Getting Ready for 31 Days......

After a couple years of reading the posts in the '31 Days' series, I've decided to throw caution to the wind and jump into the fray.

What's '31 Days?' you ask.  Basically, bloggers commit to posting every day during the month of October. It's a great way to connect with other bloggers and to learn a new thing or two or six.

The posts don't have to be long or scholarly not do you have to be an expert to participate. All that is needed is a passion for your chosen topic.

I've decided to post on two categories: '31 Days to Common Sense Homeschooling' and "31 Days to Decorating on a Dime,'  both of which are themes on this blog and topics I enjoy both writing and learning about.

I've already made a list of topics under each category. Under homeschooling, I'll be discussing curriculum, free or almost free homeschool and foreign language, to name a few.

Under decorating, I'll be covering a few frugal updates I've made around the house, including our fireplace, my home office and more than a few furniture transformations.

 Now all I need to do is type and link my posts to other bloggers who are doing the same.

Blog posts will begin in a few hours!!!

Switcheroo

What initially appeared to be three separate decorating issues has resolved itself in one fell swoop.


Issue 1:  Try as she might, my Graci just couldn't keep the shelf next to her bed organized. Originally it was a changing table, but I removed the mattress pad and declared it a shelf. Yeah, that's how I roll.

I have an aversion to closed doors (I have open kitchen shelving and have removed the doors to my dining room buffet and bookcase. It's a sickness, I'm sure.) so I was glad to have an easy, breezy storage solution for my girl.

At least that was the plan.

What actually happened was her books, Littlest Pet Shop collection and American Girl gear totally took over the space. This is how it looked the majority of the time. (Brace yourself. I'm keepin' it real here.)

Heavy sigh.

Issue 2:  The cabinet under the hanging pot rack in the kitchen was to provide needed extra storage in my kitchen. You may remember from an earlier post we didn't add upper kitchen cabinets when we redid the room some time ago. I found this former tv stand at a thrift store for 20 smacks. It was already painted this black and gold combination which matched the kitchen's Old World theme perfectly.

 

 

The problem? The interior shelving. Again, this was a tv stand, not a storage unit and the tiny interior shelf proved it. Brace yourself again, folks.

Oh, the joy of reaching for freezer bags and having three or four other things fall out. Then I had to find a kid to put it all back, cuz, really, that's what kids are for.....

See that sideboard in the dining room? We're headed there next. Nothing wrong with it. In a past life,  it was a vanity in my bedroom. Got it from a thrift as well. Best $35 bucks I've ever spent.

Here's a close-up.

 

Um, yeah....that's a cat sleeping in that bowl. Another sigh. If you've got cats, you know what I mean. That's Simon, our #2.  Samantha, #3 can be seen in the black chair on the other side of the wall in the picture above. You'll meet our first feline Sadie later in this post.



Work around me, human.....

Issue #3

The computer desk in the family room was too bulky and blocked one of the three windows. I love bright, open spaces. When I entered this room my eyes travel until they crash in this area. See what I mean? Try to ignore the steam mop, the pillow on the floor in front of the fireplace, the cat, the junky desk.....um, just block all that out and gaze at the desk. I hate it.

To add insult to injury, the tween, teen and hubby leave all manner of paper, books and stuff lying around. It drives me bonkers.

THE PLAN:

1. Recommission the sideboard into a computer desk. It'll solve two problems: No more dumping ground and open up that area.That bulky computer desk was free--given to us by a friend of hubby's years ago. It's going to freecycle or the trash heap.

2. Move the changing table/shelf from Graci's room into the kitchen. The size will fit better and I'll have shelves. Also, we're about the redo the kitchen and get white cabinets. It'll fit right in. The door has to be replaced, stickers removed and there may be a paint treatment,, but I'm sure it'll love its new home.

3. Move the shelf from the kitchen into the dining room. It's the perfect size for a sideboard. This will defininately be repainted. I'm thinking Anne Sloan chalk in red. Oooohhhh.

 

I love it when a plan comes together. Pictures soon....



Homeschool: How we roll....

We enjoyed a peaceful, glorious holiday at the Nichols compound. Hope yours was the same. Public school begins tomorrow in these parts, but we'll use the remainer of this week as a review then hit the ground running next Monday. Illness cancelled four days of school just before the holiday and the girls have tests to take in Latin, math, science and Bible.  We They will review tomorrow and test Thursday. Friday is our usual co-op day, but since we don't report back until next week, I'll schedule something else instead.

Nichols Academy doesn't follow the normal Monday-Friday approach to school. Six or more subjects a day for five days would drive me totally bonkers. Really. I'm sure it works for some, but I'm convinced that successful homeschools incorporate the needs and strengths of  both the parent and the child. But especially the parent. Just joking. Not really.

