Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Homeschool Post

I'm not a fan of homeshool. I've never been. I love the idea of sending my kids off into the world to make friends, get playground cuts and scrapes, discover their capacity among their peers, and find their niche -- while I have free morning time to clean the house, run errands, exercise, or even just veg at the beach for a bit without having to lug around extra bodies with screaming pipes.

That was a long sentence. I gotta work on that.

But anyway...

I'm not a mean mom, and I don't hate being a mom. I just know that some mothers are not cut out to homeschool their kids, and I'm one of them. My temper is short and my patience is thin, and I feel there are some things my kids just can't learn from me. Like how people will treat them knowing they're Mormon. Or what is common courtesy in a water polo game. And I don't want my lack of successful teaching skills to affect my children's capacity (and even desire) to learn. I still consider my mom a genius for sending me to someone else to learn the piano despite her own proficiency. She knew I'd love the instrument, but not if she taught it to me herself. To me, traditional schooling just makes sense.

But I now have a dilemma: Almonds can't gt into preschool. Either our income doesn't qualify her for Head Start, or the regular preschools are too expensive. Moving so late in the year took the chance away from getting any scholarships, too. And now we know for sure that she has to be held back a year because of her birthday, so our girl who's been begging for a whole year to go to school will have to wait even longer.

So we went to WalMart last week to get her some preschool learning books and some crayons and pencils, and I'll start homeschooling her for preschool next Monday. Now Jobi and I are actually considering homeschooling her for kindergarten to see if she can just jump in to first grade on time. Aside from homeschool, there are only two other options: 1) Kamehameha kindergarten (super-fantastic private school for native Hawaiians -- that's 1.5 hours from home by bus), or 2) just start her when the school policy says to. I see benefits and drawbacks for each of these options, but I just wish I didn't have to make this choice in the first place.

Please give me some input. I'm dying here! What do you think?


Sent from my android device.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Letter to My 38-year-old Self


Dear Esther,
I have great things in store for you.
As I’m writing this, you are 154 lbs., a size 16, waddling from a stiff sacral iliac nerve/joint/whatever, and eating lots of sweet junk. You get headaches that involve memory lapses and out-of-focus vision. You are constantly tired and have no energy to give to your kids. Your postpartum hair loss is leaving you completely unconfident. You have 3 kids who stay indoors all day, and they are content to do so. You are forever stressed about your oldest's education, and your parents' house, and getting out of debt, and your siblings' health. And you watched 60-something-year-old Kate Beckinsale do crazy fighting scenes in “Total Recall” and got slapped in the face by the reality of your lame life. This life YOU CREATED FOR YOURSELF!
Well, you’re gonna create a NEW life. And I’m starting you on it RIGHT NOW!!!
You are going to start: 
  • PRAYING everyday, with your family AND by yourself
  • reading SCRIPTURES everyday, if at all with your family 
  • reading more BOOKS to your children
  • EDUCATING them (through creative play and exploration) 
  • going to the TEMPLE at least twice a month

  • drinking 10 cups (80 oz.) of water DAILY
  • cutting back on junk food (SERIOUSLY!!)
  • eating more VEGETABLES
  • RUNNING (or jogging, whatever)
  • dancing for fitness and fun (maybe for performances, maybe not)
  • kickboxing, kettlebell-ing, surfing, getting back into volleyball, whatever you can
  • doing yoga and/or meditation at least once/week
  • writing in your journal again
  • learning a foreign language (either Mongolian with Jobi or ASL with the kids)
  • making an income from home
  • looking into furthering your education more seriously
  • planning better family traditions, routines, date nights, and “me” times
  • SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS
By the time you read this, you are going to: 
  • effectively understand and recall scriptural passages with moderate accuracy 
  • be in the best physical shape of your life 
  • have a healthy, balanced lifestyle 
  • raise children with discipline and a love of learning and Heavenly Father 
  • feel like a bazillion bucks 
  • find your passion

You see this list? DO YOU SEE THIS LIST??? Read it again.
And again.
That’s right … I have high expectations for you, my friend.
You better be ready. Set goals. Make a plan. Act. Pace yourself. Get help. Do whatever you need to get these things done. Because the 28-year-old you — the you that is ME, right now …
… has got. to. go.

See You on the Flipside, 
~ Esther
Posted in