Smart Family at HOME (wherever that may be)!

Christmas Ornament Decorating Contest

... and our entries are:

snowboard snowman

 seashells

musical one

Pirate snowman

Cutie snowman

Ahhhh, brotherly love…

It really just warms your heart, 

doesn’t it?  Ü

Can you tell what Addison’s pet peeve is this month?

REALLY gives the guest bathroom that special little touch dontcha’ think?!

I love to see the bricks hanging around!

I love that they have bricks hanging off trees, bushes and shrubs here- to shape them. What a simple fix!  

They do it, to trees often, to create larger bits of shade and the bouganvilla grows like crazy here – so you see this over fences all the time.

Now.. if only my kids would wear them…. Ü

HS review...and boys first college classes are in....

“ “Ya, I can just see it now, you’re going to home school them through college!”

It seems like just the other day, that I as getting ribbed by friends for not wanting to send Devon to school. Thirteen years later, without a day spent in a classroom, and Devon is nearly finished with his first term of college, and YES! He is taking his classes online, so in a way we are homeschooling him through college!

With a college freshman, a junior taking 12 credits (also at Liberty) and a 7^th grader-

It seems like a good time to reflect on the things we have loved and that have really *made* our homeschooling.  These are the things that are tops on my list, that get us all excited and going a mile a minute… in random order as they pop in my head.

Five in a Row.

~ This curriculum was really the backbone for our homeschool journey. Using wonderful children’s literature, FIAR seamlessly crosses subject lines and leads learning on-course. All of us have fond memories of our time in the pages of the books that Jane Clare brilliantly and lovingly selected. 

With the self doubt that can attack HS parents throughout the years- I have heard, read and even thought-

“This is too easy!”

“Is it going to be enough?”   

It is! It really, really does work!

So very often Paul would come home and ask the kids, “What’d you learn today?” and they would answer” We didn’t do any school work today”  Huh, we didn’t do any school work?! Can you tell Dad what country Madeline is from? Where is it on the map? Hey show him what the French flag looks like. Doesn’t that French bread smell yummy- did you tell dad you made it? What does ‘solemn’ mean again?  Can you tell dad where your appendix is? … That is how easy the kids learn with FIAR, they don’t even know they are doing it.

I think that learning with Five in a Row is like… taking a sponge and placing it in the ocean, the sponge has no choice …it is inescapably, effortlessly saturated with the salt water. The learning that happens when a FIAR manual has been placed in parents' hands, along with those great titles- those poor kids don’t stand a chance.- they are thoroughly, completely and effortlessly soaked in learning.

Reading Made Easy (RME):

The first big hurdle for a new homeschooler is really teaching your child to read, isn’t it? If we can figure out how in the world to teach them that- they just might be okay and we just might make it. (grin) RME really takes the pain out of this process and ever so gently leads the parent and child down the path together.

Spelling Power:

I love the way that spelling power works. Spending time focusing on the words that a student needs help with and then moving right along. Love it!

English from the roots up:

We love these simple flash cards for building vocabulary.

Omnibus:

We really enjoyed the book selections and the discussion type learning that took place using Omnibus. As high schoolers it was nice to find a “unit style” that we were able to continue along with! It made for some great thought provoking conversations.

History Alive:

We fist started using History Alive in its old format. We really enjoyed learning with Diana Waring. Her enthusiasm for history is contagious and we loved the reading selections. On car trips we will still listen to her CDs today!

For English:

A Reason for Handwriting

The Writer's Jungle

Write Source

Science:

We loved-

Amazing Animals that Defy Evolution.

Jonathan Park

Other favorites throughout the years:

Princess and the Kiss

AWANA

Keepers at Home

Story of the World (read by Jim Weiss)

Books on CD have been a huge blessing to our road trip time.

Prairie Primer

Still looking forward to going through Where the Brook and River Meet, with Addison. =0)

Wanna know how the guys did on their first few classes? I’ll tell ya!

Dylan
Coms 101- 82.55%
Eng 100 – 91.4%

Devon
Coms 101 87.78%
Eng 100 94.2%
Humanities 96%

I’d be thrilled with those first grades regardless… but oh! Is it ever a boost to my homeschool mama’s heart to know that I didn’t stuff ‘em up!

2009 Marine Birthday Ball

It's my mommies birthday!

Happy Birthday mom. Thanks for all you do for us and the way that you love us!

Sure do wish you were here to enjoy the chocolate chip oatmeal cake that we are enjoying for your birthday.

Sometimes it is hard being so far away.

Much  much love from all 5 of us way over yonder.

Hey Lisa- Here ya go. You'll like it

Lemme know whatcha think:

Lentil Cheese Savory

Combine and simmer in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes:

1 cup lentils

2 ¼ cups cold water

Add and simmer 30 minutes more:

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped tomatoes or 1 cup sauce

Fry separately:

¼ cup margarine

1 large onion, sliced

to fried onions add:

1 cup grated cheese

lentil mixture

Place in a greased 9X9 pan and bake @ 350 for 20 minutes

(I add a ½ cup bread cubes or tortilla crumbs- so you could add some type of bread or tortilla chips (corn?) that you can have.)

horses... it's a girl thing

Hey Dad!