If you have an article/blog entry for the November 23rd Homesteading Carnival, please use this formbefore tomorrow afternoon. It's being hosted by The Homesteading Carnival themselves!
This week's Carnival was hosted by Catherine at Seeds of Love.
I have found a truly gifted site... full of beautiful graphics...
Trina has been beautifully blessed with such lovely creativity,
as have the other artists you will find when visiting Trina's website.
Please take a moment to view the 1000's of graphics in various categories
(below are just a few samples). Click on each image to visit that theme page.
She has created different themes to meet all the needs of each individuals taste :)
I can't help but to visit her site each day, as there's so much to see and be in awe over.
Please won't you stop in and say "Hi" while at the same time...
letting her know you appreciate her sharing her blessed gift with us all.
Have a beautifully blessed day everyone,
**Lots of Hugs**
Deborah
**Note** Digi Scrap Kits (Trina) has granted permission to use the images. Please do not use, copy, or distribute these images without permission from DSK. Thank you :)
Exploramania is the Company created by Carrie Scheiner (aka- Miss Carrie on the DVD) Carrie has a really inspirational story about how she decided to start her own company and how she overcame a disability to make the DVD which you can read in detail here if you would like: https://www.exploramania.com/TheStory.aspx
Miss Carrie’s story can inspire us to do some of things that we have only dreamed about, and her Gymathtics DVD will inspire your young children toward becoming, and staying strong and healthy.
In addition to helping in our quest to stay healthy by finding ways to make exercise a fun activity for our kids, scientific research shows that physical activity actually has a positive affect on our thinking skills.Once you know that, exercise and Math seems like the perfect combination.
We had a lot of fun with this even though the music was not the style my kids prefer - I thought the bouncy music was a little repetative too, but the workout was enjoyable and we can always wait until later to " rock out"! It was not a really hard workout and it was a neat way to start our day.
The simple exercises and simple math concepts keep the exercise program from being overwhelming to young children and yet keep some of the older ones interested as well. Oddly enough, my son had just asked for a definition of perpendicular lines and she covered it in the video! The Math concepts weren't deep, but I do think that the video effectively reviews some math skills, and gives active kids with active minds a a fun way to review.
If you are interested in adding some more exercise into your daily routine, this 30 minute routine would be a great and inexpensive way to do it and rev up your mind at the same time!
Gymathics is available here for only $24.99 along with some other cute products that follow along that same philosophy of bringing education and healthy activities together in a fun and creative way!
The Gymathics Video that was sent to my family by Exploracise was received in exchange for my review and opinion on this educational product and no other compensation was received - they are not even paying for my ibuprofen!.
Merit K
You will probably look as happy as me after you get in some comfy sweats and exercise with Miss Carrie!
Have you ever been in your jammies, donning a big fluffy purple robe with a shower cap on your Listerine dowsed hair, only to have your husband walk in the room to say there are 2 people at your house to see you? By the way, it's a school day and 1 pm in this questioned scenario.
No? Me neither, but I can imagine it going something like this...
Wife: "Who is it?!".
Husband laughing: "I don't know."
Wife, horrified at her smell and sight: "Well, get rid of them!"
Husband in hysterics as wife drops to the floor to hide behind the kitchen island, exclaiming, "Tell them I'm in the SHOWER!!!!"
Husband barely able to control himself, "They are IN THE HOUSE!"
Wife, unable to sneak to the shower since the kitchen is separate from all the areas where this is possible, finally emerges, laughing hard with her husband. Meanwhile, way too much time is passing and the company can likely hear all the commotion in the adjoining room. The wife comes around the corner to see a friend and her daughter, thankfully NOT STRANGERS, and not someone whom she minds seeing her in such a ridulous costume in the middle of the day. Thankfully, the kids were dressed and so was the husband.
I would have liked to have sat in bed reading peacefully after snuggling with the kids watching Bambi, but there was a higher calling to my time tonight. You see, I've fulfilled a profound dream of shampooing everything upholstered in my home, and when a man is in the house, he isn't into that for hours on end...especially at midnight. During breaks I'm cleaning out my house. Four pair of shoes are now in the 'to go' pile and if you are a size 9, these have your name on them! I'm a 9.5 now, I know, Sasqwatch is coming to mind even if I can't spell his name. The babies...the weight, things stretch, like feet. I digress...so the water is getting hot for the shampooer whilst I write so I'm under the gun here, but have to say I'm also getting rid of all the plastic plates and cups in my cabinet? Know why? I have too many plates and instead of getting rid of what were my sweet mom's and my Bubbie's, I'm putting some of those down low for the kids and if they break, they break, but I'm going on the "no plastic from China" thing here so am willing to risk it. I also am determined to let my home breathe....breathe I say!!!!! No more cluttered cabinets. It's like working on your spirit before your hair--I'm going from the inside, out here. Maybe one day I'll get the kitchen island done, but in the meantime, drawers and closets and cabinets are the focal point.
I'm usually excited about Thanksgiving each year. Family, friends, fun and fabulous food is something to look forward to. This year it's not the same. It may be because I haven't focused on the what to do's and what to makes. The only thing we've done around here is started Thanksgiving journals. Maybe over the weekend I'll get more excited about the whole thing. I could make some pumpkin bars and some eggnog bread.. that might help my mood.
I think we'll do a family craft together. We've done one when my eldest two where younger. Now that I have five children it will be more fun.
We'll make a Thanksgiving tree.
I'll cut out a tree base out of construction paper and then all my children, my hubbs and I can cut out a bunch of our traced hands in fall colors, and then glue them to the tree.
