Sure, we can all find Alaska and Hawaii and our home states, our neighboring states are pretty easy too, but how about those tricky little guys up north? And where exactly is Illinois or Utah - if you have no boundaries to go by, can you figure out where all the states go? Leave me a comment with your score and time... can you beat my score? I will post my score later... let's see how you do - leave your FIRST SCORE and then if you take it again leave that one too, but I want to see what you know to start with!

United States Map Test

Good luck and have fun!

We have enjoyed our summer. Lots of activity in June, Cuyler, Cade, Catherine and I went to Kids Camp, Catherine also went to Jr. High Camp 5 hours from home! Catherine danced on the VBS Worship Team and at Kids Camp - she loves helping lead the kids into worship - it is so amazing watching my little girl dance for Jesus!

School is now back in full force, we are in our third week and it is going well so far. I am no longer watching my little neice, we miss her lots - she has been with us since she was 4mos old (her mom is a ps teacher). But this year, she is four and going to preK at the school where her mom works. And my accountability system is gone! She used to arrive at 7:15am every day, so I had to be awake and ready to conquer my day! Now I am relying on my alarm clock and the boys - and am having a tough time getting going in the mornings!

We are using workboxes this year - which is all over the internet, I won't try to explain the system since I am using the term but have not read the book! Basically, at our home, the boxes are sterlite drawers that have one subject per drawer, with fun things in every few drawers to keep them moving. This is the first year we are actually getting to play all the wonderful games we own! In the past school would be mornings till lunch time sitting at the table doing their individual work, me reading history at lunch and read alouds after lunch, then they were free. During the free time they often got on each others nerves and basically trashed their rooms or ran through the house like banshees - hey, just being honest!!

With the workboxes, their school day is longer, but there is a plan from 9 or 10ish when we begin (ok, 10 -11ish - honesty remember!) until 3 or 4ish. I am exhausted by the end of the day, but we all feel so productive bc not only are they getting to the book work, they are getting to play too. Only, this year the play time is structured, so the banshees have given me a rest.... except in the mornings, when they wake up before me and play this wonderful game involving a baseball and 3 boys running up and down the hall!

My last entry was Feb., maybe blogging is a quarterly event for me, I dunno. I am spending my computer time on the Sonlight forums and facebook - but I felt like I was being neglectful of this little blog.

My server is down, which is why you can't see any of my pictures, my sweet husband has ordered me a new motherboard and will get it fixed soon.

Since I last updated:

Preston turned 17, we spent his birthday camping in Destin at Henderson Beach State Park, which was beautiful. We were there for a few days and the kids enjoyed skimboarding on the beach while I watched from my sandy lawnchair (they made me a lawnchair out of sand, oh so comfy!) Andre' and Preston rode a Waverunner, Preston drove and succeeded in throwing them both into the bay! They had a blast, male bonding and such! I am so thankful to our dear friends who allowed us to use their camper and gave us this great memory with our family.

Catherine, 12, is dancing again, in a limited way. She dances for our children's ministry worship team and is having a wonderful time. She is finishing 7th grade and spends her days reading, writing and dancing, and if she cannot engage in those activities she is talking about them! We just got our big box of books for next school year and she was helping me go through them to make sure everything was there (and to oooh and ahhh over the titles). Preston is taking British Lit and she was eyeing his books with envy, asking when she could read them! I told her she could read them her senior year and she was visibly bummed, so I caved, if you finish core 7 (we are taking 2 yrs to do it) this summer, you won't have anything to read next year so you can read them then! She is such a cool kid!

Cuyler will be 11 soon, is still a lover of numbers and is reading tons. I am so grateful that we did not push him, he really did catch up like I was told he would. And because we did not push, and did not make him feel like a failure, he loves to read. His favorite right now is "Good and Evil" by Michael Pearl. He is also fascinated with all aspects of Star Wars and has created elaborate storylines with his friends and brothers. Honestly, I enjoyed the movies, but I do not care who is a Sith Lord and who is a Jedi and whose Padawan learner is better than the other. I listen, I am really good at asking the right questions and making him feel like his world is important, because it is, but I do tire of the constant Star Wars news that is reported ad nauseum in our house. I also know that if I listen now, and he feels loved and valued, that when the issues are important, he will keep talking. So I keep listening, even with a smile on my face!

Cade is 9, hard to believe he is such a little guy. Gramps tells him "We are dimes among nickles." My sister, Michelle, took him to the vet where she used to work to show him around. He had a great time and got to see a "procedure" done on a cat. This kid is so into science and animals, I think I have a doctor on my hands with him! He is also very compassionate and tender to others, esp. if they are smaller and weaker unless of course the smaller one is Geoffrey, then all bets are off! He is also the child who makes it a point to ask for permission for most of the things he does, I did not realize that was unique until a friend said something. We were at a party and Cade came to me to ask if he could have a peice of cake, I said sure and thought nothing of it. My friend (our children's pastor) sat there shocked and pointed out that bc of the location of me and the cake, he could have easily taken a peice and I would have not even known. Nice to hear something good that I did not know about him!

Geoffrey is 7. Seven, my baby is seven. He is still 'the baby' even though he is not A baby! He is finishing first grade and loves school. I know because I asked him, his favorite is handwriting, which is really neat because at the beginning of the year he really struggled with penmanship. He is my leftie, but when he is coloring he uses both hands at the same time with 2 different colors. You see, he dislikes coloring and has figured out a way to finish faster! Math is pretty easy for him too, as is reading. He loves to be outside in the dirt, riding his scooter and jumping on the trampoline. A few weeks ago we were visiting friends and he was jumping on their tramp (with a net) - the trampoline has a net, not the kid. Anyhow, he and Cuyler were playing guess what - Starwars, that is ALL they seem to play - and Geoff lunged for Cuyler, Cuyler dodged him, the pole did not! I was inside fixing a hamburger prepared by my dear friends husband, and really looking forward to eating it cuz he can make a mean burger - alas, we were not meant to be, that burger and I - apparently I had an appointment with the ER! Geoffrey needed four stitches in his forehead. He is my most accident prone child, he has had the most medical issues - not illness, injury. There was a period of several years that we showed up at every family function with someone in stitches or with a broken bone - usually Geoffrey! Something to ponder, is it HIM or is it that he is the fifth so I am more relaxed? hmm

We are almost finished with school and we are all ready for a summer of fun. See you again in August for our next quarterly update, kidding -I think!

