Christmas Cards

We have been talking a lot lately about what we are going to do for Christmas cards. Actually, I have been talking, and I think Allan has been half-listening! We have debated saving the money and donating to a charity instead of cards OR now we have found a great promotion from Shutterfly for Bloggers. They are our favorite cards and the cards we have used for years. Here is where you can see their Christmas selection.

Here are my rules on Christmas cards (self-imposed of course):

1. Make sure they arrive BEFORE Christmas.
2. Always have them say MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Not Happy Holidays... want no confusion about what we are celebrating in the Pierce family).
3. Get a cute picture of the kids... after all it will be on fridges across America, and we want to win the "who has the cutest kid on their card" un-official contest!"

We also use Shutterfly each year to make calendars for the Grandparents.... always a winning present! It is really easy to make and the shipping is quick, quick, quick. Try it!

Can't wait to get started (and yes... this is a plug for Shutterfly so I can get some free Christmas cards)... Gotta love it!

"It Takes a Village"

We have probably all heard the old African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," which was popularized by Hillary Clinton's book she wrote while First Lady. Recently, I read on a homeschooling blog where someone wrote, "It takes a village... and I don't want my kids in that village." That made me really start to think.....

I understand the quote saying the whole community comes together to all play a part in raising our children. I can see that. Really, all those people do have an influence on our children. And, I can see the side that we don't want our children raised by the village (or the world) around us. The world around us is a scary place full of people who I don't want to influence my children. I have chosen to home school my children to avoid some of those negative influences.

HOWEVER... I do think it takes more than just Allan and me to raise our children. I would say, "It takes a FAMILY to raise a child." Then define family.... for us, that family is grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, CHURCH family, and close friends. All of those people come together to raise our children. Yes, we are the greatest influence because we are with them the most, but the influence of our extended "family" is unbelievable.

My children simply adore their grandparents. Between history lessons, tea parties, play time, games, and snuggles, the the impact grandparents bestow on them is beyond any measure of value. However, our family doesn't stop there. Since A.J. was born, we have been part of 4 different churches... both full of people who truly LOVE our children. They have sat with others during church, had church members at their birthday parties, and stayed with church family when we were in the hospital with other family members. And, there are also those friends who we consider part of the family to raise our children. Our friends and the children of our friends are just as close to us as our blood related family. We love each and every one of them so much.

So, yes it does take a village... but parents must choose who is in their village. We are careful to only let our children spend long amounts of time with people who love the Lord and impart good values on them. Thank you to all of you who are in our village!

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

This year, for Abigail's birthday, she wanted a trip to the American Girl Doll store in Atlanta. While there, she got her first "big" American Girl Doll. (She already had a Bitty Baby, but now she got one of the historical figures). She chose Kit from the Great Depression. When we returned home, she had a family birthday party, complete with cupcakes and ice cream of course.

Them American Girl Brunch...
The home party....
Abigail at the end of the night, going to bed dressed like Kit...

North Georgia Trip

Annually, we take our kids to pick apples and do other activities in the Ellijay, Georgia area. This year, the whole McMillan family went. We had a wonderful time. The first day, it rained, so after a LOT of begging, I convinced my wonderful husband to go with us to Babyland General Hospital, where Cabbage Patch dolls are "born." They have built a new building since I was there in college (with my favorite Wesleyanne, Amy-Chris). Here are some pictures.....
Proof that the boys went to the Patch....




We also enjoyed our visit to the pumpkin patch...




And then, there was the hike...


And, don't forget the apples....

Peeking in at our School

I thought some of you may enjoy a "peek" into our school days. So, here is something that will amuse you. If you know me well, you know I am a "city" girl. However, I am married to an "educated redneck" (as my brother has called him). He has decided to raise chickens (which is probably a whole blog entry on its own). Here are our baby chicks and the kids making butter during a study on pioneers. Really??? What have I become? To top it off, we attended the Ag Expo here in Moultrie. Oh me, oh my!









All this makes a family tired!!!

