My twenty cents keeps moving!
Mar. 12, 2008
Boy Scout "Family Life Merit Badge" Lapbook

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I created a lapbook for Spenser's "Family Life Merit Badge," which is an Eagle-required badge.  Thanks to Ami for tweaking it and hosting it at Homeschool Share!

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Mar. 7, 2008
Did you see this? Homeschooling in California

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Homeschooling in California

I am appalled.  Surely it will be overturned. 

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Feb. 12, 2008
Way to Represent!

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Spenser won 2nd place in the Bi-City Christian School Spelling Bee today.  He missed incredulous-- he put an extra u in there before the -ous.

Last week, Sydney won 7th in the 1st grade bee, out of about 30 kids.  She spelled stair for stare.

I promise to return to blogging soon, just busy and a little stressed out for now.  I am sure the 3 of you who read here are very sad to note my extended absence from blogging, LOL.

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Jan. 21, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr

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I think everyone of us over a certain age is familiar with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, but I found his Letter from a Birmingham Jail to be even more profound and moving.  I read portions of it to my kids today in the hopes that they could see what was going on at the time and have some semblance of understanding of what it must have been like. 

I want them to know that there are laws that must be obeyed because they are just and moral and Godly laws, but there are times when unjust laws must be ignored because they violate God's laws.  I want them to know the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abedneggo; and Corrie ten Boom; and Martin Luther King, Jr, and others like them, because one day they may find themselves in the minority.  They may someday have to fight for their freedom as a Christian in the 21st century in the same ways that King had to fight for his freedom as a "colored" man in the sixties.

Of course their only question after my profound and emotional reading of the letter was "Do we have to write a paper on this?"  Sigh.



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Jan. 17, 2008
Question for you Homeschoolers

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How do you handle grading when you have multi-level children taking the same subject?  I don't run into this very often, but this week we took the Semester test for Mystery of History 2.  The 7th grader did quite well, with a 94.  I was impressed, especially since he did it at the church office with Dad which meant he had no book or notebook to use for the open book parts.  The 4th grader scored an 81, which I "curved" to an 88 taking a couple of bonus questions into consideration.  She didn't use the book either except on one of the early sections, so I was equally impressed.  I had heard her say "I bet I won't get a 94" so I knew she was comparing herself to him.  She seemed a little crest-fallen, and I wondered what I should have done differently.  Any suggestions?  We don't do alot of grades anymore, so I think this one stung more than it would if grades were handed out daily.  (I check their work but I don't necessarily label everything with a grade.  We correct the things that are wrong.  I do score math tests regularly.)

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Dec. 30, 2007
Carnival Of Homeschool Graphics Contest

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Why Homeschool is having a graphics contest.
Why not try your hand at designing a graphic for the Carnival of homeschool?


Here's one I made but it is probably too big.  When I make it smaller you can't read the lettering, so I may try to redo it later.








Here's another one for the "whatever" category

and the same one resized for the medium category:

(Still a little hard to read that small)

One more for the whatever (I can't be constrained by size LOL)

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Dec. 30, 2007
Homeschooling Year 3.5

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If I counted right, we are approximately halfway through our fourth year of homeschooling.  Wow.  Who wudda thunk?  Certainly not me.  I told the college kids the other night that if God had shown me His vision when I was in high school-- 4 kids, married to a pastor, homeschooling-- I would have run away frightened.  I might have joined the Peace Corps or something.  I certainly would have never believed that it would be the happiest and  most fulfilling season of my life thus far. 

In His infinite wisdom, He gave me the vision in small, manageable portions.  First, He called me to teach.  And so I went to college.  And took lots and lots of English and Math classes.  (My English professors would be so proud of that sentence.)  And graduated.  And somehow never got around to teaching.  I married Jason, and we moved to NC so he could go to seminary.  I wasn't certified to teach, so I taught preschool until Spenser was born.  Then Reed was born.  Every time I started thinking about graduate school and teaching, I found myself pregnant.  When I found out I was pregnant with Macy, I stood in the kitchen and cried, telling Jason, "I'm never going to be a teacher, am I?" 

