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38 weeks...
Today, I:
Swept and moped the upstairs.
Dusted the office and my room (forgot to do the boys -how?)
washed the car seat/cover
washed the bouncer cover and swing cover
did 3 loads of laundry (two more in process)
put away a lot of misc clothes in my room that were in piles
washed dishes
packed hospital bag- sort of (what I could)
Tonight is E's Blue and Gold dinner/awards banquet and I have a Mom's Night out.
Would like to do tomorrow:
Wash bouncer and swing
sweep boys room carpet and porch carpet
Call and schedule an inspection for van
clean playroom
LLL meeting
Can't this baby come???? My mom has tomorrow and Thursday off and could get Edward from school on Wednesday which would get Joe to the hospital after John was picked up. It would be ideal.
Today:
Put baby clothes away
Get and wash car seat cover, bouncy seat cover, and swing cover
Call Therapist re: Edward
Call OB re: appointment for next week
Put away Easter decorations (I hope)/dust
Would love to cook up some ground meat so I can have some freezer meals, but no promises.
LLL meeting in a.m.
LLL meeting in p.m.
Wednesday
Meet with NP at diabetes clinic ($10 down on being put on insulin)
Clean attic space for inlaws who are coming on Saturday (sweep and mop and finish dusting)
Make guest bed up
Clear off front porch (?)
Women of Faith dinner banquet at 6:30 pm for me, fix dinner for Joe/boys
Put Edward's winter clothes away
Endocrinologist appointment at 3:15
Make dinner for friend who just had a baby (just doubling our dinner and dropping it off)
Thursday
Mother's Day program at John's school 10:30 a.m.
Concert practice at high school from 12:45-1:30
Edward and me Haircuts 3:15
Concert at 6:30
Friday
Last minute errands for First Communion
Get Clothes ready for everyone
Pick up Joe's suit
Saturday
Cook food for Communion
Set up at Mom's house
Sunday
Have E to church by 10:30
Communion at 11;30
Party at 2
*There are a bunch of little things to throw in there too...not have a baby this week for sure! I do want to pack my bags a bit in prep, but that's hard too, because, well, I use what I own and to have it in a bag seems weird. But locating a bag to put things would be good and have a list at least.
Joe, I think it's safe to say, is 100% on board with homeschooling and gave me the thumbs up to start ordering supplies. I'm working on the budget for next month, so I needed to know when to have the $ ready to purchase. His only concerns are my stress level with a newborn. I reminded him that I'm thinking of that and planning for a year that will go from July 1 to May 1, so plenty of days in there that we can take it slow and easy if the baby's needs are more pressing than school. And with a very literature based curriculum, Edward can do a lot on his own I believe and/or help John as needed as well. My goal is Reading and Math daily. Science several times a week and the rest as it fits in.
So, we are ordering Sonlight curriculum for 3rd grade (with Saxon Math though, for this year) and kindergarten (also Saxon math) and the preschool Parent's Companion (just to see what it's like). We're going to do the payment plan, I think the 9 month one, just so we can cash flow it and still have time to set aside money for the following years program. I've done a lot of praying and I"m hoping that this will meet our needs. If not, there is a money back guarantee.
John has mentally checked out of this school year I think. He has said, on the last 3 school days that he doesn't want to go to school today. I've bribed him with the fact that Wed he wasn't going (E had an evaluation in Pgh for ADHD) and todays bribe was that if he went today, he wouldn't have to go tomorrow. I think he just wants to go outside and play! :) Edward hasn't checked out soo much yet, but the teacher says all the kids are getting there. But next week, their student teacher leaves (with a bang- he's bringing a Sunday bar!) and then they have a field trip, so maybe those types of things will help him out.
hmmm ... I know there was something else I wanted to type about, but Edward just came downstairs and showed me that he fully dressed Patrick. How sweet was that?
Edward:
Phonics/Spelling: All About Spelling, Level 4 (maybe?)
PE: hahah! 8 year old boy stuff! Swim and Gym, maybe baseball in the fall?
Bible: CCD and maybe something else character related?? But not worried about this.
Math: Saxon Math, Level 4 (maybe?)
Reading: ?? Looking at www.konos to encompass several subjects at once...classics for sure. Will come up with a reading list soon.
Science: www.konos.com?
Geo/History: www.konos.com or another one. We may start with American History for the moment, he's interested and my mom wants to take him to some Rev. War forts that are fairly local. Then go backwards a bit...depends on the bigger curriculum choice, unit study I pick.
