Jan. 4, 2009 - I've moved!

Dec. 21, 2008 - I'm still here!!!

Wow, I've really abandoned my blog!  The past couple of months have been so busy.  I think this has been our busiest homeschool year in the 4 years we have homeschooled.  Wow, 4 years! Now that seems unreal. Feels like we just started ! 

We are enjoying the season. This is my favorite time of the year. I can't believe Christmas is this week already.  I have made a TON of candy/cookies to give as gifts this year.  Every year I say I am going to do this and never do. I'm impressed with how much I have made. I have made about TEN different kinds of candy/cookies.  

What have you been up to this Christmas season???

Nov. 5, 2008 - Anyone?!?

Oct. 29, 2008 - Harvest Party

Our homeschool group had a Harvest Party this afternoon...

Oct. 28, 2008 - Our Visit to Disney World...

Oct. 12, 2008 - Friends and Good Times...

We had a wonderful weekend. Saturday we went to watch our son play soccer. He played goalie/goaly (sp?) a lot during this game. He likes that, and he does really well. :) My dad came with us...we always enjoy having him watch with us. After the game, he treated us all to Burger King for lunch. :)  Dad, if you are reading this.. send me some soccer pictures! :) 

After the soccer game, we came home for just a couple of hours and then had to head back out the door. We picked up 2 of our children's friends and all headed to a birthday/Halloween party at a friends house.  A good time was had by all! :)  They had a costume contest, played a game called 'wrap the mummy', made jack o lantern lumanaries, and bobbed for apples!  The kids's friends stayed the night with us. :)

Today was just a relaxing/lazy day. We didn't do a whole lot. I put some more 'fall' decorations outside. After our guests left around 3:30, I went and took a nap. It was NICE!  :)

After dinner we were all craving something 'sweet' so our daughter, the baker, made some peanut butter cookies for us! MMmmmmm.....

Oh, here is a picture of some sewing work our daughter did on the sewing machine at class.  :)  This was just some pieces of fabric that she sewed together to practice working on the machine. Right now at class she's working on making a skirt. :)

This is is a head scarf she made..

We are so thankful to Stacey and her 'One Room Schoolhouse' classes!  She's a homeschool mom of 4 who opens up her home and time to other homeschoolers and gives many different classes.  Our daughter has learned so many neat new things and made many good friends in the short month and half that she's been attending.  Praying we can get our son more involved. She'll start several new classes the first of next year and I'm hoping there is one that sparks our son's interest!

Oct. 9, 2008 - More Baking...

My little girl is really becoming quite the baker!  Last night she made 'Candy Corn Cookies' to take to her baking and sewing class. Every one loved them.

Here is a picture of them after she cut the dough, but before we baked them..

And the finished product...aren't they cute???

Look at the bottom of this post for the recipe if you'd like to make these.

Today at her baking and sewing class my daughter made fudge with nuts...Mmmmm..

Here is the recipe for the cookies...

Oct. 7, 2008 - Blogger Friend School - Never Leave Home Without It!

Don’t Leave Home Without It! (Marketing Credit: American Express)

Memory Verse: Matthew 28: 20 - Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

Intro: Never Leave Home Without It (Marketing Credit:  American Express) Diapers, bottles, wipes, bibs, pacifiers, extra clothing, cell phone, PDA, ipod, iphone, credit or debit cards … what would you never leave home without?

Assignment: In the memory verse Jesus tells us that He will never leave us, not even at the end of the world.  He assures us in this verse that He will be with us and that means through everything we go through in life.  I thought it would be interesting to write about the things we would never leave home without.  For some it might be baby needs, others it might be a gym bag and bottle of water, and for some  it might be your Bible and a notepad or small journal, maybe even your son or daughters favorite blankie!  I’d like for you to write about something that you would never leave home without.

I never leave home without my cell phone and a water bottle!  I must have water with me. I'm a big water drinking and it's just become habit to have water with me.  I don't just take it with me in the car, I will actually carry it with me into stores, etc as well. 

Oct. 6, 2008 - Fire Station Open House...

