Here's our homeschool room!  It's the very first room you walk in when you come to our house.  Not the most ideal place but it works.  My goal was to keep clutter hidden as best as possible and be able to use the room as a family space also.

The next two pics are the before and after of our white board.  We keep it shut when we're not doing school.  We call it our fake window ;)

Check out the link below to win a free microscope!!  What a nice contest!  We're science/nature nuts here and this would be so wonderful!  We ran out of $$ to buy one this year so the contest is perfect timing!

Here's the link to the blog of Tami who's opening a new retail store too!  Here's the info on the contest:

Discount Home School Supplies is giving away a MSK-01 microscope! It sells for $129.99 on our website. It is appropriate for use with children as young as ten (with adult supervision), and it is also appropriate for use with a high school biology course. 

Here's another great use for a microscope..  I've started a new group called the Young Explorers Club.  It's a group of homeschooling families and our friends who meet up at local parks and have an open time for exploring.  I got the idea from another homeschooling blogger mama (whose bloglink I can't find!)  But it's brilliant!

We've had three meetings so far, rocks/geodes, prairie, and the pond.  They've gotten better each time and I can't wait until the next one. 

A quick funny story... What was the very first thing that happened right when the group walked up to the pond?  My ds Z walked right up and stepped INTO the pond!  There was so much duckweed floating in pond I think he thought he could walk on it LOL!!  He looked shocked, scared, and confused as my friend pulled him out, I don't know if he knew what to think.  Ohwee..so funny!  I just KNEW that one of the kids would fall in, and I had this sneaky suspicion that it would be my Z!

I've just started the blog for the group here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/youngExplorersClub 

so I don't have any pictures up yet, but they'll be coming.  Also Z caught a flatworm!  How cool is that!?  We were researching ponds before our lastest meeting and I remember seeing one in the Pond version of the "One Small Square" books.  I was thinking, man that would be awesome to find one..  I'll be posting a picture of that also.

I've been researching next years history curriculum for longer than I care to admit.  It's funny b/c I will have a 6 yr. old 1st grader and a 4 yr. old pre-k... I know it's not necessary and not a big deal this coming year.  Yet that doesn't stop me!

I want a literature-based history.  I love the books available to tell the stories instead of just one history book.  We are truly blessed to have so many books at hand.  Another important reason for lit-based history is it gets us on a reading schedule - which we so desperately need to be on!  I'm a person who unfortunately needs everything to be scheduled out or it gets done in spurts, not regularly. 

While researching curricula I've taken the books out from the library and just started reading the same books we may be using in the future.  The kids are totally into it and are liking the books I thought would be too old for them.  I'm so embarrassed that I hardly branched out from childrens picture books!  I'm definitely learning along with the kids!  I'm capable of more than I ever thought I could do!

I'm torn between My Father's World (MFW) Adventures and Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory (BLHFHG), but love the book list of Beautiful Feet.  I don't mind providential teaching as long as it's truly the way history happened, no spin on what someone thinks happened...does that make sense?  This is all very new to me, so I'm not sure about the main texts and how they're all layed out.  I read some reviews and it made me wonder about certain curriculum if they were taking an extreme view.  My DH and I are in total agreement with what we're looking for, it's just so hard to explain on the computer ;)  If anyone has any help I'm open to suggestions!  (I truly don't want to and hope I didn't insult anyone)

WHOOHOO!!  WE WON!!  GREAT JOB COLTS!!

I'm so amazed at Coach Dungy's speech!!  God Bless Dungy and the team!!  I'm so proud of our team and the Christian leadership!!  Could it get any better?!?!  They started the game with a prayer huddle too

I love this team!! :)

DS 3 is doing well with his Kaufman cards.  He's almost out of the first set, which is CVCV (Consonant Vowel Consonant Vowel).  He has be able to look at the picture and say the phrase perfect and right after each other.  The sounds are Papa, Dada, neigh neigh, peep peep, baa baa, etc.  If he can't get the phrase, then he goes down to the next simpler phrase.  For example there's a picture of a sheep and he needs to say "baa baa", if he can't get that then he needs to say "baa", then "ah ah".  We'll keep breaking down until he can say it.  It's really amazing!

The only ones he's having trouble on are baa baa - he says "baa baap" and tweet tweet (I can't remember what he says) but he loves to say "too-eet too-eet".  The next set are really fun and I think he'll love moving on and feel a sense of accomplishment!!

He'll have speech therapy twice a week starting next week.  He goes to the PS ST(Public School Speech Therapist) at the beginning of the week, and we'll skip his school that day so he can focus and not wear out during therapy.  Then we go to the private ST at the end of the week and that is a full day event b/c she's on the other side of town.  We'll use that day for our art, music, field trip, etc. day that has to do with our lessons.

