Count your days

I know I already posted this on my Facebook group, but this comment by an old school friend  touched me so deeply that I really wanted to share it.  

 He was rushed to hospital after a pool accident on 24 August..longest 3min of our lives.But was already walking the streets of Gold with Jesus... Missed his 1st birthday the following week 1 September----he would have been 16yrs old this week. Every day is purposed to have its own blessings in it...count your days that He has given you to share...tomorrow might not come for some...so when prompted......call that person, invite for dinner, go visit...don't waste this gift.....of Today.~~~~~~~~`trust me, I know.

 We forget, we always forget.  

The fragility of life.  

We have no guarantees - life is short.   

I was reminded again to take the time to listen

to spend a moment appreciating those around me

to breath deeply and enjoy where I am and who I am with.

Love you all deeply and pray that God will inspire you today to make your day count!

Maintaining meaningful friendships in busy times

With life being so busy and yet the friendships and relationships we build being so important to our emotional, mental and spiritual well being - finding a way to make it all work together can be a challenge.  I love my friends and I want to ensure that they know that.  I want to demonstrate my love for them and really be proactive in maintaining those relationships, even when I feel the pressure to just keep busy with family and life.

I have often written about friendships.  Friendships that I didn't build into enough and these friends now live on another continent, the importance of having strong relationships and all of these take planning and time.  Friendships can start out rather spontaneously but to maintain them, takes more!


I have a few ways that I maintain, build and grow my friendships:

1.  Schedule it

I schedule the days I will phone my friends.  I schedule an email to a specific friend.
If I phone a friend on Monday, I will schedule a date 2 weeks away to phone again.  (this is especially for my long distance friends) If I don't do it like this, weeks will pass like days and before I know it I haven't spoken to them in 2 months. 

2.Rather do a little than nothing

I sometimes just go to someone's Facebook profile and let them know that I am thinking about them.  I don't send long messages, just a quick note - but a reminder that I am thinking of them and care about them.  A BBM message, an SMS, an email- whatever you prefer.

3. Make appointments to see friends

Every week I plan ahead to ensure that I meet up with my friends.  I try to make it a minimum of one friend a week.  I also don't want to run around like a crazy social butterfly and schedule visits with friends every day of the week.  I would be exhausted and it would become more of a duty than a visit.  I normally plan a week in advance and choose a day that works best for our household (keeping in mind my husbands needs, homeschooling schedule and housekeeping responsibilities)

4.  Keep it short

I find that shorter visits are a lot easier to manage than lengthy ones.  A coffee rather than a meal.  A chat while our children participate in a sporting activity together is far easier to manage.  Taking a flask of coffee with some biscuits is just as good for times of friendship, as going to a local coffee shop.

5.  Visit after hours

I especially do this with friends who do not have small children or children who are not age appropriate for my children.  It also gives me the freedom to leave the kids at home with Sean, so I can have some time out.

6.  Focus on a few

I can't be a friend to everyone.  I have had to reflect and consider who I would call my friend.  I choose carefully because these are people I bare my soul to,  the ones I know who watch my back;distance, time, none of these change our relationship because they run deep.  These are the ones I want to build. 

7.  Let them join in with your program

I love having friends in my home but sometimes I have to make dinner, bake for an event or get things done in the kitchen.  I specifically have one friend who sits and chats to me in the dining room while I carry on in the kitchen.  She has become so used to me being busy while visiting that she now brings her own things to do like crochet or sewing while we visit together.  In between we drink copious amounts of copy and natter away while our children play.  It's perfect!  We get to be together even though life continues to happen around us.

8.  Listen to those promptings or feelings

Often the most important times for friends have been times when they have been on my mind and I have followed up with a call or email.  It's when they have needed me most, a word of encouragement or just a listening ear.  The times I haven't phoned I have regretted it, because I always seem to find out afterwards that things have been difficult.  God gave us friends not just for us but so that we can be His gift to them too and I love being part of his bigger picture.

What do you do to nurture your friendships? How do you priortise friends and fit them into your life?

How do we manage everything?

Often people ask me the question - how I manage.....

