Sharing what my kids are learning this year

I'm hoping to have more time to blog about what my kids are learning about this year and what they are busy with. Today we went to the home school book store. I let them look around the store and decide what THEY wanted to learn about.  I think it makes it easier and more fun  if the girls choose there own subjects to learn about and by the time they "graduate" we will have covered "what they need to know" but not in the order that society says kids have to learn it.  I'm not a scope an sequence kinda girl but that's just me.. Now I think scope and sequence is different when it comes to  Math , but that's my only exception.  The girls will pick a subject and then they will do a Unit study on it but not always a formal unit study.  I found a unit study about the Titanic online at a site  http://www.homeschoolhelper.com/ .  That will be their first Unit study starting next week.  Josiah of course will be learning separate from them most of the time. His first unit study will be Planes, Trains , Automobiles, and Boats.  He loves paper airplanes. I bought him a book on how to make different paper airplanes so that will be fun for us. This week I will be doing some cleaning and organizing to get ready for "school" or in our case unschooling.  IF you haven't read my blog on unschooling  then read it for more info.

Yes we have adopted children

I am often asked by people I meet if Josiah is adopted or if I have been married before Clint or if all my kids are mine naturally.. I know  Its only because Josiah  looks different than we do.  Twice in the last week Josiah has said to me "Momma I was in your tummy right ?" I tell him no you didn't grow in my tummy, you were Adopted.  He doesn't understand what adoption means. He just knows he was adopted and that Courtney was adopted to. Its so hard to explain Adoption to a 5 yr old. If you are reading this blog and don't know the whole story I will tell you how I got my children.
Hannah was my first born.  She was born in  April 2000.  Grayson was still born at 6 1/2  months in utero  in Oct. Of 2003 due to a car accident I was in. A year later I miscarried " Peanut "at 6 weeks pregnancy. 
6 months  after miscarrying  Clint an I became Foster Adopt Parents.   Josiah was our second foster baby and he came to live with us at age 3 months after being with a different foster mom from age 3 days old. When he was 16 months old his adoption was final.  Courtney ( my first cousin by birth) came to live with us at age
 9 1/2.  A year later her adoption was final. Children are a Blessing from God No matter How you "got them".

Have a New kid by Friday

As  parents we all want to teach our children to get along  well with others and obey us. Even if you or I think our children are pretty well behaved, There's ALWAYS room for improvement. Recently I got a hold of a book Called "Have a new kid by Friday" by Dr. Kevin Leman. I have already started making some changes because of reading this book. One is I have decided to Stop giving so many chances to Josiah. Hes a limit tester and will always see how far he can push someone before they make him obey. Two is I have been working on not yelling. Yes I yell sometimes. Don't all Parents? I grew up in a home where there was constant yelling by my parents and me and brother and sister. As children my siblings and I didn't get along very well. As adults we get along great. Now I can say my sister is my best friend. I want my kids to be best friends and get along well there WHOLE lives and not just when they become adults. I want them to be respectful of there dad an I. I don't want to have to spank and repeat things to them and yell at  them for them to listen to me. I want to have a healthy relationship with them and not be an Authoritarian Parent. I want a  peaceful house. So I am reading this book in hopes that it will help me and my children change our ways. I will be posting some main points from the book so stay tuned.