Socializ-what-a?

Since Summer is upon us I have found many people beginning to ask the question "Should I homeschool?" This is a great time to do this after all. School is almost out, you will have a whole summer to prepare, you don't have to worry about the complications of pulling your child out of school, and even better so many curriculum sales! 
I have noticed with this trend in many of my homeschooling groups that several people are coming out of the woodworks with many questions as they dip their toes in the Homeschooling pool. Of course the one I see the most often is the dreaded "SOCIALIZATION" question. It goes something like this:

1. I want to homeschool, but will my kids be weirdoes?
2. I don't want my children to be taken away from their "friend time"
3. How will my children be able to cope in society as adults if all their school is at home?
4. my personal favorite, I want to, but I am terrified to tell my family because I know they will ask me about socialization and I really have no idea about it?

"The idea that children need

to be around other children

in order to be 'socialized'

is perhaps the most dangerous

and extravagant myth

in education and child rearing

today"

-Dr. Raymond Moore

So lets talk about the glorious socialization the majority of kids are getting in public school 

Not trying to offend anyone who has kids in Public School this is just the facts of it:

Well first off lets put 30+ kids of the same age in a class together because that's how it will be in the real world...um no...

Next lets get them competitive against each other for school awards, best grades, and teacher favoritism.

• Let me just give a quick example of this: we have all had that one kid in the class who had to be better then everyone else. I had one growing up that was rather persistent. I remember one instant in particular where an entire 1 1/2 period of class was taken up with her arguing with the teacher over every question she got wrong while peer grading our papers in class. When the peer grading was over and she got her paper back she then began to argue how ridiculous it was that she had a A- and continued to argue her points until she was satisfied with a A. Not only was this a big fat waste of the day for the rest of us but also just another chance for this student to have reiterated to her that All that matters in life is that you end up on top and not what you learn in the process. 

Even better you are always going to have that one "trouble maker" in your class. Oh did you know that most schools keep a running log on what teachers think about students to be shared with the next years teacher. 

• So it's no wonder if little Jimmy has trouble in Kindergarden with sitting still and so Mrs. Manning doesn't really have many nice things to say that next year in 1st grade Mr. Smith will already be "pre-warned" and pre-decided that little Jimmy is a "trouble maker". I'm totally sure that's not going to cause perpetual problems in which little Jimmy gives up trying and settles for just barely getting by. But don't worry every teach he has will always pair him up with someone who does reasonably well for all class projects so said student can do the work of two and little Jimmy can just barley scoot by to be the next teachers problem. (and yes I have had teachers tell me they are partnering me up with kids so that they can pass the class)

We all know the big "B" word...Bulling that is. Most who are for public school will tell you that bulling is a way of life and it happens even when you are adults so might as well learn to deal with it now. 

• I was bullied as early as 1st grade (thats just the earliest I can remember) and told constantly I was ugly...over the entire course of my elementary education and at several different schools. In one particular instance in 7th grade a boy sitting next to me asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told him I wanted to be an actress. He proceeded to laugh at me, then became genuinely shocked that I was serious and said "Oh, really, why? you know they only let pretty people do that." Lets just say that was one of the finale nails in my acting career. I'm guessing you can imagine how great my self esteem was by the time I entered High School. Now let me tell you how many times I have been told I am ugly since leaving public school....a big fat 0! Good thing I had all that teasing and self-torment as a youth to prepare me for the real world.
• Lets talk about more serious and even physical bulling and  then that's about all I'll say on the matter. In 6th grade I moved to a new school and within the first week had a run in with the class bully. Lets just say it ended with his hands around my neck and my face turning blue. So there I was sitting in the principle's office being told how sorry he was this happened to me, and that this kid had had problems in the past so don't worry it's not my fault. I later found out he had reached his last chance and was now expelled and being sent to a school for "troublesome kids" oh by the way did I tell you that school was right next door? Oh and did I mention that it also used the same bus as my school? And that upon him clearing out his desk he made sure to tell me that the next time he saw me he was going to kill me? There is a hardy dose of fear for ya. I'm sure this is something all kids need to grow into responsible well rounded adults.

