Oh, I just got an email from Nancy over at Homeschooling Is Life. She's posted  pictures up of what she and the kids entered at the fair this year. I insist you stop reading this blog RIGHT NOW and go read this entry:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ByHisGraceInColorado/565218/?#c1108936

Way to go, you guys!

"Nesting" doesn't quite cover the urge to completely re-organize around here before the baby comes. It's not just me--even hubby has caught this fever.  While he's working on finishing the garage, shed, planning to re-do the kitchen and bathroom floors and painting the inside of the house before the big day, I'm sewing, crocheting, and having a "TOTAL PAPER MAKEOVER."  A total physical makeover wouldn't hurt, either.  Yikes, it's time to renew my driver's license photo and I just realized looking at the old one---I'VE HAD THE SAME HAIRDO FOR TEN YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regarding my last post on homeschool organization. I certainly didn't want everyone to think I had detailed lesson plans done for the year, or even the next few weeks. NOT SO!  Real life creeps in too easily and can upset overly detailed plans.  We have orderly textbooks for some subjects [ admittedly I may play fast and loose with the teacher's guides/lesson plans with those] and general goals for everything else. I just try to have a notebook to keep plans, grades, attendance, and lists together for school. 

Our  weekly goals include books to read and lessons to cover in various subjects.  I purposely leave time at the end of the school year with no plans at all in case we need to play catch up.  Our textbooks have very detailed plans, but the subjects I plan out myself don't. For example, we have a very relaxed and informal approach to reading. However, both children love to read, we have  flexibility in this subject, reading isn't turned into a chore, and the older student has consistently tested very well in reading skills. 

On another front in my never-ending battle against clutter and disorganization, I've added a new section to my planning notebook.  Sewing patterns! Why I didn't I think of this before? I've often trusted my memory too much when I find a good sale on material. I've tried making a list on notebook paper with the pattern number, a brief description of the pattern, yardage, notions and such.  but would look up the pattern at the store to view the picture anyway. I needed the pictures.  So,  my  six year old daughter was given the job of copying the front  and back of my sewing patterns using our printer/copier.  Now I have a picture and all the details for each to carry in my planning notebook.

My planning notebook is simply a three ring binder with paper and tab dividers--but no calendars. After years of trying to keep everything in one notebook,  I  have found a small purse size calendar to work the best for me. The big planning notebook is where I put prayer requests, household information [clothing sizes, what type battery the cordless phone uses, printer cartridge numbers, etc. ],  running to-do lists, book lists, sewing patterns, grocery shopping/meal planning forms, our church's prayer chain list & address directory, and lots of blank paper to write, doodle, and plan. It stays at the house or comes with me on shopping trips only.

Since hubby has the home improvements well in hand, the school plans are good to go, and the house is being decluttered, all that's left is to get baby-ready again.   One side of my daughter's dresser has been cleaned out to make room for baby clothes. It's time to set up the baby bed and get the linens out of storage.  The baby  stroller and car seat need cleaned.  Whew--I'm glad I kept eveything from the last time. A friend is bringing by a changing table next week.  Now that will be oo-lah-lah, considering I just changed the other babies  on a towel on the bed!

Besides diapers, wipes, and rash cream, the only new purchase I'm planning on is one of those dirty diaper storage thingys.  I know I'm not being environmentally friendly here, but I have NO desire to put dirty diapers in my washing machine, bath tub, or even Great-Granny's cast iron wash kettle. Yes, I've read all the "dangers" of disposable diapers, but I'm a decent enough mother to not let my child sit in a dirty or wet diaper forever!

I have great respect for folks that do the cloth diaper thing and are back-to-nature kinds of people, but I'm not one of them anymore.  We were "back to nature" when it wasn't "in"  for financial reasons. I like modern advances in technology that allow us to have indoor toilets [didn't have that where I lived when I was younger], washing machines [Mom didn't have one until I was in middle school], dryers [didn't get that until I was nearly out of high school], central heat [ carrying wood and emptying the ash bin were not my favorite after-school activities], and reliable electricity.   It's kind of like the story a tour guide in Charleston once told me. She drove a horse and buggy giving tours of the city and upon telling her Grandmother of her new job, heard , "But honey, our family has worked for years trying to get out from behind a horse's rear!"

