Summer For Homeschooling Moms – Finding Yourself Again

Asalaam ‘Alaikum,

I don’t know about all homeschooling moms, but this year I have started the summer by finding myself again. You didn’t know I was lost, you say? Well, “I” wasn’t lost, but all those things that I love to do and cherish often has to be set aside to ensure we have a successful homeschooling year. So, this summer I have been finding ways to enjoy all those things again – alhumdulilah – and it feels great!

I’ve started blogging again – which I love – writing, that is – and I hope I am not boring you too much (things have been so quiet around here, masha’Allah). My husband and I are working as a team to update our website (we have a few other projects to work on – but we work on it when we get a chance, insha’Allah). I have also started doing things that I love to do – but never get a chance to express my creativity – sewing and crafts.

I’m also working on trying to learn more healthy recipes to share with my family. I have quite a few – but I always love to learn more. I am thinking that this summer I will also involve the girls with the cooking, insha’Allah – as they are always begging to learn.

Anyway, today is the start of a few new things. Currently my house is filling with the wonderful smells of what my family likes to call Pizza Bread. Essentially, I make bread and flatten it out and spread cheese and toppings on it – recipe will follow (with pics, insha’Allah). So – one thing that is going to change for today is that I am actually going to post about a craft project I recently did for the girls – and the recipe will be in my next post, insha’Allah.

Everything in this blog is always only about homeschooling – but these other interests are just another extension of me and homeschooling – does that make sense? So, I thought I’d show a side of myself that I haven’t already shared. Hope you like it, insha’Allah.

We have recently decided to start getting things ready for homeschooling next year. What that means is that I am trying to get together things that will keep my youngest busy while we do school. I want her to have activities to keep her busy that are also learning experiences. I was fortunate that I visited our local resale shop (I can’t tell you how much I love resale shops – I would do garage sales, but my husband hates them and it is too hard to cart three kids around while doing that – so resale shops are my alternative – and I am rather fortunate when I visit, masha’Allah.)

One day last week we visited the local store that carries supplies for schools (while they are great – they are expensive). However, browsing their aisles always gives me ideas for frugal alternatives. We went there because I told my daughter how we never find any great manipulatives at the resale shop – at least, it has been a while. And, I usually know better to stop at a resale shop to try to find something specific. You could find something at a resale shop every day until you go there to actually buy it and then there aren’t any. At least, that’s always been my experience. After we purchased a few things at the school store for my youngest, we decided to stop at the resale shop anyway. Guess what I found?!? Manipulatives – lots of them, masha’Allah.

Last week I was browsing some other muslim homeschooling blogs and came across this post on A Muslim Child is Born (absolutely love that blog, masha’Allah). Anyway – it made me think about all the things we have used in homeschooling that were purchased at a resale shop. Masha’Allah – most of our homeschooling stuff was found in a resale shop. That was before my latest visit, too!

Anyway, here are some of the marvelous things we found at our recent stop:

We found this new, unopened box of cardboard shape tiles and laminated cards with designs on them. Essentially, you would have to place the shapes where they belong on each picture. The cards start out pretty easy and then get more difficult. She loves this one already, masha’Allah! The box was priced at 99 cents!

We also found a large plastic box that I think once held a salad from Costco (a local store here) filled with the following items:

The strange thing was – for all of those items – the box was marked for sale at only 49 cents – no kidding! I wasn’t going to argue with anyone!

We also found these colored plastic tiles. I am thinking to let her use them for just fun – she loves to line things up – and she can also use them for stacking like dominoes and tipping them over. I also want her to do some activities with learning her colors and patterns. I will make a pattern out of the blocks and then ask her to copy it with her own blocks, etc.

I also found the following thick domino cards. I can’t tell you how much she loves dominoes – she especially loves these because she can take up our whole school-room floor playing with them.

Last, but not least – I found this item. Not sure if it is for a game, but she really loves playing with them. I got them mainly for her to learn her colors – she puts the ice cubes in the tray that matches its color. She loves doing this. One day, after playing “school” with these – she then pretended that she was making cupcakes and went over to her play oven and “cooked” her cupcakes. We have already gotten a lot of use out of them, masha’Allah.

So – that was my day at the resale shop, masha’Allah. I think – all in all – I only spent $5.00 for everything.

Asalaam ‘Alaikum,

Sumayyah Umm SAA