2010 from the rearview

I'm cracking myself up over the title of this post.  This year has felt a bit like a rear view, ifyouknowwhatImean. 

For those of you who only visit my blog once a year, here's the recap ... if you'd like the abbreviated version, check facebook for my 'year in status updates.' 

For the ladies, here's the longer, slightly more detailed version:

We won’t be sad to say goodbye to 2010.  Even though a new year can't change circumstances, there are just some years that seem more deserving of a swift kick in the pants, ya know?

We began 2010 excited about Sustala baby #5 joining our family! We learned we were having a boy and named him Jackson Erin, after Ed’s grandfather, Pawpaw Jackson and my youngest brother, Erin. Sadly, Jackson was stillborn at 24 weeks due to a cord entanglement. As you can imagine, it has been a difficult journey to grieve the loss of our little boy. As always, God has been present in every detail. His hand has been evident at every turn. I’ve tried to write about our grief and the journey of faith it has required on this blog in hopes that it may one day minister to someone else. This has been the loneliest journey of my life – even though I know I'm not alone.  Ed and I are both surprised at just how difficult losing Jackson still is – even eight months later. The pain that lingers is not something we could have anticipated. Our children have struggled through this in their own ways – they mention Jackson frequently and say often they wish he had lived. Jadyn got upset when I was talking with a woman I didn't know.  When she asked how many children I have, I answered, "Two boys & two girls." (I don’t feel comfortable burdening everyone I meet with what happened)  Jadyn exclaimed, “MOM! You have THREE boys!!!” Awkward…but precious nonetheless.   It warms my heart how they embrace him as part of our family.  In the picture above, Jordan is holding our "Jackson-bear" because we wanted him represented somehow.
This year also marked having three official homeschoolers! That has been quite the adventure, but still remains a beautiful, wonderful fit for our family. I have enjoyed the time I get to spend with each of the kids one-on-one as well as the time we have together as a family. The flexibility it provides has come in very handy (again) this year as well!

The kids have had a busy year. Jordan (10) joined a homeschool choir called Joyful Sound! I continue to be amazed at the doors God opens for her! She gets to do her two favorite things:  sing and dance!  She has also had a lot of orthodontic work – which will continue next year with braces, as we work to correct her under bite and hopefully improve articulation.
Jacob (8 ½) has taken his soccer interest to a new level, playing junior select soccer. He loves the professional coaching and the seriousness of the players.  If he sees a ball, you can bet his feet are on it - juggling, kicking, something!  He continues to excel in academics, especially math. He is in his second year of cub scouts, as a bear. 
Jadyn (5 ½) is in Kindergarten and is into all things creative. She has been lucky enough to participate in one of the Joyful Sound! show choirs with Jordan as well as taking gymnastics.
Jace (2 1/2) is a short and stocky, happy, extremely busy little guy who loves music, trains, balls and anything his big sisters and brother are doing! He makes us laugh every single day.  It took him a while to start talking in more than single syllable words, but now we can't shut him up! 

Despite (or more likely because of) the heartbreak this year, we have been able to get away a little.  Ed and I went to San Antonio a couple times, went to Dallas and made a trip to Chicago.  We also rented a beach house in Galveston with the kids in May, which was just heavenly!!  It was so wonderful, we're hoping to make it an annual event. 

We are ending this year bitter sweetly...
Bitterly, we are saying goodbye to Ed’s sister, Stacey & her family as they move to Southeast Asia. It’s a wonderful opportunity for their family, so we are excited for them, but sad for ourselves!
We are also working on repairs to our house after a recent flooding episode. You can read more about that here.  :/
Sweetly, we are looking forward to my brother, Erin’s wedding in three weeks!! We are honored to participate in the day as a bridesmaid, groomsman, flower girls and ring bearers :)  We look forward to ‘officially’ welcoming Beth into our family!

As difficult as this year has been, we know God only has good plans for us – and He will be faithful to bring good even out of our suffering. We pray that you will sense His blessings and provision in your lives as well!

Merry Christmas, blog friends!

Gettin' Fancy with Downloads!

If you've been reading my Organized Mom Series, you may have noticed that I've done a lot of explaining about my schedules and "worksheets" I've created online. 

I am happy to say that I figured out how to upload my documents so that you can just click a link and see them!  If they are helpful to you, feel free to use them.  You should be able to manipulate the data to make the forms work for you.  Or just use them as a bouncing off point to create your own!

This is my fall homeschool file.  I mentioned that I have several schedules that revolve around our homeschool.  This file contains my schedules & planners for school, plus our Daily Schedule & Chore List!  Even though I call it my "homeschool" file - there are some charts that can be useful to anyone!  (I have Jordan's NACD program and a schedule for her program activities in this file as well, but they are not included in this uploaded version). 
*Disclaimer:  Even though our days are scheduled, it doesn't mean this is what each day really looks like.  We have interruptions, inconveniences and illnesses just like everyone else!  This is just the goal for normal weeks.  {whatever those are}  Mainly, its my way of keeping me focused!  :)

This is another school planner I used a couple years ago ... when we had fewer subjects and fewer students :)  I put it in a 3 ring binder so that when it was open, I could see both pages at once, side by side.
This is my menu planner.  Very basic  :) 
This is the Weekly Overview Chart I created (based on Kat's (at Inspired to Action) - in her e-book, Maximize Your Mornings)



I put my kids' Morning Routine/Chore Charts in a page protector and they use a dry erase marker to check off as they go.  Here are the different ways I do them based on age/reading skills.  When Jordan was younger, I cut out a picture of each item, put Velcro on the back and she had a place to actually move the item to a finished column.  You teacher-y types may know that as a "picture schedule."  At least that's what Jordan's Pre-K teacher called it.  ;) 
Jacob's Morning Routine/Chore Chart

Jadyn's Morning Routine/Chore Chart

I love to create charts and worksheets that work for my family!  Finding organizational systems online or in stores is one thing, but each family is unique in their needs, so many times creating your own gives you a system that works better. 
Let me know if you find these helpful!

