Mother

Euphrasyne, you are right.  Children need to learn where ever and however they need.  Home schooling is not for every child or parent. But parents have a lot to give their child that they might not find in school.  Your children are blessed to have you as their Mom. 

1 hour ago, themartianchick said:

I learn so much from all of the experiences that are shared. I hope that we can do more than just commiserate. It feels good when we all brainstorm and come up with solutions for the tougher problems shared here.

I feel the same.TMC.  It is so good to have someone who cares, who understands and supports but sharing tough problems and getting help finding solutions is what makes Mrs S special. 

  I hope you have a super day.  
 

30 minutes ago, out_of_the_ordinary said:

I'm thankful for small publishers reprinting older books!  

Me too.  
 

Thanks again.  I’m passing these on to my homeschoolers. 

That looks terrible.  I believe that is something THEY should be told about and made to fix.  You shouldn’t have to repair their mistake.  They had to have known what it looked like.  

Thank you for taking time to post those links, OOTO .  I’m looking forward to reading the Burgess book. I already passed the link on to my homeschooling grands.  
 

I also use All About Birds site.  I love it.  I especially like being to hear their sounds. 

 Virginia, thank you.  It’s rather fun celebrating my birthday several times without getting older!  It’s even more fun to know people care. 

Thank you, Darlene. I’ve called Mrs. S home for a whole lot of years and the members are like family.  

Thank you, Snowmom. Cake and ice cream, 

Ambergris,   You might want to forego the adventures for a while and just hide out!!!  

Illinois is on that list too.  Move over, Jeepers….  

You are braver than I, Momo.  I wouldn’t even attempt to get my power chair near the ramp.  Well, truthfully, I can’t get out the door let alone down the deck to the ramp.  The back door has a drift halfway up the door.  The third door is clear but has steps that leads to a foot of snow.  We are officially snowed in..  
 

((((((Momo))))).  What you say resonates deeply with me.  We are exactly in that same boat with the exception that we do have DD and DGS to help when we need them.  They both work however so we juggle a lot.  I’m glad you can still drive and still get out. I still have a valid license but cannot get behind the wheel of our current car due to mobility issues. DH had to quit driving in May due to a seizure disorder. Truthfully he wouldn’t have been driving long in any case.  Even pick up is out of the question for us.  I long for a handicapped accessible vehicle but the cost is prohibitive for what I would need.  Our changes were relatively abrupt so we are still adapting.  

Thanks for all the suggestions.  There are a couple I haven’t checked on yet. I will.   I have been working with a hospital furnished program and with the senior center but so far we fall just outside everything, either financial or distance.  We really aren’t that isolated.  It’s just the house that is isolated by trees and fields, but we are just outside the ten mile limit for most local grocery deliveries.  Thank heavens for Amazon and other shipping services. 
 

Home service agencies charge $35 an hour in our area and require at least three hours at a time.  So far I’ve found they only do in home, not shopping or transportation.  We have had a couple lines on individuals but they already had too many clients.  The state has a new program for some home help but it has been on hold for weeks.  We are on a list but no one is sure exactly what it will pay for.  It might just be respite care for the caregiver (actually me) to get out and we don’t need that. 
 

DD works for a lawyer’s office. Our niece works the same place.  The office knows a lot of people and they have been passing the word for four weeks but so far no more besides those two e contacted.  Even according to the senior center we are in a difficult area as far as help goes.  Medicare and Insurance won’t cover the help, our income is just beyond most programs but not enough to afford self pay, we live just too far out, DH’s cognitive issues are not severe enough yet, I can not be considered disabled without a lot of testing and specialist appointments which I am not up to doing,  and I haven’t had my doctor long enough for her to help without those test.  
 

You know, your typical bureaucratic mess up!    Thank God for DD and DGS. They are our primary help, being so close.  
 

I am so grateful I have young(er) people to help me figure out a few of the tech things but even that doesn’t always make it easy. It took me weeks to get brave enough to try to get groceries delivered only to find only one store would come this far out in the country. They all use Door Dash and Instacart just like the store we use, but if the store doesn’t say they deliver then it’s not passed on to the services, according to the Instacart guy who was here last.  The online customer service says “they should”..  

The senior bus doesn’t come here and though I have not checked into Uber, I’m guessing it won’t either.  And being wheel chair dependent and needing help I doubt an Uber would furnish that service. Even if it would accommodate my small break-down travel scooter.  The heavy section weighs forty five pounds and it’s pushing it for my DD to load it.  
 

Many stores have handicapped scooters and I appreciate that but they only help if I’m actually IN the store.  Most have online ordering with pick up but I still have to have ‘someone’ pick it up which is not always convenient for my family.  Not that they wouldn’t go out of their way to help us but…….  They do so much for us already.  
 

