Why I Decided to Homeschool My Son

I feel like everyone has their own reasons for homeschooling. Some do it for religious reasons. Some do it because the structure of school just isn't right for some kids. Some do it because they want more control over what their child is learning. And plenty do it for countless other reasons. Some people start their homeschooling journey at the preschool age while others don't start theirs until they've experienced public school.

For us, it was a long time coming. My sweet, impulsive, talkative, emotional, and incredibly smart son struggled during Kindergarten and 1st grade, but it was really 2nd grade that sent him into a tailspin. I was constantly getting notes home or calls from his teacher or administrators. He was just always in trouble. He would come home in tears and ask why no one liked him. He would tell me that he didn't do the things he was getting trouble for. But I didn't know what to believe. Sometimes kids lie. Why would the adults in his school not be telling me the truth? It wasn't until the very end of the year that I saw the horrible truth about what was happening to my son. Another parent had been volunteering for an event in a different grade and told me that my son's desk was in the common area for 2nd and 3rd grade. She told me that he had been there all day. My son wasn't even aloud in the classroom? How was he learning? I immediately went into the school (only about 20 minutes early) and took my son home. I talked to him and found out that this wasn't an isolated incident. He spent a lot of time in the commons. I was furious. I was sad. I was disappointed. I decided to talk to another teacher in that commons to verify my son's story. It turns out, he wasn't lying. Some things made sense. Like why his teacher thought he was behind in reading even though he was reading books above his grade level with me. Some things just created more questions. Like how could the administration see this and not do anything? How could he be doing all these things he was getting in trouble for when he wasn't even in the classroom? But I didn't know what to do about it.

There had been a discussion of homeschooling when he was in 1st grade and struggling a little. But the discussion became far more real when I saw what was happening to my son. Unfortunately, it was the very end of the school year and this teacher was retiring so there wasn't really anything I could do. I had it on good authority that he was going to have an amazing teacher the next year so I gave public school one more chance.

For the record, my son's 3rd grade teacher was the absolute best teacher in the entire world. She was perfect for him! Plus, she and I had a great relationship. The things that happened to my son in 2nd grade, though, truly affected him. I didn't learn how much until I saw it for myself while he was in 3rd grade. In 2nd grade, he chewed on his pencils a lot. I bought him some extra ones for 3rd grade, thinking he would go through them faster than most children. He didn't chew on a single pencil! It turns out, he was so stressed in 2nd grade that he was destroying his pencils. That broke my heart. His 3rd grade teacher told me that she absolutely adored my son and that it made it truly sad that she constantly needed to remind him that he was wanted in her class. She told me he would apologize that she got stuck with him in her class. She was amazing though and would let him know that she specifically asked for him. And the cherry on top of the crap sundae his 2nd grade teacher left for us was when I watched a student walk into the classroom, push Owen, and then tattle that my son was pushing and shoving him. His teacher told me there was a lot of that at the beginning of the year, but she squashed it and said it wasn't going to happen in her class. So I thought my child was lying to me when he would say he didn't do something. I felt like the worst parent in the world. I didn't trust my own son! My one small relief from feeling like absolute garbage was how smart my child was. Not only was he NOT behind in reading, he was ahead. So far ahead, he was off the scale for 3rd grade. He was reading at a 6th grade level. And it wasn't just reading. He was good at everything. His teacher told me once that my son was the smartest kid she has ever taught.

It sounds like things got a lot better. Right? Well, kind of. All of those problems that happened in 2nd grade were still happening in some of his area classes (like music, p.e., and lunch). I was asked to have a meeting with some teachers and the administration. I was hopeful that this meeting might make some things clear to me as to why my child was having so many issues outside of his main classroom. Well, it was a crap storm. The "administration" that showed up was the assistant principal who thought that every child should be treated the exact same regardless of their emotional state. I understand where she's coming from to a point. But if you expect teachers to adjust their teaching styles to each individual child based on their learning abilities, why can you not have a plan in place for a child that isn't always emotionally able to handle a classroom? She was very negative the entire meeting and she was disrespectful for anyone who tried to stand up for my child. I left that meeting feeling defeated. At this point, my husband and I decided that we just couldn't do it anymore. We couldn't allow the public school system to fail my child any longer. We were going to start homeschooling in 4th grade.

