Hello to All,

Hooray for SUMMER!!! I dream of these wonderful warm and sunny days all winter long, as I bet most of you do. We have officially finished our lessons, but, the best part of teching at home is knowing that learning happens wherever you are. I wanted to post the link to our wonderful state Dept of Natural Resources page that includes LOADS of cool stuff to do all over our beautiful state. Have a TERRIFIC summer!!! Here is the link:

http://www.wvdnr.gov/

Hugs,

Charlotte

Hello to all,

I haven't been doing much posting lately, but the outdoors has been calling. We had planned to have a small plot, but time got away from us andnothing was planted. I have also been busy inside and with my little business as well as going to the park with Caleb (when it is not sweltering outside). Last week the temperatures were in the 90s almost every day. Friday we went on a field trip to the Whipple Company Store last week with some other homeschoolers and had a good time learning from the owner about our WV coal mining history. The children were even able to "mine" some coal and turn it in for "scrip" to shop with in the little company store. We had a neat little picnic lunch at the store afterward, too. There was something in the lunch to represent each decade from the 1910s through the 1950s, very interesting. The owners are also homeschoolers and are restoring the 118 year old store as a museum.
I pray that all is well with you and yours, and that you are staying comfortable in the heat. May God richly bless your week.

Love and hugs,
Charlotte
 

We had a field trip yesterday with one of our groups of homeschool friends. We traveled to the office of a field Entomologist with the Department of Agriculture in our County. WOW, did the kids have a GOOD time. They learned all about the anatomy, defenses, usefulness and also the destructive ways of  many varieties of insects. The entomologist had a power point presentation put together for them and each of the children brought home a packet of information including some pretty neat "Bug Tattoos".  After they took time to look at ALL of the vast array of insect specimens around the room, they went outside with nets to have a chance to collect their own. The office was on a hill top and so, the children had fun running to the top of the hill, nets in hand, and then running down the hill with their nets dragging the ground like a scoop to pick up insects. They all got a good work-out and each caught some interesting "critters" to ask the entomologist about. Caleb was just tuckered out after all of the excitement and took a well earned nap in the car on the way home. He talked about the trip all evening long. I am posting some of the pictures here:

What a GREAT way to learn!!!!

Stay Cozy,

Char

Hi!

This came across my desk, and it looks interesting. Evidently Sunkist lemons is having their 5th Annual Take a Stand. What they are doing is trying to educate children about community, and charity.

To that end, they are giving away Lemonade Stands and other materials, so your child can raise money for a charity.

Here Is The URL So You Can Take A Look

I thought it looked really interesting, so, I requested a stand for Caleb. We will be sending all of the procedes to the St Joseph  Indian School in South Dakota. Caleb truly enjoyed studying about the many Native American tribes this past year and we also were reminded of the great need among the tribes on reservations. The St Joseph School offers education and hope to the families of the Lakota Tribe. Caleb enjoys reading their newsletters and has really taken them to heart.  Here is the link for the school: http://www.stjo.org/

Go to the Sunkist site and request a stand for your little student(s) and help them learn about helping others in need. The Lord loves a cheerful giver and the chance to help someone else should never be passed up.

Until next time, Stay Cozy,

Charlotte  

Welcome to My Life: I was sitting at my Cozy Home School computer this morning, enjoying my hot cup of Morning Coffee and reflecting on Homeschooling Only One when suddenly I realized that life in My Cozy Little Cottage was in dire need of some Creative Homeschooling. I began to search the Company Front Porch to see if I could find My Source of Inspiration to help me with some Joy in the Journey. Being that we are Simple Folk, we like to keep our focus on The Heart of the Home, and I always pray for Mercy in the Morning as I plan new things to add to our Eclectic Education. I often find myself Seeking Rest in Ancient Paths.

