Nov. 19, 2007 - 1st Anniversary Sale-A-Bration Part 2
Well, last week's 1st Anniversary Sale~A~Bration went pretty well!
However, I know there are folks that are just wanting to buy individual titles, so I have created a Part 2 to the sale. Now through the end of November, I am offering each title at a super low price, to keep the Sale~A~Bration going!
So, if you have purchased a few titles in the past, and want to get a fantastic deal, now is the time to stock up! :O)
http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com Go to the Products tab at the top!
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Nov. 14, 2007 - Index Cards--Just one more new thing to try????
Have you ever really considered the value of using index cards in your homeschool? Now let me start by saying that a homeschool is really 2 things in one place--your home life and your school life. Now in a perfect world, the 2 would blend together. But, even in this imperfect world, index cards can be an integral part to both areas.
As a homeschool mom, I struggle with creating the perfect balance between home and school. However, index cards have always been a part of my life in home and in school. Homeschool With Index Cards was created out of a love for organizing these areas with index cards.
I am sure at one time or another, you have used index cards to write down and store recipes. It is really that easy to use index cards in your homeschool.
There are many benefits of using index cards in your home, whether it be for home or for your "school". I personally like index cards because they can be used in a variety of ways, all making my life more organized and simplified. I love our Kid Chore Organizer made with index cards, file folders, pockets, and some "o"rings. This is the perfect melding of school and home. It is an easy way to teach my kids responsibility. It also helps them with self-discipline, because most folks in my house would much rather spend time playing than doing chores. But we all know chores must come first. Actually, we start every morning with the Chore Organizer. The kiddos wake up and know to go directly to the front of the fridge since that is where the Organizer hangs.
I also love that we can have a quick and easy Weather Center with index cards. This is the perfect size to be stored on a wall, or on some magnetic hooks on the fridge. If you're not careful, your entire fridge may be overrun with index cards! Hey, but at least you will be organized. :O)
Seriously, though, index cards are easily stored in small file boxes, small index card binders, on "o" rings, or even in zipper bags. The best way I have found to keep track of all these little sets in our house is to designate a basket for the card binders and sets. It doesn't take up much room at all and really stays organized. You could even pick up an inexpensive plastic bin from Wal-Mart or the dollar store to house your cards.
I really love the idea of the Handbooks. They are such a great help in our daily studies. I just wish everyone knew how wonderful of a tool these are for your students/children. They are a fantastic resource that you can use over the years. Add to them each year all the new information you are learning in each subject area. Once you print out the basic cards, you want to personalize them with your examples or additional information to really keep the "hands on" feeling to the cards. When the kids need a quick reference, they will be able to grab their Handbook out of the basket and look up the topic they are covering. If it is something you have covered previously, they will be able to look at their examples, then the light will click on and the wheels will start turning--they will better remember that concept because they had a hand in creating the card. These are similar to notebooking concepts or topics, but the cards and binders take up a lot less space and can carry over from year to year. When the kiddos go off to college, they should have a nice, personalized Handbook to take with them on each subject.
The Handbook cards are also nice, as you can take out individual cards for studying purposes. Clip several of them together with an "o" ring and take them in the car while you run errands. The kids will be learning about fractions as you are shopping for more index card supplies! :O)
I hope I have been able to share with you some of the benefits of using index cards in your homeschool. If you are interested, Homeschool With Index Cards is currently running a week long Sale~A~Bration to celebrate its 1st Anniversary. You will be able to not only get your hands on all the products available from Homeschool With Index Cards, but also from companies like The Old Schoolhouse, Homeschool Radio Shows, NotebookingPages.com, and The Urban Homemaker. The package is fantastic and priced very affordably, even with the holidays around the corner. Actually, you can't afford to miss this fantastic sale. If it's not for you, maybe you have a homeschool friend or two who would benefit from the sale. Pass along the link! :O)
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Nov. 11, 2007 - 1st Anniversary Sale-A-Bration
Homeschool With Index Cards is celebrating its 1st Anniversary!