Organized Mom Series: Part 2 ~ Schedules

If you missed Part 1: Maximize Your Mornings - check it out here.

Please keep in mind my heart about this. I want to help - not burden or frustrate. This is not about condemning anyone. Just about helping organize life in a way that works for me ... and can hopefully help someone else!

Does the word "schedule" make you feel secure and confident ... or frustrated and restricted?

I'm sure you can guess where I fall. I've admited, I like systems and routines. I think schedules fit into that. But, schedules only work if they work for you! I look at schedules as a guideline. A routine. A direction to head in. Even a goal to shoot for (in terms of what can be accomplished in a day). I always build in flexibility and "down time." I don't always get everything accomplished, but I get far more done than when I don't have a routine to follow! 

My theory on schedules is a bit like Dave Ramsey's theory on budgets. He says to budget every penny so that you are telling your money where to go. Even without a budget, your money still gets spent. The question is, was it spent wisely? The same can be said of the hours in our days. If we don't "budget" (or schedule) our time, it will still get spent. But, was it spent wisely? Ouch. Even with schedules, I still spend far too much time unwisely!

As moms, we generally have a lot to accomplish. For me, managing a home, raising four children, homeschooling and commitments outside our home can only get accomplished with a schedule. Without one, I'm frustrated and constantly feeling like I can never get it all done.

Sometimes those feelings creep up because I'm doing more than God intends for me. I would encourage you to pray about the priorities God has for you. There are SO many things - many very GOOD things - that our days get filled with. But, if they aren't the things God intends, we will always be frustrated. If this is an area you struggle in, I would encourage you to spend some time working on a mission statement. Being a mom is a position of leadership and as such, we need direction.  I'm a huge believer in being intentional in our roles!  I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, because it could be a post all its own, and there are others who have written about the benefits of having a mission statement and how to write one. If you are interested, go here and here (family mission statement).

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

Once you have a handle on what your priorities are, its easy to make a list of all that needs to be accomplished in a week. For my days to be productive, I need things planned out, so that when I've finished one thing, I can move on to the next without getting distracted!!! That doesn't mean I don't stop and play with my kids or read them a book - it just means I don't get distracted by the four gazillion other things that need to be done around here. The work will never be done. So, rather than focusing on trying to do everything, we need to focus on being as productive as we can today.

Since I quite like schedules, I have several! You schedule-haters probably see that as a wee bit OCD, don't you? ;) For me schedules are a way to squeeze more time out of my day, to be more productive than when I try the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach. I use one schedule for the week, one for the kids' chores and several that revolve around our homeschool.

I'm going to break them down - for those of you who want more detail (Lord, help you!) :)

If I was a fancy blogger, I would download my schedules, but alas, fancy is not a word that describes me in any area of my life, so you'll just have to work with a description. Lucky you :)

My weekly schedule is basically the routine for the kids and me. It is broken down into days: Mon - Fri. I don't include Sat or Sun because those days tend to be less ... {ahem} ... scheduled - or at the very least differently scheduled week to week. I don't change this schedule based on things that comes up - it is just our normal routine for ordinary weeks.  Basically, it keeps me focused on the priorities!

I use an Excel spreadsheet that lists my entire day in time blocks. Notice I didn't say minutes or even hours. Its in chunks, because days with kids rarely go as "scheduled." IthinkyouknowwhatImean. If you schedule every minute, you'll end up with a schedule that's blown by 8am ... and frustrated, blaming it on the schedule when you should, in fact, be blaming the schedulER. Did I just say that out loud? 

My time blocks change as seasons of life change. I list my morning routine (which I shared in Part 1) - but in my 7-8:30am slot, I list not only making breakfast, prepping food for the day and fixing my girls' hair but also my chores for the day. (I'm pretty sure hair fixing will not be listed on boy-mom schedules - consider yourselves 15-20 minutes ahead of us multiple-long-haired-girl moms ;) )

To determine my chores, I figure out what needs to be done each week. Then decide what can be done by children. Cause I'm a big believer in child labor like that. :) I break the remaining things down, making sure to take into consideration what else is going on that day. So, for example, I just finished creating my weekly schedule for the fall. Mondays and Tuesdays are going to be busier than other days with outside activities, so I scheduled fewer chores for those days. 

I schedule in school time and break it down by which kiddo I'm working with one-on-one, even though I have a more detailed school schedule separate from this. The other thing I do (which probably does inch into the OCD catagory) is color code my kids. This started as the easiest way to avoid fights over who-got-what-cup in the toddler years. Jordan has always loved green and Jake, blue. Those became "their" colors years ago. Jadyn has adopted pink (which is really quite fitting for her) and Jace pretty much gets whatever is left over - usually orange or red. Since he's not in my schedule, I haven't nailed down a color for him yet :) Jordan's activities are highlighted in green, Jake's in blue, etc. I use this on their chore lists as well. Everyone in our family can glance at lists and know immediately who has what. That might be over the top for some of you, and that's ok. You can still be organized without color coding your children (even if I don't see how) :)

Speaking of children, let's chat about their schedules.