As I made my way through this wonderful Mom's Circle of Friends, I began having some Homegrown Thoughts as I was searching for Wisdom Along the Way. For us, Homeschooling is Life and I am always happy to have Caleb Spears: Home Where They Belong.  I can tell you, I was one Happy Apple as I came across one Spunky Homeschool  idea after another. I am glad that my homeschool has a One Child Policy but I always love to read about Lessons Learned on the Farm of those who are Blessed By Bunches. Well, now my coffee is all gone and I am ready to begin my day. I am glad to know all of my friends at the Homeschool Blogger site. It is like having A Place Called Home.

 

If you are reading this, You've Been Tagged..... I was visiting Pat's Place blog and came across this. The rules are, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. Have some fun and join in. Hugs, Charlotte Apr. 22, 2008 - Tag you are it-just one word and lots of laughs "http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/kidcraze/"did this tag a few weeks ago and it looked like fun.I think sometimes we just need to laugh so You Can Only Type One Word (if you read this, consider yourself tagged). This is not as easy as you might think. Change the answers to suit you. It's hard to use only one word answers. When you're done, post a comment so I can check out your answers. Have fun!  1. Where is your cell phone? none 2. Who is your significant other? Robin 3. Your hair? permmed  4. Your mother? home 5. Your father? home 6. Your favorite thing? family  7. Your dream last night? good 8. Your favorite drink? Water  9. Your dream/goal? Heaven 10. The room you're in? Nook 11. Your fear? Sadness  12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here 13. Where were you last night? Home 14. What you're not? Sofisticated   15. Muffins? blueberry 16. One of your wish list items? carpet 17. Where you grew up? WestVirginia (oops, two words)  18. The last thing you did? Type 19. What are you wearing? gown 20. Your TV? Cartoons 21. Your Pets? cat 22. Your computer? old 23. Your life? Blessed  24. Your mood? sweet 25. Missing someone? grandparents 26. Your car? van 27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes 28. Favorite Store? Krogers 29. Your summer? Hot 30. Your favorite color? Pink 31. When is the last time you laughed? Today 32. When is the last time you cried? Yesterday  33. Who will/would repost this? You

Happy Birthday, Dear Caleb.......

The boy turned 9 this past Tuesday. We had a nice evening out with him on Monday starting with dinner at Bob Evans and then shopping for his gift at Toys-R-Us. I had enrolled him in their birthday clubs. If you have never taken advantage of birthday clubs, they are GREAT. Many restaurants offer these as well as some toy stores and local businesses. They send your child post cards and greetings with coupons near their birthday for free meals, dollars off purchases and other fun surprises. As you can see, Caleb chose more "Little Men"==The invasion continues

We had a little family gathering at our house with his brothers and some new friends on Tuesday. We had cupcakes and ice cream and the kids had a good time playing board games and video games and talking a bunch. Birthdays are so AWESOME when you are a KID!!! I am just getting ready to wake everyone up to get ready for Church this morning, but wanted to take time to post the latest from old Cozy Home. Hope you have a good week and don't forget that Tuesday is the 15th--TAX DAY---yikes, so if you haven't filed yet.....get-er-done by then. I will be glad to see the 16th myself--so tired of seeing W-2s and 1099s....

Love to all, Keep Cozy,

Char

Good Morning World!!! (My mamma's early morning greeting as she woke us up for school---Morning people---sheesh---heehee) Anyway, Hope you are having a good Saturday, so far, and hope it just gets better as the day goes on!!! I have to get ready to go out on a little side job around 1:00 so I am trying to get some blog entries done before I have to start the "beauty routine" for the day.

I was going through my AOL Favorites List this morning, trying to find a favorite Interior Design link that I was SURE that I saved (guess not...grrr) when I came across another really NEAT homeschool site that I DID save, and glad that I did. There are some really great links on the site as well as ideas for teaching LD and ADHD students. Now you all know how I feel about these labels---if you don't by now, then I will tell you that, quite frankly, I do not use them in our home. However, they are accepted terms used by educators to describe learners that do not learn "inside the box" created by the school system. And, since my little student is deffinately an "outside the box" kinda guy, I found the ideas and links to be very useful for us. Here is the link, check it out:  http://www.learningabledkids.com/

I will close for now and make my way toward the "chamber of beautification" (OK, so it is just the bathroom--Sounds good though, huh?) Hope that you have a WONDERFUL week.

