Two Quick Tips for Distar

Click the link on the sidebar for "Distar" under "Labels" to understand what this reading program I'm talking about is.

1. Take Wiggle Breaks

One thing that I love about Distar is that each lesson is pretty short.  But once your child approaches the middle of the book, the stories get longer and the child is expected to read them twice in a row.  That can be hard for short attention spans and wiggly bottoms!  A little bit of physical activity, and then he can focus on the task at hand better.

As soon as Tertius is done reading the story the first time, I have him stand up and do jumping jacks.  He doesn't know how to do them correctly, but at least it's getting his body moving and blood pumping.  He thinks they're really fun, too.  I used to just have him do 10.  But recently he started insisting on doing more.  The first day he wanted to do 11.  Then the next day was 12.  He is now up to doing 18 jumping jacks before sitting to read the story for a second time.

2. Skip the Writing Section

I'm sure it's meant to serve a wonderful purpose.  And I'm sure it's great for some families.  But I have always skipped it.  

Once my kids are done reading the story for the second time and have answered the comprehension questions while looking at the picture, they're done.  Everyone of them was eager to jump up and do something else. And that "something else" does not include sitting still and putting pencil to blank paper.  

Instead, I teach my Kindergartners to write their letters using colorful handwriting books in the D'nealian/Modern Manuscript style (I can never remember what it's actually officially called-it's the one where all the printed letters have little "kicks" at the end as a way to ease into cursive in later grades.)

I had a setback...

I've been so good for so long.  Almost 3 months.  I haven't yelled at my kids at all for almost three months. I haven't been speaking in a permanently saccharine-sweet voice, but I have been in control of my tone of voice.  Our home has been a happier, calmer place where the Holy Spirit has been able to be present.

But then I slipped up.



Two of the children were playing in the living room.  When these two are together they can go very quickly from happily playing to fighting.  On this day, child One accidentally hit child Two in the face with a toy.  One quickly apologized.  But Two didn't hear over the sounds of it's own screaming and exaggerated crying as it hit One with a balloon in retaliation.

I like to let them try to figure things out on their own, but it was clear this time that I needed to step in.  I told them both to sit down and began talking to Two about the situation.  Two refused to listen to what I had to say and kept defending itself, talking over me, being rude, etc.  Very typical for this child.

I finally told Two to go to a different room.  If Two is not ready to listen to me in matters of discipline, then Two just needs to go to the bedroom and give us both space to calm down before we can talk with more level heads.

On this day, I let Two push me too far.  This child refused to leave the room.  I was frustrated and sick of not being able to get a word in edgewise without the arguing and backtalk.  So I chose to command the situation and screamed, "GOOD BYE!"

That scared Two enough to shut it's mouth and leave.  But then I felt horrible.  All that divine help I have had!  The miracle I had received!  I felt like I had been walking on a clear path in a beautiful meadow but then suddenly decided to jump onto the dark, twisting, rocky, dangerous path to the left.

Thankfully after a couple minutes both of us were calmer and had a really good discussion.  We both did some repenting.  And then we both felt better.

This ended up being a good learning opportunity for the both of us.  Two learned that Mommy is willing to admit when I screw up, and that I'm trying to be better.  I learned, again, that I need to continue to rely on my Heavenly Father and on my Savior Jesus Christ daily.  Hourly!  I need His guidance to know how best to parent, teach, and discipline each of my children.  I need His grace as I try to exercise greater faith and patience.  And I need His Atonement because unlike Him, I am not perfect!  If I sincerely repent He makes it possible for me to walk once again in that beautiful meadow toward His kingdom.

Spouse and Family Support Guide, Ch 2 Shake Off the Chains with Which Ye Are Bound

My intro from last week: Last semester Hubby had a class on Tuesday nights which made it difficult for me to attend the Family Support Group that I used to facilitate.  But now I have started going back and am loving it!

I used to go primarily to help other people.  But now I have to choose to go for myself.  It's a wonderful mid-week gospel study and testimony meeting.  You don't have to have an addiction or know someone who has an addiction to benefit from this group!

