Monday, September 30, 2013

The Un-School Home School Day
Advice You Didn't Ask For 
Day 149
September 30, 2013
Team Zybko


As a teacher you aren't supposed to have favorite students.
But I do.
These are my two star students.
I wouldn't trade them for the world. 



This was our view during home school day # 28.
Sunny, 84 degrees with the slightest of refreshing breezes.
Today was a star gold star kinda day.
I wouldn't trade it for the world.


I haven't been doing this home school thing for very long. We just dove into our 3rd year, started back up a little over a month ago. As the head teacher of Team Zybko Academy (yea that's right, you get to pick the name of your school, boo-yah) I am beginning to find my niche and style in all of this. Learning new do's and don'ts every grading period. If you look closely you can still see big splotches of green behind my ears, I'm pretty sure they will never fade. I certainly don't have all the answers, not a pro but I am an advocate. It may or not be right for your family but for my two hamsters with me throughout the day, it's a perfect fit. 


I'm not a big one on giving advice. It tends to make me nervous. Super nervous. When I do give advice I end up getting someone pregnant. yes, you heard that right. A friend or a perfectly good stranger may ask me what I think about having enough kids to fill up a mini van. They inquire my opinion I tell them my own personal experience. I love it, it's great!  They might ask me how I manage to get everything done.
I don't, I never do I answer quite honestly. Major on the majors, minor on the minors is how I roll. I lean in and whisper, just never eat off my kitchen floor, that's a  definite minor in my book. They refuse to stop there. So you think I should go for it? I could handle another kid right, we are just kinda on the fence about it. I tell them,  I have found the younger you are to add just one more the better, ya know the whole energy thing. As if it's my decision anyway. So that's a yes? WellI'm sure you could make it work

Next time I see these people, it never fails, they are knocked up and happy to see me and share the big news. They tell me while rubbing their belly, and grinning from ear to ear. After talking with you we went for it. TMI and Oh geez I feel a little responsible. So as you can see giving even the slightest "advice" I tend to "in-pregnate" many a women, by mistake. 

Not that there is a huge line of people at my back door asking me about the ins and outs of how to home school or anything. I'm just saying, if there was, I'd be sweating through my Wal-mart sports bra. Thank goodness no one does ask cause none of our school days look the same. I wouldn't exactly know how to answer. After stumbling through a few ums and uhs and a few well you see, they would probably gather I don't really have a plan at all.  Yep, I said it out loud. It would sound more like un-schooling from the outside. Don't go calling SCAIHS on me or anything. I am totally on the up and up with curriculum and paperwork. I just prefer a more loosey goosey approach that would certainly cause my more structured friends to have a panic attack, or pee their pants.


Not that there is a huge line of people at my back door asking me about the ins and outs of how to home school or anything. 


The super fantastic most wonderful positive plus when you choose to home school is, YOU do it like you like it. The way that works for you and your students. Your way. Like Burger King. As long as the value meal is prepared, made to order, served hot and eaten before the mayonnaise gives you salmonella then you are good to go. Who cares if the Whooper doesn't look anything like your neighbors Whopper. Their Whopper has no mustard, extra cheese, exactly one and half pickles and each and every one of the sesame seeds are picked off the top bun with love. A lot of ways to skin a cat. I am in no way suggesting than Burger King meat is cat meat. I don't know exactly what it is but I'm pretty sure it's not cat. Cat tastes like chicken, duh.


So, if I were to give advice about homeschooling it would sound something like this.

Shake it up.
Get out of your cuter than cute home school room and go outside.
Take a field trip. Not a field trip field trip just a do school somewhere other than the normal place field trip.
Pack a backpack of workbooks, pencils and peanut butter sandwiches. (maybe an ice cold Diet Coke for you)
Pick a park and go for it.
Experience the world around you.
Let God make the lesson plan for your students outside of the 3 R's of reading, riting, rithmetic.
Keep your smart phone handy for pop up questions you may not know off the cuff or can't look up with your big ole heavy references books left at home.



