The past couple of months I've been in denial about something that I feel very strongly about. Since I used to teach 7th grade in a public school, I had no doubts that I would send my kids to school. In fact, since Evan was a toddler, I've really looked forward to it. I've been open to homeschooling or sending him to a charter school if he needed it and if any issues ever came up. But now, I find myself leaning toward homeschooling more and more.
I'm not going to lie---I'm in total denial about it. Starting in early September, while thinking about where we were going to live and looking into school districts for Evan to attend for preschool, I started having a strong feeling that I needed to look into homeschooling him myself. Like I wrote earlier, I'm totally okay with kids going to school, learning to adapt to situations, and how to deal with people that are different than their family.
But this thought that I had in my head, just kept bugging me and bugging me. And it's still there! I'm not ready to homeschool yet---I feel like we have to give preschool a chance in the public school education system. Plus, Evan has an IEP, and a speech delay, and I'm not sure if I would be able to address his needs.
So we sent him off to preschool, and he loves going. I think part of it is Evan just getting out of the house. So, I'm not completely ignoring that voice in the back of my head, telling me to just pull him out and homeschool him. I like that he does preschool, and it gives him something to look forward to in the mornings (when he's actually allowed to go when the weather cooperates).
Then we got his progress report yesterday, and I wanted to bawl (probably because I am super pregnant and hormonal anyway). Evan is in the special ed preschool class. Very little was said about his strengths and how well he does in certain activities. He was in the yellow, orange and red with everything else. They kept emphasizing that he doesn't participate in talking with others and I just wanted to bang my head against the wall (it's called a speech delay). I just can't help but think how negative it was, especially considering he's only in preschool. He still has another whole school year until he has to go to Kindergarten because of his later birthday.
A part of it is true---Evan doesn't sit still, and he doesn't like to participate in a lot of directed group activities. He's always been a free spirit, doing what he wants. And there is probably so much fun stuff to do in that classroom, that he is overstimulated quite a bit. But, the progress that he has made in social skills that we've seen at home has been enormous since he started preschool.
And here is something that I realized, I don't like how much my Evan is expected to know in the schools before he even gets to Kindergarten. What's with letting our kids learn through play? The world is still so large, and there's still so much they can learn without being forced to sit down for worksheets and standardized tests.
The preschool does very age appropriate, hands on activities. But, I still feel like he's so young, there's still so much time for improvement, and for him to catch up to his peers. And I feel like the school psychologist and his teacher (who I really like, I understand all the policies, restrictions, stuff that she has to deal with in the public schools) are once again trying to tell us that something is "wrong" with Evan because he hasn't met the milestones that other kids his age have.
So, homeschooling. Just a year ago, I would have laughed or told someone there was no way that I was going to homeschool my kids. My husband and I didn't have too many issues in school, we turned out just fine, and our kids would be okay too. Mostly, we would be okay, because while our kids were at school, we would make sure they needed to know what was the most important from us at home. We would be thoroughly involved parents, and if any issues came up then we could look at an alternative school.
The truth is, I don't think Evan is going to be the type of kiddo who does well in traditional elementary schools... I don't want him molded into a "model student" if it goes against him personality and nature, especially if it's unnecessary. I don't know when I should start homeschooling them or if I should stop and give them a chance in each new place we move (assuming we're still in the military at that point).
But I do know, that a lot of what's changed my view of homeschooling is because the stigma attached to homeschool is starting to disappear.
I like the idea of knowing what my kid is learning in school. I like the idea of us going on monthly or bi weekly field trips to explore. I like the idea of my kids taking breaks, when they need to, in order to refocus. I like the idea of a co-op, where Evan can meet with other kids to do lessons or go on field trips or just play a ton. I like the idea of using the things that Evan loves and excels at, like legos, puzzles, cars and trains to teach him concepts.
And I'm starting to think that public school, is a waste of time when it comes to what our children actually learn. I hate saying that because I used to be a teacher, and I loved teaching. The most important thing that I wanted to teach my students was to learn to love reading, and I don't know how many of them actually got that!
