Oh, I'll post here again soon.
I haven't been blogging much on any of my blogs due to busy summer months.  I'll post when I can or when I feel inspired.

Posted in Glimpses of our homeschool

Now that life is returning to normal again I will have more time to devote to this blog. My step-dad recently passed away so I was busy with helping my mom with things.

Today, after almost a month of not doing a whole lot of learning in our home (book work that is), I had expected my kids to just be able to get back into it. That plan backfired like an old truck. The kids could not find their math books or pencils. We forgot where we left off on our units studies. The cubby holes where the kids keep their learning materials were a total mess. I quickly found myself getting frustrated and so were the kids.

I knew if we kept going the smoke from the backfired truck would quickly fill the room. It was time for a pow-wow! I gathered my kids around and I apologized to them and admitted that we all got off to a bad start. We all then decided to take today to organize the cubby's and find their learning materials. We all agreed that it is much easier when things are organized and clean.

I will return to my bloggy self eventually. I have had a family emergency come up.

Posted in Glimpses of our homeschool

I've been thinking a lot lately about extra things my children can do outside of our "home school walls. You know, like martial arts, sports, art class, dancing or music lessons. As much as I would like my children doing more of those things I also have to take into account the monetary cost. It's not easy during these times in our country.

Besides park and rec. programs, scouts, local support groups or co-ops what are ways that you give your children "extra curricular" activities without spending your milk (or non-dairy) money?

Posted in Glimpses of our homeschool

Links for Reading Comprehension worksheets and printables.

Reading Comprehension at RHL school. 

ABCTeach

EdHelper

Teach-nology

Posted in Fun learning

I have kept journals for as long as I remember. I enjoy sitting down and just spilling words out upon a blank piece of journal page.

Journaling is something I wanted to pass down to my children. Each year I get them brand new journals. They really like the ones that you can close with a clip or a magnet. Each day we all take time to journal. Myself included which sometimes ends up being blogging or making grocery lists. We've been doing this for at least five years. Even my little ones journal by doodling or scribbling on paper.

My daughter and I also have a journal (three ring-binder) where we write to each other. It's precious.

It always puts a smile on my face when we walk out the door and a child brings their journal.

I have a box of writing prompts that we use each day when we cannot think of something to write about.
Teacher Created Resources Writing Prompts. They offer different grade levels if that is something that floats your boat. Otherwise, if you are not concerned about grade levels then have fun with them. I enjoy them even no matter which grade level we pull from. Journaling is about writing and enjoying it.

Online Writing and Journal Prompts:
Writing/Journal Prompts at CanTeach.
Daily Writing promts at The Teachers Corner
A Goldmine of Journal Writing Prompts

How about you? Do you journal? Do your kids journal?

Posted in Glimpses of our homeschool

Home school to-do list for this week.

• Finish planning this week.
• Think about planning next week.
• Move bookshelves.
  
• Library run.

My eldest decided that he wanted to work on his math everyday at 2:00 rather than in the mornings. We'll see how this works. Hey, if him setting his own schedule for his learning routine helps, I'm all for it. He may be more like his dad and will strive on schedules.

Posted in Fun learning

Great on-line learning aids.

"Hundreds of worksheets. Millions of combinations." at Worksheet Works

Free on-line books, poems and short stories at Read Print.

On-line graphical dictionary and thesaurus at Visuwords. This has become one of my new favorites. Being dyslexic I can "see" the words by getting a neat picture. Seeing this site for the first time was pretty exciting for me.

Posted in Encouragement

I have been learning a lot today! I had composed a heart felt post about when I am a sour apple the whole bunch (my family) are also rotten.
Then the blog post monster ate my words! Really, I meant to hit "Ctrl C" but pushed "Shift C" instead. Poof!

This will be the shortened version.

Our attitudes affect more than just ourselves. When we have sour attitudes they usually end up spreading to our spouse and to our children.  Children can read feelings well. I have learned that when I am a sour apple my children act out, they don't obey, they are rude and often will not listen. It has been in these times where I have had to take a mommy time out, calm down and then humble myself and apologize for being rotten.

As homeschoolers we are on the lookout for teachable moments to teach our children, but more-so we as the teacher need our teachable moments, too.