I'm trying to be better (again) about my personal nightly scripture study.  I've decided that every night I am going to study the Spouse and Family Support Guide.  This is the manual we discuss in the meetings.  I'm journaling my answers to the discussion questions, and thoughts I have as I study the Personal Learning and Application section.  And since I do better at sticking to things when I have outside accountability and feel obligated, I'm going to blog my journals here.

These will not be my unedited journal entries.  The really personal stuff will be saved for my own reflection and for sharing in the confidential meetings.  I also won't be including the many, many quotes that touched my heart and that I highlighted in the additional readings linked at the end of each chapter.  You're going to have to go read and find those gems yourself!

Please follow the link, read along, and share your own thoughts in the comments if you feel so inspired.

Chapter 2. Shake Off the Chains with Which Ye Are Bound

For too long I think I felt some responsibility, not for the way my loved ones act, but for fixing them. I felt like I was the one who could understand, reach, change, and soften them. It was draining. Beating my head against the wall didn't work and it didn't work and it didn't work and it was only was causing harm to my own life and family. I finally had to realize that and step away. 

When my relationship with Heavenly Father is strong, I find it easier to be optimistic and patient through trials. I know that I am His child and that He loves me and my family. Because of this love, I know that He wants what's best for me. Sometimes what's best for me is that I learn difficult lessons. So I have to trust and have faith that all will come out better in the end.

I can use my agency to choose to move forward with positive experiences for my children rather than dwelling on pain.

I will be punished for my own negative actions, and not for the actions of anyone else. 

Because of my divine nature, I am capable of amazing things.

God is not a dumb idol. He is a living being who knows our needs and hears our cries.

We had agency, the freedom of choice, from the beginning.

I had no idea “agency” was not defined as we know it in the dictionary!

“Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and 'to act for ourselves and not to be acted upon' Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions.”

Satan's plan wasn't a plan of love, but of rebellion “for it would have denied us our agency.”

In this life, we sometimes use our agency to give up our agency.

Christ had to exercise agency to be our Savior.

I want my home to be filled with FHE, family prayer, family scripture study, etc to make my home an “incubator for spiritual growth" I want my home to be more spiritual.

The Atonement is available to me. The Atonement is available to my family. The Atonement is available to my friends.

I need to put my trust in God CONTINUALLY like the stripling warriors.

“Choose to put everything, literally everything, on the altar before Him.” Reminds me of Step 3.

B of M prophets prayed for strength (the enabling power of the Atonement) rather than praying for trials to be taken away. I need to pray for strength to overcome/endure my challenges like they did.

Sister Bednar experienced the same as me: unending morning sickness in pregnancy. I prayed for that trial to be removed. She prayed for strength, that enabling power of the Atonement, and was able to “do physically what she could not do in her own power.” I need to learn from this! During my tough pregnancies, I was constantly counseled by the Lord to study the scriptures. Is this what I was supposed to learn from the scriptures? To pray for strength to persevere rather than pray for the HG to end?

Homeschooling Means...#10

...I get super excited when I catch my preschooler (5 year old) concentrating on his fingers at dinner time and whispering, "1, 3, 5...1, 3...1, 3, 5...7..."

He was trying to figure out how to skip count doing only odd numbers.  By the next day he was able to confidentially say the odd numbers up to 11 and the even numbers up to 10.

This is a concept I have not introduced to him formally yet.  It's amazing what the Littles are able to learn just by being in the same room while the Bigs are learning.  They absorb so much!


(This series is meant to be mostly lighthearted and fun.  Some may be serious, but most will be silly, braggy, or of the keepin'-it-real variety.  Not every homeschool is the same.  And some of these things could be said by public school parents.  This is just to highlight MY experience with MY homeschool and MY children.  Enjoy these little insights into our life and feel free to share your own "Homeschooling means..." in the comments!)

Spouse and Family Support Guide, Ch 1 God Will Console Us

Last semester Hubby had a class on Tuesday nights which made it difficult for me to attend the Family Support Group that I used to facilitate.  But now I have started going back and am loving it!

 I used to go primarily to help other people.  But now I have to choose to go for myself.  It's a wonderful mid-week gospel study and testimony meeting.  You don't have to have an addiction or know someone who has an addiction to benefit from this group!