So, we're going to start homeschooling, sometime. It might be next year---I don't like how the district is dealing with Evan in regards to our IEP. Nobody is going to be diagnosing my son with Autism unless they are a medical professional and specialist in the field. And I've given them the number to contact the developmental pediatrician that we saw, and he can talk to them about why there was no diagnosis.
I think my compromise is to try and do a fun, short, small summer school with Evan everyday this summer. Maybe for only an hour a day, but something that will be a good test run for us to see if it's something we want to do for the future. And, now I will climb off my soap box, and pretend to be in denial about homeschooling my kids a little bit longer...
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Lame Sauce
That's kind of a weird phrase for describing this post but lately I've been feeling super lame. I've been so sick the past few weeks, with the flu a couple of times, and now a cold. Thankfully I've been feeling better, and I'm usually not one for taking a lot of medicine, especially when it comes to colds, but I am glad that my doctor prescribed Zyrtec and Sudafed for me, because it has helped a lot.
We've also been home from school quite a bit lately. It's actually really lame. Because of the cold, Evan's school district has been cancelling OR delaying the two hours. Well, Evan's preschool is the AM class so when there's just a delay, he still doesn't have school. So basically in the month of January, he's gone to school about 3 times.
And he's suffering for it. Last week he had absolutely no potty accidents at all. I kept him home one day because he had diarrhea and I didn't want him passing it on to any other kids. This week, since he's been home all week I haven't been able to get him to go potty at all. The little stinker is so used to his routines, and that when they get thrown off he goes crazy. I kind of don't blame him, he really is a creature of habit.
We made a fort/tent one day and that helped a bit with giving him something new to do, and I wish I could take him out of the house, but it's been so freezing cold lately, I haven't wanted to. It would be times like this that homeschooling would be so good for us. Of course, that's a whole other post for another day.
I'm trying not to give in and let them watch too much TV but it seems impossible. They are driving me nuts if they don't have something to watch, and I am at the point where I just don't have the energy to keep up with them while trying to do chores at all. So a lot of the time we end up watching too much TV and snuggle together one the couch. I guess the fact that they still cuddle and sit with me is good.
Evan started his speech therapy last night. And apparently he didn't want to talk at all to the therapist. He said maybe two words around her. Which is okay, because he just has to get used to her. And we found out that Evan is NOT Autistic! Woo-hoo! This is huge news for us because we've had several psychologists try to press that diagnosis on us and we haven't agreed with them at all. He's definitely speech and language delayed, but he doesn't have any of the other indicators, so he's fine. The developmental pediatrician that we met with was awesome. He told us what we already know--the diagnosis is getting watered down, and he likes to be pretty "old-school" with how he diagnosed the kids because he wants to make sure that the kids that need the help will be able to get it.
Logan is so sassy. Seriously, he is a real firecracker. Everything is drama and whining and more drama for that little man. He's a total chatterbox, and can say so many words and talks all the time. He gets a lot more easily frustrated than Evan though when he can't figure something out, and his temper tantrums are crazy. It feels like Evan wasn't a real toddler sometimes---Logan is definitely the real thing. I am so grateful that Evan is so laid-back and easy-going, because I don't know how I would handle two like Logan. And I say that , and I bet Sadie will be ten times worse!
As for me, I've started nesting, which I hope means that this baby will be here before 40 weeks, but as I'm only technically 35 weeks now, she still needs to wait a couple of weeks. I made a nursing cover a few weeks back, one of those full coverage nursing shawls. I'm not sure if I'll even use it or not. And I am dragging my feet while making her car seat cover. I know it doesn't take much time, but right now I'd rather be cleaning and stuff.
I just got called to be the assistant secretary in Primary, and I am pretty excited for the calling. The secretary is one of the few friends I have here so far. I've kind of been in a slump lately with making friends. I don't know, it's hard---and it's not like people are unfriendly or anything. I know we'll be here for a few years, so hopefully I can perk up and get back to being my energetic, more friendly self. Rick got called to be the 11 year old Scout leader, which he is super excited about. He loves working in Boy Scouts and is totally committed to the program.
