Hi! I'm Crystal. Helpmeet to Chuck & mom to 5 blessings. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:05:00 -0600 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:05:00 -0600 Come and visit me over at my new blog! News from the Zoo www.crystalpaige.blogspot.com   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/651155/ Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:05:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/651155/ I love this video!! http://www.doublesharpevideo.com/HomeSchool2/Homeschool2.html Enjoy http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/447935/ Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:04:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/447935/ We are busy getting ready for Christmas. Savannah, my 2nd oldest daughter, is going to cook the main course for our get-together with my side of the family. What the main course will be is yet to be determined :-) Overall, most of my Christmas gifts have been purchased online. I prefer it this way. I'm short on time and prefer not to waste it in stores or waiting in lines. I think I make wiser purchases, too. It is too easy to make impulse purchases after a weary day at the mall. I bought from Christian Book Distributors .  I also shopped at Wal-Mart, and Target. Savannah loves a place called Wet Seal. Prices are terrific, too! If you are interested in adoption books as gifts, or for yourself, I have some ideas listed under my Amazon favorites list on my Christian Adoption Blog. And shhhhh ...... don't tell, both of my older daughters, who love the Jonas Brothers, are getting some gifts from their website :-) Sadly, this time of year is waaayyyy over-commercialized. Remember what really counts: your relationship with Jesus Christ, and your family and friends. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/445514/ Sat, 15 Dec 2007 21:40:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/445514/ I'm afraid that I'm not very attentive to my blog here.  However, I would like to invite those of you who read this blog to join me over at my other blog: Christian Adoption Blog: http://james127mandate.blogspot.com/ I try to update it several times a week. Also, I just had another article published at Suite 101. Kansas Homeschool Requirements: http://homeschool-regulations.suite101.com/article.cfm/kansas_homeschool_requirements Feeling very blessed today that the ice storm stayed to the north and south of us.  Overall we just had a lot of rain.  Praying for all of you who weren't so lucky.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/443882/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:33:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/443882/ It's stange how life can be so busy and yet not much is really happening . Let's see ..... I have a new blog -- Christian Adoption Blog (James 1:27 Mandate) at: http://james127mandate.blogspot.com/   I've published a grand total of 3 articles on Suite 101.  You can view them at: Foster Child Adoption 101 at http://adoption.suite101.com/article.cfm/adopting_a_foster_child Celebrate Adoption at: http://adoption.suite101.com/article.cfm/celebrate_adoption The Adoption Home Study at: http://adoption.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_home_study   We have a new dog.  Her name is Katie, she's a 5 yr old Welsh Pembrooke Corgi.   My oldest daughter, Stephanie, has been volunteering at a vet clinic on Thursday afternoons.  Long story short, we now have Katie .  She's a sweet dog.  Aricka absolutely loves her! Stephanie loves working at the vet clinic.  She's a country vet and we have known her for several years now.  She has taught Stephanie more about biology in just a few short weeks than she could learn in a year of book study!  Stephanie has assisted in surgeries, put surgical kits together, looked at specimens under a microscope, in addition to helping out with the care of the clinic and animals.  The vet has been such a blessing! Well ... it's time for goodnights at our house.  We'll have a short devotion and then it's off to bed. Goodnight http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/436796/ Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:59:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/436796/ How God Led Us to Adopt -- a wonderful article about how and why one family was led by the Lord to adopt.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/433239/ Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:41:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/433239/ This is what I found when I went to the bathroom the other evening: Aricka said that her horsie needed to go potty . http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/430624/ Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:54:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/430624/ I am now a published writer!!!!  My first articles appeared today on Suite101.com.  