Cheaper By the Half-Dozen

Forgive me for being MIA.  We’ve been really busy.  I have pictures to post of some activities we’ve been working on.  First, I want to submit my review of ABeCeDarian.  Most of you who read my blog know of my precious angel, Matthew.  I have been struggling for 2 years to teach him to read, but we were making NO progress at all.  To say I felt like a failure is the understatement of the year.  We finally enrolled him in school this past fall to try and get him the help I knew he needed.  School was agonizing e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. day.  Matthew’s behavior became very aggressive because of the way he was being treated at school.  Adam and I removed him from school in February after his teacher told me she wouldn’t allow him to sit with the other children and made him his own personal island with duct tape around it  that he was to stay in at all times.  I was infuriated.  We met with his teacher, vice principal, and guidance counselor.  They told us we are bad parents for not medicating Matthew and that he would never accomplish anything until we did.   (He has been diagnosed ADHD.)  So he is back home where he belongs.

We recently took Matthew to UNC Chapel Hill to be evaluated by the awesome Developmental Pediatrician and Educational Specialist there.  They were so great.  I suspected Matthew had dyslexia, but that is actually not the problem.  Matthew was actually diagnosed with Mild Intellectual Delay which is just a fancy new term for Mild Mental Retardation.  When I first heard those words….my heart sank.  I cried.  Then the mother in me kicked in.  We now know the problem….let’s fix it.  The educational specialist, Adrienne, helped me with strategies and ideas for teaching Matthew.  She also helped me to actually understand my son and that just because something is easy to me….doesn’t mean it is easy for him.  I never struggled in school.  Everything intellectually came easy for me.  How blessed am I?  At the same time, it seems crazy to me that it takes a child over a year to learn the alphabet and to sing the alphabet song, but it took Matthew that long.  It was frustrating and stressful. I just feel so much better knowing what is wrong and how to fix it.  It’s also not that hard to fix.  Adrienne told me to let him go at his own pace.  Get rid of “school” expectations of WHEN something is supposed to happen.  Norms are an average of when something is supposed to be mastered.  Some children just take longer.  It’s still hard for me to do that.  I have to remind myself not to compare my children or give too much thought about grade levels and testing because in the end he will do it.  It’s God teaching me patience through my children and it’s a really hard lesson to learn, but so fulfilling in the end.

Now for my thoughts on ABeCeDarian.  It is based on Reading Reflex and the Phonographix method.  We are using level A which is for beginners.  We have spent the past month working level A.  Matthew knows his letter sounds and did when we began, but he couldn’t blend AT ALL.  So basically he wasn’t reading when we started, except for a few sight words.  We just finished unit 1 and Matthew has read a several of the volume 1, Bob’s Books to me this week.  He can also spell three letter words to me.  I am so proud of him.  ABeCeDarian is sequential, multi-sensory, intensive phonics and it works!  I’m so excited.

If you have a child who struggling to read get this program.  If you can’t afford this program, get Reading Reflex and work through it.  (It is not as user friendly and requires more work than ABeCeDarian, but it works.)  You’ll be so glad you did.

This is a slideshow from our trip to the Jacksonville Zoo when we went to Nanny’s House for Christmas.

My hubby finally took me to see Twilight this past weekend and I absolutely LOVED it. I’m not usually one that’s into vampire movies, but this movie actually had a great story line and wasn’t full of gore. This is actually a movie I will purchase when it comes out on DVD.

Anyway, so after seeing the movie on Friday, I just had to read the book.  To my surprise, there are actually four books in the Twilight saga and I bought all but the last one because I couldn’t find it at the bookstore that day.  Well I finished all three and I love the books even more than the movie.  It is kind of weird because the books were actually written for teens.  I don’t care.  They were still great reads.   So if you like romance, suspense, and vampires (even a little) read these books.  Be prepared for a roller coaster ride.