Love and Hugs to All,

Char

I normally would not post twice in one day, but, I was traveling around the blogger and I came across this very well stated post. I am very concerned with the upcoming election, though I do not often speak of it here. Please read this post before you make your decision for President in 2008:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homemakerscottage/493077/#c986318

Ron Paul is still in the race, he says that he will not quit until the bitter end, even if we have to write him in.

Love and Prayers,

Char

Wow, what a week we had, weather-wise. Earlier in the week, we had BEAUTIFUL spring-like days with temperatures in the 60s. Yesterday, we were hit with SNOW and today it is just plain C-O-L-D. I am so looking forward to nice weather on a more permanent basis (and so is Caleb---he keeps wanting to go to the park).

Meanwhile, as for schooling, we finally have something that seems to fit us very nicely as far as a schedual goes. I am usually not much for over schedualing anything, I love to just take it one day at a time and let the Lord lead the day. But, we needed to keep Mr Caleb on some type of routine, especially with his very active personality. So we now have several little workbooks that he does on a daily basis and we add a different main subject to each day. For example; Monday: US History, Tuesday: Science, Wed: Health and Safety, and Thursday: World History. Math, Language Arts and Writing are everyday lessons. He really likes the workbooks we have for him. We let him pick out stickers to put on the pages when he is finished. His dad teaches him at least 2 days each week and he likes that. He says that is their "bonding" time....cute. They have made some neat projects together this year, including a little model Conestoga Wagon from wood and an old diaper for the canopy. (Yes, it was CLEAN--)

I am starting to work on assembling his portfolio for the year and am also starting to look at what we will be learning next year. The time seems to go so quickly. Hope that all of you have been staying warm, and happy and healthy. May the Lord bless you till we meet again.

Love and Prayers,

Char

If you have a son, you could be in danger of this.....

It began innocently enough; after a trip to W-Mart several years ago we brought home a 12" Spiderman Action Figure. Caleb's first. He turned up everywhere in my house. In the family room, in the bathroom, on the dining room table. We thought nothing of it and were glad that our son had a toy that he really liked. But, slowly, almost unnoticed the invasion began. We began to acquire more of these strange little men in our home. Some large 12" sized like our "Spidey" friend, others small and green wearing military uniforms--just the right size to not be noticed by bear parental feet in the wee small hours of morning---OUCH!!! There were Power Rangers, TMNTurtles, Batman, various villians and loads of Soldiers and generic look-alikes. We began to wonder if the Webbed Wonder was sneaking his buddies in at night while we slept. They could be found lurking in every corner of our home at every hour of the day and night. They began to stray away from their comfortable ASSIGNED storage bins. The little ones even crept into a homeschool project--a WWII diarama, Caleb's first self-assigned project. I strongly suspect "THEY" talked him into this. I am not sure whether to feel safe and protected by all of these small "heros" or to be cautious of an impending hostile take-over. Lets just say that for now I am keeping my eye on them....this morning Spiderman was waiting for me on the kitchen counter beside the coffee maker.....hmmm!?!?!

Resting after Christmas...

I hope that everyone had a Wonderful Christmas and did not eat too much (I am afraid that I am a little guilty of this, as usual) I tend to let all of the pre-Christmas preparations get the best of me, so I do apologize for not posting for so LOOONNGG  I took the month of December as an oportunity to just enjoy teaching Caleb through everyday activities. We also helped plan the Christmas Party for our Homeschool group. I made up little songbooks for each child and got to "direct" them in singing a few carols. Another mom that lead in the planning read the Story of the Candy Cane to the kiddos and they LOVED it. We are truly enjoying getting to know and being involved with other local families.