* homeschooling

* housekeeping

* friendships

* personal care

* marriage

* gardening

* washing

* blogging

 with a large family

You know the list, it never ends.  There is so much to do every day, every week.  

How do I manage?

I have a "That One Thing" approach to everything I do. 

 Housekeeping involves cleaning the dishes, sweeping, washing etc - but I don't have time to do a top to bottom clean every day and without any help, the dirt can pile up. So I just do one thing outside of the normal chores a day.  Clean a cupboard (not two or three), clean a drawer, wash the kitchen windows, tidy a shelf.  I just do one thing.  I could do more but I know that the times I do, I over do it and then I lack the motivation the next day to carry on again - or it interferes with other activities like homeschooling.  

The same goes for personal care - I can't sit in a beauty salon all day to do all the plucking, buffing, waxing while I sit and relax - I don't have the money and I don't have the time. I just do one thing. Today I sorted out my eyebrows, tomorrow I will most likely do my heels.  Of course I brush my teeth, brush my hair or wash my face every day but it's the extra things that take up more time that I schedule for that one thing.

I know it sounds oversimplified but who needs complicated, life is complicated enough!  And it works.  Of course everything never looks fantastic all of the time but at least I get to it and it doesn't slip through the cracks.

Try it!

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No, they are not perfect!

I love love love my kids, they are the best! And you know what - they are not perfect - never ever.  And even if they look like they are resembling perfection - it won't last - maybe a couple of minutes, if I am lucky a bit longer - but it will come to an end.

As you look at your own children and compare them to children who appear to be altogether perfect, well mannered, diligent and immaculately dressed - remember that they ain't perfect either and neither is their mommy!  They will also have their moments.  Maybe not quite the same moment or at the same inconvenient time - but they will.

My children have temper tantrums, cry for effect, lie, manipulate, give me attitude, bicker, drag their feet when it comes to chores, moan and groan and complain.

And it's only when I stop looking at other children and comparing, that I am really able to enjoy them and see...

that they also make me laugh, they help and serve, are considerate with their siblings, look after me when I am feel down, make dinners, ask a multitude of questions and have a zest for life, are adventurers and love quickly, forget my mistakes and forgive easily, are adventurers and bring colour to every day. 

Stop for a moment today and just make a list of 5 things that make each of your children special to you today and then go and tell them.  Make it a time of building with them.  Do it and you will be amazed at how good it is to speak such life over them and for them to hear what they are doing right!

Homeschooling takes commitment

Today on Facebook, I found this note that Heidi St John of The Busy Homeschool Mom wrote as many homeschoolers start their school year now.  This is different to us(South Africa) as we start school in January but I found this note so relevant to anyone who homeschools.  It's a real reminder of what we are doing and why we are doing it, the encouragement all of us need to hear every day!

Okay, I just have to say: this is a hard time of year for the "regular school" and "homeschool" moms to understand each other. Sometimes it can be downright depressing to watch other moms send their kids off to school and return to their houses to do ... well I can only imagine. :) My best friend sends her kids to "regular" school and so this is NOT a "dig" , it's just a reality check.

This morning I saw a status from a mom who was "elated" to finally have her children back in school... she was going to the mall by herself to celebrate... oh the plans she had, 7 hours to herself every day! No messy house. Peace and quiet. I admit, I felt the familiar sting of jealousy mixed with a bit of angst about all that was ahead for me this fall, minus my oldest two graduates ... And then, it hit me: homeschooling is a MONUMENTAL COMMITMENT. And it's not for everyone.

Homeschooling families choose

—more messy house days
—more math lessons
—less "me" time
—less "quiet" time
—less income, most of the time
—less trips to the mall...or anyplace else... alone :)

But IN RETURN, if we do not lose heart, if we stay the course, the reward far exceeds the commitment we're making.

Homeschooling families also choose
—more involvement, which means more influence with their children
—more TIME with their children, which means more memories to cherish and to use the influence we have
—more childhood, thanks to just being home more
—more opportunities to shape hearts and minds
—more insight into their children's hearts
—more educational options to meet individual needs
—more interaction, more hugs, more TIME. Did I mention more time? Oh yes, I did.
—more flexibility. Go to the park, bake cookies. Play.

