These days I sometimes feel like my head is spinning.
My husband leaves in 2 days for our new home in Florida.
I wonder what life is going to be like with 4 kids and one parent again. When he used to travel it didn't phase me. Now that he's been home for a year I'm feeling a little "yikes".
So pray for me if God leads.
And for the home in Florida he has for us.
We lived in rural SC for so long. I think the setting suits us.
My birthday is tomorrow......45.
When did we get old?
I'm not sure who learns more in our homeschool: the boys or me. I have been amazed at what I've learned from talking to other homeschool moms. I've learned about creation science, courtship, and God's hand in history in ways that I'm not sure that I EVER would have outside of homeschooling. But there's so much more than that. As I've struggled with making decisions about curriculum or character issues with my kids, God has been totally faithful to hold me close and guide me. I can't even tell you just how much homeschooling means to me.
But having said that, here's my list of Top 10 Things Homeschooling Has Taught Me:
There's a lot of biblical worldview stuff that I didn't learn as a child.
Because when I think of it, I just think fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
The Old Schoolhouse had been tossing around the idea of doing a homeschool conference for years, but with staff spread out all over the country, a physical one wasn't going to happen. But once online conference software started becoming more available, we started thinking more and more about going that route.
Gena and Michelle asked if I'd coordinate the Expo and I decided to give it a try. (Because I'm a girl who loves a challenge. I've got three boys. I am woman, hear me roar and all that jazz.) And boy, can I tell you, it's been a ton of work, but it's going to be even more fun.
I'm amazed by the speakers that we're going to have! I mean these speakers are funny and smart and have SO much heart. I've heard some of them in person and let me tell you. Some of the things that they are going to share could be life-changing. Here's one that I'm really looking forward to.
I Will Not Let You Go!
Based on the manipulative life of Jacob, his rival relationship with his brother, the lack of relationship between his mother and father, and his constant marital conflicts, the stage is set for a life of deception—self-deception. Believing that holding on to a better inheritance, more children, a better wife, and a better job will bring fulfillment, Jacob learns the hard way that he was holding on to all the wrong things in life. Join our journey with Jacob as we find unconditional acceptance in all the right places; but be prepared to fight because once you’ve found what you are looking for, you will need to hold on for your life! This seminar is based on Mark’s two years of research for his thesis and will cover sibling rivalry, marital conflict, parenting insights, and much more.
I heard Mark Hamby a few years ago at a conference and promptly bought CDs of his other presentations because I wanted my husband and boys to hear what he had to say too.
And that's the really nice thing about the Expo, your whole family can listen in with you ... and you can download the mp3s afterwards and listen to the presentations that you missed or just listen to your favorites over and over. It's up to you!
Plus, there are SO many fantastic freebies that you get with your ticket price. I can't remember the exact number, but it is over 30 ... and these aren't dinky. There are enough unit studies and other lessons to keep you busy for quite some time!
Valued at $14.95, this E-Book will take you on an underwater adventure to explore life in the ocean with Egghead Academics’ newest lapbooking study, Magnificent Marine Life. Deep in the oceans are amazing sea creatures, exotic plants, and fierce predators. Come and take a closer look and learn about these remarkable animals while building a beautiful lapbook with your children. When you are finished, you will have a gorgeous finished project to showcase what you have learned during your study. Never seen a lapbook? Check out this video to see how one is put together: Lapbooking Made Easy.
And this one from Homestead Originals. Valued at $9.95, this Homestead Simplicity: A Primer E-Book shares helps for the keeper of the home! We like to keep it simple around here, and while I also want the best for my family, sometimes striking a balance between the two can be difficult at best. Join us as we share some simple hints, tips, and recipes along with a little inspiration to add a little "Homestead Simplicity" to your life! Natural cleaning recipes, cooking from scratch (easily!), planning/stocking your pantry, and loving care for your homestead and those in it!