Julia... Growing and Growing

It is so hard to believe how fast the past 9 months have gone! We were quite shocked to ever learn we were having another baby, but now, we can't imagine our lives without her. I think God knew how difficult these past two years would be on our family and what a ray of sunshine this one baby would bring. Between medical issues (can't even number all of those) and job/living transition, she has been such a bright spot in our lives. Here are some updates on how she is growing!

She has mastered her toys....


She has mastered crawling...



She has mastered peek-a-boo (or peep-eye as they say in the south)....



And, she has mastered our hearts!!!!

Reflections on Week One

A sweet friend of mine asked me to email her how the first week of homeschooling went. As I wrote it, I realized they were thoughts I wanted to cherish and share with you all. So, thanks Jessica for asking, and here is my answer:

The first week definitely had its ups and downs. AJ HATES to write, so that was a major battle.... writing anything. However, as I sat and watched both of them learning new things (and me learning new things too, especially in Science and History), I realized how thankful I am that I am the one seeing them learn and teaching them, and not someone else. I didn't have to ask them at the end of the day what they learned today because I already know. Instead, at the dinner table.. I was able to say things like, "Tell Dad what you learned about George Washington" or "Share about the herbs growing in our living room!"

I have also had a lot of realizations about what education is and how the whole system works. I used to teach public school, so I feel like I can truly compare the two. When AJ does a math paper (for example), and he misses two problems, I sit with him and correct them and figure out what he doesn't understand. In school, when you miss 2 (or even 20) problems, you get a lower grade and move on. Yes, some parents review papers at home, but let's be honest... you can't possibly do that for all the papers every week, especially when there is so much busy work.

I am not by any means the perfect homeschool mother. Trust me.... when it took AJ TWO HOURS to do one page in a reading assignment, he saw the ugly side of me. However, I know this is best for all of us. We LOVE having our mornings to eat breakfast together (at 8, not 6) and do a devotion and scripture memory together. We LOVE not having homework in the evening... we can do whatever we please. So far, I have no doubts about this decision. It really makes me wonder how I ever went to work full time and left them in someone else's care. I don't think I could do that again.

First Week of Homeschooling

We are off to a pretty good start. Everyone always posts pictures of their kids on the first day of school (as I have in the past, too), so I took pictures of mine.... in their pajamas! What a change. We also had an awesome "Back to HomeSchool Party" at Grandma's house. Lots of fun!

Why???? Here is the Reason:

First, before I approach the topic at hand, let me say this.... I haven't been blogging. I know that. I have been packing, painting, moving, painting, unpacking, painting, and oh yeah... parenting. Plus, on top of all that, I can't find my camera from the move. Therefore, the blogging is at a SHORT term pause. I will get back to the fun stuff, I promise.

Now... the reason I am writing today is to answer the question I keep being asked by all my friends and my family.... WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU GOING TO HOMESCHOOL?

I am not sure if the question is because you (my friends and family) are curious, concerned, or cracking up! But, I thought no matter the reason behind the question, I should take a minute to answer it to all of you at one time (and to put my own thoughts into writing to look back upon on days where I ask myself the same question).

For almost a year now, God has really placed a burden on my heart to home school A.J. Although he will probably be my biggest challenge of the 3, he is the primary reason we ever considered it. A.J. is an extremely intelligent young boy. He thrives on math and history (strange combination, I know). He loves to be asked math problems in the car and hear history stories from his Pa. He has even been caught watching the History Channel (yuck in my mind). However, as most of you know, schools focus primarily on reading. He would get 2.5 hours of reading everyday, maybe an hour of math (but not on Friday because that is FUN FRIDAY and they watch movies) and VERY LITTLE Science and Social Studies. This is not acceptable to me as a parent, even though I did some of the same things as a teacher, myself.

The burden then began. A.J. also had an "interesting" 2nd grade year. He was punished in school for talking a lot (wonder where he gets that from) and for not paying attention (that one I credit to his father). He would get entire pages of assignments counted wrong for leaving them blank and skipping them, as well as received a 0 on a homework assignment because he forgot to bring it home. It lowered his final grade EIGHT points.... one assignment! Although I STRONGLY feel these are horrible grading practices and may not happen with every teacher, it is always a possibility and a fight waiting for me each year.

