True stories from a regular mom who is endeavoring to raise more than *good kids*. We have been called to raise Godly Adults and it truly continues to be a joyful and bumpy journey... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:06:01 -0500 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:06:01 -0500 Sure, we can all find Alaska and Hawaii and our home states, our neighboring states are pretty easy too, but how about those tricky little guys up north? And where exactly is Illinois or Utah - if you have no boundaries to go by, can you figure out where all the states go? Leave me a comment with your score and time... can you beat my score? I will post my score later... let's see how you do - leave your FIRST SCORE and then if you take it again leave that one too, but I want to see what you know to start with! United States Map Test Good luck and have fun! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/719915/ Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:06:01 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/719915/ We have enjoyed our summer. Lots of activity in June, Cuyler, Cade, Catherine and I went to Kids Camp, Catherine also went to Jr. High Camp 5 hours from home! Catherine danced on the VBS Worship Team and at Kids Camp - she loves helping lead the kids into worship - it is so amazing watching my little girl dance for Jesus! School is now back in full force, we are in our third week and it is going well so far. I am no longer watching my little neice, we miss her lots - she has been with us since she was 4mos old (her mom is a ps teacher). But this year, she is four and going to preK at the school where her mom works. And my accountability system is gone! She used to arrive at 7:15am every day, so I had to be awake and ready to conquer my day! Now I am relying on my alarm clock and the boys - and am having a tough time getting going in the mornings! We are using workboxes this year - which is all over the internet, I won't try to explain the system since I am using the term but have not read the book! Basically, at our home, the boxes are sterlite drawers that have one subject per drawer, with fun things in every few drawers to keep them moving. This is the first year we are actually getting to play all the wonderful games we own! In the past school would be mornings till lunch time sitting at the table doing their individual work, me reading history at lunch and read alouds after lunch, then they were free. During the free time they often got on each others nerves and basically trashed their rooms or ran through the house like banshees - hey, just being honest!! With the workboxes, their school day is longer, but there is a plan from 9 or 10ish when we begin (ok, 10 -11ish - honesty remember!) until 3 or 4ish. I am exhausted by the end of the day, but we all feel so productive bc not only are they getting to the book work, they are getting to play too. Only, this year the play time is structured, so the banshees have given me a rest.... except in the mornings, when they wake up before me and play this wonderful game involving a baseball and 3 boys running up and down the hall!   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/712342/ Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:51:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/712342/ My last entry was Feb., maybe blogging is a quarterly event for me, I dunno. I am spending my computer time on the Sonlight forums and facebook - but I felt like I was being neglectful of this little blog. My server is down, which is why you can't see any of my pictures, my sweet husband has ordered me a new motherboard and will get it fixed soon. Since I last updated: Preston turned 17, we spent his birthday camping in Destin at Henderson Beach State Park, which was beautiful. We were there for a few days and the kids enjoyed skimboarding on the beach while I watched from my sandy lawnchair (they made me a lawnchair out of sand, oh so comfy!) Andre' and Preston rode a Waverunner, Preston drove and succeeded in throwing them both into the bay! They had a blast, male bonding and such! I am so thankful to our dear friends who allowed us to use their camper and gave us this great memory with our family. Catherine, 12, is dancing again, in a limited way. She dances for our children's ministry worship team and is having a wonderful time. She is finishing 7th grade and spends her days reading, writing and dancing, and if she cannot engage in those activities she is talking about them! We just got our big box of books for next school year and she was helping me go through them to make sure everything was there (and to oooh and ahhh over the titles). Preston is taking British Lit and she was eyeing his books with envy, asking when she could read them! I told her she could read them her senior year and she was visibly bummed, so I caved, if you finish core 7 (we are taking 2 yrs to do it) this summer, you won't have anything to read next year so you can read them then! She is such a cool kid! Cuyler will be 11 soon, is still a lover of numbers and is reading tons. I am so grateful that we did not push him, he really did catch up like I was told he would. And because we did not push, and did not make him feel like a failure, he loves to read. His favorite right now is "Good and Evil" by Michael Pearl. He is also fascinated with all aspects of Star Wars and has created elaborate storylines with his friends and brothers. Honestly, I enjoyed the movies, but I do not care who is a Sith Lord and who is a Jedi and whose Padawan learner