I think it'll look real neat this year with all the different sized hands.
What about you? Do you do any family crafts together?
Posted By Mom of Three Little Ladies and one Little Blessing Boy
From the Heart:
I'm loving being with my kids. Every moment that I get with them fills my heart. It is so wonderful to hold my son in my arms and hear him say, "I wuv you, Mommy. You're adorable!" I also love watching and experiencing the moments that my five year old studies her first words and reads them. Each day she makes so much progress. My 10 and 12 year olds amaze me with how they are growing into young ladies more each day and becoming individuals. Life as a Mom is good.
The little ones like to snuggle in the rocking chair after their bath near the wood stove.
I just finished looking over my blog from a year ago. I am so glad that I am not in that place any longer! A year ago my Snow Crystal was having concentration problems, abdominal pain, seizures, weakness, and looked like a little holocaust survivor. She was depressed and talking about suicide. I praise God for all my friends who so faithfully prayed, and for the cure of becoming gluten-free again, and avoiding artificial additives. She is my healthy, happy, seizure-free young lady again. No more of any of those things, and her school work has improved dramatically this year. I am so grateful to the Lord!
In the School Room:
Mountain Princess, 12, and Snow Crystal, 10: Abraham Lincoln was shot again this week (we learned it a few weeks ago, but readressed the reasons this week). The aftermath of the civil war was anything but nice. Andrew Johnson may have had Abraham's roots, but he lacked some of Abe's other successful political prowess. Matter can be in the form of a solid, a liquid, a gas, and plasma. Old Yeller is my 10 year old's first school book to be taken on without my help, and she's doing a good job. She even stated that this is her favorite reader ever. Caddie Woodlawn continues to be a spunky little thing. Tall tales are fun because they exaggerate a story and hyperboles are perfect to put in them. Mountain Princess finished up decimals, fractions and percentages, and moved on to tesselations. (Did I learn about these in school? They are fun.) Snow Crystal is working on fractions now.
Bubbies, 5, learned about the clothing and culture of the French in the period just before Napoleon's time and about the French revolution. Birds have feathers, lay eggs, are warm-blooded, and most eat other animals. We examined an old robin's nest and found an unhatched egg. Robin nests are made of mud, twigs and grass. Numbers higher than ten are made with groups of ten and units. She finished the week by writing her numbers between twenty and thirty.
Little Critter, 3, is beginning to take himself to the potty and we are having much fewer peeing accidents. On the other hand, we pooped in the bath tub again. Good thing sister wasn't with her this time!
On the Mission Field:
One of my favorite speakers, Graeme from Australia, was here speaking on cultural differences. We had another India - style dinner too. The students have only two more weeks before they head out on outreach. They will spend their first month in New Mexico with the Navajo work there, then the final eight weeks in India. We saw the Lord bring in a bunch of money toward their outreach expenses. That is always fun to see.
In the Literary Scene:
I am reading Brock and Bodie Thoene's second book in the Galway Series Of Men and of Angels.
Feeding on His Faithfulness,
Carol
If you would like to join me in this theme, just write up your own weekly summary, using mine or your own categories. Then sign the Mr. Linky below. I'd love to read your weekly summaries too! I hope to post mine on each Friday or Saturday. At the latest it will be on Sunday. If you get yours done before I do, just leave your link in my cbox or comments from the week before. Be sure and check last week's Mr. Linky for any new ones who posted before I did! It is a great way to meet new people.
I’ve had several pages open in my browser for the last little while waiting to share them with you.Since I have to shut down my computer for a while now seems like a good time to post them.
I love the idea of these Narration bookmarks. These prompts help the children to think as they are reading.Most of my children are sharing their narrations in their reading journals these days, but they go through seasons of needing prompts. This post was listed in the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival – if you haven’t read it yet – there’s plenty to read!
I love this list of what a true friend is like – as per scripture.These are good scriptures to remember for anyone – not just us ladies!
Not sure how I came across this site though it has been open for a week or so – neoK12 – Educational videos and lessons for k-12 school kids.This will be a handy link to keep!
I’ve printed this off to keep in my Bible study folder.Not sure when I’ll get to this study but I’d like to do it myself or help my older ones to do it as their Bible Study.Getting to know God through His Names and Titles.I like the list in that it is just some prompts/scriptures – you have to do the thinking and applying.
Also need to bemore diligent with Scripture Memorisation with my younger two – not sure how I’m going to do this yet, but with AmblesideOnline’s list and this one I think we’ll have enough to work with.
Welcome to my blog. How nice of you to drop in.
What is this all about you say? Well, take a look and see.
Just like the plants springing forth we are following the Son, soaking up the living water and pulling the weeds. We can't wait to see what will bloom THIS growing season!
Oh, and just for fun, I will tell you a little about me, since that is what this space is for. :)
I am a mother of four lovely kids who are perfectly human in every way.
They are sinful, selfish, loving, happy, grumpy, excited, capable, frustratable,
(I know, that isn't a word but sometimes I make up my own) and sometimes contrite, and just like their parents.
But they are ours and we think they are all keepers!
We have homeschooled them all since birth with the trial and error method.
I think they all have "made the grade" and they are now 17, 14, 12 and 10 years old.
We're not experts, except in the area of making mistakes and living to tell about them and hopefully learn from them!
We hope you will find some encouragement here as you read about the seasons of our life as a homeschooling family.
Exploramania is the Company created by Carrie Scheiner (aka- Miss Carrie on the DVD) Carrie has a really inspirational story about how she decided to start her own company and how she overcame a disability to make the DVD which you can read in detail here if you would like: 
From the Heart:
