The sun is shining through our big window this early Saturday morning. I am sitting in the blue recliner enjoying the morning sunshine and warming up! Praise the the Lord for the sun and His goodness! Why when the sun shines do I feel like I can conquer my house, life looks brighter, and the harshness of the world becomes softer?

Today we are cleaning the house thoroughly! Each child has a job and they are scurrying around like little busy beavers! Tomorrow starts a week of revival meetings by Dwight Smith and his family. Life continues to roll on, giving each day a new challenge and new chances to serve God and others.

Today I am 10 weeks pregnant. Is that a surprise to some? Did I plan this pregnancy? No, yet I would LOVE to have another little one. I am convinced that God is the creator of life and this little life is in His hands.

I have tried to keep this a secret, but it is a difficult thing to do if you start showing as soon as I do. I was also not telling because of the the last three losses. Some people also have their personal opinions--they may or may not share--about whether I even should have any more children. But...then again...this could just be my own perception of people. I really wanted to wait until I was at least into the 2nd trimester.

At 7 1/2 weeks I had an ultrasound and was able to see the baby and hear his heartbeat...158. The fragility of life is so evident when you see those scans!

I went to the doctor for my first “official” appointment this last Thursday. We talked about how Zachariah was born early and what could have caused his early birth. We both agreed that since he was alive when he was born, the problem was that I had had pre-term labor and he was born too early. We talked about the possibility of the cause being cervical incompetence. With all my other children, I never had any problems or complications: no surgeries, or any interventions in delivering my children. In short, I have been very blessed with good health.

Cervical incompetence is basically a cervix that is too weak to stay closed during a pregnancy and it is the premature opening of the cervix without labor or contractions. Therefore, resulting in a premature birth and possibly the loss of the baby, because of the shortened gestational length. It is believed that cervical incompetence is the cause of 20 - 25 % of all second trimester losses .

Thursday my doctor did an internal exam and said my cervix was already starting to shorten, in her opinion...she looked really sad and gave me a hug.

She is sending me to Ohio State University (an hour away) for the doctors up there to look at me and give me a transvaginal ultrasound (measures the length of the cervix). They will not see me until 12 weeks...that is the starting point. So...for the next 2 weeks, I am not on bed-rest...but on "chair rest" and “just-don't-do-anything-to-cause-this-baby-to-be-born rest.”

I am waiting for the call from OSU for an appointment. If it is cervical incompetence, there is a treatment...cerclage. This procedure involves having a 5 mm band of permanent suture  placed high on the cervix to keep it closed. This is done when there is significant effacement of the lower portion of the cervix. It is generally removed at 37 weeks...then I would be on complete bed rest.

Yes, I am afraid...yet at the same time, I know that my God is in control...this is probably the last baby I could have...so that does scare me. We are looking to Christ and praying for a good outcome!

In the meantime, I will enjoy each new day the Lord give me and continue to bask in his Son as I sit in the sun in my blue recliner!

"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!" Psalm 84:10-12

Today one year ago I lost a little boy. He was ushered into the arms of Jesus before I got to hold him, cuddle, watch him grow, and teach him about our great Saviour! Yet now he knows more about my Saviour than I do...Heaven is a sweeter place!
Zachariah Benjamin was born at 7:00am on March 19th at 17 weeks… A beautiful, miniature, perfect 8 inch long, little boy. All the fingers, toes, eyes, ears, face, nose, legs, arms, perfectly in place. Two weeks earlier, we had named him Zachariah. His name means “The Lord Remembers” I am so thankful that He does!! He is in the presence of Jesus.”
Through this last year, I have lost two other angel babies...I never got a chance to meet and name those two...yet Jesus has. I also have met many other women who have experienced heartbreak. If I had not lost Zachariah, I never could have really understood the pain and loss losing a little one can cause...I could try...but not really understand. Now I do.
I told a lady recently, “Yes the pain eases, and time does heal; yet the hole of that missing child does not go away.”
The following women are ones that I know personally...

