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*Late Entry* February 26, 2014

5:33 PM

It's Jay's birthday! He's 7 years old! How has his day been?

Wow. My baby boy is seven-years-old. I'm not even sure how I feel. Turk is seven! Wow! *Lol* Sorry, I'm just still in disbelief. How awesome is our God? These past seven years have been a whirlwind of emotions, changes, ups, downs, and, most of all, growth. Not just for him, but for me also. I am so grateful to the Lord for sustaining us. Jay has gone through moving multiple times, familial changes, changes in educational environment, and becoming a big brother. One would think that he has a pretty raw deal, but the Lord has blessed him with an inordinate amount of patience and understanding. He has done such a wonderful job of finding that proverbial silver lining in every situation, all the while not compromising his true feelings. He's incredibly expressive and has no problem telling me how he feels. Psychologically, it's a good thing, because I want and need to go about what's going on in that peanut head of his. He expresses his feelings and keeps it moving. What a kid. :-)

Jay had a really good day. He woke up to balloons and gifts sitting in the middle of his floor in his bedroom. We doubled up on lessons at the start of the week so he could get the entire day off. In the birthday cards we gave to him, he received "$100" in play money so he could buy all the activities he normally has to work hard to get. He had a speech session early in the day, then we went to the library to check out some new books. We ordered a couple of pizzas and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He ate his chocolate cake and that was that! He had a very simple, but exciting day. He was so appreciative, and I loved the fact that it was just the four of us celebrating together. He also received lots of birthday wishes from family, friends, and Facebook acquaintances. So, for all of you who did, Jay has a message for you:

Jay's Thank You Message

 The birthday surprise we had set up in his room.

 Jay standing with his championship belt and the Hot Wheels wall tracks Dad put up for him. There's actually two, but I forgot to take a picture of it after Stephan put it up.

 My Champ.

Happy Birthday, Turk. :-)

Managing Everyday & Long-Term Financial Challenges As A Homeschooling Family

February 12, 2014

1:40 PM

Since you aren't working, how do you manage your finances?

I think one of the biggest concerns when it comes to parents making the decision to homeschool is what is to be done about finances. I think it's pretty safe to say that most two-parent households have double income, and with double the income, you can seemingly manage your monthly finances easier, quicker, and better...right? Let me be the first to tell you that this notion is a fallacy. Single- or double-income households are no different. It's all about budgeting. Sure, you can indulge in meaningless frivolities when you have more money, but the fact of the matter is you can mismanage $140,000/annually as easily as $40,000. Over the past year, Stephan and I learned a whoooollllle lot about budgeting. God has given great financial wisdom to many of our close relatives, who, in turn, passed that wisdom onto us. We have greatly improved our financial situation since we first moved to Texas. We had to make some tough decisions early on to benefit us later. The following is a list of changes we made to our financial lifestyle. 

1. Create a budget spreadsheet. My mother always told me to "put things in writing" and Dad would tell me to "do the math". Taking my 'rents advice, we came up with our spreadsheet. I first started our budget spreadsheet shortly after Stephan left for basic training in 2011. I spent the next 2 1/2 years detailing and adding so much data to it, that it would probably make most corporate financial managers cringe! This was also the very best decision we made when it came to wanting to take back control of our money and finances. Now that we can literally see what all of our expenses look like, we can go to the next step of planning.

2. Don't create new debt unless you're debt-free or actively chipping away at old debt. This is so difficult for 20-something-year-olds. Students loans, credit cards, car notes; all of these are common for young adults. The problem is that a lot of the time, we take them for granted by a) not worrying about paying it back until much later, b) relying on Mom and Dad to foot the bill, or c) ignoring it altogether. Stephan and I created so much debt in our early twenties and we're paying for it now nearly ten years later. When we got married, we combined our debt and was astounded at how much we were in the red. We new there wouldn't be any room for new credit cards or financing opportunities. 

3. Check your credit reports and FICO scores annually. Credit reports and FICO scores are so important to familiarize yourself with when trying to build up your credit. We started doing this in early 2012 when we knew that we were going to have to buy a car once we moved to Texas. Seeing what was on there also helped us to keep the debt column on our spreadsheet updated. We check ours for free.

4. Learn to live modestly and trim the fat where you can. One of our biggest monthly bills after we moved here was our cable/internet bill. We got a standard cable/internet package with one digital box, but we struggled to pay that bill on time. Eventually, we made the decision to cut our cable completely. We kept the internet, and subscribed to Hulu and Netflix. We were able to slash our total bill by $50. We made adjustments to our auto insurance and made sure we took advantage of all of their discounts. Getting gas was another hassle, because we kept going over budget. To resolve that issue, I got a gift card from the grocery store we go to for gas. Every pay period, I'll load it up with the money we budgeted out for gas and will use it for that purpose only. 