Here is a link to the article: http://adoption.suite101.com/article.cfm/adopting_a_foster_child   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/424150/ Fri, 9 Nov 2007 17:03:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/424150/ AP: Sexual misconduct plagues US schools By MARTHA IRVINE and ROBERT TANNER, AP National Writers The young teacher hung his head, avoiding eye contact. Yes, he had touched a fifth-grader's breast during recess. "I guess it was just lust of the flesh," he told his boss. That got Gary C. Lindsey fired from his first teaching job in Oelwein, Iowa. But it didn't end his career. He taught for decades in Illinois and Iowa, fending off at least a half-dozen more abuse accusations. When he finally surrendered his teaching license in 2004 — 40 years after that first little girl came forward — it wasn't a principal or a state agency that ended his career. It was one persistent victim and her parents. Lindsey's case is just a small example of a widespread problem in American schools: sexual misconduct by the very teachers who are supposed to be nurturing the nation's children. Students in America's schools are groped. They're raped. They're pursued, seduced and think they're in love. An Associated Press investigation found more than 2,500 cases over five years in which educators were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic. There are 3 million public school teachers nationwide, most devoted to their work. Yet the number of abusive educators — nearly three for every school day — speaks to a much larger problem in a system that is stacked against victims. Most of the abuse never gets reported. Those cases reported often end with no action. Cases investigated sometimes can't be proven, and many abusers have several victims. And no one — not the schools, not the courts, not the state or federal governments — has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms. Those are the findings of an AP investigation in which reporters sought disciplinary records in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The result is an unprecedented national look at the scope of sex offenses by educators — the very definition of breach of trust. The seven-month investigation found 2,570 educators whose teaching credentials were revoked, denied, surrendered or sanctioned from 2001 through 2005 following allegations of sexual misconduct. Young people were the victims in at least 1,801 of the cases, and more than 80 percent of those were students. At least half the educators who were punished by their states also were convicted of crimes related to their misconduct. The findings draw obvious comparisons to sex abuse scandals in other institutions, among them the Roman Catholic Church. A review by America's Catholic bishops found that about 4,400 of 110,000 priests were accused of molesting minors from 1950 through 2002. Clergy abuse is part of the national consciousness after a string of highly publicized cases. But until now, there's been little sense of the extent of educator abuse. Beyond the horror of individual crimes, the larger shame is that the institutions that govern education have only sporadically addressed a problem that's been apparent for years. "From my own experience — this could get me in trouble — I think every single school district in the nation has at least one perpetrator. At least one," says Mary Jo McGrath, a California lawyer who has spent 30 years investigating abuse and misconduct in schools. "It doesn't matter if it's urban or rural or suburban." One report mandated by Congress estimated that as many as 4.5 million students, out of roughly 50 million in American schools, are subject to sexual misconduct by an employee of a school sometime between kindergarten and 12th grade. That figure includes verbal harassment that's sexual in nature. Jennah Bramow, one of Lindsey's accusers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wonders why there isn't more outrage. "You're supposed to be able to send your kids to school knowing that they're going to be safe," says Bramow, now 20. While other victims accepted settlement deals and signed confidentiality agreements, she sued her city's schools for failing to protect her and others from Lindsey — and won. Only then was Lindsey's teaching license finally revoked. As an 8-year-old elementary-school student, Bramow told how Lindsey forced her hand on what she called his "pee-pee." "How did you know it was his pee-pee?" an interviewer at St. Luke's Child Protection Center in Cedar Rapids asked Jennah in a videotape, taken in 1995. "'Cause I felt something?" said Jennah, then a fidgety girl with long, dark hair. "How did it feel?" the investigator asked. "Bumpy," Jennah replied. She drew a picture that showed how Lindsey made her touch him on the zipper area of his pants. Lindsey, now 68, refused multiple requests for an interview. "It never occurs to you people that some people don't want their past opened back up," he said when an AP reporter approached him at his home outside Cedar Rapids and asked questions. That past, according to evidence presented in the Bramow's civil case, included accusations from students and parents along with reprimands from