Aug. 15, 2007 - Great first week to school!

We have had such a fabulous first week to school! The kids are really enjoying what we are doing!  We get started about 9am and finish by 10:30am.  That includes Bible, Handwriting, Math, Reading/phonics, Science and History...for 2 kids!  Of course they are still young...3 & 4 but just lovin it all.

Today we are going to play some games for their subjects.  Micah(4) is doing Less then and Greater than for math so to make sure he is really understanding it more than just on paper we are going to play a game of war!  I also got Leap frogs Letter factory dvd so we are going to watch that to reinforce letter sounds.  He read his 3rd HOP book yesterday but I was detecting some slight frustration and and need for phonics reinforcement.  It will be a nice change.

I think having a game day or just changing things up with some creative learning will help with any burnout we might have.  I want to make sure they are grasping concepts and enjoying learning...rather than just driving through schoolwork day in and out!

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Jul. 23, 2007 - Starting Back to Shool & Plans

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Jun. 25, 2007 - Exciting Reading News!!!!

I just had to share this very exciting news for my ds who is 4 (will be 5 in November).  He just read his first Hooked on Phonics book!!!!! I haven't done any sounding out of letters with him lately...he knows all his letter sounds...but I just wasn't sure where to go from there.  He didn't like 100EZ lessons so we stopped doing that a while ago.  Anyways I was playing letter bingo with him and his 2yr old sister and I thought I would pull out his Kindergarted HOP and see how he would do with the first book.  He read the whole thing (all 7 pages) I helped with some sounding out here and there but he did it!  He was so excited when he finished that he started hugging me and jumping up and down.  So I'm making a copy of the book and going to laminate the front cover...so he can write his name inside and color the pictures.  He was so happy he wanted to read it to himself over and over! I'm so proud of him!!!

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Jun. 6, 2007 - Some of our most recent homeschool projects.

Just wanted to share some pics of some of our most recent projects.  Included is making Whole Wheat Blackstrap Molasses Bread, Egg Carton Craft Collage, Nature Treasure Collages and an update on our Organic Squarefoot Garden...It's Sprouting!!!

Whew...I thought we hadn't been doing very much...but maybe I was wrong:) So much fun!!!!

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Jun. 6, 2007 - Our Reading Treasure Chest...For The Love Of Literacy!

Thanks to the wonderful ladies on the Woodshed Message Boards...I got a bug in my bonnet to create some sort of book display to encourage my littles to read more.  So we decided to create a Reading Treasure Chest.  We purchased a basket from Goodwill in the shape of a treasure chest...then let the kids get there creative juices flowing!!!  We decorated  it with foam paper, foam stickers and buttons that look like jewels.  Then I put felt letters on spelling "My Reading Treasure Chest".  We put in a stack of books at assorted reading levels that will be changed out each week.  I put it under our living room end table in hopes that it will entice the kids to read more.  I will probably still have to set a time frame when we pull out books from the treasure chest and look at them.  It sure was fun! Here's some pics:)

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May. 23, 2007 - Summer is Coming!!!!

Finally warmer weather is coming our way!  We've gotten a lot done the past couple of weeks. We dropped cursive...too confusing right now so I ordered a handwriting book and should get it soon.  We are moving right along in Math, literature and science.  We did a nature box the other day. The kids took baggies and we went for a walk and they collected special rocks, leaves, flowers, pinecones..etc.  Then when we got home I dumped glue in little plastic containers for each of them and they arranged them how they wanted...so fun. We also took a trip to the zoo! That was alot of fun! 

We've been so busy doing some home improvement projects lately...including putting together new beds for Micah(4) and Kaylee(2).  We are in the process of painting all the walls in the house.  We are woolying which is so fun and looks so cool!  We also finally got our garden planted.  We had started the seeds in the house but they grew too fast and I didn't get them in the ground in time...so they died.  So we started from seed outside and hopefully they will grow:) 

We planted Corn, Soybeans, Snap Peas, Spinach, Lettuce, Carrots, Cilantro, 4 kinds of Tomatoes, Wonderberries, Zucchinni, Sweet Peppers, & Strawberries....I think that's it:)

We are going to try to go camping this weekend! So I will have lots of pictures to post later:)

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May. 7, 2007 - "I Love My Schoolwork!" "Learning Is Fun"!

