Jungle Mania…

Please click on the images to see them enlarged!

My husband was off recently and the weather was wet and windy…so we spent a nice day at home together as a family. I was quite ill so asked him to pleeeeeeeeease entertain our daughter for some time so that I could rest a little. ‘Just do anything with her!’ I exclaimed in frustration. ‘Read a book, colour in a picture – I’m really tired and need to rest!’ So, in true male fashion – he couldn’t just do a simple activity like I would have done. Oh no! He had to show how rubbish my arts and crafts lessons are with her and built a jungle for her collection of animals to reside in…from scratch!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked into the room to find a complete jungle/rainforest with mountain and river and trees and…and….and. Well, I hate to admit it but I was deeply impressed. So this is how he and my daughter did it:

They unfolded a huge cardboard box and painted it green for grass. They then took a bunch of flowers a sister had bought me, and hot glued (with the glue gun) branches of leaves and flowers to form trees onto their ‘grass’. They then scattered leaves and petals from my beautiful bunch of flowers all over like a jungle floor. Sand was used to create the mountain. Blue paint was then drizzled from the mountain top and painted on the green ‘grass’ to form the river. And there you had it – your very own home-made jungle. My daughter played with it for days. Her fish were placed carefully in the river. Monkeys hung from the trees (literally!). Cows and tigers feasted on leaves of other trees. It was definitely a spectacle. I videod it with the animals in there. I will try to post the video on the blog. Not quite sure how you do it yet, but I just think you’ve got to see it. Anyway, thats her art lessons shifted over to hubby then…

Internet…

 

Today I spoke with a lovely homeschooling ummi of 8, masha’Allah and we got on to the topic about the INTERNET! Recently, I have been thinking about how much time I spend on the internet. Alhamdulillah, we don’t watch TV, and only use the TV for my daughter’s Arabic and Islamic DVDs/videos. However, is the internet the new TV?!

 I feel like so much time is wasted on the internet. For example, you intend to check your email and end up spending hours on there jumping from one site to the next! I really think we have to discipline ourselves as homeeducators when it comes to the internet. There is so much out there – but we must remember that we are not homeeducating the computer, we are homeeducating our children!

Anyway, the sister I was speaking to does not have the internet (horror upon horror – 8 homeschooled kids and no internet!) and I told her that she shouldn’t get it! Now don’t get me wrong - I wouldn’t be able to write this post and share my homeschooling journey with the world if I didn’t have the internet, however it takes me back to the good ol’ days.

My mother, a graduate in Literature always bought me books when I was younger, our small flat was full of books – fiction and non-fiction and the library was my favourite place as I was growing up. When the internet took its first steps, my father did not allow us to use it and so our knowledge about the world and interests arose from books. Looking back, I could not have hoped for a more enriching experience. I am still attached to books and reading will always be a passion of mine and I believe this stemmed from my upbringing. I want this for my children insha’Allah. So, as a result, I have recently been thinking about ditching the internet (WHAT?!). But, then I thought no, I do need it for other committments. What I need to do is ditch my attachment to it! I want my family – Hubby, myself and my children to have a love for books, an attachment to literature and knowledge without technology. So, when hubby came home from work today, I sat him down – told him all of this and told him of my…sorry OUR action plan. Alhamdulillah he surprisingly agreed and thought it was a fantastic idea.

Basically, we have drawn up a timetable of who uses the computer (not just the internet) for how long and when during the week. And we will insha’Allah aim to stick to it. Once the buzzer goes (so to speak) then the time is up on the computer. I hope that this will create more time for family, more time for other interests, more time for Allah and more time for reading. Lets see how it goes…

Doing it right?

Okay, so I’m nine months pregnant, slightly uncomfortable (understatement of the year), and quite irritable. Seems my poor daughter is getting most of my frustration. Am I the only homeschooling mother who seems to shout all day? Was talking to a sister recently and she gave me a compliment saying that I was so patient. If only she knew. Now, I’m feeling quite emotional at the moment – I feel like I am too hard on my daughter, always pushing her, shouting at her, disciplining her and not allowing her to be the 3 and a half year old little girl that she is. Right now, I feel like a bit of a monster. (Oh Allah help me!) She is quite a sensitive child but clearly is quite upset at all the shouting (at her) that has been going on recently. I rarely smack her, but shouting…there isn’t a day that goes by!