As soon as I know what his ST's are working on then we'll take his Easy Does It activities and use those during the day if it works out.  I can pick an activity out that has to do with a certain sound and use fun activities to cue his sounds.  Like we made an snake one day with the finger cue written on him (the S cue is like a snake slithering down your arm in an "s" formation), and he was making that sound all the time after that!

We're on day 3 and things are going well!  I changed up my curriculum a little since I've posted last.  Here's what were doing:

DD 5:  Phonics, Handwriting, Reading - Abeka K5; Math - Horizon K

DS 3:  Hands On Homeschooling 3; Speech - Kaufman Praxis Kit cards & sometimes Easy Does It Apraxia for fun speech activities.

Both:  HOH 3 for Bible and Social Studies (circle time)

DD 5 really likes her new math and her phonics is definitely more interesting than last year!  I went ahead and jumped ahead past all the review b/c she truly has it and doesn't want to review anymore.  It puts us to week 40 in the plans.  That really works out b/c we can skip a day of phonics/reading and just focus on handwriting and/or another activity for that day instead of all in one day.

DS 3 is doing well with the HOH readiness activities.  There's a lot of fine motor activity already in the first week and he's doing great!  He loves tracing/following the lines.  I think letters start soon and he's going to get a kick out of working on those!

Oh my, it's been a full month since I've posted!!  I took a break from posting online (for the most part) so I could get ready for school and catch up on some books and other loose ends around the house.  I truly got a lot done!  I want to list the accomplishments so I won't forget!

• Finished picking out curriculum
• Finished planning for new year
• Planned for the 2 first weeks of school
• Cleaned the house and removed clutter (besides the norm)
• Got school room in order
• Purchased random school supplies
• Finished our Circle Time board
• Set-up new teacher cabinet :)
• Picked Pre-K curriculum
• Got DS signed up for ps speech and had the evaluation
• Read through the MOTH book
• Made our HS schedule and most of Mom's schedule in MOTH
• DH got a promotion!! Praise God! (This was all him, but I had to list it!)

I'm so thankful for the time and energy God has allowed us to get things done!  I was truly scared a few weeks ago but we're ready for the school year and the rest of the year.

Our schedule will change quite a bit w/ DH's new job.  I'm looking forward to getting in the swing of things and getting some debt paid off!

Here's a new template for my blog!  What do you think?!  Thank you to my wonderful DH who worked on this for hours to get it to work.

I still have a few bugs to fix, but I wanted to see how it worked on the real blog.

Some things aren't working and we can't figure out why, and others don't fit.

Either way, it's a nice change for right now even if we change it later.

Since I don't have a link set up yet, here's a link to the site where I found this cute template: Anti-ivy

One humid summer night, a lone beetle made his way into a strange, dark new world.    

Other than a few ants and an occasional Pholcus, it is a pretty quiet place.  Easy terrain and a plentiful food supply scattered about, this could be home.  Little did he know what lies ahead..

Able to flee from the little hands w/ cups, steal a Cheerio in a single bound, and fly into the light and still manage not to get burnt..

A few weeks ago we had several uninvited visitors in the house.  We had an influx of these beetles in our kitchen.  Of course I was thinking.. oh my, what kind of bugs are these and why oh why are they in my kitchen?!

We did a little research on the What’s That Bug website (awesome!) and found it was a mealworm beetle.  Come to find out they’re coming from our garage (I’m hoping not to be the one that finds the nest.)

Between the kids catching them and momma & daddy flushing them, we diminished the population. (Shhh! don’t tell!)

A few days ago my DH said that one had flown into a plastic caddy in the kitchen.  I totally forgot about it, but my DH kept commenting on how it was still in there.  Yesterday he mentioned it again, and I finally went to go see it - and it was still alive.  He bashfully admitted that he had been feeding it and giving it water (and watching it drink)!  What a sweety!

So we officially decided to keep this bug as a pet.  I got an empty applesauce jar and put in sticks and a few cheerios.  I wet a paper towel and squeezed out the excess water and put it in for him to drink (if you were to put in a bowl of water it would drown.)

Since he so graciously cared for the beetle, DH got the privilege of naming our new pet.

Introducing… DU-DU-DU-DAH!

Ned, the Mealworm Beetle!!

For your viewing pleasure, a picture of Neds lair:

Neds picture coming soon..

During our latest drive, I wanted to keep the peace in the car and hopefully keep it quiet enough for the baby to sleep.  I decided to try the "Find the Color" game I read about somewhere (I can't remember where though..)

We decided to find the color RED.  At first they started out finding the big red items that were pretty easy to see.  We saw trucks, semis, barns, roofs.. 

