Just like any other Homeschool Family, we have found this month a month to pull out some extra curricular actives. A little more hands on activities normally helps to get the children ready to sit down and learn some more.
I can remember when my children were Homeschooled. Every year I would think I was the only parent that felt like the year was dragging on. Sometimes I would find myself doubting if I was cut out for Homeschooling my children. This was the way I felt until my first year of going to our Homeschool Parents group. It was at one of the monthly meetings that someone spoke up and said exactly what I was feeling. Within minutes other mothers began to join in. I was amazed that I was not alone.
From that moment on I decided to do some extra curricular activities. My daughters and my daughter inlaws are continuing forward with using some of the same activities. Yet, they seem to have a little bit better plans because they built on from my ideas.
Hands on projects are great to get the children moving. They are learning and do not even know that they are schooling. Building bird houses to set outside to see if we can attract some birds to put nest inside. We also are building and repairing the area for our chickens. Yes, it is that time of the year. Time to start planning our garden for the spring.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Is our Lifestyle Old or Is it Future Lifestyle
Is it an Old Fashion Family Lifestyle? Maybe what we are beginning to see is the return of our forefathers. Years ago people living in an extended family home. It was not uncommon to see Grandma and Grandpa living with the family. In some cases even the Aunts and Uncles lived on the family farm.
When we first started our change we never thought ten years down the road our family would be over twenty people living in the family home. It started due to the fact that I had a spinal cord injury and lost my use of my left side. The pain was so bad that I began wanting to die. My older two sons noticed that help was needed in our family home. Soon the two of them began to come home and stay longer and longer. It was not long before the first son moved home and within days the second son moved it.
My second son married the same day he moved home. His wife had decided to stop working outside of the home so she could help me get rehab and proper medical attention. Another goal that the two sons and my new daughter in law Christina, was to make sure the younger two brothers received the best chance to enjoy their youth and get the best possible education possible. Everything happened so fast that we needed a fast fix for rules and goals within the home unit.
The first thing that had to be discussed was the fact that as I was not willing to have anyone boss me around. Yet, someone needed to be the head person in charge, as well as the individual had to make sure everything was handled properly. When I say properly I mean examining all parts of the problem and solution. It was only right that as the oldest and the own of the home at that time would be me. Truthfully I did not know what this would mean years down the road or I might have decided this was not a good idea.
The next part of Authority was the fact that even though I had the final say, It needed to be respected that two sons happen to be adults and one of those sons was married. This meant that they needed to be considered separated households. The structure would be they would handle their own issues but never cross over into the others personal family unit. My daughter in law had to have respect and I knew this. Crossing over meant that none of my sons could speak harass toward her. They could speak with their brother or choose to bring the issue to me. Most the time it is brought to me, but there is no excuse for crossing over.
Several years later, I have four sons living at home with each of them having their own little family circle. This means that their are four daughter in laws and all their children. We have had three babies born less than 9 months ago and one more baby on the way.
Maybe it was easier for my sons to blend into this family type home because I have often in the past taken in homeless people and helped them to get on their feet. Every time the individual would be ready to move into their new home, I would state to the family I would not except anymore individuals.
So I bet you are wondering if this ever ended. The truth is I stopped opening my door, but my sons have not failed to take off from the point I stopped. Currently we have one mother, one cute baby girl and two men. The only difference is that only one of these individuals will be working towards the day that they have their own place. The other young man had been a part of our family of 8 years and the young lady has been here before 4 years ago, but now she is here to stay.
All the children in the home understand who their parents are and go along with the chain of command. They know respect is shown to all adults and if there is a problem they need to go to their parents or to me (known as Nanna). The parents are responsible for the care of their own children but can ask for assistance from the other adults. A great example is during the flu season or even teething time.