My oldest 3 each have a "Morning Routine and chore list" hanging on their wall in their rooms. I have the 'master' copy (so to speak) of the chore list hanging on the inside of our pantry door (so I alwasy know what they are supposed to do). For their "morning routine" - they each: Get dressed, make bed, brush teeth and clean room. 

Then, they each have chores to do. Everyone puts their own clothes away and helps fold laundry. Yes, I've had to give up the days of perfectly folded (and neatly placed in drawers) laundry. But, I try to remember that one day there won't be any little kid clothes to fold neatly and I'll be sad about it. At least that's what I hear. In the meantime, I just avoid looking in their drawers. :)

They also take turns being the Kitchen Helper (or 'Sous Chef' as Jakey likes to refer to himself ). This basically means that they are my helper in the kitchen for the day - helping prepare meals, loading/unloading the dishwasher, setting & clearing the table, etc. I find it simpler than trying to schedule turns for all those things individually & it provides them a chance to learn some kitchen/cooking skills. Each one of them has 2 days/week - except Jadyn who has 3 (because she has Saturday and Sunday, which tend to be less-time-in-the-kitchen days).

As for their chores: sweeping, cleaning toilets & sinks (I do tubs & mirrors), dusting and cleaning glass tables, watering plants, trash, cleaning out the car, cleaning up the backyard, etc. These are divided up among them, so none of them have all that many to do. I try really hard to give them chores they don't totally mind. For example, Jake doesn't prefer dusting and the girls actually enjoy it, so I try to balance things out like that. And, we switch them around as necessary and as abilities warrant. Jace has no "official" chores yet - but he's a rockstar when it comes to cleaning his room!! Probably because he's number 4 and wants to be like the big kids. 
My schedule includes time to plan and prep school stuff, quiet time for everyone and free time. All necessities! :) Being a homeschool mom, one thing that is hard to come by is time without children in your face (or on your leg) ... so during Jace's naps, the other kids have quiet time in their rooms. They can play quietly, rest, read - I don't really care. As long as I don't hear or see them :)

School schedules: I shared about a lot of our school stuff in this post. As for scheduling, I have a binder! {*shock*}  I have a wish list and these dividers: Daily Plans, Weekly Plans, Monthly Plans, Annual Plans, Curriculum.

Seems like overkill, I know. But, it gives me a place to jot down ideas - whether its a unit study or lapbook idea, a curriculum I want to research, goals, needs, etc. Having everything in one place keeps things streamlined when it comes to planning. The main sections I use on a regular basis are Daily Plans & Weekly Plans. In my daily plans, I have a list of all the subjects I want each of the kids to cover on each day of the week. This is the routine of schoolwork, not a list that changes daily. I also have a schedule for Jordan that has her NACD program broken down into time chunks.

In my Weekly Plans, I have a copy of my weekly schedule along with a master copy of our weekly lesson planning sheet. So, when its time for me to work 1:1 with one of the kids, I can look at my planning sheet to see what I should be doing with them. It sounds more complicated that it really is. Basically I created a sheet that lists the subjects to cover with each of the kids, then each week, I write in the page #s or lesson #s to complete. This list also includes sections where I write in prep work that is required for the week and library books we'll need. That way, when we start the week, we (ideally!) have everything we need!

For Monthly Plans, I just have a calendar with extra space to write.  I fill in days-off from school and list priorities and goals for the month.  Because things are always changing, this keeps me focused on their individual needs and things that need extra focus.  I also jot down ideas for unit studies, lapbooks and books to read that I think of.
Annual Plans has my calendar for the year with our plan for school days.  Scheduled breaks for holidays, etc are filled in. 
The Curriculum section is where I jot down ideas I want to look into for the next year.
None of the sections are more than a page or two, but it still gives me a place to keep all of our plans and ideas together.
I think that covers the schedules we keep.  Another very long post but I hope it helps!

Our Homeschool 2010-2011

I get so many questions and emails about how we homeschool, what curriculum we use, how it's set up, etc that I decided to post it all here in one spot :)   Count yourselves warned ... its gonna be a long one!
I'm always happy to answer questions or help other moms figure things out (as so many other moms have helped me along the way!), so feel free to continue asking!

2010-2011 will be my 5th year to homeschool.  What?!?!   In some ways, I feel like I've got this thing figured out, but in other ways, I still have a lot to learn!   One thing is certain - I still love it as much if not more than when we started!  It is the most rewarding thing I've ever done.  It's not easy.  Some days aren't pretty.  There are sacrifices.  But, I wouldn't trade the relationships I have with my children, the relationships they have with each other or the time I get to spend with them.  The days can be long, but the years are short!  I know I won't look back on this time and wish I'd spent less time with my kids!  :)  (though, there are days right now ... lol!)

This year I have three "official" school aged kiddos as Jadyn starts Kindergarten! 