Let me just give one more point then I will move on. Your kids won't ever experience others views. They will be shut up in their own little bubble, with mommy-dear, brainwashed to believe all you say. When they enter the real world, they won't know how to act around people who don't share their beliefs/values/morals/whatever.

• Now ON this point I do agree that public schools do benefit in introducing children to a variety of beliefs, values, morals, or even the lack there of. Sadly it is the later that is the most concerning. I have often heard from others Christians say that their children are "the light of the world" and should not be hid. More often then not I find that even if you are an influence to others by your good example you yourself are also influenced by others bad example. And as I said I experienced much good but let me share some of the bad:
• I had a friend on several occasions call me and tell me she was committing suicide or had just slit her wrists. I was 13 and too young to understand what to do in that situation and never knew how to properly get her the help she needed
• I saw a straight A "good girl" rebel against her "stereotype" and by the end of her freshman year was hooked on drugs, drinking, and sleeping around (thats 13 people!)
• I knew a boy who had "come out of the closet" and didn't know what to do because he wasn't attached to boys but had been told his whole life (by other students) he was gay so he HAD to be.
• I also had teachers on several occasions and  y several teachers, upon finding out that I am LDS, attack me and/or make fun of my beliefs in front of the whole class. 

Now think of your own school experience and decide for yourself if you think the "good" parts of public school socialization is worth the bad. Frankly, to me it's just not! I could also be giving all kinds of stats on the disadvantages of all these and so many more problems of socialization in a public school but really that's not what I'm here to talk about.

Now lets take a minute to talk about those CRAZY HOMESCHOOLED KIDS! 

So many studies have been conducted to not only prove that homeschooling increases kids abilities on ACT/SAT scores and that it breaks down all barriers of abilities to preform due to ethnicity/income/or parents education level. Now there is generations of Homeschooled kids (from the 70s, 80s, and 90s) that have entered the work force and studies on them have been conducted to see how well they are adjusting to adult life. Let me share a few real quick:

• 15yrs later: Home-educated Canadians had this to say:(from the washingtontimes) 69% of homeschooled Canadians age 15-34 were socially engaged (participated in organized activities at least once a week) compared to 48% of the comparable population. Not only was income higher comparatively but amazingly where 11% of the population of Canadians 15 to 34 were receiving government assistance as a means of income there was no source of homeschooled participants on welfare.
• HSLDA 2003 study: This showed that 74% of Homeschoolers continue on to College as compared to 46% of the general populace.  Only 4.2% of homeschoolers found government and politics to be too confusing compared to 35% of U.S. adults. during this study 76% of homeschooler graduates said they voted in the last 5yrs compared to 29% of the equal populace. Most importantly they studied how happy people in the U.S. were feeling. (And really when it comes down to it, in my opinion, this is all that matters) 59% of home-educated graduates said they were very happy compared to 28% of their equal group. 
  

This all just blows my mind because the way that Homeschooling has changed in the last 10yrs is leaps and bounds away from what it was for them!

There are so many groups, co-ops, youth activities, volunteer opportunities (and the list goes on) now for homeschoolers that just wasn't an option back then, due to the fact that they were just a small amount of the population. The idea that my kids will never interact with other people is just unfathomable! 

Not to mention that they won't just be socializing with kids their exact same age but people from all walks of life. My friend just recently shared online a trip her kids were able to take to a nursing home where they heard stories from Vietnam vets for Memorial Day. Kids can attend religious youth groups, bible studies, camps, and activities (often all free and no matter your personal denomination). We personally attend a Co-op of a different faith then ours and many kids of other faiths also attend. They see a mixture of all the good in the world. Isn't that so much better then good kids being poured into a vortex of bad situations? They are also given different opportunities in the High School years to learn, work, and experience things that they would not normally have experience because of the flexibility of Homeschooling. 

The Bottom Line...tee he he 

But really this is all just BLAH BLAH BLAH to me...this is what it boils down to and what I tend to tell people:

"Weird/Socially awkward kids" are the product of weird/socially awkward parents. And no one can say they haven't met a weird kid in public school. 

If you think teaching my children in a loving, peaceful environment where they can grow at their own pace, and even better love to learn, where they can learn to be who they want to be without the pressures of peers and stereotypes, where I can teach them to be polite, politically aware, confident, morally sound, and contributors to society before sending them out into the world will make them unsocialized? Then YES my kids will be weirdos! And I'm ok with that.