I'm trying to be better (again) about my personal nightly scripture study.  I've decided that every night I am going to study the Spouse and Family Support Guide.  This is the manual we discuss in the meetings.  I'm journaling my answers to the discussion questions, and thoughts I have as I study the Personal Learning and Application section.  And since I do better at sticking to things when I have outside accountability and feel obligated, I'm going to blog my journals here.

These will not be my unedited journal entries.  The really personal stuff will be saved for my own reflection and for sharing in the confidential meetings.  I also won't be including the many, many quotes that touched my heart and that I highlighted in the additional readings linked at the end of each chapter.  You're going to have to go read and find those gems yourself!

Please follow the link, read along, and share your own thoughts in the comments if you feel so inspired.

Chapter 1. God Will Console Us

I know that God knows me. He helped me get through many trials in the past and overcome my codependent thoughts and behaviors. There is no way that I could have come out of that all on my own. I felt his influence giving me strength and changing my heart. If I remember how He has helped me in the past, it will give me faith and courage to overcome in the future.

I know that if I feel that God is ignoring me, then the problem is actually with me! I'm probably the one who stepped away and isn't listening to Him. Another explanation is that sometimes it is His plan for us to struggle on our own for a time so that we can learn important things.

I know that God knows and loves me and my family. I feel it.

One huge way that Heavenly Father has supported me in my trials is to simply send his Holy Spirit to comfort me. When I break down in tears, He has sent the Holy Ghost to literally hug me. Sometimes that's all I need to make it through the day.

If you feel that He is not supporting you, then you have to look at yourself. Are you doing all you can to invite Him into your life?   

 I need to wax bolder in mighty prayer.

I need to work on my “addiction” to sugar/overeating, and facebook. These are not healthy for me and not a good example to my children. If I can overcome addictions/bad habits, then I will have further spiritual strength and be closer to my Heavenly Father.

God is aware of my challenges and is supporting me. I've received powerful priesthood blessings. I've felt the Holy Ghost as I've poured out my soul in prayer. Our family is not homeless. We have rarely had to buy clothes. We've always been well fed. Hubby is doing well in school. We are all healthy. We have been physically sustained in so many ways. We have amazing friends who have given us pick-me-ups in the form of kind words, temporal help, etc. My faith is strengthened when I remember all these blessings. I need to write them down more often and focus on the positives in my life.

I know that God is aware of my personally and what I am going through. I have always known and felt this. The hard part for me is to wait patiently on His timetable for my trials. I need more faith to trust in His plan for me and my family.

Buying the Fun Kinder Stuff

(I'm not affiliated with Lakeshore in any way.  I share this because I'm just so darn excited to go shopping for school supplies!)

This week I got an email confirming that Tertius is officially enrolled in Kindergarten with our charter school.  Our ES is coming tomorrow to have us sign the student agreements.

When I told him, Tertius could hardly control his excitement.  To celebrate, I took him to Lakeshore to order some things just for him.  With sales and coupons, we were able to get some great deals today!

One huge benefit of him being the third homeschooled kid is that our school money stretches further.  We already have all the basics we need.  So now a lot of the money allocated for him goes to fun stuff!

He got to pick out new counters and went with dinosaurs.  The classic three-size colored bear counters have served us well for four years but it's time for something different.

I'm really excited about this Gear Builder set. I found this Safari Gears set at a thrift store many years ago and it's been a big hit.  It was very handy last year when we were learning about Simple Machines.  But it's seen better days.  And this new set has more gears and looks like it will be a lot easier to put together and with more options for creativity.


When Tertius wasn't looking, I put a couple things into the cart that would be fun surprises.  I love it when our ES brings our orders. It's like Christmas!

This first surprise is going to be these What's Inside Animals Xrays.  (I couldn't find it on Lakeshore's website so this link is for another school supplier.)  I've been eyeing them for a while and decided with the sale price, this was a good time to add these to our science exploration box.

The second surprise is going to be this simple Dough Tool Set.  Our playdough drawer is mostly cookie cutters and tongue depressors.  It will be fun to finally have some cheap basic tools.  Why the heck didn't I ever order these sooner?


I can't wait for school to start in a month!

Story of the World: Edible Oasis

This was a fun project we did way back in February.  We were learning about the Arabian desert in Story of the World volume 2.  Snack this day was our own edible oases.

