May. 12, 2009 - Check it out...
I'm actively posting on my New Blog, so check it out.........
www.desiremyheart.blogspot.com
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Apr. 22, 2009 - New Home
I've been frustrated from the beginning about not being able to customize my blog. I am just clueless when it comes to HTML. Although I love the community here at Homeschoolblogger, I am moving to Blogger. It is just so much more user friendly for someone like me who knows nothing about how to add/change things about their blog. My new blog address is www.desiremyheart.blogspot.com Come check it out when you get a chance!
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Feb. 17, 2009 - Valentine's Day
Here are all of our beautiful Valentine creations....
Savannah made the two cards on top, Amaris made the heart on bottom, and Jadon (with help) made the blue card. He decided to modify it a little though and chopped it up with scissors. What you see is what remained when he was done.
Here are our Valentine Bees made from toilet paper rolls. First is mine, then Savannah's, Amaris', and Jadon's.
These are our Heart Angels. Jadon made a blue cupid because he did not want to make an Angel. Savannah and Amaris helped him with it because he got bored after a while and ran off to play.
We had a good week celebrating Valentine's Day. We read a different Valentine themed book each day and made our Valentine crafts. We also made some cookies and rice crispy treats to give to Savannah and Amaris' Sparks class and teachers in AWANA and my and Andy's Puggles class.
On Valentine's Day our church had a movie and popcorn night for the adults and a Valentine Party for the kids. Andy and I got to see the movie Fireproof. We had already seen it, but we really like the movie, so we enjoyed seeing it again. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It has a great message and it's highly humorous and entertaining too.
The kids all had a fun time at the Valentine Party and came home with lots of goodies, although Savannah and Amaris were a little sad because they said they were the only ones who didn't win a big prize. They didn't dwell on it though and agreed that they still had a great time.
Hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day too.
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Feb. 10, 2009 - A look into our typical home school day.....
I don’t think I’ve ever described what our day is like. We have school Monday – Thursday. I started taking Fridays off a couple of months ago so I would have a day to try and get housework done. By the time we are done with school and lunch it doesn’t leave me much time to get anything done around the house before it is time to stop and figure out dinner. We just make up Fridays work during the other days of the week.House still isn't completely clean, but it definitely helps.
We start school around 8-8:30am. The first thing we do are our pledges. We pledge to the Bible, Christian Flag, and American Flag. Then we have Bible Study/Devotion. I’ve used several books for this time. Right now we are using Devotions for the Children’s Hour.
After our devotion we have a time of prayer. I keep a prayer journal where we list all the things we want to thank Jesus for and the concerns we want to pray about. After our prayer we have a history rhyme we sing that is about the week’s history lessons. Then we have history. After history we either have Science, Art, Dramatic Play, or Thinking Games depending on what day it is. Those are the things that aren’t done daily.
Then we have our memory verse for the week that we study. After that is story time. We’ve been reading Thornton Burgess books like Reddy Fox, Grandfather Frog, Chatterer the Red Squirrel, and others. Twice a week we have handwriting and twice a week we have thinking skills. We have spelling, math, and reading every day. They are doing excellent in spelling. We are almost done with our first grade list of words and will soon be starting on the second grade list. They also practice the piano every day. On Thursdays we have grammar. We are usually done with school between 11am-12pm, just in time for lunch. Oh yeah, we have snack at 10:00am – the kids never let me forget snack time!
This week we will be doing a Valentine craft and reading a Valentine story every day. The girls are excited about that. I’ll post pictures of our creations at the end of the week.
Now to some pictures....
Here is what we made when we were studying about Indians. It is our Indian Village.....
Here are our "Faith" boxes. We learned that the Roman churches had boxes for the people to put money in and they taught that if you put money in the box you could get to heaven sooner. Martin Luther caused a fuss by listing things the Roman church taught that were wrong. Luther taught that you can not buy your way into heaven and that God gives salvation to those who have faith and believe in Christ Jesus. So we made "Faith" boxes to represent that you have to have faith in Jesus to get to heaven, you can't buy your way there. Instead of putting money in our boxes like the Roman church taught, we put strips of paper in the boxes with scriptures on them that talked about faith.
A couple of weeks ago Savannah and Amaris' Sparks class in AWANA had a Sparky Rodeo. It was a lot of fun.....
Jadon and Bethany got in on the action too...
