Our first week of school went great. Tman has found his niche in the Christian school again and is enjoying himself. He has learned quite a bit this week. I think he has been most intrigued by his Bible PACE which makes me smile extra big. I love it when my Blessings enjoy the Bible. We are moving along at a wonderful pace in our PACES in our homeschool also. We seemed to have settled into a routine without much struggle. Last Sunday after Homecoming we headed up into the mountains for some quiet time and found some amazing things to do some nature study on next week. We are reading the Hobbit in our homeschool for this grading period. I am having the kids do some drawings for each chapter. This way we can get art and literature done at the same time. We are eagerly looking forward to Fall coming to our area. We love the cooler weather and color. On my HS Launch page you can download an Autumn Lapbook I made last year. I want to try and make some more this year. I enjoy making things for others to use. If you are interested in some free printables you can go to my page through the link on my right sidebar.

Today my girls and I got to meet my favorite author, Beverly Lewis. The girls and I love her books. She is so sweet and nice. She is an amazing writer and so friendly. She was having a book signing for her new book in the Seasons of Grace series at one of our library branches today. She was so easy to talk with and seemed very humble when I complemented her on her writing ability. I told her that God had really blessed her and she said “yes He has”. The look on her face when she said that spoke volumes about how much she loves her Lord. We have some pictures to put in our memory books. Here is a picture of my signed copy of the Missing.

I have posted this weeks website and I am caught up on my BFS assignments.(except for todays). I only need to post my awards later today and I will officially be caught up! Yeah! We still have some punies floating around the house. It seems like this is a hard bug to get rid of. I hope everyone in blog world is doing ok. Our weather has turned spring like and it seems so unfair because noone feels like playing out in the sunshine. We are getting school done in stages. Yesterday we watched three great films about volcanoes so we can finish up our study on earthquakes and volcanoes. Next its ... Biomes of the World. We will also be doing the Great Backyard Bird Count. Well it is time for me to run so take care and God Bless! ~ Nikki

Two days ago we had our first official snowfall here in the valley. O.K. it was a scattered dusting of snow but still there was snow in my yard and every flake counts, right? I love snow and I hope we actually get some this Winter. Our Winters are starting to feel like Spring. Although this year we have been having more Fall and Winter like temps. Sunday , Newfound gap had plenty of snow so we took our kids up there to play for a while before church. I will be posting some pictures of our trip on my other blog, Over hill and Under Hill. Here is a sneak peek though. (Hold your mouse over each picture for commentary)

School has settled into a decent routine after our first quarter. Equations, multiplication and fractions have been tackled easily. Believe it or not, no tears! (At least not from the kids ) I have altered my daily grading on some subjects so that we have a weekly grade instead. Last quarter I graded their English and Spelling every day and figured that into their average. From now on I am only going to take their grades from their weekly test. It works out better for me this way. Plus its like the way their math PACES are graded and I like that system.

We were able to visit the Ripley's Aquarium Tuesday night. (It is free for Sevier County reidents or workers til tonight. All the Ripley's attractions are. I made a post the other day about it. Its on this blog somewhere. Go ahead and look for it just ignore the cobwebs and dust bunnies. I haven't cleaned here yet.) I have some videos I will try to get in this post. If not then I will post them later. The kids and I are going to play mini golf today. Toodles is going to be traveling to Chattanooga tonight to visit his parents. His Father has surgery tomorrow so be much in prayer for him. Pray for Toodles too, for traveling grace. Also if you would, pray for my Momma. She has MS and she has fallen several times this past week and is having some paralysis in her midsection. This is a scary time for her but as always she puts up a brave front. She is quite a woman my Momma!

We will be working on our lapbook/notebook project about Thanksgiving next week. I will post pictures when we finish. Well, have a great day everyone and be sure to visit my other blog to see those pictures. Blessings to all! ~ Nikki

I would also like to leave you with this thought and verses:

The Will of God will not lead you where the Grace of God cannot keep you.

