Dealing with Questions

Another awesome post by our homeschooling guest-blogger at Ordinary Time

From the title you may think this is going to be about answering the myriad of questions children pose throughout the day.  But, it is actually about the questions that other people ask our children.  You know the ones:  all those nosy, intrusive questions you get when you are doing something that is outside the norm. 

In my 13 years of homeschooling, I have noticed a trend.  Maybe it’s that people don’t talk to me anymore because they don’t want to wade through the sea of children which surround me, or maybe it’s because it is really the case, but the general public seems more at ease with the whole notion of homeschooling.  At the beginning of our homeschooling journey, I could expect at least one comment, if not more, from complete strangers every single time.  As a result, my oldest daughter and I would practice managing these questions.  We came up with ways to respond so that we were still being polite, yet we didn’t give in to the scrutiny which came our way.  She became very adept at answering in a confident manner without giving too much information away.

Fast forward to last week.  Due to some rather intrusive, judgmental questions my children were asked by an uninformed museum docent, I realize that I have not given my younger children quite the same bit of practice that I gave my older ones.  Instead of speaking up confidently about why they like homeschooling, they instead sat mutely with mouths agape when asked if they were homeschooled because they didn’t like going to school.  Frankly, my mouth was slightly agape as well, because it was so unexpected.

Just to be prepared, we will be doing a bit of role-playing around here.  Maybe I’ll even make it into a game… write various, odd questions on slips of paper and have a child draw a question and practice answering it.  I know from my own experience, if I have an answer planned, I am much better at speaking up than if I’m trying to formulate an answer for the first time.

So how about you?  Do you have to field many nosy questions these days?  How do you prepare your children... or do you?

~"E."

www.ordinary-time.blogspot.com

Former Homeschooler Working in a Public School... Yes, it's True!

As a former homeschooling mom (check out the "about me" page for more info on this), I have traveled about as far in the opposite direction (to homeschooling) as imaginable. Over the past few weeks I've been working as a lunch lady at a local public school, while my children attend another public school in the same district. I have the unique perspective of having homeschooled 2 children... then finding myself at a public school for nearly 6 hours a day... witnessing firsthand children in a brick and mortar school.

For the first few years of my children's education all I knew (and cared to know) regarding my children's education included daily assignments and a borrowed laptop spread out on our drop leaf table. I took turns with each of my kiddos, one on the computer while the other had a writing assignment, or a math worksheet to complete... sometimes we read, sometimes we colored or created something marvelous. We were always together and I often wondered how the kids down the street faired as compared to my own. I felt bad for them... being away from their moms for hours a day and a heavy sadness for their mothers. At the time... I couldn't imagine sending my kids to a brick and mortar school. The final decision was made for me though... with the impossible challenges of a special needs son and A LOT of prayer, I knew God was guiding me another direction. 

Since those days... which seem so long ago, I can honestly see the advantages to either situation and guess you could say I have grown. My current opinion on the matter of whether or not to homeschool is that regardless of what a family opts to do, it should be without judgement from the community or public at large. There are different seasons in our lives and sometimes the right answer is to bring the kids home. Other times, it's not. Our kids are all so different... as are we. What works for one family doesn't necessarily work for another, and what worked last year, won't necessarily work this year.

Now that my kids are in a public school setting, they look a lot more like the world. My daughter spends a lot of time worrying about what's fair, how her hair looks, and what awards or accolades she gets at school... and just about anywhere else. My son finally has friends. I don't mean to fall into the whole "socialization" debate with homeschooled kids, but for my son at least, he desperately needed to be surrounded by his peers... for social development, and for more than a few hours a week. My son has grown so much at school and we're actually closer than before. My daughter is a lot more sassy, but also more competitive in a good way. She shines at school and loves every moment of it.

I watch the children at the school I'm currently at... and marvel at how well these kids behave. They listen to their teachers and seem to respond well to structure, which is something I was never able to create at home. I'm so far from being a structured person... more of a fly by the seat of my pants type of mom, who enjoys spontaneity and couldn't make that work with a special needs child. My son needed the structure and we are soooo blessed to live in an outstanding school district... known for high standards in education and the best teachers we could ask for.

