Homeschooling....why?

I have been avoiding writing about Homeschooling because I feel quite inadequate on the subject.  I have so many friends who Homeschool their kids and do such an amazing job at it that I question my ability to give insight.  But, I have decided that any insight is probably better than no insight.  So here goes...

When we moved to Texas we had to take the kids out of a school that they loved.  They truly loved everything about it.  Honestly, this was probably the most difficult part of our move.  Although kids are very resilient they still have their times of sadness when thinking back to what they left.  I guess that is a lesson that we all have to learn throughout our lives.  As we were considering this transition we decided we did not want to have to take them out of another school anytime soon, so there is the reason for Homeschooling for our family.  

I will admit that I was one of those that said they would never Homeschool their children.  I am a product of public school and do believe that if you take all of the "good" kids out of public school, (I wasn't necessarily one of them) what is left.  However, I also know that it is our responsibility as parents to give them the best possible learning environment for all areas of their life.  Over the past years, I have carried with me somewhat of a stereotype of Homeschool families.  This past year really challenged those stereotypes as I became good friends with quite a few moms that were doing this with their kids.  What I found interesting is that they were all doing it for different reasons.  Whether their child struggled socially, had a slight learning disability, needed more challenge academically, or they just wanted to be able to spend as much time with their children as possible, they all had their different reasons.  So, when faced with this decision it was a pretty easy decision in relation to our current situation.

If you know anything about me you know that I was a Physical Education major in college, however after my first month of student teaching knew that teaching wasn't for me.  (I do want to state that I also majored in Bus. Sports & Fitness Management, for those that have their own stereotypes about Phy Ed majors! ) So, when thinking about teaching my kids everyday it made me cringe.  Thankfully, my wonderful husband had gone to a school that used "Paces".  This is perfect for us and really is a great program for kids who are self motivated.  They have 6 standard subjects for the year and 12 "pace" (workbooks) for each of those subjects.  There is a test that they have to get a 90% or better on at the end for them to pass that "pace".  We have also added Bible memory, Spanish, and typing to their weekly routine.  So, gone are the days of me envisioning myself standing in front of them trying to teach them how to divide improper fractions...aggghhhh!  They are being self taught...yeah!  When they do have questions I can't answer, I am not ashamed to admit that Google becomes my friend.

There is so much more I could write about this experience and maybe as time goes by I will.  I will say the time I am getting to spend with our three amazing kids is irreplaceable.  I don't think this is a long term decision for us, but I am enjoying these moments while they last.

April

Giving thanks...

Since Thanksgiving is this Thursday we are going to tell you about some things we are thankful for.

One thing I am thankful for is my friends. It has been hard to move away from my old friends but it has been a little bit easier since I made new friends. I still wish we were in California though. Another thing I am thankful for is my nana and papa. They let us move in with them when we didn't have a place to stay. One other thing I am thankful for is family. Since we are still together we can go anywhere. Thanksgiving in the dictionary means "a holiday for giving thanks for divine goodness." I think it means not only giving thanks but also giving to others.  People in America ask for video games, toys, and other non-necessities. People in other countries wouldn't even think about things like that. They just want food, water, and clothes. We should give to people not just give thanks this Thanksgiving.
~Micah~

Thanks means an expression of gratitude.  Now I will tell you some of the things I am thankful for.....I am very thankful that I can live in a country where I have the freedom to talk freely about my beliefs, and that I can tell others about Christ.  I am also very, very thankful for the opportunity to dedicate my life to Christ, and have eternal life in Heaven.  One other thing I am thankful for is my family, and friends, because they are kind, supportive, and understanding through everything I do.  I am very glad that Thanksgiving is coming up because it gives me a chance to connect with the family, and to show God how thankful I really am!
~Morgan~
P.S. I agree with Micah when he says we should not only give thanks this Thanksgiving, but also to people!

A couple things I'm thankful for is my family, my friends and having Jesus at my side.  I'm thankful for my family because there loving,kind and understanding.  Why  I'm thankful for my friends is because there always there for me when I need them.  I love thanksgiving because you get to tell everyone what your thankful for.  (And for thanksgiving break and of course for the food).  I love thanksgiving food, the turkey, the mashed potato's, and of course my moms famous sweet potato casserole.(Well it's famous to me).
~Macie~

Could convenience be evil?!

Last night everyone in the house was asleep before 10 PM, except me.  I took the opportunity to use the time wisely by…watching TV, there I said it, you can be disappointed in me, but that’s what I did.  Alaska: The Final Frontier.  The show is about a family that for generations has been living a purely subsistence lifestyle, which basically means living off the land.

I wonder how long our family could stay alive in that harsh of an environment?  Our success would depend on our ability to adapt and change.  Sitting in the comfort of a heated home with running water, electricity and stocked cupboards, it’s easy to think that they are crazy.  But when you consider what they do on a daily basis for life, you find that their idea of convenience is drastically different than ours.

Our concept of convenience is pushing a button to close the door of the mini-van (yes, we have a mini-van, but it’s a cool minivan and we are a family of 5!).  Their concept of convenience is the sun drying their fields of hay and getting it baled before it rains.  It would be nice for all of us to have a chance to live, even if briefly, in a situation such as that.

