Some things are worth paying for.

About 6 months ago, Jason and I read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.  It's a great book, I highly recommend it.  Since reading it, we have been on the lookout for ways to cut spending.  We have a hypo-allergenic, non-shedding dog.  Sounds wonderful doesn't it?  We love it but there is one drawback.  She needs a hair-cut every 6 weeks or so (I can stretch it longer) and it's over $50 every time.  I decided I HAD to learn how to do it myself.  A friend came over a few months ago to show me what to do and it didn't seem too bad.  Still, I've procrastinated doing it myself.  Every time a haircut has been needed, I've gone ahead and paid for it....until today.  My dog desperately needed a haircut and I needed to put the money elsewhere so I set out to do it myself.  Dog grooming is a long process.  First comes the bath (I don't mind that part), then comes the blow-dry and brush (that part is okay too), then comes the cutting.  I couldn't exactly remember what my friend showed me since it has been so long.  I just started clipping and cutting.  The poor dog seemed to hate every minute of it and I didn't like it much either.  By the end, I was exhausted and covered in dog-hair (sort of negates the benefits of a non-shedding dog); my bathroom was also covered in dog hair, and the poor dog was bleeding a little on the stomach where I had somehow nicked her.  I felt terrible.  How does she look after all that?  She looks like she is going to need another hair-cut in about a week!  Next time, I don't care what I have to give up, I'm taking that dog to the groomer! :)

Education Choices

I haven't updated for awhile. I have so many things I want to write about but I haven't found time to write about any of them.  The past few weeks have been full of study and research for me as I gear up for the next school year. I've attended several education conferences and classes trying to learn all I can. This will be my 5th year homeschooling and I'm still trying to figure out the best way to help my kids (and myself) get a great education. I've been reading a lot about classical education based on the trivium model; it fascinates me as it is very different from the modern way of educating (read wiki article here). I've been reading Leigh Bortins book "The Core" which explains classical education in a way I can actually understand and makes me want to try it.  Classical education appeals to me in many ways but I'm still trying to decide how much I want to follow it.  I've been consumed with making curriculum decisions for next year.  This is always fun yet overwhelming.  I love reading what curriculum other homeschoolers use so I'm posting my curriculum choices for all my homeschooling friends out there.

Math
Teaching Textbooks (our main text)
Critical Thinking Activities and Patterns
Math for Smarty Pants
Math-It

Writing
Institute for Excellence in Writing (this is an amazing program)

Grammar
Easy Grammar for Hunter
Essentials of the English Language for Kayla

Spelling
Spelling Plus --Maybe...I tend to abandon spelling after a few months.  Maybe this year will be different.

History
Story of the World, Volume 3: Early Modern Times--We use this as the text for our History Club.

Foreign Language
Rosetta Stone Spanish
Getting Started with Latin
This will be my first year trying to add  foreign languages to our studies.  I can't promise it's going to work out, I never seem to have enough time to do everything I want to do.  Jason is SO excited that I'm finally going to give Rosetta Stone Spanish a try.  He bought it a couple years ago.

Fine Arts/Music
Themes to Remember
Discovering Great Artists
Drawing with Children
Piano lessons for Kayla

Science
I don't know what we are going to use yet. In past years, we've participated in a co-op but we couldn't fit it in this year.

P.E.
Nothing formal right now unless you consider Ninja Warrior training formal! :)  Rope swinging is probably the main form of exercise my kids get.  After one season of soccer, we decided to put-off spending time and money on team sports for awhile.  The kids have fun playing baseball and basketball with Jason, not to mention the regular jumping jack competitions he challenges them to! :)

Group Classes
We LOVE getting together with friends for classes and clubs.  This is our group stuff this year:

History Club--We read our history text at home and then meet twice a month with friends to do activities based on the readings.  We rotate who hosts the club meetings and plans the activities.  Last year we studied the middle ages and the kids had a blast shooting arrows like Robin Hood and dressing up like knights to participate in a medieval tournament.

Variety Class--This is a class I started to force me to get to some subjects my kids enjoy that I wasn't finding time for.  Last year we focused on fine arts, music, geography, and some creative writing.  This year we may do things a little different, I'm still figuring it out.

Classical Conversations Essentials class--This will be new for Kayla this year.  It is a weekly class that focuses on English grammar, writing, and math.

How are we going to fit all of this in?  I have no idea, I'll get back to you on that one.  How am I going to afford all of this curriculum?  I'm still figuring that out, donations are accepted. :)

Although homeschooling is time-consuming and challenging, it is the most fulfilling thing I've ever done.  I truly love this lifestyle for our family.  Eventually I'll write about my homeschooling journey--how I went from thinking it was strange and crazy to actually deciding to do it myself--but that is another post for another day.