Finally, Nikki has come to a decision regarding his education.  As always, I try to encourage my boys to decide what they want for themselves.  I simply give them the options and the pros and cons and they come up with the decision – with some guidance from me, of course.  And he has decided to continue with blended learning.

I know I haven’t posted about it here because I was so busy and was gone from the blogging world for a time, but last year, Nikki tried blended learning.  In case you’re wondering what that is, it’s basically a combination of classroom learning and other types of learning (homeschooling, computer, etc). The year before that (2010-2011) Nikki joined a homeschooling group once a week at Alabang.  Although it was nice meeting other homeschooling families and although he learned a lot in Music and Arts, Nikki was not able to find his niche there since the original kids of the group already formed friendships.  So, it did not help him with his shyness. So, my husband and I talked about it and decided that for schoolyear 2011-2012, we would enroll Nikki in a nearby school so he’d have the discipline, the interaction, the interpersonal skills he needs and then we’d continue with our homeschooling lessons at home.  It was of course, challenging but we managed.  Nikki came out of his shell (though he’s still shy) and learned to speak up and to make his opinions heard.  Since we were homeschooling at the same time, I wasn’t worried about errors in the school’s teaching, which to be honest, happened several times.  Since our purpose was to expose him to life experiences, we figured, we’ll focus on lessons when we homeschool and his life in school will be sort of his extra-curricular activity.  It was actually nice because he got to experience what it was like to fall in line for flag ceremony, to wait to be called in class, to celebrate school activities like Intramurals, Linggo ng Wika and Christmas Parties, and to have friends who are reliable and good.  Since I saw much improvement in his self-confidence, I was really pleased that he’s picking blended learning this schoolyear as well.

So, although it will be tough on me this schoolyear since Ethan will be starting Grade 1 and I will be homeschooling him, I know that this is the best for my boys.  I just hope that we’ll be able to find the time, money and drive to do this the whole year! Wish us luck!

And when I say “we”, that includes me as well because I would be lying if I said I didn’t learn from our homeschooling experiences.

So anyway, we went to 168 yesterday to accompany my mom and dad and get more pasalubong for my relatives in Canada.  On the way there, we took a wrong turn and Nikki’s first lesson of the day was patience.  He gets very rattled when things don’t go the way they should be and when he found out we took a wrong turn, he was like, “Daddy, you should have taken this road” and “we’re supposed to go THAT way” which didn’t help matters at all.  Besides, he had no clue where we were going anyway. So we had to tell him to shush for the moment because we needed to focus on where to go.

When we got there, it was close to lunch and my dad said we’d better eat first so we could shop without interruptions. Nikki wanted KFC so his dad told him to buy the chicken himself.  This is his second lesson because Nikki gets so self-conscious when he talks to other people, most especially when he’s ordering.  Sigh. Anyway, Ruther went along with him but he did the ordering. So that was okay.  His next lesson for the day was making noodles.  While buying DQ ice cream, we noticed a man in a nearby stall making noodles by hand.  It was fascinating so we stayed and watched.  While we did, we talked about the Ramen Museum at Shin-Yokohama, the different types of noodles, the ingredients of noodles and things like that. It was like a mini-fieldtrip.  Cool.

Of course, Nikki had to be reminded about safety.  Whenever we would be in crowded places, he would always call out to me.  He kept his bag close to his body (he wore a messenger-type bag) and he didn’t bring his cellphone with him since we had no plans of parting ways. Whenever we would leave a place, he made sure he checked it thoroughly in case we left one of our packages behind.  He did a good job.  More than good, actually.

Before we left the mall, I told him we could look for a nice pencil case for him for school since the pencil cases at SM cost around P250 for those big ones.  We chanced upon a school supply store and looked among the many cases there.  There were big ones that cost P50 (with 2 covers) and even bigger ones that cost P90-100.  I asked him to pick which one he wanted and upon inspecting them closely, he liked the one with the clock on it (yes, a clock) which cost P100. When he found out how much it cost, he was like, “Mommy, is it okay that we’re buying this one?  The one that cost P100?”  I suppose, because I always make him conscious about prices and spending and expenses, he thought that he was splurging.  Of course, I told him it was okay because the pencil case was actually a steal at P100.  So he was quite happy with his pencil case.  Next lesson?  Taking care of his things.

All in all, it was a tiring day but we made the most of it by making sure we found learning experiences and activities along the way.  Here’s to more homeschooling fun wherever we go.

