Back to homeschool

About ten days ago, mindsprinting website is down. I was frustrated when I first couldn't connect to the site. I was pretty much using the site and it has make my job easy. PS also feel sad because for her, mindsprinting gives structure and well organise and that's what she like and that's why I like it as well. Structure and organise. As we had so many subject and area to cover. Last week, Monday, I was facing the end of printer toner! What a week of homeschool. One problem after another.

Without mindsprinting, I still had couple of site I used and should be able to print worksheet from there. But, than this happen. I had to spent sometime trying to find where can I get the toner refill and and the same time learn what and how. The toner refill I used, hubby bought it couple of years back from ebay. He said, we just get it from the shop this time. So, I browse. Make a phone call and it didn't come out right, too expensive. Then I learn that it's a replacement of cartridge which I don't want. But, usually that's what happen. People change cartridge. Toner is dangerous and need to be refill with caution, but that's the cheapest way. Not too dangerous, but the seller will make it as too dangerous!

As a home edu, we do lots and lots of printing. Cartridge will cost about £50 and will long lasting for 3000 pages and for us probably three months. I used the refill that we had before and although our cartridge is good to be replace, but it still do the job, at least for worksheet printing. After a research, I find one from here. We can get any toner refill for any brand and series. Alhamdulillah, I got mine for £24, that's including special delivery. Paid through pay pal. I got five bottle and each bottle should long lasting me for three months. Which means £24 is for 15 months printing job. That's worth the money.

Unfortunately, I had made a mistake at the time of purchasing. For some reason, pay pal used my old address as shipping address. I keep waiting, and only till last Monday, I realise the mistake after the toner never arrived. I had to call the estate agent and ask them to get the new tenant to contact me. Got a phone call yesterday, she never receive the package as she not at home but got a card for it. Went down to my old house yesterday, get the card, pick the toner from royal mail office and while we down there, we went to shop in Tesco Extra which had lots of variety things I need including A4 exercise book and it's usually cost 89p but yesterday it goes down to 64p. Alhamdulillah.

Did some homeschool shopping such as note book, colour , glue and etc. Manage to stop by at park near our old house and children been running around and we bought something to eat over there as well. Alhamdulillah, it has been a good day out for us. Something that we need, I need. To chilled out, far from homeschool and books and internet.

Last week, we been using lots of our workbook we had. Manage to go down to WH Smith and Waterstone to get book using book token. PS arrange to get the book token this time and they send us a whole packet which contains may be about 50 in there! So, we got two book each for them. Still had plenty more tokens. Did give some to others. Also I did spend some money on book! Again! can't help it every time I went there! So, we did relax our mind last week and go through workbook and spend time with 'UK curriculum' for a while there.

Today, we should be manage to get back to mindsprinting and other worksheet. A week break from mindsprinting and worksheet made me realise how much they had learn and take from mindsprinting and US curriculum we been using. I quiet please as we can see the result when we used UK curriculum books and also I can see lots of improvement. Sometimes, we can't see any improvement when we on the same things. But when we moved a bit out from the area we use to, than it's a test to see weather the method before work or not. I do know that it should work. But, of course it's a bit of a regime homeschool which can get kids frustrated and me struggling. But, they themselves find how much they had improve that way and build more confident than ever themselves without me pushing them.

I then know that now and again we will stop our regime curriculum and way of learning in the middle of our routine and lay back for couple of days to give confident and motivate children. I do notice as well, that only by making them realise themselves how valuable their effort and hard work before is one of the best way. of course I still had to put up with moan and whinge now and again. For example, PS whinge with mindsprinting, but when we off from it, she the one who miss it so much! MS, although struggle and 'hate' mindsprinting, but when he used his workbook, he realise how minsprinting worksheet regime had teach him and had made his life easier when it come to do other things. Go through hard work, I believe made us feel syukur and find other things easy then we expected. But, if we never been through hard work, then in later time, it will be difficult for us.

As me, I'm always remember, if I haven't gone through hard time before, I'm not going to be as strong as I am now! Alhamdulillah.