principals that were filed away, explained away and ultimately ignored until 1995, when accusations from Bramow and two other girls forced his early retirement. Even then, he kept his teaching license until the Bramows took the case public and filed a complaint with the state. Like Lindsey, the perpetrators that the AP found are everyday educators — teachers, school psychologists, principals and superintendents among them. They're often popular and recognized for excellence and, in nearly nine out of 10 cases, they're male. While some abused students in school, others were cited for sexual misconduct after hours that didn't necessarily involve a kid from their classes, such as viewing or distributing child pornography. They include: • Joseph E. Hayes, a former principal in East St. Louis, Ill. DNA evidence in a civil case determined that he impregnated a 14-year-old student. Never charged criminally, his license was suspended in 2003. He has ignored an order to surrender it permanently. • Donald M. Landrum, a high school teacher in Polk County, N.C. His bosses warned him not to meet with female students behind closed doors. They put a glass window in his office door, but Landrum papered over it. Police later found pornography and condoms in his office and alleged that he was about to have sex with a female student. His license was revoked in 2005. • Rebecca A. Boicelli, a former teacher in Redwood City, Calif. She conceived a child with a 16-year-old former student then went on maternity leave in 2004 while police investigated. She was hired to teach in a nearby school district; board members said police hadn't told them about the investigation. The overwhelming majority of cases the AP examined involved teachers in public schools. Private school teachers rarely turn up because many are not required to have a teaching license and, even when they have one, disciplinary actions are typically handled within the school. Two of the nation's major teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, each denounced sex abuse while emphasizing that educators' rights also must be taken into account. "Students must be protected from sexual predators and abuse, and teachers must be protected from false accusations," said NEA President Reg Weaver, who refused to be interviewed and instead released a two-paragraph statement. Kathy Buzad of the AFT said that "if there's one incident of sexual misconduct between a teacher and a student that's one too many." The United States has grown more sympathetic to victims of sex abuse over recent decades, particularly when it comes to young people. Laws that protect children from abusers bear the names of young victims. Police have made pursuing Internet predators a priority. People convicted of abuse typically face tough sentences and registry as sex offenders. Even so, sexually abusive teachers continue to take advantage, and there are several reasons why. For one, many Americans deny the problem, and even treat the abuse with misplaced fascination. Popular media reports trumpet relationships between attractive female teachers and male students. "It's dealt with in a salacious manner with late-night comedians saying 'What 14-year-old boy wouldn't want to have sex with his teacher?' It trivializes the whole issue," says Robert Shoop, a professor of educational administration at Kansas State University who has written a book aimed at helping school districts identify and deal with sexual misconduct. "In other cases, it's reported as if this is some deviant who crawled into the school district — 'and now that they're gone, everything's OK.' But it's much more prevalent than people would think." The AP investigation found efforts to stop individual offenders but, overall, a deeply entrenched resistance toward recognizing and fighting abuse. It starts in school hallways, where fellow teachers look away or feel powerless to help. School administrators make behind-the-scenes deals to avoid lawsuits and other trouble. And in state capitals and Congress, lawmakers shy from tough state punishments or any cohesive national policy for fear of disparaging a vital profession. That only enables rogue teachers, and puts kids who aren't likely to be believed in a tough spot. In case after case the AP examined, accusations of inappropriate behavior were dismissed. One girl in Mansfield, Ohio, complained about a sexual assault by teacher Donald Coots and got expelled. It was only when a second girl, years later, brought a similar complaint against the same teacher that he was punished. And that second girl also was ostracized by the school community and ultimately left town. Unless there's a videotape of a teacher involved with a child, everyone wants to believe the authority figure, says Wayne Promisel, a retired Virginia detective who has investigated many sex abuse cases. He and others who track the problem reiterated one point repeatedly during the AP investigation: Very few abusers get caught. They point to several academic studies estimating that only about one in 10 victimized children report sexual