A peak inside this crazy house as we homeschool and embrace the joys and trials of our 2 boys and 2 girls. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 9 Jan 2009 12:28:00 -0600 Fri, 9 Jan 2009 12:28:00 -0600 Caleb read The Sword in the Tree this week.  Instead of doing a book report, I had him draw a poster of some part of the story.  Here is his poster: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/643321/ Fri, 9 Jan 2009 12:28:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/643321/ We were on our way home from our 4th Christmas of the season.  Aaron and I overheard Rachel talking in the back of the car.  She was saying, "Jesus sure has a lot of birthdays!  We both couldn't help laughing! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/643305/ Sat, 3 Jan 2009 12:26:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/643305/ I hope you had a safe and wonderful holiday season...filled with Christ's love and focused on Him.   Now as the new year begins it is a time for resolutions.  I've never really made resolutions before...but this year I decided to give it a try.  My first resolution is to instill a new habit in my life every month.  They say if you do something for 28 days straight, it becomes a habit.  We'll see.  January's habit is to be in God's Word every single day.  I've set up reminders with my Google calendar, and also am journaling about the passage I read on a private online journal.  I am hoping this will help get my habit in place.  (I know...it is one I should already have in place.  But since the kids it is an area I really struggle in).  I'll try to update my new habit each month, and let you know if my current habit is sticking.  Join me in forming your own habits this year. My second resolution is to lose the rest of my weight.  I lost about 15 pounds last year, but I still have 25-30 pounds to go.  To help me with this resolution, I've joined a website called sparkpeople.com They track your food, exercise, and other fitness goals for you, and also help set your weight loss goals.  I've heard that it is similar to Weight Watchers, but I don't know anything about Weight watchers so I don't know if that is accurate or not.   They have me losing 33 lbs by August.  Hopefully it will work.   Oh, the best thing about it is that it is FREE! If you have any New Year's Resolutions I would love to hear about them! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/453948/ Wed, 2 Jan 2008 07:36:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/453948/ Meet Lucy, the newest member of our family. Rachel put the veil that goes with her wedding dress on Lucy's head. Lucy relaxing on the couch. She's a really great dog.  We adopted her on Monday from the local animal shelter.  We've only ran into a few problems with her so far...she loves to dig under our shed (I think there are rabbits and cats living under there) and actually got stuck on Friday morning.  She also doesn't seem to like to eat her dog food.  Besides that she is a sweet, calm girl.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/408080/ Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:19:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/408080/ We got home a week ago from our vacation to Myrtle Beach.  We went with my in-laws and we had a wonderful time.   Here are a few pictures (I didn't get very many...I guess I was too busy relaxing!).   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/408079/ Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/408079/ Rachel dubbed herself the princess as soon as she could talk.  She loves all things beautiful, and all eyes on her.  When Jada came along, Rachel made it pretty clear that she thought one princess was all this house needed.  As time has gone by, though, she's taken her little sister under her wing...and began teaching the importance of being a princess. Jada is soooo different than Rachel.  She's quieter and sweet, and is always going for a laugh.  I've never met a girl quite as silly as Jada...we call her our goof ball.  But, I'm beginning to see the princess in her as well. Here she is in her new pink fluffy chair.  Let me tell you...she loves this chair.  She'll come up missing, and I'll search the house for her.  I'll find her in her pink fluffy chair.  Just relaxing and grinning ear to ear. I guess deep down inside, we all have a little bit of princess in us.  Although I am not much of a girly girl, I still love pretty things...and I love being considered beautiful myself.  So, I guess there is room for more than one princess at this house, after all.  And...if I am the mother of two princesses, I guess that makes me the queen! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/396542/ Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:16:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/396542/ When I first began looking into homeschooling (when my oldest was just a little guy) I kept seeing one piece of advice over and over again.   Don't start too early.   Just give them time to be kids.   I, of course, thought that's great advice...for other people, but he's ready to start now.  What I really meant was that I had invested so much time and energy into researching, I  was ready to start. Now, I have a barely seven year old 2nd grader who is struggling.  He's smart...reading on grade level...understands his math concepts...but he just wasn't ready.  He really struggles with writing.  He still writes a large portion of his letters and numbers backwards.  Doing his math turns into a 1 to 2 hour ordeal...every single day. Thankfully, I've realized my mistake.   We're taking some time off from his math curriculum and concentrating on math facts and drills that he never fully learned.  Letting him go at his own pace, instead of feeling like he has to finish the second grade book by the end of the year...whether he's ready to or not. Hopefully, the other kids will benefit from the lessons I'm learning with Caleb...my guinea pig.  I already am pushing Josiah much less in his Kindergarten year.  We are using Sonlight's LA with him...but I'm not making him write all the dictations and copywork.  He's just not ready.  He is working on learning to write his letters, and is doing a great job with it!  There is no need to push his writing skills at this point! So, if you are just beginning on your homeschooling journey, please heed the advice!   There is no reason to push them to do things before they are ready.  Only you will know when they are truly ready...but make sure you look at things honestly, not through your own excitement.  The only thing you gain by starting too early is frustration for all involved! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/396157/ Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/396157/ I made my first trip to the ocean as a 22 year old mother of one.  I immediately fell in love.  The ocean is a feast for all the senses; the feel of sand squishing between your toes, the smell of the sea, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore,  the taste of the salty sea air, and of course the beautiful view that has no end.   Since then, I've made three more trips to ocean, collecting seashells each time.   When we redid our half bath, I decided it was a perfect place to display my shells...and be like having a little bit of the beach right here at home. Here is my collection of seashells displayed in a bowl (a leftover decoration from my wedding), with several more on the shelf.   The starfish is my husbands from when he was a child. Some more shells (they are hard to sea) and a fish my sister brought me back from Jamaica. My daily reminder of God's amazing handiwork.   And I can't wait to visit the seaside again.  (And, thankfully, I don't have to wait long....next week we're spending 5 days at Myrtle Beach with my IL's). Visit  Friday's Show and Tell for yourself! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/394950/ Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/394950/ This is Birthday Season at our house!  Aaron celebrated his 29th birthday on the last day of August.  We spent his birthday at his sister's new house in Illinois.  Jada's birthday was September 9th.  She is now two!!  I no longer have a baby...she is growing so fast.   She is working hard on potty training right now (she has more misses than hits!) . She is our funny girl...she is always trying to make others laugh...and laughing herself.  She is so silly!  She's a very happy girl, and is definitely a delight to be around!  She's also talking up a storm now.  Happy Birthday baby girl! My birthday is the following day on the 10th.  This year I hit the big 3-0.  My secret sister at church gave me a wonderful surprise for my birthday....a gift certificate to Debrand Chocolates.  MMMM.   I was able to buy 10 pieces of chocolate, and enjoyed each and every piece.  Delicious.  (I have one piece left....I'm saving it for a day when I really need some chocolate!). We have a whole month off until Rachel's birthday....So 4 of the 6 birthdays at our house are within a little over a month!   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/393898/ Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/393898/ Musings of a Housewife  is giving away a beautiful tote by girlymama. Be sure to check it out! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/382336/ Thu, 30 Aug 2007 09:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MominIN/382336/