Man, today sparked some very big *SIGH* moments. Nothing terrible, but just times where I need to take a deep breath and compose myself. Sometimes I wonder why someone with as many faults as I would have kids. There's this immense pressure that if you say the wrong thing, you will scar this young person's life forever... and I tend to say the wrong thing under pressure.
So I spent a couple hours cleaning and organizing a pile on a side table and some other things... I made it my priority to get thing in a "home" yet the apartment doesn't look any cleaner than it did before! Ah! I used to have a pretty neat and tidy apartment, before I acquired so much stuff.
So where should the time go? To my volunteer responsibilities? Homeschool organization? Cleaning? Catching up on the online class I'm terribly behind on? Make the phones calls I have piling up? (Ortho, a return of a product, update other volunteers, follow up with customer care calls for Pampered Chef...)
*sigh* The life of a SAHM. I wouldn't trade it for the working life, or not having kids (though getting away for an hour every once in a while would be great), but the fact that I don't earn a paycheck means my time has been spread across a lot of little things! What to do first? I guess each day is different. Maybe tomorrow I'll spend time on things other people would notice and appreciate too.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Review of Time4Learning.com
DD1 and I completed our 30 day trial of time4learning.com. Overall, we really enjoy the website and I think it is a great tool! Some things we enjoyed most:
- The interactive lessons. They kept DD interested, and I never had to force her to work on time4learning.com because she found it fun and interesting.
- Science was interesting and covered a wide range of subject matter. We have typically been pretty spotty about executing science experiments, and DD has grown a dislike of science. For DD to say she thinks the science lessons are great is a big plus!!
- The parent involvement can be very minimal, so I can just direct DD to do a lesson in a particular course, and off she goes!
Dislikes:
- Some of the lessons seemed a bit to kid-like for a 5th grader. DD didn't seemed put off by it, but I thought it could have slightly less cartoon-like animation.
- Grammar lessons were very few, and not easy to find right away.
We plan on using this over the summer, but once the "school year" starts, we will be using a homeschool coop for Science class, and we have the resources available for the other courses we will be working on. One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool is to be more involved in the learning process with my daughter, so the convenience of having most of her lessons done independently conflicts with the wish for more time together while she is learning. We are doing some work over the summer, but it is going to be more informal, so just saying "spend some time on time4learning" is sufficient, and I know she is going to be doing something productive!
It would be nice if there was a "lite" option where we could just get 20 hours a month or something for a lower price. It would also be really beneficial if the courses lined up with each other a bit more, so you could work more like in a Unit Study (another thing we are trying to achieve in homeschooling) and have the things you are learning in one course relate to other courses.
Overall, I would recommend any parent to try Time4Learning.com and see if it fits a need or want in their family. It definitely fits some goals we are working towards during the summer and I'm excited to have DD explore on there on her own!
- The interactive lessons. They kept DD interested, and I never had to force her to work on time4learning.com because she found it fun and interesting.
- Science was interesting and covered a wide range of subject matter. We have typically been pretty spotty about executing science experiments, and DD has grown a dislike of science. For DD to say she thinks the science lessons are great is a big plus!!
- The parent involvement can be very minimal, so I can just direct DD to do a lesson in a particular course, and off she goes!
Dislikes:
- Some of the lessons seemed a bit to kid-like for a 5th grader. DD didn't seemed put off by it, but I thought it could have slightly less cartoon-like animation.
- Grammar lessons were very few, and not easy to find right away.
We plan on using this over the summer, but once the "school year" starts, we will be using a homeschool coop for Science class, and we have the resources available for the other courses we will be working on. One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool is to be more involved in the learning process with my daughter, so the convenience of having most of her lessons done independently conflicts with the wish for more time together while she is learning. We are doing some work over the summer, but it is going to be more informal, so just saying "spend some time on time4learning" is sufficient, and I know she is going to be doing something productive!