Our educational approach is fairly eclectic - Leaning heavily Charlotte Mason, with a pinch of Classical and Unit Study approaches, while maintaining a biblical worldview.   I'm not a big fan of recreating the classroom at home, but I am making things more structured this year.  Due to an assortment of life happenings, our last two years have been rather chaotic and UNstructured, so I've spent this summer swinging the pendulum the other way, knowing we'll swing back to our center as this next school year goes along.  The fact of the matter is we get more accomplished when we have structure.  That's not true for everyone, but it is for us.

Here is what our school space looks like (for now).  It gets moved around frequently!  :)

(Unfortunately for my poor husband, who I drive batty with my incessant moving of furniture!  Sorry, honey!)

This is the view as you walk into the game room (AKA our school room)

This is our space for "group time" (see below)

Jacob's desk, curriculum and workboxes in the drawers on the left.

I write all of his assignments for the week on the dry erase board,

so he can work ahead or be prepared to work on the weekends when needed :)

He also has his spelling words and memory verse on there as well.

Jadyn's desk and workboxes

The files on the wall are file folder games & various worksheets

Jordan's desk on the left (Jake's is on the right)

My desk and our table for crafts, games, etc.

The blue chair is our "listening center" for books on tape, etc.

**The quilt was made for Jacob by my great aunt and I love it :)  **

Jace's "workboxes" -

basically quiet toys for him to play with while we are doing school

(and NO, it doesn't always work that way! lol!)

Obviously, we like Sue Patrick's workbox system - and her book: Sue Patrick's Workbox System A User's Guide - it has made homeschooling multiple children so much easier!  I love that I can mix in fun activities with their curriculum work.  It also gives the kids a visual for what they have accomplished as well as what they have left to do.  Most importantly, it keeps the kids working independently for nice stretches of time so I can work 1:1 with each of them.

Our curriculum plan for this year:

*Group Time:  Obviously, all of them at once ...
~Bible:  This summer we started memorizing the verses on Songs for Saplings, so we'll continue that until finished & move on to other memory verses. We'll also use Leading Little Ones to God and our curriculum will have verses and Bible stories we may use as well.   Plus, we memorize the books of the Bible.
~Lapbooks:  Biblical Obedience, Books of the Bible, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Easter, May Day and Jace will have some of his own :)
~Pledge of Allegiance
~Address & important phone #s
~Calendar (Date, Months, Days)
~Shapes, Colors, Weather
~Math (Counting, Skip Counting, Place Value, Money, Graphing)
~Letter of the week (with activities from Jadyn's curriculum, Confessions of a Homeschooler & 1+1+1=1)
~Craft (Art:  Art with Anything, stART activities, etc)
~Read Alouds:  mostly taken from My Father's World curriculum

*Jordan (age 9, 4th grade, Down Syndrome) -
~NACD program
~Main Curriculum:  unit studies and she will be included in some of Jadyn & Jake's curriculum when appropriate for her.
~Reading:  New Practice Readers and I'm Going to Read books (plus, she reads to Jace)
~Math:  Hayes Math Drill books
~Misc:  "The Care and Keeping of You"
~Extra Curricular:  TBD 

*Jacob (age 8, 3rd grade) -
~U.S. History & Geography, Science, Music:  Adventures in My Father's World (I purchased it last year, but we only got through the first 6 weeks.  Thankfully, its designed for 2nd or 3rd grade, so I didn't totally waste my money but I am going to have to tweak it a bit to keep him interested).
~Math:  Saxon (We started Saxon 54 this summer to see if we liked it and we do, so he'll finish that and move into Saxon 65).
~Reading:  New Practice Readers and Reading About Science
~Spelling:  Spelling Power
~Art:  I Can Do All Things
~Handwriting:  A Reason for Handwriting or Cursive Connections ... still undecided!
~Misc:  "Oops, Your Manners are Showing,"  plus a few fun unit studies (and he works with Jace on his colors, shapes, etc)
~Extra Curricular:  Cub Scouts (he'll be working on his Bear rank this year) and Soccer (he will be playing in the Jr. Dynamos Academy and is very excited!)

Jadyn (age 5, Kindergarten) -
~Main Curriculum:  My Father's World Kindergarten (Reading, Science, Literature)
~Math:  We'll start with Math U See and see how she likes it (because I already have it)
~Handwriting:  A Reason for Handwriting
~Music:  KinderBach piano
~Misc: fun unit studies
~Extra Curricular:  Gymnastics

We'll use various other resources as we go along - most of which you can find in my "Homeschool Faves" tab! 
Whew - I think that covers it!  Makes me tired just typing it all - good thing we have a whole year to get through it!

I Looove it!

I have plenty of catching up to do ... but couldn't resist a quick post to share this wonderful quote found at Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama:


"Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to public school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood."

I loooove it!!!

Busy Fun Fall!

As most people are doing the 'back-to-school' craziness, we have a pass. One of the lesser-discussed perks of homeschooling.

Don't get me wrong, I have spent a good deal of time hunting down every last super-cheap and free school supply there is! I love school (and office) supplies.

Here's our loot! Less than $20 for all you see here!

One thing I've learned the last 3 years of homeschooling is that you better stock up in August, because if you go looking for school supplies any other time of year, you're going to pay big bucks! Learned that the hard way, can you tell?