Stephanie Dickerson
“Nehemiah Benjamin Ray's earthly vessel was delivered at 8:55 March 1, 2011 at 24 weeks gestation. The placenta was not developing correctly.This is the hardest thing that we have ever had to deal with. Nehemiah is with the LORD JESUS. Nehemiah will always be remembered in our heart, he taught me a lot in this time on how to love my wife. Nehemiah means Jehovah Comforts: GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD! Proverbs 3:5-7”

  Mary Lynn Van Gelderen
"On March 23, 2010 little Emma Van Gelderen went home to be with the Lord. Emma passed away at about 25 weeks along. Her earthly body was buried at the Bill Rice Ranch."

Four little children...much prayed for by their parents, yet entering into the presence of Jesus before their parents got to spend much time with their earthly bodies. Yet as a believer, each of these mothers will see their little one again when we reach heaven.
Not only will we have a chance to see them but have the opportunity to spend all of eternity with all of our loved one in the presence of Jesus.
How do I know this?
Because I have accepted Christ's substitute on the cross from my sins. The death that was meant for me because of my sins, Jesus took upon himself, taking my death and all my sins on Him. Three days later, doing what no one has ever done, He resurrected from that earthly grave to conquer sin, death, and hell! As a 21 year old young lady, I repented of my sins and received the Lord Jesus Christ as my own Saviour.
I know that each one of those ladies have trusted Christ as their substitute for their sin as well!

How about you? Will I see you in Heaven?

If any of these children could talk right now, maybe they would quote from the Psalms...

Psalm 139.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

 A chore schedule is important to have! Let me explain...

One morning, I woke up extremely sick, my older children, seeing the problem, followed our chore schedule and homeschooling schedules. When I entered the real world later in the afternoon, I smelled supper cooking, the house was clean, and the children were finishing school. Now, my children are by no means perfect...just ask those around us...but on this particular day with age appropriate chores, they followed our household chore checklist and homeschool schedule and the house did not fall apart!! :)

Keeping the house running efficiently can be a problem, especially if you are homeschooling. If every member of the family works together, following a chore schedule, life can run a little smoother!

Giving children a chore check list allows them to learn basic skills needed to run their own home, teaches basic housekeeping skills, and creates an atmosphere for great character building.

To keep chores from seeming monotonous, come up with a colorful chore schedule that can be viewed at a glance to help them remember things that need to be done around the house!!

5 Reasons Why a Chore Schedule Is So
Important for the Family.

• Teaches basic housekeeping skills.
• Creates an atmosphere for great character building.
• The work gets done with out mom doing it all.
• At a glance everyone can see what needs to be done.
• The work gets spread out among many people, making more time for other things...like FUN!!

Tips on Creating Your Chore List

• List every chore possible that needs to be done in the home.
• Take a piece of paper and divide it into fourths.
• Label them as daily, weekly, monthly, or 2x year.
• Going through each room, write down every chore you want done.
• Place those chores in each of your categories.
• Take your free downloadable household chore check-list and think about what days it makes sense to do which tasks.
• Now add the monthly chores, then the yearly...Make out a schedule for each member of my family, based on all the chores on the four lists.

My Family Example Weekly Chore Chart Sample Chore Checklist

Homeschool Record Keeping Homeschool Record keeping does not have to be overwhelming! However, no one told me that when I first started homeschooling!

How was I to keep all my children's homeschool records? What records do I need? How was I to grade every paper every day?



Tips for Keeping Good Records

Have a Homeschool Record Keeping Check List

1. Check to see if your state has specific record keeping requirements.
2. Gather school information if your child has already attended private or public school.
3. Begin keeping a portfolio if your child is just beginning school.
4. Keep a list of all the subjects your child was taught in one school year.
5. List all the curriculum used and/or books read.
6. List all immunization records.
7. Keep Attendance records.
8. Have a progress report or report card filed for each subject.
9. Begin a high school transcript for grades 9-12th.
10. Keep tests, writing papers, art work, etc... as samples of your child's work in a portfolio.

Follow a Good Homeschool Schedule!

Each home will have their own homeschool schedule that works just for that particular home. Looking at guidelines for setting up a homeschool schedule is the best way to personalise your own.Do you have a great homeschooling schedule that works for you? Share it here!! Read other homeschooling schedule examples.

Keep Grades

Colleges and universities rely on GPAs when it comes to scholarship funding for higher education. Therefore, your child’s eligibility for scholarships needs to include a transcript with a GPA. Therefore, you must keep accurate grades for 9th - 12th grade!

