Homeschooling is Better for MY Health

Almost every article or blog you read about the benefits of homeschooling, list a multitude of positives for the student, sometimes the family unit as a whole and about your lifestyle.

Most are written by parents, like myself, who recognise everyone else and the benefits to them and forget to explain how beneficial it is to us.  

I remember the 'me' who was taking my son to school everyday.  A place my son struggled to be in, struggled to function in. A place my son fell apart in.

I remember 'me' as being a complete emotional train wreck.  

I was extremely sleep deprived.

I was on the verge or tears ALL THE TIME.

I was stressed beyond any level of stress I thought was possible.

I was depressed.

I was extremely anxious.

I was heartbroken at what my son was going through.

I felt completely helpless and hopeless. 

I smelled like either vomit or disinfectant after cleaning up my son's daily anxiety vomiting.

I was exhausted from being at school with him all day helping him, then going home with him and copping the brunt of massive meltdowns.

I was angry.

I felt completely let down by school and felt belittled by staff.

I felt defeated after fighting so many battles, over and over again. 

I felt I'd let my son down and was a failure as a mother because he became suicidal. 

He was broken.

I was broken.

Amid all the feelings I went through when I pulled my son out of school and over those first days, weeks and months at home, one was relief. Pure relief.

Relief that in our decision to remove him from school, I would have my son back, I would no longer be dealing with school, with teachers, with school parents, with school run, with daily meltdowns, with daily vomiting, with anything.  Relief that we were back in control and we could do this better than any system ever could. Relief that I had a second chance. 

Over the years, through our changes with curriculum and learning styles, social ups and downs, my son's medical rollercoaster and life in general, I have found that the benefits to my overall health to be huge. 

I have considerable and complicated physical health issues and I recognise that I would be much worse off if I was still dealing with school.  The fact I can rest and recover from physical setbacks while homeschooling is a big plus.  I am not struggling with schools runs and vomiting and meltdowns.  I have a child who can learn with me while sitting next to me in bed.

My emotional and mental well being are being looked after too.  Sure we all have bad days and down times when dealing with life's curve balls (like our recent period of being out of work). Financial stress is always a big issue, but that would be there regardless of our education path choices.  But really looking at it, I have never gotten to the low point that I was at during those school days.  I do recognise that I have high anxiety and I deal with that, but it's not to the degree it once was.  I find homeschooling assists me with managing it as I am not as stressed and have time to breathe.

I find peace through the day.

I still have that pleasant sense of relief every day when I wake up.

I wake up after actually getting some sleep!

The only time I smell of vomit is after a tummy bug goes through the house and that's maybe once a year.

I am not angry.

I am not depressed.

I am not helpless or hopeless or heartbroken.

  I have my spirit back.

I can laugh with friends.

I have my Warrior Mum attitude back and can tackle issues when they arise and when my son needs me to dig my heals in and fight for him. 

I am not defeated and I do not let people belittle me.

I am stronger.

I am better.

The changes that homeschooling has made to my life, to my health, make this choice worthwhile.  If I am better, happier, healthier, then surely I can be a better mother, teacher and role model for my child.  

Many people have said that if my son was at school I would have time to rest and it would be better for my health.  They can't see that the school issues were making my problems 100 times worse and by eliminating them, we all benefit. Sure my son is home and with me 24/7 but he is calm and happy and will play, read and do work quietly, especially on days I am not well. That gives me true peace and the ability to rest rather than if he was at school which would be a few hours child free where I am still stressed and worried about him. 

The child I have now, is NOT the hard to handle child I had all those years ago.  I guess what I am saying to the struggling parents reading this, is that while you might have a difficult child and don't think your health could possibly cope by homeschooling, you might be in fact making things harder for yourself and your child by not giving homeschooling a chance.  School will always be there to go back to if you find it's not working well at home, but just don't rule out homeschooling altogether because you have health problems. 

I'm just putting this out there, because we forget to look at ourselves.  We as parents make decisions and think of everyone else.  We ask ourselves is it the best thing for them, can we afford it, etc.  Most don't think to acknowledge if it would benefit them as parents.  I look back and know my decision was based completely on what my son needed and not what was best for me, but I am happy to report it's been the best thing for me too! 