Our kids are all so unique. My pastor recently debunked the idea of "well rounded" individuals. No one is good at every thing, but all of us are good at something. My goal as a mom is to find that thing for each child and help them reach the sky with that particular talent.

Our daughter is a writer. She dreams of writing a novel that becomes part of Sonlight's curriculum. She often asks if she can go write (she is working on a novel and several stories -just for fun ya know!). Reading is her great love - she just read the "Sister's Grimm" series - took her about 2 weeks to devour the 6 book series in addition to keeping up with her school work. She is so much like me - give us a good book and we are lost till it is over! It was funny to hear her debate whether she wanted to finish the series or wait so "it would last... I don't want the book to end!".

Math though, not her thing! She read a this poem today...

Mathematics by Arthur Clement Hilton (1869?)

I've reallly done enough of sums,

I've done so very many,

That now instead of doing sum

I'd rather not do any.

I've toiled until my fingers are

With writing out of joint;

And even now of Decimals

I cannot see the point.

Subtraction to my weary mind

Brings nothing but distraction,

And vulgar and improper I

Consider every fraction.

Discount is counted troublesome

By my unlearned pate;

For cubic root I enter

A strongly rooted hate.

"Apply yourself," my master said,

When I my woes confided,

"And, when you multiply, bestow

Attention undivided."

She said she could totally relate to the author! We have used different curriculums through the years for her. This year, at her request, we got her Teaching Textbooks so she could do math on the computer like Preston. She started off the year loving it because it was new. Around November she began to dread it and take nearly THREE hours to complete a 10 minute lecture and 20 problems. She was getting frustrated and I was beyond frustration! So what does she suggest, she wants ME to teach her because supposedly she understands my explinations better. All I do is read the exact script that the guy on the computer reads! I have to remember to be flexible - now that I am "teaching" her math, she is done in less than an hour - lesson, interruptions from brothers and problems - all of it DONE, with a smile. It is truly amazing!

The lesson for me: one I have to constantly apply, be flexible - if it ain't working, fix it or change it!

Cade is coming along in his reading and this year is doing quite well. He is reading the Sonlight Core 1+2 Advanced Readers. This week he was to begin "A Question of Yams" and was not happy about it. Our rule is you have to give a book 3 chapters to decide if you don't want to read it.

He whined and complained then just decided to buckle down and read. He was laying on the couch eating a plum reading his book, a few minutes later he walked through the house, nose in the book, stepped over the cat and threw away the plum pit. Later that afternoon, I looked out the window to see him walking down the street (very small dead end no traffic street!), book in hand, absorbed in the story. That night he asked if he could read until he fell asleep. Sure, just no talking I answered - well, mom, can I laugh? Sure!

This boy is the first child to awake every morning, meeting me on the couch to snuggle about 8am or so. At about 9 I began to wonder why he was not up yet, I went into his room and there he was, sprawled on his bed, nose in his book!

I commented that he must really like that story, nah, he replied, I just want to finish it! Um hum Yeah right!

I am a frequent lurker and occasional poster on the Sonlight Forums, a great place to talk with other homeschool parents about, well, everything from academics to sleep patterns (zzzz's!) and anything in between. Most of *my* brilliant ideas are from great parents there (the dumb ideas are mine alone!).

I got a new idea - well, stole an new idea! Thought you might like to steal it too... We always seem to run out of time before we get to art, science, music, foreign language etc, this new schedule makes sure everything that is important to us gets done. It is called a "Loop Schedule". I wrote out all the daily must do's - Bible, Math, Reading etc and when those are done we begin the loop. In the loop we get to the neglected areas - sometimes one or two a day, sometimes more. Today the next loop item was art. I am a fan of art, I just do not like to 'deal' with the mess! But alas it was next, Cuyler took the initiave, he is such a planner and scheduler - he thrives on that stuff. He pulled out the paints and paper and supervised AND cleaned up while I was working with Catherine doing math.

Here is what our "loop" looks like:

Daily:

Bible

Math

Independant Reading

Workbooks

German

Loop:

History

Art

Read-Aloud

Music

Science

Spelling

PE

Flash-Master (math flashcard machine)

I keep the schedule posted on the wall in a page protector - the kids just use a dry erase marker to check off what they have finished. We are getting so much more done every day!

Ever have a week escape you? I mean I HAD good intentions and plans and nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted. So, we had a week of 'Creative Homeschooling'.

Monday: "School day" - went as planned, we got all of our co-op homework done the week before and were able to focus on what *I* scheduled for them to do. It felt wonderful.

Tuesday: "Co-op Day" - we had a late start, had to get to co-op early for a presentation (well worth rescheduling my morning to see - Communicators For Christ did a skit for us) Andre' had to drop us off because his van was broken, we stayed to help clean up and rushed around town picking up Preston's band mates for band practice. Out of the house from 11am till 6pm. Then we had band practice - I love the boys coming here, I get to know his friends - but the same LOUD song for three hours over and over can be headache inducing! Thankfully it is just once a week. And having it elsewhere is not an option, because remember, I WANT to know these guys! Everyone was gone by 9pm and Preston and I spent the next hour or so looking at the PSAT sample questions.