5. Accept responsibility for any mistakes you made and pay up! For me, this was the hardest thing to do. 23-year-old Anesha was so careless and cavalier, and now almost-28-year-old Anesha has to deal with it! But, guess what? It takes seven years for a reported blemish to disappear off your credit report, and who has that kind of time? I'm at a peak time in my life. I have a husband and kids. We want to buy another car soon. When we move back to Maryland, we'll want to buy a house at some point. The only want all of these things can be done is by paying what we owe. It sucks. Big time. But, nobody else is going to pay it and no one will want to give us credit for anything with a splotchy credit history. 

6. Contact your creditors, starting with the one with the smallest debt. As I mentioned earlier, my mom always said to put things in writing. She also always advised me to call up these folks and speak with them so I won't have 800 and 866 numbers blowing up my phones. Whatever is your smallest amount of debt, start by making arrangements to pay that one. Once that is paid off, contact the company and have them send you a letter confirming that the account has been paid in full. After that is done, move on to the next smallest. 

7. Use money given/refunded (i.e. tax refunds) to you toward bills/debt. We are all guilty of blowing through money that is given to us, because we're looking at it like it's extra money to use for leisure. We learned the hard way last year. Stephan and I received a whopping return from our 2012 taxes. Even though we had financial obligations to see to, we thought about our personal wants and needs. A month and a half later, we were in the same place we were before we received our return...but broker. We vowed not to make that same mistake again. This year (using the advice given by my awesome sister and bro-in-law) we used our entire return toward debt! Ludicrous, right? Not at all! The key is to have money go back into what's leftover after your monthly bills are paid. And that's exactly what we did. :-)

8. Create a section on your spreadsheet for savings. When you owe people, it's really hard to save up for something you want. If you see something you want that you just have to have now, then that doesn't make it any easier. The other side of savings is that it's always great to have something set aside for incidentals. Those times you need new tires on your car or your child needs new gear for little league is where savings come into play. What we did was add a section for savings on our spreadsheet. We treat this like a bill so we'll remember that this is something that has to get paid. We budgeted our a certain amount to drop in our savings account every pay period. We don't touch this EVER. We even added a section at the bottom to show our progress. Example: We've saved up $550/$2000 for a down payment for a car. (these figures are hypothetical, and don't reflect our actual savings. Y'all don't need to know all that. *Lol*)

9. Make extra money by selling off what you no longer need. Stephan and I found a baby consignment shop in town, and were able to make a couple of dollars by selling much of Madison's old clothes and furniture/equipment she could no longer use. We even successfully sold old movies and books on Amazon! We used to take our movies to the FYE store at the mall, but they closed it. :-( Garage sales are also a good way to sell off unwanted and unneeded stuff. You can also de-clutter your house while you're at it!

10. Don't forget to do something for yourself. My brother-in-law was the one who told us this. Stephan and I tend to get so caught up in trying to manage every dollar responsibly that we forget that it is OK to do something for ourselves once in a while. After paying off several bills, we bought ourselves a Playstation 4. Ho, boy, was Stephan elated! One weekend out of the month, Stephan will give me a few hours off from my mom duties, so I'll go and get my nails done. Sometimes, we'll take the kids to a movie or go out to eat at a nice restaurant. Whatever we decide to do, we make sure we're enjoying ourselves!

These adjustments are what worked for us. Not everything will work for everyone. Sometimes, you just have to find what works for you, but in the case of debt and other financial responsibilities, keep in mind that stuff has to get paid. By making these changes, we were able to slash approximately $10,000 worth of debt in less than 3 years! God. Is. Good. There are other little tidbits of advice I could share, but I'll keep it at this for now. I hope this helps! 

 We're still keeping up our weekly Black History Month lesson about Garret A. Morgan.

 We created light signals out of construction paper and hanged them in each entryway downstairs. *Lol* It was fun.

 We're still teaching Jay about earning, spending, and budgeting money. He's doing a great job so far!

"I Don't Like Homeschooling..."

February 11, 2014

2:47 AM

You guys are more than 100 days into your homeschooling journey. How is Jay handling the change?

The purpose of my blog is to share my experiences of homeschooling; the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I don't want to sugarcoat anything, but I definitely want to highlight all the good moments, and give praises to the Lord for every moment. This is the opportunity for me to grow in Jesus Christ and to teach the kids about His character through His word. I have to remain focused on the reason behind of all this. because there are so many things that can distract me during this ongoing task.

