Woosh and the weekend is over, my how quick it goes. Only a couple more weeks then its long lazy days with no school runs or time restraints. At the moment I am busy with lots of appointments, sorting out school bits and pieces and a few medical appointments for me. Then its time to relax and get the summer rhythm going...yippee! I have been giving school a lot of thought, I would so like to home school, being dyslexic though fills me with lots of worries about my children's education, I know, if your reader of this blog, I do make more errors than most. I am a believer that this is communicating and it's only recently that it became so important to communicate properly rather than just gets yourself understood. As a mother we want to give our babes the best start in life and that's usually a priority.
This weekend I have been reading the blogs of a few favourites who home school, and I have found it fascinating. I have come away with the need to research some literature on the subject. Thanks to Soulemama's recommendations. I met a Mom in a thrift shop recently and we had a really long chat, she talked about her children, they had been removed from school as they had been told they could not be taught and the disruption they caused was not fair on the other children. So with an independent spirit as a single mom seems to have, she moved away and lived in a farmstead in the local hills near by. Numerous years on her children are all in amazing careers, from Doctor to Preacher, she believed in her children and let them just enjoy life and go with their own thirst for knowledge without a timetable or classroom. Amazing story, an amazing women, I wounder if I will ever meet her again. Its parents evening for us tonight and I have so many worries about my child's school and education, his hearing issues have held him back and his report says he is a quite student. Then I think about all this stuff 'Why am I worried, he is a fantastic character, he is kind, caring and such fun to be with, and a great thirst for knowledge and adventure'. I have mentioned previously that a lot of my friends are teachers and if you mention school to them in Mom talk it is difficult to get an unbiased opinion off them as they stick up for one another, I guess if you have worked so hard to become a teacher that's only right, but then I am left feeling worse. (In case your reading Caroline this does not include you, your cool). I think it must take a huge amount of inner confidence to home school. Anyway that has been my thought process for much of the weekend.
So on to the weekend, what goodies and delights have I to share, well first of all I took the boys to the local patchwork and thread shop as it was sale time, I planned for some threads and the sashing fabric for my large quilt, I did buy lots of threads, just too good to resist. The country embroidery machine threads by Brother, half price which made them an even better buy than day to day thread, so I went a bit mad and spend all my birthday money on them. (Thanks Mom , you did say treat yourself to something for me and not the kids, I know she will be horrified I spent it on thread, but it makes me happy). I did not buy the sashing fabric, instead I bought two fabulous fabrics that I have had my eye on all season just not been able to justify the cost. So with 30% off I made the investment.
We returned home to brighter weather, NO RAIN for at least an hour, would it stay off for our school PTA Treasure Hunt around the village...YES!!! The kids really enjoyed this and then we settled in for a BBQ and wore the kids out on the bouncy castle. A great time was had by all, and we won the booby price for taking the most time for doing the treasure hunt!!! Hey we won a bar of chocolate the kids thought it great!!!
SO after a good nights sleep and a bright start to the day, the garden was looking promising, just as some of the work got going the heavens opened. This was tragic as in the afternoon we had friends coming for a little birthday celebration. So in true British style we went ahead with the plans but did get rained off and had to come inside. It was Champagne and strawberries, after all it was the Wimbledon finals so we watched the end of the match shouting at the telly having had one to many glasses of champagne!!! The kids had a great time, the adults became a pile of hopeless giggles and we ended the get together with birthday cake. Now I usual make a cake for my friends birthdays, but I bought one, the reason being it was an operation cake (remember the 70's game) well it was cool, my Friend is a GP, that's Doctor not animal! So it was a joke really, but we dutifully played the operation game before we all dived into the cake with shouts of 'I want the legs' or 'I want the heart' LOVELY!!!!
So we start a fresh week, the Doll quilt has been finished, I have found out I am allowed to show the picture, also the person I am sending mine to does not read my blog as far as I am aware so I have posted the full pictures, so all my swaps are up to date...wounder what I can do next...
Pictures...
1) EYE CANDY...the new threads
2) CHAMPAGNE AND STRAWBERRIES...a little birthday nibble
3) COW HILL...one of the views from my home, cow hill, the children spotted the calf having Mommy milk and wanted me to take a picture, I love this hill, it makes me very happy!