Our home is full of love, yet not exempt to the daily problems. Meal time is great because we believe in sitting around the table. This past Christmas I was given a beautiful table that handles us just fine. We will need to enlarge it when the children leave the high chairs. Our first large table was made out of saw horses and plywood. We kept a plastic table cloth on it or should I say two of those table clothes. It was plenty long and everyone had elbow room. I guess as long as there is wood our family table will continue to keep growing.
When we first started our change we never thought ten years down the road our family would be over twenty people living in the family home. It started due to the fact that I had a spinal cord injury and lost my use of my left side. The pain was so bad that I began wanting to die. My older two sons noticed that help was needed in our family home. Soon the two of them began to come home and stay longer and longer. It was not long before the first son moved home and within days the second son moved it.
My second son married the same day he moved home. His wife had decided to stop working outside of the home so she could help me get rehab and proper medical attention. Another goal that the two sons and my new daughter in law Christina, was to make sure the younger two brothers received the best chance to enjoy their youth and get the best possible education possible. Everything happened so fast that we needed a fast fix for rules and goals within the home unit.
The first thing that had to be discussed was the fact that as I was not willing to have anyone boss me around. Yet, someone needed to be the head person in charge, as well as the individual had to make sure everything was handled properly. When I say properly I mean examining all parts of the problem and solution. It was only right that as the oldest and the own of the home at that time would be me. Truthfully I did not know what this would mean years down the road or I might have decided this was not a good idea.
The next part of Authority was the fact that even though I had the final say, It needed to be respected that two sons happen to be adults and one of those sons was married. This meant that they needed to be considered separated households. The structure would be they would handle their own issues but never cross over into the others personal family unit. My daughter in law had to have respect and I knew this. Crossing over meant that none of my sons could speak harass toward her. They could speak with their brother or choose to bring the issue to me. Most the time it is brought to me, but there is no excuse for crossing over.
Several years later, I have four sons living at home with each of them having their own little family circle. This means that their are four daughter in laws and all their children. We have had three babies born less than 9 months ago and one more baby on the way.
Maybe it was easier for my sons to blend into this family type home because I have often in the past taken in homeless people and helped them to get on their feet. Every time the individual would be ready to move into their new home, I would state to the family I would not except anymore individuals.
So I bet you are wondering if this ever ended. The truth is I stopped opening my door, but my sons have not failed to take off from the point I stopped. Currently we have one mother, one cute baby girl and two men. The only difference is that only one of these individuals will be working towards the day that they have their own place. The other young man had been a part of our family of 8 years and the young lady has been here before 4 years ago, but now she is here to stay.
All the children in the home understand who their parents are and go along with the chain of command. They know respect is shown to all adults and if there is a problem they need to go to their parents or to me (known as Nanna). The parents are responsible for the care of their own children but can ask for assistance from the other adults. A great example is during the flu season or even teething time.
Our home is full of love, yet not exempt to the daily problems. Meal time is great because we believe in sitting around the table. This past Christmas I was given a beautiful table that handles us just fine. We will need to enlarge it when the children leave the high chairs. Our first large table was made out of saw horses and plywood. We kept a plastic table cloth on it or should I say two of those table clothes. It was plenty long and everyone had elbow room. I guess as long as there is wood our family table will continue to keep growing.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Guess today is as good as any other day to start posting again. My 2012 goal was to be faithful to my blog, but it looks like I got off to a shaky start. Today is Valentine's Day and it is only my second post. What a slow beginning, but I still have some time to change it around.
Today is a special day in our family. It is not just Valentine's Day, rather it is also my daughter in laws birthday. She is twenty two years old and a sweet-heart. Shh, don't tell her I said that because I do not want her to get a big head.
She blessed us with a sweet little bundle of joy, December 12, 2011. She came into this world weighing 6'11. They named her Nevaeh Lee Marie Eicher. She was welcomed into this world by her three brothers, Dustin, Joey, and Hayden.
Nevaeh was welcomed home by our Old Fashion Family that lives together here on the homestead. Our Home is made up of 5 boys, 4 girls, 5 men and 6 women. That is including me. I am the Grandma, here at the Homestead. Our home is always growing, with a baby due in August.