So we're all stocked up on supplies. But, we have no need for a new lunchbox. Or new clothes. (I love the fact that I don't "need" to provide an entire new wardrobe for each of my kids who may or may not have outgrown the clothes they just wore a couple short months ago ... can you tell I think back-to-school is too commercialized???) We do need new backpacks - but we'll dig through the clearance aisles after the frenzy dies down. Hopefully we won't use our backpacks as much this year - my goal is to actually HOME-school more and 'out-and-about-school' less. Homeschooling is frequently a misnomer, kind of like a stay-at-home-mom. Neither one really stays at home as much as you might think! :)

Things are still getting busy for us, even without a 'first' day of school!

Jordan had her first orthodontist appointment last week. She has an under bite, grinds her teeth and has a very small, low palette (common in Down Syndrome). We went to the same orthodontist that did my braces as a kid, which was fun! He said he remembered me, but considering I'm nearly 25 years post-braces, I have my doubts! They did some x-rays, discovered Jordan is congenitally missing a couple teeth (and thought she was missing others until I told them what they thought were baby teeth are actually her very tiny adult teeth!). The missing teeth will work in her favor, since her jaw is so small (another 'perk' of DS). She goes back in 6 months and for now, they are just going to evaluate how her jaw is growing.

Jordan is actually in the throws of several doctor appointments this month. She's already been to the Pediatrician and Orthodontist, and she's going to the Cardiologist Thursday and also has a Dermatologist appointment coming up! Funny for a family that doesn't typically spend much time visiting doctors!

Last week we finished gymnastics. Can't believe its over already. Jake is returning to soccer (starting his 3rd year) and Jordan is returning to ballet! Jadyn has decided to take a break from gymnastics and try soccer. Now, that should be interesting! She says she wants to do ballet in the Spring and decide what of the three she likes best. Weighing all of her options!

Jake is starting Cub Scouts this year. Its a homeschool pack - so no school schedules to work around for campouts and den meetings. Their first campout is coming up in October! Camping is so NOT my thing, so that will be a great daddy-son weekend.

We've also {finally} joined a homeschool support group and plan to attend park days and field trips!

So, our weeks will be full and fun this fall: In addition to three soccer practices & 2 games, ballet, cub scouts, park days and field trips, I will be attending a women's bible study each week and Ed & I will be attending a couple's life group ("community group") as well. I'm really looking forward to it all. I feel like I spent the last year sitting out of so many things, so it feels good to get back into 'life!' I always do better the busier I am!

I've made a conscious effort to avoid morning activities (except for ballet), in order to have a more consistent school routine (AT home!). We've been in a pretty good rhythm this summer, so hopefully that will carry over.

Looking forward to sharing our fun adventures this fall! I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to share!

I {heart} NACD

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while, you may be sick of me talking about NACD. But, one thing is for sure, you also know how blessed I feel to know about and to have my kids on program with the National Association of Child Development.

Most recently, they've added a new website specifically about Down Syndrome. Lots of good information for families and others interested in issues related to Down Syndrome. Check it out HERE.

I have received several emails recently from people that research NACD and "stumble" on my blog in a google search. Because of that & because they all ask how I found out about/got started with NACD, I want to share how my journey with NACD began. It's a story that only God could weave together like this ...

I have twin brothers that are 14 years my junior. My baby brothers, never mind the fact they now tower over me! They were having some learning issues (including Dyslexia) when they were in early elementary school. In an attempt to save them from Special Ed, my mom pulled them out of school, began homeschooling and started on program with NACD. I was in college at the time and didn't know details about what my mom was doing, but within a few months, there was a profound difference in both of them. Within just a couple short years {relatively speaking}, they no longer had symptoms of Dyslexia and were no longer on program with NACD! There was no denying the progress that had been made, the success that was attributable to (my mom's hard work and) NACD's approach and program. I didn't realize/appreciate at the time just what an impact it would have in my life!

A few years later, when my daughter was born and we learned about her diagnosis of Down Syndrome, I knew immediately that I would (at least) give NACD a try. We took her to her first appointment in Dallas when she was only 6 months old. It was overwhelming, but also very empowering. I was so impressed with the way Lyn looked at Jordan as an individual. She talked to me about what she saw as her weaknesses and needs & asked what my priorities were for Jordan. She mentioned some issues to monitor closely that tend to be common in children with Down Syndrome, but she never mentioned an approach or a program for Down Syndrome. She gave me a unique program that was specifically for Jordan (and me!).

We have now been on program for 8 1/2 years. I am not only on board with the neurodevelopmental approach in general, but I also treasure having their expertise and help when it comes to providing the best possible future for my daughter. My 7 year old son is also on program (a homeschool program) and in addition to a God-given gifting, I attribute his acceleration in large part to NACD.

I have little doubt that eventually our other children will be on program as well. NACD doesnt pay me/compensate me in any way for promoting them (although maybe they should??? A discount might be nice :)). I just really believe in it!

I'm always open to answering specific questions or emails about NACD, but hope this will answer the question I am asked the most!

New School Room

Anyone that knows me knows I don't generally go very long without moving furniture around in my house. Ed, being the smart husband that he is, no longer complains about it. He just lets me do my thing and helps when I ask. I know it drives him crazy, though!

True to form since we started homeschooling, I got a bug to change our school room up! It just so happened that the bedroom closest to the game room in our house (which was serving as our school room) is also the smallest room in the house. With the most furniture. Plus, my children love to be underfoot. It used to drive me batty, but I've learned to embrace it and create more space around my feet to accommodate them. :-)

Every morning, we gathered in our 10x10 school room with a ridiculous amount of furniture. With five people, it got pretty darn warm! Its no wonder I thought I was having hot flashes!

