1, 2, 3 strikes your out at the old ball game

We love a great ball game! Our 11 yr. old daughter and our 10 year old son play softball and baseball and love it. Between April and June we spend most nights at the ball park. Last night was back to back games.

First was Ricky's game at 5:00pm. Sorry no pics of that game. Rick was coaching and I was keeping score. Ricky is becoming a great pitcher! He gets better with each game. He has worked hard at home to get more accurate and it is paying off. He has been working on hitting as well and last night he hit a great ball in left center field! I love to see him work hard. His team won 10-7.

Next was Taylor's game at 8:00pm. She has been working hard at home as well. She walked her first at bat and stole second. Then on a wild throw she tried to steal third. She hesitated a bit and then ran hard to third and slide right under the fielders mit! SAFE! I think the whole town heard me scream! Her next at bat she went down swinging. At her third at bat she SMACKED a line drive at first base. I screamed then, as well! Her team won 8-2.

Both games were so much fun to watch. I am really proud of their hard work.

And the festivities begin!

Spring finally made it to Utah in the middle of May. Our family was itching to get outside and have some fun! So for Family Home Evening Rick decided to get some wood and we had a wienie roast in our backyard.

I have to say it was so nice to sit and enjoy the fire. The kids had a lot of fun chopping the wood and keeping it going. Oh that reminds me, I'll have to mark off "starting a fire for dinner" in Ricky's Scout book. LOL.

We also roasted marshmallows and made our version of smores.

We just received the "Discover the Scriptures" software and did a lesson from there. It was probably our most favorite FHE ever. Rick has really set the bar for the summer.

I'm good at worrying!

Wow! What a journey this year has been. This time last year I was so stressed about starting High School with my oldest daughter. So many choices. Had I prepared her well enough? What about my other two? Would we stick with what we were doing or change it up a bit?

Our first year of High School (yes OUR first year. Any mom knows she experiences everything her children do)was a huge success. DH is brillant. ( I already knew that). She will end this year with a 3.5 GPA. It was so nice to see her do so well and enjoy it. (Well except that darn Geometry class. There is always one class you just hope to pass!).

I knew she could. It was myself I doubted. Had we done enough to prepare? Had I covered all I should have? Those oh so familiar questions we homeschool moms ask ourselves. There are so many doubters out there questioning us all the time that got me to doubt. I needed to trust my instincts, trust the Lord, and know that it all is okay in the end.

This year I decided to not teach at a coop but have classes here at my house. It was wonderful. I worried again. Would anyone sign up? Would I do a good job? Would my kids enjoy it?

Our Astronomy class was so wonderful we plan to do another science class in the fall and study Oceanography. We had wonderful new friends join us. We had fun doing reports and experiments. We ended up looking forward to it ever week. We took the most wonderful field trips this year. The Antelope Island trip showed me just how smart my kids really are. They asked the most amazing questions, and showed genuine interest in what was being taught.

I am doing alright with them. They will succeed after all.

What about that "social" question? Well, I would have to say my children are very grounded and know exactly who they are. When others around them are making questionable choices they stand up for what is right, or simply walk away. They are the leaders of the gang in the neighborhood. And they are friends with many different people from many different walks of life. And they are each others best friends. Interpret that, or spin that however you like. I think they are doing great!

They will succeed after all!

We're all politicians and Lawyers

There are so many political conversations going on. Most people say they don't like the politicians. Same thing with Lawyers. There are so many jokes about blood sucking lawyers out there. And we all smirk at them, or nod our heads in agreement.

However, in my human observation we all are politicians and lawyers in our own little communities. We all smile when appropriate, all the while complaining something needs to be done. Yet we do nothing about what is wrong. It would look bad to be the one to have a descending opinion. We all shake all the right hands, and stay clear of the things that might tarnish our image with those around us. Very few of us go outside our comfort zone and stand up for much. We don't want to shake up the status quo. We all feel our position is the only position and we must be right. We all feel an injustice has come to us and it was someone else's negligence, therefore they must be put on trial amongst their peers. And the position we take is usually the most popular or the one that gets us the most. No one really knows where we stand.

Yes, certain things have transpired in the past 3 years that give me this perspective. I hear many complaints about "the state of this country", or "the state of schools", or the "state of young people". What I don't see is anyone really changing anything. Are we voting for people with morals? Are we looking for other choices for schools, or letting the schools know what we want for our kids? Are we expecting our young people to act appropriately with character and morals themselves? Are there any consequences?

We all are politicians and lawyers. We aren't willing to say anything that might not be popular and keep us "in office" with our friends or those we associate with. We just want people to "vote" for us, or to keep us around as "friends". We don't want to rock the boat and upset the masses. We just want to represent the causes that bring us the most "money" or reward. The state of this country is in the hands of its people.

Coop or not?

I have been homeschooling for 9 years now. It started because I strongly disagreed with what was being presented to my 5/6 year old in Kindergarten. I spent 6 long months praying for a better choice for my daughter. The answer was to keep her at home. My very supportive husband said "Sure, we can always send her back if it doesn't work out". Now his views are "there is no way we'll ever send them to public schools".

I was nervous our first couple of years. Could I do this on my own? Were they going to have any friends? You could probably add a lot more questions that ran through our heads. We thought them all.

A friend told me about a Co-op. What's that? It is where two or more families get together and share teaching. I hate teaching Art. So we have always looked for classes or co-ops for this subject. We have found co-ops at a local church, at charter schools, at other homeschooler's homes, paid for classes, etc.

There are many benefits to co-ops. One being that you get great classes in subject areas you aren't comfortable teaching. It is also a great place to meet different people and maybe make a friend or two.

Co-oping subjects has many benefits. One I like the most is getting to do field trips with other kids. This past week we went to Heber City, Utah and road the Heber Creeper and learned about the railroad. It was a lot of fun for the kids because they met familiar faces there. Sitting on the train with just mom might not have been as much fun as riding with friends and joking around.

How do you find Homeschool groups? I love to google. When we move to new place I google Homeschool groups in (name of town/area). There will usually be a half dozen or so.

As time went on I got braver and hosted classes at my house. This past year we had a great time with Astronomy and we just finished a class on Water Colors where I had a local artist come and teach the kids. We had 7 other kids come and join us.

The great thing about homeschooling is that you are in charge and control of what your child is learning. The possibilities are endless. No one to tell you your child isn't old enough, or your child isn't good enough, or to measure your child by an arbitrary measuring stick.

I say Co-op when you can find a class your child has interests in.

Happy trails!