It's SUUUUUMMMMMMERRRRRRR!!!!

So, it was a TOUGH school year, but it looks like we've made it to the end! It ended up being a GREAT decision to put the girls in public school. They did great both academically and socially. It was by no means perfect, and there are LOTS of things I would like to change, but I did get myself on the PTO board, so maybe I'll have a hand in making a few changes myself. Ha!
Here's a look back at the first day of school.

They've grown up SO much!

 

Here are a few pictures from the last few days

My Lulu after her awards ceremony. It did her heart some good to win awards for her efforts.

 

These are Olivia's awards. To say that we were proud of her academic achievements is an understatement. She won awards in all subjects, and even got a perfect attendance award! The award we are most proud of is her character award. We knew our kids were smart, and would be well behaved in school, but the fact that others see the good character they have is an answer to prayer. We've always wanted our kids to be little lights in a world of darkness. We're so so glad that they are, indeed.

Olivia had three teachers this year as they begin changing classes to prepare them for(GULP!) middle school. This is her reading teacher. Olivia was one of only five fourth graders to test at a 6th grade plus reading level. She was so proud of Olivia. Thanks, Mrs. Walter for encouraging Olivia to read!

 

This is probably Olivia's favorite teacher, Mrs. Young. She teaches writing, which Olivia LOVES to do. Liv said that Mrs. Young is such a calm peaceful teacher that it makes her feel calm and peaceful when she's in her class. I'm secretly hoping that all the rest of the kids will get to have her as a teacher. You can tell that she really loves her job as a teacher.

 

 

This is Olivia's homeroom/math teacher, Ms. Abram. She was sent from heaven to transition our Lulu from being homeschooled to her first time in public school. She's down to earth and straight forward. A great combination for Olivia. I'll always remember the first day we met her and she took Olivia by the hand and led her right into the cafeteria and introduced her to the class. She's been the perfect teacher for Olivia.

 

Olivia getting a presidential academic excellence award.

 

Sweet KK with her teacher, Ms. Heathscott. I had NO idea how KK would do in public school, but she has blossomed into such an amazing little learner. She's made SO much improvement! She LOVES her teacher! I think she may cry on the last day of school because she'll miss her so much. Mrs. Heathscoot saw the potential in KK, and really worked hard on pushing her to succeed. We're so thankful to her, and have nothing but great things to say about her!

 

KK also won good character awards. Two of them, actually. The helping hands award, and the yearly all-around good character award. We're so glad God put our kooky KK in our life, and we have really loved watching her really grow into an amazing big girl this school year.  

 

KK getting one of her awards. She gets SO excited to win things!

 

Addison with her teacher Ms. Dowdy(who obviously loves each and every one of her students.) and her student teacher Ms. Christina. Both were great, and Addi had a nice time. I should be honest and say that she also felt pretty lonely throughout the year and mentioned missing her brothers and sisters quite a few times, but I think that's probably pretty normal for a middle child in K5.

 

Addi's group of kindergarteners gave a sweet little program instead of an awards ceremony. They were so CUTE! Here they are singing Hip Hop Bunny.

 

They did have a short award ceremony where they gave each child an award in the room afterwards. Here's Addi getting one of her awards.

 

I tried to do some fun things to celebrate the final day of school. We walked home one day, had ice cream, and on the last day, went out for donuts before school. Here's everybody with their loot.

 

Last day of school! Lulu and KK cried when we pulled out of the parking lot. Addi said, "SUMMER!!!"

 

 SUMMER, HERE WE COME!!!!!!

Little Brother on attack with the garden hose.

KK loving sprinkler trampoline.

Mia and Eli playing at the park.

Brubbs and KK at the park.

 

The first fort of the summer using Addi's nap mat.

Livi got inked! Just kidding. She just got a sheet of press-on tattoos from her teacher.

The kids attire while helping dad set up the pool! Just waiting on a filter and it will be READY!

