November & December Goals

Here's how I kept track of my progress this month. I also had a checklist on the wall. 

It's the last day of the month and I've got goals on my mind. It's time to reflect on what I managed to accomplish this month and what I hope to accomplish next month. I wasn't initially sure how to organize this, but I think I'll sort them by how well I did. So, here's my analysis of how I did achieving the goals I set for November. 

Read four books this month  - Did it! I read two entire Harry Potter books aloud to the kids, as well as two books to myself, and began several others, as well as an audiobook.

Go on a good date with my husband  - We managed to go on TWO dates this month! We went to dinner and out shopping for the first and saw a movie for the second.

Attend karate lessons each Monday - Did it, and loved it!

Do something one-on-one with each child - Did it! I had a date with each girl, and they loved it.

Print out one more of the Spielgaben guides to keep handy - Did it! I printed just the pages we were planning to use.

Figure out a way to make Social Studies more of a priority and study it each week - We ditched our old curriculum, bought something new, and are enjoying it so far!

Encourage Lexi to read independently every day - Turns out, she's already doing this each night before bed! I encouraged her by allowing her to stay up a bit late.

Publish at least two posts that get over 100 views - Blew this one out of the water. Ten posts had over 100 views and one had over two hundred. I was pleasantly surprised!

Write a "throw back" post using one of my old journals as inspiration - Check!

Submit one article to Scary Mommy - I submitted two. Both were rejected, but I am glad that I tried. 

Reach Fit Bit goal at least five days per week - I averaged four days per week of reaching my goal.

Complete a video work out two days per week - I missed two work outs but otherwise completed this goal.

Do a hands-on lesson with Lydia twice per week - We did one activity per week. She asked to do a different set of activities so we started that up.

Blog every day during the month of November - I only missed two days!

Narrow down the focus of my blog and find my voice - I want to be able to write about whatever, but I did find that my homeschooling and parenting posts were the most popular. So perhaps my voice is "Weird Homeschooling Lady with Strange Ideas".

Try out two new healthier lunch ideas - I tried out one healthy lunch idea. It was stir fry. 

Figure out how to organize Lexi's room so it's not a huge mess - We rearranged and dejunked the room, added a new cart/night stand by her bed for her things, and added a reading chair. It's still kind of a mess.

Complete the "Live Abundantly" Bible study five days per week. - Abandoned. I started this, but I honestly felt like I was going through the motions and not getting anything out of it, so I stopped. I didn't want to spend time doing something just to check it off the list. 

Complete two pages in my 2014 photo book. - Abandoned this after I discovered I did not have any blue ink in my printer and could not print photos. 

Paint/decorate Lexi's room so it is no longer so pink and girly - Abandoned. After I took a closer look and realized she still draws on the wlls/furniture sometimes (when does that end?!) I decided it was NOT worth putting in the money yet. Maybe when she is older.

Visit the zoo before it gets too cold to go - Did not get there :( We were busy on the days that were nice. Maybe we'll have a nice day in December?

Take a day trip to Lawrence together - Did not get there this month. We'd planned to go back because Lydia saw something she REALLY wanted to buy in one of the shops, buuuut I found it at Walmart.

All in all, I had a productive month! I managed to make a large amount of cake, I finished a quilt, hosted two birthday parties at our house, read WAY more than normal, wrote a lot, and watched quite a bit less TV. It was a good month. I liked having monthly goals rather than daily goals, and I used my planner to keep track of each day. I really liked this system, so I will continue for December. 

Here's what I am hoping to accomplish this coming month. As you can see, I've already started to pencil (pen actually, which is kind of risky!) some in on my calendar!

Personal

Go on a date with my husband

Read four books this month
Finish reading "On Writing Well"

Complete one audiobook

Complete five pages in my gratitude journal each week
Participate in some kind of service project before Christmas

Wellness

Earn my orange belt in karate

Reach Fit Bit goal four days per week

Complete Metabolic Aftershock two days per week

Complete Walking at Home DVD three days per week (while listening to an audiobook! two birds, one stone!)

Family & Friends

Take each girl on another Mother/Daughter date

Host a family game night and invite siblings to come
Get the cats to STOP pooping in the basement!!
Take a drive with the kids to go see Christmas lights
Have a movie night with a friend

Homeschool

Complete one Spielgaben activity with Lydia each week
Finish Lexi's 2nd Grade Reading program
Help Lexi learn her music notes

Writing

Write an average of 5 posts per week

Publish a Faces of Homeschooling post each week
Write one Homeschooling is for Crazy People post

Look for other places to submit my work


So that's what I am hoping to accomplish this month. 
What about you?