Wednesday: "PSAT and Nature Day" - 8am we loaded up, dropped Andre' off at work (van still out), dropped Preston off to take the PSAT, dropped Lake off at Mom's Day Out. Rushed home to get some school work done. Just as they were getting in the flow, mostly done with their work and I had a minute to make lunch, Preston calls to say he is done. I throw together the rest of the sandwiches and go pick him up. Decide that it is useless to go home bc I will just have to turn back around to get Lake from MDO, so I accept an invitation to meet a friend at the park. Playing at the park and feeding the turtles counts for nature studies right? Leave the park and pick up Andre' from work, bring Lake home and drop off Preston at Youth Group. Arrive home only to freshen up and rush out to dear father-in-laws house to watch the debate and eat dinner. Home at last at 10pm.

Thursday: "Compassion and Science Day" - We spent the morning getting in our church clothes to attend the funeral of an uncle. He was a brain cancer survivor and lost a final battle with meningitis last week. We did not know him very well. The kids were very well behaved at the funeral and afterward we treated them to an afternoon at the Aquarium. Totally counts for science. We got finished at 4pm and rushed home (though with traffic you could hardly call it rushed, we did not get home till after 6) I freshened up again and left to lead our new homeschool moms small group. I was to teach on organization -ha - this week was a lesson on how your organization and plans fly out the window sometimes!

Friday: "Life Skills" - Otherwise known as running errands! Again we left home before 9am and did not get back till 4pm, hurridely began dinner, rushed out to get Andre' from work and just as we got home to eat, my precious brother called. He was ready to fix our van, all we had to do was buy the belt. What a great guy! We waited for them to finish with the repair and make sure everything was working properly then hopped back on the road to take Preston to a friends house 30 minutes away to spend the night, he wanted to help at the Shout Fest Concert and needed to be there at 7am Sat. Our friends generously invited him to sleep over and ride with them so we did not have to get up so early Saturday. After dropping him off we stopped for hot chocolate and benigets (french donuts) at Cafe du Monde and made it home shortly before 1am.

Saturday: "Reality Check" - I have been out of the house every day, and my house could tell! Laundry was piled as high as my waist and every room needed some attention. The kids were doing their chores - kind of noisly, but doing them! I began to rush and feel a bit overwhelmed at everything I needed to do. Especially since all I WANTED to do was to curl up on the couch with a good book! I sat down among the chaos with a glass of Pepsi and my bible, after reading a chapter or so, I realized I had NO idea what I had just read. Pushing the bible away, I began to call out to the Lord. I want to read your word today, I just have no idea where to go, what would YOU have me read. Our conversation looked like this:

"Proverbs"

me"Yeah, I like Proverbs, but where, oh what is today??"

"16"

"no today is not the 16th, what is today though?"

"16"

"but today is not..."

"16"

"ok I will read 16" Funny how I expect first time obedience from my kids yet do not practice it when the Lord is speaking to me.... not funny, sad.

Just what does Proverbs 16 say you wonder...among other wonderful things Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established." Really Jesus, I can give You this day and all I have set before me and You will establish my thoughts. These scatterbrained overwhelmed thoughts? Really. And He did. It is almost 9pm and since I "committed my works to Him" at 11am I have: almost caught up with the laundry; fed the kids lunch; dropped off my kids to play at the park with friends; brought Catherine to dance at church; went to Wal-Mart with Andre' and got the weekly groceries; picked up the kids; put away groceries; with Andre's help fixed sloppyjoes, potato soup, roast and browned ground meat- now I do not have to cook dinners this week - just heat n eat! The kids have been fed dinner, the kitchen is clean and we are working on the bath rotation as I type! Thank you Jesus for multiplying my time. I can go to bed peacefully knowing I have a clean home to wake up to in the morning.

I wrote out my week not only to help me understand where it went, but also to encourage you as you homeeducate your childre. We all have weeks like this one, thankfully not every week is this crazy, but through the busyness and schedule being chucked our children still learn - time management and flexibility come to mind as lessons studied this week. Remember to daily 'Commit your work to the Lord and He will establish your thoughts."

Have a blessed week.

I seem to hear that question a few times a week. The honest answer - I don't! I think 'doing it all' is actually impossible. There is a notion in homeschooling circles that you can have a picture perfect home, manicured yard and gardens, grow your own veggies, sew beautiful clothing, grind your wheat and make healthy meals from scratch, give your children a 'well rounded' education, take great vacations and field trips to exotic places, speak a foreign language fluently, volunteer at church, shuttle your children to sports and music classes, be an eager submissive wife and the list goes on. Priorities are critical and some things must go! There are many things that scream for a mothers attention throughout the day. The key is to figure out which of these 'screamers' needs attention and which needs to learn patience! Our family prays daily to be able to "accomplish all of the tasks the LORD has set before us to accomplish today."

My priorities are the following...

1. Spend time with the Lord - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

I got saved at 18 and already had a husband and child. I hear so many women talk about the hours they used to spend with the Lord - time in their prayer closet and actually studying the Word before having children. I never had that luxury - for many years I would beat myself up because I just am not one of those ladies who wake up at 5am to have 'quiet time'. I actually do not like to be up without my family! But I thought to be spiritual I had to make this qutie time happen in my life. A few years ago I was thinking of my childhood and fondly remembered watching my mom rock my brother, she had her well worn bible on her bed and read as she fed the baby. This mental picture sparked a revolution in how I approached my time in the Word - no longer would I feel condemnation for my inability (unwillingness?) to wake early. I have since begun to find time in my day to read my bible - either while the kids eat breakfast or as they settle down to read from their own bibles. I realized that as powerful as quiet time alone with the Lord is, that having my quiet time at a time my children SEE me is a great witness to them. The season of having children in the house is short and I will have many years to seek the Lord in peace and quiet -until then I will seek Him in the company of my children and show them how to do the same.

