Parenting 101

I have not seen this tip in any parenting book or magazine, but here it is: ALWAYS carry your keys with you!
I have learned this the hard way. While unloading the car after my husband returned from a trip, we left the purse inside with the keys in it. We returned to the front door with our arms loaded down with the diaper bag, toy trains, and luggage to discover that we had been dead bolted out of our house! The two year old decided that would be a fun thing to do...we tried convincing him to unlock the door, but he just kept repeating everything we said (unlock, door, the top one, etc). So I decided that trying the back door may be more effective. My husband went around back and got him to come to that door. When I went back there I saw my son smiling and hitting the door with an empty water bottle...WHAT?! He was smiling and waving and at one point started rolling around on the floor.  Finally, 15 minutes after being locked out he decided that he would like lunch that was waiting on the counter and he unlocked the door for us to enter! Lesson learned the hard way for the parents:)

Summer "homeschooling"

Reflections are an important part of any adventure, and this trial homeschooling is no exception! We started this week to see how homeschooling would fit into our day, our ability to work together, and to see if Josiah could see me as a teacher. Well fitting into the day seems quit easy and painless, a short morning session while the 2 yr old plays, some work during the 2 yr old's nap time and I sometimes have him do an activity or game in the afternoon. Our ability to work together and having him see me as a teacher are a whole other story! He is constantly whining and complaining. He first stated the words we were working on were too easy and then they were too hard. One of my problems with the public school has been lack of writing instruction and time to allow for the writing process (of course it isn't tested which means it goes out the window...). He barely wrote last year and it is an area where he needs some support. While implementing writer's workshop style instruction and brainstorming on stories he was resistant and frustrated. He was crying and yelling at me. However, I stepped away and he was able to produce half a page story. So that will be my strategy for writing: give him paper and let him go. Of course we reviewed the piece after and we even got some words for word study!

Starting...again!

Ok, so as I just realized it has been 3 years since I was going to start blogging. I had a test blog announcement and that was it! Well, I am back and ready to try it again. I have had many life experiences over the past 3 years that have helped further shape my understanding about who I am and specifically my experiences in education.

As my family of three grew to a family of four two years ago, I realize the extreme learning curve of a parent. We have experienced two years in the public school system in Durham, NC; some enlightening moments, others difficult and draining. I am beginning to explore the options of homeschooling for my family and look forward to sharing my experience and research.

Test

This is a test! This is only a test.