Get out... I mean it, GO AWAY.  Tonsillitis, you are no longer welcome in our house!  This morning, I didn't think much of it when Frodo asked for a panadol because his head ached... he HAD spent some time on the computer on time4learning, and then played with his excellent new Bamboo drawing tablet, which is even more computer time.  So, I figured he just needed to spend the rest of the day away from all things screen and his eyes would relax and the headache would go.

Until DH asked where he was this afternoon and upon poking around, found he'd GONE TO BED and was crashed out.  That's NEVER a good sign with this boy.  When he got up, some 2hours later, his cheeks were all red and it hit me... earlier he mentioned his throat was a little sore.  *sigh*  Touch the forehead... yep, we have a temperature.  So first thing in the a.m., I'll be ringing the doc and trotting on over with one unwell boy in tow.  I'm pretty certain it is tonsillitis... after all, since it's the third time we have done this in the last 2months we are very familiar with this old nemesis.  Last time he had a run of it was just before Christmas, poor kid had a horrid reaction to a penicillin based med (not allergy, just KILLED his poor tummy!) so we got the amoxil and did a double run of it.  One would think after nearly 3weeks of antibiotics it'd be dead... but either it took a nap and laid low for a few weeks, or the boy is just really susceptible to something going around.

So here I sit, at 11pm (ok, let's not kid ourselves... I'd be here at this hour anyway lol) waiting for him to fall asleep on the couch so I can head off to bed.  Will have one last check of the temp to be sure he is cool enough to at least sorta sleep before I do.   We've watched some Smurfs on dvd to fill the last couple of hours, and I think he may finally be drifting.

In other news... Merry seems to be settling in to the school routine.  He really likes his teacher, who seems like a lovely lady.  I drop him off in the mornings and he's excited, but he admits he misses me... and when I give him a kiss and leave the room I can see him from a side window holding a building shape and looking *slightly* sad. But, come afternoon when we pick him up he has ALL manner of things he just must tell us... he goes on about what he learned (lol today it was sitting down to listen to the story.. yeah, I have trouble getting him not to zoom around when we read too.. sorry Mrs. Ford lol)  and whose birthday it was today and how he had a medium sized peice of cake :)  He's eating his lunches, which was a big worry for me... he stopped eating much during the day at preschool last year, but I send his favourites and he seems to be more comfortable now.

Sam is absolutely loving life at school... he is my 'Great!' reply when I ask how his day was... it's hard to get much more out of him than that some days lol.  

Frodo will likely be getting a day off tomorrow, but he's been diving into his schoolwork with gusto every day.  Today he had most of what we planned for the day completed by 11am.  We're working on writing personal narratives (because I totally remember always getting asked to write about what I did over summer break ;)  gotta spread that joy around) using a really cool site called Writing a-z.  It has really cool graphic organizers to help kids get their ideas outlined on paper before they write a paper.  Frodo is a total perfectionist with writing... he gets smaller & smaller... so we did the organizer today, I planned to let him type the first draft and then show him how to use the checklist that comes with the organizer to tweak his writing until he gets all the boxes ticked off... and then get him to do a handwritten final copy.  If only because the HEU, who we are registered with, wants hand written work ;)  Never too early to collect the first samples lol.  I suppose finishing that will likely wait till he's feeling better... because knowing my little dude, he'll feel pretty crappy tomorrow.

I got a nice surprise Friday in the mail... I mailed in our educational plans in November and got our provisional registration for home education about the 9th of January with a note saying the hoped to have the program evaluated and get back to us by mid March.  So I was totally not expecting his certificate of registration in the mail!  So it's 'official'  Frodo is back on the books as a homeschooler!

And with that nice little ramble... I can finally go back to bed.  Just peeked over the back of the couch, one moderately cool sleeping boy :)    Night all...

This will be the lamest back to school/not back to school post ever... because....I have no photos *hangs head* My iphone took bodgy, blurry pictures and they are all awful.    But, aside from that it was a great day.

Sam was SO glad to go back to school,  we found his room no problem and introduced him to his teacher.  He was excited, gave me a kiss & cuddle and ran off to find his seat and see who was in his class.   Merry, who started prep (kindergarten), was a bit excited but also a bit nervous I think.  His teacher seems nice and she had potato heads and other cool toys on the tables for the kids to entertain themselves with while all their classmates came in and got settled.  She took a pic of each child with their parent(s), which I think she is using for the digital roll call.  Digital roll is cool, when the kids come in and have their morning group time on the carpet they go up to the fancy whiteboard thing and touch their photo and are marked 'present'.

Frodo and I gathered some snacks and water bottles and headed off to our Not Back To School Day at a great park.  Rocks Riverside Park  is a park that I've heard great things about, but when we tried to go it was always closed for repairs which was a bummer.  Then in January 2011, it was completely flooded and has taken the better part of the year to reopen apparently!  So, when a mum from a regional home school site I've chatted with asked if we wanted to meet up there so the kids could play and we could chat, I jumped on it.

