Facing the Stereotypes: Our (GOOD!) Public School Experience

Scene: Walking home from dropping the boys off at school. I stopped to chat with a fellow mom.

Other mom: Hey there! Are you on Facebook?
Me: (thinking, Who isn't??? I LOVE FACEBOOK!) Yes!
OM: You should join our new group, the Perrymont Parent. It has the picture of the school as the profile pic.
Me: Awesome! I'll join.
OM: Great! By the way, we are looking for parents to write a brief note about their child's teacher, what you like about them, or whatever, to put in the school newsletter.
Me: I love my kids' teachers! I'll be sure to write a little something.

And I did. I joined the FB group and I spent 7 minutes composing a short love note for each Pre-K teacher for my twins. Because I DO love their teachers. I love their school!

I love their Public School.

And the fact that I love their Public School is a little surprising to me. Here's why:

As a former homeschool student, the prevailing thought was that all public schools were "bad."
Public school students were only "a number" in the classroom, would get lost in the crowd, and would therefore get a "bad" education.
Public school kids were a "bad" influence because of their "worldliness" and bad attitudes.
All the teachers were some combination of atheist/evolutionist/Marxist/liberal/lesbian/tree hugger and that was "very bad."

Growing up, I was deathly afraid of public school.

Fast forward 20+ years and I am much smarter, wiser, more logical, and less silly.

I also have twin boys who are school age.

Last year when I launched my blog series about Adult Homeschoolers, the drive behind the project was my overwhelming, agonizing, paralyzing decision about whether or not to homeschool or send my kids to public school (private school wasn't an option).

All those fears from my childhood were blunging my brain, making my stomach cramp, and keeping me awake at night.

So I dove into exploring my educational past, and the educational experiences of so many other homeschool students.

I talked the ears off my husband (who went to public school) and my best friend (who went to private school).

I accosted to every mom I came in contact with (friends, strangers--whatever!) who happened to mention that she had school age children and threw out that loaded question: "So, public school?....how do you like it? Have you had a good experience?"

And, amazingly(!), all of those moms who sent their kids to public school answered, "YES!"

I had to face my fears with Truth:

My husband, a product of that "bad" public school system, turned out perfectly fine. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, way better than "fine."

Through writing my homeschool series, I realized that I, as my children's parent, will still be the #1 influence in their lives.
I could still have a great relationship with my boys.
I could still teach them about God and having a relationship with Him.
I could still raise them to be respectful, grateful, loving men.

Even if I choose not to homeschool.

Even if I sent them to Public School.

So, we enrolled them in the small neighborhood Public School that is literally right across the street from us.

I nervously asked my husband, "So, what is registration?" and then filled out all the forms, crossed all the T's, dotted all the i's.

And they started school in August.

My "photogenic" twins on their first day of school

They loved it.

A few weeks later, I nervously asked my husband, "So, what is a 'parent/teacher conference'? What do I say? What do they say?" and then went to have a one-on-one with my sons' Public School teachers.

And I loved them.

They are wonderful women: kind, patient, creative, loving, and darn good educators. My children are learning so much in a loving, creative environment. My husband and I are constantly saying that each teacher is perfect for the personality and learning style of each of our sons.

During one of our parent/teacher conferences, I told one teacher that she had been an "answer to my prayers." She then shared about her relationship with the Lord. Yep, the PUBLIC school teacher.

The uncharted waters of Public School have been far from "bad." They have been good, so good for our family.

I do know that all the stereotypes that I encountered as a homeschool student were probably not completely unfounded. Many parents have had justifiably bad experiences with public school classrooms, teachers, and their child's peers.

However, stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. They are not true in every instance, or even most cases. And after our experience in the Public School system, I now take those stereotypes with a healthy grain of salt. 

As a former homeschooler, I am more than happy to shed my fears and add "Public School" to the list of viable options for my children as my husband and I continue to make conscience decisions about what is best for their education.

All Work and no Play...

I realized that it has been a MONTH since I have blogged. Eeesh!

I wanted to. I really did.

I also wanted to clean my house. And do laundry. And cook dinner every night. And go to bed at a decent hour.

But none of those things happened much in the past month or so because my work schedule was so. insanely. busy.

I somehow ended up teaching 4 online classes in the past eight weeks. That's right. Four ENGLISH classes. I had over 80 students who had some sort of writing assignment do every week, sometimes 2-3 writing assignments due each week. Whew.

But I posted final grades on Monday and am MOVING FORWARD with only one class for the next 8 weeks.

And hopefully lots more blogging on the horizon.

Thank God! Because all work and no play makes for a very dull blog. And life.