And that's about it for now. So, I feel like it's going to be a bit crazier around here soon when we have baby number 3! I don't know if I can really prepare myself anymore, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed, but I am so excited to meet this little girl.
We've also been home from school quite a bit lately. It's actually really lame. Because of the cold, Evan's school district has been cancelling OR delaying the two hours. Well, Evan's preschool is the AM class so when there's just a delay, he still doesn't have school. So basically in the month of January, he's gone to school about 3 times.
And he's suffering for it. Last week he had absolutely no potty accidents at all. I kept him home one day because he had diarrhea and I didn't want him passing it on to any other kids. This week, since he's been home all week I haven't been able to get him to go potty at all. The little stinker is so used to his routines, and that when they get thrown off he goes crazy. I kind of don't blame him, he really is a creature of habit.
We made a fort/tent one day and that helped a bit with giving him something new to do, and I wish I could take him out of the house, but it's been so freezing cold lately, I haven't wanted to. It would be times like this that homeschooling would be so good for us. Of course, that's a whole other post for another day.
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| The boys watching Mickey while under their fort/tent. |
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| Eating pizza on the floor. |
Evan started his speech therapy last night. And apparently he didn't want to talk at all to the therapist. He said maybe two words around her. Which is okay, because he just has to get used to her. And we found out that Evan is NOT Autistic! Woo-hoo! This is huge news for us because we've had several psychologists try to press that diagnosis on us and we haven't agreed with them at all. He's definitely speech and language delayed, but he doesn't have any of the other indicators, so he's fine. The developmental pediatrician that we met with was awesome. He told us what we already know--the diagnosis is getting watered down, and he likes to be pretty "old-school" with how he diagnosed the kids because he wants to make sure that the kids that need the help will be able to get it.
Logan is so sassy. Seriously, he is a real firecracker. Everything is drama and whining and more drama for that little man. He's a total chatterbox, and can say so many words and talks all the time. He gets a lot more easily frustrated than Evan though when he can't figure something out, and his temper tantrums are crazy. It feels like Evan wasn't a real toddler sometimes---Logan is definitely the real thing. I am so grateful that Evan is so laid-back and easy-going, because I don't know how I would handle two like Logan. And I say that , and I bet Sadie will be ten times worse!
As for me, I've started nesting, which I hope means that this baby will be here before 40 weeks, but as I'm only technically 35 weeks now, she still needs to wait a couple of weeks. I made a nursing cover a few weeks back, one of those full coverage nursing shawls. I'm not sure if I'll even use it or not. And I am dragging my feet while making her car seat cover. I know it doesn't take much time, but right now I'd rather be cleaning and stuff.
I just got called to be the assistant secretary in Primary, and I am pretty excited for the calling. The secretary is one of the few friends I have here so far. I've kind of been in a slump lately with making friends. I don't know, it's hard---and it's not like people are unfriendly or anything. I know we'll be here for a few years, so hopefully I can perk up and get back to being my energetic, more friendly self. Rick got called to be the 11 year old Scout leader, which he is super excited about. He loves working in Boy Scouts and is totally committed to the program.
And that's about it for now. So, I feel like it's going to be a bit crazier around here soon when we have baby number 3! I don't know if I can really prepare myself anymore, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed, but I am so excited to meet this little girl.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
2014 Personal Goals
For my New Years Resolution this year, I'd like to have a baby. That's what I was tempted to write, but there are so many other things that are going on besides having a baby that might be harder for me to get through.
So, I've actually taken a lot of thought and contemplation, and I plan on writing all my goals down and putting them up by my bedside table to remind me of the goals that I've made myself this year.
1) Put Heavenly Father first
--Morning and evening prayers
--Daily scripture study
--Magnify my calling (which I just got---assistant secretary in the Primary)
--Go more often to the temple, even if I can't do a full session.