The value of those 2 ebooks alone are more than the ticket price right now! And those are just 2 of the 30 free gifts!
Oh, and there are going to be some FANTASTIC door prizes, chatting with other attendees, and Q and A sessions with some of our speakers.
Check this one out:
KA-CHING! That's going to make someone a VERY happy camper. Oh and the other door prizes are too. There are science kits, writing programs, books, and more. Like I said, "Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!"
I can't wait to share it with you all. You'll want to go ahead and register now so you'll save $5, get the bonus Creative Nature Study E-Book, AND attend the 2 pre-registration sessions. They are going to be SUPER-DEE-DUPER! (Is that Tigger or Barney? ... hmmm ....)
I've finally finished transferring information to my new blog. Please consider following me over there. I'm truly excited to return to the blogging world. I've kept the title "Finding Joy" because I believe that it represents the journey that I've been walking these last years. And, more importantly, it is a reflection of where I'm going.
I'd be honored for you to join me over there. Once there you'll also be able to link to my daughter Hannah's blog. She has turned into quite the blogger. It's so neat to see how the Lord is using her.
• Mar. 15, 2010 - Social Networking = Lazy Blogging... and a Family Update!
Posted By quietcajun
This blog has been grossly neglected.In part, it is due to the discovery of “lazy blogging”!Yep, the short little snippets of social networking have lulled me away from expressing myself in full-well thought out thoughts!
Throughout the day I can just say,
“Avoiding grading lessons, sigh, I hate grading lessons!”
“Wow!Noah has had three 100 % math tests in a row”
“OUCH!A sinus infection is keeping me from getting much done today!”
“What a productive day!All the laundry is done, dinner is in the crockpot and I even had time for a quick walk around the lake!”
I am enjoying catching up with friends both far and near.I am enjoying knowing what to pray for or how to actively help people because I am more aware of their daily needs.I enjoy the opportunities to encourage others and be encouraged by them, but I have definitely become lazy!
While blogging does not have a lot of rules as to necessary length, amount of photos that must be posted or even about relevancy of content at times, it still requires a little more thought.I am missing expressing myself here, but each time I vow to get back into the good habit I suddenly find that my last post was weeks and weeks ago and I have no idea what to write about!
So, how about just a little update?
We are about the same, but older.Typical, right?
Kaitlyn will be 18 in a few months!Wow!I still can’t believe that.She is just finishing up 11th grade so she still has another whole year of high school.She still does not have her driver’s license, but has her permit.It’s fine with me that she takes it slow! Kaitlyn and Jordan are both in choir and are both preparing solos for the Fine Arts Festival next month!
Jordan is 15 ½.He enjoys writing a fictional daily newspaper for the play town my children have.It actually is very good!He pays close attention to real news and incorporates it into his stories!He and Ian are both really interested in current events, laws, government and economics right now and are often found discussing the latest Sean Hannity pod cast they listened to with their Dad! Jordan is finishing up his 10th grade curriculum, but needs a little more time to grasp some concepts so he has the summer to get that accomplished!
Ian is 14 and still keeping us on our toes!He loves any sport or outdoorsy activity.He also loves helping run PowerPoint at our church.He is a great cook (especially in the baking department) and is ready to start 9th grade!I’ll have THREE high schoolers at once!Pray for me!
Noah is 11 ½.He is very bright academically and usually gets his school work done quickly and correctly.He, Ian and Hannah participated in Pinewood Derby last month.He and Ian both brought home trophies!They really learned a lot and are very artistic!
Hannah is 9 ½.She loves to read and write.She is very creative and a good student.She has had braces since October and that makes her look so grown up!Not sure I like that!She has a wide array of interests and enjoys race cars, dolls, and everything in between!
My husband, Russ, and I will be celebrating our TWENTIETH anniversary this week!Amazing!In some ways I can’t even remember what life was like before “US” and in other ways is seems like just yesterday!I am amazed at God’s goodness to bless me with such a wonderful marriage.