My recent 'aha' moment came when I was going through days of high anxiety and dealing with too much.  Once again we were dealing with unemployment, too many bills, a broken government department offering no help and I was starting to crumble.  As I sat there, upset, I thought wow at least I can sit here and have a cry and crumble a little.  I can stop and breathe and go back to bed if I need to. I don't have to rush to school or deal with all of that.  I can take the time to deal with this, we can take a break from school work and de stress.  We can get through it without me falling into a completely broken heap.  I have the freedom to breathe and to deal with my anxiety and overall this is better for my state of mind.  

Homeschooling has given me that and I am forever grateful. 

Review: Australian Organic Schools Website

For anyone looking for a fantastic curriculum addition to teach their child all about gardening and organics (and covering subjects like Science, Health, English etc) - then check out the Australian Organic Schools website. 

Firstly - it is FREE !!!!! 

As a Homeschooler, sign up as a Teacher.  Once you have logged in, in the Teacher section, scroll down to "Your school garden" and click on it. You will then see 7 units: 

• Unit 1 – Let’s get started
• Unit 2 – Creating healthy soil
• Unit 3 – Planning your garden
• Unit 4 – Planting and mulching
• Unit 5 – Caring for your garden
• Unit 6 – Garden friends and pests
• Unit 7 – Propagating and seed saving

When you open/click each unit, you will be able to select from:

Background Information, 

Lessons and Activity Sheets, 

and Extra Resources.

  The activity sheets even have a page with solutions (answer page) which is extra helpful for us parents!

I will warn you - if you decide to print out everything in each Unit .... it is a LOT of printing.  It's fantastic though so I printed it all for a folder. 

I was expecting something very basic but what I found was very comprehensive!  Everything from bees to compost, ph levels to pests, protection from the elements and weeds.  As a parent, this taught me a lot and will be our 'go-to' guide.  Honestly I can't express just how much I LOVE this website and these units.  Don't just have a quick look, open the links and read the pdfs.  The amount of information in them is great, they are set out so well and are easy to read and follow. In some units there are even links to videos for the kids to watch. 

Even if you are not a green thumb, there are some great resources to add to your kitchen files.  My favourite print out is the "What's in Season?" file which you can find in the Canteen section.  I also love the Traditional Remedies and Organic Pest Control files which you will find in the Teaching Units (Unit 6, in the Extra Resources section).

I just wanted to add that this review is not a paid review. It's just a personal review of a product we love and have found useful and which I think more people need to know about! 

Hope you love the website as much us we do! 

Back to Basics

When we think about what our children

need to know to grow into well adjusted, functioning adults,

we think of not only their education but their life skills.

One thing that you will notice from generation to generation, is that many of these life skills are getting lost.  For example most of us parents know how to use a washing machine but when it breaks most of us cannot fix it. We spend money calling the repairman or just buying a new one. We end up driving to Laundromats to wash rather than washing by hand.  Our Grandparents would have hand washed and not thought twice about it.  As parents we teach our children to use a washing machine but very few think to teach their child how to hand wash, or basic maintenance for a washing machine. 

When it comes to cooking, the skills we pass on as generations pass, involve learning to use more and more gadgets. Our recipes change to reflect this too. What happens when our children leave home?  I doubt many can afford all the appliances we all use these days.  It's all well and good to marvel at the convenience of a Thermomix when you have one and use it, but it's also doing a disservice to your children who grow up not learning how to cope and cook with just a set of basic pots and pans. Quite ironic when most parents claim to use a Thermomix or gadgets as time savers to spend more time with their children. Maybe the best way to spend that time with your child is to be in the kitchen together cooking with good old pots and pans. 

It's for this reason, that I want my son to learn 'Back to Basics' life skills.  

I want him to be able to function when he starts out living on his own.  I want him to save money by cooking rather than eating take out food.  Cooking using the basics like a few pots, pans, utensils, toaster and kettle.  Washing dishes without a dishwasher. Washing clothes by hand if he needs to. Scrubbing the floor without a steam mop. Mending clothes without throwing them away over a missing button. Changing the oil on the car and basic car maintenance. How to catch a fish and grow vegetables. How to use basic tools, mow the lawn, and replace a tap washer. 