 

Another New School Room

I keep trying to write this post. I've deleted thousands of different words. Words that would blow your socks off. Words that would tell the story of our family and how we came to the decision to put our kids in public school after five years of homeschooling. This is not an easy decision. This is not the decision I thought we'd be making today, but it's the one in front of us now.
The Monday before Christmas break Manly and I had another discussion that ended with us talking about putting the kids in public school. By Tuesday, we were speaking to the school counselor about the logistics of them coming. By Thursday we had toured the campus, and turned in all paperwork. It was official, our kids were going to public school. Now here we are only a few weeks later, and my kids are having their first day of school away from me. But that's not all the story you want. You want to hear the why and the how.
That is the part that I keep deleting. I keep worrying about offending my homeschool friends and worrying about offending my public school friends. Here's what I've decided to share. I want our story to show others that is doesn't have to be one way or the other. Homeschooling is great, and if it's for you and it works for your family, GREAT. Do it! If you put your kids in school and it works for you and your family, GREAT! Do it! But guess what? Sometimes what works best for your family is going to change. WHEN IT DOES(not IF!) have the freedom to change the plan. Feel free to go where God leads. Feel free to go against the flow. Feel free to do what's best for YOU and YOUR family. If something needs to change so that you can be the best mom God made you to be, CHANGE. If something needs to be different in your home so that God gets the glory, do something different.
Don't feel trapped. Don't think that once you've made your choice it has to be forever. Don't be afraid to go against what every. single. one. of your friends are doing. Trust God and do what's best for you and your family. Following THAT path will lead to blessings unending.
No single thing lead to our decision to stop homeschooling. It was several things that built up to us having several conversations. Conversations that ended in prayer. Prayer that ended in PEACE. That's a place where I want to be. A place where peace surrounds our home and hearts. I know you may want more answers than that, but I think this is good enough for now.
I'm so so thankful to those of you who have been supportive to us through these last few weeks. There have been so many people who have messaged, texted, and called to see how we're doing. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. We appreciate you so much and are thankful that God has put you in our path!

 

My sweet sleepy big girls all ready to go.

 

Close up of my girls.

About to unload on what was the COLDEST day of the year!!

 

 My sweet girls(and their protective brother) walking in to school this morning.

The little kids waiting anxiously for their sisters in the pick up line! Mia said, "I SEE da girls SCHOOL!!"

 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

Is it just me, or do some of you also say "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!" using your best Nemo voice(even if it's just in your head) this time of year?!

 

 

 I love how excited Nemo is about starting school. I was greeted with that same excitement this morning, as my five "big" kids came rumbling down the stairs ready for the day. Manly made a batch of homemade fresh blueberry muffins for us, and we were ready for our first day of school.

KK insisted there must be an apple at my seat because that's what you give teachers.

KK also gave me a note. It says, "U R a grate(great) teathar(teacher). I love you."

 

As is tradition in our house, the girls got to pick out a new first day of school outfit. It was particularly fun to watch Addi pick her outfit. I think she tried on about 25 dresses and outfits before she finally decided on the winning outfit. She actually told me in her sweet little voice, "It doesn't really matter if you don't like it, because you don't have to wear it. I do!" Well, it's a good thing, because even though I wasn't crazy about their outfits they looked adorable and felt great in the outfits they chose.

Here are all the yearly pics we try to always get before we start school.

Mia and Isaiah are ready for Preschool!!

Addi(K5), who has a new fondness for all of her hair being pulled to one side "like a teenager."

 KK(1st grade) who is most definitely wearing an Ed Hardy air freshener she found on the ground and turned into a necklace.

 

This kid is awesome on so many levels. Ha!

 

My sweet Lulu. who I found out was scared to start 4th grade because I had mentioned at some time that it was my least favorite school year. I had to clarify to her that it was because I had a scary teacher. She was OK after that. Ha!

My sweet crew 2013-2014.

The reality pic. Ha Ha!!

 

 I had prepared all I could prepare. Now it was time to see how the day was going to work. Everyone found their seat in the school room for Manly to lead Bible time. After he was finished he fed Eli Jones and  went out to mow the grass while we dug in. I put Eli in his exersaucer, and gave the other four an activity while I started Language with Olivia. I quickly learned that the two littlest middles(Isaiah and Mia) are going to cause mw fits! It's really nothing a few lessons in self control can't fix, but those two are a MESS! A wild noisy mess...