Please Poke My Eyes Out!

This is how I feel right now...let me just take a min and share with you why...

3wks into homeschooling and things are going super good relatively well, but now we have hit our first major hiccup and I just want to curl up and cry.

SO we have been easing our way into it by just doing handwriting, math and a lot of reading (beginning readers and me reading living books)

Then I do what all other self respecting homeschoolers do: count slave labor as educational...ya know moping the floors...cleaning the windows...vacuuming...all life lessons here people!

But its hit the fan now! The math curriculum we are using just ain't cutting it! And this isn't like 'oh I tried this book I found on the ground and it's not working out so now I will get something else.' I'm talking HOURS of studying and comparing till I came to the "perfect" curriculum...it's like I just found out Santa Isn't real...

I know buddy, no Santa makes me sad too :(

So now I am back to square one, comparing samples, pricing, reading reviews, and asking fb groups opinions on every choice out there...shout out to my Facebook groups: Im sorry I just blew up every page I'm on. And when did I become that person who can't make a decision without asking 3,000 of the closest total strangers on FB that I whole heartily trust? Darn you social media!

Right now I just really want to...

But, Alas, I can't, I know I have the whole family is looking up to me and my mad homeschooling, mother's intuition, practically perfect in every way skills...

The silver lining is that at least I got my math at a used curriculum fair so it isn't too terrible that I am buying another one at the retail price...shhhh don't tell my husband...don't worry he doesn't read this... But man I could do without the 3 hr OCD, must find the perfect curriculum, quality time I am getting with my computer right now. And, as I am sure you have just figured out I am an awesome procrastinator Muli-tasker since I am also blogging at the same time :) 

ahhhh...I feel better now...

You Is Important!

Girls Night Out

So a few days ago a very good friend of mine set up a girls night out. I have learned that when one of these things comes my way I must do everything in my power to make it happen for me!


First was dinner then a movie and finally some frozen yogurt. I don't know if you have seen these new fangled yogurt bars, but they are pretty fun.


The movie we saw was Mom's Night Out. If you haven't seen it you must drop everything right now...I said right now!...Don't worry I'll wait...


Ok just in case you didn't take my advice here is a little trailer to tease you with. 

Best Movie Ever...Just Saying! You will laugh and cry and then laugh as you cry...it's practically a requirement to see this movie if you are a member of the female race or happen to be married to one. I see a lot of me in the main character...except for the getting up early and cleaning...I wish I did that but that would involve ya know...getting up early!

After our fabulous movie a few of us went for frozen yogurt afterwards. Love these fancy lil yogurt bars where you pick your yogurt then any toppings you want then they weigh it at the end and you pay like 3 bucks for a pint of yogurt there is no way you going to finish. The one we went to, Orange Leaf, is pretty nifty cuz they had these dividers for your cup so you could pick multiple flavors/toppings at once without having to mix....it's genius really!

And seriously we stayed till the place closed down! Ok granted it was a thursday night and it's a yogurt shop not a club, but for this Momma of three lil ones that was a pretty amazing thing! 

Let me tell you what I got from that night other then some much needed time away to decompress and enjoy some girl friends...cuz hello!? homeschooler here! nothing in life has just one purpose!

At the end of the movie when everything is all fixed and happy the husband turns to the wife and it goes a little like this:

Husband: "Honey, Your Job is..."
Wife (interrupting): "I know, I know Hard...oh, or do you mean easy? Rewarding? Messy? Chaotic? "
Husband: "Important, I was going to say Your job is important."

And that is the truth of the matter. No matter how much we beat ourselves up, feel like we are not enough, not doing good enough, or working hard enough know that we are and that 

THIS JOB IS IMPORTANT!

Doterra Contest

I will be hosting a Contest for all who read through my doterra series. Here is how to enter:

You must be a follower of my blog

Read each part of my series and share on whatever outlet you choose. Then comment on this blog any and all outlets you have shared that post on. For each share you will get one entry. 

Continue to read and share posts as they come up for more entries.

At the end of the contest (time will be specified after whole series is complete) I will pick 2 lucky winners. Each will be able to choose a single oil blend of their choice. The more you share and enter the better chances you have.