I have teamed up with Homeschool Radio Shows, The Old Schoolhouse, The Urban Homemaker, and NotebookingPages.com to offer you a fantastic special package to celebrate!
Take the time to come by and check out the amazing deal you will get for a super low price--it's crazy!!
I am so amazed at all the Lord has done with this business for the past year. I am so pleased to be able to help homeschoolers with the Notebooking Forms, Freebies, and Products on my site. The Lord has been so wonderful to give me the ideas to share with others.
Stop by and see what's happening!
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Oct. 14, 2007 - Lunch Burnout Update!
Thanks to all of you who participated an idea for the lunch burnout problem I was having. I have finally compiled the list, and we have 36 lunch ideas.
I am working on sending out the sets to those who participated. If you have not received your set, please contact me directly, as some of the e-mails were inadvertantly deleted from my Inbox. Go to http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com and choose the contact me box. Or, you can grab my e-mail from my blog, to the right as well.
Thanks so much for all the ideas. I look forward to trying lots of the new recipes!
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Sep. 21, 2007 - Planners, planners, planners...
I am just so pleased with my new Mom's Mini-Planner. I have tried for years to find the perfect planner. I have carried around some really large padded binders down to some Dollar Tree calendars, trying to find the right fit. But, to no avail. They are either too big and bulky, with too many extras I don't want or use, or they are simply too small to contain the things I do want.
After much trial and error, the Lord placed in my mind the idea to create a Mom's Mini-Planner. It uses index cards and an index card binder. How simple is that? There are cards for each day of each month, which are "reusable", as in you can reprint them year after year. There are also cards that have a calendar I can print out for each month. This way I can see a month at a glance, and I am able to know what day of the week a certain day falls. There are also Month at a Glance pages, which have lines for each day of each month. These can be used to keep track of upcoming events, if I haven't printed out that month's daily cards. These can also be used as a "special days" section to keep track of birthdays and anniversaries.
There are several other cards, but to create the basic planner, I printed off a few months worth of daily cards, as well as the calendar pages for all the months, and the Month at a Glance pages. This way I will have access to a year calendar, but won't have the bulk of keeping each individual day in the binder.
I have just been so happy with it! The daily pages are not only help me keep track of my schedule, but it has also helped me keep track of my thoughts. If I don't have something written down, more than likely, I will forget it. So this planner has really helped me organize all aspects of my life.
You can create your own with index cards. Or you can check out my website and grab your own copy for a price that is so low, you won't want to take the time to create your own. :O) http://www.homeschoolwithindexcards.com/Planner.html
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Sep. 8, 2007 - I love Disney!
We are getting prepared for our upcoming vacation. We are so excited to be able to go again this year and stay on Disney property. This year we get to stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge! I cannot believe it. With the help of some very good friends, that hotel will be pretty affordable for us! :O)
As we prepare for Disney, we are studying the 11 countries represented in Epcot. We have gone to the library and checked out books for each country. After we read the books of these countries, the kids put important information on notebooking forms I created for each of the countries. Each notebooking page has the country's flag, a map, and at least one landmark for each country.
If you are interested in checking out the notebooking forms for yourself, you can see those in the What's New section on the Notebooking Forms page of my website. (Look for the black and red Mickey head.) http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com/Notebooking-Forms.html
Hope you enjoy!
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Sep. 5, 2007 - Check Up Doctor Visit
We went to the ear, nose, and throat specialist today for my dd's post operation check up.
He was very pleased at how well she has recovered. He said her throat was 90-95% healed. Praise the Lord! He also said she did not need to return for the second follow-up visit. She is under no restrictions and may resume all her activities as before.
The Lord is so good and faithful! I don't know why things went so well, but I am so thankful they did. She did start having pain last Sunday from the irritation the nerve received from the surgery. (There is a nerve that runs down the jaw that gives sensation to her mouth and ears.) That lasted a few days, but for the most part, recovery was better than expected!
Just wanted to share the great news with you all! I appreciate all your prayers!
