Traci's Testimonials

I try to discourage irrational fears in my children. Each one has a few, but don't we all? One won't blow his/her nose for fear that it may end up in his/her mouth rather than the tissue. Another refuses to sing when asked for fear of "messing up", but ask this child not to and have fun trying to stop her! Then there are the normal childhood phobias; monsters under the bed, not going downstairs alone in the dark, finding mushrooms in the spaghetti sauce...stuff like that. But my youngest Buddy has developed the strangest fear I have ever heard of. Since I started by having three girls, I didn't really have to worry about "potty messes". To put it delicately, girls sit down. Enough said. When I found out I was having my boys, the first thing everyone felt the need to warn me about was every male child's innate inability to aim. I shrugged it off thinking, if that's the worst thing I have to deal with...I own a mop. Potty training the Buddies ac...

I think the single thing I love the most about homeschooling is the flexibility it affords. Doctors appointments and little trips are never a problem to schedule. Snow days are non-existent but Too Nice To Stay Inside days abound. Field trips to our local science centre usually result in one-on-one time with the staff since we are often the only ones there. We recognize our flexibility as a luxury we are thankful for. I am not, by nature, a flexible person. I like routines. I like structure. I like things to be done my way, at my pace, in my time. I am self-centered and stubborn....but at least I'm honest! I taught my two older daughters exactly the same way. While they each excelled in different areas, they both learned. I was happy to say I had "normal" children. Not brilliant, not gifted, but wonderfully, happily, beautifully average. The eldest loved math but was not particularly keen on learning how to diagram a sentence. The younger loved ...

I am in the habit of praying with each of my children before they go to sleep at night. I use those few minutes to ask them seriously (and sometimes playfully) if they have anything on their minds that they would like to pray for. The range of requests stretches very, very far. I've heard everything from "I want my tummy to feel better" to "I want to find my noisy frog toy." (I'll shamefully admit I "forgot' to mention the frog toy during my purposefully lengthy oration). It has been a precious time for me because we don't just pray together, as cheesy as some people may think it sounds, it is truly a bonding time....well, usually. We had been going through a wee bit of a rough time with Buddy #1. He is a sweet and sensitive but energetic and mischievous at the same time. He would never intentionally hurt anything but does a lot of damage unintentionally all the time. Most of the family sees his natural curiosity as a severe pain in the tukas,...

I grew up being aware that I am a wee bit challenged in the hand-eye coordination area. I started wearing glasses at 3 years-old and am virtually blind in my right eye. This fact has never stopped me from trying things that require such an ability. I learned how to read music and play the piano...at the same time! I can type quite proficiently (thank you Internet ) and I am a master at Super Mario Brothers on the classic Nintendo system, a real usable talent. One thing I have never been able to quite figure out how to do well though, is cut things without slicing myself. I remember being a preteen and helping a friend get ready for her party. We were having tacos and I was asked to dice the onions. Her father stood back and watched for a few seconds as I struggled to balance this slippery round object with a particularly sharp knife looming precariously close to my fingers. I'm not sure whether it was a protective nature or sense of liability that kicked in but he waited ver...

As I go about my daily life, I do not always readily reveal to others that I am a homeschooler. I tend to wait for a time to test the waters before I let strangers or new acquaintances in on that little tidbit of personal information. When I think the time is favorable (or am outright confronted with a direct question) I am met with one of two schools of thought: 1. I am a supermom with inhuman patience. 2. I am a bitter woman with a severe hatred for public school teachers. Neither one is true. I openly and freely admit that patience is not one of my inherent virtues. My husband and children will attest to that fact more emphatically than I feel necessary. While I have had some issues with one public school in particular, I try not to paint them all with the same graffiti. Teachers, however, (especially in the public sector) receive my utmost respect. After having a conversation with a very dear-to-me public school teacher about the issues facing teachers today,...

I have often joked that I gave birth to 5 children solely for my entertainment. And while having 5 kids in as many years has had it's challenges, the joyous times have definitely outweighed the latter. One of the things I have really come to appreciate is the occasion when other people find my children as entertaining as I do...or at the very least, tolerable. This past week we had the opportunity to spend some time with friends I haven't seen in years out in beautiful Georgian Bay. When I was a teenager I had the unique and wonderful position of "Camp Owner's Daughter." My dad owned and operated a fishing camp for several years. While I was basically forced into child labour happily fulfilling the light responsibilities my mom and dad bestowed upon me I got to meet many people from all sorts of places. I made great friends, some of whom I'm still in touch with. One friend in particular makes a yearly pilgrimage from Tennessee to her family's private ...

In the last 24 hours I have washed 6 loads of dishes, mopped the floors twice, cleaned the toilets, sinks, and counters. I have combed tangles until the tears outnumbered the hairs. I have settled arguments with both words and punishments. I have driven hundreds of kilometers and walked about the same. I have found food where it oughtn't be and DVDs where it ought.  I have caught myself using sarcasm on my 7 year-old and blushed hearing her use it right back at me. I have made the beds to have them torn apart in effort to have the "coolest fort ever made". I have picked up the same book 17 times. In the last 24 hours I have tried 4 new recipes to have 3 utterly rejected. I have pulled a fish hook out of a foot, pried a stuck knee out of a metal structure at the park, and checked for concussions and bloody noses...all on the same child. I have heard "my life is over" and "this is the greatest day ever" within the same hour. I have reminded the kids th...