Check Out The New Page

I have added a new page that is dedicated to contests and competitions.  I'm real excited about this because it's something I really believe in.  Just because we choose alternative ways to educate our children, it doesn't mean they can't learn to be competitive and have opportunities to learn team-building skills with people outside of their families.

My vision is to focus on the Louisville, KY area since that is where I live.  If you tell me where you live and would like for me to find contests that may be local to your location, I would love to help.

I really hope this will become a valuable resource for parents.  I truly hope to connect with other Louisville families for the competitions that require teams. 

I started a Facebook group, Contests For Home-Educated 'Tweens & Teens ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/wecompetetoo/ ).  There you can enter a keyword to search for the type of contest you want information about. The categories are:

ART
STEM & STEAM
READING
SCIENCE
VOCATION (including Entrepreneur)
ECONOMICS

Please feel free to let me know if you know about any contest or competition not listed.  I have quite the list right now, so it will probably take me a few days to post them all. I hope this helps!

GREETINGS 2018!

Greetings 2018!!! Nothing like a fresh start to coincide with the New Year! So much has happened, and is happening, that I’m most busy trying to keep things in perspective.

So, you know that voice in you that speaks so only you can hear? Well, mine keeps telling me that I’m going to write a book a month for the next 6 months.  On the surface, I’m wondering when I will find the time to do so.  Deep inside, I know all I have to do is stop playing Toon Blast, Dominoes, and Yahtzee on my phone 4 hours a day.  To help keep myself focused, I just deleted the apps from my phone. My anxiety causes me to play those games hours a day, when really, I would be much happier if I spent that same free time reading a book (thanks to my new glasses) or working on my business plan.  Little do my children realize that they too will put down the electronics to spend more time working on themselves. All is well, but there is always room for improvement.

 

I’m looking at a move to Indiana since it’s closer to my job in downtown Louisville, and the cost of living is lower. I’m actually excited about it, because I’ve always hated saying I live in Kentucky.  I’m not sure why other than I just don’t have a good outlook about the state after living in it for over 8 years and in 3 different “cities”.  Danville was a small town, Lexington was a bigger small town, and I guess you can call Louisville a city.  It’s just way different in Kentucky than it is at home in Ohio or Texas. I don’t know much about Indiana, but I don’t have any negative preconceived notions just yet. I do know that homeschooling is super easy in Indiana, as well as getting certified to practice massage there.  I’m very much ready for the move.

 

Currently, I only have 2 children left at home. CJ is about to turn 15 and Maya is 11.  I hide how absolutely happy I am that they are no longer going to school.  Maya chose to go to school, because my work schedule didn’t allow me spend much quality time with them.  I made CJ go to school.  It wasn’t really what I wanted, but I do feel like it was better than them sitting around the house all day like they were. The cool thing is, I have a new job that allows me to get off of work at 3:30 pm if I get there early enough.  I have enough money to pay for extracurricular activities. That is always a plus.

 

As I mentioned before, I’m writing this year, so get ready. I’m also going to be reading like I used to.  I noticed today that I have quite the book collection started.  As much as I hate setting Resolutions, I do have a few very important ones:

 

Write more. Every time I hear my Inner Voice tell me to write, I will.

Read more. Now that I have new glasses, I have no excuse.

Join a Bowling League. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.

Keep at least a whole paycheck in reserve. I refuse to live paycheck to paycheck anymore.

Invest. Even if I just start with a little, I’m going to start in the month of January.

Get a Passport. How can I expect to travel without one?

Discover the name of my Inner Being. It is the one who will be writing my book and giving me the power to overcome the increased anxiety I have developed more recently.

Devote more family time to the 2 still at home with me; even if that means taking away their phones and televisions.

Take the time to meditate daily. I know how amazing it is and since I won’t be playing games on my phone in the morning anymore, that will open up so much time for me before work.

Laugh more, Love more, Live more!

 

I have quite a few big projects I want to happen this year and little do CJ and Maya know, they are going to be a big part of every single one of them. In my homeschooling journey, I have used several techniques to educate my children. I don’t even know what you would call the style I use now. The description that is closest to what I use is Self-Directed Learning, but with a push. I help them figure out what they want for their lives and then I give them choices on what they can do to achieve personal goals.

 

I learned so much parenting the older two boys.  Initially when I realized the end result wasn’t exactly how I saw it was going to be (their transition into adulthood), I reigned very loosely. I let them do and say things I never would have let the older two do at their ages. The truth is, overall, I still have great boys. I constantly get compliments on how balanced they are to be raised by a single mother. Little does anyone know how much the 3 of us have been through together. The younger 2 was getting an older, much more mature mother, but also a less-hopeful mother. BUT NO MORE…. I am appreciative of the challenging times we have experienced over the past 3 years, because it has helped me search for happiness in the dark and be reminded that true happiness lives within me and is not based on whether life around me is the way I want it to be.  I’m truly grateful for many things that I discovered during that search.

 

Feel free to share what your resolutions are. Maybe we share some and can encourage each other.

 

Love,

 

Kila Shali