Crushed graham crackers for sand.

Blue sugar for water (put a couple drops of food coloring in a bag with sugar and smoosh it around.)

Palm trees made of Tootsie Rolls and cut up gum drops, glued together with peanut butter.

Complete with animal cracker camels.

Homeschooling Means...#9

...outside recess doesn't get cancelled because of rain.
 Instead, the kids make time to search for snails and jump in some puddles before breakfast.

(This series is meant to be mostly lighthearted and fun.  Some may be serious, but most will be silly, braggy, or of the keepin'-it-real variety.  Not every homeschool is the same.  And some of these things could be said by public school parents.  This is just to highlight MY experience with MY homeschool and MY children.  Enjoy these little insights into our life and feel free to share your own "Homeschooling means..." in the comments!)

My Favorite Stores For Curriculum

When I talk to new homeschoolers, a question that I often get asked is, "Where do you buy your curriculum and other supplies?"  I've happily answered this so many times, it's a shame these stores don't pay me some kind of commission.

Because I am associated with a charter school, they pay for all of my art materials and curriculum.  So if I'm ordering online, I just take a screen shot of my online shopping cart and then email that jpeg to my ES (Education Specialist).  Or if I select things in store, when I go to check out I tell the clerk that it is a school order.  They then ring everything up, put my cart on hold, and print out an invoice for me to give to my ES.  Then my ES orders those things for me and delivers them to me a few weeks later.

A Brighter Child

We get text books, workbooks, games, posters, fun science kits, basic math manipulatives, etc. here.

I never order from this store online.  They are most valuable for their physical location.  Their store clerks are homeschoolers themselves and very knowledgeable about the resources they carry.  They hold free "how to homeschool" classes occasionally and are always willing to give advice or insight on choosing products.  Once I was thinking of switching from my very reasonably priced math text that works just fine, to a more glamorous and expensive system that I had read about.  Thanks to the Brighter Child employee, I decided that "if it isn't broke, don't fix it," and stayed with the cheaper text.

They have a nice play area for the kids to stay occupied while I browse, and a sitting area with table where I can spread out and skim through books while I make decisions.

A Brighter Child also offers onsite classes for kids of all ages on several subjects.


Rainbow Resource

We get text books, workbooks, art supplies, fun science kits, etc here.

This is an online-only shop.  Their big draws are their huge selection (their yearly catalog is the size of a phone book!) and their cheap prices.  For everything the sell, they show the normal list price, and then the Rainbow Resource price.  It's always a good savings.  And if you order $50 worth at a time, the shipping is free!

I will often browse A Brighter Child so I can see the materials in person, and then in the end order it from Rainbow for the cheaper price.

One drawback is that their search function doesn't seem to always work.  So if I'm just browsing, I may not be able to find what I'm looking for.  But if I know what I want and search a specific title name, then it's fine.

Another tiny drawback (but that depends on your perspective) is that they also sell religious-based materials (such as Apologia Science, which is based on the Bible.)  Because of this, it seems to take the school a tiny bit longer to approve orders because they take extra care to make sure that they are only paying for secular curriculum.


Lakeshore Learning

We get mostly fun and hands-on stuff here.  Science resources, games, educational toys, art supplies, bonus math manipulatives (at Brighter Child, you can get colored counting bears, but at Lakeshore you can choose between colored counting planes, dinosaurs, bugs, animals, etc.)

Their online store and the physical location are equally awesome!  If I'm not careful, I could blow our whole budget on fun stuff from Lakeshore.  They also host free craft activities for kids on Saturdays.


Brainy Zoo Toys

Brainy Zoo is another fun place to shop for "extras."  The kids like to browse here because they have a lot of toys spread around the store for them to play with while mommy drools over craft kits, science kits, DaVinci models, and the like.


Office Depot

Thankfully, Office Depot online is also an approved vendor for our school.  This is where I get basic school supplies like printer ink, paper, pencils, dry erase markers, glue, etc.  I even buy cheap paper plates from Office Depot with our school funds.  Paper plates are invaluable to our school routine!  I summarized some of their uses in this previous post.


Alibris

This is a new resource to me.  A friend of mine who homeschools independently (not associated with a charter so therefore has to buy all school supplies on her own) told me about this one.  She finds all kinds of great deals on used textbooks in their online store.