Every now and then, I ask Jay how does he feel about learning at home. Lately, the response has been "I don't like homeschooling." *sigh* Of all the backlash I've heard against homeschooling and the snide remarks/comments some have said directly to me, this is by far the most discouraging. I don't care one bit about who says what outside of this residence, but I feel like I am doing something wrong if I receive negative feedback from within these walls. I want Jay to enjoy his experiences here at home. I'll ask him why doesn't he like homeschooling, and his responses range from "I want to go back to Duncan [Elementary]" to "I want to be around my friends." I can totally understand children wanting to be around a bunch of their peers. It's fun, right? I can think back to seven-year-old Anesha, who was a social butterfly at Mattaponi Elementary. All I cared about was playing and yuckin' it up with my buddies. My focus wasn't on schoolwork. Who had time for that? When Mom bought my green denim shorts and matching greenish tie-dye shirt and I got braided extensions, I couldn't wait to show them off! 

Fast forward to high school. Senior year. Producer of the morning show (yep, Flowers HS alum, that was me!), star trumpet player in the marching band, chronic class-skipper; y'know. I was so focus on the social aspect of high school senior life. I applied to one college and felt like I was the stuff because I was accepted into it. I placed absolutely no effort into doing anything, except social and extra curricular activities. I barely passed all of my classes. My parents, my mom in particular, were so frustrated with me. But, I didn't care. I didn't know any better. I didn't see beyond the walls of my high school. That's what I think Jay is experiencing. He wants to be around a bunch of his peers, even though he spends a lot of time with our neighbors' children. This is essentially his only reasoning for wanting to go back. Jay, in his brilliant, albeit, seven-year-old mind doesn't fully understand that, academically, he has learned so much more at home than he has at school. He doesn't remember that his permanent assigned seat was next to the teacher's desk and away from the twenty-five kids that used to tease him, all because he was deemed a distraction to them. Or that he had a hard time completing given tasks, not because he didn't know how to do the work, but because there's so much going on around him, that he couldn't control himself enough to focus. No adult wanted to take the time with him. Jay doesn't know that he was tested for low-spectrum autism (whatever that means), and that, even though it meant absolutely nothing, they staff and teachers would've treated him like some less-than-average special case, when in all actuality he is just as smart and capable (in many cases, more) as any other child.

Jay doesn't know what are the best decisions for himself, just like I didn't when I was younger. And just like my parents when it came to me, I know what's best for my child. I can see changes in him that he may not notice or even realize. After 5 1/2 months of homeschooling, I'd be crazy, and plain old defiant, if I sent Jay back to public school. As much as I loved to give into Jay so he can get what he wants now, I have to do what's unpopular in his eyes. That's what parenting is about, I guess. We have to make unpopular decisions on behalf of our children, because we have been given the ability to look at things from a long-term point of view.

I get questioned often as to how long Stephan and I plan on homeschooling, as if this is just something we're doing just for the time being. Sometimes I just want to respond with "Well, how long do you plan on public schooling your children?" I don't think that would fly too well. But if you, dear reader, must know, we plan on homeschooling our children until they are ready to move on to college, the military, the workforce, or whatever else the Lord has in store for them. But, I can tell you one thing: by the grace of God, we'll have them prepared!

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This week's Black History Lesson is about Garrett A. Morgan. Jay learned about two of the inventions he was most famous for, and even got to watch a couple videos focusing on those inventions. Tomorrow, we are going to "construct" traffic lights and (with permission) take a look a Daddy's gas mask. Dad will definitely be the one to show him how the mask works since he's the one who uses it. We're definitely having a great time taking in these Black History lessons. :-)

We watched someone's school project that gave some pretty cool factoids about Mr. Morgan.

Keeping It "100"

January 5, 2014

11:51 AM

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the Earth!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness!

   Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!

   It is He who made us, and we are his;

   We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

   and his courts with praise!

   Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord good; 

   his steadfast love endures forever,

   and his faithfulness to all generation.

Thank you, Lord! Thank you for your grace and mercy! Thank you for giving us the strength and endurance to even begin this journey! There's so much to be thankful for that I cannot possibly fit it all in this one blog! Ladies and gentlemen, today is our 100th day of homeschooling! What a milestone! There's so many reasons for giving the Lord thanks! I barely know where to begin!

Well, let me start by apologizing for not posting yesterday. I've been sick this week (a homeschooling first!) and barely had the energy to keep up our regular lessons. But, by the grace of the Lord, not only has Jay been doing well in his lessons, we've been rolling with the Black History lessons about Harriet Tubman. Monday, we did an overview of who Harriet Tubman was and how she contributed to American history. Yesterday, we went to the National Geographic website and did an interactive journey of The Underground Railroad. That was pretty cool! We discussed some notable abolitionists that provided "depots" and assistance to the passengers of the Railroad. I tell ya, the internet has so many awesome ways to supplement homeschooling lessons.