abuse of any kind to someone who can do something about it. Teachers, administrators and even parents frequently don't, or won't, recognize the signs that a crime is taking place. "They can't see what's in front of their face. Not unlike a kid in an alcoholic family, who'll say 'My family is great,'" says McGrath, the California lawyer and investigator who now trains entire school systems how to recognize what she calls the unmistakable "red flags" of misconduct. In Hamburg, Pa., in 2002, those "red flags" should have been clear. A student skipped classes every day to spend time with one teacher. He gave her gifts and rides in his car. She sat on his lap. The bond ran so deep that the student got chastised repeatedly — even suspended once for being late and absent so often. But there were no questions for the teacher. Heather Kline was 12, a girl with a broad smile and blond hair pulled back tight. Teacher Troy Mansfield had cultivated her since she was in his third-grade class. "Kids, like, idolized me because they thought I was, like, cool because he paid more attention to me," says Kline, now 18, sitting at her mother's kitchen table, sorting through a file of old poems and cards from Mansfield. "I was just like really comfortable. I could tell him anything." He never pushed her, just raised the stakes, bit by bit — a comment about how good she looked, a gift, a hug. She was sure she was in love. By winter of seventh grade, he was sneaking her off in his car for an hour of sex, dropping in on her weekly baby-sitting duties, e-mailing about what clothes she should wear, about his sexual fantasies, about marriage and children. Mansfield finally got caught by the girl's mother, and his own words convicted him. At his criminal trial in 2004, Heather read his e-mails and instant messages aloud, from declarations of true love to explicit references to past sex. He's serving up to 31 years in state prison. The growing use of e-mails and text messages is leaving a trail that investigators and prosecutors can use to prove an intimate relationship when other evidence is hard to find. Even then, many in the community find it difficult to accept that a predator is in their midst. When these cases break, defendants often portray the students as seducers or false accusers. However, every investigator questioned said that is largely a misconception. "I've been involved in several hundred investigations," says Martin Bates, an assistant superintendent in a Salt Lake City school district. "I think I've seen that just a couple of times ... where a teacher is being pursued by a student." Too often, problem teachers are allowed to leave quietly. That can mean future abuse for another student and another school district. "They might deal with it internally, suspending the person or having the person move on. So their license is never investigated," says Charol Shakeshaft, a leading expert in teacher sex abuse who heads the educational leadership department at Virginia Commonwealth University. It's a dynamic so common it has its own nicknames — "passing the trash" or the "mobile molester." Laws in several states require that even an allegation of sexual misconduct be reported to the state departments that oversee teacher licenses. But there's no consistent enforcement, so such laws are easy to ignore. School officials fear public embarrassment as much as the perpetrators do, Shakeshaft says. They want to avoid the fallout from going up against a popular teacher. They also don't want to get sued by teachers or victims, and they don't want to face a challenge from a strong union. In the Iowa case, Lindsey agreed to leave without fighting when his bosses kept the reason for his departure confidential. The decades' worth of allegations against him would have stayed secret, if not for Bramow. Across the country, such deals and lack of information-sharing allow abusive teachers to jump state lines, even when one school does put a stop to the abuse. While some schools and states have been aggressive about investigating problem teachers and publicizing it when they're found, others were hesitant to share details of cases with the AP — Alabama and Mississippi among the more resistant. Maine, the only state that gave the AP no disciplinary information, has a law that keeps offending teachers' cases secret. Meanwhile, the reasons given for punishing hundreds of educators, including many in California, were so vague there was no way to tell why they'd been punished, until further investigation by AP reporters revealed it was sexual misconduct. And in Hawaii, no educators were disciplined by the state in the five years the AP examined, even though some teachers there were serving sentences for various sex crimes during that time. They technically remained teachers, even behind bars. Elsewhere, there have been fitful steps toward catching errant teachers that may be having some effect. The AP found the number of state actions against sexually abusive teachers rose steadily, to a high of 649 in 2005. More states now require background checks on