We started reading our science liturature this week, "The History of Insects", and "Burgess Book of Animals for Children".  I love these old classics! The language is so rich and content so wholesome!  I love it!!  We also did a new lesson in our CIMT Math and started our Cursive Handwriting.

Micah said to me today, "I love my shoolwork! Learning is fun!" Ahhhh music to my ears!  He is doing very well and his enthusiasm is contageous!  It's just so nice to have a layout and feel like we are moving right along!  Yay!

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May. 6, 2007 - Adopt A Soldier!

I am so excited about this! We watched an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition in which this organization, http://www.adoptasoldiernow.org, was featured.  The kids and I signed up to adopt a soldier. We get to send one care package per month for a year and our only cost is for what we include in the care package and postage.  I'm very excited to support our military and teach the kids about love and service to other's in need.

In the last week or so they have received tons of emails in support so it may take awhile to get a soldier's contact info but I think it is a great project for the kids to be involved in.  I think that there are so many ways we can help others, from projects like this to getting involved in sending blankets and food to storm victoms, those in poverty.  Even to something as simple as making cards or pictures and taking them to the elderly in nursing homes or to the sick in hospitals.

I think we should get involved in some sort of service to others to share God's love with those in need and to give our children first hand experience in service and love towards others.

What can you do?

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May. 3, 2007 - Vacation and Curriculum

We had a great time on our vacation to Disneyland. We have been back for a couple of weeks and I have been putting together Micah's Kindergarten Curriculum from Old Fashioned Education.  And it is finally done:) We both are very excited to get started.  Officially he will be in Kindergarten July 1st but he has already started on some of the curriculum.  He loves it and I love having a plan and a layout!  We are going to take June off from any formal school work, to have fun and get inspiration and then get started.

He is doing Word Mastery, McGuffy Readers, CIMT Math and Arithmatic and Handwriting.  For Bible we are going to switch back and forth between his Sabbath School Lesson and Adventurer Curriculum.  The rest will be stories and unit studies (science, history, home ec...etc)  We have started on Sam Cambells Living Forest stories for science and we have started our garden and are going to work on lableing our plant and bug pictures from last spring in our nature notebook.

I sure love homeschooling!  We have also been consistent for 3 weeks now on our chore chart system.  The two older boys (4, & 10) draw 5 chores each week.  They like it cause they get some changes every week and I like it cause I know and they know exactly what chores they have to do for the week..my house is staying much cleaner:)

Now if I could get them to get along.  I am amazed at how much arguing, teasing, fighting, screaming and whining can go on just between our oldest and the younger two.  It get's very frustrating!  I'm praying about it though.  Our situation is not perfect and requires extra patience, guidence, and reliance on God.  Hopefully we will get into a good routine this summer and things will go smoother.

I plan on working on math, reading and Pathfinder Curriculum with my oldest over the summer and hopefully that will get him caught up and more prepared for next year.

So that's what's up with us:)  Just busy, busy, busy!

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Mar. 28, 2007 - Hiking is the best science class ever!!

I love hiking!  Getting out in nature is one of lifes great stress relievers!!!  The kids love it too so before the rains came in we decided to go for a hike and a picnic.  We packed a picnic lunch and the current book I'm reading to the kids..."Downy Duck" it's from 1947, grabbed the stroller and hiked 1mile to a bridge overlooking our little river.  It was so nice! The kids and the dog and a ton of fun stretching there legs, looking a bugs, flowers, mud puddles, listening to birds...and mama just enjoyed seeing their smiling faces and chasing them up and down the trail hills.

Here's some pics from our hiking adventure...these are of the kids first tree climbing at the Trailhead:

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Mar. 20, 2007 - Gardening Fun...

We have started griding off our garden.  The kids are learning with me about Organic Heirloom Squarefoot Gardening.  So we measured off sqft sections, marked them and pounded in nails. We are going to use sturdy string to mark off the sections instead of a wood grid.  Then after we get back from vacation we are going to start our seedlings.  We also need to change out the soil in our boxes:)  Here's some picks of our garden before and the kids hammering in the nails.  I was suprised at how good they were at hammering for a 4 and 2 yr old!

I am very excited to learn about this type of gardening!  It ought to be a fun project!

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Mar. 13, 2007 - Spring has sprung!!!

Spring has officially arrived in SW Washington!!!! These are flowers blooming on our tree in our front yard!  The weather has been mild so the kids enjoyed playing outside!  Here are some pics of our play time outside!