2. Serve my husband - "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:22

My job as Andre's wife comes before my job as mother. To learn how to better serve my husband I have read LOTS of great books. My new favorites are "Love and Respect" and "Created to be his helpmeet". I make sure he knows I like him and value his input and his presence. He likes me to look like a lady - so I wear skirts more and make an effort to freshen up before he comes home. When he calls during the day and when he comes home I smile at him and joyfully welcome him into our life - his calls during school are not viewed as an interruption. If I am in the middle of reading or a spelling test, after greeting him cheerfully and finding out if I can do anything for him I let him know what I was doing, he wants me to get back to educating his kids quickly - but I want to make sure he knows he is my priority first.

3. Parenting our children - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

School is a big part of our lives, but the character of our children and them knowing Jesus is FAR more important in our view than academics. Obviously we do not neglect their academics, however, WHO our children are is more important than what they know. We are seeking to raise our children to be Godly adults who are full of wisdom and understanding. When they understand who they are in Christ and that they were created for a purpose, they will be eager willing students who do not despise instruction. 

"I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope." Jeremiah 29:11

4. Ministry to others - "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine....Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:1,3-5

I do not claim to be a Titus 2 woman or Proverbs 31 woman either! In fact, I used to read Titus 2 thinking I was the "older" woman until about a year ago - God revealed to me that I am in fact still a younger woman  which is nice! I am to be the younger woman - I am still in the time of life where I am learning to love my husband and childrean, be self-controlled and pure, work at HOME, be kind and submissive to MY husband. There was a time in the not too distant past that I was kind and submissive to OTHER people, but not my own husband. I am thankful for the trials in my life that have brought me to where I am today and truly honor and revere my husband (I like him too!). I have learned a lot being a Christian, a wife and a mom for the past 16 years and love sharing what I have learned with others.

Now that my priorities are in order I am able to accomplish those things set before me. Practically it looks like this - in no particular order.

Housework - Mostly delegated to the children. As Lisa Bevere so wisely said "You are to serve your husband and train your children." The kids have been trained to take care of our home. (Their spouses will thank me!) First, I created a written list of what each area needs done to be "ready for inspection" and taped the lists in each area on rotation. The children are on a monthly rotation,

October looks like this: Bathroom and Pets - Preston, Living Room - Catherine and Geoffrey, Floors - Cade, Kitchen - Cuyler.

They are also responsible for keeping their rooms clean. Catherine's room is the neatest, Preston's room is the messiest (but he lives in there alone and willingly cleans when told to, he just has LOTS of music stuff and wires everywhere and a tiny space... I mostly just close his door honestly!) The little boys share a room. Three guys in a 10x12 space with a bunk bed, a toddler bed, desk and shelf, and a dresser in the closet. Their room is very small and has lots in it (even though we declutter regularly). They have a list on the wall and each boy has 4 things to do in the room each day.

Cuyler: Make Bed, Clean desk, Sweep floor, Hang all clean clothes

Cade: Make Bed, Put away toys, Pick up trash, Clean under bed

Geoffrey: Make Bed, Put away shoes, Put dirty laundry away, Close all drawers

They know I DO NOT CARE whose toy is on the floor - it is Cade's job to pick up, likewise Geoffrey has to get all clothes etc.

I wake up the kids between 7:30 and 7:45 (most days!) and they must get dressed, clean room and do chore before breakfast which is at 8am(ish). I set the timer and they can complete their items in 20 mins - if they are not done, they do not eat until lunch, move faster! Before dad gets home and again before bed (and as needed during the day) we have 'room rescues' where everyone goes to their area and makes sure it is ready for inspection -this keeps the house from becoming overwhelmingly messy! There are 7 people in this house around the clock!

Schoolwork - During breakfast I read my bible while they eat. After we eat the 3 olders have their quiet time and I have Cade, Geoffrey and Lake (neice) meet me on the couch where Cade reads to us from a children's bible. We talk about the story then Cade begins his handwriting and phonics workbooks while Geoffrey reads his story book to me. About this time the bigs are done with Bible so we all brush teeth while I dress Lake and get ready to bring her to Mom's Day Out (M,W,F).

After dropping Lake off to MDO, we spend 2 hours doing school. I set the timer for 1 hour and we work straight through. Usually the little ones are done at the end of hour one and are free to play. I set the timer again and we work another hour and break for lunch. Lunch is SIMPLE - either leftovers or sandwiches and an older kid can prepare if they are at a stopping point and I am not. After lunch we do read aloud and/or history together (the 2 little guys can listen if they are quiet - or I send them outside or to their room to play computer). Typically the little guys are done before lunch, Cuyler and Catherine finish by 3ish and Preston usually has some things to do in the evening because of his work schedule.

I tweaked my Sonlight curriculum this year. Preston is doing a full core, which will be his last history course for highschool. Catherine and Cuyler are studying World History and I am taking 2 years to complete it which gives us time in our week to participate in co-op and PE. Tuesday's we have co-op for four hours and Thursday we are at PE for 3 hours - those days are especially hard to do school on so we use Tuesday morning to do housework and Thursday is a lighter day of school (Bible, math and phonics or independant reading). We are not doing science at home this year, at co-op Catherine is taking Safe Sitter (CPR etc), Cuyler is taking Human Anatomy and the 2 little guys are taking God's Creation. Woo hoo science is done! Preston needs one more science credit for high school (Chemistry) and will get that next year while he is taking Alg II.