Then, there's this: upon moving here, I totally purged our toy supply. We got rid of A LOT! My kids had an outrageous number of toys. They still do, actually, but we literally got rid of everything that wasn't something they loved and played with on a regular, consistent basis. Add in the fact that I had the 3 big kids move all their little tiny toys {Polly Pockets, Legos, Littlest Pet Shop, Tech Decks, Barbies - you know, all the little toys that Jace would enjoy eating} to their rooms and we were left with a very large game room that contained surprisingly little! Plus, the game room has a built in desk that was only being used for an occassional puzzle.

You can see where this is going. A few weeks ago, I told {warned} Ed about my plans. He, of course, said, "Whatever you need, babe!" Oh, we've come such a loooong way!

So, one day last week, Jake and I tackled the mess. We cleaned things out as we went and were left with one large bag of items ready for a garage sale and a smaller bag of trash.

We are all loving our new, much cooler school room. The "playroom" that is now in the tiny bedroom is a bit cozy, but should be better once we can move the computer armoir out. See, what my little brothers don't know is the next time they come over, they will be put to work! That thing is a BEAST! And, I'm just too big a weany to heave-ho that sucker down the stairs. It doesn't help that any time I help Ed move something heavy, he makes me bust out in belly laughs that leave my muscles totally useless.

Ok, so anyway, there's actually more to this than just sharing my furniture-moving fetish. I get so many questions and emails about how I set up school/where I do school in my house, etc, so here ya go...this should cover it.

Linen-now-turned-homeschool-supply-closet!

Built-in desk

Other side of the room

The desk in the corner is Jadyn's spot!

The table is where I work with the kids one-on-one

This is a quilt that my great aunt made for Jake when he was born.

We haven't moved it yet, but this big wall will be perfect for our time line.

I kept the entertainment center/TV in here - at least for now

This is Jace's spot/stuff

As a bonus, we have a little nook right outide the kids' bedrooms. I put a small bookshelf and the majority of their books there. Its amazing how much they love that little area!! We keep small stashes of books all over the house, but the majority of their books are there.

Hope you enjoyed your tour! :-)

Cool, Fun and Sad

Cool: This is my 300th post! Too bad I don't have one of those really great blogs with 4 million readers, free giveaways and such. Guess it sucks to be YOU right now! But, Thanks for reading my ramblings anyway!

Fun: Yesterday was a great day! Thanks to my mom (AKA Gummie), Ed and I were able to spend the entire day together. We went to the SETHSA homeschool conference, where we intended to spend the day. On a whim, however, we left around 3pm and headed south to Kemah! We ate an early dinner on the Boardwalk. Of all the days to not have my camera!! It was beautiful and so relaxing. Ed is a boat-fanatic, so sitting and watching all the different boats come in and out of the marina was right up his alley! It was fun to dream about what we (and by 'we' I really mean he, but I fully support him in this endeavor) hope to have one day.


Sad: Today, Jace got a fat lip. Its part of the age, but still so sad :-( Especially since it was MY FAULT! Argh! Once again, I'm out of the running for 'Mom of the Year.' Shucks. Gotta love the moments you feel especially competent. Or not. :-) Its worse than it looks, this was just the best shot we could get of the squirmy little man who was not as interested in striking a pose as we would have liked. Turkey.

Settling In

I can't believe we've been in Houston for six weeks already! Time has FLOWN by - and it doesn't feel like we've accomplished all that much.

The majority of our time has been spent house shopping, visiting family and unpacking. This past week has been a tad more productive and it almost feels like LIFE is starting to take shape here.

We had a pretty successful week of homeschooling. By 'successful' I mean that everyone got a little review time in. I have to adjust my goals - which tend to be unrealistic most of the time anyway - to accommodate Jace.

I've always heard from other moms that the hardest time to homeschool is with a newborn or a toddler. Well, I've done the toddler thing and now we're doing the newborn thing. It is a challenge, but one I think we can conquer with a little patience and flexibility ... hmmm ... two things that aren't exactly my strong suit!! :-) God does love to develop our character through life circumstances and I suppose this is no exception. Its a good thing that I absolutely LOOOOVE homeschooling!

Jordan is starting ballet on Wednesday. I actually found her a homeschool ballet class. She will be one of the younger students, but I think that will be good for her. The teacher was very enthusiastic about her being involved. Jake has soccer practice on Wed and his first game next Saturday. Jadyn is starting gymnastics on Thursday. Its her first 'activity' - and I'm not typically a fan of starting kids quite so early, but I think it will be good for her. This lease house that we are in has several columns that lead into the dining room and the kitchen. The other day I turned around and that cute little thang had shimmied right on up one of them!! Yep, gymnastics, here we come. I figure, if nothing else, maybe they can teach her how to land so she doesn't hurt herself! :-)

Trying to get the activities lined up for the kids really made me miss everyone in Iowa. We were so blessed to have such great friends - at P.E., ballet, soccer, HEED, church - and even the best neighbors! We miss you all! Its always a challenge to feel like we're starting all over again with making friends and getting plugged in. Meeting new people is not really one of my gifts. But, it will be worth it - and I know we'll be plugged in to a new circle of friends in no time. God has been so faithful to provide such amazing friends at every stop along our journey!! Not to mention that we have some fabulous friends here already!