Then, we started thinking a lot about what was best for Abigail. As you know, Abigail struggles with seizures in her sleep. Because kindergarten is a year where the children nap, this raised great concern for us. If she naps at school, she runs a risk of having a seizure when we aren't with her. If she doesn't nap, she runs the risk of a seizure that night because of not having had enough sleep. Plus, she would have to be given other activities during nap time, and we didn't want her singled out or labeled in anyway.

Through the year, I spent a lot of time reading and researching homeschooling, as well as talking to friends of mine who are already doing it. During that time, my reason for wanting to do it began to change. I still feel it will be best for A.J. academically and for Abigail's health, but it is so much more than that. Here is the answer why: WE WANT TO HAVE A FAMILY AGAIN!

We don't want to spend our mornings fussing at everyone to hurry up and get in the car, get their bookbags, don't forget this and that. We don't want to spend our afternoons calming down a child who has been stuck in a desk all day. We don't want to spend our evenings and family dinners studying spelling words, drilling homework, and preparing for the next day. We don't want someone else watching our children succeed and we miss it. We don't want someone else spending more time with our children than us!

I calculated it out.... if a child goes to school 180 days, that is 16% of their year. Count in another 6% of their year towards homework and preparing for school in the mornings. 42% of their year is spent sleeping (assuming 10 hours per night). 3% of their year is spent at regularly scheduled church services (that doesn't count all the extra stuff we do with church). That leaves us only 33% to spend as a family with US RAISING OUR CHILDREN. That (in my opinion) isn't enough.

Being able to homeschool is a MAJOR sacrifice for us on many fronts. We are going to live off of only one income for the first time. We won't be eating out, buying much for Christmas, having the newest clothes or gadgets. As a matter of fact, I am not even sure how we will pay all of our existing bills.... but we will. I know this is what God wants for our family, and I know He will provide. He always does.

We are however, going to have more time together. We will have a weekend again (Allan is off on Fridays, and we will be able to have TWO days in a row like most families already do). We will be able to take vacation whenever we want. We will be able to study history and science whenever and however we want. And, we will have more time to teach our children the most important book of all.... the Bible.

So, to answer the question.... WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU GOING TO HOMESCHOOL??

The answer is this.... because God wants us to. Period.

We truly appreciate all the love and support we have gotten during this decision process. I ordered the curriculum yesterday, and we are all very excited. We appreciate your prayers as we embark on this very new journey!

Playing Catch Up

I have been telling myself I was going to catch up on my blog, but of course, I haven't gotten around to it. So, tonight, although I am very tired.... I am determined to get this done for those grandparents that have been asking!!! So, here is a snippet of what has been going on in the Pierce household.

First of all, we have been attempting to get Julia to start baby food. She really doesn't like it. Turns out she likes me or a bottle much better, but we are trying. We also had fun with Abigail pretending like she was the baby!
We also had some fun end of year activities with the kids. Most exciting... Abigail had a preschool graduation, complete with cap and gown (or her nightgown as she calls it). It was a very special day for all of us. We also celebrated A.J. completing 2nd grade (pictured below with his teacher Mrs. Barnes). Summer break here we come!!!

Julia.... the poor 3rd child... doesn't have as many pictures as the others did, but here are some of my favorites!
We also celebrated Julia's baby dedication. I believe all children are a true gift from God, but when they come as a surprise to us... they seem even a little more special!!! Here are a few pictures from Julia's baby dedication, including the altar flowers from Grandma and Pa and Nana and Papa.
The same day (Mother's Day), Abigail was a pumpkin in the Cinderella ballet. We took a few pictures before we left. She was so proud to get to wear make-up!!

Since it is getting VERY hot here, Allan entertained the big kids by making them a redneck slide. For my northern family... that means he laid a tarp on the grass and put dish soap on it. They had so much fun together!
And, to close out this quick update... a few more sweet sibling moments!

Abigail "reading" to Julia... (and by the way... she does everything in her dance costume now that her performance is over. You never will know what that girl will be wearing at any given moment!)