Car Seat Safety

Have you seen the new car seat recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics? If not, check it out!

I'm not going to rewrite the article here (because you just read it right?) Car seat safety is a big deal to Ruben and I, so I just want to make sure that everyone with kids is aware of the facts and is able to make educated choices when it comes to their kids' car seat. At 6 and 4 years old both Buzz and Boo ride in forward-facing seats and they both still use the five point harness. We have the Graco Nautilus for both.

Bean rides rear-facing and will for as long as possible (well past the old guideline of 1 year and 20 pounds, even though she's over 20 pounds already). She rides in a Britax Marathon 70.

The Nautilus is great because it is forward-facing with a five-point harness and can convert to a high back booster and eventually a backless booster. The five-point harness accommodates kids up to 65 lbs (which is a long way off for my kiddos) and the booster can accommodate up to 100 lbs.

The Marathon is rear-facing up to 40 lbs and forward-facing up to 70 lbs. We have been very happy with both car seat models. The Marathon is especially easy to install, though I'm not the car seat installer in our house, that credit goes to Ruben.

A few other things to keep in mind:

Car seats have expiration dates, for most manufacturers it is six years

If the seat is in an accident, it should be replaced, even if it doesn't appear damaged

All children under 13 years old should sit in the back seat

The right car seat for your child is the one that fits your child and is used correctly EVERY time

Being a Homeschool Parent

I've been thinking a lot lately about the misconceptions about homeschooling. While there are definitely some about homeschooled children (hello annoying socialization question!) I think that there are also a lot about homeschool parents. I wanted to write a post about the misconceptions that public school parents may have about homeschool parents but never seemed to get around to it. The other day I came across this post by Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and it says just about everything that I wanted to say, better than I would have said it :)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town?

One topic of conversation that seems to come up at this time a year among Christian moms is: will Santa be visiting your house? I have some friends who feel that making Santa a part of Christmas takes away from the true meaning and other friends who make a big deal out of Santa visiting their children. Our family falls in the middle. Yes, we "do" Santa. Ruben and I discussed it a lot when Buzz was a baby and we decided that there isn't any harm in letting our kids believe in Santa while they're little. It's part of the innocence and magic of childhood. To me it seems the same as letting your child believe that the characters at Disney World are real (which we also do, again it's that whole magic of childhood thing).
In our house Christmas isn't about Santa, he's just a small part of the way we celebrate. We don't even really mention Santa until Christmas Eve when part of our family tradition is baking cookies together to leave for him. Whether they get presents or not does not depend on whether they've been good or bad and you won't hear us telling our kids "Santa knows if you're naughty or nice". I don't want to imply to them that Santa is omnipotent or in any way on the same level as Jesus. We've told our children that Santa is just a kind old man who brings children gifts to help remind them of what a gift God gave us by sending Jesus. Of course the kids love finding a few presents under the tree on Christmas morning (what kid doesn't love presents?) but we try very hard to focus on the true reason for the season: celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Why We Homeschool

I get asked quite frequently why Ruben and I have chosen to homeschool our children. It's really a combination of multiple reasons that all boil down to the fact that it's just the right choice for our family. But if you are curious about our reasons here they are:

1. God: We have known since Buzz was a baby that we are called by God to be a homeschooling family. It was one of those things where God just put it in my mind and heart out of nowhere and we have always felt incredible peace that this is what God has chosen for our family.

2. Logistics: Ruben is in the military which means we won't be staying in one place for our children's entire school "career". Homeschooling means that they don't have to worry about being ahead of or behind their classmates when we move.

3. Family Time: Homeschooling gives us an amazing amount of freedom to spend as much quality time as a family as possible. Ruben travels frequently for work and then usually gets a few weekdays off when he returns home. Because we homeschool we can plug away while Daddy's gone and take time off to spend with him when he gets home. (Yes, we school year-round and it's not usual to do school on Saturdays as well if Ruben's away) We also want our kids to be each other's best friends and being away from each other for 8 hours each day just isn't a great way to cultivate those relationships.

4. Socialization: The question we get asked most often when someone finds out that we homeschool is- Aren't you worried about socialization? The answer? Of course we are, it's one of the reasons why we homeschool ;) Seriously though, people tend to think that having a child spend most of his waking hours in a room with thirty other children his age is the best way to learn social skills. We just don't agree. Our kids have dance friends, karate friends, church friends, neighborhood friends and friends through our homeschool group, so they have no shortage of chances to interact with other kids. They get a chance to spend time with kids and adults of all ages every day and this has made them equally comfortable around just about anyone. Just ask any my girlfriends, Boo will talk your ear off!

5: Academic: What school classroom can beat our student-teacher ratio? Homeschooling allows our kinds to learn at their own pace without have to be dragged along with classmates even if they don't yet understand a concept or having to sit and be bored if they are ahead of their peers. I can tailor lessons to meet each of my kids right where they're at.

6. Love of learning: William Butler Yeats said "education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire". We want our kids to love to explore the world around them and to be excited by the discoveries they make each day. I can teach the kids what they need to do by reading great books, playing fun learning games and exploring deeper the things that interest them, no busy work or teaching to standardized tests.

7. Enjoying Childhood: We want our children to just enjoy being kids without having to worry about what their peers think is "cool". They like what they like and they are who they are.

8. Selfishness: I genuinely enjoy being with my kids! They're neat little people and spending a few hours in the evening trying to throw together dinner and rush through homework before bed just doesn't cut it for me.

I fully acknowledge that homeschooling isn't the right choice for every family. The important thing is to pray about the school situation that is right for your family and following the path that God has chosen for you. We are proud to be a homeschooling family and we wouldn't have it any other way.