I thought about just starting fresh, but then felt like my first year of homeschooling deserved to live on! LOL And I guess the story of why I've been *gone* from the blog world needs to be told. We've suffered loss, injury and just plain old life craziness. But, we've made it through. And we are so blessed. I'll keep this as short as humanly possible.
In November of 2011 our precious friend, Caryn, was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was, without a doubt, the beginning of the hardest 15+ months I've experienced. There were some wonderful memories made in those months, but, in the end, Caryn went to Heaven on March 2, 2013. Besides our own pain and heartbreak, we have even more sympathy for what her parents, sisters and family have to face each day. A life without their sweet girl. We all rejoice FOR her and know how glorious Heaven is. Caryn was so special...I've never seen a person (not just a child) who is so faithful and knew exactly Who she was going to be with in Heaven! This child was the brightest light here on Earth. She has to be just the most phenomenal angel in Heaven! We feel so blessed to have been part of her life. I'll never forget her sweet voice and her hugs! Here is a link to a post with Caryn, Laney and Genna singing. Caryn is the tallest. :)
http://www.gigiacademy4mykids.blogspot.com/2011/05/special-choir-performance.html
In the midst of all of this we dealt with my adult nephew suffering a TBI (traumatic brain injury) after falling out of a moving pick-up truck. Thank God, thanks to a great neuro-surgeon, he was spared and recovered. We recently dealt with a setback of sorts when he had a seizure more than a year later. But he is strong and healthy and working hard in college and makes me super proud! He has been through a lot and still keeps his head high, his goals firm, and works his hardest on his education when many would think of giving up. :)
We've also moved...TWICE! LOL First was a 9 month move to Lake Charles, LA for a new job. It wasn't they best of circumstances so we searched for better and we have landed in a Paradise! We've recently moved to Southeast Florida and we absolutely love it! We've been here for under 6 weeks and finally moved into our apartment just last weekend. We've spent plenty of time at the beautiful beach and on "The Ave" just enjoying "living on vacation". And bonus...Dad loves his new job! I'll post pics soon!
We've completed 3 years of homeschooling. Through all of that ^^ I think I've grown as an educator. As a matter of fact...after such a stressful 2012/2013 school year I decided to change EVERYTHING! So far my kids have been enjoying the new choices I've made for curriculum more than ever before. Their words: "This is the first year we like Math!" and "We really like all of this stuff you picked." Wooohooo!
BTW...in spite of the stress, they've both thrived! They are so smart and intelligent. I'm so proud of both of my kiddos!
For those that are curious, our new education choices are:
Teaching Textbooks - Math
Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool - English
Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool - Science
Story of the World - History
We are also starting a very cool thing for 6 weeks in November/December that teaches history via Minecraft. Yes...you read that right! LOL
http://minecrafthomeschool.com/
And in the Spring we will be adding (for fun and learning) a Physical Science.
www.explorationeducation.com
Otherwise, we're here in Palm Beach County spending time getting settled and meeting other homeschoolers. There seems to be MANY here! We have park days, science days and other fun events filling our calendar!
I've also pretty passionately poured myself into fighting the Common Core State Standards. I've been posting on Facebook since the Spring. If you haven't really done your research you should. It is important...whether you have kids or not...whether you have kids in private schools, homeschool, or public school...IT REALLY MATTERS. It isn't a liberal or conservative issue. I'm a staunch moderate who is liberal on some issues and conservative on others. Republicans AND Democrats are to blame for CCSS. They all have something to gain and for now I'll just tell you this: what they are seeking is NOT a wonderful education for the next generation!
Looking forward to more posts! :)