I read the greatest quote the other day "We are a family who happens to homeschool" as opposed to "We are a homeschool family." Family comes first, that has helped my perspective. I have also realized how much of LIFE is education - my children are not just learning from books (though we do love books) they are learning through LIFE, how to comparison shop, how to keep a home, about politics, how to read and use a recipe, how to use the stove, how to safely use a weapon, how to pray and too many more things to list - but you get the idea! I started worrying less about checking every box and completing every assignment and more about making sure they understand a concept before moving on. I do not make them do every problem on every page - if they get it and show excellent understanding it is time to move on. The beauty of homeschooling is creating an environment where each child can move at their pace, whether it is slower or faster than another child.

Meals - Confession - we eat out, too much. Sometimes as much as 3-4 times a week. Sometimes not so much. But we do, especially on crazy days. It does help if I make my menu plan. And I do like playing the pantry game. (What can I create with a box of pasta, a can of chicken and a packet of alfredo sauce...) We have a small freezer and pantry, so I usually shop weekly, we do not have storage space for a months worth of groceries.

Menu Plan: Before I go to grocery, I look in pantry and fridge and plan meals around what we have. I write a planned meal for each mealtime and each day (even if we are having cereal every morning - I just write it in and then I do not have to think!) If we have an event that will have us out at mealtime I jot it in the proper space. I make my shopping list from my meal plan, that way everything I buy is planned to be eaten that week! I also give myself grace, for instance, I have chicken legs in the fridge that were supposed to be dinner tonight - but we went to Olive Garden (yumm) with some friends, so tomorrow we will eat the chicken, no biggie! When my meals are planned I can pull out meat at breakfast time and it is ready to cook when we finish school. I also use my crockpot a lot  - especially on days we are out of the house. It literally takes 5 minutes to toss together a meal in the crock pot and turn it on and oh the joy to come home and have a hot delicious meal waiting on us!

Laundry - Because the bulk of the housework is done by the children I have time to keep up with the laundry. I begin a load in the morning and change it over as soon as I get the kids settled with schoolwork. Tuesday morning is a big laundry folding day because I do not do laundry on the weekends, The rest of the week I wash, dry and fold at least 1 load a day - I fold it at the kitchen table which forces us to get it put away before the next meal and keeps my couch and bed places of comfort!

Deep Cleaning - I have found that keeping up with the daily tasks makes the deep cleaning easier. Because we are a 'family who homeschools' if I am feeling a particular room needs extra attention (or a complete overhaul) we may take off a day of school to tackle the task. Typically though, I do room overhaul in the summer (I redid my kitchen this summer and it is beautiful and so organized!)

Yard Work - Preston mows the grass, the boys pick up sticks and trash (on a not so regular basis!), my garden is a beautiful  collection of wild *ahem* weeds! Ok so it is not beautiful, it actually is quite horrid, but priorities ya know! One day I will have beautifully manicured flower beds - just not today! Today I am busy enjoying teaching my children and keeping my home in a state where I will not be embarrassed by the condition of my living room and bathroom if you drop in for a glass of iced tea - just don't spend too much time looking at my lack of flowers! (Because of our housework routines you actually CAN drop in - www.flylady.net modified to our needs has made sure I no longer live in C.H.A.O.S. - can't have anyone over syndrome!)

Ministry - I teach 2 classes at our co-op, Student Writing Intensive which is a DVD course and requires very little preparation (less than 2 hours a week) and Highschool Civics, a course my highschooler needed and I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching these students. This class does require about 3 hours of prep work, but I really love politics so it is fun to prep for this one! I am the email coordinator of our hs group which requires me to check my email to moderate emails twice a day (I check it in the early am and after kids go to bed). This takes less than 10 mins a day, at most. Andre' and I serve once a month at our church for a children's event which our kids attend. It is lots of fun for us too! A friend and I lead a small group for new homeschool moms twice a month, this group has me out of the house about 2 hours for one evening every other week.

Blog - I really enjoy writing and my typing skills have improved as a result of blogging. I usually "write" the blog entry mentally over a period of days or even weeks before I enter it here. The 'act' of posting a blog takes just a few minutes because it is created in my heart and mind before I even log on!

Andre' and I have looked at our schedule and removed things that were not in line with our priorities and kept (or added) those that are - I believe that is key in not 'doing it all' but 'doing all that the Lord has for me to do'.

We have begun our year a little early. The kids were not too happy! They think they should be able to watch Hannah Montana and Sponge Bob all day and play Webkinz when the get tired of the tv.  Um NOT!

As it is sweltering hot here, Andre' and I decided to begin school early so when we get to the beautiful days of September and October, we can visit the park and play outside. The children do not yet see the wisdom of this idea - I am sure they will get it come fall!

My sweet mama gave us a membership to our local zoo and aquarium and we have been able to visit each this summer. Thursday the kids and I met my sisters and neices & nephew at the aquarium. We got to see the oil spill in the Mississippi River - boy did it smell ! (fyi There was an accident on the river that caused several barrels of oil to spill - the boat sank) So the hazmat guys were out there cleaning up, it was an amazing site and really impacted us all. The aquarium was wonderful, as always. My favorite attractions are the jelly fish, they look so peaceful and graceful. Oh and the sharks! The sea otters are adorable, we got to catch the show and see them playing with their toys - too cute. And oh my goodness, the penguins were misbehaving! One of them was diving at the corner of the exhibit and pulling on the rubber seal - and causing the tank to LEAK, just a little bit - a few table spoons worth! You should have seen the staff member run for help, unfortunately the help took too long and the kids got tired of watching the penguins, so we had to move on. I would love to know how they fixed it - I suppose they got a diver to make the repair, would have been neat to watch.