It would be nice if there was a "lite" option where we could just get 20 hours a month or something for a lower price. It would also be really beneficial if the courses lined up with each other a bit more, so you could work more like in a Unit Study (another thing we are trying to achieve in homeschooling) and have the things you are learning in one course relate to other courses.
Overall, I would recommend any parent to try Time4Learning.com and see if it fits a need or want in their family. It definitely fits some goals we are working towards during the summer and I'm excited to have DD explore on there on her own!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Just another day
Both DD and I are counting down the days until we can be done with the virtual schooling program and start homeschooling primarily! We just have a few more weeks left, and then we can move on, alhamdulilah! Over the summer we will still do math, literature, and language arts (mostly grammar). We will dabble in history as time permits, and I'll have her explore through time4learning.com for some fun science lessons. DD really wants to do Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language, but time and money are going to be tight this summer, so we are waiting until Fall (at least) to start that.
We are anxiously awaiting a call from the bank on the house. InshaAllah the plumbing will be fixed this week and then they will turn on the utilities and we can FINALLY get the inspection done! We have been waiting for this for about a month now!
DD got a Kindle recently, which has really helped her want to read more. She already likes to read, so it is nice to reward her like this. She is also getting her fencing equipment today!! She has been fencing for about a year now, and always using shared equipment. The place she has been going for her fencing lessons lately requires that you get your own equipment after you have been training with them for 3 months, so the time has come! She is super excited, and it is electric equipment, which means she can do competitions if she wants too!
I'm taking the day off from reading the Bible. I need to get my notes together before they are too cumbersome (and instead I'm writing this, just because). Plus, I think I need a day to just take it in, and rejuvenate a bit. InshaAllah I'll put my post together today for what I've read in the Bible so far and you can check it out on my other blog.
We are anxiously awaiting a call from the bank on the house. InshaAllah the plumbing will be fixed this week and then they will turn on the utilities and we can FINALLY get the inspection done! We have been waiting for this for about a month now!
DD got a Kindle recently, which has really helped her want to read more. She already likes to read, so it is nice to reward her like this. She is also getting her fencing equipment today!! She has been fencing for about a year now, and always using shared equipment. The place she has been going for her fencing lessons lately requires that you get your own equipment after you have been training with them for 3 months, so the time has come! She is super excited, and it is electric equipment, which means she can do competitions if she wants too!
I'm taking the day off from reading the Bible. I need to get my notes together before they are too cumbersome (and instead I'm writing this, just because). Plus, I think I need a day to just take it in, and rejuvenate a bit. InshaAllah I'll put my post together today for what I've read in the Bible so far and you can check it out on my other blog.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Time4learning.com
I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid curriculum review. Time4Learning can be used as an online homeschooling program or afterschool tutorial. Be sure to come back and read about my experience.
I'm excited to get started!!
I'm excited to get started!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Homeschooling
So, we finally decided to do real homeschooling instead of going through a virtual school. We are really excited to get started!! I have the math books already, we are going to test out an online program for grammar and other things, go through a local homeschool coop for Science... it is going to be grand!!
Some things we are just flying by the seat of our pants, for now. It kind of feels like jumping off a cliff into the ocean... you know how to swim so you should do just fine, but WHAT IF there is a shark just waiting there to make you lunch? I do plan on having a framework for everything, but I figure starting over the summer will give us a head start, and allow us to make some mistakes without falling behind. Oh, and we are planning to buy a house, so that will throw some sticks over the track. Fun times.
I think what we are both most excited for is being able to take advantage of fun classes around the cities! There is an exhibit at the Science Museum right now on Ancient Egypt, so I'm compiling stuff for a unit on that. Eeee! Finally I'll be back in DD1's school day instead of just checking in in the morning and afternoon. InshaAllah that will bring us closer too.
I'm excited to share what we have planned... any maybe I can blog regularly and become a bajillionare from sitting on my bum and writing blogs!! Yeah right....