We went with some friends to our city's Fire Station Open House. Here are all of the kids when we got there....

Here is a group of firefighters getting ready for the car extraction demonstration..

Here they are, hard at work...this was really interesting to watch!

Friends!

This firefighter was BIG..

Put out that fire!

Oh, in case you wondered about the bandage around my daughter's head in the above picture...the kids were able to go around to different 'stations' to learn things and one of the stations would bandage the kids...for fun.  Here are all the kids before we left...pretending to be hurt...

Oct. 5, 2008 - Arts and Crafts with Meemaw...

My mom had my kids and my nieces over on Thursday morning for some arts and crafts.  She tought them how to 'cross stitch' and then they got to paint some halloween decorations. 

Here are some pictures....

We were so surprised at how well my son did with this!  He actually had an easier time than the girls.  His strength is definitely working with his HANDS!

Painting!

All the kids with their Great Grandma..

Oct. 3, 2008 - My Little Baker...

My daughter has been taking a baking and sewing class and LOVES baking. So far she has made Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a Vanilla and Chocolate Pie. 

Last weekend she wanted to make banana bread for a neighbor of ours that has been in the hospital. We read the directions together and I made one alongside her.  She's doing very very good at following the directions and cracking eggs, mixing, etc. :) 

Making sure the measurement is correct...

Finished Products!

Oct. 3, 2008 - PE

My kids LOVE PE. I took a few pictures last week. They were playing a kickball game.

KICK THAT BALL!

My Dad likes to come and watch the kids :)

Sep. 30, 2008 - Blogger Friend School - KEEW YKCAW .... oops...WACKY WEEK!

Have you done something crazy in your homeschool?  Do you fingerpaint with your toes?  Do you let your children do your hair?  Do you wear your pajamas during homeschool?   Oh, the list is endless, but it’s up to you and how much fun you want to have.

Pajamas during homeschool?  Is that considered 'crazy' or 'wacky'?  It's normal around here...Ha. I'm not sure we do anything that is very wacky.  We sometimes sit out on our trampoline and do lessons.  We haven't done it in awhile but in the past I have had kids do their math problems on the driveway using sidewalk chalk.  Wow..I'm really boring....that's the best I can come up with for this post!  Sorry! 

Sep. 24, 2008 - A Fun Day...

Today we met up with some friends for swimming. The kids had a blast and I enjoyed the conversation with other parents. :)

Here is my daughter with 2 of her new friends...

My kids had fun trying to do 'tricks' in the pool...

Here is the whole group who came out to swim today..

After the FUN....the kids had to go for their flu shots.  The both did very well.

One more thing I wanted to share.... when my mom and step dad were here last weekend to watch the kids, my mom brought a huge roll of paper and outlined the kids on them and let them color them.  We cut my daughter's out yesterday, and she placed her 'twin' on the couch to do school with us...LOL....here she is...

Sep. 24, 2008 - Blogger Friend School - It keeps going, and going, and going...

Assignment: How do you keep energized so you can get it all done? bouncy music? treat it like a workout? Do you use a schedule?, a housekeeping binder system? luck of the draw system?.. or is this an area where you need encouragement? Do you need God’s help to keep order and beauty in your dwelling place? Take this week to tell us how You diligently keep going with your housekeeping chores.

I have a 3 ring binder that I am using this school year, to try to stay organized. Not only do I keep our homeschool schedules and such in it, but I also have a chore schedule that I created.  Each day, Monday-Friday, I have 2-3 chores scheduled for myself. For example:

Monday - Vacuum, Wash Windows, Dust.  I haven't been perfect with following it, but for the most part, it has helped me keep on top of things. The kids are in charge of the dishes, which helps me a lot. My son unloads the DW every day and then my daughter loads it. :)  They are also responsible for putting away their clean clothes after I have folded them.

Ephesians 4:15-16 Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Sep. 19, 2008 - WEEK 6

We had another busy week!

My husband had Monday off, but that didn't keep us from schoolin'. We managed to get everything done and then that afternoon my daughter had ballet. Daddy was able to go with us since he was home.