Ready for Bible time. Look at Mia taking notes!! Ha!

Olivia working on finishing up her independent work.

So what did Eli do while we did school, you ask? Well, he wore his "Too cool for school" shirt, laughed, and slept. The entire time. What a blessing.

 

 

 

The rest of the day went OK. Not GREAT, but definitely not terrible. It takes a little time to get in the grove again. Especially since every year is totally different. I'll be glad once we're really into the subjects, and everyone has stuff to work on. We were finished by noon. The kids had pb&j, and now they are all resting while I defrag and regroup for tomorrow.

 

Olivia would DIE if she knew her socks were showing in this picture. DIE!

 

This picture cracks me up. Olivia was saying, "We have the BEST teacher/mother!"

 

First day is in the bag. Yay! Happy School Year! Do you have any fun first day of school traditions?

 

Smittle Academy Coming Soon!

My favorite time of the year is upon us. I just love fall. Maybe it's my love of cowboy boots and denim, or maybe it's hot cocoa and football games. Either way, I love fall! This year we're extra excited as we'll head to Disney in just a little over 3 weeks! With fall also comes the start of school. This year feels a little off for me. I'm not sure what it is, but to be honest I didn't really want to homeschool after the end of the year last year. I'm sure you understand that teaching 6 kids under 9 is tough! I look at the amount of kids that would be in school if we sent them to public school(this year that's three), and all I can think of is how much easier that would be for me. I'm tired, ya'll!
Then I started thinking about the bottom line. The real reason why we homeschool. We have such a privilege to teach our children at home. We are able to include any amount of scripture reading we want, we get to be there when they have those aha! moments, and we can school as a family however and whenever we want. I love that.
SO, I put on my big girl pants and decided for a new plan of attack. I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm a bit of an organizer. Ha! The last two years I've been trying to go with the more classical training of the whole child, but it's really not my style, and I just ended up being stressed out if we didn't dot every i and cross every t, and there were SO MANY i's and t's! HA! I kept trying to make it work, but it just really stressed me out and the kids weren't really getting it. SO, I decided I needed to get back to what works for me know while I've got so much going on and so many littles who aren't in school yet. If I'm doing what works for me I'll be a better teacher and the kids will enjoy learning.
After looking at everything under the sun I decided to just go straight Abeka(other than Saxon Math). I love how Abeka teaches phonics, and I'll have two young readers this year, so I'm excited about that. I also love a more classic approach to history, so I'm so excited about our worksheets and state capital quizzes! We've been using Saxon Math the entire time we've homeschooled, and that's always worked out great for us, so we'll continue to use it for now.
Are you new to homeschooling? Use whatever works for you! Don't worry about doing the latest and greatest. Don't worry about what all the other momma's are using or what looks pretty. Use what works for YOU. It will make you a better teacher/mom, and it'll make your little learners happy too! It's so easy in the homeschool circle to feel judgment from other moms, but resist, find a mom who gets you, and go with your gut. That is another freedom of homeschooling!
Are you dreading starting school? Maybe it's time to look at your fall line-up. Have a curriculum that you don't understand? Change it up! Even if you get into the year and you feel like you've come too far to turn around and get into something new. STOP. Step away from the Math-U-See(the curriculum that was NOT made for me and/or Olivia). Find something that works, then finish it out however you can. That may look like Math through the summer, but that's OK. It's yet another perk in homeschooling.
All of that to say, Smittle Academy is getting geared up for a fantastic year of school. Come Monday morning we'll be rocking the new school room Abeka style!

School Room Follow-Up

I had a few other thoughts and a few questions after the school room post, so I thought I'd do a follow-up bullet style. This is kind of all jumbled up with my answers in with other random thoughts, so enjoy trying to muddle through it!