We might be raising children who will live in a new amazing world with more technology than we could ever dream of, but until they can afford to buy that technology themselves, they need to survive using basic life skills. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting my child to get up each morning and milk a cow to be able to have milk on his breakfast cereal.  I'd like him to understand the process though and respect where his milk comes from.  I just think it's important to teach the next generation with knowledge from past generations.  

Too often we get caught up with how to educate our children for jobs that don't exist yet in fields that haven't been dreamt of yet. What we forget, is that all jobs that will be created are done so from a need in the present or past. So won't it stand to reason that if a child has been educated and taught life skills from present education curriculum available and life skills from generations past and present, that they will have a great foundation which they can build on?

'Back to Basics' skills will never 'go out of style' or not be useful. 
It's an advantage to give our kids this foundation.  

So when my son leaves home and is apartment/house hunting, he won't be hung up on needing an expensive one because it comes with the much needed dishwasher. He won't spend a fortune on expensive cooking gadgets and cleaning appliances.  He can save money for his future by putting in some hard work, doing things himself, the 'old' way', not needing to call a repairman, mechanic or mowing service.  
Instead he can call and invite me over and cook me a nice dinner LOL. 

Medieval Inspired Photo Timeline

Every year we attend the

Abbey Medieval Festival

at Abbeystowe

(Caboolture, Queensland, Australia)

Each visit the festival is better than the last. Each visit my son learns more, asks more, takes more time planning his outfit and deciding on which weapons to take. Each year I look at the photos and see how much my little warrior has grown and changed.  Each year I see those changes (the good and not so good) with his Aspergers and other issues and see how they effect his day and his mood.  I forget sometimes till I look at photos, that the journey hasn't always been smooth sailing.

I was going to write a review. 

I was going to talk about the festival and tell you how amazing 

it is and that you should all go along if you can. 

But you can visit their website and learn all about it, 

check out their Facebook page etc. Sometimes it's best to visit with no expectations from a review and just be blown away by the atmosphere and see it all with fresh eyes.  So I will leave that for now.

I think after taking a trip down memory lane and looking through my photos, this post morphed into my own Medieval Timeline .... of my son's journey over the years.

From a fearless 3 year old conquering a hill ... 

A hyperactive, loud, wide eyed boy who was certainly a handful.

To a 4 year old with an axe and an attitude ... 

A challenge for us with the discovery of Autism Spectrum Disorders and all that that entails.

To a 5 year old starting to explore and ask millions of questions.

The start of his first official year of schooling (Prep). The start of bullying and a lack of adequate help at school.

A 6 year old winning battles and gaining confidence ...

A new school, lots of therapy, new strategies. Hope for improvement with lovely teachers but a struggle still, and more bullies.

Then a very lost 7 year old. 

A boy who at the start of the year (still 6) had wanted to end his life and spent the school day in tears, hiding under chairs, running away and miserable. A boy who vomited daily before school. A boy who I removed from school to homeschool and to help re build.  These photos break my heart. I can see the anxiety, the missing smile, the need to hide under a hood or behind a cardboard helmet. The broken spirit.  We had a lot of work to do that year to get our boy back.

As an 8 year old we saw not only a new colour but a new outlook. Homeschooling was the key and the best thing we ever did. The smile came back, a guarded smile but it was there. No hiding. Willing to take part in life again. He was growing. The depression was gone. He was able to deal with changes including a change to a new colour (hello Red and goodbye Brown!!!). 

Age 9. Everything was looking up on the Aspergers side of life. However my little warrior then hit more hurdles.  The physical problems he'd had since he was a toddler and which had grown worse each year, had become so hard that the year was spent in a lot of pain, with extreme fatigue and reliant on a wheelchair for outings. This was the first year my boy asked to stay at home despite it being one of his top 5 days of the year (up there with his Birthday, Christmas, Easter, etc). It was a very difficult year.

Later that year we went on a trip interstate and attended a Kryal Castle, a Medieval themed attraction, to make up for missing his favourite festival.  It was a good day that day. Little pain, no wheelchair needed and the warrior was back in action!

This year he was an Archer.  My big 10 year old.  The confidence is back. The enthusiasm is back.  Maturity has kicked in. He is tall and wearing a men's tunic.  We still needed the wheelchair this year, but not for the whole day.  He is learning to cope with his physical issues and manage his pain. This is my happy, social, talkative, inquisitive, funny young man.  Dealing with and overcoming his hurdles.  Loving his homeschooling. 