--Write in my journal at least once a week
2) Focus on my family and marriage
--FHE every Monday---we were getting really good at this in Maryland, and not so much anymore. We'll get it...sometime.
--Eat dinner together as a family as often as possible
--Family prayer at least once a day (usually at night before the boys go to bed)
--Family dates once a pay period, where we take the boys somewhere fun, even if it's just to play at Chick-fil-a
--Research, pray and ponder about homeschooling. I've been having so many vibes about homeschooling recently, it's not even funny. I really don't want to pull Evan from preschool yet though, because he's doing so well right now and LOVES school.
3) Personal Health/Wellness/Talents
--Cut back on sugar---this is going to be really hard for me because I love sweets, but I've done it before and I know I can do it again.
--Eat at home at least 90% of the time.
--Drink more water
--Work out at least 4-5 days a week
--Track Weight Watchers points (starting when I come home from the hospital after having baby girl)
--Practice my sewing skills by doing a project once a month
--Prioritize my time better, to include one on one time with kids and husband, time for chores, and for personal growth.
And that's it. I know it's a lot, but a lot of it I've already started doing, and the more kids (and the older they get) the more I realize that I have to prioritize and organize my time a lot better.
So, I've actually taken a lot of thought and contemplation, and I plan on writing all my goals down and putting them up by my bedside table to remind me of the goals that I've made myself this year.
1) Put Heavenly Father first
--Morning and evening prayers
--Daily scripture study
--Magnify my calling (which I just got---assistant secretary in the Primary)
--Go more often to the temple, even if I can't do a full session.
--Write in my journal at least once a week
2) Focus on my family and marriage
--FHE every Monday---we were getting really good at this in Maryland, and not so much anymore. We'll get it...sometime.
--Eat dinner together as a family as often as possible
--Family prayer at least once a day (usually at night before the boys go to bed)
--Family dates once a pay period, where we take the boys somewhere fun, even if it's just to play at Chick-fil-a
--Research, pray and ponder about homeschooling. I've been having so many vibes about homeschooling recently, it's not even funny. I really don't want to pull Evan from preschool yet though, because he's doing so well right now and LOVES school.
3) Personal Health/Wellness/Talents
--Cut back on sugar---this is going to be really hard for me because I love sweets, but I've done it before and I know I can do it again.
--Eat at home at least 90% of the time.
--Drink more water
--Work out at least 4-5 days a week
--Track Weight Watchers points (starting when I come home from the hospital after having baby girl)
--Practice my sewing skills by doing a project once a month
--Prioritize my time better, to include one on one time with kids and husband, time for chores, and for personal growth.
And that's it. I know it's a lot, but a lot of it I've already started doing, and the more kids (and the older they get) the more I realize that I have to prioritize and organize my time a lot better.
A Quick Trip to DC
The weekend before we flew to Utah for the Christmas holidays we went out to DC to see my sister Sarah. Well, we wanted to see her, BUT Rick also had a Sans Tournament to go to. I just know it's a computer hacking competition and after hearing that it was in DC, the boys and I wanted to tag along to see Sarah, so that's what we did!
We mainly hung out, since the weather wasn't the greatest. The boys slept pretty well for the most part. We went to the Botanical Gardens on Monday afternoon, which was really nice and the boys enjoyed seeing for the most part. And then we left pretty early on Tuesday. Tuesday was interesting because the route that we took to DC was all icy and snowing, which we didn't know about when we left, so we had to turn on the radio, ask what county was in the alert, and finally turn around and drive about 30 minutes back to hit another freeway/highway. Needless to say, it was just a really, really long day.
And I have I mentioned that traveling while pregnant really sucks? I like to think that I don't complain or whine too much but with all the traveling and sickness that I've had the past month and a half, I am so over being pregnant.