Sometimes, "less" really is "more". And it doesn't mean that homeschooling is not hard or that putting your child in school doesn't have it's moments either. But as homeschooling moms, you're making a commitment to put your heart and soul into the lives of your children in a way that many people would not ever choose to do.

Will it be hard? You know it will. But it's worth it.

It's just so worth it! So don't be jealous of moms who have just sent their kids back to school. Instead, embrace the opportunity you have been given and make the most of the homeschool years. They really do go by fast. ♥

 

Thank you Heidi for this reminder, we need reminding all the time of the calling, the reasons, the rewards and the value of what we are doing!

Online programs and software we use

As you know from last week's post, we use online programs and software for all sorts of reasons, but how about a look inside this homeschooling room in South Africa - to find out what we use in the WILD!  (Excuse my rather tongue-in-cheek comment but for some reason - a lot of people still believe we have giraffes and lions roaming in our backyard.)  Online programs are part of our daily homeschool routine and it's lots of fun with lots of variety.

Online Review Products

I always have a few of these running.  I love trying out new products and with such a range of young children aged 4 to 11, I have the perfect group of sample testers. They enjoy the variety and they are brutally honest.  I definitely do not write a positive review for anything that I don't think is great. If it's mediocre or less I don't.

Memrise

The children use this for our Mandarin character writing.  There are currently more than 3000 characters to be learnt and the boys are on about 100 or so characters.  This is done online and there are more than 200 languages and courses available here.  I make this part of their learning routine on a daily basis, except when things don't go according to plan:)

Rosetta Stone Homeschooling Edition

 This is a software program which we bought and imported.  We use this as the basis for our Mandarin learning.  I have heard that there are very similiar programs out there which cost a lot less with the same type of format.

Learn Chinese Online
Though the children use Memrise for Chinese character recognition, there is no opportunity to practice writing the characters themselves and so I looked all over the place to find a site -which for the moment, is the one they use.  It shows them what order to write their strokes which is systematic and can include more than 16 different strokes for a really complex character.

Seterra

They use this for social sciences and which helps them to know continents, countries and cities - it's a free map quiz game that can be download onto a computer. It's a race against time.  You should try it with your children.  Nothing is more motivating than competing against mom and dad.  My boys are also naturally competitive, especially the older two, and they compete for 1st and 2nd place all the time.  Chad struggles with the names of some of the places as they are difficult to pronounce and some are fairly foreign sounding.  I would recommend this for Grade 3 or older (including high school).

Moneyville

A recent discovery and very appealing in its presentation.  It's all about learning about using money, saving and working.  Of course there are adventures and rewards.  Even time travel which by the way, needs to be paid for by work.  Which is great because, as they get to know that nothing is for free.  All my children enjoy this, even I do - it's not very complicated.  Definitely for age 6 to 8.  Though Declan (11) enjoyed this, I don't think any sustained activity for him would hold much interest.  More for screen time days than learning days but one I know they enjoy.

There is a wizard, - but he is a rather harmless fellow and I just instructed the children not to pay too much attention to him.

Reading Eggs
I have written about this product a number of times and all I can say is - we love it!

BBC Mat Typing

This is a great place to get those typing skills that every child needs.  Yes even boys.  If there's a computer in the house then at least teach them how to type quickly.  These days, touch typing is a life skill.  Then they truly will have all the information they need at their fingertips:)

Chess Kid

What my children love about this site is that they have the chance to compete against children from all over the world.  Whoever is online at the same time is the next competitor.  And if your children are new to Chess, there is even a brief video explaining how to play or if they already play but want to improve there are videos about that too.  And of course safety measures have been put into place, so that you as mom can ensure that your children don't meet any dodgy people online.  All games are matched according to age and ability too which means that a new learner is not thrashed online the first time they try.



There have been a number of programs and software learning systems which we have used in the past that were excellent resources too but I wanted to write about the ones we are using at the moment.  We are constantly changing the software we use and are always on the lookout for something that will work for our family. 

I would love to hear what software programs you are currently using in your homeschool?  Do you use a computer based program or an Internet based program?

