Just an average, ordinary mommy, learning to live my life for God and learning to laugh through it all. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:28:00 -0500 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:28:00 -0500 Isn't that the beauty of homeschooling? :) After having everything "planned", I was still feeling massively overwhelmed. I know that there's a good chance Tibs will choose to go to High School in 2 years and just felt that in fairness to her, I needed to be preparing her for that. I also admitted to myself, that we all do best when we do textbooks. I've struggled for 5 years with this particular fact, but this year I decided there is nothing wrong with actually doing school at home, and that we are still doing a bang-up job. So after all that and a lot of prayer, I did a very last minute switch with ALL our curriculum. ;) Tibs will now be doing BJU World Studies, Saxon 7/6 Math, Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science, Abeka 7 Grammar and Comp, and Spelling Smart. Peanut is now going to be doing Horizons Preschool program. I realize that Horizons is exactly the same as Interlock, but actually has everything ready to go, and that's why I switched her too. Tibs is very excited and I know she is going to thrive doing things this way. For her, she needs to be able to check off things as she goes, and she also likes to know that she is on-par with her classmates in school. I've also decided that we will either stick with Abeka or BJU for the littles all the way through.  I know in my heart, that there is such wonderful curriculum out there, but I think for me, I need to do our homeschool this way. And I know that if I embrace this, so will my kidlets. They will all likely go to High School in our town, and I find peace in knowing they will be just fine there after being home and doing either Abeka or BJU. The funny thing is, I felt nothing but absolute relief when I finally just bit the bullet and admitted what I knew in my heart. :) I know there are SO many good options out there for homeschooling, but I finally am doing something that for us, feels so incredibly right. And that's what matters. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/582670/ Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:28:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/582670/ After a LONG hiatus from this blog, I decided to resurrect it for our homeschool year. :) I'm still not wild about the format, but it's something I can live with. This year, Annie moves on to high school (which she is truly ready for!) and that leaves me with just the three youngest at home. Tibs will be doing a mixture of things. We're going to try Weaver for the first time and mix it up with Spelling Smart and Right Start math. I think all of them will be a good fit for her, but the Weaver is just a little bit intimidating to me. ;) And this year, we'll add in Peanut! Peanut is 5 and very ready to start. I'll be taking a real casual approach with her. We're going to glean ideas from Interlock and mix it in with plain old reading and writing. She is learning to spell her name and constantly asks how to write things. She is terribly eager to learn to read so we'll be working towards that. And finally Jellybean. ;) He's almost 4, but probably too young to really "do" any sort of school. I'll let him come and go through our lessons as he pleases. I can tell already that math will be his strong point as he's obsessed with numbers and shapes. Funny kid! SO... Welcome back and can't wait to begin again! :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/578154/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/578154/ Sister Lisa at Apples of Gold Ministries has a unique request. She is asking the writers of Chicken Soup for the Soul to create a book of inspiration for homeschoolers. Along with that request, she is asking homeschooling parents to be willing to contribute a short story if the book becomes a reality. If you would be interested in participating in this project, please reply in the comments section, to Lisa at Apples of Gold Ministries. What a great opportunity to encourage families on their journey! d:) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/420761/ Sun, 4 Nov 2007 07:33:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/420761/ I hope you are liking the new look here! Ali from Mission Field Designs did a wonderful job and captured exactly the look I was hoping for. Now I'm going to put in a shameless plug for Ali and her work. When she started my design, Ali realized (from picture of daughter #4) that we had adopted. We began emailing back and forth and I soon learned that Ali and her hubby are in the beginning stages of adopting from Ethiopia! Ali has always (and still does) her template work for free. You were always able to leave donations through PayPal on her site. But here's what's new. Ali is now putting all money received from her work, towards their adoption. What better cause to contribute towards! So if you are looking for a new face for your Homeschool Blog, please check out Ali. Not only does she do beautiful work, but in the end you are helping give a home to a child. And that is a blessing! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/418899/ Thu, 1 Nov 2007 06:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/418899/ Doing some "PE" with dad over noon hour.... What's this? Is Tibs going somewhere? Looks like she's got a stow-a-way.... Some "socialization" with their cousins and best friends... Love these kiddos!!! d:) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/415303/ Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/415303/ Ali of Mission Field Designs has graciously agreed to work on a new look for this blog. Over the next while, you might see this change, and change again, as the kinks get worked out. Stay tuned.... d:) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/412023/ Sat, 20 Oct 2007 14:54:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/412023/ Good gracious! I had no idea I'd let this blog sit vacant for over two weeks! To kick off a new season of blogging, here's my contribution to Favorite Foto Friday. Praying our little Jellybean is home soon! d:) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/411559/ Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/411559/ This weekend my entire family took a power trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law that live 5 hours from us. We left yesterday late morning and got home tonight at about 6:30! It was a hard, fast trip, and oh-so-fun!  My girls don't get to see their cousins who live there nearly enough and they all had a blast just hanging out and being together.  It was Peanut's first long trip since she came home almost a year ago, and she actually did pretty well.  I was surprised because she is NOT a good traveler, but she did just fine. Sleeping was another story (she didn't), but the trip itself was wonderful. We'll see these guys again at Christmas and I hope to actually get pictures of the rest of the crew then! Right now, I'm bone-dead tired and I need to unpack and get ready for Sunday! Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are! d:) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/404130/ Sat, 6 Oct 2007 19:08:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/404130/ I have loved each age my girls have been at, and having teenagers has been no exception. Yes, there are those days when I pull my hair out and even more days when I completely blow it as a mom, but through all the ups and downs, I love watching these girls become unique individuals of their Father. At some point this summer, Christine realized that she enjoys baking. And the crazy thing is, she doesn't just enjoy it a little, this teen discovered that she loves to be in the kitchen! And in learning to bake and bake well, this girl has suddenly found that she has an amazing gift. She genuinely loves to bake, not for her own pleasure, but because she loves to give her baked goods to others. In her group of friends, only one girl is 16 yet. That means that out of 6 girls, one does all the driving to non-school events. More than once now, Christine has baked goodies and brought them to D as a way of saying, "thanks" and "you don't go unappreciated". For my birthday last month, she baked me a cake and decorated it (yes, I'm 38).  I loved it!  It made me feel so blessed as a mom to see this giving come full circle. When I sit and think about this, it absolutely brings me to tears (see where she gets the "emotional" part from??).  I have watched this girl blossom as she loves on others this way. She has always had a gracious spirit, but now I'm seeing it explode into shards of twinkling light, spilling love onto all those around her. (Mommy moment....sniffle...) Sunday Tibs told her, "Christine, I can see that someday your kids are going to be lucky because I know that you will bake them a lot of home cooked meals." The look on Christine's face was priceless. To recognize that others "see" this gift in her and appreciate her for it warmed her soul.  It was the type of compliment that will be tucked in her heart forever. Christine is such a homebody. And her future family is going to be oh-so-blessed. Gracious...I love being a mom... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/401163/ Mon, 1 Oct 2007 22:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/401163/ I had several things I was going to write about today, but there is something more important that I need to share. Ashley Adams is a precious 2 year old that desperately needs your prayers and encouragement today. Ashley has battled through a lifetime of illness and now her condition is worsening. Please stop by her blog today and leave a word of comfort for her parents. And say a small prayer for a little girl who is fighting so hard and for a family that is trying to accept a very difficult prognosis. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/400227/ Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:44:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/aseasonofhome/400227/