 

Today, I have decided to bring Nikki along with us to 168, and leave Ethan at home.  I know Nikki can be impatient and irritable when he’s sleepy and tired but I believe he will learn a lot in our adventure today.  Like what, you ask?  Well, haggling for one.  :D  Kidding aside, I want Nikki to learn how to be street smart.  He’s quite the gullible boy so I want him to have life experiences so he’ll be more confident and more self-assured.  So today, we’re learning about safety and what to do in crazy, I mean, crowded places. I already told my sister that I just know I’ll be so stressed today from having to keep my eye in him all the time and tending to Enzo (who’s becoming so bossy these days) but Ruther will be with me so I’m kind of hoping I won’t go crazy at the end of the day.  We’ll just get Ethan a nice pasalubong so he won’t feel too bad about staying home (he actually doesn’t feel bad at all and much prefers to stay home instead of crowded places).  As always, I prepare the boys for such “adventures”.  I always dress them up in bright shirts so I could see them even from a distance.  I always tell them to stick close to me.  And I warn them of stranger danger.  In the Philippines, it is always best to be wary of suspicious characters.  Remember, forewarned is forearmed. Since Nikki also has his own cellphone, I teach him to wear it inside his shirt so no one will be tempted to grab it from his neck.  He did that when we were in Baclaran the other day.

So yeah, weighing the learning opportunities for Nikki, I guess I’ll just have to brave the storm. Oh yeah, and I’m hoping I get to bring home some nice clothes or even a bag for myself.  :D

My mom and dad are here!! They arrived this morning and I spent Tuesday and the whole of yesterday with them. It’s also a great bonding opportunity for my boys. Been so busy trying to keep up with the shopping, going places and spending time with them that I don’t have time to blog – yet.  Sacrifices have to be made.

…..

While my mom was at an optical shop last Tuesday, geting new contacts for herself, my dad and I were having a conversation.  He asked me why I wasn’t wearing contacts now when I used to before.  I told him I had excessive dryness when I wore my contacts and it would irritate my eyes and sometimes turn them red, so I completely stopped wearing them and started wearing glasses.  He then asked me how much LASIK cost as a treatment.  I told him Ruther’s cost around P65,000 and that was back in 2000.  Then I told him that I recently saw a promo for LASIK that cost P29,999 and he said, “Thirty thousand? Okay, I’ll give you the money and you have your eyes done”.  I was so surprised!  I was like, really?!?!  Goodbye glasses forever?  WOW!!!  I was ecstatic!  Think of the possibilities:  No more kids breaking your glasses accidentally, wearing fashionable sunglasses, snorkeling underwater without squinting and no more looking like I’m 10 years older.  WOW!!!  So exciting!  I showed my parents the promo yesterday and they told me to get it.  This is great!  I’ll be able to have my eyesight back after yeeeeaaarrss of squinting and glasses and contacts.  Woohoo! Makes me wish I could do cartwheels right now.

Thanks Daddy and Mommy! I’m so lucky! Love you guys!!

So I went to the Homeschool Conference yesterday.  It was so inspiring.  The speakers were very inspiring, the support was inspiring, the number of people who arrived and attended were inspiring.  I felt so inspired yesterday I think I was glowing.

But seriously, I was very happy with the outcome of the Conference.  Debra Bell was there, by the way, isn’t that amazing?!  I was like, whoa!  This woman could speak in a foreign tongue and I would still be inspired. I only hope to have even a fraction of the success she’s head with homeschooling. Love her talk.  Bo Sanchez, founder of Catholic Filipino Academy, was also one of the speakers.  He moved me to tears because he understood what every homeschooling family goes through.  It was really a validation of everything we’ve experienced over the years.  He’s a very inspiring speaker as well.

After the conference, it made me think on where we are right now as homeschoolers.  It made me reevaluate our purpose in making this choice.  From the moment we left the conference until we got home and got ready for bed, my thoughts have been on our homeschooling.  I will not write them all here because I think the computer will overheat but in summary, these, currently, are the reasons why I want my boys to remain homeschoolers:

For Nikki:

1. To display self-confidence and be willing to take risks.  Nikki has always been a cautious child.  And I mean cautious to a fault.  He’d not want to talk to sales people at the malls because he thinks they would not understand him, or they would talk to him in Tagalog and he’ll not understand them, or he would make a mistake and they would laugh at him.  Yeah, paranoid.

2. To value the quality of work and have good work habits.  Nikki is not a lazy child but it’s not in him to voluntarily clean or fix stuff or do chores.  I want him to be able to do his part and be responsible as a son, a brother and a boy.

3. To show courtesy or consideration. Nikki is not impolite.  It’s just that his cautious and shy behavior makes it seem as though he’s aloof and cold.  He does forget to say “please” and “thank you” but he does not do it with malice.  He’s just very capricious.

4. To build career awareness. It’s never too early to think of the future.  We’re not counting chickens, just trying to visualize where Nikki will be and what he’ll be doing 10 years from now.  I think it’s never too early to dabble in things that interest you so you’d know which one you’re willing to do day in and day out can call it work. 

 

For Ethan:

1. To have a sense of schedule and routine. Ethan is very flighty and it might be because of his ASD.  I mind it only when it affects his learning.  It’s not easy to coax him sometimes and good thing I have a lot of patience.  We have good days and we have bad days.  I accept that and I know that will always be a part of our homeschooling.  I just want us to have some structure so that we could have a routine that would be helpful for Ethan and that would keep me sane some days.

2. To be able to converse.  Ethan still has a hard time conversing with us.  He usually talk to us because he wants to say something but when we try to make him talk to us like in a conversation, he loses focus and just says what he wants to say regardless of the topic or person talking to.  We hope that, when he’s ready, he’ll be able to talk to us like in a conversation.