Good morning to all. I am taking just a second to catch up on some blog entries befor the day starts for real as my sweet hubby and son rise and shine for the day. I realize that it has been a while since I have written anything and wanted to catch up with you on what is going on here in my little corner of the world. Most of you that stop by here from time to time realize that I try to keep everything sunny and bright on my blog and I don't often complain about too much about anything going on in our day to day life. Recently, however, I have had a little bout with the old demon called depression. Nothing devastating just a case of the blues and some discouragement. I have had a couple of instances lately where people have let me down (not that I have never let anyone down--I am sure that I have as we all do from time to time). I have prayed about this deeply and sought answers in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes and have come back to realizing that I cannot allow others to rob me of my JOY in the Lord or in the life that HE has blessed me with. Below is a work called "Anyway" that I have used as my model for a number of years. The past few weeks have been a test of my Faith and I had to once again realize that I can only trust Him and not rely on others for approval and strength. If anyone reading this is going through a time of hardship with family or friends, please read this and understand that All that we do is done for HIS Glory alone and not for the glory of ourselves or others.

Much love to all,

Char 

The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

              People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

            If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

____________________________

2. The Original Version:

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.
   
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.
   
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.
   
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.
   
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.
   
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
   Think big anyway.
   
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
   
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.
   
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.
   
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

© 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith

"The Paradoxical Commandments" were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders.

Simple Pleasures
Virginia Borman Grimmer

______________________

I like a simple little house
With flowers by the door,
An ample larder for my needs
And not much more in store.

______________________

I like a window toward the sun
And doors that open wide,
The trickle of a bath for birds
With feathered friends beside.

_______________________

I like a tidy nook inside
Where my books and slippers lie,
A cup for tea, a magazine,
And warming hearth nearby.

________________________

I like some trinkets on the sills,
White ruffles at the panes,
The comfort of a sturdy roof
To shelter me from rains.

________________________

I like the Cozy ambience,
A place of sweet retreat
Where life unfolds along the way
And each new day's a treat.

This poem is one of my all time favorites and the inspiration behind the Cozy Home name for my business, homeschool and my publishing projects. Doesn't it just make you want to cuddle into your favorite chair with a book and a cup of tea?

My Hands Were Busy

My hands were busy throughout the day
I didn't have much time to play
The little games you asked me to.
I didn't have much time for you.

I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when you'd bring your picture book
And ask me please to share your fun,
I'd say:  "A little later, son."

I'd tuck you in all safe an night
And hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door...
I wished I'd stayed a minute more.

For time is short, the years rush past...
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at your side,
His precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away,
There are no longer games to play,
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear...
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to.

Author Unknown

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, just taking time to do some of those little things with Caleb, while we still have the time to do them. He is growing so FAST!!!

 Wow, what a wonderful week we have had. On Monday we met with some other homeschool families at a local park to kick off a new group for our area. We had a great time and so did the kids. They laughed and played the whole time and their clothes and faces showed evidence of the good time they had. The most pleasant surprise of the day was seeing a friend that I had not seen since High School and finding out that she was homeschooling her two children. I am glad that we will be able to visit again with each other and catch up on some lost time.

I also got to see a new friend that is also a member of the Ron Paul group I am in and a participant on the WV Yahoo group that I spend much time posting on. Our children got to meet for the first time and the two of them really hit it off. They both like to play hard and have great imaginations, so they came up with some interesting scenerios to play out, all involving sticks and villans to fight off. This is childhood at it's BEST!!! When Caleb was in PS they did not have much time if any for outdoor playtime and then, OH MY, Heaven forbid, that they should brandish a STICK....for shame. But  I digress,,,,,,We got a  lot accomplished and are looking forward to our next meeting, and to seeing what kind of neat ideas that we will come up for things to do together. One of the members has a daughter that is a StoryTeller and has her own little business for this...NEAT. 

