First Post!

Hello.

Well I started this blog a year ago...and this is my first post. :o)

I was kinda side tracked with my stamping/card making blog last year-it was my little piece of me. Well after a belly flop of of year I decided that I needed to make some changes in order to succeed at homeschooling this year.

One change was scaling down "my" stuff. I was spending too much time working on my CTMH business and design cards. Did I just say that out loud?

I think I started using the design card thing as a direct outlet to my frustration over the "in my eyes" impending failure of a homeschool year.

I'm not saying that I was making cards when I should have been teaching James-but I was making cards/blog surfing when I should have been 1. sleeping 2. doing research on HS.

I did a lot of research before I jumped into the homeschool thing. I prayed on it and did research on it for 1.5 years. I did a lot of research but the one thing I missed was the homeschool blogs. I guess I just figured what would be the point if a homeschool blog?

Well, I quickly learned that blogs serve as an information, collaboration.

Blogs are an excellent way to learn about any topic.

So here I am now.

Going into my second year of homeschooling.

This is what I have learned:

1. Connect with other Homeschooling families. Support is crucial. Reaffirmation essential.

I was about to give up, and send James back to school for grade three. It was May and I had completely given up-I was burnt out and tired of struggling. I felt like a complete failure.

My husband and son had agreed that James should go back to school. I was about to give in....when I posted on a local board. Wow the support was unbelievable. I even received a phone call from a now friend. She saved me, and my little homeschool. :o)

Everything changed after that. I remembered why I started homeschooling in the first place. And decided that failure why not an option.

2. Get Organized, and stay organized. It's crucial for children (especially ones that have been in the school system) that you get and keep organized. Make a schedule and stick to it. One thing that was eating me alive last year was the guilt that we were falling behind. And we were falling behind.

3. Get lots of resources. For James in particular, he has relational vocabulary issues. He may even have a mild learning disorder. So he needs to be shown LOTS of different ways to learn some concepts. Like learning to count to 100 last year took forever. It was so frustrating, for the both of us. If I had known last year about all the awesome manipulatives available, for every subject-we would have had way more fun and a lot less frustration learning/teaching new things.

So after stocking my classroom with almost $1300 worth of new curriculum, manipulatives, flash cards, posters etc. I feel way more confident that we are going to have a good year.

4. Activities. Schedule at least two-three afternoons with activities. The kids need to be around other children, and they need to be doing fun stuff. So I signed all the kids up for gymnastics, homeschool gym class. I'm also considering signing the kids up for a full day of workshops through our homeschool association. And we are signing up for EVERY "homeschool days" even we can! :o)

Anyways, I have overhauled our classroom, organized all of our supplies/resources and curriculum. I am fine tuning my 2010/2011 school year plan and schedule.

I just have to hang my magnetic board and cork board. Then I will post pictures, because I know every blog surfers likes to look a pictures.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nicole