Change of perspective

I was working on posting this on my facebook status:

Stuck at home with 4 kids, AND trying to clean/keep the house clean while my cleaning help is here, while waiting for the a/c people to come. 3 1/2 hours to go. Oh, and Scott "didn't see" Emily rolling around on the floor, tripped on her and then stepped on her. She was traumatized, but not injured. It's a special day. 

And then I remembered, it IS a special day. July 24 is the day people of my faith commemorate the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake valley. My very small bumps in the way I hoped my day would go are slight inconveniences. I'm embarrassed by the ease of my life when I think of those faithful people, among them mothers who walked hundreds of miles pregnant, gave birth along the way, and often buried their tiny sweet babies as they journeyed towards "Zion". It is good to remember and put my life in perspective.


 

Digital scrapbooking and a super deal

If you are a scrapbooker, have you tried digital scrapbooking? I find it appealing for several reasons:

•  It's digital! No papers, no scissors, no glue, no mess, no storage space needed for supplies!

•  It's digital! It can't get lost (unless you don't back up your computer files).

• It's digital! It's easy to move things around without worrying about glue and tape coming off the back of precious photos. It's easy to resize photos, add text, change colors on backgrounds...

• It's digital! It's easy to share with friends and family! There are so many more options - interactive slide shows, movies, printed photobooks....

In a comparison of 10 digital scrapbooking software options, My Software Suite was ranked #1, based on the criteria of appeal & flexibility, importing, design features, output options, ease of use, and help & support. It is also one of the most affordable options.

I've used it, and found it to be pretty straightforward and easy. I like the options. The only other experience I have trying to use photo software recently was with Piknik (picnic?), and this is MUCH easier, I found. One of my favorite things is that you can record narration to accompany a picture, which will be included in a slideshow or movie. It's perfect for all those old slides that you've digitized, the childhood photos you've scanned, or just the digital stills you've taken. Here's my example (not perfect - but still fun for remembering):



My Software Suite is offering you a special deal through the month of March. Purchase a copy of the software using coupon code STMMMS55078 and, in addition to saving $10, you will also get a FREE one year subscription to RAKStar.  That gets you a free digital scrapbooking kit every month - compatible with MyMemories Suite - valued at $247.35.

Click HERE to purchase the software or to download a free trial and check it out.

To redeem this limited time offer, please email me your receipt (smallandsimpleblog AT gmail DOT com) showing your purchase of MyMemories Suite using the coupon code above. Your receipt must be dated 2/24/2012 - 3/31/2012. Once it's approved, I'll email you back a gift certificate good for your annual RAKStar Membership.

Weekend reading

Happiness is... blue skies, sunshine, and smiling children! I'm making pita pizzas today, did a little violin teaching this morning, and am hoping to get all the clean laundry in my house folded, take my kids bowling, and go for a walk!

Here are some links to check out. I know they are from the same place, but I really like them both.  Have a great Saturday!


http://michaelhyatt.com/leadership-starts-at-home.html

http://michaelhyatt.com/the-difference-a-little-extra-effort-makes.html

Making the decision to homeschool and homeschool day 4

Homeschoolers, are you there? Did you have a hard time making a decision to homeschool? I have always admired homeschooling moms, and now that I'm on the edge of becoming one, I'm a little nervous. I'm nervous that if I take my son out of school for the rest of the school year (which was originally the plan), and then we don't like homeschooling, the school and everyone else will think I'm a flake. I'm nervous that my son won't like spending all day with me. I'm nervous that when my baby comes in April, I'll be so tired and grouchy that homeschool will fall by the wayside.

Ok, writing those down is helpful. Now my rebuttals. I don't know if I really care if people think I'm a flake. I think that the school will respect me for trying to do what I think is best for my son. I'm pretty sure that my son will love homeschool, and I think that when the baby comes in April, it will be ok to dial things back a bit and re-focus. It may be nice to have him around to play with my 2 year old (he adores her).

