Top 10 reasons why homeschooling works for my family

If I had a nickle for every time I've been asked "WHY do you homeschool??," I'd be a rich lady. I'm also asked, "Don't you ever get sick of your kids?" And my favorite is: "I need me time and I need my own money."  My answers to those who inquire vary depending on how snotty the person asking is or what their reasoning is.  I've been told before that I'm "doing my kids a disservice" by being with them (by people who eventually had kids that see on a very minimal basis.)  I'm sorry, not trying to be ugly, but i know what works for MY family. So, here go my top twenty reasons for homeschooling, although I have hundreds or maybe thousands.

1. I homeschool because I'm able to.

I've been blessed with a husband who has us financially stable on just his income. We aren't high maintenance.  We have zero credit debt.  And not to mention that my husband absolutely backs my decision to homeschool our children.  I realize that not every family has the option.  My best friend is raising her son alone and has no financial support, leaving every bill including daycare up to her.  She provides everything without a single complaint rolling off of her lips.  She's a phenomenal mother and friend as well.  I'm beyond blessed to have her in my life.

2. We can speak freely about God and pray, whenever we want to!!

My kids LOVE to pray.  About anything and for everyone.  I'm raising absolutely well-rounded kids who have amazing faith. I'm able to do bible curriculum and answer any question they hurl at me with scripture without fear of backlash from cranky parents or a school district.  

3. I like to be with my kids.

Plain and simple.  I'm not saying that they don't drive me crazy.  They do.  Daily.  But at one point in time I was told I'd never have kids. They are my life.  I'm never going to look back on my time at home with them and wish I'd worked to give them more toys or a bigger house.  Our house is the perfect size.  And their main concern: the yard is huge. They have plenty of toys (my parents adore them and never say "No.") The folks who know me personally who've addressed my lack of income, I'm fairly certain my children will not regret my decision one bit and will look back fondly of a mom who chose them.  

4. I know my children are safe at all times.

"You can't shelter your child from everything." Blah, Blah, Blah.  By homeschooling, I am able to protect my children from school shootings (never hurts when mama is packing), from sexual predators who may be lurking inside the school, and from little punks who like to bully kids who are different than they are. My son had a speech delay because of bad ears.  He was bullied plenty of times (starting at the age of 2) because of his speech.  My son has made so much progress and playground bullying made that seem irrelevant the first time that happened.  To see stuff like that is heartbreaking as a parent.  I knew when it happened, if possible I wouldn't subject him to that on a daily basis.  Since then his speech has caught up, but I still don't have to worry about kids who take their bad home life out on my kids at school.

5. Standardized tests aren't for everyone. 

I was a horrible tester through school.  Cringed at the thought of them.  And bombed ones I had studied for for days.  It just wasn't my thing.  And SC law doesn't require any standardized testing.  Thank goodness.  My kids breeze through their schoolwork like it's nothing.  I know what they're learning and I know their weaknesses.  Eventually, we will check into testing, but no time soon.

6. iPads are taking the place of paper and pencil in schools.

My kids have iPads.  They go everywhere with us.  But they're not allowed in my classroom.  We do workbooks, activities, experiments, nature walks, read, etc.  We even watch Magic School Bus for science.  But my kids are going to learn to appreciate paper and pen!!

7. Common Core.

Common core standards are just plain stupid.  I've seen "new math" and read excerpts of sex ed that were directed to an audience as young as 8-9 year olds.  I'll pass.  My kids have learned and will continue to stack math and do it the "old school" way.  And sex ed is not in my future for nearly a decade!!

8. We like to move.

We have a big backyard with a creek and spring.  We keep a garden.  We like to visit the kids' Mimi & Papa when we please.  We love field trips.  We like long breaks between subjects to play.  The kids do karate, soccer, drums, cheer & co-op. Busy is our way of life. 