I should mention that being close to family has been wonderful! The kids have been so thrilled to get to see Grandma and Gummie so often. Plus, getting to see my little brother when he was on leave. We've had the chance to see Kylie and Stacey - and Kylie absolutely loves Jakey!!! Its too cute and makes him feel really good! Plus, I had the most wonderful surprise the other day. My sister-in-law, Beth and my neice, Lauren came over with lunch! It was so fun to not only see them, but to know that we can visit anytime! We're going to Ed's cousin, Audra's on Monday for the holiday, so that will be fun as well!

Can you believe Jace will be THREE months old tomorrow??? Gracious, where does the time go? I went to a homeschool support group open house this week and had him in the sling while my mom kept the other kids at home. He's finally got enough head control that I can carry him facing out - and he was on cloud 9! He smiled at and "chatted" with everyone there! It was too cute. He's a sweet and happy little guy. I'll have to post some new pics soon.

Well, I think that covers the latest with us. I'll try to stay a little more current - and I'm sure hoping to get and stay caught up with reading blogs! Its amazing how fast they add up when you get behind!

Second Grade at Joyful Education School

I finally got all our curriclum settled for next fall. My hope is to be homeschooling year round - although this summer we'll be taking lots of time off with a new baby in the mix.

One of the things I love about having a blog is being able to keep track of what we do. So, with that in mind, I'm listing out our curriculum for next year - it probably won't mean much to very many ... but it will be fun for me to keep track!

For Jake, we'll be continuing My Father's World (MFW), which we have loved this year!

Next year focuses on an overview of U.S. history and geography before jumping into a 5-year history cycle - a Classical approach. I love the Classical approach, but I also love MFW's idea of giving kids a little background on their world before jumping into other countries, cultures, etc. One of my favorite things about MFW is the way they combine all the approaches I love - Classical, Charlotte Mason and Unit Studies all with a Christian foundation! And, its all put together for me!! (bonus!)

MFW will cover ~

• Bible reading and scripture memory


• Copywork, Narration, Memorization (poetry, etc.)
  
• Vocabulary


• Nature Studies & Walks (we'll keep a nature notebook)


• History (U.S. - Exploring American History; American Pioneers & Patriots; North American Indians; Red, White and Blue; The Thanksgiving Story; The Fourth of July Story; Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims; The Courage of Sarah Noble; On the Banks of Plum Creek; Sarah Whitcher's Story; In Grandma's Attic; Mountain Born; Farmer Boy; plus we'll keep a timeline in a book or on a wall)


• Science (First Encyclopedia of Science; Science with Air; Science in the Kitchen; Birds, Nests and Eggs)


• Geography (U.S. - all 50 states)


• Music (Patriotic Songs - Celebrate America; The Story of Tchaikovsky in Words and Music CD; Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty; Nutcracker Highlights CD and The Nutcracker Ballet)


• Art (I Can Do All Things)

We will also add ~

• Math - Math-U-See (Gamma & Delta) & Hayes Math (4th & 5th grade)


• Spelling - Sequential Spelling
  
• Language Arts - First Language Lessons


• Handwriting - Handwriting Without Tears, 2nd and 3rd grade


• Lapbooks - Birds, Texas, Airplanes, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving, Discovering Genesis & probably others.


• Homeschool PE and Soccer

It sounds like a lot - but its really not as crazy as it looks. To accomplish everything plus a few NACD activities will take us about 3 hours per day. We won't be covering every subject everyday and what we do cover will be short lessons. MFW is a 4-day week with the 5th day being an "Exploration Day" - a day for nature walks, science experiments, art projects, catching up, etc.

For Jordan, we'll continue following NACD's recommendations for academics and will also add ~

Little Hearts for His Glory by Heart of Dakota Publishing - which will cover:

• Science (The World God Made)


• Music (Hide 'Em in Your Heart CD)


• History (History for Little Pilgrims, History Stories for Children)


• Bible (Family Time Bible, Devotions for the Children's Hour)


• Reading

We'll also use Handwriting Without Tears (1st grade) and Hayes Math (3rd & 4th grade) + tons of books & lots of NACD stuff! We'll choose unit studies as we go along and incorporate lapbooks to go with them - and she'll participate in the lapbooks with Jake. Of course, she'll be continuing ballet! Jordan's day, depending on our NACD program will take 3-5 hours. Still shorter than a "traditional school day." I'd also really like to start a piano curriculum with all 3 kids - but I'm going to hold off on that until after Christmas and see where we are.

As always, we'll continue to include Jadyn with as much as possible. She's always game for Bible work, art, music, etc!

Our scripture for the year will be: Proverbs 2:1-11 "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you."

Have I mentioned that I loooove homeschooling??? Its going to be a great year!

Rock Climbing

Jake's FAVORITE activity at his homeschool PE class is rock climbing.
Yesterday, I finally had my camera in my purse on a rock climbing day and got lots of pictures. He kept turning around to be sure I was taking his picture - and he climbed higher than he ever has before! He was very proud! There are several different places you can climb that range in level of difficulty - and he tested them all out!

Easter Lapbook!

