Homeschooling

I never thought I would end up here. The situation at my son's school worsened. His self esteem had hit an all time low. He ran out of the school building crying and was caught in the parking lot. My husband and I decided that for his safety and mental health we needed to remove him from school.

This happened right before Spring Break. We took a lovely vacation to Arizona, where my sister and parents have bought a vacation home together. It was very relaxing. It also gave me time to organize my homeschooling plan. I had already considered it as an option, so I had an online curriculum chosen. I gave Nathan a few tests to determine at which levels we should start.

We are just over a week into homeschooling. It has been an eye-opener. My son could have gone 3 times as fast in his reading/phonics, but he requires remedial attention in math. News to me. We started on the First Grade Level for every subject. At this rate, he will finish the First Grade Language Arts this summer. We went back to Kindergarten Level Math. He'll finish that this coming week. Then we'll continue with First Grade work, going at a much slower pace than the other subjects. We're wrapping up a few items that he hasn't learned (from us) in 1st and 2nd Grade Science, then in the Fall, we'll start 3rd Grade Science. I LOVE that I can tailor this to his needs and strengths. At school, they were learning about Living vs. Non-Living things, but he wants to start Chemistry! Also, he gets to do Science and Art every day instead of once a week.

It is an incredible amount of work to set up the lesson plans each day, but I'm finding my groove. We're having tons of fun! Nathan is so much more relaxed. We try to make it to the playground each day at 3pm. His interaction with other children is much better. I think he's not drained and as a result he can enjoy their company.

Blog Feature

I was very pleased to get an email from Carisu, a young writer, who featured me on her blog "Carisu Reads." Please check it out!

Muses Magazine Feature

I am incredibly honored to have my Moon and Stars Suncatcher featured in the March 14 issue of Muses Magazine! Enjoy the feature and please spend some time browsing the fabulous art, design, and fashion in this stunning online magazine!

That Old Werewolf Story

Today my 5 year old was playing with models of the Earth and the Moon on strings. He swung them around quickly and said, "This is what happened when the Moon broke out of orbit!" My husband asked him, "What do you think would happen if there were no moon?" My son thought for a moment then answered, "There would be no tides. They would have to get rid of that old werewolf story, and it would be darker at night."

I just loved that.

Twice Exceptional

As some of you may know, in December my son received a provisional dual diagnosis of gifted/PDD-nos. Children who are gifted and learning disabled are often referred to as Twice Exceptional. I've found many wonderful parents and professionals while searching for "Twice Exceptional" or "#2E" on Twitter. Last night I saw a post that disturbed me:

"What's up with "Sid the Science Kid"? Is this show abt those "Twice
Exceptional" kids? Cuz smthng is not right abt the kids in that
show." (sic)

We love Sid. The kids are creative and diverse. It is disturbing to me that my son will have to deal with the idea that "something is not right" with him. He's fine, thank you. In fact, he would be great if we weren't trying to pound his square peg self into the round hole of public school. I've never understood why people like to flaunt their ignorance. My initial response was to fire back with either a nasty rebuttal or a high road educational response. I don't like to act too quickly, though, so I took a moment and looked at the poster's website. It was dedicated to his 4 year old daughter who died recently of cancer. Now I understand his interest in Sid the Science Kid. I let it slide and counted my blessings.

Helping Hearts

I have contributed one of my Sun Suncatchers to a shop set up to help a fellow Etsian who has suffered a terrible loss. Please visit the Helping Hearts shop on Big Cartel to either shop or donate an item. You may read more about the situation and shop HERE.

The helping Hearts shop is now closed. I hope it was able to provide the needed aid.

Etsy Finds!

I was so pleased to find that my Amethyst Lantern had been featured in today's Etsy Finds! The theme was "The Color Purple" and it showcased lots of fabulous finds in various shades of purple. Amethyst is February's birthstone. Thank you, Christine!