Sister Lisa at Apples of Gold Ministries has a unique request. She is asking the writers of Chicken Soup for the Soul to create a book of inspiration for homeschoolers. Along with that request, she is asking homeschooling parents to be willing to contribute a short story if the book becomes a reality. If you would be interested in participating in this project, please reply in the comments section, to Lisa at Apples of Gold Ministries.
What a great opportunity to encourage families on their journey!
I hope you are liking the new look here! Ali from Mission Field Designs did a wonderful job and captured exactly the look I was hoping for. Now I'm going to put in a shameless plug for Ali and her work. When she started my design, Ali realized (from picture of daughter #4) that we had adopted. We began emailing back and forth and I soon learned that Ali and her hubby are in the beginning stages of adopting from Ethiopia!
Ali has always (and still does) her template work for free. You were always able to leave donations through PayPal on her site. But here's what's new. Ali is now putting all money received from her work, towards their adoption. What better cause to contribute towards!
So if you are looking for a new face for your Homeschool Blog, please check out Ali. Not only does she do beautiful work, but in the end you are helping give a home to a child.
Ali of Mission Field Designs has graciously agreed to work on a new look for this blog. Over the next while, you might see this change, and change again, as the kinks get worked out. Stay tuned....
d:)
Friday, October 19, 2007 - Favorite Foto Friday...
Good gracious! I had no idea I'd let this blog sit vacant for over two weeks! To kick off a new season of blogging, here's my contribution to Favorite Foto Friday.
This weekend my entire family took a power trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law that live 5 hours from us. We left yesterday late morning and got home tonight at about 6:30! It was a hard, fast trip, and oh-so-fun!
My girls don't get to see their cousins who live there nearly enough and they all had a blast just hanging out and being together.
It was Peanut's first long trip since she came home almost a year ago, and she actually did pretty well. I was surprised because she is NOT a good traveler, but she did just fine.
Sleeping was another story (she didn't), but the trip itself was wonderful. We'll see these guys again at Christmas and I hope to actually get pictures of the rest of the crew then!
Right now, I'm bone-dead tired and I need to unpack and get ready for Sunday! Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!
I have loved each age my girls have been at, and having teenagers has been no exception. Yes, there are those days when I pull my hair out and even more days when I completely blow it as a mom, but through all the ups and downs, I love watching these girls become unique individuals of their Father.
At some point this summer, Christine realized that she enjoys baking. And the crazy thing is, she doesn't just enjoy it a little, this teen discovered that she loves to be in the kitchen!
And in learning to bake and bake well, this girl has suddenly found that she has an amazing gift. She genuinely loves to bake, not for her own pleasure, but because she loves to give her baked goods to others.
In her group of friends, only one girl is 16 yet. That means that out of 6 girls, one does all the driving to non-school events. More than once now, Christine has baked goodies and brought them to D as a way of saying, "thanks" and "you don't go unappreciated". For my birthday last month, she baked me a cake and decorated it (yes, I'm 38). I loved it! It made me feel so blessed as a mom to see this giving come full circle.
When I sit and think about this, it absolutely brings me to tears (see where she gets the "emotional" part from??). I have watched this girl blossom as she loves on others this way.
She has always had a gracious spirit, but now I'm seeing it explode into shards of twinkling light, spilling love onto all those around her.
(Mommy moment....sniffle...)
Sunday Tibs told her, "Christine, I can see that someday your kids are going to be lucky because I know that you will bake them a lot of home cooked meals." The look on Christine's face was priceless. To recognize that others "see" this gift in her and appreciate her for it warmed her soul. It was the type of compliment that will be tucked in her heart forever.
Christine is such a homebody. And her future family is going to be oh-so-blessed.
I had several things I was going to write about today, but there is something more important that I need to share. Ashley Adams is a precious 2 year old that desperately needs your prayers and encouragement today. Ashley has battled through a lifetime of illness and now her condition is worsening. Please stop by her blog today and leave a word of comfort for her parents. And say a small prayer for a little girl who is fighting so hard and for a family that is trying to accept a very difficult prognosis.