As I was tidying up, the ’shall-I-put-her-in-school’ thoughts passed through my mind. Surely she can’t be happy at the moment? Wouldn’t she be happier in an environment where she isn’t shouted at? Why do I shout so much? Is it because I’m ill and stressed? I really do not feel like mother of the year at the moment. I think I’m too much of a perfectionist and want her (yes, a 3 1.2 year old) to do things right. But surely, the best way to educate her is to let her do it her way and learn?! Oh I just don’t know. Things don’t need to be cut and stuck to perfection. If she sticks something upside down – so what? This is how I should be thinking but unfortunately I don’t most of the time. I don’t know if it is because of the pregnancy hormones, but I honestly don’t feel like I am giving her my best. I just seem to get annoyed all the time. *sigh* I’m just really really tired at the moment…

Organization

I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything on my blog since late February. Shame on me! Apart from being extra busy at the beginning of March, my health hasn’t been too terrific. Alhamdulillah for everything.

Last week, spent the entire week contracting at night and suffering from bad period like pains during the day. The first time it happened, I was so excited as I thought baby was arriving – however…nothing…zilch! And basically, I am still in the same situation. Alhamdulillah, baby will appear when Allah (Swt) has decreed for him to do so. Meanwhile, I must learn to be patient and endure this small test. It literally has slowed me down. For those who know me, I never stop – homeschooling my daughter is actually the easiest of the things I do in my life. So, this week has been me resting and sitting and resting and sitting. And although I would love to zoom around as I usually do, I physically cannot! Definitely Allah preparing me for what is to come…

So, have been planning the next 12 weeks (in advance) of homeschooling. That way, when baby arrives and we all spend some quality time together, I can just get back into the swing of things (homeschooling) easily – insha’Allah.

A few sisters have been asking me how I get to manage homeschooling, dawah committments, family life and other ‘extras’ that I do. And it is quite simple – organization. Aside from the homeschooling timetable that I have, I live by timetables and absolutely everything goes in there – from cooking to ironing, surah kahf on a Friday to when I shower and when I give my daughter a bath! I know it might seem extra, but that is how I can get so much done and keep on top of everything. I really do recommend it to everyone. Just sit down one day, preferably when the children are sleeping and write down everything that you do in a week – don’t leave anything out! And organize your week. That way, when you wake up each day, you know what to do and when to do it. My life would just be so chaotic if I didn’t do this.

 Just a few things that might help for all those homeschooling mummies out there:

*   I tend to do a ‘Quick clean’ every morning. This includes, making the beds, washing any dishes, folding any dried clothes and a general tidy away. That way, when we are ready to start school, everything is tidy. I am a firm believer that one cannot concentrate if their environment is messy.

*   I cook for 2 days. I know some people enjoy cooking. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I used to be – but now I just don’t have the time. So, on a Sunday I sit down and plan what I am going to cook on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. With my weekly meals planned out, I then form my shopping list for the week. I do one big shop on a Monday. This is something new that I have implemented. I used to shop as I needed, but with a huge bump that does not permit me to power walk down the shopping aisles, I have had to limit shopping to one day. It has worked perfectly for me, as I am more free to concentrate on ’school’ and other more important things.

*   I limit ironing to once a week and I tend to put a machine on when I need to.

*   With the homeschooling area, I tend to sort all drawers and shelves every two weeks, I need to do this more regularly I think. As everything is reachable by my daughter, she simply thrusts things back into drawers. Alhamdulillah, masha’Allah she is a tidy little girl – but often things go in the wrong drawer. So a quick sorting once a week would help – something I really need to start doing.

Aside from all of the above, I think what really helps is storage. Shelves galore! Boxes galore! And zipper files galore! That way, everything has a place. Would be interesting to know how you organize yourself… if you can or would like to, please comment on this thread with your own tips!