It's not till I take the time to reflect and compare photos 

that I see the huge differences, the ups and downs.  One day soon I 

might get around to doing a review of the actual festival, but I hope you don't

 mind that today I was a little distracted by memories and 

thought I'd share (even if just for me to come back and look at)

 a little photo timeline. 

Embracing Surrealism with Pancakes!

They say Homeschooling Parents can find an educational angle in anything their child does.

How true!

My son has been participating in an Art Class this past term and the topic all term has been Surrealism.  Each week they'd learn about different styles and techniques and really got the kids to look outside the conventional norm when it came to art.

So I just loved, that when making pancakes the other day, my son took great delight and challenge in finding the 'pictures' within the pancakes as they cooked.  He turned them this way and that and really took on board what he had learnt.  

So can you see what he saw? 

Can you guess what he came up with? 

He found: 

A girl (side profile as you can see the nose, mouth, chin) with long brown hair, wearing headphones and listening to music. The squiggles are cartoon like representing the music coming from her headphones. 

He found: 

A meteor burning up as it approaches the earth.

He found: 

A headshot of a horse or sea horse (he likes horses best so wants it to be a horse but says the nose is too narrow so must be a sea horse LOL)

He found: 

A love heart. 

Lucky I was quick with the camera as these did not last long!  

Why I Don't Want to Convert Everyone I Meet to Become a Homeschooler.

I really do not want everyone to homeschool. 

Not because I don't believe in it - I do, it's the best thing we ever decided to do!

Not because I don't think you are capable - you are, even if you don't realise it.

My reasons are varied and possibly even a little selfish.

You see, if every parent homeschooled, then it would be like going out in public on the school holidays LOL  Children everywhere, loud and noisy, busy and overwhelming. The things that my son can't handle and the reason homeschooling works so well for us.  The homeschool groups would be so jam packed full that we wouldn't be able to attend.  

On school holidays we hibernate and avoid shops and parks and all things kid friendly.  We almost rejoice when it's back to school time because we are then free to enter the world and explore in peace again LOL.

Don't take it the wrong way, I love all my friends and their children who go to mainstream school and I love seeing them, but there is a very real reason why school doesn't work for my child and too many people making noise is one of them.  

I will always answer all the questions asked of me about homeschooling and I will always share all our experiences and how positive it's been. I will even suggest a struggling parent look into it when things aren't working out well in school. But I'm not going to push someone. I'm not going to tell them that homeschooling is the best and only choice to make. For us it was, but for many it is not. Simply because homeschooling is not for everyone. It is not for everyone's child, for their family unit, for their financial situation, for their own sanity even!  And that's OK! 

I get disheartened at the "us verses them" mentality that gets around where everyone is out to discredit other methods and promote their own choice. When it happens and I am judged I will surely stand up for our choice and dispute false claims. But I don't make it my mission to create the hate.  You see I think that it's great that you love what you chose, but someone else can love the opposite choice too without anyone getting into an argument. Many children thrive in mainstream schooling. I'm glad they do! I'm glad they go to school and I'm glad mine doesn't! 

I'm glad that in my country and many others, that we have options and can choose the method of education that suits our families needs.

I've been asked why I would bother 'spreading the word' about homeschooling to others, if not to convert them to it.  

For me, it's simply about awareness.  

Awareness of what's not considered the 'norm' breaks down misconceptions and removes judgement and negativity. For years I spread awareness for the health issues my son and I have been through and in the last 5 years have seen huge changes to public perception of Autism Spectrum Disorders.  I truly believe that creating positive awareness results in understanding and acceptance - no matter what the issue. I want homeschooling to be understood, accepted, welcomed, valued and not feared, judged or discredited. That's why I talk about it and share our experiences. 

So while I am a homeschooler and will post all over my social media pages about homeschooling, to share how great it is for us, to promote awareness and NOT to convert the masses, in the back of my mind I'm thinking hhhmmmm .......

I'm glad not everyone home schools.

Review: More on The Adventurous Mailbox incl Teacher's Lounge

Recently we received The Adventurous Mailbox pack.

