Homeschooling Battles

So the last month has been rough regarding homeschooling.  Except it isn't the actual schooling that is the problem, it is the documentation regarding the homeschooling that is making me crazy.

First up was Lydia a few weeks ago. She works at a child care facility and was informed that since we signed her diploma, she needed a letter from the local school district that she had in fact graduated from homeschool.  Now this directive came from some licensing person to Lydia's boss, then from Lydia's boss to Lydia, so the message probably got garbled.  In any case, what Lydia heard was an illegal request.  Ohio has a Diploma Fairness Act which says that a high school diploma provided by the parents is as legitimate as any diploma from a school. The only thing we have to provide is an excusal letter from the district for the last legal year of homeschooling.  I save all our letters so I sent a copy to Lydia and presumably she is good now.

Next came Isaac.  Groan....

Isaac, like his mother and father before him, is good at math and science.  He is planning to pursue a degree in Materials Science and Engineering.

He took a bunch of classes at local community colleges, and then last year took a bunch of classes at Wright State University, a local university with a good materials science program.  He did very well in his classes.

I am a busy mom with a lot of balls in the air, so it didn't occur to me that Wright State would require a separate admissions for this year.  I should have, but I didn't.  In fairness to me, the local community colleges don't give a rip whether a person is a high school student or a college student; once accepted, always accepted as long as gradepoint is good.

So anyway, Isaac and I realized, rather at the last minute, that we had to apply for Isaac to go to Wright State this fall.  And I mean, last minute!  We had three weeks to sort it out so he could take the classes he needs.

We started submitting documentation and wow, once again, somebody at the admissions office insisted that we needed to have a letter sent from the Fairborn public school directly to Wright State that Isaac had in fact graduated from a homeschooling program.

Which is...not right.  Nor does it make sense. All Fairborn knows is that I homeschool my kids, nothing more.  I called them up and convinced them that once again, all they needed was the excusal letter!

They accepted him four days before classes started. We rushed in to Wright State to get a required counseling appointment in engineering so he could sign up for classes. We met with a super nice, well informed lady who guided us through what Isaac should take. It was awesome!

So we go home and Isaac tries to sign up for his four classes online (it is all online these days) and three go through but Physics 2 does not because...he needed to have proof that he had taken Calculus 2 as a prerequisite. Which he had, at a community college. He also took Calculus 3 at the same community college this summer, and we waited until that grade came through before requesting an official transcript from Sinclair to Wright State.

ARGGHHGHGHGHHHH!!

Friday afternoon, he sent an email to the competent admissions lady, and she directed him to an override request on the Wright State website.  Monday morning, an hour before his first Physics lecture, he was cleared to sign up for the class. Whew!!

I was updating Facebook regarding all our woes and people were praying and I have no doubt God was in this.  So many things had to happen quickly to allow Isaac to sign up for classes.

So I was happy.  I was like Ok, enough with all the documentation battles. But NO!!!

In Ohio, we are required to submit a Notification of Intent to homeschool within a week of a new school year starting.  We also have to submit an assessment of some kind for each school aged child who will continue homeschooling. I have been doing this for 16 years now.

I put my packet together, tweaked last years documentation to fit this year, took it to the post office, mailed it certified so I knew it made it, and sat back, waiting for my excusal letter.

But instead I got a denial from the district.  So did dozens of other homeschooling families in Fairborn.  Some new person came on board and decided that we have to submit more than we have in the past.

Except that is not really legal. The law is very clear about what is required and I did.

I decided to send in a further document that is more organized but with about the same information.  I sent that in two days ago, again certified. And now I wait.

I am expecting another denial, and then I have to start with the lawyers. We are part of a homeschool legal defense association and they deal with this kind of stuff all the time.

It is one more thing for me to cope with and I am irritated. BUT I am a follower of Jesus and need to be courteous and polite so I am being courteous and polite in my verbiage with the school district. But I am also standing my ground on this. Many homeschooling families suffered greatly to codify homeschooling regulations in Ohio.  The law is the law, and the district is overstepping the requirements.

Anyway, Lord Jesus, give me strength and patience.  All I want to do is teach my kids, not jump through documentation hoops!

But I decided to homeschool, of course, which is weird, so people often don't know the law, even people who should know the law, like the people in public schools dealing with homeschoolers...

Anyway, I will update later on what happens.

Writing Experiment

 I started writing "fanfiction" six years ago.  I started in the Star Wars universe and then, two plus years ago, shifted over to Pride and Prejudice.  The latter, as I have said before, is not copywrited so I can publish and make money.

Star Wars is owned by Disney, of course!