I’m starting to plan next year’s home school….I had it all done, but we had sort of a planning shift when we realized that the price for the curriculum we are currently using had gone WAY up.So, I am replanning and praying that God will guide and direct me in this process!
Recently I can't think of anything to blog about, nor do I think about my blog.
Life is crazy with getting the house ready to sell, looking at houses in Florida, and missing my hubbie already who will be gone the day after my birthday.
My best friend may come visit this weekend.
Daylight saving has me up at 6 since it's really 7.
We made it to church on time yesterday.
We sold our truck.
Rocket Man wants a jeep. After all, we'll be in Florida.
This one's kinda cool
Of course girl's ideas of jeeps and boys ideas of jeeps often differ.
I turn 45 on Friday. Yikes, where does time go.
Any donations for a face life?????
• Mar. 12, 2010 - SpellQuizzer Review and a GIVEAWAY!!!!!
Posted By quietcajun
I love SpellQuizzer!
SpellQuizzer is an educational spelling program for Windows that helps children learn their spelling words by allowing the parent to make a sound recording of each word. (If your PC does not have a microphone you should be able to purchase one for about $10 at any electronics store.) This program was developed by a dad for his elementary-aged daughters, but it can definitely be used for the upper grades as well!
A few months ago, I was asked to review SpellQuizzer and I was thrilled because I had been thinking about giving it a try, but was really unsure about it.I got started soon thereafter and was amazed at the results.
Some of my children are GREAT spellers and some of them are not!Some of them need a lot of practice and I was spending a minimum of 45 minutes a day on Spelling and I was not seeing super results for all my efforts.
I would test and retest over the same words and yet the children’s progress was slooooooow until we started SpellQuizzer.
I entered the children’s spelling lists into the program and gave them time each day to take turns practicing their lists and scheduled a review day per child each week.I was astounded the very first time I tested them after starting SpellQuizzer.Even my best spellers had never had 100%’s before, but that first week 4 of my 5 children earned a perfect score on their tests and my worst speller only missed 2 out of 30 words.(I later decided that 30 was far too many anyway!)
We have now been using SpellQuizzer for over 2 months and I am still pleased.Somehow the children would rather hear my voice over the computer than my voice in real life! Go figure!They like it when I toss in a few silly sentences and I have noticed that one of my children oftenrepeats the exact sentence I used on the computer when she spells words she has recently learned.(With that in mind I started adding sentences that were about Godly character, or incorporated a Scripture memory verse into them!You know us homeschooling moms…always trying to sneak a little more learning into every teachable moment!)
Some of the high points:
Less preparation time for me!
Less presentation time for me!
More enjoyable for the children!
More effective review/drill!
Better scores!
Happier family!
We like that it will remove correct words from the list and give the student as many tries as needed to finish spelling all the words correctly just like a parent would do if studying with their child!
Since you have the ability to customize your own lists you can use it with any Spelling curriculum you already have or develop lists from your children’s frequently misspelled words in their journaling, etc. OR a combination of both!
The SpellQuizzer web site has pre-made grade-appropriste downloadable spelling lists that you can download and use with SpellQuizzer.
When creating a new list you can look through your previous words and just select from that list, which saves even more time.It also tells you if you already have that word in your list so that you will not end up with multiples of the same word!
On my Windows installation Microphone Boost was not turned on by default, but their were simple instructions that helped me bring my audio recording level up to where is was easier to hear without headphones being necessary!
A few things we would like to see revised in future editions ofSpellQuizzer:
It be great if it had a record-keeping option to show how many correct/incorrect words the child scored each day.
I am having a hard time figuring out how to delete words that I know we no longer need and the list is getting rather lengthy now.I know there is a way to do it, but I have not been able to make it work.
One of my sons gets frustrated that he has sometimes hit enter before he meant to and the word was considered wrong, but that is just par for the course, I think!
I think this is a great tool and worth giving a try!
