Your kids have had the flu for what seems like months now.  Your routines lay shattered around you.  Your heart is sinking with the mess all around you.  Anyone relate?  If you are not there, you will be at one point this winter.  So what are we to do when those dulldroms come? 

 

The greatest gift we posses as homeschoolers is our opportunity to change.  We can change things up when school starts to get us down.  Change the location where you do school.  Change the books you are reading for awhile.  Change your attitude! 

 

Remember that quote from Charles Swindoll I posted the other day?  Attitude is in our power to control.  Are you going to see the negatives only?  Or are you going to see what treasures you have laying all around you?  It's up to us, Moms.  We set the tone of our homes. 

 

I delared this week to be "Serve Others Week" at our home.  We made dinner for friends with a new baby.  We babysat for friends.  We visited our elderly grandparents in a nursing home.  We wrote thank you notes to others who have been kind to us. 

 

I tell you these things not to brag or make you feel bad about yourself.  I tell them to you because I want you to be encouraged.  The antedote to feeling blah is to serve others and to be thankful for all you have.  It is really that simple.  How that looks in your world will be different from how it looks in mine. 

 

"You live more fully once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted." 

~Ruth E. Renki

 

"Happiness is contagious.  Be a carrier. "

~Robert Orben

 

"What the mind dwells on, expands."

~Norman Vincent Peale

 

I challenge you to find ways to shake things up next week in your studies if you are feeling blah, take a walk in the fall sunshine, rake leaves together, write letters to others, visit a shut-in, whatever that is for you,  just do it! 

~Jenn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trevor and his new belt. 

 

I have to tell the story behind this picture.  It was taken on Trevor's birthday last week.  At the time he had a fever and could not go to karate, which was promotion night, of all nights!  His coach, knowing how hard Trevor had worked for this new belt, made the effort to get Trevor his belt anyway, stopping by our house to give it to him.  His coach said that it was Trevor's birthday afterall.  I was amazed.  To me, it could have waited another week, you know, teaching patience.   But, now I see another lesson was taught, even more powerful:  compassion! 

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For Today, Tuesday,  November 3rd, 2009

Outside My Window... It's 8:00 a.m. and a sunny, but frosty 23 degrees; looking for a high of 45 with a chance of rain later.  Today's normal hi/low is 49/30.

I'm thinking...my brain is a puzzle, thinking about a dozen different things all at once.         

From the learning rooms...busy like usual...in addition to our beloved Teaching Textbooks math, the girls are both starting "Your Business Math" by Simply Charlotte Mason.  They named their businesses, "Anna's Pet's N More" and "Amber's Old Fashioned Bookstore", made their company logos, and ordered their inventory yesterday.  I wish math had been this fun when I was their age. 

I am thankful for....old time gospel music.  We attended a gospel music concert Sunday night at a local church and it was such a blessing.  It seemed like the theme was Revelations throughout the concert and the blessed hope of our soon departure.
  
From the kitchen...  
M - Salmon
T - Ham & Eggs
W - Beef Stew
TH - Cheeseburgers
F - TN/FL Geography Presentations - BBQ Ribs, Key Lime Pie, Citrus Drink
S - Teriyaki Stir Fry Chicken & Rice

I am wearing... denim capris, brown 3/4 length sleeve t-shirt with a pretty fall tree embroidery, sports socks, hair is damp & pulled back with a scrunchie

I am reading... Thru the Bible Each Year: OT: Jeremiah; NT: Philemon, KJB;
Just finished the book, "The Blue Zones" by Dan Buettner.  An interesting book about longevity...research about four areas around the world that have the highest percentage of people who live to be over 100 years old and what attributed to their long lives and good health.  Although definitely not a Christian book, it inspired me to improve my eatting habits.  I don't necessarily want to live longer, but rather live healthier.
I am currently reading up on holistic care of dogs - more about that on a future post.  

I am hoping... to stay on task today.  

I am creating... need to get to a good fabric store so I can make the puppet theater.

I am hearing... the clock tick; my fingers bang on the keyboard; an ocassional thump upstairs as the girls get ready for the day.    

Around the house & barn... clean kitchen; muck stalls & paddock before farrier comes to trim hooves later today.  

One of my favorite things... gazing at God's beautiful creation.
  
I am going... to Walmart & another grocery store today.  
   
A few plans for the rest of the week (besides school)...
T - grocery shop; vote (gov. school wants to raise taxes); farrier comes out to trim hooves
W - lead Awana Cubbies
TH - Pick up Azure Standard order (grain & stuff); laundry; Amber has violin lesson; Bible Quizzing practice
F - Hopefully meat processor will call and say our 1/4 cow is ready for pick-up this wk; Girls will give their geography presentations
S - Bible Quizzing Regional Competition

A picture thought I am sharing with you...