I love the maps on this page: Write and wipe.. perfect for years of use, i would think! http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca%7
John:
Phonics/Spelling: All About Spelling, Level 1
PE- hahaha...he's five..whatever he wants to do to run around and play! Swim and Gym at the Y too.
Bible: Probably nothing formal, just reading stories? Or something to coincide with Edwards- they will go to CCD still
Math: Saxon Math, Level 1
Core/Reading: Teach your child to read in 100 days?
Science
Geo/History
Art: paint and colors! :)
I WANT to homeschool Edward and by default, John too. My heart keeps telling me it's the right choice. And that is hard to actually articulate. You know, out loud. To people whose opinions truly matter to me.
But I have a lot of things holding me back from it.
I think bullets will work best for the moment. I may expand more later.
- I'm scared of people's opinions. I grew up being told that "those people who homeschool are (insert any number of negative words)" from my mother. She never had a high opinion of those that homeschool. She thought they were not progressive, they held their children back and they had 'weird' kids. I think that, at times, is still true...but I hate the judgement. Each of those parents made the choice. She thought it MADE kids weird. My honest opinion is that those parents realized their child, who had tendencies that weren't maybe "normal", recognized that 'away school' would be detremental to their child and so they chose a different route.
- I'm afraid I would fail my child. It's easier to blame a broken school system than to accept that I can't do something right
- I'm afraid I will not provide the structure we all would need to do well at home schooling.
-I'm afraid I'm creating this option as a way to hide from the problems Edward is having in school, not as a solution for them.
-I'm afraid I would use the issues he has at school as the reason to home school but the issues will still be there.
- I fear the socialization he gets in school would be limited. Though this one goes the other way to- the negative socialization would be more controlled.
- I fear I would not get the household stuff done too.
- I fear I would try to over do home school in an attempt to 'do it the best'. I tend to obsess over one thing to the mutual exclusion of other things that are important, burn out and stop.
- I am afraid to do this with a new baby at home. Baby #4 would be 2-3 months old if I aim to start in August, though I could start sooner. Or later.
- I don't know how I will continue what I do throughout the day while also homeschooling. Groceries, LLL, Storytime with Patrick, all seem harder if I have all four kids with me all the time.
- Burn out. I LOVE my family. I adore them. But I do burn out if it's a bad day. And there won't be anyone to hand them off to for 6 something hours a day.
-I'd have to give up my Facebook time. Okay, totally ridiculous. But again it goes back to how I do things now and how those would need to change.
- The amount of work to keep us all on task. Literally, the keeping all the subjects straight and covered because they still would need tested like regular school kids. And I'd have to be organized. Did I mention, that is hard for me.
- Space. We would need classroom type space. Our downstairs is not suited currently for that. Though the attic might work. And be free of distractions if Joe and I worked on it a bit to make it so.
- The cost of materials. I don't know what that would be. Less than private school I would assume. LOL!
- Discipline. Would there be discipline issues? This leads to my burn out.
-Everyone keeps telling me to slowdown, not do as much, that I'm doing too much already. Would this add to or eliminate that? I do not know.
- Would Edward be bored? Would he need more stimulation than I could provide?
So reasons that I like the idea:
- I like the flexibility it offers. There is nothing flexible about having to have one on the bus at 8:30 and one in school by 9:15. And to ability to take weekends off that start on a Friday or end on a Monday? Without guilt of having to write an excuse.
- I get more time with my children to help develop their character.
- I get to be the influence.
- I can control their friends a bit longer but still have them exposed to all types of people though the local homeschoolers and extra activties like baseball and swim team.
- I can accelerate Edward. He won't need to wait for the other kids to be finished before he moves on to another subject. When he's done, we move on.
- I can slow down when he needs more help.
- I can add more enrichement activites. We can do the Children's Museum during the week. We can go to the zoo on a warm November day and use it in lessons we are working on, for both children.
- I can start Patrick on preschool next year while I work with the other two.
- I can acknowledge what my heart is telling me is right.
- I can use Edward's enthusiasm for a particular subject as a launching pad for discovery. When I was teaching, or preparing to teach I suppose is more accurate, this was my goal. Not to teach strictly from a book but to use the book as the reference point for learning.
- We can go all year. I don't like traditional school giving summer off, because I think kids lose too much. But I also like to enjoy the beautiful weather. We can do both if I homeschool. We can have outdoor class time. We can measure speed of our bikes. We can count butterflies at the part. We can do so many things.
- We can take family trips any time of year. I think I kind of said this. But they can include educational things too. Planning that would be fun.