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Sep. 1, 2007 - Labor Day Special
It's Labor Day Weekend, and that is the officially unofficial guide to the end of summer break for most.
As a celebration for the beginning of school, Homeschool With Index Cards is having a great special on the "I Want It All!" Combo Set. This combo set includes each and every time saving product Homeschool With Index Cards provides. If you have ever thought about getting more info on how these index cards could save you time in your homeschooling, now is the time!
Purchasing each item separately would cost well over $40. The regular price of the combo is $30. Until midnight Eastern time Tuesday, September 4, 2007, the combo is at a great price which is over 40% off the price of the items separately.
To see the details, click on the red Labor Day Special box in the right hand column and grab your great deal while you can! :O)
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Aug. 24, 2007 - Tales from a Tonsillectomy
This past Tuesday, my 11 dd had her tonsils and adenoids removed. The way the surgery came to pass was a little off the wall. When she participated in swim team at the beginning of the summer, she ended up with an ear infection. We took her to our family doctor, who routinely checked her ears and then her throat. He turned to look at me and asked if we had ever had her tonsils looked at by a specialist. I said no that we did not know of any reason to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
He then mentioned that she had very large tonsils, and they weren't swollen. He said there is a possibility that due to the large size, she may need to have them removed. The doctor left the room, and my daughter began to get a little misty-eyed. She did not want to have surgery! (Total surprise to me as we went in for an ear infection.) I consoled her and said there was no reason to get upset, that we should "not worry about tomorrow, as today has enough worries of its own". We didn't know what the specialist would say.
A few weeks later, and we were in the office of the ear, nose, and throat specialist. He was very friendly and apologized profusely for having us sit in the examination room for 20 minutes. I don't know about you, but I have never been apologized to by a doctor for waiting 20 minutes. On the rare occasions we have any type of doctor's appointment, we always wait a minimum of 30 minutes just to be seen, and that doesn't even count the wait in the waiting room. Needless to say, I was immediately impressed with the way he ran his practice! :O)
He promptly sat down, his assistant at her computer, and started checking her ears, nose, and then the throat. He rattled off +3.5, then some long word I have never heard. He swiftly spun around his chair and said, "Ok, Mom, let me tell you what that means! We judge tonsil size based on a number system. +4.0 means that your tonsils are touching in your throat and your airway is blocked. She has a +3.5, so your doctor rightly concluded that you needed to see me." He then proceeded to tell me that he understands that I only met him 5 minutes ago, but he wanted to be sure that I knew he was very conservative when recommending surgery. He then said that she needed to have her tonsils and adenoids removed, as it was a danger if she ever had swollen tonsils, she may not be able to breathe. He also said that it would improve her daily life, as she breathes, sleeps, and plays sports. She has not been receiving the amount of oxygen she needs.
It was as if a light bulb clicked in my head. She has always breathed loudly, snored, and had trouble catching her breath while participating in soccer and basketball. It wasn't ever a situation where I thought anything was overly wrong. But as he discussed the matter with me, I knew things were just not right.
So, we waited many weeks, as the surgery had to be scheduled at our local Children's Hospital, as I specifically went to him since he had privileges there. My daughter had some anxieties, as the anticipation was too much for her. We took her to the hospital tour offered for kids and families who were scheduled for surgery. She was able to go into a room, check out all the equipment they would use, stand in the operating room, see the masks they use for putting the kids to sleep, as well as finding out how they could choose a flavor for the air. She was able to go into the recovery room and see what would be happening there, too. This eliminated about 90% of her anxiety.
Monday night, before the surgery, we planned a fun night of pizza and ice cream at a few of her favorite spots. We then came home, and were all exhausted, knowing that 5:30 would roll around early the next morning.