We were supposed to celebrate 100 days by fixing homemade pizza and baking a cake, but Mom just didn't have the energy. But, I did let Jay play on the Playstation for an hour more than what he paid for. (We're still doing the money thing. It's still working! If you don't know what I'm referring to, please read Homeschooling Hacks, Part 1) He read his library books, and got to catch up on Monday night's episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw.

Today, we're going to fix the pizza for dinner and enjoy cake and ice cream for dessert! We'll cover another lesson about Harriet Tubman and probably will relax. I'm still very tired. Another reason I'm thankful is because the Lord has given me the energy, courage, and dedication to get up every morning, fix my children breakfast, and complete 4-6 lessons everyday! Early on, you never know what he has planned for you. Thinking back on the person I used to be, I would've never guess that by the time I reach my late-20s, I'd be doing all the things I'm doing now. I love the life the Lord has given me. I love Him even more for equipping me with the strength, dedication, and wisdom to live it. 

Black History Month Kick-Off!!!

February 3, 2014

1:53 PM

It's the month of February! What exciting events do you have planned for this month?

Man, this is a jam-packed month full of awesome educational opportunities and fun! This month is Black History Month, and Stephan and I will be teaching Jay about four historical figures each week. This week we're learning about Harriet Tubman. Jay will watch videos about her, color pictures, learn about the different connecting Underground Railroads, and more! Next week, we'll talk about Garrett A. Morgan, then Dr. Charles Drew, and then close out the month learning about my favorite singer of all time- Stevie Wonder. This is going to be so exciting!

Tomorrow, we celebrate 100 days of homeschooling! I want to get into everything that I have planned, but I'll save that tomorrow's blog. I'm so excited!!! We will probably learn the history of Valentine's Day, but that's something I need to read into myself. I've acknowledged the holiday for 27 years, and the most I know about it is that you give candy hearts with little messages on it to someone you have a crush on. Well, considering I've been married for nearly three years, I don't feel it necessary to do that. Besides, I tell my honey I love him everyday...and I cook him three square day everyday. Isn't that enough? *Lol* We will celebrate President's Day, and will focus on the strides black people made under various presidencies, and, yes, even though I don't agree with many of his policies, we will talk about President Obama! We'll talk about President Lincoln and the abolition of slavery. I want to talk about General Washington, but I don't think it'll be appropriate to tell my almost seven-year-old that homeboy had like hundred slaves and even had a bunch of kids by him. We'll discuss it eventually, but only when he's older. *Lol* Speaking of my almost seven-year-old...

February 26th. My 4', 63 lbs. "baby" will be seven. *sigh* Where did the time go? I don't even know what else to say. I get so overcome with emotion, because God has been so good to us! Jay has made so much progress and I couldn't be more proud and more honored that the Lord chose me to be his mother! there won't be any big celebrations with friends or anything like that. Instead, Stephan and I want to take him to the planetarium that isn't too far from here. We also want to take him on a tour of Austin, and get out of this town for once. There's also a zoo in Waco that we think he and Maddy would like. On top of all of that, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment for those of you who aren't too familiar with this company. Yes. All four of us are HUGE fans.) will be coming back to Waco in March and I reeeeaaaaallllllyyyy want to go again this year! We went last year and had such an awesome time! We saw the return of The Undertaker! AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! Their untelevised house shows are super-awesome, because you never know who is going to show up! We took six-year-old Jay and five-month-old Madison to a show to watch men and women fight. They loved it. *Lol* I know, I know. Just awful...

Yes. We were live and present at this particular show!!!

What an eventful month we have coming up! Keep checking back, because I'll be posting as often as I can!

Homeschooling Hacks, Part 2

January 25, 2014

8:05 PM

How about some tasty treats?

I got this recipe from Facebook.

String Cheese Mini Bites

Preheat oven to 425 degrees cut string cheese sticks into bite-sized pieces. Place them in the freezer for 25-30 minute so they won't melt in the oven. Dip the cheese in milk (I used whole for the kids), and roll in seasoned bread crumbs. Lay them on a baking sheet that is lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce. I fixed these for the family and they loved them! Definitely a change from everyday string cheese, which is a staple in my house. I don't feel bad giving them to the kids, because they're baked!