We love it. Love, love, LOVE it! 

My first review can be found here to give you information about the pack. 

We have progressed now to:

 Book 2: Taiwan

  

How is it?  

My son is still loving it, still wanting to read it and still keen to keep going.  

That's a great thing.  Some products you buy or are given to review just don't hold the child's attention past that initial few weeks.  However this product still 'has it' for us.  

It's taken us a while to get through book 2 as this time my son has wanted to read the whole thing himself.  The first book he was so desperate to know what was in the book that I had to read parts aloud to him to help speed through it.  This time he is still hooked but willing to go at a slower pace and read it himself with me helping with bigger words etc. For a homeschool mum, the fact that the child is willing to read it themselves (especially if they are a reluctant reader) is an indicator of a great product.  We are also covering Reading, Reading Comprehension, Grammar and English as well as Geography so it's ticking lots of boxes for me.

Book 2 is more of a "Getting to know you" book, letting us know more about the main character.  I think this is important though as it will help the child connect with the series and continue reading each of the books. Without writing a spoiler, can I also just say that my son thought it was awesome and hilarious when even how you use the toilet was covered in the book LOL.

The other very cool aspect of this product is the:

 Teacher's Lounge 

(which is free for a limited time - see SPECIAL OFFER below).  

From a visual perspective it's such a great looking area. It is uncluttered, easy to use and in logical flowing format which I liked.  The content is awesome! 

You can either download full workbooks and teacher books for each book in the series, or just sections of them depending what you prefer for your child. There are options within Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Academic Writing, Critical Thinking including projects, group work and country specific lessons.  There are links for Student Research and also links for additional lessons.  File types are in both PDF and Word format to make life easier for us Homeschooling Mums! 

The actual workbooks are clear, well laid out, have colour (but not too much to distract), have a good content level and I feel they provide what you would need from an English Curriculum perspective.  Being able to use these downloads to cover English is such an added bonus with this product.

The amount of information and material available PER country, is fantastic.  Sooooo well worth purchasing the Teacher Lounge addition.  Even better when you can get it FREE with the special offer listed below before June 30th 2015. 

For the kids (and us adults!) Crameye's World is a fantastic area of the website. There is a forum, blogs, information, music and games. You can download the books as eBooks, you can take on a writing mission and enter a contest.  My son does not see this as school work yet he is learning and having fun which is why I love this product so much.

To view the contents of Crameye's World, you can use a visitor login. I don't know of many websites that you can look around before paying so a great initiative by the creators. 

Use 'visitor' for the username and 'TouristVisa' for the password.  

While you cannot download anything under the visitor login, you can at least get to see what is on offer.

Look out for our next instalment in coming weeks, when we get through Book 3 and tackle some workbooks! 

Before then however - DON'T MISS OUT ON THE FREE TEACHER'S LOUNGE OFFER and DISCOUNT OFFER listed below!!!!!   LIMITED TIME - Ends 30 June 2015! 

_________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL OFFER FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!

Head over to The Adventurous Mailbox and 

using the code HSadventure at checkout,

 you will get the Teacher's Lounge free, 

as well as $10 off the Adventurer Package 

(the Teacher's Lounge upgrade needs to be in the cart for the coupon to work).

This special is running till 30 June 2015 so be quick!!!

Busier than ever - Homeschooling Life is FULL!

This term has been our busiest yet.  It's been our most social.

It's been our most structured AND unstructured term in 4 years. 

I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to sit for 5 minutes and write on this blog.

But that's ok.

I think it's part of the ebb and flow of day to day life. I think most homeschoolers would agree that there are busy periods, relaxed periods, cycles and patterns with learning and that we all get through the day however works best for our family.  

This term I relied heavily on daily appointment schedules, phone alarms, lists, lists and more lists, and more planners and schedules!  Not for lessons though.  I am happy to say this term it was all about being social!  A big challenge and nice change for my son who has Aspergers.  

This is a basic overview of my week:

Monday - 8am The Music Bus arrives for a one hour session. At 10am the Occupational therapist arrives for one hour.  At 12 we head to a homeschool families home for group Piano lessons for an hour then Art class for an hour followed by some play time.

Tuesday - Fortnightly we have sessions at our local hardware store where the kids make all sorts of projects (toolbox, bird house, boat etc).  The opposite fortnight we have excursions.