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

Too long, DID write - Week 4

Hello friends! I hope you all have had a great week and a nice Thanksgiving too!

It's been a busy week over here! Between feeling sick one day and celebrating Thanksgiving another, I skipped writing two days. I thought it would be better to just skip than to write halfheartedly. I appreciate your understanding :)

Only one day remains for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge! Wow! This month has gone by quickly. I don't think I'll write every single day this next month, but I do plan to continue writing frequently. It's been a lot of fun. I hope you've enjoyed my blog as much as I have! Fellow bloggers, I highly recommend you join Sark e Media's Blogging Challenge. You get an informative email each day (usually with a challenge to try) and a supportive community to help you along your journey as a blogger.

I also wanted to let you all know that I am on the brink of being ready to reveal the next chapter of Faces of Homeschooling! I'm just waiting on a few pictures and then I'll be ready to give you a peek into the lives of some very interesting homeschooling families. 

And now, here's a recap of what I DID manage to write this week :)

Day 1 

 27 Helpful Things Cats Do 

A fun list of obnoxious helpful things that my pesky pets have done in the short 20 months we've been cat owners.  

Day 2 

 I am thankful 

I reflect on what I am grateful for this year. 

Day 3 

 Do Whatever You Want Day 

I explain the details of a fabulous new holiday that you will NOT want to miss!

Day 4 

Six Useful Things I Really Want for Christmas 

 I describe some really wonderful dream items that are on my wish list this year. 

So there you have it! Take a minute to catch up on what you've missed, and be sure to follow Too Long, Didn't Write on Facebook so you don't miss out on future posts!

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

Six Useful Things I Really Want for Christmas

The holidays season is at hand and I've decided to dream big this year. I'm thinking useful gifts. Practical. Problem solving. We don't need any more candles or stuff for our kitchens, do we? The items on this wish list solve actual problems and would help all of us to enjoy the holiday season more. These magical gifts would make the holidays brighter.

1. A new date for Christmas

Ideally, Christmas would relocate to the end of January. Right now, Christmas falls right at the beginning of winter, leaving us with months of cold crummy weather and nothing to look forward to.  The long winter days wouldn't be so bad if we knew Christmas was on its way. Plus, Thanksgiving could get the time it deserves instead of being lost in the shuffle between jack-o-lanterns and stockings.  Let's spread these great holidays out. January 25th would probably be the easiest. This would increase the chance of getting snow on Christmas, which, in my opinion, is the only time snow is magical rather than a giant hassle.

2. Santa Goggles

Slip these goggles on and look at the nearest child. Green? They don't believe in Santa anymore. No need to censor yourself. Red? The kid's a believer. Don't ruin it for them on accident. These can help you spot those awkward getting-older kids who are right on the brink of having their magical dreams crushed but haven't crossed over yet. You don't want to be the one who drops that bombshell. Kids who are of the scroogey, non-believer type bent on ruining the fun for others (yes, these kids exist, my cousin was one of them) would flash neon colors so you could steer your innocent little believers away. 

3. Revamped Elf on the Shelf

Instead of just spying on your kid all day, give that Elf a useful job.  The new Elf on the Shelf takes away one toy your kids don't play with every night leading up to Christmas and donates it to a child in need. Not only would that make it easier to find space for new toys, but it would also spread the holiday joy to kids who might not receive anything. We don't currently use the Elf (just another thing for me to forget) but if he helped me convince my kids to give away their old things, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. 

4. Master Holiday Calendar

This magical calendar system automatically coordinates family gatherings. It takes tricky work schedules and out of town in-laws into account and selects a date for everyone to get together. It also keeps track of which side of the family got to celebrate with you on actual Christmas last year so there are no more hurt feelings if someone's gathering gets moved to the Sunday after. Say good-bye to rushing from house to house on the holidays and hello to more relaxed, enjoyable visits. 

5. Calorie Deferment System

Between Halloween candy and those magnificent Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, calories should not count at all in the last few months of the year. This system allows you to take all the calories you consume around the holidays and spread them out evenly over the next calendar year. 