Corn-Dog Muffins

A spin to this carnival classic! Prepare cornbread mix as directed. Pour into a muffin tin. Cut hot dogs into bite-sized pieces. Place 1-2 pieces in each section. Baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Yum!

Infused Water

Have a hard time getting your kiddies to drink water? Infuse them! I purchased my infuser from Amazon for $20. Well worth the investment. If you can find one for cheaper, then hop on it! We've put oranges, lemons, cucumbers, kiwi, limes, and other stuff in the infusion spout. Jay's favorite is strawberries and mint (as pictured about). Both of the kids really enjoy this. It's not the same, boring water that you drink day in and day out. Depending on the recipe you use, you can also drink infused water to detoxify your body. AND, it's a pretty sight! 

For the Grown-Ups: Anesha's Low-Country Boil

In no way is this is inexpensive and quick recipe. It's barely kid-friendly. Lol Stephan and I had this one night, late December. We said that we were going to make this a winter tradition. 4 clusters of snow crabs, 1 lb of jumbo shrimp, 4 ears of corn broken in half, 1 kielbasa link cut into sections, and about a lb of red potatoes. All boiled in old bay-seasoned water. Serve with clarified butter and remoulade sauce. Oh! And a cold beer. I suggest a hard cider. Sooooo deliciouuuusssssss!!!

I have tons more recipes to share, but they require a little more effort and ingredients. I'll be sure to post them at a later date. Hope these help when you need something quick to prepare for the kids!

Homeschooling Hacks, Part 1

January 25, 2014

3:48 AM

Any recipes, ideas, or tips you can offer to other parents?

I say "Homeschooling Hacks", because most of these ideas sparked during the past several months during our homeschooling journey. Really, any parent can utilize these ideas. It's just a matter of finding what works best for your child(ren). Since Jay has a hard time paying attention (and he's gotten pretty mouthy lately), we had to devise a way to teach him self-control and discipline, all the while teaching him basic academic lessons. Typically, when he gets in trouble, we'll revoke a privilege. Well, that's starting not to work, because he never seems to have any privileges by the end of the day, and then he'll come up to us asking what can he do to keep himself entertained. When that happens, he doesn't really seem to learn from his mistakes. He'll apologize, but it's not clicking. So, we wanted to come up with something that allows him a clean slate at the start of every morning. This is what we came up with:

You guessed it! We are giving Jay the opportunity to "earn money" to "buy" the things he enjoys doing! Whenever he is polite, uses his manners, completes a task within the allotted time frame, does't whine, etc. he earns money. When are using the Melissa & Doug play money set sent to us by one of my sisters and brothers-in-law. I can't even begin to tell you how many different lessons this incorporates! I'll list five:

*He understands the concept of earning money

*He'll learn how to budget, count, and save money

*He'll learn the valuable lesson of accountability

*He will understand that at any given time, the Lord gives, and He takes away

*He'll also learn two of the greatest blessings that we can ever receive from the Lord: grace and mercy

There are so many other lessons that he will learn and not even realize it! We implemented this idea yesterday, and it worked! He focused more on completing his assignments and got them done in a timely manner. He wasn't as mouthy as he normally is. He worked more diligently. By the end of the first day, he earned $104! He spent some of it on playing with his cars/action figures, bringing them downstairs, and play-doh. We know that he'll want to do the big-priced activities, so instead of starting fresh everyday, the money he earns will build up throughout the week. On Sundays, he'll start over. There are negative consequences for not doing what he's supposed to do. If he acts up, he'll earn less money and/or he'll have money taken away. But, it's up to him whether or not he is able to earn enough money to do the things he wants to do. Praise the Lord for giving us this effective idea! 

More homeschool hacks to come! Part 2 will feature some of my favorite recipes that are guaranteed to be a kid-pleaser!

Jay got a 100% on his spelling test! He earned $20 for this!

The Persecution of the Homeschooling Family

January 22, 2014

1:23 PM

Do you feel like homeschooling can be potentially dangerous to children?

*sigh* In my short five-month homeschooling journey, I have heard all sorts of arguments, from both ends, regarding homeschooling and whether or not it poses a danger to children. Before I get heavily into this entry, let me reiterate that this entire experience is not for my benefit or recognition. This is not about my own personal glorification in anyway. This is about God. God is the reason why I am breathing. Every decision I make in my life, I preface it with the question "how is this honoring to the Lord?" I pray and ask the Lord to guide me and to bless my efforts. I thank Him for who He is and for the gift of salvation. I repent for the terrible things I've said, done, and thought that are a result of possessing a sinful nature. After I pray, I seek His response from His word. I read about the different situations the people of the Old Testament went through and how God was there and brought them out of it. Then, I study out of the New Testament to receive the instructions Jesus preached about. Understand this about Anesha Berry. I live to serve the Lord. 