Some things we are just flying by the seat of our pants, for now. It kind of feels like jumping off a cliff into the ocean... you know how to swim so you should do just fine, but WHAT IF there is a shark just waiting there to make you lunch? I do plan on having a framework for everything, but I figure starting over the summer will give us a head start, and allow us to make some mistakes without falling behind. Oh, and we are planning to buy a house, so that will throw some sticks over the track. Fun times.
I think what we are both most excited for is being able to take advantage of fun classes around the cities! There is an exhibit at the Science Museum right now on Ancient Egypt, so I'm compiling stuff for a unit on that. Eeee! Finally I'll be back in DD1's school day instead of just checking in in the morning and afternoon. InshaAllah that will bring us closer too.
I'm excited to share what we have planned... any maybe I can blog regularly and become a bajillionare from sitting on my bum and writing blogs!! Yeah right....
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Stay at Home Working Mom?
Reading In Praise of Stay at Home Moms has got me thinking about some things. One is the draw for myself to continue making a wage of some sort, even if it is small. Is there more value to my "wifeliness" if I have paycheck of my own? Do I become a better mother when I can buy my kids more things? Why do we put so much concentration on who brings home monetary value and who doesn't? We act as if the only contribution is financial and all others are just bonuses.
I've tried doing things that can work around being a SAHM. I've done Pampered Chef, Shaklee, odd and end jobs for a friend that has a business, babysitting, etc. What I've found with each of these is yes, I very much enjoy having money of my own. Islamically, I do not need to share any income I make, and I am quite frugal with the income my husband brings in, so it feels nice to loosen up a bit. BUT, each time I'm doing something that makes me some money, all I can think of is how I just want to be home with my kids and husband, or be able to concentrate on them and not feel "on the clock."
I worked for years as a mother of one, juggling housework, homework (for both her and I), my job, friendships, relationships, etc. I feel that I have worked very hard to bring myself to this lifestyle that I now have; married SAHM! All for a couple dollars, I am pushing that aside?
With these jobs that I have done to make money, none of them are incredibly personally rewarding. The most rewarding "jobs" I have been involved in have been volunteer work! I go to these things because it feels great to be a part of something worthwhile, whether I get paid or not.
So, I am freeing myself of the guilt I've been harboring about not having my own paycheck. I will allow my husband to carry the complete financial load on his shoulders, as I know he is completely capable of doing. My job? To make sure everything else is in line. I like the title Director of Domestic Affairs, thankyouverymuch.
I've tried doing things that can work around being a SAHM. I've done Pampered Chef, Shaklee, odd and end jobs for a friend that has a business, babysitting, etc. What I've found with each of these is yes, I very much enjoy having money of my own. Islamically, I do not need to share any income I make, and I am quite frugal with the income my husband brings in, so it feels nice to loosen up a bit. BUT, each time I'm doing something that makes me some money, all I can think of is how I just want to be home with my kids and husband, or be able to concentrate on them and not feel "on the clock."
I worked for years as a mother of one, juggling housework, homework (for both her and I), my job, friendships, relationships, etc. I feel that I have worked very hard to bring myself to this lifestyle that I now have; married SAHM! All for a couple dollars, I am pushing that aside?
With these jobs that I have done to make money, none of them are incredibly personally rewarding. The most rewarding "jobs" I have been involved in have been volunteer work! I go to these things because it feels great to be a part of something worthwhile, whether I get paid or not.
So, I am freeing myself of the guilt I've been harboring about not having my own paycheck. I will allow my husband to carry the complete financial load on his shoulders, as I know he is completely capable of doing. My job? To make sure everything else is in line. I like the title Director of Domestic Affairs, thankyouverymuch.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Quick knit
Dh and my older daughter LOVE Lord of the Rings and they wanted to watch one of the movies yesterday... The extended version. I was going to wait until I finished the book Green Deen before starting a new knitting project, but reading with a movie playing doesn't work, so out came the needles. Not too bad for a one day knit, huh?
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