Memory Verse:  Psalms 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Intro:  Plop, plop, Fizz, fizz; Oh, What a Relief It Is! (Marketing Credit: Alka Seltzer)
Hello Ladies!  Last weeks assignment was so great, wasn’t it!  This week I thought since we all shared about our educational background and our feeling about homeschooling, the trials and tribulations, and how we got our start I thought we’d share about some of the burdens we’ve felt.

Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling.  Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it.  Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family.  Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is!

Picture ideas: That never ending, hard to keep clean closet (shelves), the children doing school work you didn’t know if they would ever get a grasp on, your schedule or organizer with plans for the day

Share your favorite scripture and don’t forget the Memory Verse above.

WOW! My greatest burden with homeschooling? I guess I would have to say ...THE SCHEDULE. I thought we had to be detailed down to the minute. If we even slightly got off track I got upset.It drove me insane.I was afraid to step outside the bounds of the timetable I set for us. It was hard for me and especially for the kids. I prayed and prayed . I knew something had to give. Thankfully God showed me it was ...ME! (Can you believe it? ME!) Now I control the schedule... it doesn't control me. I still like to keep to a general plan but I don't mind one bit now to change it up.I mean , isn't that one of the reasons we homeschool?To be able to teach how and when we want or need to.We are definetly eclectic in our homeschool. I think that works best with our ages and learning styles. We enjoy the different ways of learning. Now we enjoy working at our own pace too. If we are done in 4 hours great , if it only takes 2 or if it takes 6 that's ok too.

Of course my favorite verse is Psalm 46:10 but this is the one we are memorizing in our school this week so I would like to share it with you.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven:

I feel this year we truly need to put our whole hearts into searching and learning about God and His Creation.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids. Things they had learned about and were fascinated with came alive for them during this filed trip to see Sue. ~ Nikki

Today went well for us. We had a short day for our first day. We went over our goals for the year. We also did our Bible and some map work for our social studies unit. Tomorrow will be a full on day for us.Well , a storm is blowing in so I'm out of here for the night. Have a great one! ~ Nikki

Good morning everyone! I made a post titled " A Fungus Among Us" on my picture blog Over Hill and Under Hill . There are some neat fungi pics. We will try to identify them while studying plant classification later this year.School time is drawing closer and closer for us. We have all of our school supplies bought now. We hit all the sales and ended up only spending about $38.48. That's not bad for five people. I always buy supplies for me too just in case I want to color need to create a display for a lesson , yeah that's it , a display.(OK , I admit it! I like to color!) Anyway it is always nice to buy extra. Here is a list of what we bought this year and the price.

Walmart

(4) 3 ring binders - $ 8 ($2 each)

(5) Roseart classic markers - $ 3 ($.60 each)

(5) Roseart bold color markers - $ 3 ($.60 each)

(5) Roseart color pencils - $ 1.50 ($.30 each)

(5) Crayola crayons - $.75 - ($.15 each)

(5) 2 pack Elmers glue sticks - $.50 - ($.10 each)

(4) Post It Sortable Cards - $1.00 - ($.25 each)

(1) 2 pack red grading pencils - $.68

(1) Crayola water color set - $.75

(1) 4 pack mini pencils - $1.68

Walgreens

(4) 6 pack Papermate highlighters - $.36 - ($.09 each)

(4) 10 pack Paermate pens - $.36 - ($.09 each)

Staples

(20) paper - $1.90 - ($.09 each)

(20) poly 3 prong folders - $4 - ($.20 each)

(10) Elmers School Glue - FREE ( 2 FREE per person)

(50) Paper 2 pocket folders - FREE ( 10 FREE per person)

Dollar Tree

(3) 2 pack wall calendars - $3 ($1 each)

(3) 2 pack wall calendars days and numbers - $3 ($1 each)

(1) Months Header pack - $1

(2) 3 pack rulers - $2 - ($1 each)

(2) Presentation boards - $2 - ($1 each)

I thought we did well on shopping this year.