Meng Menu

Sunday: Frozen pizza (for boys)

Monday:  Salmon, rice, broccoli 

Tuesday: Taco salad

Wednesday: Chili, garden salad

Thursday: Pan chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

Friday: Eggs, bacon, fruit salad

Saturday: Leftover Chili, corn bread

Is it just me or are grocery prices rising? I spent way over my budget this week: $164 BOO! I did spend a lot of coffee (Aaron and I have a taste for Starbucks coffee) and while it was on sale ($2 off each package) it still adds up. Plus I bought toilet paper. Still, it seems to be increasingly hard to keep my spending to $125. 

Then I think, what is my grocery bill going to be when I have two 17 year olds and one 12 year old??? AHH! 

Disorder to Order: A Mother's Divine Work

I hate cleaning. Some women find it therapeutic. I usually just find it irritating and discouraging. Because 2 minutes after the dishes are done, the sink is full again.

Fifteen minutes after the living room floor is picked up, it is full of blankets, toys, and socks. 

And, don't you know the rule about mopping your dining room floor? If you mop in the afternoon, someone WILL spill a full cup of kool-aid at dinner that night. 

Cleaning feels like my life is going from order to disorder, order to disorder. Constantly. 

Here is my livingroom at 11am this morning. My sink, countertops and kitchen table were also overflowing with dishes. Disorder in its full glory. 

Like many mothers, I struggle with finding purpose in the every day. "How is cleaning up those pointless messes actually promoting the work of Christ? Does this daily cleaning drudgery even matter to God?"

It is easy to wrap my mind around the fact that, as a mother, I am a giver of life, just like my Heavenly Father. After all, I carried my babies in my body and birthed them; I nurture my family every day with food. 

I readily embrace my God-given female vocation as life-giver. But cleaner-of-messes? Can that job be redeemed?  

It can. Not redeemed in the sense that I am super-happy about cleaning my house but redeemed in the sense that bringing order from disorder is an imitation of the work of God. 

God formed the world from an order-less nothing. 

He takes sin--the ultimate chaos--and replaces death with life. 

He constantly takes our out-of-control thoughts, emotions, and lives and draws us back to his truth and his heart. 

Again and again. 

So in my daily dish-scrubbing, sock-sorting, blanket-folding, laundry-lugging, kool-aid mopping I am imitating God's work by bringing order and peace back to my home. 

Again and again.**

 It took exactly 17 minutes for me to get to this "After" picture, including folding the basket of laundry that had been sitting in the living room for 5 days. Ironically, the basket was full of cleaning rags and burp clothes, a testament of how I, as a woman, wife, mother, must constantly bring order back to my home.

Order to disorder?
No.
Disorder to Order.
Again and again.

A Mother's Divine Work.

**Note: This was not my original idea. I read something like this on a blog many months, maybe even years ago, but I have lost the link. I hope, though, that by reiterating the thoughts of another, I can encourage someone else. I know I need this truth daily.

Meng Menu

Sunday: Fried Catfish, cheese grits, garden salad

Monday: Hellman’s chicken, parmesan rice, broccoli

Tuesday: Pizza roll w/ sausage and onions, salad

Thursday: Pork chops, parsnip and potato mash, kale

Friday: Bacon and eggs, hashbrowns, fruit

Saturday: Sloppy Joes, oven fries, green beans

Truth: eating healthy is more expensive. Hence, my grocery bill has been a bit high lately. This week I spent $142. :P Not what I like but if half my grocery cart is fruits and veggies, then it is worth it. 

We have been trying new veggies lately. Two weeks ago we had cauliflower mash. Last week, I made stuffed green peppers (we eat peppers all the time but I had never made stuffed peppers). This week, we are trying parsnips. I actually have never eaten a parsnip before so we'll see how it goes. So far, all of our new veggies dishes have been a big success! 

While Thursday is Valentine's day, Aaron does math tutoring on Thursday nights so we are going out on Sunday night. Yea! Looking forward to a date. :) 

Eye (heart) U: DIY Valentine's for kids

I loved making Valentine's when I was a little girl. In fact, I loved making anything. However, I am the mother of two rowdy boys who aren't really into "making things." They needed to bring Valentine's to school for each class though and I wanted to do homemade valentines with them

Enter the Super-Simple, Super-CUTE Valentine solution!

Eye (heart) U

or 

I love you (even a kid can read this!) 

It doesn't get much easier than this. Googly-eye + paper heart + handwriting practice. 

Yep. That's about it. 

And they turned out so adorably! I love them. 

We made 40 valentines for about $3.50. Not bad! (if I do say so myself!)

We made the Valentines over 4 days. This four day process was a testament to how much my boys don't like to do crafts (or practice their handwriting) and how little patience I have. In fact, the first day, it was a toss-up who screamed more: three-month old little brother (who was ignored during the crafting process) or me ("write your name!! Stop..will you just..! here...NO! Glue it...ahhh!!!!)

Just keepin' it real, folks. 

The next 3 days went much smoother. No one screamed. 