9. I love to watch my kids learn.

The look on my sons face when he read his first word at 2 years old.  My daughter's excitement when she finally wrote her name without copying it or having it spelled for her.  It's a magical thing.  I used to think I would want to be a teacher because I loved kids.  But then I realized, maybe God knew I would teach my own and be happier.

10. We make school fit around life.

Sports, doctor appointments, sickness, days Josh takes off work to be with us, field trips, etc.  When we have beautiful, sunny days with comfy temps in the middle of a rainy week, we cancel school.  We do school in pajamas most days.  We just do life and we do it comfy. 

Like I've said, there are many more reasons why this works for my family.  I'm not knocking anyone else for their choice and what works for their family.  I just figured stating it at least once daily gets old.  And sometimes, mamas who do what you do read your words and it's like a high-five to them.  We just need to stop the mommy wars, ladies.  It's not worth it.  No one is doing a better job because they do life different or because "their way is right".  The point is, you keep your kids alive and that's what counts.  Be kind to one another!!

No-Sew Fleece Blanket

 This past week Kyleigh asked me why she only had one no-sew blanket.  She also let me know that she's "not into" Hello Kitty anymore.  We decided to break down and make her a new one.  She chose her My Little Pony fabric at Hancock and helped me a little bit with this process.  Super simple.  Super soft blankets.  Here are the steps::

You will need::

(These will make fleece blankets big enough to cover a twin bed)

2.5 yards solid fleece fabric
2.5 yards themed/patterned fleece fabric
Crafting/Quilting Scissors

Lay both pieces of fleece out on top of each other. I keep my theme piece facing me since this is the side that will be facing up when in use typically.  Line them up together and begin to trim around. (Most fabric that has a copyright will have a white strip on the edge with writing.)  

Next, you are going to cut your corners.  You will cut a 4 inch by 4 inch square off of each corner of your blanket.  

Then, you will cut 1 1/2 inch strips all the way around the blanket.  These will be your knots around the edges. It doesn't matter which corner you start at either.

You will tie these strips together (the set will have a solid and printed piece.) Do This all the way around until this is your finished product.

Final Step:: ENJOY!! It took me roughly an hour and forty five minutes to make this just because my baby girl wouldn't quit trying to jump over it.  I also got pictures of her with it but they all had silly and blurry faces.

Calming Sensory Jar

I decided to jump on the bandwagon & make the kids a calming sensory jar.  Their spats have been getting particularly difficult to diffuse lately.  Maybe because they're both always right HAHA. I grabbed the stuff I needed to make it from Walmart last night & they helped make it.  I chose blue glitter because it is somewhat neutral.  Kade likes Blue and Kyleigh says it looks like Elsa blue.

I didn't take any pictures of the process but it's fairly easy to do.

What You Need:

1/2 Bottle Glitter Glue (we used a no-name brand)

1 vial of glitter from the crafts section (we used a good amount per kids' request)

1 jar (we can, so we keep mason jars on hand)

hot tap water

**Optional: Food Coloring (we didn't use any)

First, put the half bottle of glitter glue in the bottom of your jar. Then put the hot tap water in.  Sometimes the glue won't break up good if the water isn't hot enough, so get it HOT. Then, dump your desired amount of glitter into the jar.  Make sure the lid is secure.  We screwed our lid on tight.  You could also super glue the lid on if you'd feel better.  Shake the jar and try to break up the glue.  Final Step:: ENJOY!! When the kids have a spat or a tantrum, sit them down with this and make them sit and watch until all of the glitter has fallen to the bottom. Can take up to 2-5 minutes.

I'm telling you Moms, this is therapeutic for us as well!! I've enjoyed this one and so have the kids!!

My First Valance (Hand-Sewn)

This weekend, I finally got fabric to make my master bedroom and master bath curtains and valance.  We have yet to paint the rooms, but the light in the mornings on weekends is just a bit much.  This is a quick tutorial on how to sew a valance.  I had to hand sew this because I have yet to fix my sewing machine. 