 

Posted in Glimpses of our homeschool

'Tis the season to start praying and thinking about purchasing new learning aids. (Books, workbooks, ya know that stuff that helps aid in learning.) It's time to start planning what direction we want to go this year with our learning. Fun times, I tell you.

My 12 yo and my almost 11 yo are wanting more self-directed learning aids. I am planning a day when I can take them out to our local get-your-homeschool-supplies-here store so that they can look and touch learning aids, and I can get ideas.

My almost 8 yo (in two weeks) is getting into reading more. Reading has finally clicked with him. It is exciting when reading "clicks" for a child. I am so thankful that I am the one that gets to see that "click" and not some stranger.

My 5 yo is wanting his own math book. Yes! I'll be making another mass order to Math-U-See again soon because my other children are almost done with their books.

My 2 yo, well she is happy with a stack of blank paper and a box of crayons. She is quite good at making scribble.

Posted in Encouragement

I have not been able to get away from Psalm 19 this week. I've set up camp. My tent is up but my sleeping bag is out in the wide open next to the fire pit. What a place to be under the poetic words of Psalm 19:1-6.
To feast on burnt marshmallows and s'mores while telling stories is as devouring the words of Psalm 19:7-11. Sitting peacefully recalling the days events is as ruminating on Psalm 19:12-14.

Camping is one of my favorite spring, summer and early fall activities. It brings me refreshing, relaxation and joy to be out in G-d's glorious creation. It is pure enjoyment to teach my children the skills they need to be in the outdoors. They need to know how to fish, gut a fish, put up a tent, make a fire, make marshmallow roasting sticks from willows and many other things to make a successful camping trip or for survival if need be.

As parents it is our responsibility to train our children, to prepare their hearts and minds so that they will be successful adults. It is our responsibility to teach our children the ways of the Lord - to teach His laws, His testimony, His statutes, His commandments and to fear Him. His way brings our souls closer to Him. They give us wisdom, understanding, joy and strength.

Psalm 19:12-14 set before us a way to clean up camp and to make things look better than when you first set up camp.

"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer."

What comes out of our mouth that is directed at our children, ( or anyone) can cause encouragement or hurt.  What is in our heart is bound to come out of our mouth.

"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man." Matthew 15:18

Ouch.

As parents we need to allow the Lord to prepare us so that we can teach and prepare our children with  the heritage that Christ has given us.

I encourage you to find a place in the Word and set up camp. Listen, chew, enjoy.

Did you know that in the middle of the night in the dark depth's of the laundry room when you're sleeping that the underwear gnomes and sock gnomes fight? It's an all out "king of the mountain" type fight to gain control of all sock-dom. This, my dear friends is why my children, nor I, can't find pencils. You see, pencils are their weapon of choice. This is the reason why you can never find pencils, underwear or missing socks.

I think the gnomes take pencil sharpeners as well, but I haven't been able to prove that yet...

Seriously, at least once a day I hear, "Mom, where is a pencil?"
I have a hard enough time keeping tally on my pens, let alone their pencils.

I've tried giving the kids their own pencil boxes to keep in their own cubbies. Failed. I've tried a community pencil box. Failed.

I am terrible at coming up with creative organization solutions for our pencil problem. I have not been blessed with the gift of organization. Organization is something my dyslexic self has a hard time with. I "see" everything in pictures. I can walk by objects and I'll make a mental picture of the object and what is around it. I've always amazed my hubbs with my gift for knowing exactly where everything is.

Anyway, I welcome any ideas for organizing pencils.

I thrive on routine and so do my children. I never really realized how routine driven I am until one year when I had to have physical therapy on my wrist. Having to go to therapy three times a week messed me up. I didn't sleep well, which of course led to other problems.

When I get up early in the morning, which I have been doing again lately, I read, pray, and then drink coffee or tea while I do my "online" rounds. I get about two hours before the kids wake up.
When kids are up we make breakfast, eat and clean up.

After breakfast we do devotions. Currently our devo's are from "Did You Know Devotions for Kids." They include neat trivia so not only do we learn Bible, but also other fun facts. These usually make some bunny trails for the day.

Then I read out loud while the kids draw or play quietly. Presently, we are reading "Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne.

Then it is math time. The kids are required one page a day, more if they want. While they are getting math done I exercise. If I don't get to exercise because I am teaching a new concept then we all exercise together after math.