The park was so great, and Frodo really seems to have relaxed... when we had a park meet up in early December, he was so anxious and repeatedly asked when we could go home.  He was so painfully shy and afraid to approach the other kids to play that it was just sad to watch.  I knew he would loosen up eventually, but wow... huge difference!  We all made introductions and Frodo went to walk around and check out the park a bit while the other boys snacked... shortly after they followed and all 3 of them were hanging up the giant spider web climber.  It was great to watch.  They snacked together, ran off to try out the excellent flying fox and zipped across the park, and even located a couple of bush turkeys poking around in the shrubbery.  What really shocked me was when he asked if he could get wet... you see I knew they had water play there, but he swore he didn't want to bring or wear his swim gear.  He only enjoys water if it's a pool.  But the other boys were in the water ... and he wanted to join them so I said go ahead... the seat of the car will dry :)   It was worth it just to see him able to relax and enjoy the company of other kids without fear that they were going to do something mean to him.

We discovered 4 of our home schooling books, all part of the History Odyssey reading, delivered and waiting by our front door when we came home!  Shortly after that, Strider arrived home and we went up to get the brothers from school and Merry was just elated that dad came to get him. Everyone had a great day and we are planning are many more to come this year!

Well, the boys have just entered term 4 of their school year.  Sam is still thriving and loving it, Merry is looking forward to going to prep next year... and Frodo is still keeping his head above water so to spreak.  Academically, he's doing well enough, and his behaviour has improved steadily through the year.. but socially, he is still struggling.  He doesn't HATE school, but he doesn't LOVE it either. 

He doesn't have 'friends' at school, although one or two boys will sometimes let him play with them at break... and a lot of kids exclude him, a few actively pick on him.  He has always preferred to sort of do his own thing anyway, so he hasn't gotten upset about any of this.  But in my opinion, he is receiving no real positives from school.. and picking up a few negatives.   I can't see much point in that really... and it really pushed the decision when I got an email from the behavioural specialist today that they are closing his case and he won't be recieving any help from her office any more and the plan they put in place will be tossed since he's so much improved.  So the entire goal was for him to be 'good' at school... not really for him to have a better experience at school :( 

SO, we are starting the process of bringing him back home  :)  We discussing how we want to go about it, distance ed, registered on our own, etc.   We haven't really made any of those decisions yet, but Frodo sort of wants to finish the year out, sort of doesn't.   More on all of that ... well... once I have more on it lol

It's been 4 weeks since we became a public schooled family, and while I wish I could say it was the PERFECT move for us... I can't :(   I'll get to why shortly.

Sam hasn't yet moved to the grade 1 classroom, but he's visited a couple of times and says he likes it :)  He says there is a lava lamp & legos in there, so what's not to like lol.  Emotionally he is settling in very well, he isn't bouncing with excitement to go in the morning, but he has not had any 'bad' days at school yet.   

Frodo on the other hand, is upset most mornings over going.  He tells me daily he'd like to go back to homeschooling and why.   He says he is having trouble with the 6hour days,  he feels bad that he tries hard to be as good as the other kids, but can't always do it.  The room is set up in groups, each group has 4 (I think) students at a table... and they earn points through behaviour & classwork, towards a prize at the end of the week.  Last week Frodo was at a table alone though, and I'm not sure if that's something that will rotate through other students being in a group of their own or what.  I'm really hoping that is the case, as I would hate to think he is being  singled out or made to feel bad because he isn't 'perfect'.  But in effort to not fly off half cocked about it, I'm waiting till Monday to see if he is in a different group. 

I want them to give it a fair go, and not make the choice to pull them before they have had a real chance to settle in to school because for right now, it is something I need.  I think it is doing wonders for my sanity honestly, I am calmer and more relaxed with the kids (and in general).  However, I'm obviously not ready to sacrifice THEIR happiness so I can be sane... but the converse of that really doesn't work for me either. 

Well, we now have 2 weeks as a school going family under our belts.  I wish it was all sweetness & light, but life doesn't work that way.  Frodo had major issues with the noise (construction still ongoing at the school, and too many kids talking he says!)  The noise seems to have settled down in week 2, as the construction right around the building they are in is mostly completed.. just a bit of turf to go down now.

His teacher says he really seems to be settling into the classroom routine well!  He is having absolutely NO problems with the work thus far, which I was never worried about anyway with him.  And every day as we walk onto the school grounds, he is saying hi to numerous kids in his class loving that aspect of it.

