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I just wanted to say Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Carrie and everyone who was instrumental in creating HOD. Our road started off bumpy, but it is finally smoothing out. My ds was so reluctant to do any work. He constantly complained and whined about it. I was thinking this is crazy.....how in the world could he not like this. I ended up not being as disciplined as I should, because I felt like maybe I was pushing him too hard. We took some breaks and his attitude still didn't change. I was getting frustrated and feeling like I was failing.

Now, we are doing LHFHG full speed, and I actually see him smiling and liking it. Even today, he complained when I made him stop playing with his Legos and do some work, but we talked about having a bad attitude and what the consequence of that would be. He immediately changed his attitude and did his work....even the phonics portion which is very difficult for him. I'm so proud of him. I'm thinking we might just make it through 1st grade.


Very Grateful,
Tracy

Tracy,

I am rejoicing with you. What a blessing that is and how diligence is paying off. I also totally agree with the many thank you"s to Carrie and all who are instrumental in writing the guides and helping us along our home education road on this board!

I know exactly what you mean about persistence.

It's funny. The look on my daughter's face yesterday after we finished the history reading was priceless. It was like I told her she wasn't getting any toys for Christmas. This is the same little girl that flat out, completely resisted Beyond when we first started the program.

I have been keeping a record of all our HOD projects in a binder, and we page through it frequently. Yesterday, this same daughter finished reading a book on George Washington. She brought it over to me and read, "It has been said that George Washington was first in war, first in peace, and first in the heart of his country men." I think we read that in our history book, so she wanted to show me she recognized the quote. I asked her if she wanted to do a page on George Washington for our notebook and she got all excited. So I got an image of GW from the internet, and my kids printed the quote below his picture. This just proves to me that the kids are well on their way for a successful year with Bigger Hearts. Then we made the tissue paper flowers (unit 27/day1 artistic expression) and they turned out so well. Then they wanted them to smell good, so I gave them each a squirt of perfume. We had such an enjoyable day.

Who knew learning could be so fun. Thanks Carrie!

Tracy - I am thankful you posted this! I think all dc go through attitude concerns, and it is easy to just wear down as moms and let them go. It's easy to think time off will fix it, or a different curriculum, or allowing dc to skip things they aren't as into - but many times, it is truly the attitude at the heart of the problem. It's easy to think homeschooling itself will fix attitude concerns. I mean, we went to school from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM as kids and used dry textbooks for everything! How tough can it be to do school from 8 to noon with awesome books and fun activities? But, attitudes are still a part of raising dc I'm afraid. I honestly do not know what I would do without HOD helping through the storms of child rearing. I have come to depend on the Lord through my homeschooling with HOD. I know those Bible verses I need to call upon will come up, I know the Godly character discussions will give me a chance to discuss those heart issues with my dc, I know the devotions will help me talk through some tough patches with my dc, and I know our dc will not be able to "get away" from God - He's just in every part of our homeschooling day thanks to HOD. I am so glad you weathered that storm with your ds, and I am equally glad you are now seeing the fruits of your diligence!!! You deserve it. And so does he. Way to go, Mom!!!!

In Christ,
Julie

Tracy,

Thank you so much for sharing this update with us. It blessed my heart beyond measure to hear that your sweet son is learning to enjoy his time with LHFHG and is working on having a positive attitude. It's so important to share our praises and progress, as character training can often feel like a full-time job in itself! I know we are constantly at work on various character issues at our house, my own issues included! So, I''m praising the Lord with you for progess today.

Blessings,
Carrie

Fivelittlepeaches,

I had to smile at your characterization of your daughter's face at the end of her history reading today. I, too, have had that same experience with my own little guys who have gone from literally flipping and bouncing through the readings to getting more calm and cuddly and more involved with each passing day. I can see we're getting ready for Bigger Hearts here too. We must be at a similar place in Beyond. It is a wonderful thing to behold!

Your words were so encouraging to me today. Thank you so much for sharing!

Blessings,
Carrie