6. Pneumatic tubing between my house and Amazon

This would take all the crazy out of holiday shopping. No more fist fights on Black Friday or that awful realization that you are out of time for online ordering and have to brace the stores. Simply order your items online and they arrive instantly through the tubes. This gift keeps on giving. After Christmas, Just send your duplicates and unwanted gifts up the tube and replacements arrive automatically. No need to wait in long return lines at the store. Amazon needs to get on this.  

If these ideas don't pan out, I'll take a couple of coffee shop gift cards and some new jeans in the next size up.  It'll be a long winter.

What do you want for Christmas?

Which of these gifts make your life easier?

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge

Do Whatever You Want Day

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I didn't write yesterday because I was too busy eating tons of appetizers, holding my precious niece, and visiting with family. It was a wonderful day.

I wanted to let you know about a very special holiday we Franzens developed last year. Today, which some of you refer to as Black Friday, is actually what we call Do Whatever You Want Day.

What's that, you ask? You've never heard of such a thing? Allow me to fill you in on this most wondrous occasion.

It all started last fall, when I was in the throes of obsessively watching sitcoms in the basement. I believe I was on a Big Bang Theory binge when the idea struck. As usual, we'd spent Thanksgiving with my husband's father's family, enjoying the chance to catch up and visit with relatives we sometimes only see once per year. It's always a great time. The day after, however, I was exhausted and I just wanted to chill. I wanted to sit in the basement and plow through a couple seasons of The Big Bang Theory before the DVDs were due back to the library. I didn't want to feel guilty about saddling Tim with the girls all day. I wanted us all to have a break.

So I declared it Do Whatever You Want Day and everyone felt like a winner. The girls chose to watch their favorite shows and play video games, Tim read and did random things on his phone, and I got to finish the borrowed DVDs before the late fees started rolling in. Everyone got to relax and do what they wanted, which was pretty much just be lazy and zone out in front of a screen.

We have rules about "screen time" at our house. The girls are not allowed to watch TV or play video games until 4PM. Once 4PM hits, they can turn on the TV and chill for a bit before dinner, baths, and bedtime routines begin. I figure if they were at public school, they wouldn't be sitting in front of a screen all day, so I don't want them doing that at home. I think it's fine for them to have a couple hours to laze about after a busy day of school and play. We all deserve the opportunity to relax and unwind after we've been working hard. By the time 4 hits, we are all ready for a bit of a break. It works for our family to have things clear cut like this.

So that's part of why Do Whatever You Want Day is such a treat for us. We get to be lazy and shake off the rules knowing that we'll be back to the grind of work and play soon.

This year, I spent the day in bed, reading voraciously. It was so nice to finish a book without feeling guilty, being interrupted constantly, or staying up super late. Tim alternated between reading and, again, doing random things on his phone. The kids set up Lexi's new Rock Tumbler this morning then alternated between watching TV and playing games. It was a good day.

Black Friday seems to be a good fit for us to celebrate this holiday. Tim's company gives him the day off and we aren't people who go out trying to score good deals on Christmas gifts. After the craziness of Lexi's birthday, Thanksgiving and more, it's the perfect day for us to relax and do what we want without feeling guilty. Another great day for this holiday is the day after Christmas, when everyone just wants a chance to enjoy their new gifts in peace.

I highly recommend you give Do Whatever You Want Day a try. All you need to do is pick a day when you and your family members need to relax, let go of any guilt you may have knowing that you'll be back to the grind tomorrow, and take some time to enjoying doing, well, whatever you want!

If you decide to give it a try, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

I am thankful.

It's Thanksgiving Eve (yeah, I'm making that a thing) and I am reflecting. I have an awesome life filled with blessings. I thankful for many things. Many people. Many gifts that I have been given.

My husband

I have the best husband. I really do. He is patient, kind, hardworking, and extremely silly, though you'd never know that because he pretends to be normal. He works hard at (what I think) could be a semi-boring job that allows me to stay home and care for our kids. He makes my dreams come true. Honestly, he is a dream come true. I know that sounds super sappy, but I could not picture anything or anyone who would make my life happier and as peaceful as he does.

I cannot love him more than I love him when he is holding a beautiful baby.

My girls

 I never imagined that I would have two little girls to look after. They are awesome. Today my child used her own money to surprise me with ice cream. They are so thoughtful and sweet. They make me laugh and I am so blessed to spend my days with them.