I think that is all for now. Hope you enjoyed a look into our school day.
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Feb. 9, 2009 - 100th Day of School
Today was our 100th day of school! I know, I haven’t been very good at keeping up with my blog. I honestly had good intentions. I’ll just have to try harder I guess.
For our 100th day I had some special things that we did. I made a little sign that said “Happy 100th Day of School” and hung it up. The girls thought that was pretty neat. Then I came up with ten different activities that had to do with the number 100, printed them on paper, and put the slips of paper in a container. We started school and I set a timer for 10 minutes. When the ten minutes was up we picked a slip of paper from the container and did the activity that was picked. When we were done we got back to our school work and started the timer again. We kept doing this with the girls taking turns reaching into the container to pick a slip of paper until we had done all 10 activities. Here were our ten activities in the order we did them:
· 1. Exercise 100 times – 10 exercises 10 times each (jumping jacks, toe touches, etc.)
· 2. Draw a picture of what you will look like when you are 100 years old.
· 3. Count forward to 100 and count backwards from 100.
· 4. Count to 100 by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, 20’s
· 5. Write the numbers 1-10 ten times each.
· 6. Count out and pop 100 popcorn kernels – this was our snack, we ended up popping more though J
· 7. If I had $100 I would buy……Savannah said animals, Amaris said a cat, and Jadon said a big green tractor!
· 8. Put together a 100 piece puzzle – we put together a horse puzzle.
· 9. Put away 100 dishes from the dishwasher – Hey my dishwasher got cleaned out and it actually ended up being only 93 dishes.
· 10. List 100 things you are thankful for.
Getting tired, so I'll post more later and add some pictures. This was my second attempt at this update because I accidentally hit the back button the first time and lost all I had written. Don't feel like writing more tonight. Think I'll call it a night.
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Oct. 14, 2008 - Time Flies.........
So I'm not as good at keeping up with my blog as I thought I would be. School has been going well and we've been learning lots. We are in our 8th week. I can't believe it. Time definitely flies, especially when you are a stay at home mom. That song by Kenney Chesney, Don't Blink, is so true.
Over the last few weeks we've done a lot of fun things like have a campout in the front yard (ok, didn't turn out as fun as we had envisioned). It was more like musical beds than anything. Eventually, only Andy, Jadon, and Savannah remained outside in the tent until morning.
Awana had an Egyptian night and the girls dressed up as Egyptian Princesses. Our Awana club has adopted an Awana club in Egypt and the kids donate money that goes to help that club. The girls really liked dressing up because I put "real" makeup on them.
Another fun thing we did was spend 3 days at Hill Country Resort on Canyon Lake and we also went to Sea World. That was a lot of fun and a nice little vacation. My parents came with us also.
We had a "Show and Tell" day a couple of weeks ago and Savannah chose to tell about her Hiker patch that she earned in Awana (She is in the Second handbook which is the "Hiker" handbook.) and a Littlest Pet Shop toy she has (she loves Littlest Pet Shop). Here she is proudly showing them......
Amaris chose her Psalty Bible. Psalty is a Singing Songbook (hymnbook). We have lots of Psalty CD's that are really entertaining with songs and stories that have a positive Biblical message. I listened to them growing up and loved Psalty. Amaris reads her Bible a lot. Our Pastor's wife told me the other day that she has never seen a child as young as Amaris read as well as Amaris does. I have to admit, Amaris is a very good reader. She started learning to read when she was 3 1/2 and loves to read. Here she is showing her Psalty Bible...... 
The girls are still taking piano lessons every Thursday. They started lessons mid July. Savannah is doing really well, but her excitement is starting to fade. She now says she wants to learn to play the flute. I asked her to stick with the piano a while and maybe we will consider the flute in the future. Amaris has been doing well also, but her excitement faded about a month ago. She can't stand to sit still, so she doesn't like practicing and she complains that the half hour lesson is too long. I spoke to her teacher and so she is going to try to make it more fun and incorporate more fun activities to her lessons. I really want them both to stick with it, so I've been praying for God's guidance. I know He has a special plan for them, and I want to make sure that I'm helping him fulfill His plan for them and not getting in the way. These pictures are a couple of months old of them at piano lessons......