Anyway, I have always written very quickly.  I have a lot of dull tasks I do around the house and while I am folding socks or washing dishes or whatever, I am often thinking about upcoming plot points and conversations between characters, so when I do sit down in front of the computer, I can often churn out a lot of words in a short amount of time.

Kevin and I had a talk a few weeks ago; what would happen if I just had a whole day of writing with NO interruptions, which is to say that Kevin took over all the kid duties and I went upstairs and wrote.

So a week plus ago, he took off Thursday and Friday from work and I hid upstairs and wrote. The results were intersting.

Thursday I wrote a truly awe inspiring 8000 words. That. Is. Crazy!

Friday I managed about 2500 words, and it was a struggle.  I was mentally exhausted and didn't really know where the plot was going.

So it seems like an occasional day to focus on writing is good, but if he took a week off for me to write, I probably wouldn't get a lot done every day.

He took off yesterday (Friday) for another experiment.  I had to run off to Wright State University with Isaac at 9:30 a.m. because...well, complicated.  That's the subject of another blog post.

We got home around 11 or so and I immediately went up to write. I wrote 5000 words which is still a LOT.

Today I haven't written a word of any of my stories.  It has been incredibly busy because Miriam worked and I also took two kids to our church to help with the food pantry, but my brain is kind of tired anyway.

So yes, all very interesting. I don't know what it would be like if my only job was writing.  It might be tough.  I think would feel a lot of pressure.  Part of the reason I can be mellow about writing is that Kevin's job pays the bills (and provides the insurance) and anything we make off the books helps pay for our future retirement and stuff like that.

In any case, with seven kids still at home, it'll be a long time before I won't have kids to care for and teach and all that.  =

Mid August

 

We have been putting puzzles together lately.  That is actually a big deal, because for many years, I could not work on a puzzle because small children would wander off with the pieces. Now that our children are all and at least somewhat mature, I can start working on a puzzle, wander off to do something else, and come back the next day with hope and, indeed, confidence that all the pieces will still be there.  It is quite soothing work, actually.  The biggest we have tackled is 500 piece and this one is only 200 pieces.

White cat is a stray, called "Ghosty" by our kids, and he is warming up to us and, more than that, to our food. We are happy to provide food for the poor thing, who is very timid. 

I took the six younger children to a nearby place called Young's Dairy. They have ice cream. The middle three kids did a marvelous job of not making a mess with their big cones. The younger two, in particular, did not fare so well, but they did great compared to toddlers so again, it was an easier visit than in the past when I was riding herd over 9 kids including babies.  

Young's Dairy has big tires to play on.

Young's Dairy has pigs, along with goats and calves and cows.

Miriam and Angela make a mean zucchini bread.  Not that I eat it because -- carbs -- but everyone says it is great.

Pool is still open and, indeed, a wonderful temperature. Such a blessing.

Another puzzle!

First Chigger Bite of the Summer

 I mean everyone wants to know about chigger bites, right??

As many know, because I whine about it, I am super super allergic to chiggers.  Chiggers are tiny little bugs (invisible to the naked eye) that attach and bite and some people have no particular reaction and some poor souls, like me, swell up in big bites.  The bites itch for literally two weeks.  I bring cold packs to bed because cold packs make the itching stop.

They only bite in the summer. During the winter, they must go dormant or something, or there eggs do?  Anyway, no danger in cold weather.

So I have done great all year!  I have one bite now but it is a small one; it turns out that it takes like 24 hours to really do damage, so as long as I wash them off before that, it is no big deal.  So I am hopeful this one won't bother me for more than another day or two.

I am giving credit to the pool and the hot tub for the lack of bites this summer. I shower every night and scrub off, but inevitably a few manage to sneak through my attempts to get rid of them. But hey, a hot tub of 100 degrees?  With lots of chlorine?  I can imagine them curling up and dying!

I have also been swimming more this summer than usual, which also must help. Again, chlorine, though not 100 degrees.  

The swimming is to try and exercise more.  I have not been great about exercise in many decades. In college I worked out quite regularly and walked long distances, so I was in good shape. Nowadays, well, I just usually find more interesting things to do than exercise!

But I am trying to improve in that area.

Anyway, hooray for one lone chigger bite!  (So far.) 

New Book published: Darcy in Distress

 We launched a new book last Thursday called Darcy in Distress.  It is, as all my published books are, a Pride and Prejudice variation.

This is our 13th novel and while we often have some idea of how well a book will be received, it is never a sure thing. We've had books that did better than expected, and others that did worse.

