Those comic fans

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My Muppets

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Making Joseph Laugh

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Bedtime story

Rory is getting Joseph ready for bed by reading him a good book.

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Handsome boy

Check out the dimple


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More pics from my kitchen table

This one above, I lost the daylight and was using the wrong lens and I'm so sad about it! Making it black and white salvages it a little bit, but still what a loss.

When Real Life Strikes, I'll Just Look at These...

...and I won't think about the blood, sweat and tears that went into acquiring them.

My Boy

Joseph David McDougal

Born August 17, 2011 at 8:39pm. 6 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long.

Alex and Rory absolutely adore him.

Joseph isn't even a day old yet in the hospital and this is the first time the girls have seen him. Below, Alex is begging her daddy to please let her hold him again.

She's one happy big sister.

The girls really make a great team.

This is the very first time Alex held Joseph

...and this is the very first time Rory held him.

For the entire first week of Joseph's life, Rory would not put him down. She never tired of him and I had to beg her to let me have a turn! Good thing I was nursing him or I might have never had the chance to hold him at all!

Compositions

Rory likes making up stories. She did this by herself and you can see the 'c' is backwards in "back". She wrote: "Back at the man's house, he died." we're working on her using only lower case letters. :)
And to the right is a picture of the monster (his mouth is open) that killed the poor man.

Below is Alex' composition from an earlier chapter of "The Jungle Book". She went back later and colored the whole page so it's hard to see the writing. :)


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The Smolder

Rory: "Mommy! That boy gave me a smolder look!"

Me: "what's a smolder look?"

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Test

...


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Swim lessons

The girls' swim lessons started this morning. They're every day for two weeks, and another two weeks in July. They were so enthralled and excited the whole lesson. At one point Rory's teacher had to ask her to quiet down and listen... Rory was so happy she didn't mind. Rory is the one wearing a pink swim cap with a big white flower on it.

I couldn't get a pic of Alex with her class- maybe it will work out next time.

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My Decision to Home School

It's been a long road traveled getting to this point, but I would like to share with my family and friends why I've decided to home school my children. Some parts of my story are very personal and very spiritual to me, and I contemplated including them here on my blog. But I feel that my decision to home school won't be very clear unless I include some of these personal experiences.

Why

I've always tutored the girls in reading, math, art, fun with science, etc., but now we are official homeschoolers. Alex went to kindergarten at a wonderful school last year, Freedom Academy, and had many positive experiences. Even so, I was troubled by the Spirit. Though Alex wasn't struggling in any way, something just didn't feel right- something was, or many things were, missing. However, making the decision to home school was a scary thought. I won't lie, it was a really hard decision to make. What if I couldn't measure up to the job? What if I couldn't do it like my mother did it? What if circumstances of pregnancies and newborn babies made it impossible? I wouldn't even be able to get Alex back into Freedom Academy because students are admitted by lottery and she will have lost her spot. That was a major sticking point for Dave too. But as I let these negative what-if thoughts come, I felt an absence of the Spirit. I was restless, anxious, unsettled and unhappy. I wanted to have the answer jump up at me and float in the air with a golden halo around it-- or to at least not have to make the decision completely on my own. I waited and waited hoping that somehow my decision would be made a bit easier and more obvious. But I finally realized I would have to take steps on my own first. I trusted that the Lord wouldn't let me go too far down a wrong path. I had, and was continuing to do, years of research and study into home school methods, the best curricula, and more. With the "work" being done, and with many a prayer, I took what for me still felt like a giant leap into a dark abyss. But as soon as I leapt I found instead, to my relief and astonishment, solid ground, clear skies and green meadows. The continual Spiritual confirmations overwhelmed me. The feelings of peace, calm, direction and joy are still with me and every day of school with my little girls is a day that they are best friends, obedient and kind daughters, happy playmates, and for me a day of surprising energy, good health, and happiness. We started the school year the beginning of June so that we will have a little leeway when the baby comes in August.