It's getting late, so I better go. I had lots of pictures I wanted to post of the fun things we've done and just some other cute pictures of the kids, but it would have been way too many. If you are interested in seeing them let me know and I'll send you the link for family and friends to view them on the flickr website. I won't promise anything, but my goal is to update once a week so I won't get so far behind again. We'll see.....
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Sep. 21, 2008 - It's About Time
Sorry it's been so long since I last posted about school. Time is just flying by. I can't believe we will be starting our 5th week of school tomorrow. The girls have been doing great - other than the occasional "I don't want to do school". Once we get started they usually don't complain. Considering the interruptions from Jadon and Bethany, they are really very patient. We had one such interruption just the other day. Jadon decided he would try changing his own diaper. Well, it was a poopie diaper and needless to say there was poop all over the floor, all over his clothes, and all in the carpet. I had to stop school, bathe Jadon, shampoo the carpets, and wash his clothes. Hopefully that will be his last attempt at that.
Savannah and Amaris have already done 8 weeks worth of spelling and are also ahead in reading. They could be ahead in other things as well, but right now I'm just trying to stay on the schedule that will keep them on pace with a regular school year. I don't know that I want them to finish everything too quickly.
I don't think I ever posted a picture of our Behavior Chart, so here it is. Savannah has only been on yellow once. Amaris has been on yellow and orange several times. Amaris usually straightens up before she has to lose any tickets. And I have noticed her trying harder to behave before she gets to time out. She still struggles with submitting to authority - at least where I'm concerned. She definitely tries to take advantage of me at times, but that's her strong will showing it's face.
A couple of weeks ago we were learning about Moses and how he was raised by an Egyptian Princess even though he was an Israelite. We made Egyptian collars out of paper plates. Here are the girls showing them off.....
We had our first "Field Trip" this past Friday. We went to the Georgetown Library with some friends and heard some stories about Autumn and did some Autumn crafts. Monday (September 22nd) is the first day of Autumn for those who didn't know.
In front of the fountain at the Library....
In front of a mural in the children's area at the library.....
Bethany "reading" at the Library.....
Bethany during story time....
That's all for now. I'll try to update a little more regularly in the future.
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Sep. 8, 2008 - I think I had forgotten.........
Today as we were reading our History lesson, I was reminded of something that I know too many of us have forgotten - What is a nation? We were learning about how after God confused the languages of the people building the Tower of Babel, they spread out and moved to different parts of the world. They built villages and towns that over time grew into nations.
Our history book defined Nation as a large group of people who live in the same place, speak the same language, work together, and are ruled by the same laws. As I read that I honestly thought, "Wow, that doesn't really describe America." Out of curiosity, I looked up the definition in my Webster's dictionary also to see if it was the same. Webster defines a nation as a people who share common customs, origins, history, and often language.
Have we, as a nation, forgotten what defines us? What has happened to the common customs and rights that used to define America such as prayer - in public and private; patriotism - protecting our country at all costs and standing beside those who do, honoring the flag and what it stands for, being proud to be American and speak English; Biblical values - How did the 10 commandments turn into something bad? How on earth can anyone say it's ok to kill a child inside the womb? What happened to the work ethic of our parents and grandparents that says, "I'll provide for myself and my family and I don't expect to be bailed out for the poor choices I make. Yes, we might have to struggle, but doesn't that only make us stronger in the end."
I am not one who is interested in politics, but I am so sick of Americans sitting back and letting the corrupt take over our country. It is one thing to give others the freedom to have their own beliefs, but it is another thing to allow others to take away our rights and conform our country to their ungodliness.
America was founded on Christian values and I am so thankful that I live here and have the freedom to worship God without fear of death, but I think we need to remember that it's because of our founding fathers seeking God's wisdom and guidance that our country has prospered like it has.
I don't want our country to continue on the path of taking God out of everything and at the same time giving every other religion and ungodly idea the liberty to have their say. When did the rights and opinions of the minority over power those of the majority? Why can't my child go to public school and talk to her teacher about God? Why can't a teacher at a public school tell a child, "You know what? You are a special creation of God and He loves you very much." Why do public schools (and society) tell our children that it's normal for a man to marry a man or a woman to marry a woman. And not only is it ok, but you should support it. (I know this goes on in schools because a former co-worker of mine had a son who was taught this in 3rd grade at the elementary school in the subdivision where we used to live. And that was around 10 years ago.)