GOOD LUCK!!!

What is Essential Oils Part 1: The basics

I have had several people tell me they are interested in the oils I sell, but don't know a lot about it. It's not really something you can just explain in one sentence so I am going to do my best to compact it all here and give you a basic overview.

If I did have one sentence to tell you what it is, I would have to say: IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!...and I mean that in a good way. I sell and use Doterra so that is what I will be talking about but generally all the information I give is good for any brand of essential oils and I will mention if it is exclusive to Doterra.

What IS essential oils?
Essential oils plant based oils that are used therapeutically and to enhance physical and emotional health. Doterra oils are extracted using this method:

Therapeutic-grade essential oils are most often extracted via a low-heat steam distillation process in which steam is circulated under pressure through plant material, liberating the essential oils into the steam. As the steam mixture cools, the water and oils naturally separate and the oil is collected in its pure form. To ensure the highest quality oil extract with correct chemical composition, temperature and pressure must be monitored very closely. Too little heat and pressure will not release the valuable oil, while too much can change an extract's composition and potency. As important as the meticulously controlled extraction process is, the careful selection of the correct plant and plant parts harvested at the right time is also required for a successful extraction. This complex process is as much art form as it is science and requires experienced growers and distillers working together to ensure a quality product.

Fact: It takes as much as 12,000 rose blossoms to distill 5 mL of therapeutic-grade essential Rose oil.

Steam distillation is by far the most common method of extraction, but some oils such as citrus oils are extracted through a process of compression in which the oil is squeezed from the plant. A very few essential oils are extracted using solvents that bind with the oils and are later removed from the final product.

What is the benefits to using oils over tradition methods?

• There are no side effects to using oils (except for positive ones) 
• Oils target the root cause of ailments instead of just addressing symptoms. 
• It will also safe you time/money of going to the doctor, paying copays, paying for prescriptions, and so on. 
• Also gives you the confidence to treat a wide range of ailments for yourself and your family from the comfort of your own home. 
• It replaces all items in your medicine cabinet with just a few oils because they are so versatile. 
• 50-70 times more powerful then herbs
• Because it can inter cell membranes it can inhibit the growth of viruses/bacteria while improving your health on a cellular level

 

What do I need to look for when choosing a oil?

Of course this is purely my opinion. All of these points are true for Doterra and may be true to a varying degree to other brands:

• Plants are grown in their natural habitat and are only extracted from areas that offer the highest potency (For example Doterra Lemon oil is harvested from private farms in Spain vs Florida because higher quality is found there)
• All oils are 3rd party tested (five test in all) to ensure oils are potent, genuine, and authentic. Each batch is tested to a high standard to make sure that they are all meeting these requirements 
• Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG). I have only found this with Doterra. This means that the oils are beyond just organic. They are verified pure, free of fillers, pesticides and foreign contaminates. This is the only type of oil safe for consumption!

Synthetic oils: candles, incents, etc

Food oils: FDA approved for cooking

Therapeutic oils (which I have found is what most essential oils are): used for therapeutic methods, may vary in potency (even in the same brand) may contain fillers to dilute, not safe for consumption. 

How do I use them?

There are three ways to use essential oils:

1. Aromatic: this can be just as simple as breathing them in or can also be added to a diffuser to disperse in the air. Benefits: Kills germs in the air (when diffused), opens airways, affects mood.

2.Topical: Apply oil to feet or troublesome area. For sensitive skin oils can be diluted with a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil is what I recommend but also can use others such as grape seed)

3. Internally: Again this is only specifically with Doterra oils and I do not encourage it with any other brand. This is the most effective way to use oils. It can be added to a glass of water, placed under the tongue, added to capsules, or can be used as oil pulling (something I just recently found out about and will talk about more later). It will relieve issues in mouth, throat, and GI area and also can spread to effect the whole body.

How can I know what to use and when to use it?

I get super excited about this part!

Oils can be used in so many varying ways and for so many varying issues that you just can't go wrong with them but It can be a little overwhelming. Luckily there are awesome resource online and in book form to help you out. There are two books that I highly recommend: 

Modern Essentials: I love this book because it comes in a few different sizes (travel and full size) and many different languages.

