Lessons I have Learned from Homeschooling

When someone usually says homeschooling no one really realizes the enormous responsibility you have taken upon yourself, and no one realizes at first how much you will learn.  Most peole just think that you are going to replicate a public school system at home, with desks, chairs, a lot of paper work and memorization.  But for the everage homeschooling parent this method of homeschooling does not fit your family or lifestyle.

So things I have learned are this that the homeschooling classroom is vast it is everything around you for this family it was a summer adventure that made memories and learning experiences along with coming closer together because we had to depend on each other.  We learned a thing or two about tending a big garden and reaping the rewards.  We learned more about fishing and how 2 little boys love to do it and can sit in a boat for 6 hours waiting.  We learned that when you take on the responsibility to raise rabbits and care for them then find them good homes you feel accomplishment and then get to have a little spending cash that was well earned.  We learned that dinosaurs are in all sizes, daddy's are really silly with a bike and a lake, and that a dirt road can take you to many places and make many memories-without money. 

I have learned this about homeschooling, my children are great and have finally embraced this lifestyle with both hands.  They have learned now to look at things very differently and ask why either aloud or with those eyes that you see the wheels turning.  My eldest has done great she is doing online charter school, she is also running a online shop and has kept the responsibility great. Her time management skills are great.   She is keeping a 3.7 gpa and is the VP of her class.  My second has overcome a hurdle in her life and now has a goal to attend the online school as well and learning all that she can.  As for my boys I have learned how free they are, they do learning time every day and then they have their chores, but they do have play time-real play time-
not just 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon to go home to a mountain of homework.  The are reading, exploring and becoming best friends.  They interact and love their sisters and there is no competition. 

I have learned that my patience is great but my love for them greater and that I would not have my life anyother way because I would be missing to much.  I like to see their reactions when they learn something new and it clicks, I like to reward them and make them feel important.  But what I like most is how my family has come together and how much I can see that we love each other, and that makes my heart so full.

Harvest 2009

Well it finally froze and so with the move I decided to go ahead and pull all of our Winter squash and anything left in the garden we could take.  As you can see we came out a little too well.  Those darn plants not all where supposed to live, I had actually planted them a little close together because of my homegrown transplants not all usually make it.  I didn't loose any, until the deer ate 3 of them.  All of the seeds are ones I have saved from last year, I have learned how to do this it's easy and an essential garden know how.  I did however buy Connecticut field pumpkin seeds and my sister gave me some pumpkin seeds as well.

My winter squash included;
Australian Butter Squash
Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck, mine never seem to crook though
Hubbard
Spaghetti squash
and Pumpkins, Connecticut and white

And other things in my garden;
Corn,(deer and grasshoppers got it)
summer squash:
  sunburst patty pan
  yellow straight neck
  zucchini
Cucumbers
  Slicing
  pickling
  Lemon
beets
carrots, red, orange, yellow and white
tomatoes
dill
Onions, red and yellow
watermelons
canteloupe
green beans (deer got them)
swiss chard
peppers, bell, banana and Anaheim
red potatoes
okra
broccoli
cabbage
turnips
rutabega

I was so glad to figure out that we pulled more than a thousand pounds of veg from the garden, a lot more than I was expecting-but then again you never know what you are going to get!

One turnip I pulled from the garden was 15.5 inches around!