My family

 I am grateful that I live near my family and my husband's family so that we can grow together and spend time together celebrating the big things and enjoying the normal, seemingly little things. I am grateful for all the support our families have given us over the years.

My friends

 I have the best friends. They are sweet, thoughtful people who make my days a joy. They are selfless and generous wives and mothers that inspire me to become the best version of myself. When I've had a hard day, I can sit down at their kitchen table or pull out a chair at Jose Peppers and let them bring a smile to my face. I have known loneliness before but now I am surrounded by a group of wonderful companions.

My job

I may not receive a paycheck, but I get immense satisfaction by living out my dream jobs every day. I am a teacher. I am a stay-at-home-mom. I am a writer. I have been given the gift of freedom to fill my day with tasks that I love.

My home

 I am thankful for my home and everything in it. It is not very big, and there is water coming up through the pipes in the basement right now, but it is warm and full of comfort and I love it. I am grateful for a place to call home knowing that there are many, many people out there who are homeless.

My cats

Sure, they are super "helpful" sometimes (read my observations on that here) but they are very sweet. It had been a long time since I knew the love of a pet, but when we adopted these kitties, they reminded me that beautiful things come in furry packages.

My faith

 Faith is not always an easy thing. I have struggled with it. I am grateful that God loves me anyway and will always be there for me, even when I don't deserve it.

My little pleasures

I am surrounded by small pleasures that make me smile. I have shelves of books in my home and a library card that gives me access to millions more. After a long day, I can sit and enjoy the entertainment brought by a simple television show. I have a computer with Internet access that allows me to share and connect with others worldwide. I live in a world with ice cream and sprinkles. Are any of these things needs? No. But I am grateful for these simple joys.

This is the appropriate amount of sprinkles/why I am not a grown up yet.

My life

I am thankful for the life that I was born into. My social location. I live in a country where I have many freedoms and rights that I often take for granted. I live in a place with access to clean water, shelter, and nourishing food. As a woman, I enjoy many freedoms that my sisters worldwide do not have. I am blessed.

Take a minute to reflect. 

What are you thankful for? 

Comment below.

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

27 Helpful Things Cats Do

I'm not gonna lie, this post started out as me just playing around with my photo editing software, practicing adding text to pictures. But as I worked on the picture, I quickly realized that it was definitely something I could write. 

Arya is all black and Luna is black, white and terrified of everything. 

In the past 20 months, we have acquired two cats, Luna and Arya. I love them both. They are patient with my children. They are snuggly. They are sweethearts. Usually. Sometimes they are a gigantic pain. There are so many "helpful" things they've done in the short time they've been with us.

That's just rude.

Every single thing on the list is something that my cats have done at one point or another. 

I present to you 27 Helpful Things Cats Do. 

1. Knock over full glasses of water. Intentionally.

2. Stick their faces in our drinks.

3. Poop in random places, repeatedly, for reasons I cannot understand.

4. Eat strings.

5. Eat so many strings that they require expensive surgery. (True story)

Want to guess how much I paid to have this removed from Arya's small intestines?

6. Climb between me and a book I am trying to read so that I can no longer see said book.

7. Throw up on the carpet. Only the carpet, never the laminate.

8. Sit upon papers we are working on.

Let me help you with that school work!

9. Sit between me and the screen of my phone or laptop.

10. Attempt to eat food off my plate when I get up to refill my drink.

11. Lick their fur until it falls out.

Is this book any good? Can you see my entire butt hole? Pretty soon I won't have ANY fur left!

12. Escape and head toward a busy intersection when I open the door to get the mail.

13. Sneak into a child's dark bedroom and get shut there overnight.

14. Wake me/my child up at 4 am with loud purring and kneading to the face.

15. Stare at me while I am using the toilet.

16. Eat the erasers off of pencils.

These look delicious!

17. Chew on Christmas lights. 

18. Climb the Christmas tree until it falls over and breaks.

19. Get overly excited while hunting a bird outside the window and knock over (and break) our brand new lamp.

20. Attempt to eat straight pins out of my pin cushion, then poop on my sewing project out of spite when I remove them from the premises. 

True story.

21. Sharpen their (nonexistent) claws on the back of the flat screen TV.

22. Chew the leaves off of the sweet potato plant my kids are growing.

23. Climb into and proceed to the very back of the corner cabinet while I attempt to reach my 9 x 13 pan, then refuse to come out.

Can we help you with something?