4) DOLL QUILT SWAP...Front of finished quilt
5) DOLL QUILT SWAP...Back of finished quilt
Monday 9 July 2007
Eye Candy-lots of words-you pick
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13 comments:
Wow Suzie I love those threads! I can understand you spending your birthday money on them. I really admire anyone who can home school. I would love to in many ways but the reality is that I don't think I have the energy or patience to do it having got used to them going to school and I also believe my guys get a lot out of going to school and seeing their friends etc - although one of their favourite games at home is "playing schools"! I am less relaxed about the thought of my eldest going to Comp next year. She is a lovely, intelligent, sensitive girl and I am worried she will find the tough/roughness of it hard. She is the kind of child that loves learning/studying and once asked if she could stay off school for a day as she wanted to get on with her research! Thanks for your kind comment on my blog - I have finally managed to update it this morning.
I have to say I've never considered home schooling my three - although I take my hat off to all those who make a go of it - obviously because of this I'm not well placed to pass comment on homeschooling except to say that the few children I have known who were homeschooled all, without exception, seemed to have some oddities about the way they interacted with other children. Why this might be I can't say I always presumed they were disadvantaged because they don't get the same interaction with groups of other kids like at school but maybe the kids were a little different anyway and that was the reason their parents chose to home-school. All I would say about sending your kids to school is THE most important thing for any parent is to keep lines of communication with your childs school firmly open - become involved in the school, volunteer to help in class - probably not your child's class but another age group, become a parent governor, join the PTA - that way at least you get to know a little bit more about what makes the place tick and you'll find the staff easier to approach if you feel there's a problem at any time. After all we only get one chance to bring up our kids - this life is not a rehearsal and above all else communication is the key
So, before I read anything, I looked at the first picture and thought, "Wow, Suzie sure bought a lot of new rainbow colored canisters." Then I realized they were spools of thread, and I felt better. Because, that would have been A LOT of canisters.
Sounds like a great weekend.
My sister is a teacher and I was a school secretary (after being a nurse for many years) and I think that teachers these days are far more interested in their own targets rather than actually teaching individual children! Children with special needs or who are not quite as bright as the rest seem to get over looked as they spoil teachers targets!!!
That will but the cat amongst the pigeons !!!
Alison x
Alison, thanks for saying this as this is one of my fears.
Suzie Sews
I can understand you concerns about school, our son does not "fit in" easily with the other boys in his class, he's much more sensitive and less boisterous/sporty. I wouldn't have the patience to home school so state school is our only option, and I do think he benefits from having to be with other children and understanding their needs as well as his own.
Love the dolls quilt by the way!
Julia x
I love the dolls quilt-just gorgeous!!!
Lovely quilt.
Sounds like you had fun. I bet the Operation cake was a scream. I remember that game.
The home schooling question is such a hard one .... only you know what kind of child you've got, not sure if I've got the patience to do it for mine!!!! Love your quilt and just noticed the crispie cakes, don't kids love making them!
Kim x
Hmmm - big one here - the home schooling question. Knowing you as I do, I've always thought it was something right up your street, but you do also have to consider the social interaction side of it. I know it would be fabulous to have him at home and you could do sooooo much, but you can't be a 7 year old boy, and they really do need to learn to be a boy and to deal with other boys. The only people I know who home schooled were a bit odd, so it's no surprise that thier kids were a bit odd too! Anyway - only a couple of weeks to go until the summer holidays - yippee! Also - think of all the crafting time you would lose (only joking!!!!).
I love the doll quilt - you are so clever - it looks fantastic - I would be delighted to recieve that and so should your swapper be.
Looking at the length of some of these comments you really have got people going today haven't you?!
I love the idea of home schooling, however I'm not consistent in anything I do. We'd have 2 days of schooling, then 3 months of watching the telly then another 2 days of schooling.
Also I enjoy the time they are in school !!!! We'd all annoy each other if we were in each others pockets.
My children both thrive on going to school. They like playtimes, and school trips, having a new teacher each year.
I have a freind who took her son out of school to home school. It lasted a year, then she put him back in school. Apparently spending all that time together was n't all the fun she expected it to be ! - love Julia x
I read your post with great interest. I too have a son wth hearing problems who has just sat his GCSE's. I know the system failed him and we have had to advocate in so many ways for him. Even then they failed to deliver and had us labelled as "difficult" parents. The hardest thing is that my older two have either gone or are going through Uni and this is the standard my youngerst has set for himself. It's very hard to explain that learning takes many forms and one size doesn't fit all. The "system" does little to promote this belief. Go with your heart you know your child better than anyone. Mary. PS Love those threads
Being a parent is so hard sometimes. I didn't like my son's teacher this last year. She never seemed to have anything nice to say. School sometimes looks down on little ones with curious minds. Oh the shame to be curious.
I hope you're feeling better.
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