• Am I a robot?  Well, actually I am somewhat of a machine when it comes to organizing. I can walk into a room and have it organized in my mind immediately. Now, depending on how "far gone" a room is it might take some time to actually make what I have in my head happen, but I'd say organization is a strong gifting that I have. Baking...not so much. Ehh, it's give and take.
• When I'm organizing I'm always thinking about how to make it "work" the best. If a room isn't workable it won't stay organized very long. I also ALWAYS include the people who need to use the space while I'm organizing. For instance, when Manly moved into his office space he put me in charge of organization of his office supplies and desk things. While I did most of the work, I made sure to ask questions about how he likes things so that I'd be able to get it put together in a way that would work for him. The same thing is true with kids. They usually have a pretty cool opinion on how they'd like their space to work. Just ask. Most of the time you can make what they'd like happen.
• ALWAYS use the workforce you have to help you complete a job. Sure, I would rather do most things on my own, but then the kids would be going nuts in another room and I'd feel like I needed to stop to spend time with them. There is ALWAYS something that EVERYONE can do. It might be slinging a feather duster around, or nailing up the shelf(obviously Manly's job!), but give them a job to help them feel important and part of the project.
• When we were working on the playroom/dining room/school room/quiet room overhaul I put people in areas I knew they'd do well in. For instance, Addi LOVES to organize. She's much like me. She's also very fast, so I usually put her close to me so that I can give her jobs she can easily finish and move on to other things. Her job while we were moving things out of the quiet closet was to empty out the floor puzzles, count the pieces to be sure none were missing, then put them into the new boxes. She LOVED this job! While she was doing that I had Brubbs taking the boxes to the recycle area. He loves doing "boy jobs" like trash, so he was content to watch Addi and be ready when she handed him the empty boxes. He also stacked the new boxes once they were full. The big girls carried the filled boxes up the stairs to where Manly was working to get the shelves installed. By the time I was finished cleaning out the quiet closet he was finished with the shelves and I was able to load them the way I wanted.
• Use the materials you have in your own home to help with projects. Unless it's Monday I'm ALWAYS using my laundry baskets and bags for other things. When we unloaded the school shelves I had the kids help me by putting the books into the laundry baskets, then Manly would hoist them up the stairs. Once he'd get them up there I would put them up on the shelves myself so I'd have them where I wanted them while the kids were busy loading up the next basket. This is how we do most tasks from cleaning up dinner to cleaning out the garage. Everyone gets a job and it gets the JOB done quickly.
• Always put the people who work best together...together! If you have two kids who really don't get along well don't try to get them to work together while you are doing a big project. That's for another time and another place! Pick teams that work well together. In our case it's usually Addi and Olivia, and Isaiah and KK, but sometimes there are things that require a switch up. For instance if I need the strength of the big kids I'll put them on a job together and use the little kids to do other things.
•  Work quickly and make fast decisions. When I'm cleaning out a space and get to something I think I should trash I do it immediately. This keeps me from deciding to keep useless stuff and usually gets me finished in record time.
• You should know, if you don't already, that I do all things QUICKLY. If I'm cleaning I'm usually almost running. I HAVE to be fast. If I didn't do things quickly the kids would start to take over the house. I usually have only a few minutes to complete a task before I need to get back to them or give them a new job, so I've learned to move fast. The entire project we just finished took us less than half a day. Probably about 4 hours total.
• Keep some things for when the kids are in bed. My kids take fantastic naps, so I can usually finish up any project like the one we just did at nap time. I usually don't like to do ANYTHING at nap time other than blog or watching hulu on my laptop in my bedroom, because momma needs to rest too, but there are times when putting the finishing touches on a project is just the right thing to get me feeling refreshed. In this case, I waited until the kids were resting to get everything just the way I wanted on the shelves. I had already put it all on the shelves so that it would be up out of their hands, but I wanted to be sure, like I mentioned earlier, that I had things in a good working order. SO, I put all the math manipulatives together and all the art supplies together. I also used this time to decorate the space so that when the kids were up from their nap they could come in and be surprised with the finished project. It was much like Christmas morning for them too. That's the biggest perk of finishing up a project while they are sleeping-the surprise element. Love that!
• What I DON'T like to do with the kids while I'm really working on something is to put a movie on for them. Sure I'll do that here and there if I just need a few minutes to finish up on something or in the afternoons while I'm cooking dinner, but when it's going to be a little longer I don't like to do TV because my kids(I don't know about yours) ALWAYS end up being uninterested in the TV and more interested in what I'm doing. In that case they would just be coming in mid-job and not really know what's going on and ask a million and one questions and pretty much just need busy jobs. If they are part from the beginning this keeps most of the questions at bay and helps keep your own attitude in check as well. Working as a family isn't always the easiest job in the world, but it's worth it in the end. Promise.
• Try to only do big projects when your man is home to help. This may mean having to wait a while. In my case it was several MONTHS, but it was worth it when I FINALLY saw "school room" on Manly's post-it for the day(I'll tell you more about Manly's strange post-it issues another time...)! Trying to do things you weren't made to do(like carrying really heavy baskets of books up the stairs or moving furniture) will just get you frustrated and hurt. Ask your man when a good time would be to get your project done and wait.
•  In our case I tried to make the space not only workable, but growable. For instance, right now we have those five tiny chairs, but as my big girls get bigger they will outgrown the little chairs and table. When that happens we'll install another higher desk on the opposite wall with full-size chairs. When I was putting the room together I had that in mind. It's the end result of the project. We just aren't ready for it yet.
• Put the baby in a sling or swing. My Eli loves being in the swing. Probably more than being slinged, but do whatever works so they have a happy mood. You DON'T want to try to be working while you have a fussy baby, so be sure to include time to stop and play with or feed the baby. They don't know you have a giant project going on, so they aren't going to stop being a baby for the day. I used the help of Manly too, so that's another reason to wait for your man to be there. When he had to run to Lowes to get a part he needed he took some of the kids with him while I stayed home and nursed the baby. Now, don't think I don't get frazzled when I'm in the middle of something and thinking the baby will still sleep another 45 minutes only to find him crying after a 15 minute cat-nap. But, TRY to include "the baby de-railed my plans" time.
• Use Ziploc bags!! I use Ziplocs to help organize ALL the time. I prefer the freezer kind because they are thicker and more durable, but whatever you have on hand will work. I use zip locks to micro organize things like party supplies, then put them all into one big tote labeled "Party things." When I'm looking for the zebra party plates I know they'll be in the party things basket, I just need to look in there and they'd all be in a Ziploc. Some of you coupon queens can probably get the real deal for a few cents, but I always just get the store brand to save money. I get them in all sizes. My favorite is the gallon size.

