Down Mulberry Lane

Camping, College and School Starting...

We've been gone camping and I am about settled into home (about...still much to do, but I am getting into a routine).  We took a spur of the moment trip to camp at Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin.  It is a quiet place, huge campground and a very large state park.   We enjoyed some lazy summer relaxation before heading back home to meet what is there to get done. 

Back home, Kate started college this week.  She is learning her schedule.  Unfortunately we can't get her into ONE more class and she isn't sure she is happy or sad about that.  One more class would give her official full-time status according to the college.  They told us that she was full-time, but this seminar class the financial aid office tells us, does not qualify her for full time.  So, I am researching having her take a correspondence course that will transfer to her 4 year college in religion (which our local college doesn't carry).  She is really struggling with the amount of work with the 3 classes currently and tells me she is not sure another class is a good idea.  She was up until 12:58 am last night (with me by her side for the last hour and a half) doing her chemistry assignment.  An entire chapter in one day and gobs of questions... lots of math problems and formulas...  But she got it done and this morning looked ready to tackle another day.  She will be working after classes today, which will bring her home straight to do homework until bed again. 

We also started gearing up with our homeschool.  Getting out some of those books and beginning a few classes.  I am not totally organized, but this week was a week of organizing and cleaning up from camping and still cleaning out from the kitchen fire.  Our first day of "school" the two older girls painted their baby sister's room.  New to them and they did a great job.  They've watched us paint through the years, now it was time for them.  We also in doing this were moving her into this room, which was previously the "tv room" and in doing it, it has in effect decreased some tv watching time. 

Today the girls are picking some pears from our pear tree.  They are near ripe and need to be picked before they drop and "splat" on the ground.  I wasn't expecting any pears as we didn't get hardly a dozen last year even having bees to pollinate them... but this year... no bees and a full tree. 

The girls already have a mindset of completing their school year on time... which means every time I break off for school to do something constructive, I am finding a not so welcome front from the girls.  They pestered me about picking pears and really needing to do some "book work".  My 13 yo isn't like that so much, she's been homeschooled from the start, but I fought this mentality all the way through with my oldest and my second (still) likely because they went to school and consider school just that... book work.  While we have followed the Moore Formula and tried alternate forms of teaching, the two older girls have always come back to school meaning "text books".  And with not having many other than math and occasionally an English textbook, they have really struggled with feeling like they have accomplished something.  It  took my oldest getting a good score on her ACT to realize she actually learned something without the regimented school routine.  She has always felt behind her classmates who remained in school.  Just because she was different.  Not every day was a struggle though, she enjoyed homeschooling, but every so often the "oh, no, Mom's not a real teacher... thought would creep in and we'd be in for a rough day or two until they worked through that again".  (Usually spurred on my an educational event at her previous school.)  Anyways, I don't mean to make it sound like we don't accomplish things, it just doesn't seem that way when we don't school traditionally to the kids at times.  I think that means I need to put in some more praise days for completing a project or unit study. 

Organizing is going more quickly since the girls are back to help watch their sister.  I have to remind myself to break away and spend time with little Paige doing "Nothing" so that she will have her Mommy time.  WHile I'd love to have the house put together in a week or so... it likely won't be that quick.  But happy kids are worth more than a Martha Stewart House. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Untitled Comment

2:00 PM, August 28, 2008 .. Posted by Schatzi

Just stopping by to say hi...sounds like you have a busy Autumn ahead of you.

Connie