As we lay in bed that night, she couldn't sleep. I talked to her and tried to answer her questions. I realized as the night went on that I was powerless without the Word of God. It was amazing as she mentioned that her devotion that morning had to do with fear! It was after midnight, and I hopped out of bed. I went into her room and grabbed her devotion booklet. As I read over the section for that day, I was reminded of other verses that dealt with fear and anxiety. I started flipping through my Bible reading her those verses, and praying them over her. I went and got a pen and some index cards and wrote 3 of her favorites on the cards. (We had already shut down the computer for the night, or I would have printed them off! LOL!) I hole-punched the corners, and tied them together with some tie-dyed yarn. We threw those in the bag ready for the hospital and she was finally able to fall asleep. (Close to 1 AM now.) I should mention here that I am a night owl, so the late night did not bother me; it was the need to wake before 6 AM that was hard on my brain.
I woke early to grab myself a quick bowl of Raisin Bran, since she couldn't eat, I didn't want to eat in front of her. I also have low blood sugar, so my husband and I knew that I had to eat, or the day would have truly been more emotional than necessary. She woke up, pretty nervous, but ready to go on.
We arrived at the hospital, quickly checked in, and she had to give them a urine sample. She was mortified. At 11 years old, it was routine for them to do a pregnancy test. Actually, any girl over 10 was required to have one. It was very humorous to me to have to stand outside the bathroom stall and coach my 11-year-old daughter on how to go in a cup! :O)
All in all, I have to say the worst part of the entire process so far was when they came in the room to draw a blood sample. She has never had that done before, and we really weren't prepared for it. No one told us it was coming, and even though I should have known better, I didn't. The only crying that has happened all week came when the gal had to take that sample. There I was, trying to calm my dd down, giving her a "tight hug" (aka holding her down on the bed) as she cried that she wanted to watch! UGH! Why? I kept telling her not to watch, but she insisted. So, there we were, both of us watching, dd crying and Mom trying not to, as the gal drew her blood. Another side note, I hate blood and needles, but God is good as he allowed me to handle that split instance where I had to buckle down for my daughter.
The nurses came in 20 minutes before her scheduled time and said that they were ready to take her back! She tensed up, started slight tears as everyone hugged and kissed her. She grabbed on to me, as if she didn't want to let me go. They started wheeling her bed out; she instantly sat up and started talking to one of the nurses about school. She is such a trooper!
Surgery went well. No trouble at all! The doctor said that when he laid her back to perform the "ectomy" her tonsils fell back and closed her airway. He was very happy that we had decided to go ahead with the surgery.
Unbelievably, she has been in minimal pain so far. She hasn't complained at all, other than a slight sore throat. Now, Mom has kept on top of the pain medicine, so I am trying to keep her from having to feel the pain. I set my alarm to wake up in the middle of the night to keep her meds pretty steady. She is in love with Speedway Coke Freezes, so for the last 3 days, we have been making the trip to the gas station which is down the hill and a block away to grab her a Coke Freeze.
A few days before her surgery, we had bought 8 boxes of popsicle-type treats. She said yesterday that she was getting sick of the junk food and wanted something better. Yes, my jaw dropped open in surprise! So, I took the 100% juice from the fridge, as well as the frozen mixed fruit from the freezer. Picking out the pineapple, I created her some totally healthy and delicious smoothies. I also poured some into our Tupperware popsicle molds, and she has greatly been enjoying those ever since.
What tomorrow holds, I have no idea, but I am completely grateful that things have gone well so far! I just keep asking the Lord to give us what we need to get through the day we are on! :O)
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Aug. 15, 2007 - Lunch Burnout
I try to keep a 2 week rotating lunch menu. However, we are getting burned out on a few items we have listed. I am also trying to improve the "healthiness" of items that we eat. I am searching for any good lunch ideas. I would like for them to be quick and somewhat healthy. We eat out quite a bit in the evenings, so I am looking for lunch ideas that are more on the "homemade" side.
A few of the items that we all like are: grilled cheese & tomato soup, tuna salad on cucumber slices, and homemade pizza roll-ups.
I would love for you to list your favorite lunch items! I am going to compile all the ideas on a set of index cards, and I will send them out, free of charge, to everyone who participates. After you leave your idea here, send me a personal e-mail with your e-mail addy so I can get you the set when it is completed.