3. To build study skills. As an ASD child, Ethan has a lot of catching up to do in terms of lessons and academics.  We’re enrolling him in a school this year and so we hope that he would be more open to the lessons and activities.  Otherwise, I’m screwed. 

 

For Enzo:

1. To develop a love of learning at his early age.  ’Nuf said.

 

For now, this will be my focus.  I know other homeschooling families have bigger – much bigger – goals than this, but the good thing about homeschooling is that not every recipe is the same.  You have to find the one that works for you and if it does, good for you.  If it doesn’t, you can always try again.  Another good thing about homeschooling?  There are no failures.

 

I’ll be attending the Philippine Homeschool Conference tomorrow at Ortigas. I’m so excited! I hope to see some of my homeschool friends there and at the same time, hope to get some freebies.  Sana meron. I don’t want Ruther rushing me and Enzo stressing me out so I’ll be the only one going and the two of them will stay at a nearby mall.  I hope it will be a very successful day tomorrow.

Here’s the programme from the HAPI site:

7:30- 8:30 AM REGISTRATION
MORNING SESSION

8:30 AM – AM Session Opens
National Anthem
Invocation

MESSAGES FROM OFFICIALS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Hon. Sec. Arman Luistro, DepEd Secretary
Hon. USec. Tonisito Umali, DepEd Undersecretary for Legal and Admin. Affairs

9:00 AM KEYNOTE MESSAGE 1: Bo Sanchez
Why Homeschool?

10:00 AM KEYNOTE MESSAGE 2: Debra Bell (Talk #1)
Why Homeschooling Works

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
LUNCH
EXHIBIT VIEWING
HOMESCHOOL HELP DESK:
Ask Experienced Homeschooling Moms (12:30 – 1:30 pm)

AFTERNOON SESSION
1:00 PM – PM Session Opens
Violin Performance
Roi Trawon, former homeschooler

1:15 PM KEYNOTE MESSAGE 3: Debra Bell (Talk #2)
Cultivating a Love for Learning in the Home

2:35 PM HOMESCHOOLING AS LEGACY
A Forum with Homeschoolers

3:30 PM CLOSING REMARKS
Edric Mendoza, HAPI Chairman

*Final Grand Raffle

4:00 PM CONFERENCE ENDS

 

And here are the exhibitors!

BOOTH	EXHIBITOR
A	TMA Homeschool
B	MSA Academic Advancement Institute
C	Victory Christian International School
a1	(TBA)
a2	(TBA)
a3	(TBA)
a4	(TBA)
1	Edcrisch
2	Mint College
3	F&J De Jesus
4	Galileo
5	Gentle Star Trading
6	Color Mix Corp
7	Hobbes & Landes
8	Abiva Publishing
9	Living Heritage Academy
10	Pru Life UK
11 & 12	CMA
13	Linden Tree Institute
14	Catholic Filipino Academy
15	Filway Marketing
16	Virtual Campus
17	Revicon
18	Magnavision
19	St. Francis Square
20	GPG Bulilit Bookstore
21	Metrobank
22	ParentinTV
23	The One School
24	Fun Ranch
25	Learning Library
26	Citibank
27	Numberworks
28	Medela Moms
29	Mommy Matters
30	International British Academy
31	Lighthouse Educational Corp.
32	Mathemagis
33	Brainfit Studio
34	Hatch and Latch
35	Autism Society of the Philippines
36	iAcademy

We sleep with the windows open at night because of the hot weather.  So we’re often visited by bugs from time to time.  We’ve had moths fly in, some mantises, lizards are a common sight and we have one living behind our wall clock which comes out at night when we turn off the lights. One night in December, Ruther was roused by a flapping sound in our room and when he got up to check, it was a bird who was trapped in our room.  So yeah, we get some surprises.

The other night however, just when I was about to fall into sweet slumber, I felt a quick crawling on my leg and a little nip. I shrieked quietly (is that possible?) because Enzo was asleep beside me and tried to flick the thing away.  I felt something bigger than a regular bug and I whispered harshly, “What was that?! Ugh!” Ruther felt me jerk awake and also quickly tried to swat away whatever was trying to nip me. When we turned on the lights, the bug was gone.  In the morning, we saw the culprit hanging on our bedroom curtain.  I thought it would be a great study for the boys so we put it in their bug catcher and upon looking at it closely, it just seemed so… alien!  It had a pointy head, nothing like I’ve seen before and it was bigger than most bugs!  I think it was around 2 1/2 inches long.  I showed the bug to the boys and they were fascinated.  They wanted to keep the bug forever but I told them they had to let it go that afternoon.

We researched and checked their bug books for the bug’s name and the closest we got to was either a bush katydid (because of the coloring) or a long-horned grasshopper (because of its overall appearance).  But we weren’t 100% sure.  Still, it was nice seeing a bug that big up close.  Hopefully, there won’t be any more surprises like that for me in the near future…