Entries from August 2009 ↓

Ever since Aidan was a baby, I knew we would probably end up homeschooling. Private school is out of the question and my own public school experience left some things to be desired.

We are very lucky to have found the South Carolina Virtual Charter School. It’s a great cross between public and homeschooling. Aidan can move at his own pace through the curriculum that meets national standards. We are free to supplement and work under the guidance of a teacher. This program offers the accountability I need to maintain focus and drive and removed the the fear of choosing the wrong curriculum.

At this point, my only concern is trying to figure out how to fill the six hour a day attendance requirement until we catch up to his ability. Yesterday, with a huge chunk of time to fill and requirements completed I came up with an activity that blends several disciplines at any given time.

Yes, Aidan now has his own site. I resized and uploaded the pictures. We talked about what to say and I wrote down what he wanted to type. I underlined each letter that needed to be capitalized and he did all of the typing, including entering all of the captions.

Not too shabby for a first day of kindergarten, eh?

Happy birthday, baby!

Aidan has finally let us take off the training wheels.

I love that look of pure joy.

An open letter to the young mom at Bi Lo:

I apologize if I made a scene.

All I saw when I called to you and ran toward your daughter was a little girl on the brink of falling.

Maybe she wouldn’t have.

Maybe you would have turned before she did.

I couldn’t take that chance.

What I do know, is it won’t be the last time either of us breathes a sigh of relief while flushing with shame. I did see that you had to unsnap the belt to buckle her in. You see, I have three kids, too and I know how easy it is to turn your back for just a moment.  My kids are escape artists, too. I ‘ve been there and I know how embarrassing it is to feel caught in a moment of inadequacy. I promise I wasn’t implying you were careless.

In just a few short years, when you can draw a breath between diaper changes, you’ll be in my shoes.

We don’t watch to accuse, we watch because it’s what we do.

It’s a small town, I bet someday you’ll stop one of my children from doing something stupid while I stammer out a thank you and I will mean it, just like you.