First, measure your window & add an additional 15" to the width of your curtain.  You will also want this piece of fabric to be 20" long.  Trim the fabric to this size and press and pin a 1/2" seam along the bottom and the sides of the panel.  On the top, you will want to fold your fabric 3" over.  You will place your first seam of your rod pocket here.  Then, measure down 1 and a half inch from the very top of the panel and sew the other seam for the rod pocket.  

My Fabric of Choice

Sewing the seams.

Finished Product. Again, the color will be changed soon!

General Tso's Chicken...QUICK & EASY!!

One of our absolute FAVORITE meals is General Tso's Chicken with rice and veggies.  It's also one of our splurges as far as calories and price.  I recently decided to make it at home.  This recipe is simple & easy to make and clean up after.  This had my husband running up the hall to investigate the source of the smell ;)

Ingredients::

1 lb chicken breast cut into small nuggets

1-2 cups of flour (for dredging)

2 tbsp. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp. water

Instructions::

Heat oil first, on medium heat.  Dredge chicken in flour and cayenne, fry in oil until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil.  While your chicken is cooking, get your sauce mixture going (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic & ginger), heat this mixture on a lower setting. When sauce is smooth and well-mixed, add cornstarch mixture SLOWLY and stir until you reach your desired thickness.  Then pour the mixture over your chicken.  Serve with your favorite veggies and rice.  I used Squash and Zucchini from last summer's garden, along with Broccoli and Basmati rice. 

Kids Rooms are DONE!!

We FINALLY got the kids' rooms done.  We moved in last February after our floors were done.  And we decided to put painting off until we were settled in.  We decided that Christmas was THE perfect time to do it.  Everything is magical, suprises abound & the kids were BOTH SO appreciative for their newly painted rooms.

Kyleigh's room was a horrible Pepto-pink with a wallpaper accent wall. If you check out one of my previous posts, you'll see JUST how awful it was.  When we thought we had a house the previous year, I had picked out a beautiful color called Pre-dawn Sky for her.  It's a poppy color that just fits my daughter's personality.  Here is the end result (ALONG with her IKEA Trofast organizer that has simplified life just a tad.)

Kade's room was just a flat, dull, boring white.  Which is the absolute complete opposite of my entertainer of a boy. He chose a "creeper" green (you Minecraft parents & peeps know what I'm talking about!) I don't have  a before picture but it's easy to imagine a blank room. And here is the end result of his room.

I have SO many more plans for this house.  And hopefully, many more posts showing off things we've accomplished due to many hours of Pinteresting & HGTV binging.  Thank you for reading!! 

DIY Lego Table from Ikea Lack

My babies have been SO into Legos for a while.  My son is a major Minecraft fanatic and my daughter had sweet-talked her Mimi into buying her the Elsa Ice Castle Lego set. With several sets on their way to our house, I started Googling to see how pricey Lego tables can run you.  RIDICULOUS!! Some of the cheaper ones were more expensive than making my own from Ikea would be.  I decided to buy two Ikea Lack tables. The white one for my daughter was on sale for $7.99 and my son's green one was $9.99.  Shipping ran me $10.  I got on Amazon & found the gray 48x48 Lego Classic Baseplates for $14.99 with free shipping with my Prime account.  I read that the Gorilla Wood Glue would be my best bet at getting the baseplates to stick to the table.  This ran me $4 at Walmart.  It took all of 5 minutes to glue the baseplates on and I let them dry overnight.  Screwing the legs into the tables took the longest amount of time.  I spent roughly $63 on the supplies and a whopping total of about 40 minutes making both tables.  The kids were SO surprised Christmas morning and love them already.  They've been put to the test and when you use the Lego pry tool, the baseplates do not budge or show any signs of loosening from the table top.  I highly recommend making one if your kids are into Legos and you don't want to spend a small fortune!!