Photo Journal of Cape Explorers

You may remember that I mentioned that one of the extra mural activities that my children participate is something called Cape Explorers, run by a fellow homeschooler.  And so the adventure has begun!  Besides painting T-shirts at our first meet - we have now ventured forth into the world of explorers and adventurers and our first visit was to Cape Union Mart where we were given the opportunity to brave the elements and try out some of the equipment used by those who would brave the elements.

Chad attempting the climbing wall

Listening as they are given the rules of engagement with all the adventure equipment

Not for the fearful i.e. mothers!

Ethan on the climbing wall again, and again and again, and again... and finally dragged off home

In the ice chamber of minus 14 degrees - freezing

Building tents - or trying to

Ruthie in the rain chamber - she loved the fact that it was pouring and she wasn't getting wet. 

All the little ones went into the rain chamber together - too precious for words.

Teacher Karen giving Chad the run down on wall climbing

And some mom's just had the chance to hang out with their kids - aren't they beautiful?

So good that all the little ones could do something together and not be left out!

The next time we meet we are headed to the Green Point Lighthouse which promises to be a thrilling and height defying adventure!  

Mel's Must Have #4 Yuppiechef

If you haven't heard of Yuppiechef, the you have missed out on the most beautiful kitchenware which you can buy online.  I love their online store and if I could, I would redo my entire kitchen with all their amazing kitchenware.  And if you are lucky enough to buy some of their products and you live in South Africa, well then that delivery is free!

What especially makes this a great online store is that it's owned by local South Africans. They only find the best products.  Products that make you want to spend more time in the kitchen - whether its to grind some coffee beans or make some toast - everything is fashion, colour and designer perfect.

Here are just some of the things I would definitely want in my kitchen!  Kitchen art deluxe.

Morphy Richards Accents Colour Boutique Metallic Pyramid Kettle, 1.5 litres

Morphy Richards Accents Colour Boutique Metallic 4-Slice Toaster

KitchenAid Artisan Espresso Machine

 

 KitchenAid Artisan Burr Coffee Bean Grinder

KitchenAid Artisan Food Processor

KitchenAid Waffle Maker

Bialetti Glamour Dama Moka Pot, 3 Cup

Red, red and more red - I love these!  You get to choose whatever colour you want! And red is what I want.  My kitchen is very white with blacks and greys and I have added reds, oranges and pink.  I know, I know - a little unusual but I simply must have bright colours in my life! 

Just so you get an idea of what I am aiming for, here you go!

Please Note:  I have not been asked to write about Yuppiechef. They don't know me, they don't know my children - they don't even know my name.- I get nothing from doing this - these are some of those things that I would simply love to own.

When to use online programs or software

I have a natural adversity to web based programs for my children which is pretty ironic considering how much time I spend online myself.  I just know that even as an adult, maintaining healthy boundaries in this area can be soooo difficult - and even more so for our children.  And yet I have found some really awesome programs - like Reading Eggs and Memrise - which all my children loved and argued over every day.

Homeschooling is all about discovery and learning

We have rich full days and most of the time I wonder how I can fit in all the opportunities for discovery and learning, never mind the more demanding book work.  Part of my daily challenge is to decide what to include and what to leave out.  Online programs and software is something we use almost every day.

* To supplement something we are already learning

It's great to use software that will add to what you are already learning, we use all sorts of software - some online and some that have been downloaded onto our computers.  

*  For busy or sick days

A doctor's appointment with one of the children, fielding business calls for my husband when he is out training the masses, an unexpected visitor, the days when I am still in my fluffy pink gown at 11am and desperately need to go and shower and get dressed - these are the days where online activities are a God sent strategy!  We are very blessed to have 2 fairly old laptops and a desktop and so these keep the older 3 boys busy and Ruthie gets the chance to watch one of her favourite video's like Strawberry Shortcake.

I know that I could leave them with other book work but I find that I have to have a multitude of conversations through the shower door, interruptions on the phone and with visitors or an endless stream of questions for work that they don't understand.  With this they are so busy - you could hear a pin drop.

* To change the pace of the day

Some days just don't work.  Nothing seems to be running smoothly.  The children are lethargic or distracted, my patience is running thin and I have explained something three times with 4 blank faces looking back at me.  Sometimes I need to change the pace.  Change the focus, so I can take a moment, and they can gather themselves.  A bit of fun and a learning experience for 30 minutes and then everyone is back on the same page.