What (curriculum)

When Alex started her Kindergarten year at Freedom Academy, I delved into curricula research more than ever. I wanted to see how the curriculum she was learning compared to everything else out there. Freedom uses Saxon math, which I hold to be an excellent preparatory University-level math. However, I wondered if it is just as beneficial in the elementary levels. Alex tested for the 1st grade Saxon math last year at her school. I compared that to several other math programs, A-Beka math always staying ahead as the main competitor. I did A-Beka during my elementary school years. It is an advanced math program that is also very aesthetically pleasing. I LOVED math as a child. A-Beka gave me great confidence in my abilities and instilled in me a great love for math that continued through BYU and continues still. Around 5th or 6th grade I started taking Saxon math, which prepared me for the college math courses I started taking at 15 years old. My straight A's were not due to any brilliance on my part, but on the preparation my mother had given me through excellent curriculum via home school. There were many aspects of this elementary level Saxon that impressed me, but the main test was how Alex responded to it. She started disliking math and losing confidence in her own ability. As I compared Saxon and A-Beka 1st grade math, I found that A-Beka isn't just more fun, it's more advanced. I have chosen A-Beka math and Alex has completed several weeks of grade 2 so far. By the second week of A-Beka math, she was learning new concepts (because elementary Saxon doesn't excel as far as A-Beka) and even with brand new concepts, she exclaims in surprise, "I LOOOOVE math! Oh this is so much fun!".

For history, we are using Susan Wise-Bauer's "Story of the World: History and Geography". We have started with ancient times and are studying along with scripture. Reading and writing assignments and projects that accompany this history and geography are quite extensive.

One of my favorite and most-used resources for planning out our home school is Susan Wise-Bauer's (and Jessie Wise's), "The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home". For anyone who is still curious about how one might set up a successful home school, I couldn't recommend any source or book higher. Or for those who might be interested in how I home school, my philosophy can be summed up very nicely in these authors' words.

I finally narrowed down and chose "The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading", which is a comprehensive language arts program that teaches accurate speaking, spelling, writing, reading, grammar, composition through quality children's literature, and an introduction to Latin. I love that this program includes diagramming... why ever that was allowed to fall between the cracks in most schools I'll never know. Both Alex and Rory are starting with Level One. Alex will complete it in less than a couple months (then on to Level Two and so on) and it will probably last Rory the entire school year.

For Science over the Summer, we are going on fun Nature walks where we observe, collect, draw, and journal. We are also doing a little Backyard Scientist: Earthworms for some fun scientific experiments. But I have been contemplating REAL Science Odyssey for our core Science curriculum starting in the Fall. Whatever we do, it follows along with our History in what was being discovered in the world at that time. So this year we will be studying Life (Human body, animal kingdom, and plant kingdom). Next we will probably study Earth and Space (weather, seasons, the earth, minerals, rocks, solar system, and space). And eventually we'll study chemistry (atoms, molecules, periodic table, states of matter, acids and bases, and chemical reactions). Of course there will be lots of hands-on activities, field trips, and labs to accompany everything we learn.

We always have reading time. Alex and Rory read on their own all the time, but there is something special about all of us reading a book together as part of school in addition to family scripture study. It was something my mother did with us, and we loved it so much that years after we had become quite independent (or snotty in our teenage years) in school, we never balked at gathering on the couch to listen to our mother read to us, but we remained eager for the experience. I want to continue that tradition in our own home school. Recently we have read "The Witches" by Roald Dahl (one of the girls' absolute favorites), "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, Eugene Field's collection of poems (beautiful!), and currently we are reading Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book". The girls can draw a picture while I'm reading to them if they like, and afterwards, depending on how much writing they've already done that day, I may have them write about it. Sometimes Alex needs a little help figuring out what to write, which I feel is to be expected for her age, and she can write it all perfectly without any of my help. Rory, while she can't write it completely on her own (at least not without it taking longer than her patience affords), has a real talent for eloquently and orderly summarizing what we've just read. Rory insists on writing some of it herself, and when I sense her patience beginning to run short, I write while she continues to narrate.

