Life on Planet Caddick

So, after getting rid of all my other blogs, here I am starting a new one. I must be crazy! This one is for all our homeschooling stuff. Not just the boys, but also my journey through WGU, where I'm enrolled to get my teaching degree. Parents can balance working at home, working outside of the home, and homeschooling - I figured I can learn and teach my little man at the same time! More to come....

I missed connecting with Hip Homeschool Moms this week on their Tuesday Hip Homeschool Hop. Boo! We are about six weeks into our school year and we've made some changes (who's surprised?), but that's how it goes around here. Remember this picture? Yeah, well the only thing left that we're using is actually the math. And little man is complaining about how it repeats, but we are staying the course with math. I know he needs the spiral approach with math, so he's just going to have to deal. So, what are we using know? Well, we are using Horizons Math. It works, and if he gets it, I don't assign every problem. That's helped calm him down a lot about the repetitiveness of it all. We really love Alpha Omega products. I know a lot of homeschoolers think they are not advanced enough, or whatever. The small sections work great for Zach, who is ADD, so I can't say enough good things about them. We switched from the AOP lifepacs in...

Homeschooling works differently for everyone, which is the beauty of it. Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite homeschool things. I'm not exactly sure how I managed to keep track of everything before this little wonder. I tried all kinds of planners - online, homemade, you name it. This just works. I balked at the cost at first, but it's well worth it. There's a place for grades, report cards, tear out shopping lists, and of course schedules. Since I have to prove what we taught all year having this in one spot is awesome. Colored pencils. These are more for me too. I grade with them and sometimes, yes, mom makes a mistake. Instead of crossing it out and making the page look all nasty and sloppy I can erase these. And I can choose any color I want. Yes, sometimes moms need to have some fun too! A calculator. I wish I had one this big! I'm not a math whiz and never will be, so when figuring grades I have to use this. What a ...

I hate moving. I swore this move would be our last and we would just stay here in SC forever. But... I really want to move. And not just anywhere - there are a lot of places I could go Arizona, for example. I have family there, a sister, a niece, and a butt load of cousins for Zach. But "it's too hot there" my husband says Utah - two nieces, some really good friends, and four seasons. "It snows there" says the old man. Ohio - Hubby's family which means cousins for Zach. And well, family. Oddly enough, the snow here is not a factor. hmmm And I'm not saying all those places aren't wonderful. They may even be the best states in Union. But I'm thinking I'd like to head someplace entirely new. A wild adventure that the three of us could enjoy. Where to though? Well, I narrowed it down to three places - but can I get hubby on board? Who knows? But here is where I'd like to spend the next four or ten years of my life ...

    I'm so jealous of the folks who homeschool without workbooks. On our homeschool journey we've spent  tried a lot of money on  curriculum. Sonlight, Abeka, Unit Studies, Monarch, and on and on. It really can be an expensive labor of love when you are trying to educate your own child. When I brought my son home again this year after two years in public school, all these missteps really came in handy though. I knew what would work for us, and what to stay away from. I wish I had been given the choice to learn a la Sonlight - I would have thrived, but I'm not the one doing the work. So, here is our curriculum for this year Yep, as you can see, all workbooks. Workbooks of all different kinds. Another lesson from all our previous mistakes! Sometimes I feel like we aren't doing it right because we are a workbook family. But in the end, it's all about making sure my son gets the best education. I've discovered that sometimes if you're not homescho...

Dear Daddy, This month will mark the third month that you've been gone. How is that in less than three weeks you went from alive to gone forever? Why did you keep how sick you were such a secret from me? I'm so mad at you sometimes, I would kick you right in the butt if I could. You knew you were sick in March when you visited, looking back I know that now. For six years we've been asking you "come down here" but no - Mr. Stubborn had to stay up in MI all by yourself and be all secretive about what was really going on. I'm so angry that your neighbor had to call me and tell me to get home - you would have rather died alone than think you were being a burden to me, your child. Stupid man. You were just going to sneak away in the middle of the night without saying anything to any of us that love you. Yes, I'm angry at you - you would be angry if I tried to do the same thing. It's not fair that you gave all of us so little time to come see you and ...

Today I'm linking up with Hip Homeschool Hop hosted by Hip Homeschool Moms I started homeschooling again this year. My husband and I both felt it was the right move for Zach and even though it's been a couple years I still remember what needs to be done. Best of all I know what doesn't need to be done! Last time we homeschooled for two years (2nd and 3rd) and by 4th grade I had lost sight of the important things. I was so caught up in making it school at home , which honestly, I thought was what I supposed to do. Those parents who used every day experiences to teach their kids weren't doing it right! I wanted my son to be one of those homeschool kids who graduated when he was 16, scored perfect on his SAT/ACT, and got the awesome scholarship to Michigan State . I pushed until my son and I could barely be in the same room. I pushed until out of frustration I threw him into Public School and called it good. When we started this journey again, I started to ...