Friday, September 28, 2007 - Preschoolers are fun!
Raising Peanut has been different than raising my other girls. Not because she's adopted, but because she is such a tail-ender. My other girls were all born within two and a half years of each other, so they naturally played together.
It's different with Peanut. Tibs is just over 7 years older than her and Jellybean isn't home yet. Tibs and Peanut play very hard together most of the time, but there are days or times when Tibs just doesn't want to play. Those "empty" times are what has thrown me for a loop. It's taken some adjusting on my part, but I feel like we're getting there. I don't always have time to be a "sit down and play" mom, but I am trying to be more creative in helping Peanut learn to play independently.
Here are two ideas we tried yesterday....
Recently I read in a book that preschoolers love to pretend paint. The book said to give them a bucket of soapy water and a large brush and to let them "paint" the front steps. I was doubtful that Peanut would really love this, but we got out the "paint" and I let her at it. Here she is intently "painting" (please excuse the "shirt", my dd's friend sewed it for her and she wouldn't take it off!)...
I was surprised when this little girl sat outside diligently "painting" for an hour and half! Yes, an hour and a half!!! She had so much fun that she asked to "paint" again later in the evening. And the neat thing was, she was totally involved the entire time and intent on "painting" all the steps.
While she was outside, I thought it would be fun to make her a batch of finger paint. I loved them when I was a little girl and this child is my artistic one. I've never actually "made" finger paint before, but I was game to try. It was surprisingly easy and the nice part is that the finished product is non-toxic and seems like it would clean up easily too. We didn't get to try them out yet since she was so busy "painting" the steps, but maybe today. Here's a picture of the finished paint...
And here's the recipe (Taken from my Dining On A Dime cookbook):
*1 pkg unflavored gelatin
*1/2 cup cold water
*1/2 cup cornstarch
*1 1/2 cups cold water
*liquid dish detergent
*food coloring
Dissolve the gelatin in 1/2 c. cold water. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, add cornstarch, then slowly stir in 1 1/2 c. water until well blended over medium heat. Cook until it boils, becomes smooth, thickens, and turns clear. Add gelatin mixture and stir well. Pour into containers and add a drop of liquid dish detergent. Add food coloring until you get the desired shade. Store covered in the refrigerator 4-6 weeks.
I'd LOVE to hear other ideas for preschoolers that use imagination!
And just for fun, here's Tibs (right) and her friend (left) busy doing school together yesterday morning. It was so fun having this kiddo here for the last two days, and I'm going to miss "M" when she's gone!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 - Support and fun...
Last night we had our monthly Mom's Night Out. It's a wonderful time of fellowship and support that I try to never miss. We have a great group of mom's that homeschool in this area and I am amazingly blessed by them. We just kicked off another season, so it was so good to see all the faces of the women who've "grown up" homeschooling with me.
We had a wonderful discussion on our motivation to homeschool. There's something very affirming to hear from mom's that are in the same place as we are regarding family and our kids. And like us, some also have children who attend traditional school. The thing with homeschooling is that it is always changing, and what a blessing that is! I love those moms and have learned so much from them.
Hershey continues to work hard at Switched on Schoolhouse. It is a very challenging program, and she's eating it up. It's a new thing for her to get used to testing again. After she worked through learning the kinks in the program, she is consistently pulling good grades. It is not an easy curriculum, but she is doing a terrific job. Her favorite subjects are history and Bible. The wonderful thing about this program is that she is also loving a lot of things she never otherwise might. For instance, she learned to do base2 and base10 in math and was thrilled that she "got it"! She also finally caught on to the Periodic Table of Elements and how each is found and classified. Very neat for this mom to see her so "in" to this year!