Extra-Curricular activities include piano lessons for Alex given by her daddy, who is an excellent teacher! He has a treasure box of prizes to give her after each lesson IF he can tell she's practiced hard and consistently during the week, and if she is attentive during his lesson. I'm the heavy on making her practice every day, but Dave is the fun, nice sugar daddy whose lessons she looks forward to every week! Both girls are in Ballet at a wonderful academy. Alex is going in to her fourth year at the academy, and Rory is going in to her third year. Piano and Ballet, I hope, will always be their core extra-curricular, but if they want to branch out, I'm willing to let them do something else IN ADDITION. The girls are thrilled with their swimming classes which started a couple days ago. Alex learned how to ride her bike without training wheels a few weeks ago. Riding bikes is a daily adventure now for both girls. I'd also love the girls to learn how to play all the group jump rope games. I've made it a priority to afford the girls with many opportunities and avenues for remaining very active.

We also study music appreciation (we learn operas, classical pieces, etc. and take the girls to operas as a reward), art, and poetry. We adhere to the Utah state laws which means that we conduct school for a certain number of days and hours each year and teach the subjects prescribed by law... of course, we're actually doing much more than that. However, we do have the freedom to choose our school year schedule and vacations which makes continuing our educational travels very easy. We are very structured and disciplined in our day, but we still enjoy the freedom of spontaneously adding a field trip here, further studying a subject of interest there, or simply taking an extra recess break as needed.

When I saw what Amanda's (my older sister and exemplar) home school co-op charter school was like in California, I started to search for something like that here in Utah. Once a week, Amanda and her children meet with their large home school group at a beautiful church house, with accompanying buildings and beautiful grounds, where they teach group classes of history, science, art, or pretty much anything you can think of. You get to choose which classes you'd like your children to take and enroll them. While the kids are in classes, the mothers visit together (or teach a class like Amanda does). Because it's a charter school, you actually get to use part of your own educational tax money! As it turns out we do have one here that is very similar (we would meet one day a week only). Only problem is that we might not get in. It's a lottery system for admittance and there's a pretty high demand to get in (not sure how all these other home schoolers found them!). Class choices include violin, dance, history, math, creative writing, sports, etc. etc. but we would get to choose whatever we want! Plus, there is a little educational reimbursement fund- we can turn in receipts for educational supplies, curricula, etc. and be reimbursed! And it would be nice to be a part of a home school support group. I'm so hoping that we get in to this one! Update (7-17-11) We found out a few days ago that we got in! I went through their course catalogue and signed Alex up for the extra-curricular classes she'll be taking there once a week. She will be taking: 1) Lego building and robotics, 2) Penny Counting (math games class), 3) Fun with Fitness, 4) Literature-Based Art, 5) "I Love America", and 6) Story Telling. Next year I'll probably sign her up for a violin class, sign language, and some kind of fun art like sculpting.

Is it hard? Very. But it almost seems ungrateful to admit that. I am not doing this alone. The Lord showers us with blessings every day: I have energy, the girls are eager and inquisitive, before we know it school is done and the girls are asking for more because all three of us are having so much fun! The girls play more sweetly and cooperatively together, and they are repeatedly bursting out with, "Thank you Mommy! I LOVE school!!" and "You are the best Mommy!". The unsolicited and unexpected thank you's are never-ending. Of course we have the occasional hard day when everything is just the opposite. But those are pretty rare as long as I make sure the girls are getting the sleep and diet they need (and above all that we stay close to the Spirit through scripture and prayer).

How

A little over a month ago I started transforming our basement into our schoolhouse. This has been especially exciting for Alex. She exclaims, "This is SO much better than my old school!". She also loves the freedom of being able to go on meaningful field trips, do our school work in exciting places other than school (on hikes, at the library- our second home, beautiful parks under trees "like Alice in Wonderland!", etc).