The gays and lesbians can march through the streets naked and acting perverse in the name of "Gay Pride", but the 10 Commandments can't be posted in front of a court house! Why does our society tell our children that sex is ok outside of marriage and go ahead and explore whatever sounds good, but then society gasps if they get an STD or get pregnant? And should we be surprised that 12 year olds are sexually active when all they see on tv, in magazines, and from those in music and hollywood they look up to is how to be sexy?
The presidential election coming up in November is so vital to the direction our country goes. As you decide who you will vote for, let's not forget what truly makes this country great. Remember that things of the earth - financial wealth, material posessions- they are all just fleeting, temporary. It doesn't matter how big our checking account is or if we have all the latest gadgets and wear the latest styles. If our nation has all the financial and material wealth in the world, but no longer has morals and values and has lost sight of what really matters, then what have we gained? I certainly don't want our country to be in financial ruin, but I'm more afraid of what our country will become if we keep those who will stand up for godly values out of political office.
What kind of country do you want your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to live in? Who can best lead our country in that direction? I ask you to please prayerfully seek God and His Word (the Bible) as you make your choice for the next President and Vice President of the United States of America.
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Sep. 1, 2008 - Our First Week of School
Our first week of school went pretty well. We completed our work each day and the girls each got treasure box twice. They really liked that.
I made a little "chart" so to speak to help Savannah and Amaris stay on task. Savannah had this in kindergarten and thought it would be neat for us to have at home also. They start out each day on green - acceptable behavior. Then it goes down to warning, time out, lose 3 tickets, and principal - aka daddy. They can also go up and "reach for the stars" if they are REALLY good. If they get reach for the starts they automatically get to pick something from the treasure box even if they don't have 10 tickets.
Savannah stayed on acceptable behavior all week, but Amaris got time out twice. Amaris is a little fireball and isn't too afraid to argue and tell me "no". I pray she learns sooner than later that submitting to authority isn't a bad thing. I am thankful though that she is strong willed, even though it is challenging at times. My prayer is that as she grows older she will grow stronger in her faith and values and use that strong will to stand firm in her beliefs.
Little Jadon wasn't too excited about his school work. Well, he was excited about saying it was his school work, but when it came down to doing it he was more interested in playing with his trucks and tractors. I realized after a day or two that when we sit down for snack I can hold his attention long enough to read a little paragraph from his Bible and work on the week's letter and its sound. He now knows that the letter "A" says aaaaaa. He can't recognize it yet though. He almost always says it's the letter B. So, this week we will work on recognizing the letter A. He also learned this week that God made the sun. Now when you ask him who made something he pretty much says God no matter what it is you are asking him about.
I video taped them a little talking about school, so one of these days I'll tie Andy down and get him to show me how to put it on here. I'm amazed at how nice some of the blogs I've come across are. Especially when it's a kid who did it. Boy does that make me feel ignorant. I am so illiterate when it comes to HTML and whatever else it is I'm supposed to use to create the blog the way I want it.
Better go, talk to you all again soon.
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Aug. 25, 2008 - First Day of School
Today was our first day of school. It went relatively well, although it took longer than I thought it would. We still finished by lunch though, which was my goal. Savannah has been the one excited about homeschooling and Amaris has been the one complaining that she doesn't get to go to Kindergarten like Savannah did. Well, Savannah started out the day with a bad attitude about homeschooling and Amaris was excited and exclaimed that she loved school. They were kind of back and forth the whole time with liking and not liking it which was kind of frustrating. In the end though they said they loved it, so that was encouraging. I think the hardest part is them trying to take advantage of mom being the teacher. I know they wouldn't have complained and been as demanding with someone else. This week will be a period of transition for all of us. I'm sure we'll be adjusted soon enough though. I'm really proud of Savannah and Amaris and their eagerness to learn.
Jadon and Bethany did really well too. They hardly interrupted us at all. Jadon joined in a little during one of the songs we did about God's Creation. There were different animal motions that he thought were fun. Bethany was actually trying to do the motions too. It was pretty cute. Jadon also joined in during math when the girls were gluing some things to paper and he tagged along during some of our science lesson about God creating light. I didn't really get a chance to do any of his stuff with him today though.
Thanks to everyone who gave words of encouragement and who prayed for our first day of school. It really helped our day go well.
All Dressed up and Ready to learn!
Coloring pages in Little Annie's Art Book.
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