Wow I can't believe August is here and do you know that some of the Public school in my area started back today!!! I have two off to summer camp this week. I have been busy doing things but not keeping up my blog. I have posted things to Facebook, Ravelry and a KAL but I haven't had time to upload photos to an online site to then turn around and blog about our summer and post pictures.

I have been collecting school supplies for this next year.....and beyond. LOL I figured when I found great deals on the curriculum I like to use I would buy what I need for everyone to finish school. I had the old verison of Easy Grammar (ie. 34,45,56) that I had used with my oldest two and now that they have upgrated I went to the company earlier this year and asked if they had any left over workbooks for the levels I needed for the four younger ones (8yrs old down to my 2yr old) They had most books except for one level and each work book was only $5. WOW what a savings!!!! I have been able to fill in the rest with great deals on ebay. Last year someone was having a clearance on Pathway Readers and I did the same thing. So my reading and grammar is covered for Elementary grades and some Jr. High. I have History of the world volumes 1-3 with workbooks that I have made copies for my kids which is allowed for the owner for their kids so I use that, I am thinking of picking up volume 4. My High schooler I have picked up the Sicence and History requirements for our state with SOS so that too can be used with all children following. I found an online sign language course for free that qualifies for 1year foreign language in our state, but also picked up level one spanish Rosseta Stone for homeschoolers which I am finiding I need just to help out my grandmother (she doesn't speak spanish but lives in an area that they just about only speak spanish) I love my new Homeschool Tracker Plus program, I have been creating lesson plans that I will be able to use year after year with each different program, subject and publisher. I only have to create it once and it is saved forever or until I delete it. ha ha  15 to 30 minutes now creating a lesson plan for a subject for a whole year that in the future will only take me 2 minutes to apply to the next one who needs it. Talk about time saving. I have a summer schedule in there and love that I enter the points earned out of the points possible then go to generate a report card and it has my grades for me. Then there is the Library, all I have to do is input the ISBN number of my book and wala it puts in the rest of the info for me. I can then assign that book for reading, school lessons or just have a record of what I have and where I have it, if I borrowed it from someone or lent it to someone, If I borrowed if from the local library, when it is due and can have an alarm sound so many days before its due date so I don't forget to return it. Ok love it love it love it!!  I have been doing the Dave Ramsey High School Finance Course with my two high schoolers this summer, they are bumbed when one of them is away at camp because I won't work on it with one gone.

DD2 went to Jr. High camp even though she is going into High School this year, they were allowed to go this summer, much cheeper than High School Camp $65 , HS was $175. We told the girls that they needed to help pay for their camps. Well DD2 baked chocolate chip cookie (ground the flour and all) and took them to the church's bake sale and raised $130, paid for herself and an other girl who need fund to go to camp. I was so proud of her. DD1 now had earned money by babysitting, dog walking and dog sitting and paid her $50 deposit they then had a Bar-B-Que at church (same day as the bake sale) to raise money for 4 High Schoolers to go to camp.They raise $100 for each of them $400 total to go to camp which then DH and I paid the last $25 for her to go to Hume Lake. DD1 went to camp the Sunday after DD2 came back. While DD2 was at HS camp VBS was going on so DD2 helped out and DD3, DS1 and DD4 attended! they had a blast. Yesterday DD1 went to camp with DD3 as a Jr Counsoler.  All the while DD3,DS1 and DD4 are in morning swim lessons. DS1 loves Friday fun days (every two weeks) because he can jump off the Lifeguard towers. I have been knitting and sewing as well. Once I get a chance to upload picture to another site I will post them. I have swim suite I made for the girls, longies, Skirties, Capris, stegasoures, baby booties for the Pregnancy Crisis Centers in California, monthly socks for the KAL and still working on my brother in laws sweater. Yep I am still here but haven't found a whole lot of time to blog. ha ha