Tuesday morning my daughter went back to the dentist. This time she saw the pediatric dentist. In case you didn't read my previous post on this, she is very afraid of the dentist and when we went a couple of weeks ago to have her cavaties filled, she'd have no part of it! This is why they referred us to the pediatric dentist. Problem with that is that if we are seeing a pediatric dentist, our insurance will only cover 25%, so we are having to pay A LOT more than we were for the work she needs done. The pediatric dentist recommended the laughing gas, which I was a little leary of, but my daughter loved it. Ha. She had to have a pulpotomy, which is kind of like a baby root canal and then they put a crown over her tooth. She goes back next Tuesday to have the rest of her cavaties filled. Poor girl gets my family's bad teeth.

After the dentist we went to PE.

Wednesday we met some moms and kids from our homeschool group at the park.  We ate our lunch there and had a really good time. Although I really do need to teach my kids how to have a picnic. When we got there, they both decided they need to stay in the van to eat their lunches, as they didn't want any flies bothering them!

After the park we went to the mall so my son could buy a new game station. He often does work for one of our neighbors and he had saved his money for this.

Thursday morning I dropped my daughter off for her baking/sewing class. She is having such a good time with this!!!  Another homeschool mom is doing this class and she's just wonderful with the kids. There are about 7 girls in the class and they are all very close in age. My daughter made 2 loaves of banana bread. One to share with her family and the other is in our freezer. She will be submitting it with other things she bakes, to the fair for judging. She also got to work on the sewing machine this week. She said it was kind of tricky but she enjoyed it.  Here is her bread....MMmmmmm...it is good!

While my daughter was at her class...My son and I ran a few errands and then I took him to PE. It was a swim day which is his favorite!! 

Thursday evening is my son's soccer practice. Their first game of the season was last Saturday. They all played really well and we were really proud of our son.  Here he is at practice this week....

Here is my daughter intently watching her brother practice...

And my hubby, looking at me with the sun in his eyes and wondering WHY I am taking his pictures..ha ha.

Today was the ONLY day this week that we didn't have anywhere we had to go.  Got to admit it was kind of nice staying home. Although the weather was so nice, it would have been a nice park day or something.  The kids decided to do their math work outside....

They had a little 'friend' join them....do you see it???

It's a little lizard!  Something was wrong with one of its legs. My daughter decided she wanted to make it a little habitat where it will be safe until it's leg heals....

See it on the rock?

Since my daughter is becoming more confident in her baking skills, she asked if she could make brownies tonight.  She did a wonderful job!  She even cut them and served them with icecream to each of us.

Well that pretty much sums up our week. Tomorrow is another soccer game...and then tomorrow night my mom and her husband are going to watch the kids while my husband and I go out on a DATE!!! 

Sep. 18, 2008 - Blogger Friend School - Try it, You'll Like it!

Assignment: This week I want you to do something for someone else. Do you have a neighbor that needs you? Do you know an elderly person or single mom that could use you? What about the homeless? Pack even one single sack lunch and give it to someone in need. Do you know someone in blogland that is struggling right now and could use a note from you about how much you care? Pray about this. Let God put on your heart the perfect thing for you to do for another. Now, here is the kicker…I DO NOT want you to post about what you do. Whatever you choose to do is between you and God. Our rewards are in heaven, not here on earth, Mathew 6:1. I want you to post about how doing this “act” made you feel. Was stepping out of your comfort zone in this area as hard as you thought it might be? Could you see the gratefulness in their eyes? Hear it in their voice? Tell it from their typing? Do you think you might make doing things like this a more regular part of your time?  If this is an area that you are already active in, tell us how you feel this has impacted your life.

I love when I am able to help others.  Sometimes it is hard to step out of my comfort zone, but the little bit of discomfort is worth it in the end. It makes me wonder...WHY would we ever be 'uncomfortable' to help others?  We wonder what others may think?  Why is anyone going to think anything but good thoughts about what we are doing?  That 'uncomfortable' feeling is obviously the devil trying to keep us from helping someone else and showing them God's love.  That should make us want to step out even more!! 