For me, the apps are not always helpful. And especially not fast food ones.  I really need a girl or guy Friday.  Maybe one called Miss App,  but you guessed it, the ones I’ve contacted don’t want to come this far out!!!  And we only live 12 mile from the city where the stores are located.   In all fairness, it is on a  tree lined dark lonely road where we are the only house, and the lane to the house is 1000’ into the surrounding fields and trees.  One poor city oriented delivery girl came about dark and was petrified because she couldn’t see a house at the address.  She was hysterical and swore she would never deliver outside of town again.    We didn’t tell her that we have a cougar periodically passing through our timber which is on either side of the drive….. (we catch sight of him all the time on our trail cams)   
 

  back to the search for home bound senior and handicapped convenience.  
 

Those are great visuals, Euphrasyne.  A super teaching aid.  👍

8 minutes ago, euphrasyne said:

Even if you do public or private schools (we've done both) it should be supplemented with other things at home.  

What they learn at school basically prepares them for a job.  What they learn at home prepares them for life.  Homeschoolers do both. 
 

i don’t suppose you could bottle some of that 3YO energy and send it to me?  I’d take a case please!  

Momo, I had that very same thought!    
 

At “2”.  That is asinine.  And why does a pediatrician have any say in it??   Only 8 of the fifty states require schooling from age five. Most are six or seven..   

Homeschooling in the U.S. shot up during the pandemic — and it appears to be here to stay. The big picture: Homeschooling is now the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S., per a Washington Post analysis. November 12. 2023

Show THAT to anyone who tries to tell you your 2 year old needs to be in school……

  I’ll get off now.  

I agree Momo. I don’t like the idea that I can only get a discount if I download something.  

Wow, Euphrasyne. That is great!  It is amazing what they can learn!  

It’s no wonder she loves the birds.  She has had some pretty interesting study of them  Good for you, OOTO. I might have to check out a few of those books for the grands and for me. I like the Peterson’s field guides and the Audubon Society’s bird books.  Mine are all old but they still work.  DH and I totally understand the tufted throwing seeds everywhere. We have a nuthatch DH calls “the thief”. He comes in, grabs a nut or seed and flies to a tree where he stashes it in the bark before coming back for another. Again and again! LOL 
 

It does sound like it will be challenging for your family with the new job. One of our homeschooling grands, both parents work and do online schooling of their own.  They work separate shifts so they don’t have to have a babysitter. Their two kids are young yet but the parents each teach a different subject with the kids so the kids have two separate schooling sessions a day. It’s just a matter of trying to find out what works for you as a family.  
 

((((((((OOTO))))). 

i haven't homeschooled for years but have several grand kids who do.  They all use curriculums but they also make sure they alternate between the book work and hands on experience each day.  One of the families has a very fun curriculum that has them 'going' to various countries to learn about the cultures, the foods and the sights. They all, Dad included, [ages 1-3-6-8 (approximately)] spend time in the kitchen making and tasting the foods from that country and they do various crafts that represent that country.   it comes with post cards from the different countries and we, as grandparents, are the recipients of them.  i always write back to show our interest.

Another of the families with 4 kids ages from four to twelve allows time each day for the kids to follow their own interests but helps them to make it a learning experience. They have been able to find or make curriculums or age appropriate studies for some of them.  i know that both of those families would welcome Dad being home during the day and would most likely encourage the kids interest in any project but then both those Dad's are hands on dads and are able to turn it into a fun learning experience.  Not every parent is like that.  

I know there are as many ways to homeschool as there are kids and parents in them.  Each child is different in the way they learn but I have found that if a child is struggling to stay focused then it’s time to figure out what they do need at that point.  Teachers can’t usually do that in public schools but thankfully parents who homeschool their kids can.

When I was homeschooling our DGS ( He’s 22 now) he never wanted to focus on his main schoolwork and I had to build in reading, writing, math and etc in almost every thing he was interested in. It wasn’t always easy as most of his interest was in nature/outdoors and in repairing/building/manufacturing something.  It was the same with our youngest son who we also homeschooled.  He is now 43 and has seven kids.  All went to parochial school but two now homeschool their own young children.  We are definitely a homeschooling family. 

Perhaps you could do the same with your DD.  Does she have an interest in the birds or just trying to get out of her lessons?  Maybe you could turn it into a subject.  Bird watching 101 😁. Set aside a time frame for watching.  Give her a scrapbook or a notebook. Have her explore how birds communicate with each other, they do you know! Have her look up the birds and keep count of them. It might not be too late to join the “Winter Bird Count”.  Who knows, she might be an ornithologist some day. 
 

I have to admit I can understand her feelings.  I would much rather watch the birds at our feeder than clean the bathroom 

Jeepers, have you thought about riting down the story of the ants, bonnets, pottery nd things and putting them inside or someho attaching them to the object?  DH’s mom did that as well as kept records and pictures of the item in a book.  She had dementia and couldn’t tell them herself but it was such fun for us to go through her things and read the stories. History, even yours, can form the future. 
 

I love the instruments and how you display them.  I always wanted a Zither. Do you have music sheets to place under the strings? 

Thank you all for your birthday wishes.  I had a very quiet day but will have family coming tomorrow or Sunday to celebrate  my birthday and Christmas.  Illness and weather got in the way of both.   Oh, and thanks for the cake and flowers and balloons and the music.  Mrs S is such a fun family.