I wish that was the end of my story. But clearly, it's not. A combination of my son saying he was being bullied (my words, not his) in the lunchroom and the assistant principal not letting him move away from that child and me actually witnessing her yelling at him to the point where he was almost in tears. Plus, a principal who just couldn't be bothered to be involved led me to pull my son before the year was over.

When I told the principal that my son would not be returning to that school for the remainder of the year or any year in the future, she was very judgmental. She told me I was making a mistake. She told me it only gets harder from here and that if I took him out, I was setting him up for failure. She told me that if he was having trouble socializing now, he would only suffer more if I took him out. She told me that I can't protect him forever. That really set me off. I told her that no matter what we decide for the future, I need to do what's best for my son. And what's best for him is to not think that every single person, including the adults, in his life hate him. What's best for him is to have people that will respectfully speak to him and not scream in his face. What's best for him is to learn in an environment where he can really flourish instead of having his smarts suppressed because it's more important to make sure that he stands in line quietly than to learn how to channel his creativity and energy into something great. So what I am completely sure of, is that what's best for my son, is to not be here in this school. It may work for most people, but clearly my son is not most people. And that's why we decided to homeschool.

Truthfully, I am so glad that most people will never have to have the same experience that I have had with public school. I truly believe that it works for most people. There are some amazing teachers out there and I hope that if your child is in public school, that they are blessed with as many great teachers as they can get! But just know that it's not for everyone. And people that homeschool their children are truly doing what they think is best for their kid.

Crochet Pattern: 'Inspire Me' Textured Basket

Click here to purchase an ad free version of the pattern on Etsy!

So I made this cute basket for a Craft Fair coming up in a couple months. I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to make. But I couldn't find a pattern for exactly what I wanted. So, I made one up myself! And I am thrilled with how it has turned out. So, without further ado, here it is!

Materials:
4mm/G hook
worsted weight yarn in 4 colors, holding 2 strands at once
yarn needle

Terms:
MR = magic ring
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
hdc = half double crochet
tc = triple crochet
blo = back loops only
fro = front loops only
rev = reverse

Pattern Guide:
hdc x 3 = put one half double crochet in each of the next 3 stitches
2hdc = put two half double crochets in the next stitch
tc puff st = (yarn over twice, put hook through front loop of previous row, yarn over, pull through 1, yarn over, pull through 2, yarn over, pull through 2) ← do this 3 times, then yarn over, and pull through 4 remaining loops
rev sc = (worked from left to right) insert hook in next st to the right, yarn over, pull through 1, yarn over, pull through both loops on hook

This pattern is worked very tight, so at times, it may feel like you need a bigger hook, but working this tight ensures that the basket will be more sturdy and not limp.

In row 15, the pattern is worked in the back loops only to create a lip on the basket. This makes the sides more defined from the base as opposed to just flowing from base to sides.

Finished Size: Approximately 8 ¾ inches tall and 9 ½ inches wide

Pattern:
1. Using Color A and holding 2 strands at once, sc 10 into MR, sl st to close (10)
2. ch 2, 2hdc in each st around, sl st to close (20)
3. ch 2, (hdc, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (30)
4. ch 2, (hdc x 2, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (40)
5. ch 2, (hdc x 3, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (50)
6. ch 2, (hdc x 4, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (60)
7. ch 2, (hdc x 5, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (70)
8. ch 2, (hdc x 6, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (80)
9. ch 2, (hdc x 7, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (90)
10. ch 2, (hdc x 8, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close (100)
11. ch 2, (hdc x 19, 2hdc) x 5, sl st to close (105)
12. ch 2, (hdc x 9, 2hdc, hdc x 10, 2hdc) x 5, sl st to close (115)
13. ch 2, hdc x 10, 2hdc, (hdc x 22, 2hdc) x 4, hdc x 12, sl st to close (120)
14. ch 2, (hdc x 11, 2hdc) x 10, sl st to close in flo (130)