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Aug. 10, 2007 - We Have a Winner!!
Thanks to all who participated in the contest. I placed all the names on index cards, and the kiddos helped me choose a winner!
I am very happy to announce that the winner of the FREE index card set is squeeli! She will get to go to the products page of Homeschool With Index Cards and pick out one flashcard product of her choice! Or you can see all the product options on the right of this blog under Products!
Yeah, squeeli! :O)
I really appreciate all of you entering the contest! Keep checking back to see what's new on the blog!
Many Blessings, Molly
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UPDATE: Just to let you all know that squeeli chose the Mom's Chore Organizer as her free set! You can check it out at Homeschool With Index Cards!
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Aug. 9, 2007 - Contest Ends Tomorrow!
I just wanted to remind everyone that the contest ends tomorrow. To go directly to the post with all the deatails, follow this link : http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/indexcards/369676/
Place your comment/entry there. :O)
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Aug. 7, 2007 - Contest: What is Your Favorite Way to Use Index Cards in Your Homeschool?
I am very excited to announce the first ever contest on the Homeschool With Index Card blog.
The contest is: What is your favorite way to use index cards in your homeschool?
The rules: One entry per blogger. The entry must be posted in the comments below.
The prize: One index card set of the winner's choice from the flashcards page of Homeschool With Index Cards. http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com/products--flashcards.html
Now, since this is our first ever contest, we will place all the entrants' names in a hat and draw the winner. The winner will be announced sometime on Friday! I can't wait to see all the entries!
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Aug. 5, 2007 - School's In, School's In Teacher Let the Monkeys In
Well, after several months off official school, we are back to the grindstone Monday morning.
I am looking forward to the upcoming school year. We will be starting our 7th year of homeschooling. I cannot believe it! The funny thing is, I thought I would be a "seasoned veteran" by now! I am always changing the way things are done, so this year will be a new experience as well.
This year we will be completing the last 4 units of the unit study A World of Adventure--Ancient Rome, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Explorers. I am looking forward to being able to really focus on the New Testament while we study Rome. I have planned out a few additional Bible resources to help us keep our focus on the Lord. I always say I am going to keep my focus on Him each year, but each year I seem to fall into the "curriculum" trap. Whenever we get behind, I seem to eliminate the Bible portion of our studies. I know that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom", but I have always let my worldly fear overpower.
In order to help me, I have planned to read Leading Little Ones to God during breakfast. After breakfast, we each have our own Bible reading time. During that time, we will each be reading 3 chapters of the New Testament. After lunch, we will be reading the New Testament portion of The Child's Story Bible. In AWOA, we will be memorizing Isaiah 53, as well as listening to Handel's Messiah.
I hope to be able to fit all of our studies in each day, but I would like to keep these as the main focus. There is a lot of different things, but each are small chunks.
Do you have any tips or ideas that have helped you keep Christ as the focus of your homeschool? I would love for you to post a comment!
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Jul. 23, 2007 - I'm Bored!
Have you ever heard these 2 words from your kids? They so easily forget the multitude of toys in their rooms or the abundance of outside toys in the garage.
A great way to take care of "I'm Bored-itis" is to make an I'm Bored Card Set. Simply use index cards to write activities you will allow them to do on index cards--one per card. These can be simple ideas from reading a book up to ride your bike. The next time you hear "I'm bored!"--have the kids pick a card!
One way to organize the cards is to have the inside activities on one color and the outside activities on another. You can get them outside at the pick of a card. There are some activities that could be either, so you can mark those in a special way. Use the backs to designate any boundaries your kids may need.
What a quick and easy cure for common boredness! :O)
NOTE: Homeschool With Index Cards has a predesigned "I'm Bored!" Card Set available for $2.00. Simply load your index cards into your printer and go! (Check at the bottom of the flashcards product page.) http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com
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Jul. 14, 2007 - Homeschooling at the Speed of Life
I want to share with you all a great book that I just finished reading. It is titled Homeschooling at the Speed of Life: Balancing Home, School, and Family in the Real World by Marilyn Rockett.
