Our decision to homeschool...

So back in December of 2013 we made the decision to pull Duncan, Maxwell and Laurel out of the Montessori charter school they were attending.  I really loved the school and their teachers and all of the friends we made there but I knew it was time to take the leap and start homeschooling the kids.  It is something we had talked about years earlier before the kids had started school.  I told myself when Laurel was to start Kindergarten I would do it.  That time came and went and I felt I just didn't have it in me.  I had 5 kids and I thought my patience was worn too thin. Then at the beginning of Decmeber, things just started adding up... 

It took a good 20 minutes to drive from our house to drop them off at school. That is 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back, 2 times a day.... that is a lot of driving time and a lot of gas and a ton of money spent on gas!  

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The mad crazy rush to get out the door in the morning was getting to me.  I turned into a complete crazy person trying to make sure everyone was on track to leave so they wouldn't be late. That's not how the kids should start their day!  

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Laurel didn't want to go anymore.  She would literally not let go of my hand when I walked her to the classroom.  And she LOVED her teachers.  They were Duncan and Maxwell's kinder teachers.  We had seen them almost every school day for the last three school years.  It broke my heart to pry her hand off of mine and force her to go into her classroom.

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Duncan wasn't enjoying class anymore.  We thought it was because all of his buddies moved up to fourth grade.  He was a third grader in a 1/2/3 class (the way most montessori schools are) and was bored.  He had a wonderful teacher, yet there were so many kids in the class that needed more specialized attention.  Erghe and I felt that he would be better off at home learning at his own pace and able to explore his own interests and not be on anyone else's schedule.  

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and so in about two weeks time we pulled them out of the school and made the leap into homeschooling.  I let Erghe take the reign and order all of the curriculum as I was overwhelmed just thinking about it.  Those first 5 months were something else.  I very much enjoyed not having to wake up early, pack three lunches and do that crazy dash out the door and make the commute.  It was wonderful having to not be on anyone else's schedule and knowing that my kids were where they wanted to be too.  

We have had our share of rough days - days when no one wanted to do school work, days when all they did were annoy and argue with each other, and days where nothing seemed to go right.  But the good days far outweigh the bad.  I love being my kids' teacher.  I love having the freedom to choose what they study.  I love the freedom they have at home - the freedom to explore, to play, to be kids!  

Over the past 9 months we have homeschooled I have changed curriculum, changed our daily routines, changed our homeschool room around and done a lot of adjustments to my expectations.  I love the flexibility we have and love that we can skip a school day if we need to.  I know I will continue to make changes and adjustments around here as needed and as we grow.  I don't ever doubt that our decision was the best one for our family.  I do have days though were I miss the social interaction I had when taking the kids to school.  I was very involved and helped out with school activities.  It was a major reason for waiting to take the leap for as long as I did.  How selfish of me.  But here we are Duncan is in 4th grade, Maxwell is in 3rd grade and Laurel is in 1st grade.  I love watching them learn new things.  It amazes me how different each one of their learning styles are.  I have had to take a step back on really look at what is best for them.  I want them to be life-long learners and enjoy these years at home being with me.  I hope that once they are older they can look back and appreciate their education and the time spent with their siblings.  

I look forward to posting more soon about our homeschool space, our curriculum and the kids daily work plans.         

Fast forward 4 years... September 2014

I forgot I had a blog until a homeschool friend asked if anyone in our group blogged.  So I did some searching and located my old blogger account.  Looks the same as I remember. Oh how heartwarming it was to go back and read the posts I had written years ago... back when I had just four littles!  So much has changed in the four years since my last post but still much remains the same.   

The Poston Family now...  

Duncan is 9, Maxwell is 7 and my little Laurel is now 6! 

Graham is 4 and Clark is 2.  They love each other so much!

Here is a snapshot of me and Erghe... 

and baby #6 is a boy due to arrive mid January...

I will do my best to keep the blog up to date with the latest Poston stories, scribbles and snapshots as there is never a dull moment around here.  I will also add photos and stories of things that have happened during my 4 year absence from this little blog of mine...

My Lovely World.  

In 36 days...

My oldest will officially be a kindergartner. Today he learned to tie his shoes and my eyes watered.

I am so excited for him. Making new friends, learning new things and beginning his journey in elementary school. He is a sweet, considerate, well mannered little man (although his brother would beg to differ) and I am oh so proud of him!

Ode to Graham and an update on the other Poston kiddos...