Jeff finishing the siding on the sauna haus Saturday.  He will be starting on the inside soon.  I will have to paint the outside next summer.

That's all for today!
Thanks for stopping!  Warm Wishes for 

a Wonderful Week!
 Much thanks to our hostess Peggy for the Simple Woman's Daybook

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Good day to you.  It was another whirlwind weekend.  Thankfully, everyone was healthy enough to enjoy it.  Trevor did not have a fever, but was pretty tired.  I am hoping he can pace himself a little more this week.  So far, no one else is sick, either, a major praise. 

 

Here are some photos of our weekend, starting with a look at the cake I made for Trevor's actual birthday on Thursday, when he still had a fever. 

And Ryan got this on Thursday as well...

Friday we stayed home from our church's harvest party to avoid one more exposure opportunity. 

We had a Meixican pitch-in dinner with friends on Saturday and then walked their neighborhood collecting candy.  Here are all of our darlings. 

Sunday, we celebrated Trevor's birthday with family. (Oreo Icecream Cake) 

 

He was very excited! 

Have a great week.

~Jenn

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Do you remember the High School Guidance Counselor and all the tests you had to take to help you decide where your skills and interests were?  I loved those tests!  Well, ACT Advantage has an online career planning software called Discover. 

As their website states, the Discover software helps students:

• Assess interests, abilities and job values.
• Explore occupations, majors and schools.
• Build an education plan that relates to career plans.
• Improve job-seeking skills and develop a resume.

My 14 year old daughter loves personality tests and exploring her interests, so she enjoyed her time on the Discover website.  She loved digging through the many career options it presented to her, and looking at the education requirements for each career.  It helped her to see what careers were available to pursue, and what would be required for each career.  At one point, I teased her that this was really the "stay in school, get a degree" propaganda machine since it lays out what your projected future income would be with each level of education you complete:  GED, high school diploma, 2 year degree, 4 year degree, graduate degree.  It also included information on scholarships and financial aid, to help plan how to pay for college.

After seeing all the options the Discover assessment provided her, my daughter then started removing fields of study and career paths from her portfolio.  Since she doesn't really want to go on to a master's degree, she removed jobs that REQUIRED a graduate degree, for instance.  This narrowed her career planning portfolio down to a more realistic and manageable list of careers that interest her most.  When she was done with her portfolio, we were able to print it so she could keep this idea list as she continues through high school.  We discussed that the high school courses she chooses can be important, as well.  If she wants to pursue a science career, she'd need to focus more on math and science in high school than if she wanted to pursue a career in art.

There were some weird things that came up.  She isn't really interested in math, yet many science careers that lean heavily on math did appear on her final assessment.  I'm sure they were triggered by other interests or values of hers.  But it was still good for her to look at those options and consider them. 

One of the benefits I see is that homeschool parents don't always know all the career options out there in a specific field, or what educational requirements that career path would have.  14 yo A was looking at careers I hadn't heard of, and wouldn't have been able to advise her on educational requirements at all. 

Unfortunately, this is a secular software provided by a secular company.  There were very few faith-based ministry  careers listed and many Christian colleges were not included in the college database.  I also had to remind my daughter that God already has a plan for her life, and that if she is following Him ... He'll guide and direct her into a career.  For the Christian student, the Discover assessment can be helpful, but thankfully it is not all we rely on.

The Discover assessment is available with a 3 month license for $19.95, or a 6 month license for $24.95.  This can be helpful both for freshman looking at what courses to study in their high school years, as well as for seniors preparing to apply for colleges and scholarships, and choosing their major course of study.

Working through the Discover assessment was a helpful process for my daughter.  It helped her see what her options were, and also helped to take some of the fear and worry out of the future.  It was a fun way for her to explore her future plans and goals.

This item was provided free for review purposes, as members of the TOS Homeschool Crew.  There was no other compensation, and this is our honest review. 

Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.

Trusting In Him,
April

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Click the image to read more about this great holiday supplement from The Old Schoolhouse magazine.  It's FREE for anyone to download. 

Thanks TOS!!

Trusting In Him,
April

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In the past I've made fall wreaths, and table displays with cloth leaves.  It's been a few years since I created anything, and my original wreath has long since been tossed out. 

This year, Steve found a Fall fabric on sale and asked me to make a table cloth.  He had 3 yards of this plaid tablecloth with candy corn and pumpkins on it, but it wasn't quite wide enough for our table.  So we also chose a burnt orange fabric that matched it to attach for the sides.