When you are living to serve the Lord, everything else in your life falls exactly into place. Your relationships are better. Finances is easier to manage. Parenting is still a challenge, but you have a better understanding of why you do it. In many cases, lots of people who were never meant to be in your life fall by the wayside. All in all, your life begins to align itself with the word. Things are clear. This is where my life is now. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he grows up, he won't stray from those teachings. What does this passage mean by "train"? Proverbs 23:13 speaks on disciplining your children, while Proverbs 29:15 explains you discipline. "In the way he should go." What is our purpose in this life? To serve the Lord. How do we do this? By obeying His commandments. The last part of Proverbs 22:6 is pretty self-explanatory. Ask yourself this. How many adults do I know adopted negative behaviors they learned growing up? Ever heard of "generational curses"? What about welfare queens? Those are just two examples, but the point is much, if not all, of the time these are things people learn from their parents, other adults, or even other children. Let's say you get to the point in your life where God has broken every chain and accepted you into His family. (Please recognize that He blesses in many shapes and forms and that if you're breathing, whether or not you're a believer, God has blessed you) In spite of your past, the Lord has washed you white as snow. Things are on track. And now you have kids. Do you really want to risk having the world influence them at an impressionable age? Don't you want to be the primary influence in your life, knowing that you can teach them what's right? 

That is simply what me and Stephan are doing with our kids. Recently, there has been lots of backlash against homeschooling, and people will try to link it to domestic abuse. Let me just say that 1) anyone who truly loves the Lord and serves Him abuse of any kind is dishonoring to God. 2) If a parent is going to abuse their children, they will abuse their children whether or not their being homeschooled. 3) Unfortunately, there will be cases in which alleged abuse will slip through the cracks and go unnoticed, like I said, whether or not the children are homeschooled. 3) There are some folks out here who are "religious nuts" and will try to justify their nonsensical actions by saying "In Jesus' name..." 4) All homeschooling parents aren't not like this. That's like saying all black people are rapping, thuggish, cursing, booty-shaking, ghetto birds that are bent on blaming white people for all of our tribulations. While there are some of those bad apples, it's not enough to ruin the whole bushel. 

Now, all of this is me and what goes on in my household. There are many types of successful homeschooling families out here. I love my children. I love them with a fierceness that a lioness has over her cubs. They deserve to exercise their right to have an excellent education, and not just a decent one. They deserve to go out and explore the world using their own senses, and not just learn about it by looking through a book within the walls of a classroom. My children also deserve to know the truth about different topics and not be shielded from them. Sex, drugs, money, taxes, discrimination, etc. are all very real things that people deal with every single day. Don't our children deserve to know about these things extensively? Don't my children deserve to know that while money can be a root to evil, it can also be used for much good? I do want them to understand that drugs are bad, whether you experiment with them or you're a full-fledged addict. I do want them to know that sex can possibly lead to undesired pregnancies and/or diseases, but I also want them to know that it is something that MARRIED PEOPLE can enjoy! Who is going to teach them how file their taxes and why it's important that we even pay taxes? Who is going to teach Jay how to hold doors open for ladies and Madison how to keep her legs closed when she's sitting in a skirt or dress? Who is going to teach them that just because they are black, it doesn't mean that they have to believe they are victims?! 

Stephan and I would be doing them an injustice placing them in public school. Everyone is so caught up on "the potential for physical abuse" when it comes to homeschooling. Another form of abuse is placing limitations on their growth and development. That's not what occurs in the Berry Household. We know that we are the best teachers, outside of the teachings of Jesus, Himself, for our kids. There's no way that anyone will take that right away from us.

   

I Still Have A Dream...

January 20, 2014

11:48 PM

Happy Martin Luther King Day! Enjoying your day off?

Err...no. This is not a day off, but I'm enjoying it just as well!! Unfortunately, that's what many Americans consider this holiday to be-just another day off. Stephan and I had already planned to make today all about the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We even cancelled our math and phonics and reading lessons to focus on the holiday, the man, and the civil rights movement. What a great time we had! Jay was really into our discussion. We incorporated some new vocabulary, did an egg demonstration, and listened to all seventeen minutes of his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. How awesome was it to be able to listen to that speech with my children 50 years later? He was very engaged and paid attention to the speech! Believe it, or not, that was the first time I have ever listen to that speech in its entirety! Years and years of public school, projects about him, reports, and the like, and not one of my teachers have ever played that speech for any class I was in. I tell you, you don't get a full appreciation of MLK until you hear the power of his words and the intensity in which he spoke them!