I am also tickled that Julia over at Creative Ladies Ministry has used one of my devotions for her breat cancer theme, Pink Rain. That is an issue that is very close to my heart. My SIL battled it for 8 years and now we are afraid it is rearing its ugly head in my Momma's life. Please pray that it isn't so. We expect her mammogram results back in 2 weeks. I have been a member of the Hen House for years and it is a great place for fellowship among Christian women of many denomonations. Especially those who work in Women's Ministry. I lead the Women's Ministry at my church . I write devotions and have some forms and ideas at my website Cross Bearers Web Home. I lost my files a few months back so there are not many devotions on the sight right now. I am in the process of trying to get the old files off of my old computer. There are some other printables on there. I don't talk much about our Church life on here because this is my school blog. I try to keep school life seperate from church life. We are very active at our church so we are there a lot. Our homeschool is something that although is God's , it is also our private "family" thing. Does that make sense? I don't think I'm saying this the way I mean it. Anyway , the sight is there for anyone who would like to use it.

My friend Shirley , MyThr33sons, has a great prayer requests blog . If you have a request you would like to share be sure to check it out. Have a great day! ~ Nikki

I have decided to give Blogger Friend School a try. They are having a great giveaway. I have read tons of previous assignment posts on other blogs so I thought I would join in. Maybe this will help me be a little more consistent with blogging.Sometimes life gets busy though and you find yourself sacrificing some things for others. I enjoy blogging but of course family takes first place. Anyway enough of my rambling. Check out Blogger Friend School and sign up! Have a great day! ~ Nikki

I'm back again ! First ... I forgot to let everyone know this morning that I did get the pickles made. We made 6 pints of dill pickles. We thought we would start small and see how they turned out. I have some links I would like to share with you too. Please be advised that these site offer some free printables or ideas. Not all of these site will have a Christian or Creation Science point of view but they do offer some great things. You will just have to sort out what you need. You can see what our daily schedule looks like for this school year by clicking here.

Here are some links for you to check out.

Homeschool Notebooking - new site for notebooking pages

Homework Spot

Wikieducator (animal printables and stuff)

Free Coloring Pages

Worksheets.com

Eco Kids

Science Spot

The Teacher's Desk

Sea Life Coloring Book

Home Educator Resources

Busy Teacher Cafe

Sorry it's been so long since I posted.  We have been very busy around here for the last few weeks. We finished school over a week ago. We finished earlier this year than we had planned but we're not complaining. Things finished smoothly. We were in no great rush to get everything done and that was a huge blessing. All that's left for now is to finish planning for next year. I will take things easy though.I would rather do it a little at a time and not be stressed than to try to push, shove and cram it all into my head at once and get a headache:) We have all been fighting the "Spring Cold" though. That has been a big damper on things for us. Everyone has been coughing, sneezing and generally feeling BLAH.VBS is just around the corner for us too. We have been planning and decorating and getting things in order for that. There is still plenty to do although I am bound and determined not to get in a huge rush . It is so much more stressful that way. I want to work diligently and proficiently and I know the Lord will make sure it gets done. We finished work on our puppet house for Jr Church (our Children's Church program). We still have a few minor things to complete but it looks awesome. Toodles made it look like an old log cabin. I will post pictures when the final things are added .We did manage to got to the Library sale this weekend and get some great deals. This is a list of books we bought to use in school. We bought more but those were more for personal reading ( I did get two Jan Karon Mitford books I needed for my collection , yeah !):

Webster’s Elementary Dictionary
Biology For Christian Schools
Teacher Tested Timesavers
Walt Disney’s Worlds Of Nature
Attracting Backyard Wildlife
NatureWatch: Exploring Nature With Your Children
A Guide To Field Identification: Wild Flowers Of North America
Jo’s Boys – Louisa May Alcott
The Audubon Society Field Guide To North American Birds (Eastern Regions)
Picture Reference Atlas
Bird: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World
Reader’s Digest ABC’s Of Nature Family Answer Book
 Anne Of Green Gables 3-in-1 volume set
Kidnapped – Robert Louis Stevenson