OK, I think that's it for now. Feel free to ask any other questions. Honestly, this is work I LOVE to do. My two favorite things are organizing spaces and planning parties. Put me on a sewing machine or in a gym and I wouldn't know WHAT to do. Strange hobbies, maybe, but it's just something I love love love to do with my "free time."

AND, for those of you wondering what I did with the quiet closet.

I spent about an hour the next day(while Manly was setting up the pool with the kids outside) and made THIS!

Olivia now has her own "room." She doesn't sleep in there, but that's about the only time she isn't in there unless I have other things for us to do. She loves to sew and paint and create things, so this space is perfect for her. She asked me what I was going to do with the quiet closet and I told her I was going to store supplies in there. Little did she know it was her OWN supplies! She was SO surprised, thankful, and EXCITED when I asked her to go in there and get me a roll of paper towels! Ha! She said afterwards, "MOM! I'm SO glad you didn't use my studio to store paper towels! That would just be SUCH a waste of space!" Ha!

 

This is right after she walked in. I used the shelf we'd had in there. I just took out one level and put it back together. Manly found the chair on one of his early morning runs out by the side of the road as trash. I simply added some fluff and fabric from Lulu's sewing stash and had a new chair in about 5 minutes. She LOVES it!!

Since I took these pictures she has totally decorated the walls with her drawings and other projects.

 

This is one of the old bookshelves from the old school room. It fits in there perfectly.

I put a few of my own things in there too(like the wrapping paper/gift bag organizer), but it's all stuff I don't mind her using. She feels so big and independent in that space. She even cleaned it today while we were picking up the rest of the house without being asked.

Total cost to me for this project? ZERO dollars. Yet it's priceless to Livi.

Thankful for a way to bless this sweet girl for all the hard work she helps me do.