Demonstration of differences and similarities using my buddies Mr. R. Ed and Mr. B. Lue.

Even though that look different on the outside, they are exactly the same! And, might I add, equally delicious. They gave their lives so we could have a hearty breakfast this morning. Jay was distraught, at first, but got over it quickly as he devoured each tasty, eggy morsel.

After we listened to the speech, we discussed some of the key points Dr. King touched on and what Jay learned from them. He colored a picture of Dr. King I had printed out (Thank you, Google Images!), and wrote a letter to his grandmother about what he learned on the back of said picture. We listened to a lot of music from the civil rights era and music with uplifting lyrics during the assignment. He did such a great job on everything. He asked lots of questions and he even made the connections between Dr. King's speech and our friendship with a white family, who lived next door to us. The whole lesson made me very proud. Just as I began to think that Jay didn't notice the differences regarding skin color, he made it very clear that he understood there are, indeed, those differences and that those differences were viewed in a negative light. But, in Jay's words, God loves everybody. That was the most rewarding portion of the whole lesson. Jay was able to identify the negatives of segregation about how it was dishonoring to the Lord. What a blessing that was!

We resumed our regular spelling and vocabulary and penmanship lessons. If there's time, we'll pick up the other two assignments. Each year during these special holidays, Stephan and I want to really explore every facet of the person or occasion. As he gets older, he'll be required to do extensive research and write detailed reports. Next month for black history month, Jay will be learning about four different black historical; one for each week. Stephan will be having science lessons with him focusing on the creations of black scientists. I am really looking forward to it! Maybe we can even take a field trip to Austin. Not sure what we can learn there that's black history-related, but I'm sure it'll be exciting nonetheless! 

Music from today's lesson:

This is a song I sang years ago when I was apart of Washington Performing Arts Society Children of the Gospel.

Mr. Hathaway

Mr. Cooke

Yes. Common. Had to throw in some good hip-hop that uplifts and unifies!

And Nas.

Nobody Ever Told Me That Babies Grow Up...

January 13, 2014

10:25 AM

Is it difficult to be with your kids 24/7?

When people hear that I homeschool, the usual response is "I don't have the patience", "I couldn't do that", or "I need time to myself". My initial response is then why did you have children?? I have to remember that I used to think the same thing as they do. When Jay was younger, I lived for time to myself and the chance to go out and do "grown-up" stuff. Now that he is about to turn seven (Lord, help me!), I can't imagine not spending this time with him. He and Madison are growing up so fast and I don't think it's selfish to want to capture all of their moments. So many parents have to sacrifice seeing their own children's milestones due to work and/or the need to place them in daycare. I don't want to have to hear of their developments from another adult. 

I also want to witness their educational milestones. We are nearly 100 days into our homeschooling journey, and I can tell you how Jay is progressing in each subject in detail. I can tell you what makes him frustrated and why it does. I can tell you what he's going to put the most effort into. I can even give you a detailed analysis of the effect of music on my son. There is nothing that any other adult can tell me about these kids that I don't already know. 

I'm really enjoying my time with them. Of course, there are times that I need to be by myself. Stephan is great about that. He'll take care of the kids while I go out and spend some time with Anesha. I will never undervalue the importance of grown-up time and I'll take it when I need to, but never at the expense of the kids. Stephan and I need time together, because that's just what married people do. Our location makes it difficult, because we don't really have anyone around here we trust enough to watch our kids. I tell you one thing, we'll never take family for granted! Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are awesome to have around. Our family is extra awesome, not just because they are so loving and share a close bond, but because we know that we can depend on them for just about anything, including watching the kids so we can do more as a couple. Whenever we move back to Maryland, Steph' and I will definitely be spending more husband and wife time together! Military life, man...

My words are not meant to offend or hurt anybody's feelings. My feelings are my own and only reach as far as my own family. Anyone who knows me personally knows that the well-being of my family is at the very top of my priority list, immediately after serving the Lord. I don't do this to impress or to gain recognition. I do pray that I can be a blessing to someone else through my witness and personal testimony. I want to inspire young parents to take control of our children's education, not necessarily by homeschooling. But, we all can be our children's primary teachers. They learn so much from us. It goes to back to the old saying "Lead by example". Let's be good examples to our children. Let's teach them how to make wise decisions. Most importantly, let's teach them how to live lives that are honoring to the Heavenly Father. 

         From left to right: Mama Biscuit, Turkey Biscuit, & Chicken Biscuit (Sausage Biscuit not pictured)

Homeschooling Is Superior to Public Schooling!

January 12, 2014

3:36 PM

Say what, now?