I love home organization books. I also love and collect homeschool related books. The funny thing is, before I received the book, I had no idea that it dealt with home organization. This book gracefully combines both into one. I really appreciate the fact that Marilyn, a veteran homeschooler, shares these tried and true organization tips with those of us who are still plugging along in our homeschool journey. And on top of that, the ideas are practical and useful for a busy homeschooling mom.
Aside from the wonderful emphasis on organizing and keeping an organized home, Marilyn so correctly discusses that we need to order our lives and homeschools around the Lord. I am so blessed to own a copy of a book that truly takes a Titus 2 approach in helping homeschool moms keep their focus on loving the Lord. The book is packed full of great info, and I was doubly pleased to find questions at the end of each chapter. Not only that, but each chapter has an added section for devotion where you can look up verses that pertain to the topics discussed. It means so much to me to be able to read an organization/homeschooling book that focuses on my spiritual needs as wel
The book also comes with a CD which contains a plethora of forms to use in helping you organize your home. Now, you may have many systems and ideas, but Marilyn has truly covered all the bases with these forms, including tips and ideas on implementing them. There is definitely something for everyone on the CD. There are 32 types of forms on the CD and so many possibilities. As I was reading the book, I would check out the CD and sure enough, one of the ideas she had mentioned already had a form created.
So for the seasoned organizer all the way to the disorganized, there is definitely something in this book for you. I suggest you grab your copy and get reading! If you're like me, you'll be chomping at the bit to get organized!
For more information, check out Marilyn's website http://MarilynRockett.com
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Jul. 5, 2007 - Estes Family Benefit
There is a wonderful homeschool family who could really use our help! The Estes family who own www.handsnhearts.com have a baby son Noah who has struggled with lots of medical problems over the past year. You can read their blog at www.homeschoolblogger.com/ourquiverfull to catch up on all the details.
However, the reason I am writing is there are several homeschoolers who have put together a wonderful package of online goodies to help bless this family. Homeschool With Index Cards is just one small part of many who have donated products to make this fantastic package available to everyone for a low price, of which all--yes, 100% --of the proceeds will go to the Estes family.
Will you help us rally together to bless this family in their time of need? Please visit http://www.chirotoons.com/benefit to see the details of this "package of blessing".
I appreciate your time! Thanks for reading.
Many Blessings,
Molly
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May. 3, 2007 - Make Chore Time a Breeze
Seriously! I am not exaggerating. At least in our house, chore time has been a breeze for close to 2 years now.
Ok, so if you read my last post, you know I am not a very good homemaker. I have had to learn the hard way the past 12 years of marriage. So I have determined that I will better prepare my children to be ready to take care of their daily duties.
I have tried many things, including the check off sheets with the boxes and such. They worked well for a little while, but honestly, it was too much Mom follow-up. Several years ago, the Lord laid on my heart an idea for creating a chore organizer with index cards. This was before Homeschool With Index Cards was even a thought. Each child has a chore organizer with pockets made from envelope halves and index cards with chores listed on each one.
If you want to make your own, here's what you need: envelopes, tape, card stock or construction paper or half a file folder, markers, index cards.
Cut the envelopes in half so they are more like squares. Theses will be your pockets. You can also use those old pockets from the back of library books. I asked for a handful at my local library and they were happy to give them to me. (I also use those for something else--more another time.) Tape the pockets on the paper. Label the pockets--Morning, Afternoon, and Done. Now comes the fun part! :O) Labeling those index cards. You will want to think through all of the chores your kids need to do. These chores should be daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Make up your cards, these will be stored in the Done pocket. Each night before you go to bed, sort through the set of cards and put them in order for the next day. Any leftovers stay in the Done pocket.
When the kiddos wake up, they know to go right to the chore organizers. Ours hang on the fridge, but you can put them in any convenient location. Of course, at first this wasn't a breeze, but it became a routine quite quickly.