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Mar. 12, 2007 - Busy Busy...

The last couple of weeks have been so busy...not really with anything big but just busy stuff:)  I've kinda relaxed a bit with the kids' structured schooling...maybe too much...but they are only 4 & 2.  I do find that I need a set of goals though...so that's what I'm working on.  Right now we've been learning a little about being frugal.  We made some of our own laundry detergent...that's very cool and today we made our own all purpose cleaner...smells yummy!  We are also making crockpot spaghetti...enough to freeze.

We got our organic heirloom seeds in the mail last week so that is our big project for the spring & summer.  We are going to plant a square-foot organic heirloom garden and learn everything that that entails.  We are also planning on having a little vegitable stand this summer so the kids can earn some money on stuff they helped produce.  I hope that will be satisfying for them.

I want to also remember to do more reading with them...I didn't do so well today with that but tomorrows a new day.

So our projects are:

Stories (on all topics), natural living, self sufficiency, gardening, and money management...for a 4 and 2yr old this ought to be fun:)

Another thing we are working on is the idea of "random acts of kindness".  I really want to get the kids to be thinking about others and what they can do for them...without having to be told or reminded to be nice.  So we set up a star system. They get stars everytime they do something nice, thoughtful or kind for someone else without being asked to or without the intent of earning stars.  Once they get 25 stars they get a special date with either Daddy or I.  Our 2yr old daughter has already earned her 25 stars and has chosen a date of ice cream and the park.  The boys are very excited to earn their stars.

We are trying to make chores more consistent so we had the boys draw for there chores.  I made slips of paper with daily chores and then separate ones with once per week chores.  The boys (10 & 4) drew 2 daily chores and 2 weekly chores.  They were very excited about this because their chores will be changing every week.  It works great for me too cause they know what they need to do and I know what they need to do and it gets done! Aaahhh so nice:)

Only 2-1/2 weeks until our vacation to Disneyland!!!!! Yay!!!!

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Feb. 28, 2007 - Tea Party Fun

I was watching Super Nanny one night after the kids went to bed and on there they did a tea party with the kids...I thought...How fun is that!!!! So that's what we did!  I had Micah put on his suit jacket and Kaylee picked out a pretty dress to wear.  Then we put a pretty sheet over a chair cushion and they set their "table" with their play dishes.  I pretended to be the waitress and asked them in a funny accent what kind of tea they would like and then made a great deal of noise and fuss in the kitchen "making" the tea.  I used our little esspresso cups and saucers.  We drank soy milk and had little cinnamon cookies.  It was so fun and the kids thought mamma was a hoot!

I need to remember to do fun creative stuff like this more often:)

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Feb. 18, 2007 - Flip-side of Struggles...

How do you deal with a child who is so manipulative!  He got me good!  There maybe kids who aren't nice to him and he is sensitive about his academic status....but what he left out is his negative behavior at school! He bully's little kids, is aggressive to other (i.e. punching, kicking, spitting), swears and calls other's names, says innappropriate things....sigh...just got the email from the teacher!

I thought he had grown out of that...that things were different! Why does he do this stuff! He is seriously lacking in appropriate social skills! What's frustrating is I have no control over his behavior when he's away from me! It's so frustrating!!!!  I love him so much but how do I get him to learn that his behavior has consequences!!!  No wonder the kids don't want to play with him! 

So we continue to pray and try to figure out what to do but we are at a loss!

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Feb. 15, 2007 - Struggles....

How do you help a child who feels so lost?  How do you encourage them and make them feel like God Cares and they are worth something?  It hurts so much for me to see one of my children struggling with self esteem and self worth.  I try to encourage them to pray about the situation but they feel that God doesn't care and praying won't work...it's amazing at what situations will make you realize where you have fallen short.  Now I know alot of this could just be blown out of proportion and be pure manipulation...the child is at that age and ability to do that.

I just want to fix it for him...to save him from all his struggles and heartaches...but I know I can't do that...he has to learn how to deal with some of these situations...obviously with love and support but as a mother I just want to fix it and take all the hurt away!

Sometimes I feel like such a failure as a parent...especially when I get to the situations where I'm completely at a loss as to what to do...  I know it's the enemy making me feel this way and I need to turn to God for answers...but it at this point when I realize how rusty I am at turning to God...and why it's so important to have that daily communion with him!