24. Spit their medicine out onto the carpet even when I disguise it inside an expensive treat specifically designed for concealing medicine.

25. Meow pathetically at me each time you walk by their food bowl, as though I did not just feed them 30 minutes prior. 

26. Find the one allergic person at our party and rub up against them repeatedly.

27. Get into dangerous predicaments. 

Both the cat and the box fell down the stairs. Neither was harmed. 

Don't get me wrong, I love them dearly. They certainly keep me entertained. 

Arya knows how to throw some serious shade.

But she also gives the best hugs. 

I could probably list 127 "helpful" things my cats do. Am I the only one? Are my cats especially ridiculous or are all cats this way? 

Please weigh in on this in the comments.  

Dog owners, I want to hear your take on this too!

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

Too long, DID write - Week 3

I can't believe it is Day 22 of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge. I am almost finished! Wow.

This week, it was very hard to stay on top of my writing. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, my daughter turned 7 and my husband took the day off work to celebrate, I subbed at a Homeschool Enrichment Center, I had a sore throat and cold, and we still had all the regular activities- karate, gymnastics, Awana, park day, piano lessons. It was a pretty intense week until Friday.

Friday was funny. We were all exhausted from the busy week. I thought we might just lounge about some, but it turned out to be the most productive school day of the week! We did all our regular subjects and added in a new Geography curriculum, tried out a new History book, and Lydia asked if we could do a page from her previous Letter of the Day curriculum. We had a lot of fun. It's funny how it feels good to get back into the old routine after a busy week. We even went to Ikea where we purchased some utility carts for the girls to use in their rooms.

One of the biggest accomplishments of the week was finishing Dragonfly in Amber, a book I've been reading for months. It was over 900 pages long.

I did manage to write each day this week, and only one day was a cop out :) I even got to work on my Faces of Homeschooling project and have several interesting interviews in the works. I'm hoping to get one published this week, but I know my families are busy with the holiday, so we will see. I think it'll be worth the wait.

Here's what you missed this week!

Day 1: Why do I buy my kids toys? - Toys. Everywhere. Why do I keep doing this to myself?!

Day 2: Faces of Homeschooling: The Franzen Family - I start out my Faces of Homeschooling project by giving you a look at my own family and how we approach school!

Day 3: Questions and Answers - I ask for feedback on a few things and give an update after a busy week. 

Day 4: You can be good at some things and you can not be good at some things - I share an insightful interview with my 4-year-old daughter. 

Day 5: A haiku - A bit of a poetic cop out ;)

Day 6: In which I struggle to use photo editing software - I receive an early Christmas gift that will hopefully snazz up my blog and reflect on my very first website. 

Despite the fact that we've got a holiday this week and my husband has two and a half days off, I've got lots of exciting ideas to write about! Be sure not to miss any- sign up to follow my blog. Email and feed options are located on the sidebar! Click here to find me on Facebook.

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

In which I struggle to use photo editing software

Fun fact: When I was a teenager, I had my own website.

 It was called Sliced Bread and it showcased what I thought to be the greatest things since sliced bread. I kept it running on Homestead site builder for several years. At first, it was free. I actually remember signing up to be a part of the company launch and getting an email telling me it was time. Time for me to create my own website. It was (and still is, from a brief look at the current site) a way for an average joe to use templates and such rather than html to create a nice looking website. After an enjoyable period of free website maintenance, it became $40 for a year of hosting. Then it jumped it over $100 per year. I shut it down about a year after that.

Along with listing the greatest things since sliced bread, I kept a list of funny and inspiring quotes and uploaded WinZipped copies of digital Dogz, Catz and Babyz files to share. I also shared my poetry and scanned copies of my artwork with the world. It was a lot of fun for something that had very little point.

Frames and buttons were a big deal at that time, but I couldn't figure out how to make frames for my site, so I saved a blank copy of a page with a sidebar and clickable buttons and used that as the basis for each page on the site. I created my own graphics using a free trial of Jasc Paint Shop Pro that I illegally continued using beyond the 30-day-trial by changing the date using my computer's internal calendar. Yep, I was a little crook.

Regardless, I had a blast creating a purple starry theme for my website. I wish I still had the images and even the text of the site (including the official List!) to share with you. I believe it has been lost in a computer crash since then. It was a beautiful showcase of what a nerdy young teen with a lot of free time can create.

