Homeschooling? Us? Oh yes!

Because with everything else going on, we decided we needed one more thing to try to devote time and attention to! LOL

My daughter is brilliant.

Yeah I know. All moms say that, right? Well I mean it! And most people we know would agree with me, too!


So like most five year olds, McCayla started Kindergarten last fall. We sent her to Alkek Elementary here in town. It's a nice school, and we really loved her teacher, Mrs. Lopez. (who happens to be the daughter of my Drivers' Ed. teacher and his wife who taught my little brother in elementary school!)


But it wasn't very long into the school year when we noticed a few things.
Once the new wore off, McCayla wasn't behaving. And I don't mean the typical pack-mentality where she just wanted to play like everybody else.
She wouldn't listen to the teacher. She would get up in the middle of class and start running around playing during lessons. She wouldn't stop what she was doing when it was clean up time. Not to mention she was acting up a bit at home as well.

Do all kindergartners do this? Yeah, probably. But this is quite out of character for her. Highly. We asked her why she was misbehaving, and got an answer that both surprised us and relieved us.

"I'm bored."

Turns out, she already knew everything they were teaching at school. For my daughter who could read at a 1st and 2nd grade level, having to sit still and learn "The A says AHH" over and over (and this was still going on toward the end of the school year) was just too much for her to handle. She was already in AR (accelerated reading) but that was stuff she brought home to do, not something to occupy her during her uninteresting school day.

So when school let out for the summer, James and I discussed our options at length. With both of us being former homeschoolers (him of the curriculum variety, and me an Unschooler), we ultimately decided that it may be the best option for our children as well. Or at least for McCayla. At least for now. And the best part is, we can teach her what SHE wants and needs to learn. At a grade level that is appropriate for her brilliant mind. :)

We started a week ago (yes, I know it's summer. But this kid craves learning daily!) and she is really enjoying it! We went for a blend of Unschooling with a little bit of bookwork and worksheets thrown in.

We started with doing reading and math every day for the first few days. Basic addition/subtraction and such mostly, and reading books from the library and some sight word lists for 1st and 2nd grade just to be sure she is on track (she definitely is). We are now getting into some more "fun" stuff and I am going to post about that separately. I figure this is a good way to keep track of the things we have done (for my records) as well as keep my family posted on what The Girl is up to. :)

More to come!

Where in the world is Outlaw Mama??

I know it has been a long time since I updated, and I apologize! Things have been crazy around here, and lots of major milestones have happened - not the least of which is our pregnancy!

In late February we were elated to discover that we were expecting again. We planned to get pregnant, and were blessed that it happened (much to our shock) the very first month.

When I broke the news to the kids, I asked if they thought it was a brother or a sister. McCayla wanted a sister. Canon said it was twins.. twin boys to be exact. Three year olds can be so funny!

A few weeks later, I made a late night trip to the emergency room for some severe cramping and minor spotting. An ultrasound revealed the source of the spotting: a small subchorionic hemorrhage (SCH) that was not a serious threat to me or our baby as it was no longer actively bleeding, and was more of a clot at this point.

However, it also revealed something else. Another baby.
Yes. That is what I said. Another baby. Twins. Fraternal twins.
I had about a split second to be shocked. Another split second to be overjoyed. And then an instant later, everything changed again.
They told me that the SCH was right where Baby B was attached to the uterus. There was a chance that the hemorrhage would reabsorb itself and cause no issues. It was also possible that it could bleed out slowly, which would also rectify the situation without too much concern. Most likely though, it would just stick around "as is" for a while.. which in and of itself is no problem. The problem was that it was in the way. It was right where Baby B needed to hang on for dear life.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened. Baby B was not able to get a good enough grip when laying down the groundwork for his/her placenta and could not get properly attached. We ended up losing Baby B, which saddens us deeply. The only thing that makes it a little easier on us is that we had a heads up and knew that it was likely. I am grateful that we were not caught off guard with a sudden and unexpected loss.

We are thrilled to announce though, that Baby A is a very healthy little BOY and is due around Halloween 2010, give or take a week or so either way. :) We are excited and trying to finish preparing for his arrival.
I have all of my cloth diapers and accessories ready, most of the clothes that I will need, and I am working on collecting the last few things!
Nikolas (Niko) currently doesn't have a middle name, though I think we are close! LOL As soon as we know more, I will let you know! And I will do my best to keep this updated better this year.. (blush)

Thanks for sticking around even though I haven't posted anything in eons.. I have LOTS to talk about this year so expect more updates!!
:)