15. ch 2, turn work so that the right side is facing up as the base of your basket, hdc in blo around, sl st to close in both loops (130)
16. ch 2, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
17. ch 2, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
18. ch 2, hdc around, switch to Color B, sl st to close (130)
19. ch 1, sc, (sc, sc spike 1 row below, sc spike 2 rows below, sc spike 3 rows below) x 32, sc, sl st to close (130)
20. ch 1, hdc around, switch to Color C, sl st to close (130)

21. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
22. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
23. ch 1, hdc x 2, (hdc in blo, hdc in both loops x 3) x 32, sl st to close (130)
24. ch 1, hdc x 2, (tc puff st in front loop of row 23, hdc x 3 in row 24) x 32, sl st to close (130)

25. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
26. ch 1, hdc around, switch to Color D, sl st to close (130)

27. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
28. ch 1, sc around, switch to Color A, sl st to close (130)
Leave as long of a tail of Color D as you can
29. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
30. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
31. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
32. ch 1, hdc around, sl st to close (130)
33. ch 1, skip st directly to the right, rev sc around, sl st to close (130)
Finish off and weave in ends.

To Finish:
Pick up your long grey tail from row 28, and using your yarn needle, sew around the rows of Color A to mimic the spike stitch from row 19. Do this all the way around.
Finish off and weave in ends. This gives the effect that the spike stitch goes in the opposite direction as before.

Feel free to sell any products made from this pattern. However, do not try to sell this pattern or offer it for free in any way. Please link back to me if you post your basket anywhere!
Tag me in any pictures. I would love to see them! Instagram: @kerry_1105 Facebook: K L Crochet
If you have any questions about this pattern, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it the best I can.

Facebook Marketplace

I feel like ever since my son finished his last day of school, it has been non-stop crazy at my house. And when it's not crazy, I'm so exhausted I just want to lay around. And that's how my house became a freaking disaster! Ah! It's so frustrating! Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Well, after cleaning a little, we realized we just didn't have enough space for everything. And coincidentally, our neighborhood's bi-annual garage sale was happening on the first weekend of June. We got everything prepared and it turned out we had a ton of stuff! And some big things, too! I was excited. With so many big things, we were sure to get rid of things and make a little money.

The day of our garage sale came, and the weather was beautiful! I had high hopes for the day! Unfortunately, I didn't sell most of our big stuff, and we ended the day with just over $100. It didn't feel like a failure, but I definitely didn't feel like it was a huge success.

Since we did have so many big items left over, I knew I wanted to try to sell them still. My husband suggested Facebook Marketplace. I'd never sold anything on there before so I was a little nervous. And I definitely had no idea what I was in for. In the end, I sold everything that I wanted to in less than 2 weeks and made $221.

Here's how you start. Go to Marketplace (located at the left hand side toward the top on your desktop). Again, on the left hand side, click on “Sell Something” and fill out the prompts. They make it very easy! Make sure you add some great photos of the item you have for sale. The thing that sells your item the most is the photos. It's best to have them from every angle.

Tip 1: I only put 6-8 things for sale at a time and that worked great for me because even with just a few things for sale, it can get hard to keep track of all the people messaging you. I love how they keep your item for sale at the top of each conversation to help you keep everything organized.

Tip 2: Don't consider anything sold until you have agreed on a time, place, and amount. I had so many people ask “Is this available?” and when I said yes, they never said anything else. There were also plenty of people that asked questions about the item, seemed like they were going to buy it, and then just never said anything else. So I started replying “Yes” whenever anyone asked if an item was available until I considered it sold. I only had 2 people (out of probably 50) that got upset because I sold it while they were still thinking about it. And that's just how it goes. You can't miss out on potential sales while someone takes forever to reply that might not buy your item.

