See Me Homeschool (an ooooorrrrrdinary day...)

Hi!  Welcome to Day One of See Me Homeschool and to a very ordinary day in my own Western New York based homeschool happenings!  

I've been so excited about this blog hop and link-up for a while and it's finally here!  While the point truly is to give readers an insider glimpse into a typical homeschool day, I feel like you're in for a bit of a let down here with this post - I chose to photo-record last Thursday and let me tell you, it was so very ordinary.  If the account of my day bores you to the point of tears, know that you've really and truly been given the privilege of seeing the real thing.  I could have staged drama and flair, but it just wasn't that kind of a day, and I wanted to show you the reality. It wasn't anything like one of our best days and it was far from awful.  It just was ordinary.

So... this idea of photos only (who came up with that dumb rule anyway???) presented me with some challenges.  First of all, even though there are a bazillion photos here, you still don't see it all, so some of it might not even make sense to anyone else but me.  It occurred to me this morning that I failed to include a photo of one of the most pivotal moments of every day -  a moment, fraught with tension, on the very brink of disaster or success - the moment when my husband walks out the door in the morning.  He takes his lunch and doesn't look back............ And I'm left alone.  Needless to say, with my mind pre-occupied with the event wherein lies the brink of disaster or success... I missed the photo-op.

Secondly, the photos-only rule was a real exercise in humility for me.  For nearly half of the photos I included I was dying to write something along with it - an explanation, an apology, an excuse, a caveat, all the additional info.  It look a lot of effort and self control to leave it as it was supposed to be - my day in pictures, no words.  You'll have to imagine all the background noise and you'll have to guess at my commentary.  And if you have questions about how it all played out - please, I'm begging you, ask me in the comments!!!!  Because I'll allow myself to ramble converse as much as I want down there :)

Many other homeschooling moms are going to be sharing their days with you throughout this and next week.  Please be sure to check out all of them, as I know that they will all hold something different and valuable.  And with any luck, they'll be a little more scintillating than mine ;)

After you immerse yourself in my last Thursday, hop on over to California to Korea to take a look at how Micaela's homeschool day unfolds.  Micaela teaches her oldest four and cuddles her newest baby girl :)  Recently, I loved what she wrote here and here.  Also, don't forget to check out her self interview in her series "How I Homeschool" to learn more about why and how it all goes down in their west coast casa :)  As a matter of fact, it was Micaela's series that gave me the idea for this little Internet event in the first place!  So, now she's hosting this with me and I'd like to take this opportunity to say, thank you, Micaela!

The complete blog hop schedule is at the end of this post.  

Click here to view the other bloggers who've linked up and to link up your own See Me Homeschool post!  The link-up is open until the end of the month!  

Without adding any more words to the post with no words, won't you grab a cup of coffee, a glass or wine, or a growler of ale, and see me homeschool??

Cheers!  Bye!

*   *   *   *   *   *

BLOG HOP SCHEDULE...

Monday, February 16          Micaela @ California to Korea

                                         Theresa @ Ordinary Lovely

Tuesday, February 17         Kelly @ This Ain't the Lyceum
                                         Mary @ Better Than Eden

Wednesday, February 18     (Ash Wednesday)

Thursday, February 19        Kathy @ 9 Peas

Friday, February 20            Annie @ Annery at Home

Monday, February 23          Jessica @ Housewifespice
                                         Erin @ Seven Little Australians and Counting

Tuesday, February 24         Dwija @ House Unseen

Wednesday, February 25     Kendra @ Catholic All Year

Thursday, February 26        Gina @ Someday (hopefully) They'll Be Saints

Friday, February 27            Charlotte @ Waltzing Matilda 

  

Want to join in?  Head back up to the top or here for link-up info :)

See Me Homeschool (a Blog Hop and Link-Up!)

There are a lot of homeschoolers out there who, after the little kids are finally down for a nap and the bigger kids are chained to seated contentedly at the table with their spelling book, like to blog about the joys of homeschooling.  We've all written about how we do it.  We've shared our thoughts on curriculum and schedules and methods (or about how we've ditched the curriculum, never follow a schedule, and didn't really know until just now that there were various methods of homeschooling...  Wait, what?)  Ahem.   