If you are using a standard curriculum that includes tests and quizzes, simply calculate a grade based on your student’s work on those tests, quizzes, and papers.

This is where homeschool record keeping comes in.. keep a notebook where you can record all the grades for each subject.

At the end of each 9 weeks or 18 weeks, you simply add up all the total points missed for the tests,quizzes, and papers then divide it by the points possible to determine your child's grade.

Record Grades in Grading Charts!

You need to decide who will keep the homeschooling records. Will the child help grade? Will you do all the grading? Where will the grades be put? My son created these charts to help me keep all our children's' grades organised.

What I love about these charts is how easy this makes for recording grades.

Plus, The child and I know exactly what they missed right away, making it easy for them to understand what they did wrong.

Free Down-Loadable
Homeschool Recording Sheets for every subject! Choose between Girl or boy Sheets
Boys:
Bible English Math Reading Spanish Handwriting Science History
Girls:
Bible English Math Reading Spanish Handwriting Science History How It works...

1. Finish the Homework, quiz,or test.
2. My children tell me they are finished with that assignment.
3. Show me the finished assignment.
4. Grade their work near me.
5. Record it in these charts.
6. I sign the chart to show its completion.
7. The child knows what questions were missed and fixes the wrong answers right away, and I have instant records of their grade!

Print one chart for each subject needed.

if you are having trouble printing these links...go to homeschool record keeping.

 Are you looking for a good Homeschool Schedule that works for your family? Are you frustrated by not being able to "fit it all in?

Each home will have their own homeschool schedule that works just for that particular home. Looking at the guidelines of setting up a schedule is the best way to personalize your own.

Just because one schedule works for one family, it may not necessarily work for another family. The best homeschooling schedules are tailored to the needs of individual families.

Try these timeless tips...

So let's get started!

Homeschool Schedule Guidelines

1. Set a time to start and end the day.

Part of being diligent with our homeschooling means that we do not lie in bed until we feel like getting up. DO NOT let them sleep until 9 am and never really get dressed.

In the real world, there is a time to get up and a time to go to bed.

My biggest concern when I started homeschooling my children was that they develop good habits. My children learn from me, because I am their teacher and their mom!!

No matter what they do in life, they will need the discipline to get up in the morning and to go to bed at a proper time.

2. Schedule a lunch time and recess time.

I write the lunch and recess times into ours schedule to give my children a goal to work toward. It also keeps the day consistent.

Children need boundaries. I have found my children do much better when they know exactly what is expected of then.

3. Determine you states laws on the number of hours and days of school.

Some states require number of days and some require number of hours.

In either case, it is important to now what days you plan on doing school and for how long... All year, 3 months on and one month off, or 9 months on and 3 months off.

Check out your states laws here! Check out your state's laws here!

4. Consider the number of children in the household.

With 8 children in my household, different children are doing multiple tasks all through out the day.

Some of my little ones take naps in the afternoon...put that in the schedule.

My younger ones finish school earlier. This leaves me with more time in the afternoon to help the 4 older children and do music practice.

5. Plan in normal household activities, such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, rest...

A good schedule not only includes teaching school, but has times to clean, cook,laundry, and nap in it as well. If I do not take the time to put these regular activities into my homeschool schedule...they do NOT happen!

In my schedule, I try to do all the cleaning and vacuuming while my older ones are independently working on school.

My preschool, kindergarten and first grade children (yes even my two year old) follow me around and help me clean. Check out age appropriate chores for preschool children. Then around 9:30, I start the younger ones on school.

6. Schedule in extracurricular activities.

We go on field trips to the fire house, park, field trips, and library visits.

But don't forget grocery shopping, doctor appointments, music lessons... Don't let these times change your schedule...just add it in.

7. Plan in chores for the all the children.

It is very important that children in the household help in chores. Each of my children have a chore list...Even my preschoolers learn to do chores around the house!

Mom does less work if everyone is pitching in.

In our household, everyone needs to be showered, dressed, hair brushed, bed made, bathroom clean,and room cleaned BEFORE breakfast. With five bedrooms, that is five less rooms I need to clean in the morning. This works for after school and before bed as well.

8. Make a list of all the things you’d like to accomplish each day, estimate the time required for each.

Make a list: school, cleaning, meals, laundry, nap, music practice...

