By Genevieve, on June 14th, 2010
I’m going to be 40 in about 8 months. There, I said it out loud.
I never thought I’d be a woman who cared about age, and I didn’t…until recently. So, I’m going to be 40- and I started thinking about who I want to be. If I had a list of things to accomplish- well, not by 40 because it’s a little late to finish off a list that quick..but, If I had a list of things I’d like to do, what would be on it? I’m not really talking about a bucket list…I live and move in the sphere of my family, a bucket list would include adventure & travel and would be mostly about ‘me’..I’m just thinking, in the context of my life as woman/mom/wife, who would I want to be? If I could create a fiction character that I could admire and aspire to be like…what would she be like?
much more beyond the tired and tried, “I want to be thinner” “I want to be a better person” what would go on my list?
I think, I ‘d just title it- “I want to be fabulous”
There, I said it. It feels kind of silly to say something like that, at least to me- shy, quiet, modest homeschool mom. It would feel silly to say that out loud, I’d feel a bit vulnerable to even write this on my main blog. So, here I am on my secret blog, admitting that I’d like to be fabulous by 40. Or, at least on my way…
The art of being fabulous by Genevieve-homeschool mom
- abides with Christ, and it shows. It shows with the peaceful/happy look on her face, it shows in her joy, it shines from her.
- treats her body with respect by eating things that are good for her. Doesn’t eat crap. rarely. ok, once in a while, but with deliberate intention. (Scarfing down a ding-dong while the house is without kids for a bit…is not deliberate intention- it’s just pathetic).
- enjoys using her body to do things like yoga, skating with the kids. Enjoys being strong and not having things jiggle behind her.
- is happy and spreads happiness
- takes care of her household and doesn’t procrastinate. much. (I have to be realistic here, procrastination has always been my besetting sin..so I can’t magically wish it away..but I’d like to tame it)
- isn’t so shy, instead lives to make others feel good about themselves- serves others.
- makes the world a better/happier place for her husband and children
- makes growing up an adventure for her kids
- passes down her faith to her kids in an organic/infectious way and doesn’t leave them to guess about what she believes or even feels about life, God, and them.
- has written work published before she is 41
- takes up her art again
- is good to her friends, remembers to write/call/Birthdays
- has a house that is warm & artistic inside, and mostly clean. (need to finish painting rooms, hanging photos etc.)
- because she abides with Christ (see above) -praying and reading the Word are like breathing, not something she checks off a list each day
- orders something from the Boden catalog to wear. (there..I am shallow, too…)
- makes money with her blog. (more shallowness, but eh…I’m real, I own it…)
So, what about you? Do you have a fabulous list?
Are you already fabulous, or mostly fabulous? What would your list look like? Does my list sound too lofty, or is it realistic enough to accomplish?
and yes, I do want to lose 15lbs before I hit 40..It was kind of implied with the eating well/yoga thing. Does that make me predictable? Scratch that…it does, but we will ignore it to be polite…
By Genevieve, on May 29th, 2010
 My son's try at creative writing I’ve a peculiar situation in my homeschool; I homeschool my nephew, who is in 3rd grade like my son. My nephew has a few learning disorders, because of this, I have concentrated on learning to read and math, leaving writing and spelling for later. It was easier to keep my 3 youngest students together in Language Arts, and helped my nephew to not feel dumb, as he did in school. Now that his reading is more in hand, I see the need to let my son branch off and soar ahead in his writing and grammar. Because of the consideration I gave my nephew, my 3 youngest have not done much writing. They have done dictated narration to me, and short sentence assignment. The time, finally was ripe to push them further.
I met with resistance. And laziness. And a bit of whining.
My solution is the creative writing journal.
I gave each child a blank composition notebook, and on day 1- gave them a writing prompt.
The first prompt: Write about who you are, what you like, what your favorite things are…
My son, Thing 1- took off with creative abandon when I told him I would not be correcting or reading them. He finished a whole page and a half.
My youngest daughter age 7, resisted a bit, but finally finished half a page.
My nephew, Thing 2- sat with blank page. I finally had him dictate to me, while I wrote down what he told me, and then he copied the sentences. This is normal procedure for his work- and what I was trying to get beyond. I was a little at a loss as what to do, and pretty discouraged.
 My non-writing student tries creative writing The next day, the prompt was, “write about a pet you would like to have, what you would name it, what kinds of things you would do with it…”
I had better effort from Thing 1 and The Youngest. Thing 1 wrote 2 whole pages, The Youngest completed 1 whole page.
Thing 2 sat again with a blank page. Finally I helped him, as before, with a sentence. And then, again I told him I would not read it, just glance to see how much was done, and that I would not correct spelling or any mistakes- that he only had to sound out the words and do his best. I wrote down a few words he might want to use . To my relief, this seemed to click with him, and he wrote 2 sentences all by himself.
this was huge. huge.
Creative journal writing can be a huge boost to a child’s writing ability. It’s now a fixture in our homeschool. If you have reluctant writers, this might be just the ticket to achieving longer writing assignments and to achieving writing confidence.