This one is a juggernaut for now, though of course it has been less than a week since publication!  We had a two week preorder and had almost 300 preorders, and since the day we published, we've had a very high number of Kindle page reads. We get paid about 0.4 cents per page, which doesn't sound like much, but when we have more than 100,000 page reads in a day, which we have lately, it adds up!

So yes, it has been a great deal of fun!  I enjoy writing but it is also hard work. It is nice to get positive feedback both in terms of the financial remuneration and good reviews. Most of the reviews are decent though a few people didn't like it for one reason or another.

Kevin and I have talked more than once about what life would be like if I had lots of time to write. As it is, I fit it in around everything else.  If I had four hours a day, would I write much faster?  Or am I only able to write an hour or two a day maximum and then my brain gets too tired?

When we are in St. Croix, I often write a great deal in the midst of snorkeling and enjoying a tropical paradise.

So probably if I had more time, I would write faster.  Almost certainly.

But...the family and the house are a higher priority. Kevin's job provides for us very well so every time we release a book, it is "extra" money, mostly to put away toward our retirement and orthodontia and fun things like that in the future.

Well, we got the hot tub. That was kind of an extra thing.

I don't have expensive tastes.  My favorite hobby is reading and my second favorite hobby is watching mystery shows. So yes.

Anyway, latest book is doing well and we are happy.

 

I Love Jesus

 Life is very busy for us for obvious reasons.  Kids, and cooking, and housework, and errands, and Kevin's job, and exercise, and sleep, and so on and so forth...

It is easy for me to lose perspective.

 I am a devout, enthusiastic, committed evangelical Christian and have been for many years.  

Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Lord.  I believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and grew up fully human, even as he is fully God.

I believe that I am a sinner, whose sins are so great that I cannot enter Heaven based on my own merits.

I believe Jesus voluntarily went to the cross and died a terrible death as a sacrifice for my sins.

I believe that I am saved by the shed blood of Christ, not because of my own "goodness".

I have many things to do in life that are my job.  I need to be a good wife and a good mother.  I need to be faithful in completing my tasks.  They are important.

But I also have to remind myself, often, that the most important things in life are spiritual.

Mark 8:36

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

I pray a lot for wisdom.  A lot a lot a lot. It is so easy to get swayed by the busyness of life, or by personal preference, to not do what God really wants me to do. Maybe I'm unusual in that way.  I don't know.

I do know that I love projects and I love completing projects but people are more important, especially the people God has entrusted to me -- Kevin, my husband, and the nine children, who need me.

I love you, Lord  Jesus.  Continue to give me wisdom and strength to do what you want me to do.

Feet, Cats, and Other Topics of Interest

 

I bought very expensive shoes for my poor feet. Well, specifically my left foot.  My right has been fine, but my left foot keeps hurting. I am pretty sure it is plantar fasciitis, as I said before.  With these shoes, it is pretty happy. It is weird basically wearing shoes almost all the time, but for now I need to do so or my left foot starts hurting a lot.

This is Ghosty, a stray cat that has kind of adopted us.  That is to say he likes our food but he finds us very scary.  He always runs away if we get near him.  He is, at least, eating our food and is filling out a little, though he is still overly thin. Poor cat!

Jet outside. We are transitioning the kittens outdoors.

Opal up in the tower with Isaac.

We have been sick off and on this week. Miriam and Angela did not get baptized last Sunday, which was a big disappointment. The reason was an illness. Rose threw up a couple times and Kevin was sick, and then I got sick...

Baptism is important because our Lord Jesus commanded that his followers be baptized. But baptism doesn't save anyone.  It is a ceremony of obedience.  We will wait for another opportunity. Miriam and Angela are all ready and our church will have another baptism in the next few months.

Isaac and Joseph have been working three days a week at a local college, moving furniture, pulling up carpet, putting down carpet, and so on. It has been a really good job for the boys and we are proud of their hard work.

One minor problem popped up this week, and that is that Joseph has lost a few pounds in the last weeks.  Now for a normal person, no biggie, but Joseph is very underweight.  He is a little over 6 feet tall and weighed in at just over 100 lbs this week.

That...that is skeletal.  Now I assure you  that he does not have an eating disorder.  He is a somewhat picky eater and he just doesn't have a big appetite.  He has been doing a very physically demanding job of late and obviously calories in are less than calories out. So we sat down with Joseph and talked about bigger meals and more snacks, and Joseph is working on it.  

Other than that, we have been sorting out college classes for Isaac, Joseph, and Miriam, and I have continued to work in the basement, and Kevin has been working hard for his job (which supports us all) and also on the launch of our new book, which goes live on Amazon this coming Thursday.

So we are not bored!