~Structure vs. Freedom~

We are both unschoolers at heart...interest-led, resistant to too much structure, too tight of a schedule, too many governmental expectations...
...yet Hannah has written herself out a new schedule, & so far, she's sticking to it...*sigh*...daily, i see the pressure she puts herself under, the desire for structure mixed up with feeling inadequate & behind...
...part of it is the month she spent (April) at her Aunty Mary's & Uncle Darrell's, where her cousins go to school every day, & they homeschooled her for a month with a schedule like she'd never known...she sometimes actually liked it, though it was torture, at first, until she adjusted...
...the other part of it is the pressure she feels to catch up & keep up in areas she's a bit behind other kids her age (math), after spending that month in a house lined up with government expectations & scheduled learning...
...a part of me deeply resents the intrusion it makes on our daily living, her natural, explorative love of learning...another part of me is secretly affected by the pressures as well...yet i know it's far more important that she be wise about God, love, people, & her purpose here than dividing fractions, & breaking down the English language in ways that rob children of the joy of reading & writing...
...so I am torn two ways...we enrolled with a structured school this year, & barely sent in enough to get grades (not that we wanted them, or got all caught up in what they're supposed to mean...) & know we cannot continue with them another year...so it's either back to Wondertree (the only private school that supports unschooling), where I have to do all the weekly reporting, she doesn't HAVE to do anything aside from learn... or we'll just register & forgo the $1000 offered for jumping through hoops. (W-tree is full, waiting to see if they'll get enough teachers to take those on the wait list for next year.)
I'm soooooooooo tired of hoops. I'm tired of seeing Hannah change by her feeling that she should jump through hoops. Yet part of her clearly likes the 'pressure' of schedules & deadlines. She even brought up the possibility of going to school...she wasn't really serious, though...just liking the idea of schedules, knowing what's expected, { & recess & lunch-time, of course!}
...so we have lots to pray about...& lots of summer decisions to make...but first, we need to go make a bed for Blossom, she's due to have a litter any day...(we also moved a week or so ago, & Mittens died awhile back, just before her trip, from the tainted pet food...it's been a fun few months...)
{...&, oh yea, on her trip, she had her hair cut that had grown to her thighs...it's just past her shoulders now...yes, she regrets it...& loves it, at the same time...oh, to be 11 again!!! I'll post a picture when i get the camera thingy set up with the computer...}

Our Awesome Blossom!

Actually, it's God who's awesome!!! Our cat Blossom's been lost for over 3 weeks, & we were almost ready to give up hope she'd come home...tonight, though i wanted to go to church with Hannah, i wasn't feeling good, & even as i began getting ready, i stopped, & felt i was supposed to stay home...i was standing at the sink, praying, & was overwhelmed with concern for our little kitty out there somewhere
...I'd been praying the whole time she was gone about possibly moving closer to my sister & her family...the more bogged down i got in making the decision, the more i began to ask God to confirm what i thought He was saying, that it isn't His will for us to move, & i asked that He would bring Blossom home if this is our home, & we are to stay...so stay, we are! & we both have peace about it~

Oh, deer!

Guess what Hannah saw walking through our neighbourhood? Her new favorite animal! {Next to cats, of course!} She's eagerly learning all about them now! She quietly followed them, & took as many pictures as our camera would allow! Ahh, the joys of homeschooling! I'm so thankful we can be home to experience these amazing moments in awe of the beauty of creation! I remember sitting at my desk, daydreaming out the window, longing to be out in nature...I'm so thankful we have the freedom the be in the moment as little daily miracles unfold!

~Spa Day & Teddy-cats~

A while back, Hannah came out of the bathroom for what she'd declared SPA DAY, & i happened to have the camera ready!