is better than the other. I listen, I am really good at asking the right questions and making him feel like his world is important, because it is, but I do tire of the constant Star Wars news that is reported ad nauseum in our house. I also know that if I listen now, and he feels loved and valued, that when the issues are important, he will keep talking. So I keep listening, even with a smile on my face! Cade is 9, hard to believe he is such a little guy. Gramps tells him "We are dimes among nickles." My sister, Michelle, took him to the vet where she used to work to show him around. He had a great time and got to see a "procedure" done on a cat. This kid is so into science and animals, I think I have a doctor on my hands with him! He is also very compassionate and tender to others, esp. if they are smaller and weaker unless of course the smaller one is Geoffrey, then all bets are off! He is also the child who makes it a point to ask for permission for most of the things he does, I did not realize that was unique until a friend said something. We were at a party and Cade came to me to ask if he could have a peice of cake, I said sure and thought nothing of it. My friend (our children's pastor) sat there shocked and pointed out that bc of the location of me and the cake, he could have easily taken a peice and I would have not even known. Nice to hear something good that I did not know about him! Geoffrey is 7. Seven, my baby is seven. He is still 'the baby' even though he is not A baby! He is finishing first grade and loves school. I know because I asked him, his favorite is handwriting, which is really neat because at the beginning of the year he really struggled with penmanship. He is my leftie, but when he is coloring he uses both hands at the same time with 2 different colors. You see, he dislikes coloring and has figured out a way to finish faster! Math is pretty easy for him too, as is reading. He loves to be outside in the dirt, riding his scooter and jumping on the trampoline. A few weeks ago we were visiting friends and he was jumping on their tramp (with a net) - the trampoline has a net, not the kid. Anyhow, he and Cuyler were playing guess what - Starwars, that is ALL they seem to play - and Geoff lunged for Cuyler, Cuyler dodged him, the pole did not! I was inside fixing a hamburger prepared by my dear friends husband, and really looking forward to eating it cuz he can make a mean burger - alas, we were not meant to be, that burger and I - apparently I had an appointment with the ER! Geoffrey needed four stitches in his forehead. He is my most accident prone child, he has had the most medical issues - not illness, injury. There was a period of several years that we showed up at every family function with someone in stitches or with a broken bone - usually Geoffrey! Something to ponder, is it HIM or is it that he is the fifth so I am more relaxed? hmm We are almost finished with school and we are all ready for a summer of fun. See you again in August for our next quarterly update, kidding -I think! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/685418/ Mon, 4 May 2009 00:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/685418/ *Please excuse my "poetic liscence" otherwise known as lazy writing! Words in "quotes" are Geoffrey's my responses are not marked.* It is nearly midnight. The house is quiet, all the kids are tucked in, prayed for and sleeping. Oh no, please not tonight... I hear the pitter patter of little feet and the little voice cry out, "Mommy, I am scared." Earlier today the kids were playing outside, we had some out of town friends over and my children were eager to show off the abandoned house in the woods next door. A few neighborhood 'darlings' joined in the fun and proceeded to tell the kids about the 'Haunted House' and the man who died in the house and has come back to haunt it. Little wonder that my six year old can't sleep tonight. Of course all this drama happened unbeknownst to us parents - remember being a kid and spending the day outside making up wild stories and adventures to fill the day? "Mommy, I am scared, can I sleep in your room?" How do you turn that away - there he is standing in the doorway holding his pillow and blanket and three webkinz, he is sobbing and the tears are running down his chubby cheeks. I scooped him into my lap and began to question what he was afraid of. Apparently the house is not only haunted by the long dead owner, but the owner left her dog and puppies there. "Little Innocence" from down the street KNOWS because she was in the house and she heard a man say "Get out, get out, get out!" and saw a floating key.... we talked about things that float and things that do not float and determined either she was confused and wrong or she was lying. Geoffrey stated that if she was wrong then she is lying... totally not understanding the confused part, but moving on - he realized that a floating key is ridiculous. Tomorrow when it is daytime Daddy will take you to see the house and you can see for yourself that it is not haunted. "But she heard the man." he reminds me. That is true, but lets think about this, who in our house says "Get out, get out, get out!"