I started a little part time job this week at JoAnn Fabrics, the sewing bug has gotten hold of me. I haven't sewn for 20 years, but I suddenly feel the need to express myself with fabric. It is also a great place to get materials for all kinds of homeschool art projects, so I went to work there for the extra money to get all this stuff. My little business is still coming along well, but it gets a little slow this time of year. I am only working 15-20 hrs a week through the Christmas season. This will be a chance to make some more new friends, and some sewing buddies, too, I hope.

I have been on line most of the morning looking at other homeschool blogs and reading articles on Christian Unschooling. This has lead me to some authors that I must read: Terri J Brown's book: Christian Unschooling looks wonderful as well as the more secular author John Holt's books. We are learning that an hour or two at the table is about all that Caleb can take and that when he is on his own he is looking up things that are really interesting to him. He has a BUNCH of new books and loves to sit for hours reading them and asking us questions about the body, plants, chemistry, bugs, animals.....I am loving it!!! So I am looking into learning more about the idea of Unschooling (though I suspect this is what we have really been doing, anyway). I use our curriculum as a guide and study the manuals for hours, but if I would actually stand up and teach the lessons exactly as they suggest, Caleb would never learn anything. He learns fast, and the quicker I get to the point, the better. So I do not spend a lot of time theorizing and discussing the lessons...its "just the facts, mam, just the facts" as they used to say on the old Dragnet TV show. He seems to retain things better this way.

I am glad that I have this little blog to come to so that I can share our journey with other dedicated Home Ed families. This is a wonderful group of people and the Front Porch is one of my favorite places to hang out every day. I hope that your next week is as wonderful and eventful as my last week has been. Stop by and see us again soon,

Love in Christ,

Char

The morning is still new and the coffee is still fresh so I thought I would take a minute and post a little Cozy Home news. We took a little time for some nature study Sunday afternoon at our favorite park starting with a hike on the trail to the lake at the top of the hill. Robin and Caleb and I looked at the different trees and even spotted some Paw-Paws (WV Bananas) growing but they were too high to reach---shucks. We walked around the lake and talked about how nice it would be to plan some picnics with the other children and gran-babies. Caleb told his dad that he would love to go fishing sometime with him and Robin said that sounded like a great idea. After we traveled back off of the hill to the park, Caleb got to have some fun playing with some other kids whilst the old folks rested. It was a fun afternoon.

On Saturday I had worked at a little booth that our Ron Paul group had at the Fall Festival here in our home town. There were lots of crafters there and some good cooks and live music. I met another homeschool family and we had one PS teacher stop and take info about Dr. Paul when he saw that he was a supporter of Homeschooling. The gentleman said that he supported homeschooling, too and wishes that more families would school their children at home. He said that the government schools are broken and that he did not see much hope for them being fixed as long as the government had a hand in them. Wow, how's that for a commentary. I am listing a little info about Ron Paul's stand on homeschooling and a photo of him, too:

He proposes returning control of Education to parents through the Family Education Freedom Act, which reduces taxes to make it easier for parents to homeschool by allowing them to devote more of their own funds to their children's education.

He would veto any legilsation that would create national standards or national testing for homeschool parents or students. He would use his authority to prevent the Department of Education from regulating homeschool activities.

He wants to garantee parity for homeschool diplomas. He would also like to advance equal scholarship consideration for students entering college from a homeschool environment.

You can read more about his stance on this and other issues on his web site listed on this page. I usually do not get this much into politics, but this is one candidate that has really impressed me. He doesn't waiver from what he believes in and is not taking campaign donations from large corporations. I think he is worth taking a look at if you haven't already.

