Sunny Mountain Academy - Homeschool Blogger

Prayer Request

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 05:26:00 -0600

Please include my husband in your prayers this week.

He is going away for business and will be flying.

I am looking for him to make a safe return to us.

Thank You!

Tracy

Great Links & New Entry

Fri, 9 Feb 2007 06:21:00 -0600

Just an FYI

I have posted some great links that I have had sitting in my favorites folder & I have posted a couple of new entries.

Check them out on my new blog:

http://sunnymountainacademy.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you there you'll love it!!

Tracy

Tagged A-Z

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:42:00 -0600

I've been tagged!!!! A-Z

A- Available or married? Married

B- Best Friend? My husband

C- Cake or Pie? I'll take both please!!!
D- Drink of Choice? espresso

E- Essential Item? My Computer & Internet

F- Favorite Color? Purple

G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Worms if I must
H- Hometown? Cerro Gordo

I- Indulgence? Shoes
J- January or February? february
K- Kids & names? B (9), A (3)
L- Life is incomplete without? My family and friends
M- Marriage Date? Oct 23 1996
N- Number of Siblings? 3 sisters
O- Oranges or apples? Apples
P- Phobias/Fears? Heights, the dark

Q-Favorite Quote? It's not what you did or said it is how you made someone feel.

R- Reason to Smile? My family, friends

S- Season? Fall. I Love the cool crisp air, the leaves, pumpkin patches, hot chocolate. Wow I could go on and on!

T- Tag three people! 3 readers pick, then leave a comment telling me you did.

U- Unknown fact about me: I can read book a day.
W- Worst habit? Procrastinating
Z- Zodiac? Aries

Y- Your favorite food? Pizza, Pie, Cake, okay anything really

Thanks for stopping by Sunny Mountain!!

Anyone use Calvert?

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 18:25:00 -0600

I am already going down the researching road for next years curriculum.

I think this years curriculum which is really nothing more than a mix an mash is failing us...

I am not particularly concerned with what the public schools are teaching and in what grade but my husband is very academic minded and he cares. That being said he thinks that she should be a little further along than she is, and is blaming our choices of curriculum. Partly it is the unwillingness of the student to participate fully, and the "Teacher" having too many to do's on her plate which will change "teacher" wise starting January 1st....

I gave this information as a background but I am only looking for a discussion on the Calvert program not on what we have been doing or doing wrong. Please your information on The Calvert Homeschooling program only.

So I was told that another homeschooling family here uses Calvert for their daughter. The mother told me they just love the program, that it comes with instruction manuels, basically a packaged curriculum with all that you need to complete the schooling... Unfortunately I don't know how to contact her to get more information about the program so I am asking around here to find out if you do or know someone that does.

Do you feel it covers the studies effectively, is it boring and repetative etc...?

My daughter has ADD which will make it hard for her to sit for long lengths of time.

Any help with Pro's and Con's will be helpful.

Thanks for stopping by Sunny Mountain!

Tracy

Change of plans!!! Exciting New!!!

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:28:00 -0600

I am so excited!!! Really Really excited to be truthful!!! My husband called me from work yesterday around 9 am to give me the really really good news. I have been clapping and jumping up and down and reminding him every chance we get about this good news that he shared with me!

We are NOT moving!!!

We get to stay here on Okinawa for 3 more years with the possibility of 1 extra year!!!

What makes this super exciting is that my husband is going to be transferred into an awesome job that is reliable! He will work 7-4 Mon-Fri. No weekends no holidays, and they require him to go to college. Um hello college for the Military is FREE over here and who wouldn't want to be told to better themselves and get kudos at work for it. Not to mention they will give him time off for his classes!!!!

I am happy dancing!!!

I really didn't want to leave here. I have grown to love it and I would seriously miss my Okinawan friends if I did leave..

Sooooo my homeschool blogger friends you will still be entertained with happenings from Japan for at least the next 3 years!!!

Party at my blog all week!!

Thanks for stopping by Sunny Mountain!

Tracy

oh and ps if you can find an animation of the cabbage patch dance I would love to have it, as this is the dance I am really doing!!!!!

Shutterfly A great place to do business with

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:13:00 -0600

I just wanted to let you all in on a great deal and a great company.. I just recently ordered prints and cards from Shutterfly, let me tell you I think they did a really really really great job on them. I know I know I did all the work taking the picture but what is a picture really if they don't come out good on paper?! So check them out and you will be pleasantly suprised with what they have to offer you.

You can't beat the FREE shipping and fast!

Thanks for stopping by Sunny Mountain!

Tracy

Blogger Friend School Assignment #7

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:50:00 -0600

Blogger Friend School Assignment #7
BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS

Our assignment this week is to blog about your plans for Thanksgiving Day.....share your day in any creative form.

Our plans for Thanksgiving include a whole lot of cooking and an even bigger amount of food and people! LOL I'll break it down for ya.

Wednesday evening I will make the deserts which will be , Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Louisiana Yum Yum (I will post the recipe), I might be making one more but not sure yet. I have my Okinawan friend coming over for cooking lessons, well it will be a lesson in making deserts! And I have a girl that works with my husband coming over for lessons as well.

Thursday morning we will get up bright and early to make the Turkey. My husband is the Turkey guy so everyone will be watching him and learning. Everyone means my Okinawan friend and the other girl. Yes they both will be here bright and early! After that we are off to make the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, Cheese Hashbrown casserole, stuffing, and whatever else strikes our fancy!

