It's been almost a year since I have blogged...

Phew! I just looked back and see that it has been almost a year since I have blogged. That's something considering I have been blogging since my duo were toddlers...12+ years! (I started out somewhere else)  The reasons I took a break are numerous, and some I won't mention, but I thought that considering I want to start back, that I would give a few reasons for my break.

I felt like I was talking to myself. This isn't a horrible thing considering I at times do it in real life but I do appreciate deeply the handful of people that consistently have commented over the years. I really cannot be too mad about it though because I have been guilty myself for reading but not commenting on blogs. I am going to change that though and hopefully spotlight once a month my favorite blogs/bloggers.

My daughter. I remember one initial reason I stopped was that my daughter read something I wrote online that described her as "shy". She does not like the word shy as to her it represents weakness. (I personally do not think being shy necessarily represents this) BUT I have been a lot more careful with what I put online about her. It is her right. This year she started mainly high school courses *gulp*. It has been a HUGE year of growth for both A~man and Z~girl. I have so many tales to tell! Up until now I have put the ups and downs of parenthood and homeschooling but she is now 14.5 and I will be more careful with my wording and what I write. I do feel like my break has caused me to miss out on writing a bunch of positives and challenges with homeschooling/parenting that I do not want to forget. I also hope some of my positives will give others inspiration or hope...and to let them know they are not alone.

Socialization. Yeah, the word most dreaded in the homeschool world. I will expand on this one in a separate post but as a whole I, as a mom have been trying to be more social. As a special needs mom this isn't always easy. As an introverted special needs mom it is even harder but I was seeing that I needed to make the effort. Add in the fact I'm a bit quirky and you will see I have been very brave this year. The prior few years I felt myself crawling into a shell due to a couple situations and for the most part, it has been extremely worth the effort this last year.

So this week I will be revamping my blog and hopefully posting a couple of times a week. My header pictures are almost 2 years old and need updated. I have so much to share! Here are some recent photos starting with A~man bringing me a flower he picked in the yard a couple of weeks ago.

To a foot of snow! Here is some graffiti our dog did with his initial. 

We had a whole lot of fun with the snow but I am so glad it is about melted!

Year End Countdown

Just last week I finalized a date for our end of the year homeschool standardized testing. We have always used the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement and up until now, (it's our 7th year!) we have always used the same tester. This year our tester stopped administering tests so we had to find someone new which caused me a wee bit of anxiety. Anyone would be able to test Z~girl but that isn't the case with A~man and his special needs. Our former tester suggested this new person so I am sure it will be fine. I am hoping that she can meet A~man once before hand just to get a feel of how his mind works.

The test is scheduled for the middle of June so our last "official" day will be the Friday before the Monday testing. What does that mean for us? We pretty much do year around homeschooling as my son needs the routine and the repetition or he will become bored (meaning behaviors increase) and he will not retain some of the information he learns. What we do is take a break from our online curriculum and do more exploring and hands on activities.

 I try not to worry about testing. I try. This year for A~man academically I have solely focused on reading, spelling, and typing. Of course we work on other things, especially life skills informally but this year I decided I REALLY wanted to improve his reading skills. I feel like they have improved immensely. Of course as a homeschool mom sometimes we worry that the end of year testing will not show what has been learned. I have a love/hate thing with testing.

We do not really use "grades" in our homeschool and every time someone asks one of our children what grade they are in they look at me. Sometimes it takes me awhile as even Z~girl's learning material varies in levels. Technically though A~man would be finishing 7th grade and Z~girl would be a young 6th grader. Which brings me to the realization that in two years I will be thinking of high school homeschooling. *GULP* Thankfully I have sweet homeschool friends that have paved the way before me... that will hopefully be able to give me advice by that point...and offer me a tissue.

Those of you with little homeschoolers. ENJOY. Time really does go by very fast. 

Looking toward the future

Last week I was talking with a lady that teaches in the public school system. When she found out we homeschooled she asked if I would be putting Z~girl in high school when she was that age. I thought for a second and told her that we took it year to year and hadn't really decided. I lied. After both kids being homeschooled from the beginning (except for A~man's half year in kindergarten) I cannot imagine plunking them down in public school once they hit teenagers! Now, sure if it was my only choice BUT I would do everything in my power to keep teaching them at home.

I do admit, once Z~girl gets to that age I will get help (if needed) for certain subjects that might be beyond me. I have been to college but that was a long time ago. Fortunately, our local community college lets students attend at 16 PLUS, if I remember correctly, they can take classes there for free. So I think for us to homeschool highschool would be completely doable, and with help from the hubby especially, in the subjects he knows better than I do.

One thing I just started was keeping records. I started a homeschool portfolio this fall for the first time for both children. It's not intensive, I just basically print off their Time4Learning records off monthly which is very simple. I also plan to include some field trip, geography club, and Lego club photos into the binder. I might also put in some pictures of their volunteer work at a local shelter and of Z~girl volunteering at a local farm.

What about some of my homeschool friends reading this? Would you put your child in regular school for high school after homeschooling them for grade school and middle school? I know there are circumstances that could prevent a person from schooling till the end but I'm thinking with support we will do it until graduation.