Until next time, May the Lord bless your week,

Char

On your marks, Get set.......Get ready for the most beautiful, sentimental, reflective, wonderful time of the year that Our Heavenly Father has blessed us with. OK, maybe this is only my personal opinion, but I'll bet there are a lot of you that tend to agree with me. I love the smell in the air and the changing color of the leaves, and, let's face it, any season that lends itself to family gathering around a table full of home cooked goodies is just plain heavenly in my book. I am teaching in a more relaxed and practical way that the routine that we had last year and Caleb is beginning to take pen in hand more on his own little by little and is developing a desire to write down his ideas to some degree. He is also getting used to using math in his day to day life and likes trying to come up with his own board games since his recent introduction to Monopoly--which he really likes.

Robin is doing well after his recent heart cath and they were able to open up one blocked vein that really allowed more blood flow to that area of his heart. He is grateful for all of the prayers and everyone's concern for him. He is to go back for another follow up stress test around the middle of this month--I will keep you informed on how that goes.

We are finally starting to connect with other local homeschool families and have joined KPHE that is our local co-op group as well as a playgroup in a nearby town. I am relieved to have a chance to get to know other families around here with our common interests. I sometimes feel a bit alone and especially with this age factor. I know, 46 is not old, but I long for other friends my age with little ones. All of my longtime friends have children the age of my grown ones and when we get together, they want to chat about all grown up topics: shopping, tea, grown kids lives, etc. I often go and visit without Caleb and it will be nice to be able to visit with other moms with little kids and let Caleb make some good friends, too.

I am also becoming active in the campain of Dr. Ron Paul for President. I am going to pass out fliers with a local group at the Fall Festival in our little town on the 15th. If you haven't heard of this Defender of the Constitution I will just invite you to learn a little about him at www.ronpaul2008.com and not get too wound up here on politics.

Love to all and may Our Lord bless you with a wonderful week,

Char

What a week we have had here at the old Cozy Home. We officially started back to our lessons on August 2nd and Caleb is very happy about that. During the week of the 12th my sweet hubby had to go for a stress test at his cardiologist's office and they recommended that he should go in for another heart cath. due to some problems with fibrallations at night. He went in on Friday of this week and they had to place another stint in one of his veins to open up bloodflow. He also found out that he may have to have a pacemaker sometime in the near future. He is supposed to come home today, and I can't wait to get him back here. The house seems so empty when he is not here. Our daughter, Jessica also had to go in for a little gastric proceedure on Friday at the same hospital, so I bounced back and forth between her and Robin making sure all was well. Lots of prayer that day and I am glad that our pastor was there with us as well. Caleb has been a good helper the last couple of days and is quite grown up as he talks to Dad on the phone when he calls from the hospital. The older kids have been a big help, too, and have been wonderful about watching Caleb so I could go and be with Robin.

My dad called yesterday to see how we all were and he told me that my Uncle Charlie, his younger brother had passed away. He was 82 and had been in bad health for a while. Dad is OK and said that he knows that Charlie is home with Jesus now and no longer suffering. I love my Dad, he has such a wonderful faith in the Lord, as does my Mom.

I woke up at 3:13 with a little one in bed with me with a bad case of the wiggles. He wanted to sleep with Mom while Dad is away. He is my little angel and Daddy's little buddy. He has started helping me in the kitchen more and loves to bake pizzas and apple crisps. We get out his measuring cups and he loves to learn about fractions this way. He is looking forward to seeing his Dad come home today. I am going to try to get all of his lessons lined out this afternoon as soon as we get Robin back to the house.

 May the Lord bless all of you with His love until next time,

Char5

Hello to all and I hope that each one of you is having a wonderful summer, whether you are in teaching mode or just plain old lazy hazy vacation mode like us. Caleb is enjoying lots of time with his neices and nephews and we have been taking a lot of outings in the local parks in our area. We love nature walks and get in a little botany while we are strolling along. We officially start back to "classes" in a week and a half and Caleb seems ready to get started. He recently told me that he is glad that we homeschool him, because he likes being FREE.  Ahh, democracy, what a wonderful idea!!!! I will try to get back to blogging more regularly.

Hope to hear from some of you soon, Char