I hope you enjoy this tip. It has really revolutionized our chore times around here.
Also, if you want to make quick work of those chore cards, you can find a set available for purchase on my website for $2.50. Rather than writing all those cards out by hand, you can just print the ones you need. http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com
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Apr. 19, 2007 - A Woman of Noble Character
On Monday I received a wonderful resource in the mail. It is titled A Woman of Noble Character: Becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman in Today's Busy World. This book is written by Susan Sikes. I have to say that I love it! There is no other way around it.
My parents were divorced when I was pretty young, so my mom had to work a full time job and take care of my sister and me. My mom worked hard and never complained. She had dinner on the table every night at 6:00. Sometimes it was a great meal and others it was what we could afford at the time. I can remember growing up thinking that having potato chips heated in the oven was a special treat. Little did I know they were stale and Mom was trying to make them go just a little further.
All this extra info to say that because of the unwanted circumstances, Mom worked herself to the bone trying to make sure that my sister and I were happy. In the course of this, she had us do minimal chores. When I went away to college, I can remember standing in front of the dorm washer and thinking to myself, "What in the world am I supposed to do?" Yes, it was really that bad!
I still struggle with homemaking, and honestly I just don't like it! But as a Christian woman, I know that it is part of my devotion to my family. I prefer to eat out as many meals as I can. I don't like to cook nor do dishes. I don't like to dust nor fold laundry. The funny thing is, I actually know people who really like to do these things.
Susan's book is very motivational! I am looking forward to getting myself re-organized in the homemaking area. Cooking, cleaning, and general home organization will be much easier with the tips and ideas found in this book.
The items covered are priorities, character, decorating, house cleaning, finances, shopping, homemade gift baskets, organization, entertaining, cooking, recipes, and lots of other goodies!
I truly hope you stroll over to http://outofthenestandbeyond.com to take a look at this highly recommended resource! Tell Susan I sent you! ;O) (I do not get any compensation if you do, I just want her to know how much I truly enjoy her book.)
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Apr. 2, 2007 - Relaxed School Life Lessons
It is funny because I was typing this message to one of the wonderful Yahoo groups I help moderate, and it really hit me hard! I am a huge fan of Ruth Beechick and relaxed homeschooling, but have never really been able to let go of the "teacher" in me. BUT as I was writing my post about what we do when we have unexpected interruptions or out of town family, this is what came out. I thought I should share it here:
My husband's sister battled cancer for 6 years. While she was in and out of doctor's appointments and hospital stays, the kids did minimal school. The kids and I took her to the majority of her dr. appts. or scans, or whatever. They would each take a book to read, a copywork sheet, or their Gameboys. (How's that for educational?!)
We really did limited "school" time on certain days, so we really had a relaxed approach. When she was in the hospital for extended periods, they would take their school to the hospital and work on it there.
I can remember being a little concerned about the amount of school they were doing then. But since she has passed away, I know they received a serious education going through what they did. She was fairly young (diagnosed at 30, passed away at 36), and very close to my kids. That is a huge reason, I think, that I have been able to relax with my school issues. There are so many other things that can teach our kids. I just hope I am open to help them with those lessons.
I didn't mean that message to be a drag! Sorry about that. I was just wanting to convey that they don't need books or worksheets to gain wisdom. And not to panic when you can't fit school all in because of life happening. They will get a great education if we will be open to teach them at all times, in all ways! (I needed to hear that myself!)
It really made me sit back and think about all of the things that get my feathers ruffled. Truly, life is an education, and I need to be flexible enough, no, relaxed enough, to take those daily moments and turn them into teaching opportunities. It reminds me of the passage of Scripture in Deuteronomy 6 where we are to teach our children when we rise, when we lie down, we when walk by the way. Truly, we are able to offer our children wisdom in the everyday aspects of life. I am in tears as I realize this has taken me over a year to digest. So if I can learn a lesson from the passing of my sister-in-law, it would be to enjoy life because truly it is a vapor.
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