? "ummm, you mommy?" thanks kid, really (do I? I don't think I do but...) Ok, whose ROOM is on that side of the house? Ya think maybe Preston had his window open when this girl was in the house and he shouted "Get out, get out, get out!" to one of his siblings who dared to enter his room? Could it be possible? "But Mommy, the house is haunted." No baby, the house is not haunted, but it is dangerous. I don't want you guys playing there because it is falling down and someone could get hurt. "But what about the puppies, they were left locked up in the house." No, there are no doors - a mommy dog needed a safe, warm place to have her babies - remember the puppies (no he was only 2 at the time) daddy and I found homes for the puppies. "It is a haunted house" he insists. No, from here we began discussing what happens to someone when they die. The undertaker cleans them up and they are buried, like Uncle Robert - remember? "Yes, but I don't want to do that when I grow up." I understand, neither would I, but I am glad there are people who do take care of those things. What about a persons spirit? Where does it go? Beaming he says, "HEAVEN" Right "Mom is everything in Heaven golden?" The streets are. "Cool" And the gates are pearl and there is a crystal lake. He is grinning so big now.   "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." Rev 21:21 So when people die, they go to Heaven? "Well, some of them go to Hell." Ok - so if your soul is in Heaven, are you coming back to earth? "No way, who would want to leave Heaven?" Ummhmmm, what if someone is in Hell, do they get a break from the eternal burning to visit earth? "NO!" So you see, once someone is dead, they are either in Heaven or Hell - they are not making trips back to earth to scare kids! *he was recently very interested in learning what Hell was like - apparently he was considering a visit, but with the worms eating you forever and the fire constantly burning he changed his mind!* There are no ghosts Geoff, but there are demons. His eyes get big and he looks concerned. But - for every demon that is serving Satan - there are 2 angels to whip his bottom! Ahh, there is that grin again! Bible scholars say that when Lucifer was cast out of heaven he decieved 1/3 of the angels who were cast out with him - leaving 2/3 of the angels serving God - thus 2:1 ratio. I am no Bible scholar but I do like those odds! "What is Satans weapon?" Being a 6yr old boy he is very interested in weapons. He is a little taken aback when I reply - LIES. "So what is God's weapon? Fireballs?" Nope, his weapon is the TRUTH! I can see the light go on in his mind. He understands. Who lives in your heart Geoff? "Jesus" and who surrounds you? "Jesus" Right and his angels  - you are safe. He is feeling confident and secure. "So does the universe just go on forever and if you are in space how come you can't breathe?" Where is this coming from? Before I can formulate an answer he continues "Oh yeah, because there is no oxygen in space. Do you think if you brought a tree to space you could breathe?" Ok we are getting off track here... No, bc there is no carbon dioxide for the tree to breathe. "Oh yeah, why is there oxygen on earth? Oh... I know because God wanted us to be able to breathe!" Right! "When I am a teenager can I have my birthday party in space? Just me and you can go because I want to try to breathe without my space helmet" It will be expensive, about 10 million dollars, you better start saving! "Ok, but mom, can I still sleep in your room?" Sure. "And I don't want to go visit that house tomorrow, I would rather go another day when I am more brave." Sure, we can wait. We prayed and he is sleeping sweetly in my spot! But, I am so thankful that I am here with him and that I took the time to share these conversations. Our babies grow up so fast and it is so easy to get caught up in the rules  - he was up past bedtime, he did need to go to sleep, I am tired, I do want my down time... but I am grateful for the opportunity to tie strings to his little heart, to minister to his hurt and to guide him to his Savior.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/655825/ Sun, 8 Feb 2009 00:10:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/655825/ Our kids are all so unique. My pastor recently debunked the idea of "well rounded" individuals. No one is good at every thing, but all of us are good at something. My goal as a mom is to find that thing for each child and help them reach the sky with that particular talent. Our daughter is a writer. She dreams of writing a novel that becomes part of Sonlight's curriculum. She often asks if she can go write (she is working on a novel and several stories -just for fun ya know!). Reading is her great love - she just read the "Sister's Grimm" series - took her about 2 weeks to devour the 6 book series in addition to keeping up with her school work. She is so much like me - give us a good book and we are lost till it is over! It was funny to hear her debate whether she wanted to finish the series or wait so "it would last... I don't want the book to end!". Math though, not her thing! She read a this poem today... Mathematics by Arthur Clement Hilton (1869?) I've reallly done enough of sums, I've done so very many, That now instead of doing sum I'd rather not do any. I've toiled until my fingers are With writing out of joint; And even now of Decimals I cannot see the point. Subtraction to my weary mind Brings nothing but distraction, And vulgar and improper I Consider every fraction. Discount is counted troublesome By my unlearned pate; For cubic root I enter A strongly rooted hate. "Apply yourself," my master said, When I my woes confided, "And, when you multiply, bestow Attention undivided." She said she could totally relate to the author! We have used different curriculums through the years for her. This year, at her request, we got her Teaching Textbooks so she could do math on the computer like Preston. She started off the year loving it because it was new. Around November she began to dread it and take nearly THREE hours to complete a 10 minute lecture and 20 problems. She was getting frustrated and I was beyond frustration! So what does she suggest, she wants ME to teach her because supposedly she understands my explinations better. All I do is read the exact script that the guy on the computer reads! I have to remember to be flexible - now that I am "teaching" her math, she is done in less than an hour - lesson, interruptions from brothers and problems - all of it DONE, with a smile. It is truly amazing! The lesson for me: one I have to constantly apply, be flexible - if it ain't working, fix it or change it! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/655143/ Thu, 5 Feb 2009 23:27:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/655143/ Cade is coming along in his reading and this year is doing quite well. He is reading the Sonlight Core 1+2 Advanced Readers. This week he was to begin "A Question of Yams" and was not happy about it. Our rule is you have to give a book 3 chapters to decide if you don't want to read it. He whined and complained then just decided to buckle down and read. He was laying on the couch eating a plum reading his book, a few minutes later he walked through the house, nose in the book, stepped over the cat and threw away the plum pit. Later that afternoon, I looked out the window to see him walking down the street (very small dead end no traffic street!), book in hand, absorbed in the story. That night he asked if he could read until he fell asleep. Sure, just no talking I answered - well, mom, can I laugh? Sure! This boy is the first child to awake every morning, meeting me on the couch to snuggle about 8am or so. At about 9 I began to wonder why he was not up yet, I went into his room and there he was, sprawled on his bed, nose in his book! I commented that he must really like that story, nah, he replied, I just want to finish it! Um hum Yeah right! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/646135/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:27:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/646135/ I am a frequent lurker and occasional poster on the Sonlight Forums, a great place to talk with other homeschool parents about, well, everything from academics to sleep patterns (zzzz's!) and anything in between. Most of *my* brilliant ideas are from great parents there (the dumb ideas are mine alone!). I got a new idea - well, stole an new idea! Thought you might like to steal it too... We always seem to run out of time before we get to art, science, music, foreign language etc, this new schedule makes sure everything that is important to us gets done. It is called a "Loop Schedule". I wrote out all the daily must do's - Bible, Math, Reading etc and when those are done we begin the loop. In the loop we get to the neglected areas - sometimes one or two a day, sometimes more. Today the next loop item was art. I am a fan of art, I just do not like to 'deal' with the mess! But alas it was next, Cuyler took the initiave, he is such a planner and scheduler - he thrives on that stuff. He pulled out the paints and paper and supervised AND cleaned up while I was working with Catherine doing math. Here is what our "loop" looks like: Daily: Bible Math Independant Reading Workbooks German Loop: History Art Read-Aloud Music Science Spelling PE Flash-Master (math flashcard machine) I keep the schedule posted on the wall in a page protector - the kids just use a dry erase marker to check off what they have finished. We are getting so much more done every day! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/645972/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:26:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/645972/ In the beginning of November, Geoffrey's top two front teeth began to wiggle. He was very excited to have a loose tooth again (check out his last escapade with  wiggly teeth here). I however, was not so excited, you see, I have a calander and happen to know that the beginning of November is cutting it close to Christmas pictures and I also know how fast big teeth can grow back in - fearful of a snaggle-toothed Christmas morning I advised him NOT to wiggle them. "Hang on to those teeth till after Christmas Buddy!" Every day he would ask if they were ready to fall out and I would gently wiggle them and announce "nope, wait till Christmas!" and remind him not to wiggle 'em. About a week before Christmas, he was eating a Peppermint Patty and cried out, "Oh, NOOOO!" the little tooth had fallen out when he bit into the candy. I assured him all was well, Christmas was close and surely snaggle tooth could not emerge that quickly! The next day - the other tooth falls out and we have a grand time singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!". No kidding, the NEXT day he is on the trampoline and Cuyler accidentally kicks him and knocks a THIRD tooth loose (why do they have to have karate tournaments on the trampoline?). It was very bruised and painful, so we saw the dentist who said it had to go. We had to alter the song... He looks so stinkin cute with his big ole gap... but it was kinda sad (and mildly funny) when he picked up an apple, looked at it longingly, sighed and put it back in the fruit bowl, shaking his head as he walked away! Now he says everything with a slight lisp, it is so adorable! He was having trouble earlier tonight saying 'hospital', it kept coming out 'hops - spittle" and finally gave up and said, "You know, that medical place!". But I know this too shall pass, one of his big boy teeth is already starting to come in.... don't blink - they grow up too fast! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/644281/ Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:11:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/644281/ I have often read with curiousity about women who do OMAC, code for "Once A Month Cooking" or "Oh My Am i Crazy". I really wanted to (ok kinda sorta) start school last week, but I had promised the kids they could have off until Jan 5 - whatever could I do with all this free time? I decided to take the plunge - Andre' almost choked when he saw the grocery bill but I assured him it would carry us till February! We will have to restock fruit, milk and bread - but I should be safe if I stick to the edges of the store ! Cooking for the entire month has always been kinda scary - after all I do not *like* to cook. I cook because we like to eat, not because I enjoy being in the kitchen. My preferred place to be is on the couch with a great novel...but let's get back to the kitchen. I visited "Robbyn's Friendly Freezer", now I do not KNOW Robbyn, but her site intrigued me...cook like a crazy woman for a couple of days and defrost and reheat the rest of the month? Sweet!  I was hesitant because I have a small freezer (and no need or desire for a deep freezer - not to mention no room, though I guess if we let one of the kids sleep in the attic we could put a freezer where a bed is...) there is no way an entire month of dinners will fit in my freezer. At least that is what I thought until Robbyn introduced me to "flat freezing". Fill a freezer safe gallon zip bag with your meal and freeze it flat, when they are frozen they stack beautifully! I printed out a calander for the month and filled it in with meals to make sure we are not eating the same thing day after day. We had A LOT of leftover turkey from Christmas and were quickly getting tired of turkey sandwiches! I began with a "mini" trial run. The turkey was boiled and deboned. The turkey was transformed into "Viva la Turkey", "Turkey Tetrazzini" and "Turkey Pot Pie" I had enough for 2-3 dinners of each! Yes, I can totally do this! AND I had the bonus of 4 small ziploc bags of rich turkey broth that will be delicious soup one day soon. After I had my (ok, Robbyn's) recipes, I made my grocery list and headed to Wally World to get the goods and a stock pot (tis about time I get one!) Three hours and nearly $500 later we emerged. We were both dazed and wondering where in the world we would put all this food and Andre' kept asking "Honey are you SURE there is room in the freezer?" Maintaining my excitement and composure I confidently assured him there was plenty of room, while my insides were churning because I was wondering the same thing! As soon as we got home I washed my wonderful new stock pot and put it to work boiling 10lbs of chicken leg quarters. The next morning I put 5 lbs of ground beef on to cook, put 2 roasts in the oven, 2lbs of redbeans in the crockpot and deboned the chicken. I spent the day chopping veggies and putting together meals. By dinnertime we had the following in the freezer... 20 stuffed bellpeppers, 3 packages of cooked ground beef, 3 packages of roast beef, 2 packages of cooked rice, 2 packages of redbeans, 2 packages of potato soup, lots of chicken stock and all the turkey dinners listed above. That night for dinner we ate 10 of the stuffed bellpeppers and mashed potatoes (I pulled some of the potatoes from the soup - before it was soup) and coleslaw. Easy peasy - especially since it is Preston's month to clean the kitchen!  He was not happy with me (I did clean as I went, but most of the pots were dirty- and I even washed and reused them all at least once!) A couple of days later I added 4 packages of chicken noodle soup to our stash. It has been so nice - no question of "What's for dinner?" For years I have made a menu of what I "planned" to cook, but sometimes we would choose to eat out or cook something different because I did not feel like cooking what was on the menu. Now I don't have to "cook" just defrost and reheat add a veggie and dinner is done! The blessing has *far* outweighed the ordeal of cooking so much in such a few days. I don't think I will ever cook "just tonights dinner" again. After discovering how *easy* it is to double or triple dinner and freeze the rest - I am converted! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/642184/ Tue, 6 Jan 2009 20:26:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/642184/ The Children and the new puppy - a raggle (beagle rat terrier) named Grace! It has not snowed and stuck here in the Deep South since I was 12 (that was a couple of decades ago!) We had such a great time. I told the kids we were studying 'weather' and let em run. We are officially out of clean jeans and dry socks, they have used every coat in the house, but it was worth it! They made a snowman, of course he was only 2 foot tall and kinda grey... they smashed him before I could get a picture so you will just have to imagine his shiny pepperoni eyes and his stunning celery nose! Take a look at our kids playing in the snow. Note especially the socks on their hands (no gloves here in LA!) and Geoffrey's hat...he always wears a hat, this is his new favorite! And remember....comments make me smile!    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/631045/ Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:15:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljouney/631045/