Update on the Dog

The more I thought about the dog the more I thought someone was probably missing her. She had on a good collar and was not skinny or neglected looking.
We took the dog to a vet around the corner and they scanned her and she was chipped. They found the owners who had been looking for her for 2 days. We were so glad to have a happy ending for her.

The Running of the Pitbulls

Last Friday there were a couple of dogs running loose in our neighborhood. One was a huge Great Dane. My kids were nervous about them because they were big. I called animal control but they never could catch them. It turns out the Great Dane belonged to somebody a couple of streets over and they got her back in. But on Monday the other dog was still running around and our neighbor and my son went looking for her owner. No one claims to own her or know where she might be from. The neighbor was going to call animal control, but my kids wanted to try harder to find the owner first, so we have her on a cable in our front yard. We are going to put up some flyers and call some local vets. I think she may have been abandoned. She is a very sweet dog. If we didn't already have a dog we would keep her, but we can't afford another one.

These kinds of dogs are frequently mistreated and it's almost impossible to find them homes. Hopefully we can find someone for her.

How To Get Started Homeschooling

Today's homeschool how-to post is dealing with daily schedules. You really have to schedule your days for your own convenience. You can't do someone elses schedule. It's an individual thing. It is helpful to look at how other homeschoolers schedule their day and when they teach this or that, but then make your own schedule. For families that are also keeping up with babies and toddlers it can be a challenge. Some homeschooling families wait until baby/toddler naptime to do the subjects that require more time or concentration. Some also put together a special box of toys that the toddler can only play with during lessons for the older child.

Lots of homeschool families do the basics in the morning and then projects in the afternoon. There really are no rules. You can tailor your day to suit you and your kids. You may get a great sounding schedule figured out and start on it but then figure out that it is not going to work after all. That's ok. It might take some tweaking and rearranging to get your schedule working for you. I have given some links below so that you can look at some example schedules. Take some time to look at what others do to get some ideas. For homeschoolers, other homeschoolers are really our best source of information and help because they are doing the same thing. There are lots of homeschool websites and books out there. Next week, I would like to link you to some great homeschool sites for all kinds of homeschool needs. So, check back next Thursday for some great links.

Here are some schedules of what other homeschoolers do. And some helpful things to use for planning.

http://hubpages.com/hub/homeschoolschedules

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/scheduling/a/dailyschedule.htm

http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/daily/

http://www.chartjungle.com/schedules.html

Raising Teenagers

So, you are raising a teen? It can be a difficult period of time for you as the parent but also for the teen. There is one thing that I have to keep reminding myself. This growing person is still the same person that a few years ago brought me dandelion bouquets and was always yelling "Mom, watch this!" So they are getting older and acting different and sometimes we don't recognise that this is still the same kid.

I also have to remind myself that teens still need their parents. They want to spend time with you. They need your positive influence when there is so much negative everywhere. They may not be playing Barbies or cars and trucks anymore but recreation with parents is important still. They need our time. Some things that come to mind that you could do with your teen are taking a walk/hike, going swimming, seeing a movie, just talking, riding bikes. There are lots of things you could do, but talking and more important, listening are in the top two. A friend and fellow homeschooler has a really cool way of talking with her kids. Of course we need face to face conversation, but sometimes kids have things to say that they may not feel bold enough to say to your face. She has her kids write in a shared journal. They write to her and then she responds. Or she writes to them and they respond. And it goes back and forth that way. That's not to say the entries are always something they wouldn't want to say face to face, but it's just a neat way to communicate on a personal and private level especially if there are other kids in the house. Teens don't always want their siblings in all their business. So for those of you raising teens that is just a tip of the iceberg of information out there. If you need support or help don't assume it's hopeless just do a little searching. It's out there.

Here are some links for great ideas for parenting adolescents.

http://www.parenting-ed.org/handout3/Specific%20Concerns%20and%20Problems/peer%20pressure.htm

http://www.hvmhc.org/Files/Five%20Basics%20of%20Parenting%20Adolescents.pdf

http://life.familyeducation.com/parenting/teen/36523.html

Lightning Safety

This short and sweet sluggish Monday post is a stormy one. Lightning is an awe-inspiring force of nature. We saw some beautiful, amazing lightning on our way home from dinner over the weekend. But lightning can also be deadly. So far, this year 15 people have been killed by lightning. At least one of those was a little boy here in Indiana. This is National Lightning Safety week. Do you know enough about lightning to protect yourself and the ones you love? So, lightning never strikes the same place twice? It's a myth. Rubber tires on your car protect you from lightning? That is also a myth. Look here for more lightning myths. It pays to know some lightning facts and safety precautions. People who are struck by lightning and live often suffer a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms. Here are some of those survivor stories. http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/survivors.htm

Teach your kids lightning safety too. Here is a page for kids. Since it is summer and we know that means storms that include lightning, it would be smart to learn how to stay safe and keep our families safe. So use this week to get educated about lightning.

Photo credit

Photographer: C. Clark

Credit: NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

How to Get Started Homeschooling

This Thursday's homeschool how-to post will help you figure out what you need to teach.

What you will need to teach may be set out by your state homeschooling requirements. In some states you are required to teach a "standard" curriculum. That would consist of reading, writing, math, English, American History, the history of your state and maybe civics or health. For the most part you can cover the basic material in a few hours a day. The great thing about homeschooling is that after the basics, you can really get into subjects that interest your child. For example, your child can spend lots of time reading about subjects that he is into. Or maybe spend the day at the museum or library. You can stay up late to look at the stars if astronomy is an interest. Last August, my kids and I and another family that homeschools drove out to a country road at 1:00 AM to watch the Perseid meteor shower.

But as far as the basics, here are some resources for what to teach. Most of these books can be found at your public library.

This series of books tell you what your _ grader needs to know.

http://www.exodusbooks.com/author.aspx?id=152

The Well Trained Mind tells what to teach using the classical method.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/

Worldbook gives an outline of what to teach on their website.

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum

As kids get older there are all kinds of learning opportunities out there. They can volunteer at zoos or museums. Try searching for volunteer opportunities in your state.

Now that you know what to teach you may be wondering when am I going to teach. Next Thursday I will post about daily schedules.

Here are some more homeschool websites.

http://www.homeschooling-freedom.com/homeschooling-curriculum.html

http://www.homeschoollearning.com/resources.shtml

Strawberry Pickin'

Since my Mondays are sluggish, as usual, my post today, is short and sweet and red and juicy. We went to a nearby farm and picked strawberries. We are a little late in the season though and there weren't many left. The ones that were left were really small. These (below) are ones we picked today. They are small but they taste just fine.

Some things I like to make with strawberries are yogurt smoothies, strawberry pie, chocolate dipped strawberries, and of course strawberry shortcake. Here are some links for all kinds of delicious strawberry recipes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/strawberry/index.html

http://www.strawberry-recipes.com/

http://www.pickyourown.com/recipe_strawberry.html

Fresh, in season fruit is one of the best things about summer. Enjoy some for dessert tonight.

I can't take credit for this beautiful fruit bowl. I found it in the creative commons section of Flickr. This picture ( and I believe the fruit bowl) belongs to Lori.