Then put how long each of these might take to accomplish.

9. Create a schedule that allows you to get your school, housework, meals, sleep, and activities finished.

Be realistic with your times...yet not rigid. The schedule is to give you some guidelines to work with not to stress you out!

10. Schedule the hardest subjects when the children are at their best.

My older children do Math, Science, and History first. These are their harder subjects. They take longer and use more brain cells! I have planned these in the morning, because this is the time when they are thinking the best!

11. Decide whether you want a time/clock schedule or an after breakfast and before lunch type schedule.

A time schedule is when you are set on the clock. For example 7:00 is breakfast, 7:30 start math, 8:30 history...ect.

On a before breakfast schedule: Certain chore or tasks are accomplished before breakfast...OR...Math, Science, and History or finished before lunch.

Depending what works best for you is the type of schedule you pick.

Now What? Sit down and create your unique homeschool schedule!

It is important to have a schedule for homeschooling, yet be flexible, don't let the schedule control you.

It is just a guideline to help you accomplish your daily tasks. Try many different schedules to find the one that works best.

In the end, your hard work will pay off and everyone in the home will be happier for your time and effort!



Return from Homeschool Schedule to Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

Are there social disadvantages to homeschooling? Deciding to home school can be a monumental decision. Many Parents hear this question thrown around to discourage them from homeschooling.
While it is true that homeschooling children do not learn social skills the same way that their public school counterparts do...they will turn into socialized adults!
When the necessity of socialization is discussed, it is most often in reference to relationships outside the home. But why do our children have to be socialized without parental involvement? Since when has mom and dad become non-important? Does the student have to be "socialized by an organized school" to develop "properly”? Is it best to learn socialization in an institution or by being in society with the parent? Is it really best for my children to learn social skills from their own immature peer group?

The truth is homeschooling and socialization work hand in hand .


5 Myths of the Social Disadvantages of Homeschooling

1. Lack of outside friends or play in a group setting
   
   
2. Lack of access to organized team sports
   
   
3. Lack of music opportunities
   
   
4. Lack of opportunity for interaction with people from different backgrounds
   
   
5. Lack of communication skills
   

• Local Church

One of the greatest ways to get to meet other people from different backgrounds is to find a good local church.
My children are involved with the nursing home ministry. All of them from preschool to high school can interact and socialize with the older people. Their ministry involves singing, playing their violins, visiting, and spending time talking with these sweet people.
My older girls get to work in the nursery with the babies and toddlers. This teaches them responsibility and how to take care of little ones in a teaching setting.
We are heavily involved with the family activities that are offered at church every month, from the Harvest Fellowship cook out to a fun game of Putt Putting.
Children's choir, adult choir, Christmas and Easter programs provide other opportunities to sing and learn to speak in a public setting.
Activities involving the children and teens are a great way for homeschooling families to make lasting friends.

• Homeschool Groups

Many homeschool families enjoy becoming a part of a homeschool group. The group in our area offers a gym class once a week and the opportunity to become involved with many other actives such as science and art projects.

• Private Teacher for Music
  

Both of my older children have been taking violin lesson for many years. This gives them the opportunity to play for nursing homes, churches, and other community functions.
There are many youth orchestra's that young people can become involved with.

• Community Sports
  

Every community has some kind of organized sports, be it football, soccer, martial arts, baseball, or basketball. 
Playing in a group setting is easy for my children with as many sibling as they have. We never lack for enough players for basket ball, kickball, or even three on three soccer!

• Field Trips
  

We love to see the fire station, go to the zoo, and see historical sites in and around our community.

• Library Programs
  

All of my children love the library. Each summer the library has a wonderful reading program for high school to preschool. Many libraries have free actives for different age groups throughout the year. This summer my elementary children enjoyed a frog jumping contest, a magic show, and even a talent show given by all the children in the program. 

• Family Life

Just being an active part of a loving family is a great social advantage. Each day new concepts of right and wrong are taught, like learning to be kind, polite, helpful, obedient, diligent, and how to stay on a schedule.

As I look at each of my children from my high schooler to my preschooler, I can see that each one of them can and will grow to be well adjusted adults: not because they have been institutionalized, but because they are being taught all the life skills they need...here at home, in our local church and in their community!

Social disadvantages of homeschooling? What doyou think?