And Mittens has decided that she's a Teddy Bear, too! Every day's an adventure! & I'm thinking of changing the name of this Blog to, "355 ways to get out of Homeschooling in a year!" or a variation thereof....& nope, how'd you guess, we STILL haven't mailed in the portfolio! *sigh* {*blush*}

~Dentist-Snow-Daze~

Well, another day's flown by with little actual tablework done...but lotsa fun! (Not counting the trip to the dentists!)
We just had our H-schooling friends from church visiting, after the dentist appointment, & the girls made a snow-fort, with a snowman who's guarding it so kids walking by don't knock it down AGAIN!

{Now if i can just figure out how to un-underline all that!!!}

Thanks 4 the visit, Deer!!!

We had an amazing night tonight! After seeing a wonderful video at church about how certain animals testify of there being a creator, & how they couldn't possibly have evolved, we were visiting outside with our friends who drove us home, the kids playing in the snow, & suddenly, Hannah shouted, "Deer!" I thought they were just pretending...we all looked, it looked like a bunch of dogs, & then, suddenly, we saw 4 deer, right here in the middle of the city, looking for food in people's yards!

We ran & got the camera, the pictures were so dark you could hardly see them, but my mom & sister lightened them for us, & so here's the best one! Then, my mom sent us one of the deer in my sister's yard, in the Kooteney's, that comes to visit every day!!! WOW! Then, we watched part of the movie, "The Education of Little Tree", & saw more deer, out in nature, & were so moved at their grace & beauty! Thank-you, Lord! What a special day!

SNOW DAY!!!

Q: What happens when you give your homeschoolin' girl a SNOW DAY free of sitting at the table, & book work, to build an igloo, & snowman, & snow angels?

A: A little girl who begs to move to Alaska!!!

{EVERY day'll be a snow day, Mom!}

A true unschooler at heart...*sigh*...

...& it's STILL coming down out there!

Trying to get some homeschooling done too late at night...

Well, we didn't get a whole lotta homeschoolin' done...but she did beat me at crazy 8's!

AAAAAAAAUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!
Ok, I feel a little better now....ever have one of those daze?
God give me patience...i need patience & i need it NOW!!!
*Sigh* I know, i know, that's why He's given me my daughter, to teach me patience!
{Ok, among many other reasons...}

Hey, whoever's reading this, please pray for us to get this portfolio done on time, it's goin' as sloooooooooooow as molasses most DAZE!

And could somepne please explain why is it that everytime we, or even just Hannah, goes out for even part of the day, somehow the rest of the day very little is truly accomplished, as far as productivity with homeschooling goes?

We try to get stuff done when we're not getting ready, or first getting home...it's becoming very clear to me why the Bible says women are to be keepers at home...
...i can't understand how those who go out every single day for various things ever get ANY homeschooling done!

One of the things I love about HSing is not having to jump out of bed & rush out the door & go, go, go all day...but i know, for some, life's still like that! Mybe if i were younger, healthier, & had a car...Nah...even when I'm driving again, & get healthier, (& feeling younger, though i know there's no goin' back!) we'll still love to be home & have time to do the things we love to have time to do!

Oh, for the good ol' days of relaxed-ecclectic-almost-unschooling! Why, oh why did I agree to jump through these hoops....? Oh, yea, the $$$...*sigh*...

It has been a blessing to get some wonderful new books for her learning, ones she picked out & loves to read, & the digital camera & gymnastics lessons have been fun, but in retrospect, I can't honestly say that it's been worth all the things it's changed in our day-to-day lives....

...so much of the required 'learning' that must all somehow be documented is so redundant, so obviously busy-work, like they need to spoon-feed kids in school to keep them occupied all day {in between taking turns, waiting, lining up, & assemblies, etc.!}
{It's not like Hannah doesn't come up with a million things to do...
... if she just had more free time!!!}

I just found out that there were some changes the Govt. made recently that mean that, as long as she's doing the majority of her schoolwork elsewhere (as in at home) she can take whatever classes she wants at any school she wants...

...living so close to the Christian school, it's tempting to put her in a class or two there, {A math teacher other than ME would be nice!} to add some structure to our HS daze, but i definately need to pray for God's will...too many of my ideas end up being clearly my will, not His!