We follow a Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday schedule that covers 3-4 subjects a day. That may not seem like a lot of instruction, but I can't  emphasize how much more deeply the girls get into the subjects when they can spend one and a half to two hours on each.

I keep it all straight in my handy dandy homeschool binder. The open notebook is for my girls. The rest of the binder are the classes I teach at our co-op.

Here's how our schedule works. I'll discuss curriculum in another post.

Monday/Wednesday: Bible, Latin, home ec, math

Tuesday/Thursday:  co-op homework, literature, science

On alternating Mondays, our school begins in late afternoon as we all join my husband on our church's visitation team.

Bethany (15) has drama rehearsal some Tuesdays, band and dance on Wednesdays and co-op on Fridays, where she takes logic, SAT prep, African studies and drama. She also takes an online literature/history course. Because she plans to study communication in college, she was assigned a blog this year. She's graded on set-up, maintenance and making at least two posts weekly.

Grace (12) has violin on Mondays and Girl Scouts on Wednesdays. On Fridays, she takes an entreprenuer class at the co-op and is a teacher helper in the first grade reading class.

I've reviewed the table of contents for each text book we use and mapped out a schedule for the year. Online resources, labs, research papers, Netflix and/or library support are added in. This isn't as difficult or time-consuming as it sounds, especially given our schedule. It took several hours over 2-3 days to create.

 I can't tell you how handy this is. In years past, I set apart Sunday evening to plot the week's work. Often, this time was eaten up with my freelance work or I was just plain tired and I ended up cobbling together a lesson plan the hour or so before the school day began. Bad idea.

A rushed, harried teacher without a focused teaching plan will not result in a student who enjoys learning. I can't say it enough: take the time to plan, and plan as far into the future as you can. It doesn't have to be the whole she-bang. If you've chosen the appropriate curriculum, a few lines will suffice.When sickness, appointments or life takes you temporarily off-course, it'll be easier to get back on the road. This is Beth's biology schedule for February - June 2013. It's too small to read, but I added it to show that you don't have to write your arm off to complete a yearly schedule.

When the girls come downstairs in the morning, the first thing they do is consult the dry erase board listing  chores, assignments and anything extra going on that day. I write it out the night before using my master schedule. This helps teacher and student 'see' the day. 

Each girl has a school binder. When they complete their work, it's placed in a file on my office wall to be checked. (Yeah, I'm kinda behind.....)

Gracie is a middle schooler, so I don't officially record her grades. Beth, the 10th grader, has her grades recorded on a transcipt. More on that in a later post.

We have time built into our schedule should we fall behind. Each girl has a study hall hour at Friday's co-op that can be used to catch up. Also, because daddy works nights, we're not cutting into family time should we need to study later hours, and we have on occassion.

It's important that each family follows a schedule that works for them. And by 'works' I mean creating a plan that maximizes student achievement without causing mommy to lose her marbles. If something isn't working for you, pray, seek, tweek and change until you find what does. I'd love to hear what works for your homeschool.  

Ceiling fan re-do

My hubby's idea of redecorating is buying a new shower curtain. Seriously. And one should only attempt that when said curtain is so old it's changing colors or falling apart. Heavy sigh.  

It came as no surprise, then, when my desire to remove the dining room ceiling fan was met with shock and disdain. I'd been threatening to do this since we moved in 15 years ago. I'm a lil' slow.

I forgot to take a 'before' shot, but this is what the fan looked like (add a layer of dust just to keep it real....)

 He: It's a perfectly good fan. Why take it down? (Husband translation: Ah, man. More work for me.)

Me: Who puts a ceiling fan over a dining room table?! (Wife translation: This is happening. Fall in line, mister.)

 

I adore pendant shades, and since hubby wasn't onboard with removing the fan, I decided to blend the two. The finished product first, then the directions. Ain't she purdy?

Another view. Me likey.

 

This project came in under $5. The shade is a $2.99 Goodwill find. I removed the globe, snapped it in place and it fit perfectly. I don't know exact terminology, but I didn't use what I call 'normal' lampshade, i.e., the kind that fits over the bulb on the harp and is secured by a finial. The type I used is placed on the lamp, underneath the base of the bulb.

The black spray paint cost about $2.00. The fabric is left-over from the curtain modification in this room. (I'll post on that later). 

I'd initially planned to use hot glue, but I was out of glue sticks. I had leftover spray adhesive and that worked. There were a few places I had to break out the liquid nails adhesive, but I think was due to the way I cut the fabric.

