I am a child of God, a wife to a wonderful and supportive husband and a mom to 5 great kids. This blog is about our life and homeschooling adventure. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:46:00 -0600 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:46:00 -0600 This week I finally got Anastasia a set of workboxes.  She decided she wanted to do them too.  We only do workboxes 4 days a week since we have co-op on Mondays. So what is in our workboxes this week: In Box 1 for everyone is 2-3 activites for our current unit study which is life cycles.  We are doing another lapbook from Hands of a child.  Anastasia's is called  Animal Life Cycles for grades 4-8 and the other kids is called The Circle of Life it is for grades PreK-3.  I love being able to do unit studies with both to their own levels.  The goal is to finish this lapbook by next Friday before our break. Box 2- 6 for the girls is Cubbie book, Letter T activities we are doing the letter T for two weeks to tie in Thankful, Thanksgiving, Turkey and Turtles, They are also doing tracing activities and some phonics activities.  Also computer time to play on starfall.com Boxes for Joshua- Spelling, math, reading, God's World News, handwriting, puzzles, phonics worksheets, Think it thru activities and Awana Boxes for Anastasia- Math, reading, typing, sewing (the girls patches for Awana ), God's World News, All about me activities and Awana.  She just recently finished her vocabulary and spelling book so I need to order new ones. This is what we will be doing the next two weeks and then we will take a break for the arrival of our new little one! My c-section is scheduled for November 23rd.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743736/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:46:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743736/ We finished up our letter P page last week so I just wanted to post a picture of it.  Front side Back Side This week and next we are working on the letter T.  I have again downloaded activities from http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/  I chose to do the letter T so we could incorporate our Thankful Tree, Thanksgiving and Turkeys.  You can see our activites when I post about our workboxes this week.  We will then be taking some time off to welcome our new baby home! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743733/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:44:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743733/ In our Awana club we have a monthly mission time and for the month of November our focus is on  Operation Christmas Child .  I have been blown away by the response from our clubbers and our church.  I was thinking we might put together two shoe boxes per club for a total of 6 boxes but we are going to have over 5 times that!!!!  Next Sunday I should have an exact count. This week we started sorting the stuff and putting the boxes together.  The kids prayed over the stuff first and prayed for the boys and girls that would be receiving the boxes and then they were so excited to help pack them. If you want to participate in OCC visit the link above it is an awesome organization and you can participate with a church or on your own. Sparks getting ready to start sorting the stuffPacking boxes T&T sorting toys  Cutting out labels for the shoe boxes http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743665/ Sun, 8 Nov 2009 16:28:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743665/ Have I mentioned before how wonderful our church is??     They were so gracious in planning and hosting a baby shower for us.  It was a wonderful afternoon of food, fun and fellowship.  My friend Nikki did most of the planning  and organizing and it was beautiful.  We had great food, played silly games and Jay and I were overwhelmed with all the gifts and gift cards.     Amber, Nikki and Becky making sure everything went smoothly (Thank you ladies!) Sharron coordinated all the games.  When someone won and got a prize I also got a prize!  The two grandma's trying to figure out what's in the diaper!     In this game the one partner had to use only his/her mouth to hold the spoon and feed the baby food to the other partner. Here are some pictures of some of the guests.  They are some of the most wonderful women I know!!!!     Mom, Tasha, Jadon and Me!  The gifts...... We received blankets, handmade quilts, diapers, wipes, clothing of all types, a car seat and even a new big girl car seat for Alexa and numerous gift cards to Target.  WOW!   The girls loved helping me open the gifts! Thank You Everyone!!!!!!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743659/ Sat, 7 Nov 2009 15:38:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743659/   N...N...What begins with N ??? Nesting, Nesting and more Nesting!!! We got the pack-n-play all set up in our room with the snuggle nest.  Everything is freshly washed and smells so good! With one of the gift cards from our shower I purchased this 3 drawer storage cart to put in our room for now to hold Jadon's things.  It will eventually go into Joshua's room which will become Joshua and Jadon's room. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743649/ Sun, 8 Nov 2009 15:29:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743649/ It's that time of year again where we put up our "Thankful Tree" and watch it blossom.  We usually put this up around the first of November and then each morning everyone fills out one leaf with something they are thankful for.  It is a great challenge for the kids because they are not allowed to repeat things they have already written. To make the tree I just use brown construction paper and make a trunk and branches (as you can see I am no artist).  Then I have the leaves template saved on the computer so I print them out on different colored paper.  I printed a bunch out and cut them all out so they would be ready to go each morning.  The tree looks better and better the fuller it gets as we get closer to Thanksgiving.  On Thanksgiving we take them down and read over all our blessings! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743647/ Wed, 4 Nov 2009 22:07:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/743647/ I wanted to share a blessing that happened this week.  I want to have record of it so when I sometimes forget how God blesses us even in the little ways I can be reminded.  Jay and I have been wanting to get bunkbeds for the girls since before we moved to this new house last March.  Cost and getting exactly what I want have been the two inhibitors.  I want wooden bunkbeds that have a twin on top, full on bottom with drawers underneath.  This way it will fit all three girls and eliminate other dressers in their room.  We have found several we like from Craigs list and Jay can even make them (which would be awesome).  The added expense comes in with the mattresses they add $150-$300 to the cost.  So we have been praying, saving and holding off.  Let me go back also, in the mean time we got rid of Savannah's toddler bed when we moved and the two girls have been sleeping on a blow up mattress or on the hide a bed in the playroom (they actually love sleeping there). A few weeks ago a friend from church asked us if we wanted a twin mattress in good condition that they no longer needed.  Awesome score one!  Then just yesterday Jay was getting ready to leave for band practice and one of the guys he picks up told him to make sure the surburban was cleared out and all seats down because he and his mom had an early Christmas gift for us.  Well we had no idea what it could be.  I waited patiently impatiently and finally called Jay.  He told me they gave him a queen size mattress.  (Jay never mentioned to them about us needing a bed for the girls) I have to be honest here my first reaction was "a queen size mattress what are we going to do with this?  It would be a bed for the girls but God, you know we are wanting bunkbeds and need a full size mattress".  I immediately repented and started thanking God for this provision and said even though I don't understand I will be thankful and I truly was and thanked God through out the day.  Jay finally got home around 7:30pm and unloaded the bed (mattress, box springs and frame) as he brought it in I thought it looked rather small for being a queen and told Jay.  He said they said it was a queen.  So we set it up and I got out some queen size sheets and they were too big!  What???  I got some full size sheets and they fit perfectly.  Jay and I were so excited.  We now have the two mattresses we need for the bunk beds.  Now Jay can either make them or we will continue to save to get them.  The girls were excited to sleep on the bed!  Thank you Lord!!!  It is all in His perfect timing we just need to continue to pray and have faith and know that God provides everytime. I hope this encourages you all to continue to wait on the Lord and His timing and to accept gifts from the Lord even when it might not be what we think we need or want.  It was an excellent reminder for me! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/742205/ Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:07:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/742205/ I love this book and once again Claudia shared it with us at our annual home school Pumpkin Parable Party.  Claudia provided great crafts for the kids to do, pumpkins to carve, yummy chilito eat and a great time to relax with friends. On Saturday we started the morning with orange glazed cinnamon rolls with orange juice, orange plates and ornage cups.  They were yummy and this was the only picture I got. In the late afternoon we went to the church for some fun activities and then came home and went trick or treating as well.  However this year I pooped out.  I couldn't handle all the walking.  I went ahead and put Tasha to bed she wasn't feeling that well so she didn't do any trick or treating. My sister-in-law made this shirt last year when she was pregnant.  I think it is so cute! Our little gymnast! Lilo and Stitch Christina and Stitch Our goth girl.  This was a great costume for her because it is so not her personality and she had fun with it. The trick or treaters Happy Halloween! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/742186/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:13:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/742186/ We skipped up to the letter P this week so we could tie it in with our pumpkin activities and I found some really cool activities.  Here are the activites that the girls are working on this week and are in their workboxes: These first activites are ones I downloaded, printed and laminated they are all from http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com.  Erica graciously shares all her creations on her blog. Lacing uppercase and lower case P Using sticker dots on the letter P.  Theyloved this! Graphing pumpkins.  These pages are laminatedso they color in one box for every pumpkin on the page.  It goes to 10 Sorting small, medium, large, pumpkins Spelling/matching letters,  Go to this site to see how to make the letters.  I have been saving milk caps but you can also get disks to use from a craft store.  Color matching Ok now this one I made myself before I realized that Erica had already done the letter P and had all that other stuff available.  I made the numbers 1-10 on pumpkins and cut out as cards and the girls have clothes pins or you could use paper clips and put the correct number on each card.  If anyone wants a copy let me know and I will gladly email you a copy.  We always do one of these letter pages for our book.  This week they are coloring it and glueing on popcorn seeds and pumpkin seeds. This is Alexa's color plate, doing the color orange this week. They each get their cubbie books in one of their boxes The picture is bad but this is a book I made for each of the kids.  On the first page they draw and color a picture of their pumpkin.  The second page is where they record their measurments of their pumpkin.  The third page they glue on some pumpkin seeds to make a pumpkin picture and on the last page is a fill in the blank for a pumpkin poem.  They have to fill in adjectives describing pumpkins.  Their poems turned out really cute! So that is our letter of the week activities.  We will do the letter E next week. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/740407/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:17:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/740407/  For Family Fun Night we carved our pumpkins tonight.  We didn't make it to a pumpkin patch this year so we bought our pumpkins at WalMart.  We went out to the garden center and I said "look honey it's a pumpkin patch we could take pictures here!" Anyways the pumpkins were in the living room and I sent the kids up to play for awhile they didn't know I was going to hide the pumpkins so when I called them to come down and get their pumpkins they were missing and there was this note instead... Where Oh Where did the pumpkins go?? Go ask the witch, she might know. Alexa found the next clue on the witch's hat. Leave me alone to fly my broom...why don't you go look on the door in the craft room. Savannah found that next clue.  I didn't get a picture. No pumpkins here as you can see.  Now go look on top of a low tv. The pumpkins could be anywhere so why don't you go look behind the rocking chair. I didn't get a picture of that one either but the clue left there said: To find your last clue you must go downstairs and look on the table covered by things that say "Boo". Alexa found the last clue here and it said: The time is getting late so don't delay go look inside the place where Natasha plays.... They were hiding in the pack in play! As Jay started carving the pumpkins I read a short story to them.... Being a Christian is just like a pumpkin! First, God picks you from the world and brings you in  "...but I have chosen you out of the world."  John 15:16 He then washes all the "dirt" off the outside that we received from being around all the other pumpkins.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 Then, He carefully removes all the "yucky stuff" out from the inside, all those seeds of sin, doubt, hate, greed, and fear from inside us.  "For we know our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with...."Romans 6:6 Then He carves a new smiling face.  "My lips will shout for joy when I sing praiss to You- I whom You have redeemed." Psalm 71:23 Now He fills us with His light.  "...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds..." Matthew 5:16 So you see, we Christians are really like this pumpkin!  We will never be the same with Jesus inside of us.  We can say like this pumpkin,  "Thy presence, my light!" The kids had to weigh and measure their pumpkins before we started for an activity in school tomorrow.  We didn't get to do the mummy wrapping game as everyone was getting tired.  Jay wondered why did each kid have to have their own pumpkin as he was still carving while they all went off upstairs to play!!!!   I should have gotten a picture of that but didn't.  I think I was too busy trying to clean up. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/740364/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:33:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PearceFamily/740364/