Nov. 15, 2007 - Love homeschooling

Well, I was going to post pictures of the Mary Ingalls dress I made for Rebekah for Halloween, but I can't figure out how to downsize the pixels so the file is small enough.  Sooo, hopefully I will figure it out soon, and then be able to post.  If not, I can always email  I just wanted to post now, because I think I have settled on some curriculum I like.  I have decided that I just can't wing it well, and  need a little bit of guidance in my teaching methods.  So I have shelled out a bit of money for some programs that I like and have been tailoring them to suit my style.  I chose Sing, Spell, Read and Write for reading, and it is working well.  Rebekah isn't even done with the program and she is already reading amazingly.  I tested her out of curiosity and she got to the third grade reading level of the reading comprehension part of the test before she got bored and wanted to quit.  Her word recognition was at the fifth grade level.  Sam is reading phonetically and he seems to be following the same pattern of progress as Rebekah. 

For math we have been using the Math U See program, and I love it.  It is simple to use and covers the basic with a multiple sense approach.  Say it, write it, and build it with the blocks.  The blocks really help my kids to understand better...espcially when trying to solve for an unknown.  Great program and not that expensive. 

For science I have found a program called Gods Design for Life that teaches from a Christian point of view...obviously from that title  I really like this program because once again it is easy to adapt to my own style, and I can use it for all of my kids at the same time, each child absorbing as much as they can.  It is done in several books covering the different areas of science.  So far we have just bought the body book and the animal kingdom book, but I have been very impressed with the simplicity of the lesson plans and the flexibility involved.  Each lesson has a page explaining the concepts that you can read verbatim if you chose, but I usually just paraphrase the info for my kids and then we do the hands on projects that correlate with the topic covered.  It makes science fun and makes sure to point out the creator of our scientific world!

For History/geography I have found a program I really think I will like.  It has been a bit pricier, and because I have just gotten it, I have not actually taught a lesson yet, but I have looked through it, and like the layout.  It is called Heritage Studies by Bob Jones University.  Once again it teaches history and geography from a Christian perspective.  The thing I really like about this program is that for first grade most programs taught "My community", and "Community Helpers", etc. etc.  Blah, blah, blah.  I didn't want to spend money on watered down junk, that seems so obvious.  This program actually delves into real history, and geography.  I bought the teachers manual on amazon used for $3 and then payed more to ship it than I did for the book!  But still saved money over buying it new.  Then I bought the textbook and the student workbook from Rainbow Resource for $25.  So overall it wasn't too expensive, but I didn't but everything in the program.  I skipped the tests and answer key, feeling it was unncessary at this age, and I didn't buy the timeline either.  I may end up going back and buying that dependant on how much it is needed.  

I also bought Alfreds Basic Piano Course and have started giving lessons to Sam and Rebekah.  They are really enjoying this, and for now we are doing okay with me teaching them, but eventually I will need to get an experienced teacher when I am out of my league:)

Anyhows, we are having a great time learning, and I am so glad I have been blessed with this opportunity to homeschool.

I'll post more later:) 

• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Oct. 22, 2007 - Sold the House!!

Wow!  We've been looking for renters for our house in California, and the Lord blessed us with buyers!  Eric had been posting the house for rent and for sale on a lease to own option.  Last month we got a call from a really nice couple with four kids interested in leasing to own, and to make it short they will be moving in the beginning of November.  Now I just have to pray that they pay the rent on time every month and don't give us any headaches till they actually buy the house next November:)  We did have one weird occurance,  the day after the deal was sealed there was gunfire in our neighborhood, and it was on the news as this big scary ordeal.  I spoke with one of my old neighbors, and she told me that in the end the neighbors got together and discussed what had happened that night and they think that it was actually someone shooting off target practice rounds in the empty field behind our neighborhood.  Probably someone who was drunk since it was the middle of the night, but not someone on a killing rampage.  We were just prepared to see it as God's will for us not to sell the house to these people because we had lived there for 3 1/2 years and it was a wonderful safe neighborhood.  But in the end they did not back out of the deal, so we don't have to go through the headache of finding new people after all.  You don't realize how many unusual people there are in this world until you start trying to find people to rent a home.  I know that God loves all of them, but I just can't say that I'm as fond of them as God is...especially when I am looking at them in the light of collecting rent, and not destroying our home:)  Anyhows, my monthly post is in and maybe I'll put up a new one even sooner!

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Sep. 24, 2007 - Renters

We have had our first bad experience with renters.  After having to pay over $800 to fix damage done by a renter (and we're probably going to have to replace the carpets!) I am not really excited about the prospect of renting again, but we can't sell the house in this market and it is rough to make the mortgage.  Sooo, here we go again, but this time we have learned not to trust people, and are requiring a background and credit check in addition to a deposit.  I know these are standard practices, but somehow we naively thought that people would just take care of our property out of decency, not a desire to get their deposit back.  Well, we have learned our lesson, but the weirdest part of the entire situation is that we were ready to take her to small claims court to make her pay us back, and then we started praying about it.  I don't understand it, but for some reason when we prayed about it we both felt that God does not want us to sue her.  I know God sees the big picture, and knows what is best, but I feel like a little kid who has just been told "because I said so", and in my childish ways I don't understand.  Well, despite my lack of understanding, God continues to provide for us and we have a prospective renter lined up for October...we are just waiting to see her money:)  I'll write more to keep updated on our situation...really I will.  It just may take another month or two to get around to it:)

• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Aug. 2, 2007 - Last Minute Invites

I have to admit it is wonderful to be invited to potlucks, just not at the last minute.  I could have turned down the invitation, but I really want to get to know the ladies at our new church...sooo, here I am at 10:30 at night trying to throw together something to take to the potluck.  To complicate matters my oven is broken so I am looking at coming up with a recipe that can be made from the ingredients in my kitchen and cooked on the stovetop or microwave:)  Fortunately I found a dessert recipe that can be cooked in the microwave, but I have no idea how it will turn out.  Hope it tastes good cuz I am not interested in making anything else tonight.  Oh and for an entree I chose the fine dining taste of macaroni and cheese.  Well, at least it is not out of a box, I am going to make my own cheese sauce-or as my sister-in-law calls it a "rue".  I hate to admit it, but when she asked me if I had made the rue for my mac and cheese I just gave her a blank stare.  Apparantly she is a fan of the cooking channel, but I don't make time for that.  In my world I refer to a "rue" as a sauce:), but at least  now I know for future reference what the word means.  Anyhows, it is getting later by the minute and while my microwavable dessert is cooling I should really be washing my hair instead of wasting time on the computer. 

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link