Ephesians 5:2  Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins.

Sep. 14, 2008 - Huichol Yarn Painting...

A beautiful Huichol Yarn Painting. We learned that Huichol is pronounced as We-Chol.

Sep. 13, 2008 - Week 5!!!

We just finished our 5th week of school! This year is just flying by. Things have been going so well. It's going to be our best year yet, I just know! 

We are into the 2nd level of the Barton Reading and Spelling System. So far the kids are flying through.  What I am proud of the most is their willingness to work hard and give each task their personal best.  Here is my little girl during one of our Barton lessons...

The kids built a working windmill out of Kennex ....

We started our study on Mexico this week.  One day we made 'yarn art' like the Huichol Indians. The Huichol Indians of the Pacific coast of Mexico create brilliantly colored drawings with yarn and wax which look like a painting when complete.  Traditionally the art is used as a form of recording and telling stories and myths.  Ours weren't near as 'brillant' as theirs, but my daughter and I had fun making them. 

My daughter made a little girl's face....

I made a sunflower!

Here is a picture of our full wall...

Also, my daughter had her first baking/sewing class this week.  They planned what they are going to work on each week.  As far as sewing, my daughter will be making a skirt, shirt, and a tablecloth during this class.  They are going to be baking items that each girl will get to submit to the state fair for judging.  Next week they are going to be baking breads and my daughter has chosen to bake Banana bread. :)  She'll be baking two loaves...one to try/share, and the other will go in our freezer, for the fair.  As it gets closer to the holidays they are going to be making cookies/candies, etc. 

My son had his first soccer practice this week. Today was their first game of the season. He did so good!  I am so proud of him.  He is on a team with kids as old as 15, but he didn't let their size stop him...he stayed right on that ball.  

Well my husband is not home and the kids are both off swimming at their friend's grandparent's house, so I'm just sitting here enjoying the peace and quiet. A mommy needs a break like this every now and then. Gives me a chance to recharge my batteries. 

Have a great weekend everyone.  Keep those affected by Hurricane Ike in your prayers.

Sep. 9, 2008 - Blogger Friend School - Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz; Oh What a Relief it is!

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!

This is difficult as I LOVE the 'lifestyle' of homeschooling.  I love that fact that our family gets to spend so much time together and because of this, we are very close.  My biggest struggle would probably be dealing with people who have that public school mentality that all kids must learn the same things at the same time. Examples being, learn to read at 6, learn multiplication at 9, etc.  This is the way the public schools must operate because they have so many kids and a set amount of time to teach them certain things.  When it's time to move on, they move on, even if some kids haven't mastered it.  It's just the way the public schools do things.  Well, we are NOT a public school.  We are a family living life together and learning as we go.  When my kids go for a job interview in the future, that employer is not going to ask "At what age did you learn to read?"  "And how old were you when you mastered telling time, or your multiplication facts?" You get the idea.  Our job is to teach our children each day, at THEIR pace, however slow that might be, for as long as it takes. Does it really matter if a child is a highschool graduate at 17, or if they finish up at 20?  We don't see that as a big deal.  I refuse to put my children through public school, where they are lost in the system and left behind, because of their learning differences, just so the public schools can push them to graduate by 18.  How would that benefit them?  At home, they are learning in a loving environment, where they know they are loved and that we will go above and beyond to help them. 

Sorry....kinda went off on a rant there!  But that would definitely sum up by biggest struggle...having to defend ourselves to those with that public school mentality.

As far as homeschool/curriculum materials that have brought a "Oh what a relief" feeling to our homeschool, those would definitely be My Father's World, Math U See, and the Barton Reading and Spelling System! 

Also, I have gotten very organized this year and that has helped tremendously. I have a binder that I keep calendars, schedules, cleaning lists, etc in.

I like to go outside on either Saturday or Sunday evening, where it's quiet, and I sit outside and plan our week out....

Matthew 4:4

Jesus told him, "No! For the Scriptures tell us that bread won't feed men's souls: obedience to every word of God is what we need."