In fact, we even had fun! :) 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Meng Menu

Sunday: Pigs in a blanket, chips, veggies and dip

Monday: Cheeseburger soup, bread

Tuesday: Marinated Asian pork, rice, broccoli

Wednesday: Easy Cheesy Tuna casserole 

Thursday: Italian Stuffed peppers, salad

Friday: Pork chops, parmesan rice, green beans

Saturday: Leftover soup 

Under budget this week at $112! Plus I am trying to use fewer carbs (rice, potatoes, pasta) in our meals (Aaron's request) so I am experimenting with some new recipes. This week the newbies are the Tuna casserole (which is a mix of pasta and cauliflower) and the stuffed peppers. 

I kinda hated stuffed peppers when I was a kid but I am giving it another go as an adult. This recipe looks especially promising. I'm not a huge recipe-follower so I am jazzing up the one linked above. I'm using mild italian sausage and some cream cheese to add some extra flavor and creaminess. We'll see how it goes! 

Do you have any lower-carb favorites that your family loves? 

"Daddy said YES!" A story of miscommunication

You should always double-check your children's work when you give them a task to do. You never know how they are going to translate your directions. Take this morning, for example.

Setting: I am making breakfast. Aaron is in the shower. Boys are HUNGRY!

Me: Micah, go ask Daddy if he wants eggs.
Micah: ok! (runs to bathroom. Runs back). He said YES!
Me: Really?

A note of translation here: Aaron doesn't usually want eggs. I was asking to be polite.  I thought I should double-check by sending the other twin in.

Me: Benji, go ask Daddy if he wants eggs.
Benji: But I  want eggs!
Me: Yes, I know. Go ask Daddy if he wants eggs.
Benji: Ok! (runs. Runs back) He wants eggs!

I check the fridge. We only have 4 eggs and I need one to make dinner. Darn. I decide to tell Aaron that he can't have eggs. I go to the bathroom.

Me: Sorry, you can't have eggs. We don't have enough.
Aaron (from in the shower): I don't want eggs.
Me: What? Micah said you said "Yes" you wanted eggs.
Aaron: No, Micah knocked and said, "Can I come in?" and I said "Yes!"
Me: (laughing) And what about Benji? He said you wanted eggs too.
Aaron: Nope. Benji came in and asked if he could have eggs and I said, "Yes, of course!"
Me: Wow. (leaves bathroom)

And the moral of the story is If you have children, miscommunication is inevitable. Always double-check. Or in my case, triple-check.

Happy 3 Months, Silas!!

Happy Three Months, Silas Edward! You've come along way, baby! 

 Here you are, just a few days old. 

We were just getting to know each other. You were learning to nurse and learning to sleep at night. Now you are a great nurser and you are only waking up 1-2 times a night (as opposed to every 45 minutes when we took this picture).

 You are over 12 and a half pounds now! WOW! You are growing out of your 0-3 month clothes and have a few 3-6 month outfits that you fit in. 

 You have just started talking to your toys on your play mat. You can even reach out and grab your tiger! 

You also love music--but I knew that even when you were in my belly because every week at church you would jump around when we sang. When you hear singing or a CD, you stop and listen intently, stop fussing, or smile! 

 Even though you are only three months old, you already think your big brothers are the coolest thing ever! When they are jumping around, singing, or saying "Hi buddy!" to you, you smile and laugh! They love to blow flubs on your belly. You aren't sure what to think of this but Micah and Benji think it is hilarious! 

 You love your Daddy too! Whenever you hear his voice, you turn your head to look for him. You think his beard is kind of scratchy to your face but if you need to get to sleep, Daddy is your man! You love to rock, walk around, or get "the magic butt pat" to fall asleep. If all that fails though, you love to fall asleep nursing with Mommy. 

 You finally found your thumb! 

We were cheering you on, little man! It took a while but this week, you finally found the sweet spot. You hold your hand over your face while you suck. You also love to suck on your blue blanket, the one your great-grandmother made you.

When you wake up from your nap, you cry a little bit but as soon as you hear and see Mommy, you stop crying and smile! And you help Mommy out too by arching your back when she picks you up out of your bed. You know the routine! 

We took this picture today, Silas, on your three month birthday! 

You are SO loved, little guy, as your Daddy and I tell you every day. You are our smily sweetheart, our squishy little "Chubs." Keep growing, baby! We love getting to know you more each day. 

Sewing for Silas: Slippers!

I hate baby socks. 

Sure, they're tiny and cute. But they don't. stay. on. 

At all. 

The solution? Baby slippers! I had a pair of these little slippers that someone gave me for my twins (I never used them! In fact, I have no idea where I got them. Hand-me-downs?) but have loved them for Silas. The only problem? The original pair is too small now! 

So, I made some new ones today! 

I traced his foot and the original pair to make up this little pattern. 

And....

 ...they fit! YEA!

Silas (almost 3 months old) laying on the beautiful blanket knitted by my grandmother

 Happy baby loves his new slippers! No more cold feet!

And they don't come off without undoing the velcro! YES!