So there you have it----Doehill this week in a nutshell or nutcase as the situation warrants. Speaking of nuts, I just made the best cake.  It tastes like a peanut butter cookie.  Here's the recipe:

Nut cake:

Don't preheat the oven, but do grease a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside.

Cream two sitcks butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Be sure you use real butter not margarine.

Chop in the blender [ on low or you'll have peanut butter] 2 1/2 cups mixed nuts. [about 1 small can].  Add 1/2 cup flour to the nuts and set aside.

Alternately add 6 eggs and 2 1/2 c. self rising flour to the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, then fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into the pan, bake at 300 degrees for an hour and half. Cool and unmold. YUM!

Have a great weekend y'all!

It's time for the obligatory "here's what we're doing this year" post on the blog.   I'm pretty excited about what we'll be doing, but I guess only other happy homeschoolers could possibly be interested in this sort of thing. I really enjoy planning lessons, researching curricula, spending time in prayer about what to choose,  and getting organized.   So, if lesson plans and curricula aren't your cup of tea, skip reading this one. 

We will be incorporating much more Scripture into our daily lessons, more character training, and less busy work.  We will continue to do as many subjects together as possible [Bible, read alouds, history, geography, art, and some science] .  This year we'll be using selected projects/themes from the Doorposts' books Polished Cornerstones and Plants Grown Up. Part of the appeal of these books for me is how positive character traits are teamed with great memory verses and interesting projects. I like these books so much I put copies on our church's library shelves.

We are rather brand loyal for some items [A Beka math, grammar from First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, and Modern Curriculum Press' Spelling Workout series], so our familiarity with those products helps the kids get back into a "school routine" faster.

My usual planning problem for each year is to overplan, overbuy,  and under-schedule [not allowing enough time for projects or time off for breaks].  And then sometimes I get  a bad case of homeschool envy reading about what others are doing.  Yeah, those lapbook pictures look great, but my son would roll his eyes if I gave him a lapbook to do. He's not big on cut and paste.  Other times,  I suffer from guilt that we "aren't doing enough" and try to push too much academic "stuff" into a week's lessons.  That makes me pretty unpopular with the class of two, as well. When people ask about their school, they've been known to say, "We have the meanest teacher in the world." 

This year, I'm trying to be more realistic in what we can accomplish, not be a slave to the scope and sequence, and incorporate more real life activities into schooling.  I need to allow for time off after baby gets here, and some time off in the Spring.  I had hoped to sign up for a co-op with classes I thought the kids would enjoy, but I just don't think we'll be able to swing it, especially in the first semester.   Among other upcoming events, my husband will be going to the  John 3;16 conference in November --which I think  makes up for his missing Mayberry Days in September due to the arrival of  our little one that month---LOL.  [His favorite things are good preaching, banana pudding, and the Andy Griffith Show!]   

I also need to plan lessons for the upcoming Sunday School year which also starts in September---good things happen in ninth month, apparently.  I'm making a strong effort this year to avoid "extra" committments. It's hard to have a happy home life if my housework and basic responsibilities go undone to meet deadlines I shoudn't have imposed on myself in the first place. SIMPLIFY is our motto this year.

Right now I'm setting up my teacher's notebook.  I have a large three-ring binder with tabs for each month of the schoolyear. Behind each I put  a monthly calendar  [which I print out from our Microsoft Works program], a grade log form, and weekly lesson plans.  I usually mark attendance using the Homeschool Tracker .  Sometimes I'll get really bold and try using the assignment list option from Homeschool Tracker, but I've found that doesn't always work well for us. If I've scheduled assignments ahead of time, sick days or other life disruptions  make it difficult  to change the daily plans on the computer.  Weekly lesson plans on paper work best for us.  However, I really like the daily journal feature of the basic homeschool tracker program.