Today, the kids and I made an Easter lapbook - based on the same idea as the Resurrection Eggs. Each egg lifts up and has a picture of an item to discuss regarding the events that led up to Jesus' Resurrection!
It turned out really cute (if I do say so, myself!). Anyone that knows me knows I am short on creativity - so let me just say I got this idea here. There was lots to color and cut, so I "got" to help in that department! Jake loves playing with my punches, so he cut out all the flowers! Everyone helped color the eggs - and it was great to talk about what today is about - and of course, Easter!

Here are some pictures of our handiwork today:

Old Testament books

It just so happens that part of Jake's curriculum is to learn the books of the Bible - AND that they are learning them in his class at church as well.
Jake's been working on the Old Testament for the last few weeks and is now proud to be moving on to the New Testament.
Anyway, here he is saying the books of the OT:
(and no, he didn't get glasses - he's wearing his NACD glasses to fix his eye)

Back to the 'Name Game'

I got a lot of fun ideas on homeschool names - and I've been compiling a list of my favorites. They are in no particular order.

Abner Academy (Abner was a cousin of Saul - and his name means "my father is a light" in Hebrew)

Abundance Academy

Crossroads Academy (Jeremiah 6:16)

Wisdom House (Proverbs 9:10)

Wisdom Seekers (Proverbs 9:10)

Liberty Academy

Joyful Education Station (initials match all the kids: JES)

High Hopes Academy (Isaiah 40:31)

So, what do you think?

What's in a Name?

I'm SO not creative, so I need help from those of you that are!

For the last few weeks, I've been trying to come up with a name for our homeschool.

We could just call it "Sustala Homeschool" or "Sustala Academy," but I really want something more creative and that encompasses more about us. Like our faith, excitement for learning, etc. Something clever - maybe even a play-on-words type name.

I know creative juices are already flowing for some of you, so throw out those suggestions! Let's see what you've got!

Jakey reading the story of creation

This post is for the grandma's.

Jake is really proud of how well his reading has improved (namely his fluency) since we started using the "occluding" glasses recommended by NACD. So, this morning he asked me to video him reading from his bible story book so I could post it on my blog! Too cute.

Warning: it's long ... like 5+ minutes! Don't say you weren't warned.

Wow ... Time sure flies!

I can't believe its been more than 3 weeks since my last post. So much has been happening ... I guess its that time of year!
A quick recap of the last 3 weeks:
*Ed and I attended a marriage conference hosted by our church at the beginning of the month. It was really great and we enjoyed the time away to focus on each other! We learned a lot of new things and were reminded of many things we'd learned in the past. It was a great time!
*Jordan and Jake started practice for the kids Christmas Musical at church. Its going to be really cute. They both have lines to say (although Jordan will be saying hers along with some other kids ... but she's just thrilled to get to say something!). They are both excited. Jordan will be Mary again this year - she couldn't be more excited!
*Ed and I went to a dinner with my mentoring moms group a couple weeks ago. We had a nice time and I think Ed enjoyed the opportunity to chat with other homeschooling dads. They have a unique role for sure! One I'm particularly thankful for - not only does he work really hard at a stressful job (that he loves, thankfully!), but he comes home with more energy for us! I'm grateful that he makes the effort to be such a hands-on, plugged in dad. The more men I meet, the more I realize that it takes an intentional effort for dads to be engaged...and I'm so blessed to have one that works SO hard at being an amazing husband and dad! Thank you, honey, for the job you do! You are amazing!
*My friend, Amy inspired me to do something new this year! She has spent the past year not only turning me on to the idea of card making, but also attempting to teach me! I don't have a creative bone in my body, so she's had her work cut out for her! But I do love to craft, so I try to copy inspiration! I'm excited to actually be making all of our Christmas cards this year! So, that's been taking up most of my free time the last few weeks. This is no small job - we send out about 120 cards each year! I'm having a blast doing it and may even make this an annual tradition! Thanks, Amy for getting me started on such a fun hobby!
*I've been getting some Christmas shopping done as well, although many of our gifts will be homemade this year ... ahh, more paper crafts!! The kids are making some ornaments as well, so we're having a great time! I just have a few things left to buy and will be done!
*We got our first snowfall Wednesday last week. I don't think I'll ever get tired of how pretty it is ... or used to driving in it! Winter is in full swing around here - with more snow expected this week. Here we go again!
*Last week for Thanksgiving, we had our friends Curt and Mandy and their kids over and we ate way too much!! I ditched my diet in honor of Thanksgiving and it was great to enjoy so much rich food!! We played games ... and who knew Mandy was so competitive??? No wonder I like her so much! Our kids all played really well together and it was a fun day! Mandy brought a fun turkey craft for the kids to make and they all added leaves to our "Thanksgiving tree" - writing things they were thankful for on each leaf. I can't wait to have them over again - perhaps for a more "normal" meal ... and more games, for sure!
*Friday, we spent the day putting our tree up and decorating. The kids had a blast. Jake noticed that the girls both have "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments (Jordan has 2), but he doesn't have one! Oops! I can't even blame it on birth order. Sorry, buddy. Maybe we'll get you a 'medium boy's 6th Christmas' ornament this year. Hmm, there may not be a big market for those. Ed and I both now know why people put their Christmas lights up November first around here (although we'll NEVER get why they put their trees up that early) - its been too cold for him to venture out on the roof - which is not a job he's fond of in any weather. I guess the cold is a good excuse!

I think that about covers the last 3 weeks - probably in more detail than anyone was interested in! :-) Now maybe I can stay caught up a little better! And post some new pictures!