LOL I love to cook but I don't know how much I will love it with 3 other people in my small kitchen!!!

I have someone else making the ham, and yet another person making more stuffing and another Turkey.

We have invited several of the single Airman to join us as well as a couple of married couples. We are expecting at least 20 people.

The only way for it to really feel like the holidays for some of these guys and girls is to be around a group of other people and I agree. For that day we are all a family and it feels good. There is no crying from being homesick. Especially over here in Japan you can't just get in your car and drive home because we have miles separating us from our loved ones so we make mock families.

I don't know that I would ever have this opportunity or try to if we were civillian. I know for the 2 years that we were not in the military living amongst a civillian town we only knew one neighbor and we were living in my hometown. The Military is close anyway, and I think that we know the struggles that each other has (especially when you have been doing it as long as we have) that you just instinctivly know what needs done and do it.

Okay I got off of the subject a little bit, but I did give you some back ground even if I was rambling.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday wherever you and your family are!

Thanks for stopping by Sunny Mountain!

Tracy

So that is what we do. Learn to cook, Make lots of food, eat lots of food, spend the day with lots of people, and have lots of good fun!!

Blogger Friend School Assignment #5

Sun, 5 Nov 2006 22:15:00 -0600

Here is assignment #5

Share your family traditions for Christmas and/or Advent
List 10 ways that you can prepare for the season
Post a scripture that will help you "Get into the Spirit

Traditions

I always buy too many gifts because I forgot where I put the others so I am still giving out gifts that I bought years ago. That might be a tradition of some sort! LOL!

We decorate for Christmas usually the day after or 2 days after Thanksgiving. We used to do it Thanksgiving day but now we host a meal for several airman and just have too many things going on.

Every year we watch Christmas movies starting December 1st and the week before Christmas we really get into the spirt by watching nothing but Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music.

Christmas eve we each pick out one gift that we are the most excited for the other person to open, and then we eat "Christmas" pizza.

Preparation

1. Make a list and stick to it

2. Put things where they can be found!!!!

3. Try not to accomplish more than I can humanly do

4. Ask for help from kids and husband

5. Write out Christmas cards Dec 1st and mail out ASAP!!

6. Get presents mailed out by Dec 1st at the latest so it doesn't cost more

7. Ask for present ideas instead of trying to guess

8. Take breaks

9. Remember to drink plenty of water, and get more sleep

10. Relax whatever is going to happen will happen

11. Set a spending limit and only use cash to purchase

(I had to add this one)

Scripture

I will update this section as soon as I find what I am looking for.

Looking to Identify this woman, Needle in a Haystack?

Sat, 4 Nov 2006 23:31:00 -0600

I have been presented this task of identifying this woman in the photo below.

This is what I know:

The back of the picture has a stamp that says:

Merrill's Photoshop

105 1/2 Broadway Monmouth Ill

Phone 469

(Date range I am thinking 1940-early 1950's) (not positive)

The front of the photo says: With love Hazel

The lady is reported to be the aunt of the gentleman who asked for my assistance

The womans brother was US Military and was killed in the Korean War sometime around 1951-1952. Branch of service is unknown

The gentleman "thinks" the last name is Anderson, and that her first name is Needy or Nadine or DeeDee (even though the picture says Hazel) but it could have been lost in translation. I was not able to figure out how he got the picture other than from his mom. I'm not sure why she wouldn't have a picture of the GI. There was a mention of items being lost in a typhoon.

I started asking a lot of questions to try and get a better starting point and here is the background.

From what I am being told by this mans family is that his mother was in a "relationship" of some sort with a US Military man (I'm guessing somewhere in the 1950-1951 time range). The mother is Okinawan. The GI was sent to fight in the Korean war and unaware that the girl was pregnant with his child, and unfortunately was killed in action.

I asked the gentleman what his "father's" name was and he said he doesn't know.

The mother knew the GI was killed in action but never revealed his name to her son who was born in 1952.

The mother is now in her 70's and is in extremely poor health and is unable to communicate. Unfortunately no one has ever asked as many questions as I did apparently or they may have been able to get the information before her health declined.

He also unfortunately never asked what his father looked like.

He is most concerned with knowing names at this point. He is very proud of being 1/2 American and would just like to know names and possibly where his father grew up.

Here is the picture I took of the photograph he showed me.

If you know of any resources that I could use in my search I would be forever grateful!

Thank You for stopping by Sunny Mountian!

Tracy

Create you own world visitor map

Sat, 4 Nov 2006 18:33:00 -0600

My World Visitor Map!

" src="http://www.modmyprofile.com/worlds/305513.bmp" border=0>

make your own map at: www.modmyprofile.com

Thanks for stopping by Sunny Mountain!

Tracy

Sunny Mountain Academy - Homeschool Blogger

Prayer Request

Great Links & New Entry

Tagged A-Z

I've been tagged!!!! A-Z

Anyone use Calvert?

Change of plans!!! Exciting New!!!

~~Shutterfly~~ A great place to do business with

Blogger Friend School Assignment #7

Blogger Friend School Assignment #5

Looking to Identify this woman, Needle in a Haystack?

Create you own world visitor map

Shutterfly A great place to do business with