Lord I know you can change any situation, you can help us through those rough times!  Please help my child...help me to know how to help him.  Give me wisdom to handle these situations the way you would want me to and discernment to know what is true and what is false!  Help my child and give him strength to deal others who aren't so nice!

In case someone is reading this...please pray for our current situation...this child is in public school and dealing with being in special ed classes and kids who aren't very nice. His self esteem is at rock bottom and so is his self worth.  As much as I feel like homeschooling would be best for him...it's not my decision to make.  I want to know God's will in this situation and want to be a better example! I can get so wound up and frustrated...that I'm sure he just hates me...that's my fault and something I need to work on!

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Jan. 27, 2007 - Revamping and Homeschool Inspiration!

Yay I received the Winter Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!!  It always seems to come just intime when I'm going through a slump!  I get so inspired and rejuvinated after I've read through it...and let me tell you...as soon as it comes...I completely devour it! It is my favorite magazine ever!:)  I have been toying with the idea of using OFE's free curriculum for Micah for Kindergarten and am heavily leaning towards it.  I just printed out the Kindergarten curriculum chart and have some new books coming from Library Educational Services...My most favorite book resource ever!!!  So I'm very excited to get myself reorganized and going:) 

 I really want to make time for more reading.  I have all these books because I absolutely love books, and I keep ordering more (we're going to have a library soon)...but am failing in actually making time to read them with the kids.  So that is my goal for the rest of preschool.  More story-time (i.e. books and audio stories) and also educational music cds.  My kids learn so much from the Edutune CD's...I love them!

I'm ready to get back on the ball...I have not had my priorities straight lately.  For the last couple of weeks I have not spent time with God nor have I been consistant with the kid's devotional time.  I hate to admit it but I didn't want to spend that time because I have been going through a selfish phase.  But God never fails to have mercy on me and call me back to him and forgive me!

On to a good week!

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Jan. 24, 2007 - Is Summer Here Yet?????

ok so I'm officially ready for summer....and it's only January!!!!  I still have about 5mo of rain to go...ugh!  At least we are going to California in April:)   It's been so cold and then we had some sun today and that's what got me wantin summer!  I guess I'll have to be patient...which is not one of my strengths!

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Jan. 24, 2007 - New Years Resolutions!!! Lose Weight and Get in Shape!!!

So one of hubby & my resolutions was to get in shape and lose weight ( I know so original)!  So we started working out Jan. 1 doing Body For Life.  I'm just about at the 3 week mark and have lost 7lbs and 8in!  It's so exciting and I feel great! We are both starting to see muscle definition and people are starting to comment that we are looking slimmer!!!

Neither of us have a lot of weight to lose but we just really are determined to be ready for summer.  In fact my goal is to be bikini ready by April 1st!  My start weight was 140lbs (I'm 5'4") and my current weight after 2 weeks is 133lbs!  My goal weight is 115lbs but that depends on how much muscle I build:)

I've changed my eating habits...I'm  eating 5 to 6 mini meals a day with lots of fruits, vegitables, and protein.  I'm vegitarian and have cut out junk food.  I do allow myself to have some of my favorites and we have 1 free day a week...that helps so much so I don't binge.  Dh and I are also working out 6 days a week.... 3 days cardio(20min) and 3 days weight training (alternating between upper and lower body).  I have so much more energy and feel so strong:) I'm also working really hard on drinking at least 64oz of water a day!

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Jan. 12, 2007 - Education Expansion....

I just wanted to think aloud here about some things I would like to ad in to our curriculum.  I know that starting July 1st, I will be implementing some of the free curriculum schedule from www.oldfasionededucation.org.  But for the rest of this year and to supplement that I want to ad in some Science, History and Library time.

Now how to do that without becoming overwhelmed..... I think for History, I'm going to have at least once a week where we listen to Your Story Hour History audio stories or some of the Vintage History Radio programs from www.homeschoolradioshows.com.  I thought it would be fun to play with legos or lincoln logs while doing that.  I can also incorporate the Library in with that as interest is peaked.  I think I will also try to get in on the story and craft time at the Library on Fridays.  We don't do any school stuff on Fridays so it might be a nice addition to our schedule.

I would like to have a little better educational outline for next school year as Micah will be starting Kindergarten...that's what I like about having access to the OFE curriculum.  I want to also be more consistant with read aloud time.

Anyways...those are just some of my thoughts...I'll probably have something a little more specific to put down as time goes and I get more organized.

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