Flip flops and sundresses sound so good to me right now.

More Wedding Shots

Lorie has the coolest boots among us hands down.

Some of my favorite shots were taken back in the vineyards. Aren't the colors gorgeous?
I wish I had gotten the message "everyone look at the couple". What a goober!

We were watching the guy shots here.

I have always been a huge fan of black and white pictures but I have picked out very few to post here. It is just because the colors are so pretty in these photos.

BEST SISTERS SHOT EVER.

Bear Creek

If I don't get this weekend recorded on the blog there is a good chance it could disappear into the black hole that IS Julie's memory. I had sworn off the Harrison family's hunting land in south Georgia, Bear Creek, for Annabelle and me a couple of summers ago....at least for a few years. The last time we went down she was a about 18 months old and I spent the weekend catching her before she fell into the pond or campfire or trying to get her to take a nap in a camper. It was just not a good fit for the Harrison girls at that point in time. I figured we might try it again when she was four or five and would just enjoy weekends at home without the boys until then. However, this past Thanksgiving we gave it another go 'round. The plan was to go down Wednesday night, see how it went, and then drive to Acworth the next day for Thanksgiving dinner where we would regroup and decide whether or not we should return to camp. Well, this time, it was love at first sight for little Annabelle when we pulled up to the three 40 year old campers set up in the middle of acres and acres of woods in LaGrange, GA. She thought of them as little play houses and was happy as could be running to and fro' between them all. We cleaned our family's camper out, made beds, and Seth and Adam set out hunting that afternoon. Caleb, Annabelle and I made a lovely campfire and got the little charcoal grill started for dinner while they were gone. It is quite rare for us to be out doing something different all alone as a little family and it turned out to be something pretty special. After roasting marshmallows and having hot chocolate, we turned in early where I read aloud (favorite pastime of mine) from The Silver Chair until everyone had drifted off to sleep.


So obviously, we drove up to where the rest of the family resides the next morning for a delicious Thanksgiving meal at Seth's aunt and Uncle's house and then went right back down to Bear Creek.

I have tried to put my finger on why exactly the weekend was so pleasant and enjoyable. Here is what I have come up with:

1. First and foremost the kids were completely happy and occupied. They and their cousins played for hours on end in the forts they made up on the hill next to camp. There is nothing I like better than to see my kids outside using their imaginations, getting lots of energy out and being happy.
2. I scrubbed our camper until it was as clean as it could get without some serious gutting and rebuilding. Everything around me was tidy and done which is a rare occurrence at home. No, actually I don't think there is ever a time at home when I have completed everything.
3. I had a great book that I got to read out in the sunshine at midday, by the campfire in the afternoon or in the camper all alone if need be.
4. Did I mention it was in the upper 60's during the day and nice and chilly at night for the fire?
5. We hung out by the campfire after dark and played some tunes which is indeed my VERY favorite pastime.


Annabelle didn't join the kids playing in the fort. She spent her time playing with Nana's chihuahua, Max, and just hanging out being satisfied. aaaahhhh, and Moma sighs happily

I made lots of plans for revamping the camper for future trips.....new cushions, curtains, mattresses, etc. Adam was all about hunting with Seth in the evenings while Caleb preferred hanging at camp. Oh, how could I forget that there was some 4-wheeling during the afternoon time..... though I will admit that is the only time in life that I worry about the boys safety and feel pretty nervous. (normally I leave that to Seth)
Drew, Seth's cousin shot a couple of does so we also packed the freezer full of all-natural, organic, FREE venison. Ever since Seth butchered deer meat within a few hundred yards of me while I was pregnant with Caleb, I cannot bear the process but the boys got a huge kick out of it all. Give me a baggy labeled roast and I will cook it right up for dinner but beyond that.....



As soon as finances and weather permits, we will be traveling back down for another weekend of laid-back outdoor fun.







Next subject. Here we are decorating gingerbread houses with everything that a dear friend so graciously brought us. I love that Adam is licking his finger in this picture....so true to the events, so true. And even more-so, Annabelle has no pants on.