Last school year I asked the school to approve them as a vendor.  And now I've submitted my first order to them.  I found a craft book on their site that I have not been able to find through any other approved vendors.  I will find out in a couple weeks if there was any hiccups in ordering with them through the school!


When I was a new homeschooler, I was excited but felt pretty lost and didn't know where to start.  I am so thankful to my friend Epsi who took me under her wing, drove me to Brighter Child, helped me select our first curriculum, and told me about other great resources.  And now I'm so glad I have this blog as a way to "pay it forward" and perhaps help others that are in the same position that I once was.

What's your favorite place for curriculum and school supplies?

Homeschooling Means...#8

...wondering if other 6 year olds say things like, "That mango flavored electrolyte water tasted magnificent!"


(This series is meant to be mostly lighthearted and fun.  Some may be serious, but most will be silly, braggy, or of the keepin'-it-real variety.  Not every homeschool is the same.  And some of these things could be said by public school parents.  This is just to highlight MY experience with MY homeschool and MY children.  Enjoy these little insights into our life and feel free to share your own "Homeschooling means..." in the comments!)

Treasure Box (A Fun Way To Select Songs For Nursery)

For the past couple years we have had the kids select songs to sing in Nursery by letting them pick a laminated fish picture from a blue poster board.  They have loved it.

But now we have a different mix of kids and it has become clear that I need something that is easier to put up on a table out of the way when not being used. Also, some of the kids like to chew on the fish and pull off the velcro that is on the backs.  They were getting to be in bad shape.

Now we have a treasure box!

I found this brown index card box at a thrift store for 50 cents and used gold nail polish to make it look cool.

The song titles are written on these big plastic pennies.  I found these at the Dollar Store in packs of 10 (five brown, five silver.)

I wrote the song titles with ultra fine Sharpie.  But then I noticed that the sharpie wipes off too easily.  A little swipe of Mod Podge over the top of the sharpie took care of that problem!

The kids love to take turns picking out the treasure and finding out what song we get to do.
If there is a little asterisk next to the title, then that is to remind me that we have visual aides to go along with the song.  Some songs have actions or hand motions.  And then some songs like "I Love To See the Temple" have no motions or pictures.  So for those I'm teaching the kids how to conduct the music.  Often they will hold ribbons in their hands to do it.

I love Nursery!  Those children are so special and so recently from Heavenly Father!  Music really touches them and I love to share fun and inspiring songs with them.

Chicken-tastic

 I learned how to easily pre-cook, shred, and freeze chicken in bulk from A Slob Comes Clean.  So now I'm trying to find easy recipes that my family likes using my freezer full of chicken.

This turned out to be such a hit that the kids named this new recipe, "Chicken-tastic."  It's just a chicken salad sandwich, but I think their name is going to stick for us.  Tertius inhaled two of these sandwiches in a matter of minutes!

When I try something new like this, especially since it contains a vegetable they haven't been fans of in the past, I get them to help me make it.  They are much more likely to taste a meal (with minimal complaint) if they had a hand in preparing it.

What the Kids Can Do
1. add the mayo to the chicken
2. add the grapes (they used a ton!)
3. add the celery (they added a lot more than I thought they would!)
4. add salt and pepper (they didn't put very much so I don't know if it even made a difference, but it is fun to use the pepper grinder)
5. taste
6. stir
7. fill their own pita pockets

What I Did:
1. thaw the chicken
2. quarter the grapes
3. dice the celery
4. stir

Chicken-tastic (Chicken Salad Sandwich)

Stir together in a big bowl:
- precooked and shredded chicken
- mayonnaise
- grapes (quartered)
- celery (diced)
- salt and pepper

Stuff inside a whole wheat pita and enjoy!

"Mom, I can't read this."

Today in Sacrament Meeting at church, Quartus reclined against me, held the program up in front of him upside-down, and said, "Mom, I can't read this."  It was especially cute because of the way he emphasizes the ending consonants of words.

So many questions!  If it was right-side-up would he have said the same thing?  Did he really expect to be able to read it when he opened it up?  Is he going to be one of those crazy kids that teach themselves to read at age 3?  Is he always going to be this adorable?