Helpful websites

I spend a good deal of time on the internet trying to find free and mostly free websites. I thought it'd be good to link them all here so you can see what I found.
http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/ I use this one a lot. I became a member and bought the Raising Rockstar Preschool bundle. I start next week with letter Ll and even made a fancy board.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html. I paid for this one too because I wanted to make the little books for Busybee's lapbooks that we'll be doing too.
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php. This one is great for lapbook ideas and printables and it's FREE!
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php. More great ideas.
http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/. And more printables
http://thisreadingmama.com/. I use this one a lot too.
http://www.123homeschool4me.com/
http://www.progressivephonics.com/
http://www.starfall.com/index.htm. This is a really great app! If I get an Ipad or something similar then I will definitely purchase this app. They do have some free stuff to sample though.
http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/index.htm
http://www.education.com/

Have fun looking through each website!

I Survived!

I survived my first week of preschool! The first day nothing went as planned. I was ready to be done with this adventure and send him to a preschool somewhere else as fast as I could. Then I looked around my dining room at all the money I invested in this adventure and sucked it up. Day 2 went much better because I didn't have such high expectations. I'm learning what Busybee likes and doesn't like. He doesn't like to color. Who knew? He loves the white board and tracing things I put in sheet protectors. Day 3 went SO much better. I had more hands on activities for him to do. Letter stamps and playdoh and things to trace on the sheet protectors. This week I am taking him to the library for storytime with a dog. I have avoided the library because he can't sit still and he surely can't be quiet. I am hoping it goes well given there is a dog there. Here's to the second week!

Why I choose to homeschool

I wish I had a concrete answer as to why I'm going on this crazy adventure. I want to say I feel like the public school I went to let me down. I was "good at school", but I didn't retain much. I made it through college to get my Masters, but it was only because I was "good at school." I still remember my math teacher in high school making me cry because she made me feel stupid because I couldn't grasp easy concepts as she thought I should. I think she asked me what 3 squared was and I drew a blank and couldn't tell her. Hence, I dropped the class and took creative cooking instead. I want to say I want to homeschool because of the violence in the school. I only have one kid and maybe I'm holding on too tight to him. I want to homeschool because sometimes I feel like preschool is glorified daycare that costs a lot of money. There are so many reasons why I want to homeschool. Deep down in my gut I feel like this is the right decision and I hold onto that thought every day that I want to give up...which is every day!

Who am I

Let's start off this little adventure by telling you a little bit about myself and my history. I am a wife of 8 years come September 9th and a mom of 4 years come November 21st. I shall call my son Busybee because that is what he is. Full of energy never stop talking Busybee! I only have the one Busybee. We want another, but the odds aren't in our favor. It took 3 years and 2 miscarriages for Busybee to make it into this world. I would like to slap the next person that says "well at least the trying is fun." Planned sex is NOT FUN! So don't say it to me please. We started trying for another when Busybee was 6 months old. It's been 3 1/2 years now and haven't been pregnant once. I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and hypothryoidism and I'm fluffy to top it all off. The odds really aren't in my favor.

I am a stay at home mom. We can afford it and my reasoning is "If Busybee is going to be messed up it's going to be me that messes him up." We recently moved from Maryland to Washington. In Maryland I had every intention of finding a job as an audiologist, but then the pregnancy adventure began and I had A LOT of doctor appointments to go to so it never really happened. For nearly 8 years it never happened. Now I fear if I were to find a job I would have to get my Au.D. That is 2 more years of college. Just the thought is tiring.

My first thoughts of homeschooling came about even before I was pregnant in Maryland. I took one look at the schools Busybee would be going to and said NO WAY. So here were are now in Washington and the schools aren't that bad, but I still feel drawn to homeschooling. At least preschool. I can teach him his ABCs and 123's right? I have my Master's for crying out loud. I can do this! So let's do this.....!