Today, I received an early Christmas present from my beautiful husband. It is my very own, completely legal and fully paid for copy of PaintShop Pro! My 13-year-old self is squealing with joy. I have always wanted my very own photo editing software and now that I'm blogging, I'm hoping I can use it to make some really cool images.

I've been messing with it for a few hours now and it turns out, I have a LOT to learn. There are so many options. Nothing I have made so far looks good. Essentially, I have no idea what I am doing. Yaaaay. But I will not give up! I will simply tap into my inner 13-year-old and together, we will create some mediocre images. Perhaps, with time, we'll even learn to create something decent.

I predict a beautiful mess is on its way. Get excited!

It's true.

I was just playing around...but I think I will actually write this. 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

A haiku

It is Friday night
I need to finish this book
No time for writing

You can be good at some things and you can not be good at some things.

There are times when I look at my 4-year-old daughter and wonder what is going through her head.

Sometimes, when upset or confused by something she has done, I ask, "What were you thinking?"

I decided to get some perspective by interviewing her. I think I should make a habit of this. I'll include my 7-year-old too. Maybe I'll have her write her own post sometime.

She is a morning person, I am not. She wakes me up with her friends :)

Tell me about yourself.

Well, I really like screen time and I'm always hungry and thirsty.

What do you do?

Well, I love to go to Park Day. Also, my name is Lydia. In case you put it on Facebook, people might not know my name.

What are you looking forward to?

Getting more allowance.

What are your strengths? (I had to explain that this meant things she is good at)

I'm good at doing somersaults. I'm also good at going potty.

What are your weaknesses?

I'm not good at doing a cartwheel. I can only do it like this. Miss Molly taught me. (demonstrates an attempted cartwheel).

What do you love?

I love bird cats. Fairy mermaid magic princesses.

What scares you?

Tarantulas.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I'm going to be an artist painter. Are those the same thing?

Who do you think should be president?

Whoever the president is. I've never met the president. I think Mommy should make all the rules.

What makes a good leader?

Mommy makes a good leader of the Homeschooling School. She tells everyone to do the right things.

What is the most important thing?

I think God and Jesus because they're the most powerfullest.

Where do you want to be?

In the jungle with my family.

Why do people get married?

Because then they have children and can be together.

Why do people have kids?

Because they just have kids when they get married.

When should people get married and have kids?

Whenever it's morning because then everyone's awake and comes to the wedding day.

What's it like to be 4?

You can be good at some things and you can not be good at some things.

What is Dad's job?

To be at work.

What is Mom's job?

To be a writer.

I was surprised with how she answered that last one. I thought she would say that my job is to take care of her, or be the teacher, or something. It makes me feel warm that she thinks my job is to be a writer. I wouldn't want to let her down. I will continue. 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

Questions & Answers

Hey guys! I'm wiped out!

Today I subbed all day. I spent the afternoon with kindergartners. You kindergarten teachers out there deserve an award, for sure! People think I'm patient for homeschooling but you who choose to spend your days with a fleet of needy 5-year-olds, well, you're way more patient than me! Whew.

I don't have it in me to write something spectacular today, but I do have some questions and answers for you. Since I'm asking you to respond, I figure I might give you a little information about what's coming up here.

Questions:

• Will you take a minute to read my first Faces of Homeschooling post? I need some feedback! 
• Is it too long?
• Is it at all interesting or helpful?
• What should I add or remove in the future?
• What would you like to see as far as the next edition goes?
• Why would I ever think that skipping afternoon coffee would end well?
• Would you believe that Scary Mommy has rejected me twice more since the first rejection a few weeks ago?

Answers:

• Tomorrow you'll have the joy of reading a funny interview with my 4-year-old.
• Within the next week, you'll get to peek into the lives of more homeschoolers. I'm in the process of interviewing about four families right now, and I can think of four super interesting families that I will be begging to talk with me.
• Coming next week is my Christmas list. Thought it'd be good to give you plenty of shopping time ;) I'd like to hear what you're asking for this year as well.
• Writing every day is seriously cutting into my TV time. Today I finally watched last week's episode of How to Get Away with Murder. OMG. The self control it took to sit on that for a week! You should be proud of me. 

That's all I've got for now! It's almost Friday...right?!

This cat absolutely refused to leave my lap while I typed this, so I figured she deserved a mention. 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

Faces of Homeschooling - The Franzen Family

Hello, devoted readers!