I still need to paint over the overspray and purchase a pull chain, but I'm thrilled with the outcome. Best part? Hubby loves it.

No butter? No problem....

A few hours away from home seemed to be at odds with my desire for a chili dinner, until I pulled out the old crock pot. Gotta love'em. Really, you do....

I weaned myself from spaghetti sauce in a jar a while ago (more on that later), so after browning the beef, I tossed the sauce fixin's, spices and veggies into the pot, put a few taters in the oven and left to run errands.

You're probably thinking 'why didn't she just pop the taters in the microwave when she returned?' Well, we don't own one. Haven't for years- five, maybe six, I honestly can't recall. When the one we owned stopped working, the fact that I didn't mind using the stove for warm-overs coupled with the instant elimination of microwave popcorn, pizza and other foodstuffs that are clearly not the healthiest fare resulted in a microwave-free home. We get the occassional 'what?!' from visitors, but they usually get over it. Usually.

Back to our story. Our return was perfectly time: the crockpout chili and the baked taters were done and our stomachs were ready.

Then it happened: no butter. When it comes to butter, I'm the African American Paula Dean. That's right, y'all. The only reason I can explain the absence of butter in the house is that is had to be the day or two before shopping day. You know how that is. Anyhoo, we were ready to eat with no butter for the taters when I got an absolutely genius idea.

*cue singing*

That's right. A dab (or two) of parmesan ranch dressing along with the prerequesite salt and pepper did the trick. Hubby loved it, the girls didn't complain. This is a stop-gap we may use on purpose next time. I know someone else has surely used this, it just excited me. I'll share my chili and homemade spaghetti sauce recipes in a later post. Bye, y'all.

Our homeschool year - What works for us (Part 1)

We've just completed the first quarter of our 2011-2012 homeschool and things are going very well. We're pretty much on track, haven't suffered any (teacher or student) meltdowns and intellectual, emotional and spiritual progress has been noted both in and out of our homeschool classroom, important to us as we believe true education encompasses all three.

Education is the knowledge of how to

 use the whole of oneself.

Many men use but one or two faculties out

 of the score with which they are endowed. A man

 is educated who knows how to make a tool of

every faculty--how to open it, how to keep it sharp, and

 how to apply it to all practical purposes.

Henry Ward Beecher

 

 

We've been teaching at home for more than a decade yet every school term offers a new lesson. It seems this year's theme is FLEXIBILITY. School started in September, but we've already made three major changes to our school.

The first change involves the hours we homeschool. The typical 'begin at 9/end at 3' (or similar) schedule just doesn't work for our family. For starters, my hubby works from 3pm to midnight.  Spending the time he's home with school work just didn't sit right as the chance to enjoy and enhance our family life is one of the (many) reasons we chose to educate the girls at home in the first place.

 I work from home as a weekly columnist for our local paper and have regular freelance gigs in addition,  so it's imperative that I have fixed time to focus on those assignments. My editors, kind as they are, won't suffer a missed deadline because my ninth grader's interest in history resulted in an extra hour of work or because my ten year old came up with a cool game to help prepare for our local spelling bee. Not gonna happen....

In addition to our work schedules, our family is one that volunteers for causes in which we believe. Hubby serves on our church's visitation ministry on Mondays. We join him alternating weeks. Gracie and I help out at the library every other Saturday afternoon. A local church operates a thrift store to raise funds for its outreach programs and I give them a few hours on Thursday mornings. 

We're currently a one-car family, and that car is hubby's 5 speed, which I don't know how to drive. Please, no emails telling me how easy it is; I've tried and it ain't. Two hands + three pedals + 1 gear shift = hubby is my driver until we can afford another car next year (more on that in another post. Shout out to Dave 

Ramsey).

 

This means shopping, errands, and anything accomplished away from the home happens during the hours before hubby leaves for work. We've changed our weekday schedule so that it supports our lifestyle without detracting from our educational goals.

Our homeschool day runs from 1pm - 6pm, though it occassionally starts later and/or runs longer. It's odd but it works for us. Mornings are spent either volunteering, running errands, reading or relaxing. The girls have learned that if their morning chores are done (their bedrooms, their bathroom and the upstairs den), they basically have all morning to themselves on the days when appointments or volunteering isn't on the schedule. My teen uses this time to complete homework from the once-a-week co-op she attends. Our state requires 4 hours of weekly class time per subject for high schoolers and this downtime allows her to get this work done without affecting our homeschool schedule.

Though it may seem a bit unorthodox, this schedule is a total win/win for our family: Dad gets quality time with the girls before work, I have time carved out for my writing and the girls have the benefit of easing into their homeschool day (they are not- I repeat, are not- morning people).

