When I first began to explore the idea of homeschooling my kids, I first thought of my kids: what is best for them socially, spiritually, educationally.  When my husband first thought of homeschooling the kids, his first thought was $$$.  After the emotional decision was made, I began to realize why his first thought was $$$.  Homeschooling can be so expensive.  Oh sure, many will point out that it is less than private school, but that is little consolation for me..I am not, nor did I have, putting my kids in private school.

Last year, I was able to get Daniel his core materials for about $150 while Sierra cost us close to $500.  This year, Daniel was going to cost closer to $300-400 while Sierra was staying in that $500 range (and that does NOT include the formal art class we are putting her into this year).  My heart palpitates as I want to give my kids the best curriculum for their abilities that I can and I spend HOURS on the internet searching for the best options (as well as scour our local homeschool store which is CHAOTIC to put it nicely and dark and overwhelming).

I have heard a couple of my homeschool friends talk about buying their curriculum on ebay.  Now, I have never been much of an ebay fan.  I get nervous about getting what I think I am getting in the condition I want to get it in...plus paypal just seems like such a hassle.

BUT, then I started pricing things.  For example, Daniel.  I wanted to get him started on Shurley Grammar this year.  Shurley Grammar, online at their website was $70 plus shipping.  On Christianbook.com, it was $55.89, but you could bet you would add another $10 in shipping.  However, on ebay, I was able to get the exact same items (teacher book, student book, practice book, and cd) for around $23 with shipping...the teacher's book has SOME highlighting in it at the very front of the book, but it is in otherwise pristine condition.  This was HUGE savings.

I recently tried purchasing American History for Sierra.  I have decided to get her Abeka's America Land I Love history which is not too bad new on Abeka's site...I could buy the whole kit for about $90 which includes the text book, and several other books.  BUT, looked on ebay and found a seller selling the whole kitten caboodle for $30.  I asked, before purchasing, about the condition and the seller gave me a detailed description of exactly the condition of each book and I was pleased to pay what she asked.

Now, that is not to say that I have not been bamboozled.  I recently decided that Sierra needs help with writing.  So, while I found a grammar set for her to do, I wanted to get her a seperate set for writing.  I decided on Wordsmith which came highly recommended on homeschool review sites.  The student book, new, is $20, but I wanted to see what I could find online.  I found a woman selling it for $8 plus a couple dollars in shipping and thought YES!!  When it arrived in the mail, it was the Teacher's manual, not the student book, which is naturally cheaper brand new.  In fact, when I got turned the book over, it had a $6 price tag.  I was pretty upset because the title said "workbook" and the picture was a picture of the student book, not the teacher's guide.  Now, I did find the student book, also on ebay, for $10 and I ordered it (hopefully it will be what I ordered).  AND, making lemonade from lemons, I found that the teacher's guide has been helpful.

So, I love ebay now.  I have bought some things new and kept to ebay for others.  I have not been disappointed with the transactions, shipping time or the like....and I have saved TONS of money.  If I can get my kids ALL that they need and save $$$ in the process...why not.  I think Sierra's went from about $500 to now around $200.  LOVE THAT!!

Ok....I have been told I am addicted to chocolate.  I have been told I am addicted to Facebook.  I can tell you I am addicted to Pinterest.

Am I addicted to Home Schooling??  My husband informed me tonight that I have a problem and I am addicted.  He said "you look like an addict, you need to shut it all down or you won't sleep".

Ok, so I spend every waking minute planning, researching, typing up plans, talking about and dreaming about homeschooling.  So, my wrist and fingers are numb or have shooting pain from all the typing.  So, I got a book in the mail about homeschooling teens and that is sparking new things in my brain.  So what....

Apparently, when Matt told me to stop everything and pick it back up tomorrow, I had the look of a manic.  How can I stop....I am reading interesting perspectives on what I should may be do or not do with my teenage daughter.  What books I should do...some writing curriculum that comes highly recommended.  Literature...credits....  Today, I decided to go ahead and start working on Sierra's history credits for high school.  I look forward to ordering more curriculum for her.  I planned out her year of science, only to discover some holes in the plan, so I will have to reorganize a bit.  It was a day dedicated to school....as was yesterday...and the day before...and, well, so on....

So, my mind is going in ten million directions.  I still have some printing and binder assembling to do...a school room to reorganize....a long list of things to get done and I have until the end of August to get it done.  No problem, right??

Matt says 89% of what I talk about is centered around home schooling....99% of what I do is home schooling.  Now, in all fairness, I am just trying to get as prepared as possible for the upcoming year so that when things happen, as they often do, I can be prepared.  