Wednesday - Every week we head to Riding for Disabled and my son has an hour horse riding.  By the time we drive over and back the morning is gone and we try to get errands done in the afternoon.

Thursday - We have a Science session with the Mad Scientist to do experiments etc.  Lots of learning but not structured lessons. 

Friday - is our only full 'at home' day to get into school work.

** Plus all our medical appointments that I've managed to fit around everything!**

School work for us this term (as a result of being so busy) has been a lot less formal and unstructured.  We still do bookwork and lessons on Fridays but a lot of learning has been done via reading or watching DVDs between appointments. I've noticed a big change in attitude from my son (for the better!) which has been great too.  As a result of being so social, we've needed a lot of downtime (essential for someone with ASD) and we've had a lot of other issues to deal with which has taken it's toll and meant we've needed a much more relaxed approach to lessons than we have in the past. 

As a homeschooling mother I feel conflicted.  On one hand it's been a great term, we've done a lot, made friends, attempted things we wouldn't have before and I've seen lots of smiles on my son's face.  On the other hand I am having to reel in my own anxiety and OCD over not keeping to my planned work schedule.  

I just have to remember that for us, the colder months (this term and the next) are our months of good health.  So being able to get out and be social is a good thing.  We can so more bookwork throughout the summer months when poor health means we are restricted to indoors and air conditioning at home.  

Does your homeschooling have cycles of busy months too? 

Week 1 Making Sessions: Building a Toolbox

This morning we went to our local hardware store (Bunnings) with a group of other homeschooling families.  Usually there are craft activites and to be honest, it doesn't excite my boy at all.  He isn't a crafty type. 

But today was not craft.

  It was woodwork!

  The kids got to make a toolbox and paint it to take home.

Then they got to take home the hammer they used during the construction and a homework project as well! 

Big news for us - was that my son CHOSE to use the colour GREEN to paint his toolbox.  Now that might not sound like an issue, but friends and long time readers will remember that my son (who has Aspergers) had a severe aversion to the colour green for many many years and while he is ok with it now, it's not a favourite.  So to see him pick this was really awesome!  

Next week the kids will start a long term project - making boats!  Sounds interesting and I have a rather excited son.  THIS is HIS kind of craft LOL 

As I sit here and type this, I have also just updated our weekly schedule with our new found activity - wow talk about busy weeks!

Thanks to Bunnings Warehouse, staff member Sam & homeschool mum Fiona for organising - was a great morning. 

Beware of HPBA (Homeschooling Parent Book Addiction)

What do you get when you cross a Homeschooling Parent with someone who is OCD and who has a love of reading?

ME!

What you get, is 

HPBA - Homeschooling Parent Book Addiction. 

I have always loved a good collection, I have always loved to read.  But up until I started homeschooling my child, I never mixed the two.  

Now, well I confess, I am addicted to books!  

You can never really get enough ....can you?  Surely there is always room for one more? 

Now we struggle financially being on one income so I have to say that DOES help curb the problem, as I am a great at working a budget and extra great at finding a bargain.  I HATE to think where my obsession would take me if I had unlimited funds and unlimited space for bookshelves LOL.  

However right this minute as I sit here typing my confession and thoughts for the day, I am looking a pile of new books I scored in a sale and breathing in 'book smell'.  I am in my happy place.  

I should probably join a support group but then I fear talking with other book addicts will just help expose me to new bargains and new titles I need to have so lets just not go there LOL. 

I am told I am not alone in this, most of my fellow homeschooling parents are exactly the same.  That's why I think it's an occupational hazard, a workplace health and safety risk we all need to be aware of.  They should have signs up!  

Beware homeschooling means you will suffer a life long addiction to books, knowledge and curriculum. Side effects include budget strain, storage stress, Ikea visits, online-book-site-sale-eye-strain-itis, Pinterest library photo envy, bookmark shortages, experiencing long time lapses and book smell comas.  The whole family needs to be careful not to also catch this addiction and partners in particular should be aware the rate of severe eye-roll-sigh-shake-head disorder is extremely high! 

All jokes aside though, 

I am loving my new books .... and when my partner sees them, 

the phrase "think of all the money I saved" 

will more than likely get a run.