We’ll I’m joining in….finally.  I’m working on getting my life in general better organized.  Those of you who know me personally, stop shaking your head.  Yes….I can be MORE organized than I already am.

Monday

Breakfast:  Cereal, Toast, Bananas
Lunch: Turkey Roll-ups, Carrot & Celery Sticks with Ranch Dressing
Snack: Homemade Blueberry Muffins, Strawberry-Banana Smoothies
Dinner: Garlic & Thyme Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday

Breakfast: Pumpkin Pancakes, Apple Slices, Milk
Lunch: PB&J, Carrots, Banana
Snack: Popcorn
Dinner: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Caesar Salad

Wednesday

Breakfast: Cereal, Bananas, Toast, Milk
Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti, Salad
Snack: Ban-ola, Milk
Dinner: Turkey Burgers, Potato Wedges, Corn on the Cob

Thursday

Breakfast: Eggs in a Basket, Turkey Sausage, Applesauce
Lunch: Pups in a Blanket, Broccoli & Celery w/ Ranch
Snack: Banana Bread & Milk
Dinner: Teriyaki Chicken, Fried Rice, Broccoli

Friday

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Raisins, Toast, Appleslices
Lunch: Grilled Cheese, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Snack: Homemade Granola Bars
Dinner: Homemade Pizza, Salad

Saturday

Breakfast: Farmer’s Breakfast Casserole, Clementines
Lunch: PB&J, Yogurt
Snack: Pita Chips w/ Hummus, Celery, & Carrots
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Quesodillas w/ Black Beans & Corn, Yellow Rice, Refried Beans

Sunday

Breakfast: Cereal, Milk, Toast, Bananas
Lunch: Pizza Bagel or Leftovers
Snack: Yogurt & Appleslices
Dinner: Turkey Meatball Sandwiches, Salad or Broccoli Slaw

Have a Great Week!

Well I’m an avid reader, as most you may know.  I’m working on my mile long reading list.  Recently I finished, The Champion, by Elizabeth Chadwick.  It’s historical fiction set in the Middle Ages and follows Monday, a tourney knights daughter, on her quest to fortune and fame.  Parts of it were just heart wrenching as I experienced the hard lessons she learned.  I could definitely relate to her character.  So if you love historical fiction, check it out.

A friend also told me of a homeschooling book I haven’t read yet.  (I know shocking right!)  It’s called Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp.  It is a wonderful reference if you are like me, and like planning your own units.  Our library carries it so that would be a great way to check it out.

Blessings,

Andrea

I know I’m a slacker.  I really do have good intentions for this blog.  For the past few months, my lupus has been kicking my butt.  I’ve been back and forth to the doctor and finally my rheumatologist discovered the issue.  The bad news……I’m back on steroids.  The good news…..I’m feeling a whole lot better.

This week the boys are doing a unit called G Is for Gingerbread.  We will be reading and doing activities for several different versions of The Gingerbread Man.

g_is_for_gingerbread

We are also continuing our study of the human body.   We are using My Body by Teacher Created Resources.

We traced the kids bodys and are placing the body parts in the outline as we study each.  So far we have covered the brain and the heart.  I will post pictures at the end  of the week.

David and Jonny are working on long o and long u sounds this week.  They are doing great with this so far.  In math we covered the number 24 and number sentences.  It’s taking a little bit longer than I thought teaching them about how to write the number sentences, but they are doing great with the addition portion.

Caleb is still working on learning the alphabet.  We are doing the letter B this week and reading books about Bears.  He is making progress and likes to try to do the twin’s work whenever he can.

Maegan is working on irregular past participles today.  The rest of the week will be spent on letter writing.  She has great writing skills, but practice makes perfect. In math, she is working on identifying quadrilaterals.  In history, she is still reading the Story of the Greeks and Hititte Warrior.  She has several projects she is working on now.  I will post those as soon as finishes them.  Maegan is also doing an in-depth study of the human body.  There will be pictures of these projects later this week as well.

Check back later this week for updates.

Blessings,

Andrea