I was happy to be a mom, and happy to have Macy and stay home with the kids, but I had been carrying this dream around in my back pocket.  Every now and then, I would take it out and toss it around and soothe myself with the idea that One Day I would be a teacher.  One Day I would have a purpose in life other than changing diapers and pouring endless cups of juice.  One Day I would have a paycheck and would feel like I was carrying my (financial) weight in the family.   One Day I would live up to the person I thought I was supposed to be.  And then One Day I stood in the kitchen and cried and realized that One Day was never coming. 

And then, when I was able to let go of that dream, God gave me a new one.  I felt the tug on my heart to homeschool the kids.  I first felt it the Spring Macy was born, but I wasn't sure.  It was about to be Reed's first year of school, and she was looking so forward to it.  And I didn't have the confidence to take that from her.  I wasn't fully convinced.  But little by little, the seed that God had planted that spring took root and grew.  And the next year, we started our homeschool journey.

Now I look back and put the pieces together and can see the Big Picture.  I see how God prepared me for this a little at a time.  I see the people that He put in my life to help me when I was ready to begin.   And I am so grateful that One Day never came.

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Dec. 4, 2007
Homeschool SALE

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Nov. 1, 2007
Lapbooking

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I made a Poetry lapbook for school that we will be working on soon.  I would love to share it with others but I don't have anyway to host a pdf file of that size.  Any ideas?  Meanwhile, if you want it, I can email it to you.  Just  email me lesliecardwell(at)bellsouth(dot)net

UPDATE:  OK I am giving it away as part of the Bloggy Giveaways that Shannon is hosting.  Just email me or leave me your email address in your comments and I will email it to you.  Feel free to link to this post if you know anyone who would be interested in receiving it.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

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Oct. 10, 2007
Poetry

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Can you read this?  We had fun with this, but we had already read the regular version for Language Arts.

 

'if' by rrdayud kipilng

If you can keep yuor haed wehn all aobut you
Are lnsiog thiers and bianmlg it on you,
If you can turst yusrleof wehn all men dbout you,
But mkae alanowlce for tehir duontbig too;
If you can wiat and not be tierd by wntiaig,
Or bineg leid auobt, don't dael in leis,
Or benig htead, don't gvie way to hiatng,
And yet don't look too good, nor tlak too wsie:

If you can darem - and not mkae dmaers yuor msater,
If you can tihnk - and not mkae ttghhous yuor aim;
If you can meet wtih Tpumirh and Dtseasir
And traet thsoe two iortmspos jsut the smae;
If you can baer to haer the trtuh you've spoekn
Tesiwtd by kevnas to mkae a tarp for floos,
Or wtcah the tinhgs you gvae yuor lfie to, breokn,
And sotop and bluid 'em up wtih wron-out tolos:

If you can mkae one haep of all yuor wininngs
And rsik it all on one trun of ptich-and-tsos,
And lsoe, and sratt aiagn at yuor bniiggnens
And nveer baerth a wrod aoubt yuor lsos;
If you can froce yuor hraet and nrvee and sniew
To svree yuor trun lnog afetr tehy are gnoe,
And so hlod on wehn trehe is nhontig in you
Epxcet the Wlil whcih syas to tehm: "Hlod on!"

If you can tlak wtih crdwos and keep yuor vturie,
Or wlak wtih kngis - nor lsoe the cmmoon tcuoh,
If nheeitr feos nor liovng fdriens can hrut you,
If all men cunot wtih you, but nnoe too mcuh;
If you can flil the uigrnonvfig mnuite
Wtih stxiy snceods' wotrh of dinstace run,
Yuros is the Etrah and envyeirthg taht's in it,
And - whcih is mroe - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rrdayud Kipilng

'if' by rudyard kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)


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