In any case... God is good. Our lives aren't perfect and sometimes I do miss having them home... being home with them, but we all seem to have adjusted well to being a more mainstream family. One day... who knows when, I do anticipated bringing them back home again. Until then, I'll be a homeschool blogger, recounting days gone by, looking forward to days to come, and sharing what I know to be worthwhile amongst the homeschooling community.

Zondervan New Mom’s Prayer Bible Giveaway at 5 Minutes for Mom

If you're not already a 5 Minutes for Mom blog reader, you should check out this amazing site, written by Christian moms, sisters (twins actually). They provide a whole lotta awesome when it comes to articles of interest to young mothers... or mothers of young children.  I also happen to love their frequent giveaways.

It's great to find a Christian mom site that speaks to "real" moms and meets us where we're at rather than assuming we all have our "stuff" together... or even should be expected to have it all together! lol We're all flawed, but can learn so much from one another and I do believe that is exactly the way God intends it. We're a community after all!

If you or a friend could use a Bible, visit 5 Minutes for Mom now (before October 15th) and leave a comment. I'd love to have this Bible for myself, but God spoke to my heart today and I've opted to gift it to a dear friend of mine who's struggling lately with her young family, that is... should I win. There are 4 Bibles up for grabs! Maybe we could both win? lol Follow this link:  Zondervan Bible Giveaway to enter. :o)

PlayStation®Move Spells Competition for Wii

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm thrilled to have learned about PlayStation®Move before making a decision to buy a motion gaming system. My neighbor has a Wii Fit and I will confess to have coveted her gaming system every since she acquired it last Christmas. lol I've been trying to find a way to get in better shape, so obviously a motion gaming system makes me drool. I love the idea of being able to get in shape while playing a game, and have the freedom to do so in my own living room at any time of the day or night... and in any season of the year.

So... what should you know about the PlayStation®Move? With a wide variety of games to chose from (we're talking something for everyone), you'll love gaming with your ergonomically designed controller! This simple to operate controller gives you the full range of motion you and your kids have been dreaming of. I'd love to sample this system for you... and tell you just how cool it is in very vivid detail, but for now all I can do is dream (and drool a little more).

My kids have been fighting all evening. It's so fun too... let me tell you. I don't know how it is that I've kept my hair. We've had so many nights where I've felt like referee I'm wondering if I should change my wardrobe to better reflect my position.

I'm wondering how our evenings would look if we played games together... I mean all four of us? I seriously think it would be a blast! We'd learn to Move with the PlayStation®Move rather than sit in front of the television arguing about anything and anything that pops up.

Oh... before I go... I wanted to mention that should you already own a PlayStation®3 you can purchase the MOVE bundle package for only $99!

Welcome October!

This is one of my favorite months of the year... the cooler temperatures and gentle breezes are welcome friends after a hot and humid Summer.Can I just stop and say AWE?

I have a pumpkin coffee cake baking in the oven, even as I type... and I just can't wait to sample it in about 30 minutes! The house smells soooo amazing! Tomorrow I'll be pulling out my Fall harvest decorations, taking the kids out to buy pumpkins for the front porch (well... it's porchlike anyway), and thinking about my daughter's Dorthy costume, which I've been recruited to make for her. lol She's a huge Wizard of Oz fan.

What makes this time of year special for you? Do you have any Autumn traditions? Did you have any traditions growing up that you'll be introducing your own kids to?

I know October can look and feel like many different things, depending on where you live, but here we tend to have more frequent rain showers (love that!), cooler days, and in a few weeks... falling leaves. Of course before the leaves fall, they turn all sorts of beautiful and make me want to shoot dozens of photos... or just stop and stare for as long as I can get away with it before someone needs me! lol

Fall is awesome... it means we're almost to one of my favorite holidays... that being Thanksgiving. I'd have to guess that anyone who loves to cook and bake, has to love Thanksgiving and it gives me just enough exercise in the kitchen to prepare for Christmas. lol