I have also been authorized to give away one FREE SpellQuizzer license! Just leave a comment for me and I will pick a random winner two weeks from today... on March 26th!
This is the time of year I have always spent pouring over catalogs, and searching the internet, for next year's materials. I'm not doing that anymore, because frankly, I have a basement full of homeschooling materials. I need to sell some! I have enough to finish teaching my young 'uns until they graduate. Oh, I'll probably break down and get something irresistable . . .
One mistake I always made, was wanting more than I could manage. In my hopes and dreams, I didn't think it was more than I could manage. But it was.
KISS - Keep it simple, sweetie.
Reading, writing, and math. We really do need to have that foundation. Of course, it goes without saying that bible is at the heart of it - I'm talking academically, with the three Rs.
If our children know how to read, they can learn anything. And if we keep up with math, there will be no big mountain of catching up to be attained. The other subjects are really intro'd in the elementary grades. Science, history - we really do not need to get so intense with those early on.
I think that some of these literature based choices - like Sonlight, and Beautiful Feet - are great choices. Then we can be doing reading at the same time we're doing science or history.
I must say, half the time, I didn't get to most of what I planned - but we learned enough. So if you're in the planning stages of next year, don't give yourself a mountain you'll have to climb out from under, for air. Take it easy, and add library books if you have extra time.
So much has been going on in our lives that I haven't the time to even think about blogging. But I wanted to say hello and offer up the last of my special Peppermint Oil by Beeyoutiful. I have one bottle left and would love to give it to someone who has a special warmth for burning the oil in this cold season that keeps trying to turn to spring.
So to enter this contest tell me your favorite part of spring!!! I'm feeling the warmth because we, ,my friends, will be moving to Florida very soon! Jacksonville, Florida will be our new home for the next season of our lives. My husband has accepted a job there with a wonderful company. And we feel the Lord's leading in taking us there. So I'll be slathering on the sunscreen and may buy stock in Coppertone.
Just leave a comment here to be entered into the contest. Oh, don't forget to let me know how to contact you otherwise I can not mail it to you. All the benefits of Peppermint Oil can be found here. And Beeyoutiful is a terrific company. I'm washing my sheets in their Eucalyptus Oil right now to kill bed bugs.
Love and blessings.....
Winner to be drawn at random on Friday.
I recently bought this book: Lies Young Women Believe and the Truths that Set Them Free for my oldest daughter, Joanna (Katy). My intention was to meet on a weekly basis without distractions to discuss it. Well, Tuesday was the first day we got a chance to do this.
*
The plan that day was to eat with the family, then go out for coffee/soda and have some discussion. While I was fixing dinner, my dh came to me, handed me $$$ and told me to finish getting dinner on the table, then take her out for dinner. WOW!! So, I did and we headed to Applebee's.
*
Our evening was sooo wonderful. We had some heart to heart in a way that I think she did not feel attacked. I think that often with all the distractions, when we do have a discussion, I get short in my answers and a bit forceful in my feelings about things.
*
After we ate we went and did a bit of looking at Old Navy and Dress Barn, then to Walmart and ended at Braums for milk and our desert.
*
About 7 years ago, I did a study on the book Lies Women Believe and the Truths That Set Them Free and found the information wonderful., The young women's version seems to be as promising. I look forward to more times with her and in the future with our other daughters.
A day in the life of raising these Young youngins that the Lord has blessed and entrusted us with! May His name be glorified in all that is said and done!
Valued at $9.95, this Homestead Simplicity: A Primer E-Book shares helps for the keeper of the home! We like to keep it simple around here, and while I also want the best for my family, sometimes striking a balance between the two can be difficult at best. Join us as we share some simple hints, tips, and recipes along with a little inspiration to add a little "Homestead Simplicity" to your life! Natural cleaning recipes, cooking from scratch (easily!), planning/stocking your pantry, and loving care for your homestead and those in it!
