My resolutions 2009 - Becka

I want to first thank you all SOOOOO MUCH for allowing me to be involved in your endeavor. As much as I love my own family they would never do anything like this and since I think of you as my second family it is great that I have somewhere I can do stuff like this. I know I'm rambling but eventually I get to the point. You all are awesome! You inspire me and really make me feel like I can do a lot more then I corrently am. I will be honest, I only have 1 resolution so far. But that one resolution is going to change EVERYTHING in my life.

I have decided to homeschool my kids.

Let me first tell you the reasons behind my decision. Joe (my 3rd child) has Aspergers and although he has a brilliant mind, he is not doing well in school. He is already starting to be made fun of and cries every morning before going to school. He also is bored half out of his skull because they are learning to write there letters and he is reading about the States and their capitals. Lily and Isaac are having problems of their own, not to the extent of Joe but I can't stand to see them struggle like this. (example - Lily read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for fun but couldn't pass the 7th grade test on it, so they wouldn't let her count it for her reading and she was placed in the lower reading class). I know I don't need to explain my decision to all of you but I want you to understand why I am doing what I am doing.

So in order for me to homeschool my kids I am going to have to change so much.

1. I need to get up early every morning.

• Have morning prayer
• Scripture study
• possitive affirmations (I want to do this, I do not want to kill the kids, etc.)
• and exercise

2. Set up a strict schedule and stick to it.

• 6:00 Scripture and prayer
• 6:30 exercise
• 7:00 shower
• 8:00 breakfast
• 8:20 scripture study with kids
• 9:00 School starts
• 12:00 lunch
• 1:00 older kids continue until 2 or 3
  
• 3:00 snack
• 6:00 dinner
• 8:00 Bedtime for kids
• 11:00 bedtime for me

I know I have never been a very organized person but I also know I am an organized person at heart. I have spent the last couple of days memorizing this schedule and I have gotten up at 7:30 the first day and 6:30 this morning. For me this is huge. I have been able to stick to a schedule that was very similiar to this for quite a long time but my big problem is the mornings. If I can just get up then I can do pretty much everything but getting up is such a problems for me. It will probably be the biggest thing I have to overcome.

I am not going to homeschool immedietly. I am going to research all my options first. I have already contacted several friends who homeschool their kids and asked what they do. I have to plan my homeschool around each one of my kids personalities. I need to read up on as many different homeschool options as possible. I am leaning towards one called Thomas Jefferson. Several people in my ward do this one and I would have a ready made homeschool group with some people I already know.

Last, I need to work on my health. I have been doing much better with my auto immune disorder since I moved to Colorado (perhaps it's being away from my family he he) but I need to do better. I need to work on choosing healthier foods and getting enough rest. I have been working on getting off of some the medications I have been taking for years but it will take a lot of discipline if I want to stay off them.

So, let me recap

1. Set schedule and stick to it
2. Have daily prayer and scripture study
3. Exerice daily (even if it's just 5 minutes of yoga, it really helps my health and energy)
4. Read books on homeschool and talk to as many homeschool advacates as possible.
5. Plan healthy meals and snacks and have a strict bedtime.
   

I am sure that there will be more in the year as I move towards my goal but I think this is enough for now. Our plan right now is that I will study homeschool plans for the next 2 months and then make a final decision which one to do. We will probably then pull Joe out and homeschool him until the end of the year. Once school is out then we will continue with the older kids and not enroll them in school next year. Of course, things might change but right now I think this will be the least invasive of all the plans we have thought of.

Thank you all again for letting me join your group. You all are such amazing women. I am greatful that you are willing to let me grab a little of your insight and drive. I know if anyone can accomplish the goals that you have set, it's all of you.