Here is the reading pavilion. If I need a couple minutes to prepare something, I give the girls some free reading time.

Here's a larger view from the theatre. I didn't take pictures of the theater, but we do our group reading time (history, etc.) on the comfortable couch and lovesac in the theater. We will, of course, watch any and all educational movies there as well. In the hot, hot summer, being able to do school in a nice, cool basement is something for which we are very grateful!

This is Alex' desk where she does much of her school work, though she has the freedom to work in any place within our school house. Behind her is our history timeline, starting about 5000 B.C. We are studying history in conjunction with scripture and it is very exciting.

Here Alex is sitting at my desk. Our world maps, globes, and US maps are all there. The girls have shown great interest and aptitude in geography ever since Dave started traveling the world for his job last year. We continue to study and learn geography along with our history and scripture study.

Sometimes the girls prefer to sit together rather than at their own desks. This also serves as our arts and crafts station.

Charts can be so useful and fun. This simple numbers 1-100 chart can be used in so many mathematical appliances.

Our Basic Routine

We start the school day off with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a song (mostly primary songs), and a scripture or Article of Faith recitation, after which we go to the calendar and weather charts. The girls love the routine.

Next we study math. I like to start math with a few visuals, games, manipulatives (especially for Rory), or anything else applicable and helpful for concepts they're currently working on. Then both girls work independently on their math texts at their desks. Alex can read all the instructions so she is extremely independent. I check everything, or help when she asks for it. Rory is also very independent, but I watch her closely to make sure she's forming her numbers correctly, keeps proper posture, and is not forming any bad habits.

Next we work on phonics, grammar, spelling, writing composition, etc. etc.

Then a recess break, where the girls play in the backyard or inside with the "school toys" we keep in the school closet. During this time I polish up the history lesson (and/or science depending on the day of the week) and make sure everything's ready for our art project (or science experiment). When the girls come back in, I read the history lesson to them, quiz them, have them write a very brief summary (and draw pictures too if they like). Then we read the scriptures that most closely coincide with our history timeline. The timelines you can buy from the Distribution Center are very helpful, as is the beautiful and large, comprehensive timeline I hung on our wall that combines Book of Mormon, Bible and world history events). We mark the events on the timeline we are making ourselves, so that the girls can very easily see what we've learned. Throughout the week we take many trips to the library for books to accompany what we're learning in history and science, as well as field trips.

I've got a much more detailed weekly/daily school schedule but this is the rough gist of it.

Alex riding her bike

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She's a pro!

Alex has been begging us for two years to teach her how to ride a bike without training wheels. This summer Dave took her training wheels off finally and with just a couple tries look at er go! She's so happy she can barely stand it. Now I just need to find a beautiful park with lots of sidewalk for her to practice more.

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Alexandria's Ballet Performance

Alex really did a great job in her first choreographed dance. The beginning of this video is all part of what she does in class practice. It's a lot of technique and Dave and I are so proud of her. Rory loved watching her big sis dance. She cuddled up against Dave for most of it, or tried to dance and sing along.

Here's the Ham. She was pretty excited about watching Alex.

Crazy girl

The boy you see in the dance is Miss Jennie's oldest son (11), who is actually in level 6. She bribed him royally to step in for the only boy class member who left for a trip with his family. This is my first video made through iMovie. It's about 8 minutes long.

Before Alex' Ballet Recital

Alex just completed her third year at Classical Ballet Academy. Today was her End-of-year program. Here are Alex and Rory outside the studio

Below Alex is with her favorite friend from class, Nora... And of course her adoring best friend Sis, Rory.



Strike a pose



This Kung Fu pose comes more naturally for Rory.




Beautiful Alex Girl. She did such a great job. They do so much technique at this studio, a whole hour can be hard to stay focused. But having a sweet and very talented instructor helps.


I'll post the video of her dance and some of their exercises later.


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