By Genevieve, on May 26th, 2010
By Genevieve, on May 21st, 2010
I have been a homeschool mom for about 11 years now. Looking back, one of my big regrets is not finding one curriculum/program that I could work with- and sticking to it. I have jumped around from program to program quite a bit, mostly trying to find something I could work with-as teacher/mom. Sometimes, just enjoying the hunt/goal of sniffing out the best of the best…(and I have to say, I do have a really good eye for great curriculum), sometimes looking for something that will work best with my students.
This jumping from program to program leaves me in a quandary some years, having to decide which book or level to put my students in, when we have not used the levels preceding. (though I have learned to go with a gut feeling, and standardized testing later proves me spot on.)
My regret then, is not being able to look back through the years, and note a string of texts/levels that we have finished and not being able to look ahead and know exactly what texts I will need next year. I worry about gaps in learning.
My two oldest students test way above average in reading and language arts…so I guess I did something right. My 2 middle students are another story..and another post, it remains to be seen how they did this year, my youngest will be old enough for testing next year. (a hint, the story with the 2 middle students has to do with a learning disability.)
There is my confession. But, I have to give you the other hand, since I am ambivalent most days… Despite this regret, I do have to say that in my daily homeschooling, while immersed in our learning- I’m pretty okay with what we do.
Melissa Wiley wrote about her “Rule of Six” in her child’s day, click over to read her lengthy post… I connected with this thought, and made it a goal for our home…
Six Things to Include in Your Child’s Day:
• meaningful work
• imaginative play
• good books
• beauty (art, music, nature)
• ideas to ponder and discuss
• prayer
In the midst of our homeschool day, as I cover these 6 things, which level of a textbook we are in no longer seems very monumental to me. In our day-in/day-out learning, I am mostly satisfied with what we do. At least, until the curriculum catalogs begin arriving, or I lie awake at night thinking. Will I ever be totally satisfied with what we do? I don’t know.
There you have it, a homeschool mom dishes on one of her regrets.
By Genevieve, on May 19th, 2010
Wordless Wednesday is a fun photo meme that is done weekly.
I have a hard time with the whole”wordless” part…which is why I have to at least title the photo..
You can join the fun at the WW home page.
By Genevieve, on May 17th, 2010
 Gen- mad blogger/homeschool mom A first post is like a first date, hence, the sweaty palms. A first post is a short shot at a first impression. Will you like me? Is the dress too much? Should I be demure, witty, funny, smart…all of the above? You can see then, that there is much riding on this first post.
Your first post will suck, and that’s okay because all first posts suck.
-Tris Hussey, Create Your Own Blog
Okay then, that does erase some of the pressure. This is my first post, and by definition, it will suck. Good, glad we got that out of the way… In light of that quote, I went back and looked at my first post on my other blog. I do have to say, not an example of my best work. In the name of research, I looked at the first posts of some of the big bloggers- and guess what? I couldn’t find their first posts. The quote must hold true and they deleted the embarrassing evidence. I’ve decided to follow suite, and will be deleting my early posts at my other blog. This one might eventually disappear, too. Ha!
So, ahem…my first official post here at Her Own Copy; This is my ‘other’ place, my little secret spot where I can blog free and unfettered. Here, I won’t worry (so much) about what people might say about me, or worry if they are judging me fairly or unfairly, or worry that I make mothering or homeschooling look bad…because- these people won’t be able to be mean to my face. Somehow, this knowledge makes all the difference.
I do have another established blog, where unfortunately- in hindsight- family and friends can read, be impressed or be scandalized. I realized too late that I would have preferred to be anonymous with my sharing. So, enter my new, shiny, secret blog.
You, my new friends will reap the benefit, because frankly, I have a crazy family. Be prepared to enjoy crazy stories of familial dysfunction not previously brought to light- for your edification and amusement. I hope also, that this blog will be a place I can explore the insecurities and doubts many homeschool moms have, but are afraid to air publicly. I’ll even admit that I forget to teach spelling most weeks. Or that teaching times-tables makes me yawn.
Hello world! Welcome to my blog. My name is Genevieve. I am thirty-something and homeschool my four offspring and my nephew. I live in the San Diego area, married to the love of my life- “The Captain”. I love blogging, this is my first foray into the world of WordPress however, so please bear with me as I try to figure it all out.
I can’t wait to meet you. 
By Genevieve, on April 23rd, 2010
Welcome to my little spot on the internet. Please excuse the dust, site construction is under-way.
On the top right of the header is a page with a little about me, and why I am here.
Between laundry, wrangling kids, and making meals…this might take a day or two.
If anyone has ideas about how to fix my blog frog widget, please share. wimper.
oh, and please be my twitter friend, I’m new there and it’s a little quiet. I can hear my tweets echoing back to me…hello—ooo–oo
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About Me  Genevieve, homeschool mom who has found her secret place. Confession is supposed to be good for the soul. That, or just entertaining. Grab a drink, and I'll spill. |