We love to share success stories, tidbits of wisdom we've learned along the way, tales of what works for us, lists of the best poems for memorization, recommendations on supplies: what to get and what not to get, and even stories of frustration, imperfection, and complete and utter breakdowns that involve self-doubt, notions of quitting, threats of "real school!" or even boarding school, and lots of ugly crying... or yelling.  I, personally, tend to be more of a yeller.  

Ever wonder what's really going on behind those blog posts full of educational goals and plans, poetry recitations, Tuesday teas, real-world science experiments, and gallery-worthy artwork?  What is the reality of the everyday - the day when there might be lots of tea, but it was part of a young chemists attempt to blow up his science book, or the day during which the mom gives quite a speech to her children but it in no way qualifies as a poetry recitation.  What about the ordinary days when all the over-the-summer hours of research and reading reviews to select a math program or writing course come down to a five-minute multiplication worksheet and a mediocre essay on "My Weekend"?

Homeschooling is all of it.  It's fun, it's dirty, it's beauty, it's boring, it's joyful, it's busy, it's enjoyable, it's insane, it's hard.  It's worth it.  And we'd like to show you more about it.

Several homeschooling moms have teamed up to offer a glimpse - literally! - into their homeschooling day.  See Me Homeschool is a blog hop that will feature the day-in-the-life photo albums of a wide variety of homeschooling families - families with younger children that are new to homeschooling, and families in which the mom is a seasoned (and wise) veteran with high schoolers and even homeschool graduates.  Starting Monday, you'll be given the privilege of an insider's perspective on all of this - and more!  (You're starting to feel like a VIP aren't you?!)

Everyone who homeschools does it differently and that's what you'll get to see, because the rule is - only photos, no words.  It's harder than it sounds.  As I was preparing my post, I kept wanting to add an explanation here, or an excuse there, or to write, "it looks peaceful but you should have heard the screaming from the next room!" or "I swear this mess wasn't there a minute ago!" or "usually we get out of the house for some fresh air..."  

The bloggers participating have agreed to let you peer through the window that is your computer screen and "spy" on their homeschooling day - they'll show you what it looks like when the learning is humming along, and when it hits a snag, and maybe even when it all comes crashing down.  But the point is, these aren't posts on methods, ideologies, and programs - they are an invitation to pull up a chair and watch a typical homeschooling day unfold.  You'll have the privilege of seeing where the rubber meets the road and how homeschooling happens (or hangs by a thread) on an average day.

I invite you to join us and to See Me Homeschool!  (hosted by Micaela at California to Korea and myself!)

The blog hop schedule is as follows...
(All homeschooling bloggers are invited to participate in the link-up portion of See Me Homeschool!  See below for details.)

Monday, February 16          Micaela @ California to Korea 
                                         (read Micaela's How I Homeschool interview here)

                                         Theresa @ Ordinary Lovely

Tuesday, February 17         Kelly @ This Ain't the Lyceum  
                                         (read Kelly's How I Homeschool interview here)
                                         Mary @ Better Than Eden

Wednesday, February 18     Christy @ Fountains of Home

Thursday, February 19        Kathy @ 9 Peas

Friday, February 20            Annie @ Annery at Home
                                                 (read Annie's How I Homeschool interview here)

Monday, February 23          Jessica @ Housewifespice
                                                  (read Jessica's How I Homeschool Interview here)
                                         Erin @ Seven Little Australians and Counting

Tuesday, February 24         Dwija @ House Unseen
                                                 (read Dwija's How I Homeschool interview here)

Wednesday, February 25     Kendra @ Catholic All Year
                                                  (read Kendra's How I Homeschool interview here)

Thursday, February 26        Gina @ Someday (hopefully) They'll Be Saints

Friday, February 27            Charlotte @ Waltzing Matilda 
                                                 (read Charlotte's How I Homeschool Interview here)

Not on the schedule??  We'd love to see how YOU homeschool!  Record a typical day in photographs (see if you can follow the no words rule! - it's hard!), post it on your blog and link it up here!  The link-up will be open from Monday, February 16 to the end of the month, so there's lots of time to recruit all your other homeschooling-picture taking-blogging friends as well :)  Hope you'll join us in letting the world see how you homeschool!  I can't wait!  

(please feel free to use the image above for your linked up post!  If the coding stars align themselves, maybe I'll finally be able to turn it into a click-able, grab-able button, but so far all my late-night efforts have been foiled.  I'll keep trying!  In the meantime, thanks for your patience :) )

An InLinkz Link-up