Don't shoot the messenger! I read an article recently about the reasons why homeschooling is superior to public schooling. For the most part, this article is everything I want to say about my feelings and more! But, for now, I'll keep my mouth shut and allow you to read it. 

http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2012/10/24/8-reasons-homeschooling-is-superior-to-public-education/

"Bundle up, Buttercup!"

January, 7, 2014

1:20 PM

Man, is it cold outside!

You said it! The national forecast is ridiculous. This morning in Central Texas, it was 19 frigid degrees. Back east, they're dealing with single-digit temperatures with a windchill factor of -1 degree. Southern California is facing the country's only heatwave with a scorching thermostat setting of 68! One of the big issues I'm seeing up and down my Facebook feed is weather (pun intended...hehehe) or not, schools, the government, and other places should face cancellations or delays. In my unprofessional, but parental, opinion: yes, they should. As I explained so someone, regionally-speaking, not all areas are equipped to deal with extreme temperatures such as those we're are dealing with today. While states like Colorado are accustomed to dealing with 7 degree weather, Maryland is not. While Maryland is used to dealing with freezing rain and snow flurries, Texas is not. I've witnessed III Corp ordering the entire post be shutdown due to the mere possibility of freezing rain, just for it to never have shown up. But, now that we all know that we're not impervious to all kinds of extreme weather no matter what region you reside it, now is the time to be prepared.

  Current national forecast

Stephan and I are from the Mid-Atlantic region. We've dealt with weather ranging from hot and humid to frigid and freezing. We are skilled in operating vehicles in such weather. We dress accordingly. We also know how to adjust the thermostat in the house so we don't get overcharged on our gas and electricity bills. Most importantly, we know how we need to dress our children. One of my biggest pet peeves is parents who under-dress their children. There's a guy who brings his infant son (about 10-11 months old) to the therapy center where Jay goes to for speech. Everyday, no matter what the temperature, this...*ahem*...guy puts nothing more and nothing less than a onesie on his son. Now, I'm not a medical professional. I am not a licensed therapist. But, I graduated with top honors from the School of Common Sense, or SCS for short. (Go, Owls! Owls, because they're wise. Get it? No? Ok, whatever.) Parents often wonder why their kids are so sickly. My point is, dress your children appropriately, Mom and Dad. If you know it's going to cold in the morning, then put a coat on your child. Texas is known for having very cold mornings, and then heating up to the high 80s by mid-afternoon. My parents always said that you can take layers off, but once you leave the house, you can't add them on. DRESS YOUR BABIES!!!

A New Resolve

January 2, 2014
9:18 AM

Happy New Year, and all that jazz! How's everything going? What's going down for 2014?

What are extraordinary year we had in 2013! The Lord has been gracious and merciful every single step of the way! He's blessed us over and over again, giving us more than we deserved and keeping us from what we truly deserve! That fact that He brought us thus far, and that we're still here, tells me that we are far from done with our earthly works. We're on day #77 of our first year of homeschooling and super-pumped about what the new year will bring to our little family! 

The second-half of the school year is going to be self-paced, but guided. I didn't type up January's lesson plans, because, frankly, I got lazy and stopped following the previous months. Lol That doesn't mean, however, that I didn't use them as a reference point. They kept me on track, considering I was just getting started with this whole schooling at home business. Now, I have a better understanding how what I need to accomplish within any given time frame. I am confidant in the knowledge that Jay will be finished by mid-May, and starting his second grade lessons during the summer. Don't worry. Jay will get plenty of time. But, the beauty of homeschooling is that I can give him lessons any time I want and we can take vacations any time we want. Jay is really into school and he begins to get crabby when he's not working for a certain period of time. He enjoys working continuously. During Christmas break, I had to give him at least one lesson a day to keep his ever-ticking mind occupied! 

This year, one of my new life goals (not just a yearly resolution) is to get my children, and myself, more physically active. My wonderful and awesome brother- and sister-in-law bought Jay this crazy BMX-style trick bike that is waiting for Jay to pop wheelies on. Next month, I'll be investing in a new bike for myself so the two of us can enjoy the outdoors more often. We're aiming to be healthier, joyful, and focused on God's word more than ever! It's so important for me to focus on honoring the Lord through my actions, because I had anxieties about moving into the new year. 2013 was such a good year for me that I was concerned about 2014 possibly being a horrible one. The fact of the matter is that anything can happen on any given day. But, I'm faithful to my God. I know that He is bigger than anything I could go through, and that is what keeps me moving along everyday. I don't want to spend more time worried about possibilities that I take my focus off of actualities. 

How good is He? More than any one of us can imagine. Thank you, God, for bringing me this far.