I have had this conversation before at my homeschool group's park day.  There is one particular mom that I talk to a lot who FEEDS my addiction.  She introduced me to the wide open range of stuff out there for my son and now I have pin boards full of activities on pinterest and I have curriculum information stored everywhere!

Do I need to go to Home School Addicts Anonymous??  Do I need an intervention?  

Yes, my name is Sandra and I am an overplanner!!  Or.....am I?

Well, I am PLEASED beyond PLEASED to announce that I have completely and totally planned all my son's school for the 2012/2013 school year.  Seriously.  Ok...well, I haven't planned the second half of his math.  I haven't bought it yet.  I am waiting until he needs it.  AND, I haven't planned his reading because it is reader's choice...that is, I will give him a choice of 3 books at a time for him to choose to read.  Add to that I cannot predict how fast he will read each book.

It is quite thrilling to know ahead of time what we need to get done this year...

The lesson plan is ready for each subject.  I have not only made a lesson plan for the school year, but I have gone subject by subject and made binder inserts for each subject.  He will have a binder for each subject where he will keep all his work.

AND, I even managed to find an excel spreadsheet that I can use to keep progress grades on.  I LOVE IT!!

Now comes the next challenge.  Doing the same for my daughter.  Oh, how it was going to be SO MUCH EASIER for her this year.  We were going with Monarch by Alpha and Omega Publications...everything is on the computer and it figures out her plan for her.  BUT, we decided it was NOT a good idea for her and so now I am going through figuring out her curriculum (which I have pretty much figured out what she will do) and than AFFORDING to buy it SOON and than plan it out.  

But, it is quite an accomplishment for me to have this done.  I am very relieved that it has worked out.  I look forward to assembling binders and arranging the room.

I would show you my lesson plan, but it is too large a file, unfortunately.  Here is a screen shot of one week.

Here is what his history binder will look like:

Last year was such a success in homeschooling Sierra.  She used a program called Switched on Schoolhouse which was all on the computer.  All I had to do was put in the dates and it figured out her lesson plan for her.  It was completely independent.  What parent wouldn't love that.

Success, yes...the right thing to do?  Possibly not.  Earlier this past week, I sat in Sierra's room and we had a long talk.  For a LONG time now, we have been dealing with her being tired ALL THE TIME. All I hear ALL day LONG is how tired she is.  This girl is L-A-Z-Y!!  We have changed her diet.  We have altered her sleep patterns.  We have seen doctors.  We came up with an answer...allergies.  We start on a regimen.  Than something magical happened.............she went to camp and we bought a trampoline.  Sounds random, huh?

Well, first let's start with camp.  She went to camp with her Student Ministry and instead of having a knock your socks off experience (which is always good, but too often seems to be followed by a crash down to earth), she experienced insight into her life and changes she needs to make.  She found that there are areas of "obsession" that was taking her focus off where it needed to be.  She made the conscious decision to re-focus her life and the changes have been A-MAZING!!  She is serving more, she is watching less TV and You Tube and she is taking less than 3 hours to get ready to go anywhere!!

She came home from camp and found we had bought a trampoline.  She has spent every day on it since she got home.  She has never been so active...gotten so much fresh air and sun....EXERCISED as much.

So, what does any of this have to do with Switched on Schoolhouse.  I sat on my daughter's floor earlier last week and we were discussing the Sierra before and the Sierra now.  During school, she would easily spend 4-5 hours staring at a computer screen.  She would just sit at her desk, or on her bed, or in her chair with a computer on her lap.  NO WONDER she was tired and lethargic all the time.  There is no closure to what she would do.  No books to close and put up....no set time to get up and stretch.  With everything all in one place, it was just too easy to get sucked in.  Her breaks would consist of getting on You Tube....while in her chair, bed or desk.

As we talked, we both realized that we need to change things up.  We talked about how if she had different subjects with BOOKS, how easily she can change her surroundings.  If she wants to do history on the trampoline, she can....if we need to go somewhere, she can bring her science with her.  And there is something to be said for closing your completed workbook...getting up off of whatever you are planted on...and putting it up....stretching...getting a bottle of water....maybe jumping on the trampoline.

An interesting thing happened at this point.  She said, "Maybe you and I can have some one on one time each day like you do with Daniel."  Was she missing that last year?  Did I drop the ball?  Did I let her get too independent?  Wow.  As I look at different curriculum I think will work well for her, I can see joy in her face as I spend as much time and energy on her as I have been on Daniel.  Daniel is only going into 2nd grade, he will need more of me than she will, but this awakened something in me.  Homeschooling is more than an educational opportunity, it is a relational one, too.