At this time of year we are reminded to be thankful, but too often we are thankful for our “convenient” lives.  I think convenience may be a detriment to us all.  What do you think?

Mitch

Change

Hi! This is Micah. 

Since we moved to Texas I have been pretty busy. I have been playing flag football, homeschooling, and adjusting to our new changes. Some of the changes are a new church and making new friends. In flag football I play quarterback about half the time and the other half I play everything. On Saturday our team is going to play the first place team for the championship game. 

On a totally different subject, homeschooling is going really well. I started with some gap paces but now I am all caught up. I am even ahead on all my subjects! Something I have learned in this experience is it is hard to leave your friends but you make new friends pretty quickly. I still wish we could move back to California. 

I am super excited because in December I get to go to D.C. and New York with my friend Duncan.  We are going to ride in a passenger train from D.C. to New York. I also get to celebrate his birthday with him. I can't wait to see Duncan, only three more weeks!

Typing Fun....

Hi this is Macie,
Since we moved to Texas we started home schooling.  I think it's really fun. In school we are learning to type.  The program were using is really weird ,the people who teach you are really weird ,well actually they aren't people their animals, the first one was a goat.  The one I just did was a turkey.  Even though the animals are weird I still like learning how to type.  We also learn a bible passage every month and today we had to say our verses to our mom.  If everyone gets their verses right, we get to go to Jamba Juice.  EVERYONE DID IT!  We get to go to Jamba Juice in a little while.  Holla......

I am also in gymnastic just like I was in California.Where I go to gymnastics is were Nastia Liukin trained and were Carly Patterson trained. They both were Olympic gymnastics.  I have learned how to do a front flip on the trampoline, I almost have my back handspring down.  Maybe next time I write I will have it down :)  I have learned how to do a handstand on the beam, I can do a pullover on the bars and can almost do a back hip circle.  I have my first meet ever next week.  I am so excited but I am also scared and nervous.

When we first moved here I didn't have any friends, but then we went to church I found some friends.  Now I have good friends that are in church with me.  Their names are Cara and Olivia.  I still miss my friends in California but I am glad I've found some friends here.

From,

Macie

Newbie....

This is my very first time blogging so i'm not completely sure on what I should write, but I realize I can just talk about life. I recently started swimming,  I have only gone to one meet so far, but I have another one on Saturday. So far i'm definitely liking it. Hopefully that lasts awhile. I meet with my cousin, who used to be a swimmer, once a week, and last night we worked on starts.I love breaststroke, but I don't like butterfly at all. Backstroke is okay, and freestyle is my second favorite. I have made a few friends through swimming so far, one of whom is a Christian. I'm happy about that. I have also started going to a youth group for 5th and 6th graders called Junction 56.  I am very blessed to be able to go to church, because without it pretty much all of my friends wouldn't be Christians. I have made some friends there too. Micah also goes,and we get to do all sorts of fun things. For example: Wednesday we are going to an Operation Christmas Child packing party, and then on Friday were going to play a game of bowling and a game of laser tag. Now to talk about home schooling. I'm liking it quite a bit so far. One of the things I like about it is that we start out in the morning by praying then journaling, then, studying a scripture passage that we say for grade at the end of each month. This months passage  is Phillipians 2: 1- 18.  I always like the fact that I get to play with Micah and Macie during break. I'm pretty sure my mom's liking it too. So thats good. Well I guess thats all for now.
Don't worry i'll write again next week. Bye :)                                                              

                                                                   Morgan  

I Choose Joy!

As we go through this interesting time in our life we have decided as a family to write about our current experiences.  The kids are even going to join in which is going to be so much fun for them and so much fun for all of us.  

So just a quick update on our current life:  In the fall of 2007 Mitch accepted a job at San Diego Christian College as the VP of Enrollment and Marketing.  I then accepted the Head Volleyball Coaching Job and became the Director of Student Life.  Our kids went to an amazing private school that was loved by our entire family.  We also were blessed to be involved at Shadow Mountain church.  We made amazing lifelong friends during our time there.  To make a long story short, in July we both became unemployed and felt the Lord leading us back to the Midwest.  So after five years of living in sunny San Diego we headed east.  We are currently living with my parents in Plano, TX and are waiting to see what God has next for us in this great adventure. 

Although most people may assume that the last few months have been difficult, I have to say that God has blessed us immensely through our journey.  During some of my most difficult times He has always brought someone or something in my life to remind me that our life is about loving Him and loving others.  I have been constantly reminded that we our responsible for how we respond to situations, whether they are good or bad.  So my goal has been to "Choose Joy" in the good and the hard times.  Now, this certainly is not always easy, but by focusing on the amazing blessings in my life instead of the negatives, it certainly is more gratifying.

With this move to my parents, we began homeschooling the kids. YIKES!  I know what you are thinking!  I was so scared to do this as I have always said God did not create me to be a Homeschooling mom - I would be no good at it.  Well, I am pleased to tell you that we really are enjoying our time together.  Again, "I Choose Joy"!  I am so thankful for the time I have with the kids even when I want to pull my hair out sometimes.  I will have to blog on Homeschooling on another day :)  

Well, I guess that is all my rambling for today...beginning next week each person from our family will write their own blog throughout the week.  So if you are interested in the Fisk Family Adventures, stay tuned...

April