Still hanging in there...

Well, we are nearing the end of week two, and I must say, so far so good. I'm learning a lot about my children. For instance, my oldest can read WAY better than she wants to let anyone know. She dislikes, can't stand, loathes reading! But if you remind her that mommy is her teacher and has all the power of the school room and will take her tv away, she perks right up and reads just about anything. A-MAZING!! She can also color pretty good when she takes her time! It's something else she has ZERO affection for. Zero. I always loved to color, so it's not something that I can identify with.

I have learned even more that my middle girl LOVES to read. I knew she liked it, but it's becoming apparent that she loves it. She is also a teacher pleaser. She's forever asking if her handwriting is good, if she reads well, and if there is anything she can do for me. She's taken it upon herself to read a devotional to the girls every morning, as well. They're all sweet, but she's proving to be especially sweet in the classroom and it's starting to spill over to the rest of her day.  

Then we have my youngest. She is certainly the stinker of the bunch, but she's so funny. She's also numero-uno at trying my patience. She won't stop talking, and she dislikes can't stand writing, almost as much as my oldest can't stand reading. Like the oldest though, if you bribe her or threaten her (with a visit to the Principal's office with her daddy), then she'll pretty much do anything you want...only very slow, and with out being quiet. Oh, Lord above, please help me teach her the art of being quiet. Even as I'm typing this, she talking about everything. Lucky for her, it's everything having to do with her practice writing. 

We are kind of getting in to a groove of things. We've done this for 8 days now and so far I'm really enjoying it. I'm finding that i want to teach them so much more than what's in their curriculum. I'm sure there will be days when we just 'flush the format'. I'm also sure that those will probably be some of the best days. Which brings me to what I know will be the bestest days of all!! Field trips! Oh, I am so ready for field trips season that it's not even funny! (PS...field trip season means cool weather!) 

Our first science experiment

They love this picnic game. You can use it for learning fractions if you're creative...maybe one day I'll be creative. :-)

Just like the pic says...Homeschool PE Rocks! 

Day One...

Well, today was our first day of homeschool!! Graci was up with the sun and I practically had to drag the other two out of bed. Sydney told me she thought school was boring and that she should be able to stay in her room and watch TV all day because she learned plenty doing that. Uh...negative.

Once everyone was up we got dressed, had breakfast, and waited for Daddy to come home and take pictures. Aside from, "Have you found a co-op yet?", the next most asked question has been, "So...ya gonna let them go to school in the PJ's?" Again...negative. The question did inspire some of our pictures from this morning though.

                                            Yes, yes this will go over nicely, don't you think?

                                 So cute. How could I not want them in their sloppy PJ's and robes?

Yeah...Never mind. We see that we have a faker here. We couldn't get her to shut her eyes to save her life. 

See!! Tricked ya! They even all had shoes on. Seriously? I didn't even have on shoes. Oh...lookie there. There's a flip flop, a small blanket and a skirt on the floor behind them that I asked a certain 8 year old to pick up yesterday. I'm totally shocked that it didn't get done. Totally. 

We actually had a really good first day. I was very pleased by how well they listened and how little trouble they gave me. I know it will be a challenge. I know there will be days when I want to pull their my hair out, but I can honestly say with out a doubt that we are doing the right thing. A gal that I know always says that it's a good homeschool day when the day has come and gone with no crying. Today was a no crying day! 

A month from today....

One month from today we (I mostly) will start homeschooling the girls. We (I) will take the responsibility out of the hands of the women (and a couple of men) that went to school for years to learn how to do this, and bare that load ourselves (myself). We (I) will try and do this with as much grace, dignity, and humility that I (we?) can possibly muster up.

I see me growing in to my grace, dignity, and humility. Possibly very slowly.

I've got two children that are super excited about this new venture, and one, the one that inspired this mission, that can't wait for school to start so she can see her friends. I told her (again) this evening that she wouldn't be going back to her school this year, but that she's already got promises from a couple of people from school to come by on as many Fridays as they can to have breakfast with her. She looked at me, rolled her eyes and said, "Ok." She's hot, then she's cold. I guess we'll know when school starts.

Speaking of school starting...Have I mentioned that it's a month from today?

As much as I'd like to fancy myself an ace at elementary education (after all, I passed all those grades all those years ago...with ease, I might add), I fear that the kids know more about how to run a classroom at this point than I do. I see things all over the house that Graci has written when they're playing school. Sometimes I think to myself..."Maybe I should let her teach the first couple of weeks so I can get a handle on how a classroom is supposed to be run." I'm sure they will teach me a lot this year, same as I am hoping to teach them many things. (by the grace of God, and with help from my husband)

In happy homeschool news....

