Homeschooling In... {Hawaii}

Hi There!

I'm back today with another "Homeschooling In..." post.

Here is a list of all the other states i've already talk about.

• Idaho
• Alaska
• Oregon
• Washington
• Montana
• Arizona
• South Dakota
• New Mexico
• California

Today i'll be sharing with you everything you need to know about homeschooling in Hawaii!!

1. All children are required to be educated once they are 5 years old (On or before July 31) and up until the age of 18 (or until graduation).

2. No set required amount of days.

3. Required subjects - None, however you must teach them subjects that they would learn in public schools (i.e. - social studies, art, music, health, math, etc.)

4. Testing is required in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10.

5. There are 2 different Options for homeschoolers in Hawaii.

• Option 1 - File yearly an intent to homeschool to the principal of the local public school where the child would otherwise be required to attend.  Under this option you have to keep a record of curriculum used. Which has to include: starting & ending date, number of hours per week of instruction, the subjects covered, how you determined mastery of materials & subjects in the curriculum, and a list of textbooks/materials used.

• Option 2 - Enroll your child in an alternative educational program.

6. No special teacher qualifications if you are going with option 1.

Below are some great websites for homeschooling in Hawaii:

1. http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/hi/  - HSLDA

2. http://hawaiihomeschoolassociation.org/HHA/hawaiiReg/index.html - Hawaii Homeschool Association

3. http://www.christianhomeschoolersofhawaii.org/w/ - Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii 

Once you have decided to homeschool your child, and you have looked into all the laws/rules, what comes next is picking out what curriculum you are going to use. 

The best place to start with that is by checking out what curriculum other homeschoolers are using (and loving). In other words Google search "homeschooling blogs" and start reading what all the other homeschooling families out there use. You can also check out my homeschool curriculum picks.

Another place you could go is HomeSchoolReviews, they offer reviews on all the curriculum out there and those reviews are written by other homeschoolers. 

One very important thing to keep in mind, when picking out curriculum, is your child's learning style! 

After you have your curriculum all picked out, now you can start planning your school year. 

A lot of homeschoolers like to keep with the same school year outline as public schools (i.e. start at the end of August and go until the end of May). 

You can also do year round homeschooling (you can take a lot more breaks and even do a 4 day school week this way).

It's really up to you and what works best for your family.

Now all that's left to do is dive right on into it. 

The first year is going to be full of bumps. 

You'll make some mistakes, 

you'll have some rough days/weeks,

but *hopefully* you will learn from your mistakes and in the end it will all be worth it. 

Good luck with the journey ahead of you!!

****None of this is intended to be legal advice (i'm not a lawyer), it's purely informational. So make sure you check out your states laws beforehand.****

Second Trimester Must Haves

Hey Everyone!!

I'm so happy to announce that I've passed through the second trimester! Now only a few more weeks to go before Baby #5 arrives!! :)

I recently shared my First Trimester Must Haves, so it's time now that i share the things that helped get me through the Second Trimester.

Here they are...

*You will notice a few of the items from my first trimester list, are also on my second trimester list.*

• Peppermint Hard Candies - They were on my list for first trimester because of nausea, this time they are on my list for Heartburn.  

• Bubble Bath - During the second trimester my body is aching so badly, baths are a lifesaver! 

• Toilet Paper - Seriously this one is always going to be on my lists, you can never have too much. Especially when you are going to the bathroom every 30 minutes! 

• Water - I drink like 5 bottles of water a day, which is so necessary when you are growing another human.

• Maternity Clothes - If you haven't bought them before the second trimester, now is the time! 

• Pillows - Extra pillows make sleeping a little bit easier. 

• Pregnancy Books - This is always the time i break out my pregnancy books for a quick reference. 

• Prenatal Vitamins - If you didn't take them during the first trimester, it's not too late. 

Those are the things that helped me, what are your favorite things to have on hand during the second trimester of pregnancy?

Fun Lunches

Do you follow me on Facebook? If so, you might have noticed a few weeks ago i shared a picture of my kids lunch that i had made for them. Here's the post i'm talking about...

 For the longest time i really struggled with what to feed my kids for lunch. We would end up most days eating mac-n-cheese, PB&J sandwiches, or going to a fast food place for lunch.

I got really tired of that, and decided to make a better effort to have more variety of lunches.

Now, most days i really like to make their lunches cute/fun! I feel like it adds that extra special touch to help get us through the long school days.

Here are some of our recent lunches...

Lunch #1 - Turkey Sandwich, Carrots w/ ranch, and yogurt

Lunch #2 - Loaded Potato Soup, Celery w/ ranch, and Granola Bar

Lunch #3 - Chili, Celery w/ ranch, and Pears

Lunch #4 - Corn Dogs, Goldfish, and Mandarin Oranges

Lunch #5 - Corn Dogs, Carrots w/ ranch, Goldfish, and String Cheese.

 Here are some of my other ideas for lunches (not mentioned in pictures above).

• Chicken Nuggets
• Mac-n-Cheese
• PB&J Sandwiches
• Salad
• Pasta Salad
• Tuna Sandwiches
• Quesadillas
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Cheese, Meat, and Crackers

Here are some ideas for other lunch sides (not mentioned in pictures above)...

• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Pineapple
• Watermelon
• Frozen Yogurt Melts
• Crackers
• Cheese
• Hard boiled eggs
• Pickles
• Broccoli
• Small piece of chocolate
• Trail mix

Also in case you are curious, here are some links for all the stuff i need to make these lunches so cute!

Lunch Boxes. - I love the 3 separate compartments these boxes have!

Silicone Cupcake Liners - These are so great for dips!

Food Picks - They work like little mini forks for diced pears, berries, etc. Love them so much!

Bon Appetit! :)

First Trimester Must Haves

Hey Everyone!

Well, i made it through the first trimester of pregnancy, (Yay!) and now i'm also so close to being done with my second trimester (WooHoo!).

Anyways, so now i thought would be a good time to share with you all, the things that helped me survive the first trimester.

Here is my list of first trimester must haves.

• Saltine Crackers - They really do help with morning sickness, i would munch on them throughout the day.

• Prenatal Vitamins - During the first trimester i always felt better when i took my vitamins, because even if i couldn't eat that much, i knew baby was still getting the vitamins he needed.  

• Toilet Paper - As soon as i got pregnant, i had to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. You will go through a lot of toilet paper. 

• Heating Pad - Comes in so handy for all the aches and pains that come along with pregnancy.

• Water Bottle - Helps me stay more hydrated. 

• Peppermint Hard Candies - Sucking on these also help with morning sickness. 

• Tylenol - I tend to get more headaches when i'm pregnant, so having Tylenol around is a big help.

Those are the things that helped me get through, what are your favorite things to have on hand during the first trimester of pregnancy?

Next week i'll share my must haves for the second trimester. 

Homeschooling In... {California}

Hi There!

I'm back today with another "Homeschooling In..." post.

Here is a list of all the other states i've already talk about.

• Idaho
• Alaska
• Oregon
• Washington
• Montana
• Arizona
• South Dakota
• New Mexico

Today i'll be sharing with you everything you need to know about homeschooling in California!!

1. All children are required to be educated once they are 6 years old (by September 1) and up until the age of 18 (or until graduation).

2. You are required to teach them for the same amount of days as public schools, 175 days.

3. Required subjects (for grades 1-6) are: English, math, social studies, science, visual & performing arts, health, and P.E.

4. No testing is required.

5. There are 4 different Options for homeschoolers in California.

• Option 1 - File an annual private school affidavit with the Superintendent of Public Instruction between October 1 and October 15 of each school year. With this option you have to keep records of attendance. 

• Option 2 - Enroll your child in a private satellite program (PSP) and be homeschooled through that private school. 

• Option 3 - Your child can be privately tutored by a state-certified private tutor and be instructed for at least 3 hours a day for 175 days each calendar year between 8 am and 4 pm.

• Option 4 - Your child can be enrolled in an independent study program at home using the public school curriculum. 

6. No special teacher qualifications if you are going with option 1 & 2. 

7. You can use any curriculum you would like to use. 

Below are some great websites for homeschooling in California:

1. http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/  - HSLDA

2. http://www.californiahomeschool.net/ - California Homeschool Network

3. http://www.hsc.org/home-page.html - Homeschool Association of California 

Once you have decided to homeschool your child, and you have looked into all the laws/rules, what comes next is picking out what curriculum you are going to use. 

The best place to start with that is by checking out what curriculum other homeschoolers are using (and loving). In other words Google search "homeschooling blogs" and start reading what all the other homeschooling families out there use. You can also check out my homeschool curriculum picks.

Another place you could go is HomeSchoolReviews, they offer reviews on all the curriculum out there and those reviews are written by other homeschoolers. 

One very important thing to keep in mind, when picking out curriculum, is your child's learning style! 

Here are a few school supply stores in California:

• CM School Supply - Locations in: Anaheim, Long Beach, Riverside, Temecula, and Upland.
• GW School Supply - Locations in: Fresno and Bakersfield.
• Morrison School Supplies - Location in San Carlos.
• Lakeshore Learning - Locations in: Carson, Fountain Valley, Laguna Hills, Murrieta, Northridge, Pasadena, Roseville, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Jose, San Leandro, San Marcos, Upland, Ventura, Walnut Creek, and West Los Angeles. 
• The Creative Apple - Location in Chico.

After you have your curriculum all picked out, now you can start planning your school year. 

A lot of homeschoolers like to keep with the same school year outline as public schools (i.e. start at the end of August and go until the end of May). 

You can also do year round homeschooling (you can take a lot more breaks and even do a 4 day school week this way).

It's really up to you and what works best for your family.

Now all that's left to do is dive right on into it. 

The first year is going to be full of bumps. 

You'll make some mistakes, 

you'll have some rough days/weeks,

but *hopefully* you will learn from your mistakes and in the end it will all be worth it. 

Good luck with the journey ahead of you!!

****None of this is intended to be legal advice (i'm not a lawyer), it's purely informational. So make sure you check out your states laws beforehand.****