After the aquarium we walked through the RiverWalk Mall. The kids enjoyed running in the rain between the aquarium and mall. (The adults did not!) Geoffrey and Cade splashed in so many puddles their pants were soaked to the knees, not to mention the state of their shoes and socks - boys - sigh - . We told the kids we would only go into the mall with the understanding that we were not buying ANYTHING! They agreed to only tell us "This is neat or that is cool" NO "I wants!" I am very proud to announce they did just as we asked. We took them into Brookstone and they had a blast (so did we!) sitting in the massaging chairs and the leg massager - oh boy how wonderful! We wandered through the toy store and made it just in time to see the fudge show. If you have never seen fudge being made, oh what a treat. And in New Orleans it is done New Orleans style! The staff of the fudge shop sing and dance and get the crowd involved. Crowd involvement is very very important, you see - the bigger you open your mouth to participate and sing along - the bigger your free sample! We sang and danced and enjoyed fresh, warm peanut butter fudge. MMMM so yummy!

We made our way back to my sisters house where she had prepared a delicious beef stew for dinner. After many laughs and hugs we headed back home. It is so nice to live close enough to family to be able to spend time with them - I love getting the cousins together.

Monday morning it is back to the grindstone!

Cade just finished reading his "Read with Me Bible", a NIrV Story Bible for Children. This school year he has read a story to himself or outloud to me and Geoffrey each morning and yesterday he read the last story in this Bible.

This morning he asked if he could start reading a 'real' Bible now and was delighted when I gave him his very own Bible. He is sitting at the table reading Genesis (he insisted on starting on page 1!) and underlining his favorite verse to write for his Promise Box*.

He is growing up and I couldn't be prouder!

* Each child has a recipe box with index cards, their Promise Box, where they write verses that are special to them. This year we have been focusing on individual quiet time and searching the Bible for nuggets that speak to us. They are all accumulating quite a collection of special verses and quiet time is much more meaningful to them as they see verses leap of the page and grab their attention.

I am leaning more towards 'unschooling' my youngest children. I have read lots and lots and continue to research the best way to educate our children. When we began this journey into homeschooling our oldest, Preston, was in first grade and all I knew about homeschool was Abeka. I also knew I did not have enough money to purchase all I "needed" for first grade, so we bought some $1 workbooks from Wal-Mart and began our quest. I felt at the time that I was giving him an inferior education but was doing the best I could with the resources I had. I truly believed that he needed a full'real' curriculum that came neatly packaged in a box. So we saved our pennies and the next year my mom and I drove to Pensacola, FL to shop at the Abeka bookstore. Oh the joy of fresh workbooks and 'real' readers! I packed up everything available for second graders (minus the teachers manuals bc I figured if I could not correct his 2nd grade papers with out a manual - I had no business homeschooling him!)

We began the year with a bang! We were living 30mins from town and had 3 children and the 4th one 'baking'! Preston was 7, Catherine was 3, Cuyler was 1 and mom was tired! But we persisted. I had him doing 1-2 pages in each workbook everyday and reading aloud to me everyday. Math was torture, he would cry almost every day, he absolutely hated it. And so did I, but it was all there was, the only way, right? He did not care if he could not multiply (he was SEVEN!! but it was on the page, so he must do it right?) Catherine could not even count to 20, so why did it matter if he could not multiply (his justification) In March we welcomed Cade home and pressed on with school. Every day was a struggle and by the end of the school term Andre' and I decided we could not do this anymore.

So I went to work to pay for his tuition and put the three little ones in daycare, a very difficult decision, but the ps's in our area were awful and obviously I could not homeschool this child! He went to our church's small private school for 3rd and 4th grade. And I got pregnant for our 5th child the summer between 3rd and 4th grade. Andre' got a new job an hour away from home, so we moved. In our new community there is one Christian school and the tuition is out of range for our budget. And Catherine was beginning school. Preston went to the local ps to finish out 4th grade and he hated it, so did I, but I vividly remembered 2nd grade, I CANNOT homeschool him, the others sure, but not him.... he asked to come home.

We agreed to try it out and I knew we could not return to a boxed curriculum full of workbooks and textbooks, btdt - never again! After many hours of research and prayer we found Sonlight - it sounded too good to be true. I did not want to overwhelm him with the amount of reading required and I wanted our year to be an easy transition, so I chose Core 2 World History. We had a great year, stress free and he (and I, and the little kids who listened in) learned a ton. And we were on our way to being a true Sonlighter. However, I was still a perfectionist box checker. I loved that Sonlight gave me a schedule and I faithfully checked every box, which worked great for a 10 year old doing Core 2.

We have since completed Core 3+4, Core 5, Core 6 and Core 100 and the check every box philosophy has not worked as well. I have learned to trust myself and make decisions on how deep we delve into a topic and which areas or books we skip. And it is working so well, we are all loving school and learning so much.

I have learned so much in the 8 years I have taught my children at home, and now that my youngest 2 are in K and 2nd grade I see how much I have grown.  Homeschooling families have options ranging from "school at home" in which the family has a traditional classroom setting with a black board, educational posters, desks and textbooks to "unschoolers" who allow their children to follow their own passions in the pursuit of education.

Our family began with the "school at home" model (Preston even had the little school desk) and now are endeavoring to give the children more of a say in what they learn. There is no way to for anyone to learn all there is to learn in 12 years of school, indeed we continue to learn our entire life. Andre and have realized that we have learned far more teaching our own children than we ever learned in a classroom. Think of your own life, any situation where you were 'forced' to learn something that did not interest you (most of what I experienced in school) you only learned long enough to pass the test, then most of that information was forgotten. But when we are interested in a topic, we retain so much more of that information - for good. Why would we think our children learn any differently?

Which brings me to the title of this post, Unschool? We have been studying history extensively since we began using Sonlight (it is really my favorite subject) but Catherine was tired of "wars and dead guys". We had a conversation about what she would like to study and she wanted to learn more about her body. So we spent last semester reading lots about anatomy and how our bodies work, also did a s*x ed study (using Passport to Purity -amazing stuff) and read Beautiful Girlhood, all about being a godly girl inside and out. It was great, we all enjoyed it.