I have some pictures I will be posting for my other blog , unfortunately it has been neglected too as has my Homeschool Lounge page but fear not ... I'm getting there ... I shall post ... man nor beast nor foul weather shall hinder me ...but unfortuantely laundry and dishes will... so be patient ... I'll be back later this evening . Have a great one ~ Nikki

P.S. Some of you may be wondering what the banner on my side bar is all about . The one one thats says , " It is not this day". Well my kids and I have this game that we play throughout the day called Movie Quotes. We try to see how many movie quotes we can get into the conversations we are having. Ok maybe it's goofy but we enjoy it. Anyway , I always seem to get this one in from LOTR so my DD TnBabyGirl made this little award banner for me and I must say she did a wonderful job. And just so you know BabyGirl , someday you might beat me at this game but ..."It is not this day!" HA , MOVIE QUOTE ! Gotcha !

This is a special tax free weekend for school supplies. Check it out here.

Last Saturday we got to go see Sue the T Rex. We had been looking forward to it for a long time. It was awesome. Traveling Sue is an exact replica of the real model of Sue found at the Field Museum in Chicago. Awe inspiring is what comes to mind when you look at her. The size of this animal is unbelievable. What an amazing Creator we have. I am posting some of our pics we took. The lighting wasn't the best for picture taking (for me anyway:)) so some of them look a little fuzzy. Sue will be at the Gray Fossil Museum til April 27 . You should go , really , like right now :) Be advised that they don't follow the "Biblical Timeline" but it is a great teaching oppurtunity do delve into Creation Science with your kids. And even if you don't want to go to the museum take a drive through the I40 - 81 corridor , BEAUTIFUL! The redbuds and other flowering trees are in full bloom . That drive was amazing in itself.

And this is a picture of what the drive looks like.

Of course when I read this article I had to just shake my head and sigh (big sigh).It is highly irritating to constantly have to defend our choice to homeschool our children and the methods we use to do it. I may not be the most intelligent person in the world but I am no dummy either. I know that my children need to know about evolution. They will face it at some point in their life as so many people have been wrongly led to believe it. But I will teach them the truth about evolution. That it is indeed a theory, someone’s idea of how things happened, that cannot be proven. I mean really, we came from some microscopic amoeba that one day decided it didn’t like the water anymore and wanted to come ashore?  Yet, once on land it realized it couldn’t survive as an amoeba and so started a process of metamorphosis to one day become a man? After how long did it reach the monkey stage? Why did some decide to become a man and others decide to stay monkeys? Wouldn’t you (as an amoeba, monkey) have wanted to have become a man if you could? What was their deciding factor I wonder? Now doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Can science prove any of this? No, they can just give us more of their “theories” about how things might have happened, they have no hard physical proof. My Bible tells me (yes I know, this is my beliefs not everyone else’s) that God is my Creator and the Creator of the Universe. Not only is He its Creator but He is its caretaker.

Psalm 104 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

I believe that my God is who He says He is and He did what He says He did. That is my proven belief. What proof do I have that I am God’s creation … not only Genesis but this…

Jeremiah 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

My heart knows it for truth and that is all the proof I need. Parents have a right to teach their children what they want. If they desire to teach Darwin’s theory then that is their prerogative. But I have not only the right but a God given commandment to teach my children the truth …

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

I know what my children would learn in public school, I went there. I have no desire to have my children learn a warped and one-sided view of the world (i.e. a worldly view). They have a well rounded and informed education right here at home from a Christian viewpoint. Just because they are Christian homeschoolers doesn’t mean they don’t know what’s going on in the world today, they do. They just know and understand both points of view and they know which one is morally right. So here is what my kids won’t learn in school : Alternative Lifestyles Are Ok 101, Teacher / Student Relationships (AHEM!), Bullying and Rundown of Fellow Man, etc. They will learn of the greatest Science Teacher –God, how to love others as Christ loved them and the “3 Rs).So go ahead Mr.Shives, you and yours teach your children what you want but allow us to do the same and for it to count. We don't force our views down your throat so don't expect us to allow you to shove yours down ours. Our textbook's (God's Word , you know , the Bible) "theories" are being fulfilled and proven every day . How about yours?