Scott's main complaints about school are that he is bored, he is not learning anything new, and that the other kids don't listen to the teacher and he loses out on recess time while the teacher waits for other kids to settle down. He also mentioned (to the pediatrician) that the other 1st grade boys who are not in his class make fun of him because he is friends with a girl. He is a high level reader and is an excellent speller, and he's been writing and illustrating his own stories for years. He is a doer and a mover and does not like sitting in a desk all day.

This morning, I really felt like it would be best for Scott to go back to school next week. This doesn't mean I'm giving up the idea of homeschool, but it means that I have some questions to ask the school as I explore the best options for him.

• How does one go about skipping a grade at school? Would it be possible for him to start 3rd grade in the fall (or move into 2nd grade now)?
• Is it possible that he could enter the dual language immersion Spanish program in 2nd grade? I was told there would be openings in 2nd grade, but only for someone who can already speak some Spanish.
• If he is un-enrolled, is there an "earliest return date" that he can come back to school? 

To be honest, I need to ask myself some questions, too.

• Are you ready to commit to a more regular daytime and night-time schedule? 
• Are you willing to have 2 children with you all day?
• Are you willing to commit the time and energy to planning and running homeschool?
• What will Elizabeth (age 2) do while Scott is doing homeschool?
• What is the worst case scenario for homeschool? What is the best case scenario?
• What do you want?

Many things to think about. Here is what we did today for homeschool:

Devotional (and reading/writing)
Sing
Read part of the Sunday School lesson for this week
Review memory work on 1 Nephi 3:7
Write out 1 Nephi 3:7 by memory, then correct it against the scriptures

Math
Practice addition and subtraction with online flash cards
Practice general math playing Junk Pile at http://www.sumdog.com/game/play/ (I love this game!)

Geography
Review the names of the states playing hangman (I didn't plan this, but Scott found it and wanted to do it)

Individual reading and free play
(Is this something I need to document? I think it's just a part of every day.)

After reviewing what we did today, I feel more confident that homeschooling would be a good thing for Scott. I feel ready with math and reading and writing and Spanish (just found a great kids website for learning Spanish!). I'd like to find a good history curriculum. I have Story of the World, volume 1, but as my husband has been reading it, he has found some serious discrepancies in the stories that are being told. I also don't like the lack of sources mentioned in the text. Maybe we can use the book as a very loose outline and use other books as reading material, as mentioned in the activity book. Any of you have a history curriculum that you love? Or other books/websites that you love and use in your homeschooling?

Teaching children responsibility and avoiding entitlement

I just finished watching a webinar with Richard and Linda Eyre at powerofmoms.com. It was a lovely hour of folding laundry, taking notes, and getting some great ideas for helping teach my children responsibility and avoiding entitlement. The Eyres have recently published a new book called The Entitlement Trap. Here are some of the things that I wanted to remember:

 For preschoolers, the best way to motivate them is through games and stories. One example is to create a Gunny Bag, a toy-eating monster who swoops down when the toys are left strewn about. Usually, the kids will hurry and put things away before Gunny Bag eats them. If not, the toys get eaten and put away until Saturday.Here's the part that was new to me, that I LOVE. On Saturday, Gunny Bag returns and regurgitates all the toys on the floor in a pile. At this point, the kids have a chance to put the toys where they belong. If they don't want to put them away or if they haven't missed the toys at all, Gunny Bag eats them again and the toys are donated to Goodwill.

At age 8 or 10 or 12, whatever age you decide, give your child a special journal. Have his name engraved on the front. After he opens it, have him turn to the very last page and write: Decisions I Have Made in Advance. Then have a conversation with him about what kinds of decisions he can make right now. Can you decide where you will be living in 15 years? Can you decide how many children you will have? Can you decide now that you're never going to cheat on a test?  Can you decide now that you will never use drugs? In your discussion, let your child suggest things that he can decide. Present role play scenarios to help him prepare for real-life situations where this decision will be questioned.

The webinar is completely free. It was a great motivator to get my laundry folded:)  I'm definitely going to check out the Eyres' book for more details on teaching responsibility. Click HERE if you'd like to see the webinar.

How do you teach your kids responsibility? Do you have a job chart? Allowance? What works at your house?