I also have a section in the teacher's book to track all the books the children read, and educational videos/dvds/websites [plus time spent on each], blank paper to make informal evaluations, and different character/school issues to pray about.  I use forms from Highland Heritage [see link in my sidebar]  and  www.organizedhome,com .  

Our curriculum looks like this:

Together:

Bible study, New Testament

Mystery of History 2

Copy work/dictation from sources I've pulled together

Alpha Omega's Thomas Kincade Art course

Geography: State notebooks from A Beka

read alouds that coordinate with MOH2

Mind Benders thinking skills books [occaisionally]

February: test prep month

Son, 5th grade;

A Beka math 5

A Beka grammar 5 [without their book reports, we'll coordinate compositions with our history course]

Spelling Workout "E"

Plants Grown Up/Contenders for the Faith

2 Bob Jones Booklinks, and other reading he chooses

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry

Daughter, 2nd grade:

A Beka math 2

First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained MInd, second grade

Spelling Workout "B"

Polished Cornerstones/Keepers at Home books

1 Bob Jones Booklink plus other easy readers off our shelves

American History read alouds from the D'Aulaires

Bob Jones 2nd grade science. 

optional: Scholastic Success with 2nd grade reading comprehension worksheets, Mcgraw Hill 2nd grade reading workbook as needed

Obviously, we wont' be doing all of the above every day!   Our master schedule looks like this:

Bible, every day

Math, every day

Reading, every day

grammar/spelling//writing, Mon -Thurs

art--Fridays

science-Tuesdays/Thursdays

history-M/W/F

geopgraphy-Fridays

 The kids will set up notebooks with subject dividers later this week and decorate them.  They have stocked pencil boxes and each have their schoolbooks in separate plastic tubs to pull out at schooltime. We've not departed from a basic schedule in summertime--we get up at the same time, chores are still done by a certain time, etc.

The biggest  variable we have yet to see about is adjusting to the new baby!  Everything sounds ready to roll right now, but we'll see how well these plans work when two a.m. feedings have to be figured in to the schedule.  We may simplify a whole lot more!

My pal Amy sent me an email about a fellow church member who's having lots of health problems right now.  Walter has had two brain surgeries in a little over six months.   A friend has set up a blog about him and his family's situation at    http://letshelpwalter.blogspot.com/   . They appreciate prayers. 

I know there are a lot of prayer warrior readers and friends of Doehill---please add this dear family to your list.

in Christ, Gin

From my favorite homeschooling book:

You may know discipleship up, down, backward and forward, and you may even be a great discipler and teacher. But one thing is certain--no matter how much you know or are able to do, your children will want to become only as mature as you are willing to become. Jesus taught, "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40). Your child is not above his teacher (that's you), and will in fact become like you when his education is completed....You are your child's standard for Christian maturity....

...Wholehearted Christian children come from homes led by wholehearted Christian fathers and mothers. We must take the gospel to the nations, but the home will always be God's primary tool for reproducing believers in the world. And it all starts with your heart.

~~~Clay and Sally Clarkson, in Educating the Wholehearted Child: A Handbook for Christian Home Education

Educating the Whole Hearted Child

You may have seen it, but in case you didn't, here's the link   to a neat story about a homeschooled whiz kid.

A seventeen year old homeschooled kid has customized two cars to run on electric power, completely rechargeable through a regular household outlet. He figures charging both vehicles adds only $10 a month to his family's electric bill.

Pretty cool, huh?   Makes me if I wonder if I should tweak my lesson plans a bit for the coming year.....

Stacy Harp wrote   Keep On Praying for China ---reminding us to keep praying for brothers and sisters being persecuted in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.  Just last week, Pastor Hua Huiqi and his family were forcibly evicted from their home by police using a 10-pound hammer to break the door of their apartment.

Here are some other articles of interest on the subject:

CHINA: CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE OWNER STILL WITHOUT TRIAL from www.compassdirect.org

Christian Persecution Persists Ahead Of Beijing Olympics--from www.christianpost.com

Open Doors with Brother Andrew has initiated a special CHINA PRAYER COUNTDOWN program. 

As part of this program, Open Doors has a  free calendar of prayer requests available in .pdf  form.