Survival of week one homeschooling

Okay, checked my pulse, still breathing!
Lots of adjustments to be made. What a sacrifice, still accepting that! Interesting transition for our special needs too, considering they have learned to lack effort and confidence. Aside from David winning me over on "tomorrow is Saturday so do you mean Monday" for when math is due, I am going to clean slate each week. And also reconsider their independent essay assignments. David did not earn to make a recipe for dinner last night, so hopefully that will be the first and the last. Adam, and I made a great broccoli and cauliflower casserole side dish. Despite getting an "A" in his 9th grade foods class, when cooking a vegetable fajita dish he did in class at home, he mistakenly used cinnamon instead of cumin and forgot two main ingredients. That might reinforce my opinion of the lacking reality piece special Ed is offering. Not my kid for now, I certainly couldn't do it any worse;)

I did not get to enjoy the creamy casserole though, you heard it here first, I HAVE BEEN LACTOSE DAIRY FREE FOR OVER A MONTH!!!
Last month I did an eds screening and was off the charts for milk and cheeses. I can still have butter and mayo, so those slightly compensate eliminating my staples of sour cream and cream cheese. Maybe when I am done baking the baby, the calories saved will shed excess layers accumulated over time. So who cares? Well I do enough to keep up with the choice because it is clearing up my arms. I have bad psoriasis on my forearms and they are healing, so that is good. Hormones, or at one point I wondered if it was the diligent milk drinking or increased creamy calories, during pregnancy and nursing my skin gets even worse. When I had Naomi, docs were saying they hadn't seen it as bad on my legs before. Granted that was a pediatrician and an ob, I know the dermatologist has. Biological injections work, but not during pregnancy and nursing. I should contact them, maybe I can sell them milk after weaning and get their overpriced pharmaceuticals for free. Or better yet, keep up with the diet changes and homeopathic remedies. Enough about me. I have work to do.

Winter Wonder...

proof that the kids have played in the snow this winter. We had been wondering...is this really winter? Now in the past week the temps have crashed and we are experiencing more winter truths. Doesn't bother me any!

Noah sporting some spare snowpants, his black ones were left at school over break, but they beat his pants he started out in, evidently Luke wasn't concerned about his little legs :( Since having Noah one of the girls should always have gender neutral snowpants to hand down!

As my brother said, "oh look, it's Katie in a snowsuit." Haha I am loving my mini me!

This is my last week of the boys going to school. We will be homeschooling come a week from tomorrow. SCARY!! I always said that I would never do that with the IEPs and stuff, but as it turns out it has come down to what needs to happen. There isn't much pressure, atleast for the oldest, as in 3 years he has not made any reading or mathmatic progress. That made the decision easy, and David is being over worked. When it is said and done the whole IEP, individualized education plan, becomes pretty iffy when they are older and in the jr/sr high settings. My kid doesn't need to go to school though just to hang out and fill up the vending machines though. And remind me ISD876 why we are trying to teach checkbooks to kids that do not have basic math concepts down?
I am likely to find time to vent or hash out my triumphs and failures, but for now I am surprisingly looking forward to spending more time with the boys and being able to give them tailored programming for them to make progress. Too long have I been discontent with the level of opportunities for an appropriate education, my energy to try and fight for them can be done directly with them for a while. I will use our local district, not the one we are currently enrolled in, to get special ed services for them, primarily for the phenomenal reading intervention program they have. I am most excited about that. Any parent would be if their 9th grader has been reading at a 4th grade level for 3 years. I feel guilty to have been sending them this long! David does quite well though, and so I am going to be revisiting algebra.

The girls have Monday and Tuesday off, so really I only have 3 days of what I consider freedom left. And of course with my little ones that is an exaggeration! So there is lots on my mind, but already have my syllabus for the remainder of the year. Hopefully we will continue through next year too and then revisit the idea when both boys would be in the same school again, and will certainly use the 18-21 programming.

This week:
-Noah, Libby, and Reany have Monday off
-The girls still have dance in the evening and Annandale (who still has school, but yet takes next Monday off- poor planning when they could be better acknowledging MLKjr Day) has a mandatory drivers ed meeting for parents. Adam is in the class and will take the permit test, for the experience and hopeful understanding to pursue other transportation options.
-Girls day Tuesday because all the boys have school, we like playing Clue together and will likely make some babycakes. Haircuts for the boys too.
-Wednesday the girls have their 3rd piano lesson across the street with Ruthanne. They are so loving them and are even teaching Luke. I said when he catches up to me I will start again too:)
-Thursday I hope to have a coffee date with my long lost cousin, Kristy
-Friday work on what is left on organizing a homeschooling hub and the nursery closet project.
-Saturday Libby, Reany, and David all have basketball
-Sunday, thank God for the Sabbath Day!
-Monday 33 weeks and meet with the OB and schedule with the hospital for delivery...wow that sneaks up! We will have our orientation for the big homeschool adventure, and probably start with some cribbage. Throw in some popcorn and I just might adore homeschooling. Here's to a great week!