September 3, 2011
Difficult Decisions, Unpopular Choices- Part 3 4
Well, I meant to blog yesterday but I got so busy that I didn’t get a chance to sit at the computer long enough to hammer something out. I am also still suffering with this ‘mild’ migraine and by the end of the day, I don’t feel well enough to stare at a computer for much longer than I need to. I got my eyes checked and I okay there (other than I still need glasses to drive and watch TV). I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. Let’s hope that I find out what’s going on soon. The only thing that seems to touch it is either John’s migraine medication or 1,000 mg of aspirin, neither of which I want to take for a long period of time. I am flying to New York on Thursday and I would like to figure out what’s going on before then…or at least have a better medication option. Not fun!
Anyway, the last post in this series is about the resources I have found to help me figure this whole homeschooling thing out. I needed some options for the short term and for the long term. Every day I find something new and adding it to my box of ‘to-read.’
My first and foremost go-to option is the internet. Resources and information are endless online. I have had to pick out my top spots on the web in order to keep myself from being overwhelmed. There are too many groups, forums, sites, and blogs out there and I tend to like about 90% of them and I only have a little bit of time to read them. I try to stick to the best of the best. Here are my favorites so far:
- The Homeschool Lounge- I love their groups and their forums. It’s easy to get sucked into all of the things they have to offer on the site and so I just limit myself to those two areas.
- The Pioneer Woman, Homeschooling- Probably the coolest chick on the world wide web and she homeschools! She has several contributors and I find their posts fascinating!
- Several Yahoo Groups for local support groups (Greater Houston Area Home Education)
- The Old Schoolhouse Digital Magazine
- A Charlotte Mason Education
My second favorite resources are books! I have managed to collect a few but here are a few of my favorites:
- The Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
- The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
- Homeschooling Methods
- Seasoned Advice on Learning Styles by Paul & Gena Suarez
- The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell
- Homeschooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rocket
- The Home Education Magazine
I love a bookstore, catalog or website for books and supplies:
- HEP Bookstore is close to our house and their staff is so friendly and knowledgeable. Plus they offer courses for all grades except kindergarten. I visited their store on Tuesday during the day and the store was buzzing with kids. There were first graders in one of the classrooms learning math. There was a group of teenagers hanging out in the back corner of the store chatting away. And there were various kids sitting on the floor studying. They all looked and sounded like normal kids! So many homeschooling kids and parents get the bad reputation of being weird. Granted there are plenty out there but there are just as many in traditional schools.
- Mardel Christian Bookstore is one of my favorite Christian bookstores! They have one large section of the store dedicated to education.
- Rainbow Resource Center- a fellow blogger shared this site with me. Apparently they have a HUGE catalog. Can’t wait to get it!
- Timberdoodle- a friend of mine who is also thinking about homeschooling her daughter shared this site with me. I love it!
And there are a few organizations that I have joined to help us in our journey:
- Gulf Coast Christian Homeschool Scholars is the support group that I joined. It’s not quite a co-op which is perfect for us right now because we just don’t have the time to dedicate to a full fledged co-op this year.
- The Southeast Texas Homeschool Association
- Texas Homeschool Coalition- legal defense organization for homeschool in Texas
So, that’s my list of resources for now. I am sure I will be amassing many more in the coming months. If you homeschool and have any suggestions, please share them with me! I love to learn about anything and everything that is available to me!
Sep 03, 2011 @ 21:45:10
HOpe you feel better soon.
Sep 04, 2011 @ 09:16:15
Thanks Lisa!
Sep 12, 2011 @ 20:46:38
hi, im just checking in after a long absence. i followed your adoption as it happened. just want to let you know of a little trick that worked for me with almost-migraines. do you drink coffee? with cream? start the day off with black coffee and a slice of lemon added…just a tad more than a sliver, really. i know, i hated to do it too! i only drink it this way in the am. after noon, im back to the cream. but i can count the headaches i have had, on one hand since i started this. my mom has taken her coffee this way all my life (i’m 50!). i was taking 6 to 8 acetaminophen a day. that was too much. so i researched online and there is something called rebound headaches that are actually caused from taking too much reliever. now if i must, i take one ibuprofen and im fine. cant hurt you to try it. hope this helps. we also homeschool. i recommend abeka books for their ease of learning for student and teacher. once you know what you are doing you can buy used curriculum at h/s book fairs or online. too much reading will only tie your brain in knots, kinda like reading too many pregnancy books. just jump in and try. tweak it to your style (your not in a “class” room now; youll do fine). god made mothers as the first teachers for their kids, and he knew what he was doing. look how much you have taught her already. remember the story of the two brothers (jacob and ishmael??) the one who stole the birthright. when they began the reconciling, the wise brother sent his men and herds on ahead and said he would follow at a pace that was right for the young’uns. pace yourself to her speed. try starfall.com for reading. excellent!! pull worksheets from online. then get into the abeka. school at 5 yrs old only takes ten minutes to a half hour. if she is in the kitchen with you , she is learning. in the laundry, sorting. etc. hope this all helps. mrs.k.
Sep 14, 2011 @ 18:54:11
Thanks so much mrs, k. for your advice!!!!