I've met with Sam's teacher, who is really great, twice.  Most of you know that I've decided that even IF I were still home educating, that I would be holding off on Prep for Merry for another year (he is only 4.5 which I think is just too young for formal education no matter the environment) and I have spent several months wondering if that might have been a better option for Sam as well.  He's doing great with the classroom routine, and his behaviour is lovely Mrs M. says.. but he just is not where the rest of his class are.  I knew that he wasn't, but when he was learning from home it wasn't so much of a concern.  SO, his teacher & I had the chat and I have decided that Sam would be better served making a move to the grade 1 classroom.  The class size is small, and ALL of his classmates would be learning the same things he needs to work on. 

The school has some sort of 'educational opportunity' specialist (or some such title) starting this coming week and she will work with him to ease into the new classroom.     I think once we get that done, he will be much happier (not that he's UNhappy.. but he gets a little distressed because he can't read the things that his classmtaes are reading)   He will only be about 6ish months older than most of the grade one kids in the new class which will be ok,  as he is currently in a mixed grade 2/3 class so a large portion of his classmates are much older.

One aspect of school they are both loving is taking their lunches :)  I ordered easy lunchboxes  ( http://www.easylunchboxes.com/index.htm )  which are quiet cool, if I haven't mentioned them before lol.  The kids enjoy helping pick out things for their lunches and I've found some great sites with neat ideas for creative lunches and look forward to trying out a few.  I'm figuring once  a week 'fancy' lunches might be a doable thing for me, since I enjoyed participating in muffin tin monday (even if I didn't post pics!).  So far, the number one lunch was 'snacky lunch' day... it had ritz crackers, sliced cheese kabana (a type of sausage that you eat cold), cheese cubes, grapes and sliced cucumber (with salt, of course says Sam)  Tomorrows lunch will be a big hit as well... I'm making corn dog muffins :D    I'll have to remember photos.

I would update on my work life... but last night was a hell night at work, so I would have nothing good to say lol (other than that I will get paid for it at least LMAO) so I'll just leave that alone!

A friend contacted me today to see how we are doing and I thought I'd best pop in and give an update.  I didn't realize it had been since the end of October that I posted here,  I guess discussing things home schooly was a bit upsetting for a while for me so I was avoiding the subject.   A lot has happened over the last few months...

On Jan 24 both Frodo & Sam will have their first days of school at a 'brick & mortar' school.  I found a brand new school in a suburb we like (and have lived in before) that we have enrolled them in.  I'm very pleased in that the school is starting the year with a total of 80 stufents!  I think that will go a long way towards easing the transition for the boys.  The principal is arranging for Frodo's hearing issues to be evaluated and possibly bringing in an OT if required.  She seems lovely and really loves what she does, and it shows.  Not at all like principals I remember from years past that's for sure.

 Merry is still not going to start school until next year, as he's just too 'young' emotionally.   The boys are actually quite looking forward to it and were very excited about trying on uniforms and checking out the school back pack.  They've got spiffy new lunchboxes that they love, bento type sort of, and are looking forward to a special first day of school lunch here (schools here do not provide meals, so all kids take their lunch.  They do have 'canteen' which has snacky foods available for purchase but they are more a treat thing for most).  We pick up their uniforms next week (very snazzy looking in Frodo's opinion... nice polo's with a school emblem and red microfibre shorts) and must get black sneakers for school shoes this week.  Haircuts were had this week as well :)   

In all honesty, they have taken this far better than I!  It has taken me the last couple of months to really get to a place of acceptance but I have put on a brave face for the kids.  Now I'm *almost* looking forward to it along with them.  I had been feeling very much like I have lost myself somewhere along this journey of learning, and was not coping well with that.  I have a new job, which as soon as mother nature stops throwing her fury around  in our river system, I will start training & orienting for.  It is a night job and I have to admit I really waffled when I got a night job.  I wondered if I'd done the right thing... if I should cancel their  enrollment etc.   But after a lot of talk with DH, we decided  that doing it all (or trying to) is doing me IN.  I had to admit my limitations... I can't work nights, even if it's only 3/4 nights a week, and still manage to educate the kids.  It wouldn't be fair to them, or to me.  So at least for now, we are staying the course we have chosen.   

We will also be moving house in a few months.  Our real estate agents are horrid, so we have decided we will move into the suburb where the kids school is so that we can walk to school and check out this whole school/ community thing.    And I have gotten a copy of my college transcript from the U.S. and plan to apply to go to nursing school when applications open later this year.  (would have applied in december, but the transcript was too slow to arrive *sigh*) 

If anyone still has this little blog of mine on follow, If you'd be interested in me continuing it and updating on our transition from home to school and life in general... please drop me a comment :)    Thank you for reading along on this amazing journey that we have been on.  Know that this is not the end of my children & I learning together...but at least for now, it's a big change in how we do it.  I will continue to be every bit as involved in their education as I can possibly be... and I'm sure the teachers will get sick of me volunteering on my days off LOL.