This field trip un-school day led us to discussions about leaves, wasp eating caterpillar, the circle of life, clouds, planes that land on water, people who take off work to water ski, study hard so you don't have to work for the man, which falls faster? heavy rocks or light rocks, shadows, Indian tools, pollution, how squirrels are a bit freaky, the story of when I was 8 and the squirrel who wouldn't let go of my leg....and so on and so on!


The best part about this unsolicited home school advice. I am 99.9% sure you won't get pregnant. 

























Saturday, September 28, 2013



Moonlight Grilling and BIG Imaginations
Day 148
September 28, 2013
Team Zybko

 It seemed like a good idea, looked so super great on paper. Let's go to that lake park we love, chill out, throw a Frisbee, grill some dinner and make s'mores. Yep, perfect Friday night fun, let's roll people.

 Well, we ended up having about six and half minutes from the time we arrived at the park til the pretty, dusky daylight left us. It quickly became impossible to see, even your very own hand in front of your face. Other than the glow of an iPhone, a baby travel flashlight, the hot dog grill and a full moon we stumbled around nearly blind. 
I must say, Drexel didn't skip a beat, he was happier than a pig in mud wandering around not afraid of anything BUT some of us have bigger, crazier imaginations than others. This special gift in certain circumstances can of course be an advantage but not in all places and time is it particularly welcome. While telling stories, blogging or let's say entertaining guests at a dinner party a big imagination is a wonderful thing. 

Sitting under a creepy sounding tree infested by a bat family on a spider webbed picnic table a mere 3 feet from a very black monster filled lake as the glow of a full moon creates menacing Halloween shadows (just so you know, imaginations are allowed really long descriptive run on sentences shoving words where ever you see fit) so here, as you can see......this is not the place for creative thinking. 

Needless to say, we didn't stay too long. The company, dinner and impromptu dance party were pretty fantastic though, even in the pitch black nighttime air. Keeping with the imagination theme here, I am pretty sure, like 110 percent sure I looked like a 25 year J Lo while dancing on that table as the glow of the moon erased ALL age from my face.
Yep, I told you, imagination does have it's advantages.  












Friday, September 27, 2013




Let's Get Wet!
Day 147
September 27, 2013
Team Zybko


Two super special guests showed up late yesterday afternoon, turning a boring ole Thursday into un-boring day. For once I had done a good job of keeping the surprise an actual surprise so the kids were totally stoked. Our small apartment soon exploded with a weekend type energetic buzz after the secret siblings were reunited. I quickly realized there was no chance of a regular school night schedule happening, too much excitement and too much fun to be had. These little unexpected speed bumps in life make the journey way more interesting. You can ride right over em and go with it or slow down and go around and keeping to the regularly scheduled program. I choose going with it, you can buy new shocks later. The the two visitors are still around and the little ones haven't fallen off their high or crashed yet.....yet. It will happen but it's worth it. With the kids getting far less than the needed hours of  hours sleep I will let you know how all that works out tomorrow. That's tomorrow, right now I just need to get the pictures uploaded. It was hard to pick from the too many I had to choose from. Baby Daddy did a great job capturing the chaos and love of this crowd. Some are blurry but I still love them and included them anyway.  Others were taken as I rode shotgun in a very rickety bumpy car. A happy rider being driven by Grandma Delaney, getting rear ended by NASCAR Diane and laughing so hard at Drexel and his Adventure Tour Guide Shelby. I found it impossible to keep my camera still. I had no idea how hard this would be. Side note for my children, if there is any doubt I love you with all my heart please refer to the one not so glamorous picture of me in the bumper boat. You will know which one it is. Cold and wet, my two least favorite things, right after not getting enough sleep, but I will worry about that later too!
Happy Belated Birthday Shelby! 
We love you to the bacteria infected water and back :)