In my next homeschool post, I'll share the curriculum changes we've made thus far.

Shirley Plantation

On Fridays, my ten year old (Gracie) and I join our friends the Firestones (Mom Tiffany and kids Madeline and Will) for Friday Fun Days. An informal mix of education and fun, it's a great way to end our homeschooling week. Already, we've studied Italy- its geography, its customs and a little of the language. We finished that day with homemade pizza and 'kid's wine', i.e. sparkling apple cider.

We recently visited Shirley Plantation, located in Charles City, VA and founded in 1613, six years after the establishment of Jamestown. Still operated by an 11th generation descendant of the first owner and listed on the National register of historic places, it's an artful blending of the old and new. How was our trip? 'Awesome sauce', as my 14 year old would say. In middle-aged speak: It was very nice.  

This is what middle-aged looks like to a 14 year old...

Here's the welcome sign just off the visitor's parking lot, before heading into the compound. A descendant of the original owner lives on the second floor of the house. The first floor contains the original furnishings and artifacts dating back centuries.

Here's our Friday Fun Day (hereafter known as "FFD") crew: my Gracie, with Will and Madeline. Tiff was probably in the van giving the GPS a stern talking to after the crappy directions it gave. Seriously. Shirley Plantation offers homeschool days twice a year. Drizzles and the forecast of later showers must've changed the plans of some. I expected throngs (you know how we homeschoolers roll...;P), but there was a manageable crowd. Crowd is probably too strong a word. Group is more accurate. Anyhoo, on with our tour.....

Shirley Plantation's great house. Beautiful. Situated on the James River, the house has survived the American Revolution, the Civil War and the Great Depression. I  LOVE,LOVE,LOVE, old houses and history and this one combines both admirably. Photo-taking isn't allowed inside. Great stories told by a knowledgeable, engaging guide. Three of my fave: the engagement ring and window custom, the Robert E. Lee connection and an artist's rendering of the deceased son of  the plantation's first owners. 

The plantation contains a storehouse, ice house, laundry, kitchen, gardens, root cellar and pump house. While I was disappointed that there wasn't a slave quarters (recreated or original), I was more disappointed at our guide's answer to the query. Gracie really wanted to see that. (I'll share a post on the whole "ashamed of history/let's rewrite it" phenomenon later.)  To be fair, there was  a lecture on slave life at the plantation, but it wasn't recommended for those under 12. I spoke very briefly with the gentleman giving the talk (in between sessions, with the kids in tow) and I'm certain it was an informative session as he was very engaging, but still.....

The day included great activities that stimulated the kids' interest while teaching about the period: take-home art, 18th and 19th century games, history detectives, a comparison of long-ago courtesies and today's social customs and more.  Here, Maddie and Will learn to write with a quill. Mom Tiffany is in the blue shirt.

We also got a primer on picking cotton (not in the field, thank heavens.) It's harder than it looks. After picking away the debris, one had to remove the kernel inside so that it could be planted for the next season. We visited Shirley the beginning of September- usually too early for cotton to be picked- but the mile or so of private road leading to the house contained a field brimming with cotton. The same gentleman who lectured on slave life at the plantation explained that the increase in rain was the culprit, as cotton in that amount usually doesn't show up until October. It's also harvested by machine nowadays.


My Gracie standing in front of the history wall, which tracks plantation events at the top of the wall with national news from the same time period just below. It starts with the original land grant and continues to a few years ago. Fascinating.

I think this may have been the kid's favorite. Known as the chicken whisperer, Shirley's animal expert gave an interactive lecture on animals and nutrition. Yep, that's a real chicken she's holding; her pet. It wasn't part of the lecture, but when asked if she were a vegetarian, she answered 'yes' and gave the reasons she felt compelled to adopt that lifestyle in a way that didn't shame those who don't share the same view. She really made an impact on Tiffany, as she's considering removing meat from her diet. I'm not far behind her, I must say.

The kids (ours and others) enjoyed the stables. Here they look in on the goats.

Five minutes after this photo, the sky opened up. No bother, though. We'd finished our tour and all that remained was lunch in the van. 

If you're in or close to Hampton Roads or the Peninsula, schedule a visit. Homeschool days are held in September and May. Those tickets are $7.50 each, free for kids under six.  Regular prices are $11 for adults, $10 for seniors over 60, $7.50 for kids 6-18 and free for those five and under. Discounts available for AAA members, active duty military and their dependants, retired military and U.S. veterans.

Visit the website for more info. www.shirleyplantation.com  Enjoy the trip. It's awesome sauce!