WE GOT DESKS!!! I was fortunate enough that a gal at our church tagged me in a post on facebook of girl that was selling tons of classroom stuff. She had the desks and chairs that I wanted and I got three of each for $45!! We have folding tables that we can do projects on, but I'm so happy that they're going to have their own space. (I'm hoping that that will keep the fighting to a minimum, thus keeping my sanity intact)

Any of my 'paid for teaching' or 'not paid for teaching' friends...Please feel free to let your fountain of experience flow my way. Like for instance, how many weeks of review from the previous year do you do at the beginning of the new school year? I'm counting on at least three. Oh, please let it be at least three. I have no clue about this and would greatly appreciate one of my super smart friends to let me in on what they do or what is standard.

As the year month week progresses, I'm sure I'll have many more questions. I know you'll help me with wonderful and insightful answers.

In all seriousness, please say your prayers for us during this school year. I feel like God has led me to do this, so in it I want him to be praised the whole way! I want my girls to learn and laugh like crazy this year and one day I want them to look back and be thankful for this opportunity that the good Lord has given us!

We're in Texas...I just saw a Cracker Barrel sign, Mommy.

I learned something from this last trip. I can't wait to home-school. I can't. I know it will be tough, but oh the things these kids will learn on their travels. They've already learned how to travel. They are most excellent at it. In fact, they look forward to it. Not only am I looking forward to all that they will learn, I'm looking forward to all that I'm going to learn with them. No longer will we have to just sit and read about the first thanksgiving...we will take them there and show them where it happened. (I think it happened on Turkey Run Road in West Virginia...I'm totally kidding) I fully intend to make them little inspirations to others when they tell tales of their travels many years down the road.

We hit 15 states on this trip alone! The girls get excited (esp Graci) every time we come to a state line. Audrey thinks we've crossed over in to Texas every time she sees a Cracker Barrel sign. And Sydney...Sydney might not want to be gone long, but she's still a great little traveler.

Ok...on to the trip...We hit Texas (of course...we can't NOT mention the mother land), Oklahoma, Kansas (saw the original Mater there), Missouri (went up in the arch...awesome!), Illinois, Indiana (Santa Claus pics in June ROCK!!), Kentucky (Visited some graves of the McCoy clan...a clan in which I am a descendant of), Ohio, West Virginia (visited my family, went swimming, took a night time rail trail walk the night of the super moon, took a grandma via wheelchair for a daytime trail walk, caught lightning bugs, went fishing, took tractor rides...the list is long), Virginia, Tennessee (Lookout Mountain is beautiful), Georgia (just a corner), Alabama (boring), Mississippi, and Louisiana (more boring).

We came home to Hansen sitting out in the front lawn waiting for us to get there. We missed him terribly and were soooo happy to get home to him. Graci wanted to know something the next day though...When could we go on another trip...this time, with Daddy. :-) Makes my heart happy that they love the asphalt, too!

We have many things planned. Lots and lots of learning trips, both big and small.  Trips to the museums and zoos during the week when few are there. Trips to the Grand Canyon. Trips to our Grand parents. From here on out, the Hansen's will tear up the asphalt when we can!

Stay tuned for funnier posts about my kids wanting to learn too much and me having to actually MAKE them watch TV now and then. (I very well could have that backward)

A new journey for the Hansen's on Asphalt

We are embarking on a new adventure come next school year. We will be homeschoolers. I, the very person that feels they couldn't teach ice to melt, will be trying to teach my children. I'm a little scared by this, but strangely at peace. I know that my Jesus wouldn't take me in a direction that I couldn't handle.

This brings me to this blog. Hansen's On Asphalt. We picked the title because of our love for traveling. We'd take a road trip every weekend if we could. Until now, our travels have been limited to the burning months of summer or holidays when prices are hiked up and places are crowded. We are looking forward to being able to take our kids where ever we want, when ever we want. While most homeschooling moms that I've talked to say that they never take (or take very little) school work with them when they got on vacation, if we travel during the school year, we plan on taking some of our studies with us and using the trip as a hands on learning experience for the girls. (and us!) I've traveled all over this country, but haven't, until recent years, stopped to explore any of it. More and more we are enjoying taking the road less traveled. Now...we can enjoy these roads when it isn't so stinking hot outside.

While we will enjoy traveling any time the opportunity presents itself, the homeschooling journey will be a journey all of it's own. Whether we're on the road or at home, I feel like it's an adventure worth documenting. While Hansen's On Asphalt started as a travel blog that would go with us on our journeys across the country, I'm hoping it evolves in to blog that helps me keep up with this new journey of ours. I can picture it now...We're sitting upstairs, me at my desk, the girls at theirs, and they're diligently working on their assignments that I taught to the effortlessly as though I'd been teaching for years and years. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to kick back and let the world know about what a breeze homeschooling is. Mozart will be playing quietly in the background, butterflies will flit about outside the window, assignments will be completed in a timely manner with perfect spelling and grammar. And I'm certain there will be no frustration in my little school room upstairs at all!

(Insert that sound of a needle being drug across a record and everything coming to a screeching halt *HERE*)

Wow...I didn't know I could type and dream all at the same time.

You get the gist of it. We will do the very best we can with our children with help from Jesus, family and friends. We will take the time to learn things that otherwise wouldn't be touched in school, AND the Hansen's will hit the asphalt every chance they get!