Anyways, we didn't take as many pictures as I wanted, but I did take some of them. :)
So glad that we could go out to see Sarah, and we're not that far from her to make a quick trip. The boys were really happy to spend so much time with Sarah, even though they kept getting into trouble. :)
We mainly hung out, since the weather wasn't the greatest. The boys slept pretty well for the most part. We went to the Botanical Gardens on Monday afternoon, which was really nice and the boys enjoyed seeing for the most part. And then we left pretty early on Tuesday. Tuesday was interesting because the route that we took to DC was all icy and snowing, which we didn't know about when we left, so we had to turn on the radio, ask what county was in the alert, and finally turn around and drive about 30 minutes back to hit another freeway/highway. Needless to say, it was just a really, really long day.
And I have I mentioned that traveling while pregnant really sucks? I like to think that I don't complain or whine too much but with all the traveling and sickness that I've had the past month and a half, I am so over being pregnant.
Anyways, we didn't take as many pictures as I wanted, but I did take some of them. :)
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| At the Botanical Gardens, watching the train go around the bottom of the tree. |
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| The nice looking tree. |
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| Sarah with Evan and Logan in front of the pond/fountain. |
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| Throwing pennies into the fountain. |
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| Looking at the model train stuff. |
Visiting Utah and Arizona
I'm absolutely positive that this is our last year going home for Christmas. I know that part of it is because I was pregnant, but talk about an exhausting vacation! We flew out on the 19th to Utah. This was our first time flying to Utah for Christmas, and what an experience it was!
Because of the worse than they anticipated snowstorm, SLC flights were delayed and totally crowded. We had a layover in Denver that was pushed back a couple of hours. I am so thankful that we weren't stranded in Denver. We ended up getting to my parents house around midnight. Both boys were passed out, exhausted and went straight to sleep in their regular clothes.
I am so thankful that my boys are amazing at traveling for the most part. No issues at all, except when they started getting cranky, of course.
We enjoyed our time in Utah. I don't have as near as many pictures from Arizona. But, we had a lot of fun visiting Arizona as well. I think we especially enjoyed all the lovely weather in Phoenix.
I got a couple of pictures of Evan and Logan on a hike in Arizona, but I didn't feel like putting them up yet. They had a lot of fun in Phoenix with the whole family. We were just fighting colds and stomach bugs the entire time that we were gone! We're looking forward to driving out to Arizona this August for Maria and Scott's wedding. And we'll have to see about Utah for Christmas...after all the crazy stuff that happened on our flight there and on our flight home, I think we might be homebodies next year.
Because of the worse than they anticipated snowstorm, SLC flights were delayed and totally crowded. We had a layover in Denver that was pushed back a couple of hours. I am so thankful that we weren't stranded in Denver. We ended up getting to my parents house around midnight. Both boys were passed out, exhausted and went straight to sleep in their regular clothes.
I am so thankful that my boys are amazing at traveling for the most part. No issues at all, except when they started getting cranky, of course.
We enjoyed our time in Utah. I don't have as near as many pictures from Arizona. But, we had a lot of fun visiting Arizona as well. I think we especially enjoyed all the lovely weather in Phoenix.
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| Opening up some gifts Christmas morning. |
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| Logan was super excited to see that he got a vacuum cleaner from Nana and Papa. |
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| Family picture |
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| Aunt Sarah with Logan. |
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| Logan was happy in Papa's arms |
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| Evan enjoyed eating the cupcake. |
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| Logan and Nana |
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| Casey and Evan decorating cupcakes. |
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| Sarah and Logan when we went to Thanksgiving Point to see all the Christmas lights. |
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| Evan when we were getting him ready to go outside and play in the backyard. |
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| The boys all standing by the snowman that they made. |
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| Logan with a cupcake. Typical. |
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| Rick with both boys after sledding down the hill |
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| Cheesy grin from Logan |
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| Sarah with Logan and Evan the day before she left to go back home. |
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| Maria and Logan together. |
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| Evan sledding with Aunt Sarah. |
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| I love how happy Evan is in this picture |
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| This boy loved all the sledding action! |
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