This semester we are studying Japan in preparation for 'Mega-fest'. Mega-fest is put on by our local hs group, it is like a giant social studies fair. Each family studies a different country and presents a project board and food from their country. We are having a great time learning about Japan (the boys are loving the sumo wrestlers!) We ordered candy from Japan and will serve real sushi and kid friendly sushi.

So I suppose for us, we are somewhere between the textbook approach (Preston is using textbooks this year that he chose, and is doing great; the others also have a few workbooks they use for math and phonics) and unschooling where they choose what to study and I provide the encouragement and materials. With the youngest two boys though, we are leaning more toward unschooling with our approach to their education. They do a little workbook study, but the majority of their education comes from life experience. For example, weeding the garden (science), making pancakes (math and home ec), comparison shopping (more math) and building with lego (problem solving, following directions). Most of the time they are learning they don't even realize they are learning - they are just having fun being little boys exploring their world!

I just finished reading The Way Children Learn  by John Holt and truly enjoyed it. His research with children proves that they will figure out their world and learn a ton if we allow them to. When children have a reason to learn something there is no stopping them. But it has to be their reason, not just because "I said so." Don't get me wrong, I know there is a place for obedience, we teach our children to obey the 'first time'. I am excited to see where their learning takes them as they have more say in what they want to learn about.

Life is good!

*the following link directs you to youtube to view - I can't figger out how to add just the video wo the youtube stuff - sorry*

One more reason to keep the kids safe at home! I am glad they have a dress code and oh so sorry that our times require one. And I do realize he could not walk packing all that heat - I think the point is that lots could be hidden and it only takes one. Btw - my dh is a card carrying NRA member with an active concealed carry permit that he uses daily. I am not afraid of guns, just concerned about them being in the wrong hands with the wrong motive.

In our little suburb just this past week we have had several bomb threats including one at our only area Private Christian School. The threat at the cs was written by two sophomores who claimed that what they were planning would make the tragedy at Columbine pale in comparison.  It breaks my heart to realize that this kind of garbage is going on even in the seemingly safest places. Now those two young men, who thought they were being funny (turns out is was a joke - whatever) are now in our local juvenile detention center with a federal charge hanging over their formerly bright futures.

This is where we seriously considered sending our oldest this year (the school not the detention center!). I am so thankful we kept him home - not to keep him sheltered. Our children are active participants in their world. But home where he is learning and earning his education and not being pulled into foolishness like this with his so called "friends". Home where his dad and I are available to discuss the issues of his life and are able to help him navigate these rough waters called adolescence. We know where he is, who is with and what they are doing. I wish I would have had parents who were more involved in my teen years, lots of regret and sorrow could have been avoided. My parents loved me, still do  and they did the best they knew; but I was allowed way too much freedom, way too early.

Moms, be encouraged and challenged. Stand up for what you know is right! Do not be intimidated by what your childs friends are allowed to do. Know what you believe, why you believe it and stand ready to enforce it. Your teenagers will thank you! Even at 15 my son has shared with me gratitude for our boundaries as he sees friends of his allowed to roam and do as they see right only to be wounded and stray from Christ.

Proverbs 12:15 'The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who listens to counsel is wise.'

Be strong, be the mom and keep your sense of humor! Teenagers do not have to be the rebellious tormentors our society leads us to believe. I have thought that, and said that for years (even before I had a teenager) and many parents of teens would roll their eyes with a look of  "Just wait till you get one then you will be singing a different song." Well I am in the thick of it and while we certainally have had our issues I stand firm - they do not have to rebel. Rules are important, but without the loving support of a strong relationship a child would tend to rebel. My teenager (although I prefer young adult) is a blessing to our family and we are thoroughly enjoying walking alongside him as he becomes a man.

Geoffrey has asked us to call him "Lefty" since he only had a left hand to work with this last week! We went to the orthopedist today and he took a new x-ray. All is healing well and doc said the sling is just there for moms comfort and to serve as a red flag reminder to Geoff and others that his arm is injured! Huh - thanks, my comfort!

Lefty is so happy to have two hands again! He does not want to wear the sling because it has teddy bears and balloons! He is a big boy ya know and that thing is "for girls and babies". So he is free, please pray that he does not fall again till it is completely healed and that he remembers NOT to run with his arms in his shirt! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragment.

We are studying Anatomy and today we covered the major bones in our bodies. I had the 3 little ones put on shorts and labelled all of their bones with washable marker and we played "Simon Says" ie. Simon Says touch your metatarsals (toes) to your cranium (head!) It was great fun, they even encouraged eachother - Geoffrey suggested they touch their femur (leg) to their spine. They tried, failed and giggled.

We had a few errands to run and they proudly marched around with their bones clearly marked. They were playing tag on the concrete while waiting for Catherine's ballet class to end. And it was cold (for the south ) Instead of wearing his sweater (that I was holding) Geoffrey pulled his arms into his shirt and continued the game of tag. Until he tripped on his shoes, and could not break his fall, and broke his clearly marked clavicle! The ER doc asked him if he wrote the names so he would not get mixed up.  Geoffrey handled his injury very well. In fact we were not sure if we should waste a visit to the ER bc he was not complaining (unless you tried to move it) but he kept still on the couch and would not use his arm. Here he is all wrapped up and still clearly labelled. Only in our family would we top off a bone study with an actual broken bone!

This is not his xray - but the break is the same - almost clean through!

We had decided that we would not do *formal* school with Geoff. He is five, sure most kids are starting kindergarten at five. But he is our baby, we are not ready for him to grow up. Besides he is so. very. busy. He has two speeds - full speed ahead, knock over everyone and everything in my path and sleep! Thank God he sleeps!