Tibs and I are both loving her Further Up and Further In unit study. I can honestly say this is the longest I've stuck with a unit study and the most I've ever liked one. And I am in love with this one! Further Up and Further In is very well written and is all inclusive. My favorite part is how it connects the Bible with the Chronicles of Narnia. I also love that before we read each chapter, Tibs is asked to define a couple of vocabulary words. The words are not easy ones, but are words like "ostentatious" and "onomatopoeia". The critical thinking and history are also terrific and I can honestly say I am in love with this program! Plus it doesn't hurt that the books are excellent!
I am finally feeling comfortable with our routine and have started "formally" doing more preschool type work with Peanut. We are doing activities from Before Five in a Row, as well as doing activities that I print off from Enchanted Learning. Today we made a Farm Animal book and it reminded me how much I loved doing lapbooks one year with Tibs and Hershey. Tonight I started a Farm Animal lapbook for her. It's fun doing these kind of things again, and I have a feeling I'll have at least one other kiddo doing a lapbook before too long. ;) They are addictive!
And now that we're getting comfortable doing school, we're about to add another toddler into the mix. LOL! I'm sure that will shake things up all over again. But then again, that's the spice that keeps our life from ever being boring!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - A couple of fun things...
Homeschool Blogger has a wonderful giveaway going on right now on their "Company Porch". They're giving away a wonderful book and CD called, "I can't see....but I can imagine". It's a book authored by a granddaughter in loving memory of her blind grandmother. Stop on over and check it out. You don't even have to have a blog or a homeschool blog to enter!
Secondly, Melody at Slurping Life has started a wonderful little blog called, Wrapped Emotions. The point of the blog is to learn to express yourself creatively, even if in doing so, you're taken out of your comfort zone. I have wanted to participate, but time got away from me those first couple of weeks. So yesterday afternoon I got out my glue, my scissors, and my imagination, and I created my journal. It was the most fun I'd had creating in a long time!
Here's a picture of the finished product...
It's a little quirky, I know. But I just let my mind go and this is what I came out with. :) Now I've got a place to store all my Wrapped Emotions as we work through them. Too fun! Thanks Melody for starting this group! Now I've got to try get a button on my sidebar that links to Melody's site. Should be interesting...
Saturday, September 22, 2007 - Welcome readers from "Fresh Popcorn"!!!
Aren't they cute?!?!? These two have been a "couple" (but not dating) for one year today. He is a great kid, very respectful and kind, with a heart of gold. Butch and Christine both share a love of the outdoors, he hunting and she farming. They are quite a pair.
He starts varsity football and is very good. I'm absolutely hooked on football now and love, love, love watching these guys play! Crazy because I'm really not a "sports" fan at all, but I find myself looking forward to every game. Who would've guessed?!?!?
Well after a lot of trial and error and many hours or work, I finally got this blog template to look like I want it to! I can say, I learned a lot of code while I messed around and it was actually pretty fun. I never lost the template even once.
And now I can blog.
I'm still thinking I'm going to move my other site over here. I just like that this is a homeschooling site and I like the community feel of it. I think it's a good place to share our home life, since so much of our home life revolves around home and schooling here.
All in all, it's been fun and I'm ready to blog...
Monday, September 17, 2007 - Question for all of you...
I'm not able to log onto the forums for some reason, so I'm posting this and hoping someone out there will see it. :) I would like to change the template of my blog to a more "country" look but don't even know where to start! Is there anyone who designs blogs or anyone who could point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance!! :)
Peanut had her first day of Preschool yesterday. She loved it, but was SO quiet! It's so funny to me to see her sitting quietly and not talking. She is a ball of non-stop energy at home and she is never, ever quiet. Ever. So to see her quietly listening in a group is crazy. :)
All in all, she loved it and is so ready to go back. :)
Tibs and Hershey also started Homeschool classes. Tibs is loving it since there are now so many kids in her group. :) Hershey decided not to actually take the classes this year, and is instead helping the art teacher. Right up her alley. :)
It was a fun, tiring afternoon. All the kids had fun and I think it was a great time of fellowship for all of us. :)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - Ready To Take on This Year...
