Our Firsts

This was our first day of class! 

Yesterday, we started our homeschool adventure. It went great, considering I can be scattered sometimes. Hi, my name is Geraldine and I am a procrastinator. The plan for the afternoon was to go through two lessons of Alpha-Phonics and go to sleep feeling accomplished and ready to conquer the world. Well, that would've happened if I had read through the entire lesson plan! I didn't, so at the last minute, I hurriedly flipped through the pages of the book and decided to wing it. God is merciful and gave us a great time of encouragement and learning. This is definitely an area I will continue to work on...probably until I die. I have faith!

Today, Amaris had her first Classical Conversation class! We were so excited for this because to her, she was going to school like Caillou (I'm not knocking the show, but does anyone else notice how whiny he is?).

I was surprised as to how high paced it was. We went over the curriculum in the practicum as well as orientation but it was intense! The kids loved it because of that. There was never down time to lose them and the material was fun. The class went through 7 history facts, states and capitals, an English sentence, Latin, Science, skip counting, and art. Whew! I got tired just writing that! I do have to say, you have to be a special person to be a tutor to the young ones. Mrs. Lindsey was great with the kids and had them laughing the entire time. 

For the rest of the week, we will go over everything we did at CC with the addition of a few things. I have a few crafts up my sleeves (thank you Pinterest!) as well as more Alpha-Phonics. The thing I love the most about this age is that I get to explore everything with her. We get to make mistakes together and learn from them. I made this a HUGE point as we were reading. Amaris hates making mistakes. I can see the anguish in her face as she is trying to think of the answer to a question. I encouraged her on Monday to LET IT GO! (Frozen is our friend)

I told her that mommy makes mistakes and that we can only do this because God gives us the grace and courage to do it. Without that, we will never do anything because fear will stop us. She was hyped up at this point and proceeded to knock everything off the table with a big "YEAH!". Then I joined her and jumped around filled with the joy of the Lord. 

Mommies, I can't do this. I can't teach my child from Kindergarten through Highschool graduation. I completed 2 semesters of college and then had a beautiful baby at a young age. I am not worthy of being the sole educator for this child. The only reason why I am doing this is because my God is bigger than any of my insecurities. He is bigger than my lack of know how. He guides me and guides you as well. He has a plan for my daughter and knows exactly the reason why He made me her mommy. That astounds me. It humbles me and makes me want to lay everything at His feet and trust His works. 

It is going to be an amazing year!

Many Blessings, 

Blessed momma 

Training

I cannot begin to express how proud I am of this space! Most of my books are in order and the school supplies are ready to be used! Long-time home school mommies, can you tell I'm new at this?

 Football players run drills from morning to night to get ready for a big game. Ballet dancers do their pirouettes by the hundreds before a great recital. Triathlon participants swim countless laps, bike numerous miles, and run for hours. I, as a home school mom, have to train as well. Thankfully, my training does not include any running! Instead, I get to read some awesome books.

 The approach I'm taking in my home is Classical Education. There's a ton of different definitions for this style but simply put, it is a model that causes your child to think. It is not run by technology (not that it is off-limits), it is not watered down, and it is definitely not for the faint of heart. The wonderful thing about this is that you will go deep into history. You will be side by side with the most historic figures you can read about. You will get lost so deeply into science that you can taste the salt water as you learn about sea creatures. And you will be able to hold your ground as you debate among the best.

 Ok, I probably didn't explain ANYTHING about Classical Education. Have you ever tasted a food so amazing that you can't describe how it tastes like? This is currently my issue. Truthfully, I'm still getting to know it. I've been able to encounter some great resources these last few months and I'm so excited to share. If this blog causes you to search at least one book I mention, my heart will be happy!

 Amaris will be starting Classical Conversations this coming Tuesday. Talk about nervous excitement! This is a perfect example of what a Christian Classical Education looks like. This is a Christ centered program that combines bible truths with rich history. I will be sharing specifically about CC in the future but I just couldn't wait to share my love for it! At their practicum, I was able to purchase two books to start me off. The first one is "The Core" by Leigh A. Bortins. The author is actually the founder of Classical Conversations, so she dissects every part of the Christian Classical Education model and gives you a clearer understanding. This book in particular is for the Foundation stage, or the early grade levels. For me, it gave me a greater understanding in each subject I will be teaching Amaris and how to tie that back into God's truths and our history. The other book is "Classical Christian Education Made Approachable" by Classical Conversations media group. I like this book because it is an outline. It gives you the different stages of CC and how that looks in real life.

 I can go on and on about the books I have ( and I will in many other posts). For now, I shall leave you with a quote : "Books are almost as individual as friends.There is no earthly use in laying down general laws about them. Some meet the needs of one person, and some of another; and each person should beware of the booklover's bessetting sin, of what Mr. Edgar Allen Poe calls 'the mad pride of intellectuality,' taking the shape of arrogant pity for the man who does not like the same kind of books." -Theodore Roosevelt

 Many Blessings,

A homeschooling momma in-training

Waiting...

This curly haired beauty is my Amaris. She is pretty amazing but thats all I'm going to say because if not I will sound like a bragging momma (which I totally am!).  

Being home-schooled, this was something I wanted to do from before I gave birth to my daughter. I have always longed for the day that I can officially teach her. I've been her "teacher" since as long as I can remember but I wanted a piece of paper or a curriculum to give me that title. This was such an idol for a time that I dragged my poor mom to a Homeschool convention when Amaris was just 2 years old! Full of enthusiasm, the questions just flowed and flowed and then flooded my mind to where I could not see that my daughter was definitely not ready to start reading or doing math puzzles. 

By the grace of God, my family intervened and shared some information that for some reason it never occurred to me. JUST WAIT! Here's a fun fact about me: I am not a patient person. I have memorized every scripture on patience and anxiety and probably have recited them hundreds of times. Well, I waited....and waited....and waited. Now Amaris is 4 and ready to be a Pre-K kid! 

Still being very excited, I have read more books than you can imagine and have tried to equip myself as best as possible. The waiting game applies to this season of our life as well. I cannot plan everything we will do during the year (which is killing me!), she might not learn as quickly as I expected, and she might be interested in things that I didn't plan on teaching. So many aspects of our lives call us to wait and homeschooling isn't any different. My prayer during this time is to be patient with my little one and just wait! Just watch her flourish into a student that enjoys learning. 

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

Colossians 3:12

Many blessing, 

Excited Momma 

Welcome!

HELLO ALL!

 First of all, I want to thank everyone that will mistakenly find my blog, has been invited, or seeks it out. I love my family and writing, so this will be my portal.

The point of this blog: HOMESCHOOLING!
 Uh Oh, I've probably lost a few readers already but bear with me. I'm new to this (both blogging and homeschooling), and my hope is to share the good times and the bad. I hope to inspire, encourage, create smiles, happy tears, and prayer.
 I posted in my bio the scripture, "Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants." Deuteronomy 32:2. I actually came upon this verse as I was looking for a blog name. I am a Pinterest girl. Following other peoples mastered crafts is my specialty. But coming up with my own name that will be memorable, touching, snazzy, and cute? Not so much. My words cannot express how much I want this scripture mirrored in my household. Amaris, my daughter, is a ball of energy and she is as smart as they come. The goal that my husband (Julian. You'll hear a lot about him soon) and I have set out for is not to keep our beautiful ray of sunshine home. Our goal is to instill a love of learning so strong that she will never cease to question and take in everything the Lord has to offer. 

Enjoy!

A hopeful momma