Journaling/writing/grammar is next. I have a box of writing promts that I use. I also journal along with the kids. (Or blog.)

Lunch

In the afternoon we work on what we didn't get to in the morning and work on projects, read more, field trips, play time.

Dinner

Play

Bed

After the kids are all in bed, I usually veg with hubbs or depending on my mood, I'll crochet, blog or watch a movie.

It's simple, really.

After a week of deliberating whether to dust off my old blogs so that I could use just this one for homeschooling, I have to decided to do it.
I dusted off The Cogitate Apple, to write about my spontaneous meanderings about the joys of life that come my way.
I also updated my yarn blog, Apple Strands.

It has been a blessing, it seems my thoughts flow better. My "blogger block" has been lifted. I no longer hem and haw about what to compose here and have it turn out homeschool related. Now to find time to create some backgrounds. I'll get there, for now I am enjoying just blogging.

I have blogger block. I have the desire, the urge and the want to blog, but when I sit here to think of something all I do is make a blank stare at the computer monitor. It's as if I have hopes that the monitor will somehow give me inspiration. Really, a "text box" doesn't have much inspiration in it unless it has words streaming accross it.

Inspiration comes in all sorts of forms. It can come through prayer, reading a quote, looking at the floor covered in plastic bugs. Wait! Plastic bugs? Double take - they are pink, violet, blue, yellow and green bugs being played with by my DD10. My ucle bought my kids bags of bugs. Not just one or two bags, I'm talking like twenty bags. I didn't think my DD10 would play much with these bugs, (I think she took all the pink and purple ones from the bunch.)

Links I usually have to click on once a day. (That is, if I remember or have time)

The Homeschool Freebie of the Day - Great place for books, lessons, audio books.

The Christain Homeschool Corner - It is a wonderful group of homeschooling mothers who encourage, pray for and enjoy getting to know each other.

For my yarn addiction - Annie's Attic Free Pattern of the Day

My feed reader so that I can keep up with all my favorite bloggers - Bloglines

What about you? What stops on the web do you just have to visit?

I'm pondering the idea of having this blog for homeschool related stuff only.
I get a lot of other things on my mind and I'm not sure I want to post all those things here. This blog is mostly about homeschooling and the adventures we have in that journey.

I have another blog already in place, just for "what I really think," but I haven't posted on it much in the past few years because I do most my postings here.
I like the idea of getting the other one active again.

When I make up my mind, officially, and I re-decorate my other blog I'll let you know.

Posted in Encouragement

Getting back into the home school learning routine after the Holiday's is not always easy. I went to bed last night looking forward to getting back into our groove again, but when I woke up this morning I didn't feel the same enthusiastic groove.

My kids are doing fine with getting back into our routine. I'm the one with the problem. Could be combination lack of sleep, lack of chocolate and lack of motivation.

For the fun of it I thought I post what I'd rather be doing instead of our normal routine.

• Blowing bubbles in an open field of wild flowers.
• Skiing
• Hiking
• Blowing zerberts on open bellies. (Only my kids belly's though! Hubbs, too)
  
• Blowing raspberries until my lips go numb.
• Reading
• Crocheting
• Giving out random hugs and kisses to family members
• Making up nick-names for the dog - McPooper, Fart-bag, Happy-butt, McBarker
• Spreading the highly infectious "Earworm" to others (Songs that get stuck in your head.) 
• Exercising
• Sleeping! Yes!
• Blogging
• Tweeting

Enjoy getting back into your routines today whether it's at home or work.

Posted in Encouragement

This year I will be continuing what I was doing last year. I don't need to make any resolutions as this isn't a new season in my life - just new dates on the calendar. The season's that are laid before me often don't follow the numbers that are nicely hung on my wall.

I will continue to...

• Pray for my husband, children, family and friends.
• Be thankful, content and joyful.
• Lose weight, eat healthy and exercise.
  

It's simple and I could probably add more to that list, but those things are my core. Everything else is just added perks.

Posted in Rambles

It's now 2009. Wow. Oh, Joy. (Sarcasm)
I actually missed the clock turning along with my extra second because I was reading some articles online while watching Barrett-Jackson with my hubbs.
No bother, its not that big of a deal. Tonight was an ordinary night with an excuse to stay up.