- I could teach Edward in a way he can do better (maybe) because it would be more tailored to him.
- My heart wants to protect my boys from negative influences, not forever but until they can understand better how to cope with them. The world is not what it used to be.
- My hearts wants it.
- http://www.giftedguru.com/?p=494 This. Nothing more to say.
- I don't know that the gifted program that the school district has is going to be enough for Edward. It's not every day. It's not accelerated pace for things. It is what it is. One day a week enrichment. Not going to help his behaviors that are there, I believe, because of boredeom.
- No more stupid PTA. ;) As VP at E's school - it sucks.
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I want what is best. I don't know, intellectually, what that is right now. I know what my heart says. And each point has counterpoints and further explainations that can go with it. I don't want to mess him up. I have high expectations and high demands.
I think I need to think more about what I want to write.
So, I neede abreather right now. The boys are watching PBS and Edward SHOULD be doing homework, but I just don't have the fight in me. I've done two days of Santa's Lane at Edward's school. Here's been my schedule the past two days:
7:00- Get up/shower/dressed
7:30 - Down for breakfast
8:20- Teeth for everyone and run for the bus
8:32- put John on the bus
9:00- Edward, Patrick and I go to Edward's school. Set up/arrange/prep for Santa's Lnae
10:00 (today) I had to go to John's school for HIS Santa's Lane. I pulled him out early to come with me so I didn't have to leave Santa's Lane early
11:15-3:20 Santa's Lane- boys ate lunch there, destroyed things and ran in circles. I wanted to cry- a lot.
3:20 - clean everything up, prep as much as I could for hte next day.
3:30 - Home
3:30- become a zombie for awhile
4:30 Start dinner
How do working mom's do it? I want to cry I 'm so tired, my house is insanely messy and I have people coming over Saturday for an enrichment class. I don't mind the Santa's Lane, but I'm sooo tired...
Tonight, Joe and I are supposed to go out, but i haven't heard from my mom about if she's babysitting. He and I need some time together, but I'm soooo tired....
But he'll get it. I'm hoping by fall.
New on the PJ front:
Words: "That" sooo helpful to have this word.
"No" Not helpful!
"Yea" FINALLY!
and a few others I'm not ready to 'declare' just yet.
January 3, 2011
Ralph L. Franco, 83, of 6498 Ridgway-Johnsonburg Rd., Johnsonburg, died Friday afternoon, Dec. 31, 2010 at Elk Haven Nursing Home in St. Marys following a lengthy illness.
He was born April 23, 1927 in Johnsonburg, the son of Batiste and Frances Serianni Franco.
On Sept. 16, 1950 in Holy Rosary Church, he married Rose M. Ferragine, who survives. The couple had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Sept. 16, 2010.
He resided in the Johnsonburg community all his life and graduated from Johnsonburg High School in 1944. He was a member of the Holy Rosary Church, VFW, and Johnsonburg Senior Center. He delivered Meals on Wheels and was an avid woodworker. He was a beloved husband, devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He had also played semi-pro football for the Johnsonburg Shamrocks. He was a WWII Navy veteran, having served as a Coxswain at the U.S. Navy Supply Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He was employed by New York & Pennsylvania & Co. and then PennTech Papers in Johnsonburg for 42 years before retiring in 1989.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by four daughters, Eloise Kline and Paul Klink of Johnsonburg, Gail, Mrs. Thomas Launer of Johnsonburg, Kathleen, Mrs. Tony Durian of Johnsonburg and Karen, Mrs. Patrick Mahoney of Lehman; nine grandchildren, Michael Klink and his wife Julie, Dan Klink and his wife Amanda, Robert and James Launer, Steven and Jason Durian, and Christina, Michele and Rachel Mahoney; three great-grandchildren, Austin, Nathan and Brayden Klink; a brother, Batiste "Kack" Franco and his wife Stephanie "Steffie" of Johnsonburg; and several nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, he was also preceded in death by his stepmother, Caroline Servidea Franco.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Ralph. L. Franco will be conducted at Holy Rosary Church on Tuesday at 10 a.m., with the Rev. David J. Wilson, pastor, officiating. Interment will take place in Holy Rosary Cemetery in Johnsonburg.
Friends will be received at the Anthony F. Ferragine Funeral Home, 401 Chestnut St., Johnsonburg, on Monday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m.
Military honors will be accorded by the Johnsonburg-Wilcox Servicemen's Detail. Detail members are asked to assemble at the funeral home Tuesday morning at 9:15 a.m.