Then as we drove on, they started seeing the smaller things like flowers, signs, edging on buildings, shirts, car lights, etc.  They were so excited by the time we arrived to our destination they were yelling about every red item.  There was a goldmine of red, so we probably looked like we were dancing or something by how many times we were turning our heads LOL!

I feel like it was such a fufilling and rewarding car ride. We noticed so many new things we've never seen before - yet it's a drive we've taken hundreds of times.

DS went to his first regular speech therapy appointment last Thursday.  We've been going about once a month since April, but we're now on regular appointments until the school season starts and we go through the ps. 

She said DS had met all of his three goals set in April and exceeded even more Very good news!

She decided that we'd work on the sound "s" this week and if he was doing well with the sound we could start sounding them out in words.  It took a couple days for DS to stop saying "snake" when I asked him to make the "s" sound LOL!  (we used our finger as a "snake" for the sound in therapy.)

He was really good today at doing the sound, and while reading There's an Alligator Under My Bed, we pronounced all the "s" words.  He was having a good time!  As we went up the steps, we said "sss" all the way up.  While brusing his teeth, I said spit, and thought he'd just looove this word! LOL!  He tried a couple times and the perfect word just came right out!  You could see a light bulb go on and he just knew he got it!   He started quiet and just increasingly got louder and louder... spit...spit...spIT...SPIT...SPIT...SPIT!!! 

He was SO excited!  I saw a smile that I just don't see all the time - he was so proud.  I can't wait for him to tell his ST what his new word is tomorrow!

Here's the curriculum we'll be using for the next school year.

Both:

Bible/Devotions - various studies

Winter Promise Animal Worlds (will be ordering soon)

DD 5:

A Beka K5 - phonics, reading, & writing

Horizon K - math

DS 3:

Easy Does It for Apraxia-Preschool - speech therapy workbook/activities

Sit-in on DD's lessons if he wants

I have a scary story to tell, but I want to share it b/c it could happen to anyone!  I hope my friend doesn't mind me sharing this..

My good friend was driving up to a bank to get money from the drive-up ATM.  This area isn't a dangerous area (actually fairly nice).  She noticed a man walking around or towards the bank who looked homeless or at least not in good shape.

It's a pretty busy area so I guess she didn't think much of it and went ahead and drove up to the ATM.  She finished her transaction and something just popped in her head and she remembered about the guy, and decided to lock her doors.

The EXACT moment she locked her doors she heard someone trying to open her cardoor, it was that same man trying to get into her back door!  She took off as quick as she could and is fine.

Please be aware of your surroundings and lock your doors!  Don't feel like you have to do anything if your gut tells you not to.

I want to thank my friend b/c the day after I heard this story I went to Target alone and had a moment where I wasn't sure about my safety.  (Just to let you know, I have had a guy "stalk" me at this same Target about a 1 1/2 yrs. ago and I'm a lot skiddish (sp?) of strangers.) 

Anyway, I was there close to closing (10 pm) and I had parked close to the door.  I was walking out I noticed a guy parked close to me and walking out at the same time, so I just waited until he got to his car before I made my way out. 

As I was walking I noticed something strange about my van, it looked like a light went on inside or something.  It was raining so things looked spooky anyway.  I walked closer to my car and noticed 2 people sitting in the backseat of a car parked right next to mine, and there wasn't tons of cars in the lot at this time.  Their windows were open and that light was them lighting a cigarette and reflecting on my windows.

I remembered my friends story and decided it just wasn't worth it.  I turned right around and went inside (swallowing my pride and ignoring the what-will-those-people-think-if-they're-not-the-bad-guys-I-made-them-out-to-be feeling.)  I asked the security guard to walk me out and he so graciously did.  I got in my car and left.  Did I jump the gun? Maybe.  Should I of did what I did? Who knows, I was probably fine.  But....

I cried on the way home b/c I felt so vunerable and the what-if's if something did happen to my friend or I.  What about my children?  I couldn't help thinking of my innocence in just shopping and getting items for my children, yet someone could want to hurt me.  Or my sweet friend just getting her money and someone wanted to steal from and/or hurt her.

I'm sorry this warning is turning into a vent!  It's just scary sometimes!

Oh well, it's not Thursday anymore...but I started it on Thursday, so it still counts!  I saw this on several blogs and it looks fun, so here I go...

(eta: okay, I just found out the TT is a blogroll!  I didn't know all the info, but enjoy anyway!)