I'm excited to kick off my Faces of Homeschooling project by offering a peek into my own family's school. In case you missed it, let me tell you a little about this project. (You can find my original post here.)

I have always enjoyed learning about what people do. When I ask someone where they work, or what job they have, what I really want is to know how they spend their days. I want a walk through! I am fascinated by the day-to-day tasks that make up the jobs that keep our society running. I want to know more about what people do, so I am going to interview others and share the findings with you on my blog.

Because I am part of a large homeschooling community, I'm beginning this project by focusing on the Faces of Homeschooling. I hope to post weekly so you can peek into the lives of homeschoolers. I hope that after interviewing homeschoolers, I'll be able to interview other groups as well. I hope you find this project as fascinating as I do. If you'd like to participate, please drop me a comment below or use the "Contact Me" form in the column to the right.

So, here we go!

Faces of Homeschooling - The Franzen Family

Introduce your family.
I'm Melissa. I'm a 29-year-old stay at home mom. I teach the kids while my husband Tim works as an adjuster for an insurance company. I have two teaching degrees that have come in handy! I've stayed home since our second child was born, but I occasionally try to make money selling cupcakes or substitute teaching. Our daughters are Lexi, age 7 and Lydia, age 4. We have two cats, Luna and Arya, who like to hang around/sit on our papers while we are working. We've been homeschooling since Lexi was 4.

What brought you to homeschooling?
Our daughter Lexi attended one year of preschool nearby. She had a lot of fun with it, but seemed ready to learn how to read rather than practice colors, which was what they were doing. When Tim lost his job, we were unsure if we would be able to send her to preschool the following year. I'd just began talking with a trusted friend whose daughter attended the school we were zoned for. She was considering homeschooling because of some safety concerns. Her concern led me to start researching homeschooling. Honestly, I'd always thought it sounded crazy. I was just finishing my Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, so I was trained for public school. But when I saw how my daughter was ready to learn more and realized that I was more than capable of teaching her, I couldn't resist giving the homeschooling thing a try.

What has kept you at it?
I love, love, love it. I love teaching and I enjoy staying home with my kids. I'd struggled with the idea of leaving them to teach, because I felt that teaching and parenting were huge jobs that required a big commitment. I didn't want to give less than 100% to anyone. Now I get the best of both worlds. I love the flexibility. Sleeping in and making our own schedule are huge perks.

Walk us through a typical day in your school.
I usually wake up around 8am, as Tim is leaving for work. Lydia gets up around 7 or 7:30 and eats breakfast with her dad. Lexi has been sleeping in until 9 lately. We don't usually start school before 9:30 or 10am. The girls eat breakfast or a snack while I read aloud to them. They practice Awana verses and Lexi practices piano and get their morning chores done. I get Lydia set up on ABC Mouse and she works on letters and numbers while I work with Lexi on Language Arts, Spelling and Math. We'll take breaks for playing as needed. We usually come back together for Science and Social Studies, which we do on different days, and Art, which is weekly. Often while Lexi is doing some copywork, I'll sit down with Lydia and do a Spielgaben activity or just read more to her. It usually only takes a couple of hours to get all of our work completed. We are typically finished by lunch.  The kids spend the afternoons playing outside, going to activities, listening to audiobooks, having play dates, or having quiet time. They participate in karate, gymnastics, Awana, homeschool park days and piano lessons each week. Around 4pm, the kids are allowed to have screen time for a while. Lydia loves to watch Octonauts and Lexi likes to play on the computer. After dinner, everyone gets ready for bed and has quiet time in their rooms until I turn the lights off around 8:30 or 9. Lexi likes to stay up late reading and frankly, I let her! While the kids are in bed, I unwind and hang out with that guy I'm married to ;)

There's usually something cool going on at the library.

Favorite moments?
I love the peace of having slow, calm mornings without rushing. I am so not a morning person! I love to start the day by reading a great book aloud and then getting my kids set up with their work and just watching them go at it. I love those Aha! moments when their eyes light up because they've made a connection between something they see in the world and something we're learning in school. I'm grateful I get to be with them. I honestly feel it has been a privilege to teach them- especially teaching my eldest to read. So satisfying!

Challenges?
It can be challenging to balance everyone's needs. Specifically, Lydia's desire to be played with constantly. She is learning to become more and more independent as she gets older, and that is great. She is really enjoying her ABC Mouse time and that gives me the time I need to teach Lexi a few things one on one. When she is feeling needy, I've found it is best to sit down and really spent some time with her. That helps her to then play by herself a while longer.