Essentials of the Earth: This is probably my top pick for books. I love that its easy to read and can be searched by either oil or symptoms. I also love that they have placed all the information online for free here. I am happy to support any company that loves their product so much that they will give it away for free. 

There are also several groups online that you can join and ask questions about oils or how to use them. I like Essential Wellness on Facebook personally, but feel free to poke around and find a group of your own

Lastly you can ask any Certified Consultant, and yes I am one. Trust me we are always happy to share what we have learned. 

Just to show you how excited I am about oils and how to use them here is a FREE sample user guide you can print. I like to print, cut them out, and laminate them together. Then I can carry this card around with me where ever I go. Front sheet  Back Sheet

The Dreaded Grocery Store Fix: Shopping List Bingo

If your like me the one thing you look forward to about kids going to public school is the ability to run errands without them running around like maniacs, hiding in racks, spilling things (or even better having accidents), and generally slowing everything down. The worst by far is the dreaded weekly trip to the grocery store.

As much as you may wish and dream a trip to the store looked like this....

More then likely it will look closer to this...

At least thats how it is for me anyways...maybe your children are angels and I'm doing something all wrong. 

Of course the madness excels with each added child (and yes we are now up to three) SO wouldn't life just be grand if we could ship those pesky older ones off to public daycare...er...I mean school...and do shopping all alone or at least just with one (Cuz seriously some days going out with just one kid is as close to a holiday that a mom is going to get). 

Well, if you are like me, you were all pumped about Homeschooling. Thinking your children are all going to be geniuses, well rounded, super polite, and practically perfect in every way. Then you remember all that stuff you got done while they were at school and think Oh Crap now I have to do it with them. 

I can easily tell you the errand I dreaded the most with all three of my kids is the grocery store. I go once a week and it takes me a hour if I take children with me (meaning my younger two)  On the rare chance I can go by myself I can pound it out in less then 45mins. I plan on kissing that goodbye now. When going with all my kids there is usually a lot of hot lava (hopping only on one set of square tiles), I want this, I don't like to eat that, I'm hungry, and of course what would be a trip to the store without are we done yet?

I got this amazing idea for a shopping list bingo game from one of the many homeschool books I have been reading, Homeschooling Experiment (see reading list on the right). This is how I did it:

Since my kids are smaller, I printed out these blank bingo cards and added in items that I would be shopping for. I drew a picture (and no I'm not going to show you an example cuz trust me I am not an artist) and then wrote the items name under it. For example, we needed pop tarts so I drew my best pop tart picture and then wrote "POP TART" under it. I had enough items on my list (since I had been procrastinating shopping till we were all practically on the verge of starvation) that I only needed to duplicate a few items between the two of them. I tried to keep the repeats the basic ones that I really want them to recognize like eggs, milk, bread. Then the rest of the items on my shopping list was divided between the remaining open bingo boxes. Since they are little we play the "black out version" and since bread is the last thing we get and it's a staple (so they both have it on their bingo card) they end at the same time...everyones happy! 

The upside to Bingo cards is the kids are going to have a lot more fun and you're going to here a lot less whining. As they get older you can remove the pictures and just add words and maybe even throw some things on their card you don't need and play it like regular bingo. Also when we end, its at the bakery, they each get one free cookies as a reward. This gives them something to look forward to and a lot less "I wants" because they already know they are getting a treat when the trip is over...and free HELLO!

The downside to bingo cards: Shopping might take a little longer since you will have to stop and wait for your kids to find whatever item you call out. Use all your mom powers not to show them the answer. Tell them the starting sound, the first letter, maybe show them the word on the box as you take it off the shelf, but let them find it on their own. The other downside that I have found is each of my children have their own unique way of coloring in their bingo cards. Monkey boy will use a shelf and scribble in the box quickly. Sassy girl on the other hand must lay on her belly on the floor and carefully and OH SO SLOWLY color in her box. Just let it be! As long as Sassy girl is off to the side and not blocking anyone from getting by I let her do it her way and let her take her time. Yes, you need to get the shopping done but more importantly there is learning going on and it can't be rushed. Maybe if you have some bingo dotters lying around the house then you can speed things up.

I hope you will try out these cards and if you like them share them!