So to the point, well we will get there. Geoff has spent the last 10 weeks running up and down the uncarpeted runway, I mean hallway; teasing his cousin and brothers; whining that he can't play computer games or watch tv all day; and generally making life difficult. He does not play well by himself and is constantly trying to get one or more of my students to entertain him. Well that is normal - he is the baby - though don't let him know I told you that! I whined sought the advice of my wise husband and being the wonderful problem solver that he is told me to make Geoff do school like the rest of the kids. Oh, of course, thank you.

I cautiously informed Geoffrey (who is known for his *ahem* strong opinons) that he would be doing real school like his big brothers and sister. I braced myself for the fight I knew was coming, but what is this, he is beaming from ear to ear. Really mom? That is great! (Who are you?)

Well that was easy, now the hard part. He needs books and a math program and and and..... Hey, I remembered, my sister just got a math program (here begins the comparison - it must be good, I need to use what she is using, blah blah blah) I began to research different maths for his level. Comparing one program to another confusing myself totally. If I get this and I like it - should I switch ALL the kids? Hmm this could get pricey. But he must have a workbook, right?

Between sessions online to find the perfect math program, I read (again) Ruth Beechick's "You Can Teach Your Child Successfully" and I found freedom. I read that book during the first years of our journey in to this sometimes overwhelming world of homeschooling. Must admit, I found the information a bit hard to implement - back then - but now I read it with new eyes. A perspective of educating my children for many years and I was excited! I CAN teach Geoffrey successfully - without spending lots of money on programs that promise to work and leave us always wanting. Within the walls of my home I have all of the resources I need to teach him.

I began to make a mental list of what he needs to learn this year. Recognize numbers and count to 100. Begin to add and subtract. Odds and Evens. Skip count by 2, 5, 10. Recognize all of his letters and their sounds and be able to write them legibly. Learn to use scissors more effectively. This list is just the beginning, but I have all I need to teach him - in my house - today. So we started, and he is loving it. And so am I!

Here he is reading about snakes with Cade.

Wednesday, the first day we can really buckle down this week and get to school. Monday we spent getting the house in order after a too busy weekend. Tuesday we had a quick bit of school then co-op, ballet and frog dissection! Finally time for actual pencil on paper schoolwork.

Oh silly me!

9:30am Rush everyone out the door (without breakfast or spending time with a hairbrush - the kids not me ) to bring my neice to Mom's Day Out.

On the way home we stop at the grocery for a bag of sugar donuts because it is almost 10am, we all are starving and I really don't want to deal with breakfast mess when we get home. I was out of the store in under four minutes - with donuts but whoops no milk - oh well drink water! Off we go.

10:15am Home and time to start school. But the pediatrician called back (of course they were unavailable while I had free time in the car!) Sure the sweet nurse says, we can get your kids in - can you come now? Wonderful - ok kids get your hairbrushed and pack your bags. Two of the boys have the hacking nasty cough that is keeping us all up at night and one of them is having daily headaches. Off we go - again!

11:00 Arrive at the packed doctors office. We do manage to get some math and reading done in the waiting room. Our lovely doctor (really I love her she is great with the kids and patient with my many questions!) gives us six perscriptions and a diagnosis of sinus infection for the headache and nasty virus for the coughers.

12:30 and we are outta there. Call hubby with update on kids and he asks us to make a bank run and agrees to treat us to lunch. Drop by the pharmacy, run to the bank and sit down to enjoy lunch at the new Sonic right by Dre's office.

1:45 Back to the pharmacy to pick up the meds. Run to the house to pick up the teenagers back pack, drop off the teen and the girl at the library to get some schoolwork done and jump in the after school traffic to pick up the baby from MDO.

2:45 Got the little one and back to the library. Pick up the big ones and run to the house to get ballet clothes we forgot to grab earlier. Back to the doctor for 3:15 bc the baby is sick too! Get her meds, run to the grocery to pick up dinner and kill a few minutes before ballet starts.

4:45 Drop off the girl at ballet, bring the teenager to church for band practice and pull in the driveway for the last time today at 5:30pm. Thankfully Daddy will do the pickups tonight!

This was Wednesday right - the first day of the week to get some REAL work done!  I need a nap!

There's always tomorrow right???

This morning I was booting the computer for Geoff to do his phonics at Starfall but we took a detour to  this frog dissection page. We clicked through the process of mounting the frog, making incisions and locating the internal organs. Cool - the kids really thought that was great. And silly me thought that was the end of that. We did a little phonics, a little math, had lunch and were off to co-op.

When we get home Cade the seven year old BOY comes in and gets my cake icing knife.

Mom: Umm where are you going with that?

Cade: My friend and I found a frog and we are going to dissect it.

Mom: Not with my knife!

Cade: Well it is the only one I can find - what should I use.

Mom: (thinking - should I stop this - naw - where is that scalpel? - was the frog dead or did he help it along?)

Cade: Well - can we dissect it (he noticed the questioning look on moms face!)

Mom: Yes, but we need pins and something to cut it.

So I proceed to get the science kit tweezers and some kid scissors, pins and a cardboard box.

Cade, Geoff and their buddy mounted and cut the frog (he remembered where from the webpage) and were able to locate the liver, stomach, intestine, and heart. Too bad I didn't think to take a picture - it was adorable - well as adorable as frog dissection can be! Three little guys surrounding the frog on my porch and the air filled with exclamations of "Cooollll" "This is awesome" "Eww look at his guts" "No not guts, thats his liver!"

Unfortunately they did admit to killing the frog - but they did tell the truth! Which for us is a victory - being honest when you know you did wrong! And I did talk with them about what their life would look like if they killed another specimen!

Boys are interesting!