My littlest man is almost 3 months old. I'll rewind back to April 7, 2010 and fill you in on his arrival. I awoke at 1:30 a.m. with massive heartburn. Took some tums and decided to do some housework... mainly folding laundry. Contractions started around 3:30 and were INTENSE! By 5:30 it was time to get the kids up and into the car to go to grandma G's. We got to the hospital about 6:30 and I was 7 cm dilated... He arrived at 9:02 a.m. au natural. I can easily say, this labor was the least painful (how lucky am I?).


Duncan, Maxwell and Laurel simply adore Graham... which I am sure by his 2nd birthday will change. But for now, life at our house is mixed with attitude, laughter, dirt, tons of clothes and an infinite amount of love. Duncan turned five in April and has since started Judo... what a character!


Maxwell is quite the kid... very animated and loves to be the center of attention.


Having two older brothers, Laurel is one tough cookie and a girly girl at heart...


I had a yard sale this past weekend and during my cleanup, I found a baby praying mantis... Erghe just loves them and took this awesome close up!


So life with 4 kids age 5 and under is very interesting to say the least. As they each grow, their personalities shine through - I am so intrigued by them. I am so blessed to have these wonderful little human beings in my life. We are all looking forward to our first summer here in our new home - we have already broken in the sprinklers and seen way too many pincher bugs for my liking. Now that baby G is getting a little older, I hope to be able to post more often all of the funny, crazy, weird, and memorable stories of my life to share.

Read this and I love it!

Sometimes I wonder where the day goes... I sure know my husband wonders too. When there are dirty dishes in the sink, crumbs on the ground surrounding the dining table, dirty socks in the hallway.... it is easy to get caught up in the daily to-do list of household chores and be baffled at how much didn't get done... I found this on some random blog today and had to post it to remind me that it is OK (and wonderful) to have these days...

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

Today I left some dishes dirty,
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those window panes
Will still be there next time it rains.


Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?


I held a baby till she slept,
I held a toddler while he wept.
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that's true.


Unless you think that what I've done,
Might be important to someone
With deep blue eyes and soft brown hair,
If that is true...I've done my share.

Getting ready for Graham

So today I officially have 4 weeks left until my due date. This pregnancy has flown by to say the least. I am so excited to meet this little man and to complete our family. I have enjoyed all of my pregnancies very much and am sad that this will be my last, but happy to know that I will have 4 wonderful children and a great husband to make a lifetime of memories with.

Duncan, Maxwell and Laurel are so ready to meet their little brother too. Every morning when Duncan wakes up he says good morning to me and kisses my tummy to say hello to his brother. He constantly tells me that he can't wait to meet him and that he is excited he will arrive around his own birthday. He also says that baby Graham is going to be just like him... that would be great because Duncan is an awesome son! Anytime Laurel sees a baby she just goes nuts! I am a tad concerned that she will be a little too lovey-dovey with Graham... but I am sure after a week or so she will get over it and go back to beating up on her older brothers. Maxwell adores babies too and I know he will be a great big brother to Graham and be a huge help to me when I ask for a favor when I am in need.

So yes... we are all anxious to meet baby #4 to say the least. I have been busy nesting and getting the last of the "must haves" for when he arrives. All of the kids have co-slept in our bed so we don't have to worry about getting his room ready, as I am sure he will be in our room for at least a year... heck, we still have Laurel in our bed most nights... even the boys manage to sneak in at some point during the night. I am a little concerned of how all of us will fit in a queen sized bed though. Some nights I find myself going into Laurel's room and getting into her bed just to get a bit more space to sleep. Seriously though, I am sure Erghe will help out and do some shuffling of the kids back into their rooms and we won't have to worry much about the space issue... it might just take a few weeks for it to stick.

This past Sunday my friends threw me a little party for the baby. Holly and Summer were awesome planners and hosts and gave me a wonderful non-traditional shower. We played a really fun dice game called LRC, had some finger foods (thank you all for bringing the delicious dishes to share) and just had a nice relaxing afternoon with some of my favorite people...

Tomorrow I have a prenatal appointment and the doctor is going to get personal and do an exam. WOW... it is crunch time! These last weeks are going to zoom by so I need to make sure that I take a step back and enjoy the kids and my husbands company as much as possible... I have no idea what it will be like to go from 3 to 4 kids. I hope my hormones don't get too crazy these last few weeks before and the few months after he arrives.

Oh my... time to go pack my hospital bag. I hope that this labor and delivery are as easy as the last two. Geez, I just hope I make it to the hospital in time. I can't wait to hold you in my arms Graham!

I Love You G-ma!

My G-ma finally entered into rest yesterday, January 25, 2010. She gave a tough fight and amazed us all with her strength. It won't be the same without her around.