This afternoon we begin a new year of Homeschool Classes. I'm in charge this year and I'm a wee bit on the nervous side! I'm hoping it all goes off smoothly and that the kids will listen well.
This also means that today is officially Peanut's first day of preschool! How the time flies! It was last year this time that we were wondering when she would come home, and here we are one year later with a preschooler. What a year of change. :) She's learning so quickly and is eager to pick up new things. I started little "boxes" for her yesterday and will continue to add to them the rest of the year. I had seen this idea on another homeschooler's blog and knew it would be something Peanut would love.
We have several old tupperware containers and I put in each, something that is hands on learning for Peanut and something that will occupy her time while I help the older girls.
So far we have a box of counting bears with strings, a box of matching cards, and a box of crayons. I hope to add a box of cornmeal for writing letters with fingers, a box of homemade playdoh, and a box of nuts and bolts. Those are just a couple of the ones I know I'll be doing soon. Stay tuned. As I get ideas, I'll put them up here. :)
Well, off to a new day! Can't wait and still I'm a bundle of nerves too!
d:)
Today and over the next few days, I'm going to be in the process of moving my blog over here from Blogger. I need somewhere where I can talk about homeschooling comfortably. :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - Switching to Switched-On...
Nothing like a last minute change. ;)
We've decided to do Switched On Schoolhouse for all of Hershey's subjects this year. She is excited and so am I. She likes to work independently, so this should be a great fit.
Tibs is going to be using Switched On Schoolhouse for math too. I'm not really very good at math.
Or directions.
You could say I'm numerically challenged.
And you could also say that is the understatement of the year.
Just ask my dh.
He's appropriately impressed with my complete inability to remember any date of significance. Just for cheap entertainment (we're all for that at this house), he threw a pop quiz at me today over an innocent little lunch. No warning. Just bam, he started shooting off those questions like a crazy man firing rifle!
"When was our first date?"
Well..in the winter during one year in high school...
"When did I give you a promise ring?"
Before we were married?
"When did we get engaged?"
After the promise ring?
On and on. The man has no mercy.
Had he warned me, I might have studied up for this little impromptu test. As if that would actually be possible. This being cheap style entertainment and all.
Again, an understatement.
And now in the continuing spirit of cheap entertainment, some random pictures I found on my computer, taken by the girls at one point or another (noting that I'm numerically challenged and all)....
I finally got our books for homeschooling ordered! I have to admit, I struggled a little bit this year on how to do things and what to emphasize. After going back and forth and back and forth, I finally decided on Further Up and Further In, published by Cadron Creek. The study is based on the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. Both girls are very much into things like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars right now, so I'm thinking this will be a very good fit for us. I've already looked through the book and am completely blown away by it. I can see this is one curriculum we'll be remembering forever.
Because Further Up and Further In covers almost all of the basics required, we only needed to add in math and English. Math is not either girls' favorite, so we are going very basic and using Practical Arithmetic. It's a solid program without any bells or whistles. We'll see how it works, but it looks good. :)
And for English, Hershey will be doing LLATL again. She has done it twice before and because she is very strong in English, it is a good choice for her. She needs a literary challenge and LLATL has been very good at building on her skills while stretching her mind. Tibs took a huge leap forward with her spelling and reading last year, so this year we're going to be using a book that is all encompassing and will continue to build both. The McGuffey Speller has been around since the 1800's and not only teaches spelling, but also moral values. A win/win in my book. :)
So that's it in a nutshell. Peanut will be doing preschool as she is able. She's a smart little one and I think she'll be excited to actually "do" school this year. :)
She's learning so quickly and is eager to pick up new things. I started little "boxes" for her yesterday and will continue to add to them the rest of the year. I had seen this idea on another homeschooler's blog and knew it would be something Peanut would love. 