Well , today is the day . It's been a whole year for me here on HSB . It has been a great learning experience for me as I have enjoyed reading everyone's blogs . I feel so inadequate when I read some of the detailed plans some of you have :) Everyone I have "met" here has been such an inspiration . Thanks to each and every one . I hope I have somehow been an inspiration or a blessing to someone here . I appreciate everyone who has left a comment for me , they mean so much . As a special thanks and a way to celebrate my blogaversary I am giving away a $10 gift card to Walmart to one lucky commentor (who comments on this post) . I will do the drawing on Saturday . Be sure to leave your url if you don't use HSB .

In other news , check out this link if you are interested in dinosaurs and you live in TN .

http://license.icopyright.net/webprints/Njk2MDMy.html

Today begins a special little celebration for our family . We have our "12 days of CHRISTmas" celebration . We started several years ago giving the kids a little present on the 12 days leading up to CHRISTmas . It's nothing expensive ,  just things from the $ Tree or a pack of gum , a pencil or candy . It helps us all get a little more excited about our day and the kids really enjoy it . Tonight our Youth Group is going caroling to some of our shut ins from our church and community . Afterward we will have our Youth CHRISTmas party . We kinda have a full plate today but it will all be fun . I have found some great printables for CHRISTmas that you could use for lapbooking or notebooking . There is stuff just for fun too . I'll share the links below . Everyone have a great day !

Activity Village    - They have tons of great printables . They have templates galore that would be great for notebooking , lapbooking or making paper ornaments . The mini CHRISTmas cards would be great for making booklets in lapbooks . Plus - IT'S FREE !

papersnowflakes.com - lots of great patterns for making snowflakes and some other interesting stuff too . FREE !

Dave's Paper Snowflakes - He has some free sample patterns . We used them in my Sunday School Class and they loved them . They are really intricate and lacy . Beautiful ! This would probably be better for your older kids to try .

DLTK  - This link will take you to the printable cards and envelopes but be sure to check out the whole site . There are tons of neat stuff there especially for younger kids .

printactivities.com - lots of coloring pages and stuff .

I will post more later .

Good morning everyone ! . I hope everyone is having a great Sunday morning . My oldest DS and youngest DD are sick this weekend with another viral bug . High fever and the yuckies - YUCK ! Well it is that time of year I guess . I have a question for all you homeschool Mommas out there . When I was in school we used to gather leaves and press them between wax paper with an iron but I read recently that someone used laminating paper too . My question is , What method have you used and which one do you think works best ? I plan on doing this with the kids this week when everyone feels better . Thanks for the input . Don't forget to join the Autumn Poetry Party I'm hosting .

I just thought I would share with everyone the links I have been using with our Solar System unit . There are tons of great books out there to use but what I will list here are the informative websites and free notebooking and lapbooking websites . For this unit the kids are keeping the planet fact sheets in their notebooks for reference but our big project is actually a big lapbook we are working on together . I bought a presentation board at the $ Tree , it is folded just like a big lapbook , and we have been using coloring sheets of the planets to color and cut and paste in the lapbook . I bought some half size index cards at Big Lots that we put the planet facts on and paste it next to the picture . We also use our encylopedias to gather facts about the Roman gods that the planets are named after ( this has turned out to be a great way to have extra Bible time too ) and paste these on the lapbook too . I wish I could post a picture but my digital camera is broken . Anyway here are the links . I hope you can use them . As always be discerning in what you choose to use for your homeschool . Some of these have some great stuff and other stuff you may not want to use .

The Learning Page - you have to become a member to access most of the themed pages but it is free . Once you join you will find the Space worksheets under the members themed sheets .

Notebookingpages.com - a couple of free sheets

Solar System Coloring Book 

eMints - A wealth of different themes , be sure to take a few minutes and check it out . There are several links for the Solar System .

JeannieFulbright.com - free notebooking pages

Exploring Planets In The Classroom - lots of stuff to sort through