Well, tomorrow's another day. {Unless Jesus comes back tonight!}

~What Sick Kitties Teach Us~

Wow, who knew you could learn so much from a sick cat! Hannah's first cat, Mittens, had been throwing up just about everything she ate for nearly 2 weeks, & we had to say goodbye to her almost 9 week old kittens cuz they wouldn't stop nursing!

We took her to the vets, got blood tests done, & then had to wait almost 3 days to find out whether or not she had feline leukemia!{She doesn't!} The amount of research done online was amazing! Hannah & I looked up all the other possibilities, based on her symptoms...

...Hannah now almost knows enough to be a vet! & after a round of antibiotics, {& much prayer, of course!} Mittens is fine! (Thanks, God!)

~Another One of Those Daze~

This has been a loooooooooong day! We're racing to finish up the portfolio we need to send in to where Hannah's enrolled...there have been many days lately that I've wondered why we chose to get more structured this year, when it seems to go against our natural way of doing this...

...learning is so integral to every aspect of life, having to compartmentalize it, divide it, label it, & most of all, prove it has changed many things for both Hannah & I....some for the better, more for the worse...

...Still, there are benefits, things we both needed more of....routine, structure, discipline, focus...did i mention routine???

Life has a way of constantly distracting from the obligations of schoolwork, & after Wondertree, (an interest-led pro-unschooling online community where she was enrolled 2 years) she actually asked for, wanted, even needed more structure with her education this year...

...still, the freedom of learning as you go through the day, following whatever you're interested in learning about is still such a part of who she is...

...We both realize it's a matter of prioritizing, & keeping 1st things 1st...like, God! When we allow Him to lead us through our days, they're not like today, rushed through, feeling like we got little accomplished, though we were both busy almost all day long, leaving us weary, ready for bed, & dazed...

...so tomorrow, our priority is God 1st, everything else in order...& work 1st, THEN play! {Please help us, Lord!} Maybe I'll even finally get some quilting in, & be able to slow down & pick up my guitar & sing awhile with her...before it's too late to sing as loud as we want to!

Wow, how do I line these pictures up?!?! This is such a new learning curve!! Ok, this was a recent H-schooling day when we were trying to get back to it after the holidays, & I could tell she was struggling to focus, so we took a break so she could finally learn how to blow bubbles! Lotsa fun! & she didn't even get it in her hair!

Trying to learn when I'm exhausticated....

Have attempted to post this as the picture that greets you when you visit, but for now, here is where it will remain, until i figure out what part to cut & paste to transfer it! Tried too many times, Hannah was coaching from the sidelines, but we're both getting delirious, & we can hear our pillows calling nowzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

A friend just wrote, & said....

...that not everyone can download all the pics I send of our homeschooling daze, & that if I had a blog (hint, hint!) they'd read it! (We're majorly enamored with our new digital camera!) I read her HS blog, & really enjoy it, & we're having so much fun documenting all the things Hannah does in her learning adventures that I decided to "JUST DO IT!" & so here I am, squeezing Blogging into our already busy daze!!!

Just a little about us, before I go make dinner...
...I'm a single, separated (I always hated checking that off on forms, sounds like I'm coming apart at the seams! No comments from the peanut gallery, please!) mom of a just-turned-11 year old daughter, Hannah, who is currently cat-obsessed, & a joy to spend my days with...even the ones when she drives me bonkers!

We used to almost totally unschool (interest-led learning) with a little math thrown in to ease that voice in my head all homeschooling moms know well...& now, for grade 6, we've tried to get more curriculum-oriented, but are discovering we're both still major unschoolers at heart! Unfortunately, we've already received the full reimbursment for this year from the Government {why, oh why did we enroll instead of just register?!?!?), & so for now, at least, we're trying to jump through the hoops that have invaded our relaxed lives with the pressure to perform that we both suspect is better suited to show-dogs...oops, I mean CATS, of course! (Sorry, Hannah!)
...& on that note, we're off to do a gastronomical experiment...yup, I mean dinner...{don't ask!}