Tip 3: Don't feel bad about moving on. I had someone set to meet and then they messaged me a couple hours before that they wouldn't be able to meet until 2 hours later. That's fine. I'm flexible. Then, they messaged me again that it would be better for them to do the next day. Ok, starting to get annoyed, but again, I'm flexible. The next day, they message again, that they would really appreciate it if we could meet the day after that. That was enough. They offered to pay through Facebook to show they were serious about getting it, but I was annoyed. So I told them it wouldn't work for me and I relisted the item. Lucky for me, I had it sold and delivered with cash in my hand within 24 hours. The point is, move on if people seem like they're just there to make your life more stressful.

Tip 4: If you feel uncomfortable meeting with people at your house, it's perfectly ok, if not expected, to meet someplace public. I met at our local police department multiple times! But I was also flexible with my meeting location. I also met at Sam's Club, the library, Wal-Mart, and a couple other places. I only had 2 people pick up at my house and it was only because my trunk was too small.

So if you've ever thought about getting rid of stuff, definitely try Facebook! It costs nothing. It's super easy to set-up. And you have the opportunity to make some money without the hastle of a garage sale. I'm still glad we had our garage sale and in the end, with everything combined, we made about $330. And that's not too bad.

Recipe: Homemade Lemonade

I took a couple weeks off, but now we're back at it! My summer has started off great! With lots of things going on. I don't know about you guys, but having my son at home all day, I feel like I need to plan at least 1 fun activity every day to make sure we're not just sitting around. Don't get me wrong, I have a list of things we do each day including reading for 1 hour, working out for 30 minutes, and cleaning for 30 minutes each day. As a reward for these things, I put a limit on phone use to no more than 2 hours.

Here are some of the things we do to fill our time:
1. The Library
Ours has some great public activities and even when there's nothing going on, they always have pages to color, books to read, computers to play on, toys to play with, and fun displays to check out.
2. Berry Picking
There is a fun little berry patch within half an hour of our house that we like to visit from time to time. 3. The Zoo
We have a small local zoo, but beyond that, there are 3 other zoos within an hour. Plus, 2 large named zoos within 3 hours. 4. Paint Your Own Pottery
These places are becoming more and more popular. We have a fun little place in town. We try to only visit once every couple of weeks because while fun, it can get expensive.

We also do lots of crafts and projects. My son has been getting into cooking lately, so I thought as a quick little project, I would teach him how to make homemade lemonade.

You Will Need:
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
Enough lemons to make 1 cup of juice (we used 5 large lemons)
7-8 more cups of water

First, combine 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and heat on medium until the sugar is completely dissolved (your water will appear clear again). You have now made your simple syrup. It only takes about 5 minutes. Take your pan off the heat and set it to the side to cool.

While your syrup is cooling, you can juice your lemons. If you don't have a juicer, you can squeeze the lemon while twisting a fork to get every last drop out. Make sure you strain the juice to get rid of seeds and most of the pulp.

It's time to mix together your lemon juice, simple syrup, and 7-8 cups of water. I put a rough estimate on the amount because it's all about your personal preference on taste and how strong you want your lemonade. After everything is mixed together, place it in the fridge to cool. Cold, fresh lemonade is the best. Something about making it from scratch truly makes it taste better!

If you have any other suggestions on fun, small projects I can try with my little 8yo, please, let me know in the comments below. We're always looking for new things to try out.

Summer Bucket List

Every summer, my son and I like to make a list of things that we want to do before school starts back up. We got together and pooled all of our ideas and came up with this list of 50 things we want to do this summer. Here is our summer bucket list for 2018!

Click here to view a PDF and download.

Pictures to take while you're in Universal

Like anything else that has to do with our vacation, I did a lot of research about what pictures we should take while we're at Universal. I used a mix of some ideas I saw online and things I remembered from when we visited 3 years ago. That is how I made our list to take with us. It served useful as we wanted to bring home some special photographic memories to display at home. Here's our list:

Click here to view as a PDF and download.

Pictures to take while you're on vacation

We just love to take pictures! And I love finding lists of things to take pictures of and then challenging myself to do them all! So my son and I decided to come up with our own list before we left for vacation to see if we could do them all. Here's our list:

Click here to view as a PDF and download.