*  Sneaky learning

I often feel frustrated because there is just so much to learn about and so many fun things to find out about but there are just not enough hours in the day.  We do screen time over the weekend but on rainy days when sport is cancelled or when the children have free time and they ask to play on the computer, I occasionally let them on condition that they only use the learning software I have.  Though it's not just games, the activities are so much fun that they don't even notice.

* Academic Feedback

A number of the programs that we use have assessments included, which is a great way for me to see how they have grasped a specific section of work and some of them even email me the results of what they have done, how much time they spent doing it and how well they have done it.

* Ensure that non busy students don't disrupt the rest of them

When one of my children are working very quickly in a section of work I allow to them to use the relevant software, while we wait for the rest to finish what they need to do.  It stops them from causing distractions and disrupting the rest of the children.

* Motivation and Rewards

Working slowly and getting distracted is one of my biggest challenges with the children.  They like to chat and discuss what they are doing, retell a story about what happened yesterday or just deviate to every other subject under the sun.  Computer time on these programs is offered as motivation for hard work and work done quickly.

Online activities keep little ones busy while you are teaching their older siblings

* Keeping little ones busy

Ruth who is 4 cannot sit around while her brothers are busy with one on one times with mom.  She entertains herself with toys and the like for short periods of time but sometimes I need to have some dedicated time with one of the boys.  I have a few excellent programs I use for her which are fun, read stories to her, and even sing songs and teach her riddles.  It makes the day a lot easier to manage when I can use these resources, this mom is under far less pressure.


I am always on the lookout for new web based learning activities and programs (which is probably why I love reviewing them) because when I find a good one, we just dive right in and use it until the children can't bear the site of it anymore or something better and newer comes along.

When do you use online programs and software in your homeschooling day?

Homeschooling Products I am reviewing for August

and probably September.  Those of you that read this blog, know that I am always about 5 steps behind my planned activities.  They're all in my head - but it's to get to get my head and my fingers talking to each other which is the problem, and this lazy body out of bed in the morning. Anyway enough about my sleeping patterns!

So here's what I will be reviewing this month:

ABC Mouse

This is aimed at children aged 2 to 6. Online interactive site which has about 450 lessons and 6 levels.  The site is progressive and so there are various levels which need to be completed to move onto the next level. Includes art, songs, puzzles, books, games and printables, maths and the world around us.  If you go to the homepage you will see a variety of sample lessons and if you like me, have a little one and want to give it a try - the first month is free.  Free is good!

Study Ladder

Preschool to Grade 7.  This is a web based program activities, video lessons,reward rooms and certificates which moms and dads can print.  There are more than 10 subjects available to work through.  Most of it can be done online, though you can also print some of the pages.  This is a subscription based program. Also if you are a teacher, apparently access to this site is free.  (though not sure if this is only for Australian schools).  As a homeschooler there is a free option but it is limited to 3 activities

Konos Homeschool Curriculum

KONOS is about... one home schooler talking to another home schooler... sharing curriculum designed by two homeschooling moms for their own children. It’s about sharing 24 years of homeschooling experience. It’s about passing on a vision to build families that honor God. It’s about instilling Godly character in the next generation. It’s about building relationships between family members. It’s about achieving excellence in education. It’s about reading wide and deep. It’s about recognizing "God put the wiggle in children, and we should not try to take it out." It’s about hands-on activities capturing children's attention and increasing their retention. It’s about teaching a child, not a curriculum. It’s about fun and laughter and shaping memories. It’s about creating a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. (source Konos)

I have received my first file and 3 DVD's (Introducing Konos/Oikos, Konos Living and Understanding Oikos) to watch and look forward to seeing how my children respond to this Character based curriculum.  We are going to start with Obedience - ha ha yes I know if you know my children - my wonderful children - they are having to learn a little about obedience.  Our local South African Konos representatives not only sell Konos but a number of other resources which I am familiar with like Maths-U-See, LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) and lots of other parent resources.  

These should keep me fairly busy this month and I know my children are going to love the variety in our homeschooling day.