Thirteen odd and/or unknown things about me (or our family):

1. We were married on 7/10/99, our DD 5 was born at 7:10am, our DS 3 was born at 7:10 pm, and our DD 8m was born weighing, yup, 7 lbs. 10 oz.
2. I owned a Madagascan hissing cockroach named Hitchcock.  He lived for 2 yrs.
3. I owned a ball python for 10 or so yrs. until he got out in our old house a few months before we moved.  Never saw him again  (and yes, it came up at closing!!LOL!)
4. My dads and his sisters & brother (6 children) all have names that start w/ "D".
5. My moms brothers and sisters had similar sounding names too, the long "G" sound.
6. My FIL's sibling names (5 children) start w/ the letter M, except for the "baby" brother who is named Doug! LOL!
7. I can tuck my lips all the way under and only show my gums and teeth - I call it my skeleton teeth.
8. My DH and I have had the same best friend since we were younger and they're still our best friends today.  My DH since 3rd grade?  Mine since 7th.
9. I'm pigeon-toed, so I can turn my feet to face each other (my best friend can turn them out facing away).
10. Very sad, but strange.  My DH (boyfriend at the time) and I found a dead person.  It was a hidden car accident off the road and I just so happened to notice the twinkle in the lights.
11. My DH and I shared a few connections of places and specific people years before we even met.  He moved here from out of town about a year before we met.
12. I "broke" into a bank vault when I was little.  My aunt worked the bank and a clerk locked the keys in the vault by accident.  They called me b/c I was a tiny kid to slip under the vault gate and retrieve the keys.  As my reward I got a dress-skirt full of suckers!
13. I grew up target shooting guns and was pretty good at the time.

You would never think it would be hard to think of 13 things, but even my DH had to help.

My DD 5 was going to bed, and out of the blue she asked me "Why did the chicken cross the road?"  "I don't know, why?"  "I don't know but he's going to to be in trouble from his mom and dad!"  LOL!!!

-compliments of Freddie Fish computer game.

We've been potty training my DS 3 since last Thursday.   He's trying really hard and has done very well. 

Well tonight he was pottying and trying to "pee like Daddy".  He's tried before but it just never comes.  So he was trying to sit and almost pee, then quickly stand up and try to make it.  He kept going back and forth until he forgot to put the seat down in between times and fell right in!  Poor little guy, he had a good thing going too.  He started crying and told me what happened, but he was more upset that nothing would come out LOL!

Today is our 7th Anniversary!

We went out to eat at an Italian restaurant with several courses - days worth of food!  My DH and I got to pick out 1 each of an appetizer, salad, pasta, main dish, and dessert.  You get so much food!

Our little 8 m old DD tagged along and when we first got there she started her new trick - yelling.  She's a doll, but man she's loud! LOL  She lasted through the salads and then we bagged the rest and left.  The funny thing is we pretty much got our fill with the food we ate at the restaurant.  We picked up our other two at my grandma's house after their bedtime.  I think this was God's way of helping us out b/c we would of been there wayyy to late if we would of stayed!

My DS (3 yrs.) just started learning his first Catechisms.  The first two are: 

1.  Who made you?  God.

2.  What else did God make?  God made all things.

He was very excited about what he had learned and wanted to show his big sister (5) that he had memorized it.  I asked him the second question and he said "Alll things." then sis said "God didn't make all things.  God didn't make houses, people make houses."  Then he came back with "NO, God made all things!"  Back and forth they went, louder and louder they got.  My DH and I were laughing b/c they were so darn cute and really serious.  We couldn't say anything until we got our composure. 

I remembered when my DD was this age and learning the same catechisms, and she would say that God made houses.  She has a memory like an elephant, so when we explained to her that people made houses and God made the parts that help make the house - she remembered!

As I was putting DS to bed, we were going over the catechisms again.  He made sure to let me know that God made ALL THINGS ;) and he knew what he was talking about.

Last week was a  l o n g  week for me.  So when Daddy got home from work (and a little golf w/ his Dad) on Friday I wanted to put the kids down early.  Well we were all happy to see him and did our usual chatting around, listening to some music, and dinner was in there somewhere.  I, with the babe in my arms, broke into a little dance to a song on the radio.  The kids saw that we were jammin' down and decided to join in.  Then Dave (my DH) came in and joined us too!We were having so much fun!  DH wrapped a blanket around him to be silly and was getting' down with my DD who also had a blanket wrapped around her.  We had some good funk & hip-hop music playing and danced right through bedtime!(Who knew there were so many dancing icons!?)

It was a good time!

We ended up dancing again over the weekend and staying up way too late - the dancing bug has bit, and gave us the fevah! LOL!

There was a monster rainstorm here yesterday with marble size hail.  It poured down so fast that our streets were flooding on the sides.  The hail was ripping leaves and petals off of our plants - it was crazy!  I went to the backyard to look and in the sky there was a huge rainbow.  I called the kids to see their first rainbow and my DD yelled out the backdoor "IT'S NOAH'S ARK!!"  They were so excited!  After it disappeared, my son ran around distraught that the rainbow was gone.  I feel like I should have some big cool thing to say here, but I'm pretty tired right now and not thinking that deep LOL.