Years ago large families happen to be common. We often get strange looks from people when they see us all together. In fact, I was once involved in talking to this young girl at the park with her daughter. We got to talking about where we both lived. When I asked her if she knew where Bryan street was, she said yes she did. Without a pause, she went on to speak about this two story house on Bryan Street that her mother told her to stay away from that house and cross the street to avoid it. Her mother told her that the family that lived in the house sold drugs and had large parties. At that moment I was stunned and wanted to change the topic, however the young girl was interested in what house it was that I lived at.
I started to giggle and then went on to tell her that the house she spoke about was the place that I lived in. This young girl went on to become a dear friend of mine, not to mention her mother often stopped into visit.
People often pass judgement on people before taking the time to get to know the people. I am sure that people still think that my family are wild and crazy. Sometimes it bothers me and other times I just want to grow larger and larger.
Although some of my children have grown up and moved away, several of my children remain here on the homestead that we purchased after most the children had grown up. Those children that remain have families of their own.
We started out with a small house that is continually growing and growing. We all share the belief that people have slowly lost touch with the meaning of family. Years ago, It was common that Grandma and Grandpa lived with at least one of their sons or daughters. In our case, All of my sons have decided to remain here and just keep adding onto the family home.
We have also opened our doors to helping other individuals that maybe faced with some tough times in their lives. In this case, these individuals are treated just like my other children...FAMILY.
NOTE-Some people have asked me if I plan to ever stop letting people move into our home. I have even been told that I should tell my children to get jobs and move out. I find that so sad, because little do they know that all my children have jobs, and the house we live in, is owned by everyone.
Today is a special day in our family. It is not just Valentine's Day, rather it is also my daughter in laws birthday. She is twenty two years old and a sweet-heart. Shh, don't tell her I said that because I do not want her to get a big head.
She blessed us with a sweet little bundle of joy, December 12, 2011. She came into this world weighing 6'11. They named her Nevaeh Lee Marie Eicher. She was welcomed into this world by her three brothers, Dustin, Joey, and Hayden.
Nevaeh was welcomed home by our Old Fashion Family that lives together here on the homestead. Our Home is made up of 5 boys, 4 girls, 5 men and 6 women. That is including me. I am the Grandma, here at the Homestead. Our home is always growing, with a baby due in August.
Years ago large families happen to be common. We often get strange looks from people when they see us all together. In fact, I was once involved in talking to this young girl at the park with her daughter. We got to talking about where we both lived. When I asked her if she knew where Bryan street was, she said yes she did. Without a pause, she went on to speak about this two story house on Bryan Street that her mother told her to stay away from that house and cross the street to avoid it. Her mother told her that the family that lived in the house sold drugs and had large parties. At that moment I was stunned and wanted to change the topic, however the young girl was interested in what house it was that I lived at.
I started to giggle and then went on to tell her that the house she spoke about was the place that I lived in. This young girl went on to become a dear friend of mine, not to mention her mother often stopped into visit.
People often pass judgement on people before taking the time to get to know the people. I am sure that people still think that my family are wild and crazy. Sometimes it bothers me and other times I just want to grow larger and larger.
Although some of my children have grown up and moved away, several of my children remain here on the homestead that we purchased after most the children had grown up. Those children that remain have families of their own.
We started out with a small house that is continually growing and growing. We all share the belief that people have slowly lost touch with the meaning of family. Years ago, It was common that Grandma and Grandpa lived with at least one of their sons or daughters. In our case, All of my sons have decided to remain here and just keep adding onto the family home.
We have also opened our doors to helping other individuals that maybe faced with some tough times in their lives. In this case, these individuals are treated just like my other children...FAMILY.
NOTE-Some people have asked me if I plan to ever stop letting people move into our home. I have even been told that I should tell my children to get jobs and move out. I find that so sad, because little do they know that all my children have jobs, and the house we live in, is owned by everyone.
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