Tell us about the curriculum you are using and how you choose curriculum.
I chose my first curriculum after visiting the annual homeschooling convention in our area. There are lots of vendors that come out each year to show off their curriculum and help answer questions about finding something that fits your children. From there, I've made choices based on asking other moms what they use, reading Cathy Duffy's 102 Top Picks book, and doing lots of internet research. There's some trial and error involved for sure. Some things have not worked out like we hoped (such as this year's Social Studies curriculum) but for the most part, we love what we are using. Here's what we are using this year.

Lexi

Language Arts - Learning Language Arts through Literature

Math - Singapore Math

Spelling - All About Spelling

Writing - Essentials in Writing

Science - Noeo Science

Social Studies - This is currently a work in progress. I didn't like what we chose last year so I'm doing some research!

Art - Artistic Pursuits

Music - Piano lessons with my mom each week

Lydia

ABC Mouse

Spielgaben

Both girls LOVE art.

Where do you find the patience?
I've developed more patience as we've gone on. I have to let some annoying things slide or else we'd never get anything done. I don't typically have a problem finding the patience to teach my children- that's probably the teacher in me. I have the same parenting struggles as any parent, I'm just with them more so I have to pick my battles. I have to give myself a break each afternoon to read, write or watch my shows. I have to get out with my friends at Park Day or at dinner.

How are you going to teach your kids subjects that you haven't learned or don't understand?
That's what Google is for, my friend. Only partially kidding. When I want to learn something new, I typically read up on it. There are so many resources out there. Books. Librarians. Community colleges offering classes. YouTube videos. My kids are already asking questions I don't know the answer to and we look things up together. My goal is to teach them how to learn rather than dumping information in their heads.

This question always makes me think of the Physics class I took in high school. Despite having a highly qualified teacher, I didn't understand it at all. I cried about Physics often. My friends helped me through. When I had to take it again in college, I had a different curriculum that made a lot more sense to me and I did fine. Luckily, Tim understands Chemistry and Physics and is going to help our girls with those when it is time. If my kids are struggling, you can bet I'll be doing whatever I can to help them figure out how to get through.

Grandma teaches Lexi piano and sewing each week.

Are you worried about the social skills your kids aren't learning by not being in a traditional classroom?
No, not really. Lexi has always made friends easily wherever she goes. Lydia struggles a bit more in group settings because she would prefer to have a couple of close friends to play with one and a time. We're working on it! All kids are differently wired. We have them involved in several activities so they get used to the idea of taking turns and getting along with others. I want them to be social beings, yes. To learn how to make friends and interact with others peacefully. To solve conflicts. I don't think they need to be in a classroom with 25 kids their age to learn these most important social skills. I model effective communication to them when I speak with others and I talk them through problems. We talk about making friends and being kind. As for stuff like waiting in line, we find Target to be a good place to practice that.

We get plenty of play time with friends :)

How do you find balance?
Well, since this is my full-time job at this point, I give a lot of my time to it. But by late afternoon and early evening, our day's work is typically done and I use that time for other things. I am trying to get better at setting and reaching goals. It's tricky. I save a lot of bigger chores, like meal planning and grocery shopping, for the weekends so that I can go alone. Tim is great about pitching in around the house too and the older the girls get, the more we will teach them.

Do you plan to homeschool through graduation?
At this point, yes. But we are going to re-evaluate each year to make sure that what we are doing is effective.

Do you have a Secret Weapon or Hidden Gem that you'd like to share?
Headphones. Lydia can listen to and play her games on the computer without interrupting Lexi and vice versa. They are also great for audiobooks and for long car trips. My other secret weapon is the audiobook. Each girl has her own CD player in her room and they are happy to listen to stories when I need a break. It has really helped develop their vocabularies as well. The library is chock full of audiobooks!

Nothing like learning in your jammies!

What would you like others to know about homeschooling?
It's not just for crazy people! I used to think that homeschoolers were all weird and extreme people who were wanting to shelter their children away from the world and brainwash them into a specific set of beliefs. Talk about judgmental! What I've learned is that we are all different. We started doing this for different reasons. But we're all dedicated to helping our kids learn and live the best lives they can.

Homeschooling is fun!

Got questions for the next edition of Faces of Homeschooling? Be sure to let me know by leaving a comment below!

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.