I cut the orange fabric in half, lengthwise, to make two sides for our table cloth.  Then I sewed it with straight seams onto the long sides, and zig-zagged the seam edges for extra strength.  After that I  folded the short edges under and hemmed them. 

It took less than an hour to sew our table cloth, and we all love it!  We usually keep a clear vinyl cover on our table, so we slipped this under that.  We can still wipe off our table after meals, but we also can enjoy the rich fall colors.

In retrospect, I wish I had cut the orange fabric in thirds, and then cut the dark plaid fabric in half.  I think an orange stripe down the center would have been a nice touch.   

Trusting In Him,
April

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Perhaps you've spent time searching the internet for a free worksheet on bird anatomy to print before, and you've found one of the  5000+ free worksheets available at ABC Teach's website.  I have.  But I hadn't ever really looked at what was available with membership in ABC Teach until we were given a chance to review it for the TOS Homeschool Crew.

ABC Teach has over 35,000 worksheets that members can access, as well as worksheet generators for crossword puzzles, word searches, and handwriting worksheets.  When we were reviewing the Sue Patrick Workbox System, I found myself searching ABC Teach's subscription database for logic puzzles, sudoku puzzles, grammar worksheets, and sentence-structure worksheets to place in their workboxes.  I printed out worksheets that went along with our history studies, as well.  When I wanted to give my daughters some math practice from a different perspective, I printed worksheets on fractions, multiplication, and algebra.  They do have worksheets on just about everything, for pre-K through 8th grade!

The worksheets I printed from ABC Teach looked great.  They printed clearly and had cute graphics.  Their search engine worked well, and found all the Autumn worksheets for me when I was looking for another workbox activity.  I printed Autumn acrostic worksheets for my children, to get them thinking and writing creatively.

Although we had a good experience with our ABC Teach review membership, it's not something I'm likely to purchase.  To be honest, in our homeschool, I just don't look for worksheets to print often enough to justify the expense.  We use curricula that includes its own worksheets, and we do lots of things via discussion instead of worksheets.   I prefer having my children actively involved in something, or reading, and it isn't often that I need a worksheet to help them understand a concept.  To make use of an ABC Teach membership in my home, I'd be assigning worksheets as busy work, and that isn't a direction I want to go.  I'd rather spend the $40 on buying more curriculum or supplemental curriculum for my kids.

However, for those who are designing their own curriculum, filling workboxes, leading co-ops, teaching classes, or needing to complete portfolios of their children's work to show to school boards or skeptical family members, a membership in ABC Teach would save them a lot of time.  They wouldn't have to search the internet for just the right free worksheet, and they wouldn't have to try to create their own worksheets each week. 

ABC Teach's membership costs $40.00 per year, or $70.00 for a 2 year subscription.   But you can purchase it for 50% off through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op, now through November 30, 2009.  If you're intrigued by what ABC Teach has to offer, you can see a video tour, and a list of their worksheet categories HERE.  

We received a free one-month trial membership in ABC Teach in order to write this review.  Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.

Trusting in Him,
April

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"I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude.  It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position.  Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress... It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope.  When my attitude is right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me. "

~Charles Swindoll

 

So, how's your attitude today?  

 

A couple days ago, my attitude was starting to sink into the dumps.  I felt a lot like the cat in the above picture.  The newness of our sick-routine had worn off.  I was growing wearing of spraying, swabbing, washing, and praying.  I was so sad that Trevor was sick for his big week.  I was more than a little worried we would all soon be sick, too.  I was mad that we'd not be able to do all the fun things we had planned for this week.

 

I had been praying about my bad attitude, when I decided to tell my husband, who as it turns out, knew all about my bad attitude of late.  (Turns out I was not doing a good job of hiding it!)  It took my husband reminding me of our many blessings to "snap" myself back into "the game."  I am so thankful for him!  I feel so silly now, thinking such discouraging thoughts. 

 

"What the mind dwells on, expands."

~Norman Vincent Peale

All this to say, I want to encourage you today.  If you find yourself getting discouraged or under the weight of heavy trials, please tell someone.  Or better yet, ask them to pray with you.  It just may lighten your burden a little and help you to find new strength to carry on. 

 

Have a blessed weekend whatever your situation. 

~Jenn

Philippians 4:11-13 (Amplified Bible)

 

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The leaves are half off the trees this week, but I wanted to share some Fall photos I took last week, when the leaves had just finished turning.  It was one of those days where I just went, "Oh!  Wow!  Everything's yellow!"  It may have been that way for a few days but it suddenly hit me, and I had to take photos.  I'm so glad I took the time to do it since the tree is half-bare now.

That's what Fall has looked like at our house this year.  Every now and then we just have to take a moment to enjoy (and capture) the beauty of a season. 

Trusting In Him,
April

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