teachers, fingerprinting and mandatory reporting of abuse, though there are still loopholes and a lack of coordination among districts and states. U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the last 20 years on civil rights and sex discrimination have opened schools up to potentially huge financial punishments for abuses, which has driven some schools to act. And the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification keeps a list of educators who've been punished for any reason, but only shares the names among state agencies. The uncoordinated system that's developed means some teachers still fall through the cracks. Aaron M. Brevik is a case in point. Brevik was a teacher at an elementary school in Warren, Mich., until he was accused of using a camera hidden in a gym bag to secretly film boys in locker rooms and showers. He also faced charges that he recorded himself molesting a boy while the child slept. Found guilty of criminal sexual conduct, Brevik is now serving a five- to 20-year prison sentence and lost his Michigan license in 2005. What Michigan officials apparently didn't know when they hired him was that Brevik's teaching license in Minnesota had been permanently suspended in 2001 after he allegedly invited two male minors to stay with him in a hotel room. He was principal of an elementary school in southeastern Minnesota at the time. "I tell you what, they never go away. They just blend a little better," says Steve Janosko, a prosecutor in Ocean County, N.J., who handled the case of a former high school teacher and football coach, Nicholas J. Arminio. Arminio surrendered his New Jersey teaching license in 1994 after two female students separately accused him of inappropriate touching. The state of Maryland didn't know that when he applied for teaching credentials and took a job at a high school in Baltimore County. He eventually resigned and lost that license, too. Even so, until this month, he was coaching football at another Baltimore County high school in a job that does not require a teaching license. After the AP started asking questions, he was fired. Victims also face consequences when teachers are punished. In Pennsylvania, after news of teacher Troy Mansfield's arrest hit, girls called Kline, his 12-year-old victim, a "slut" to her face. A teacher called her a "vixen." Friends stopped talking to her. Kids no longer sat with her at lunch. Her abuser, meanwhile, had been a popular teacher and football coach. So, between rumors that she was pregnant or doing drugs and her own panic attacks and depression, Kline bounced between schools. At 16, she ran away to Nashville. "I didn't have my childhood," says Kline, who's back home now, working at a grocery cash register and hoping to get her GED so she can go to nursing school. "He had me so matured at so young. "I remember going from little baby dolls to just being an adult." The courts dealt her a final insult. A federal judge dismissed her civil suit against the school, saying administrators had no obligation to protect her from a predatory teacher since officials were unaware of the abuse, despite what the court called widespread "unsubstantiated rumors" in the school. The family is appealing. In Iowa, the state Supreme Court made the opposite ruling in the Bramow case, deciding she and her parents could sue the Cedar Rapids schools for failing to stop Lindsey. Bramow, now a young mother who waits tables for a living, won a $20,000 judgment. But Lindsey was never criminally charged due to what the former county prosecutor deemed insufficient evidence. Arthur Sensor, the former superintendent in Oelwein, Iowa, who vividly recalls pressuring Lindsey to quit on Feb. 18, 1964, regrets that he didn't do more to stop him back then. Now, he says, he'd call the police. "He promised me he wouldn't do it again — that he had learned. And he was a young man, a beginning teacher, had a young wife, a young child," Sensor, now 86 years old, said during testimony at the Bramows' civil trial. "I wanted to believe him, and I did." ___ John Parsons, special projects manager for the AP's News Research Center, contributed to this story. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/412172/ Sat, 20 Oct 2007 20:58:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/412172/ Sunday afternoon we visited the Museum of World History.  We have been there before but it seems that it just gets better everytime we go.  They have 3 floors of everything imaginable.  The very top floor has a play area for the kids, including a miniture Medieval Castle .  Seth & Aricka Savannah & Stephanie Seth on some of the play equipment on the 3rd floor. King Matthew in the Medieval Castle Chuck, Aricka, Seth, Stephanie & Matt in a life size replica of a World War I trench. Matt in front of a guillotine.  Off with his head! Why is it that kids seem to hit a stage beginning ... ooooh around 10 or 11 and doesn't seem to end until ... ummmm I haven't got to that point yet so I will have to get back with ya .. where they do not like having their picture taken at all?  By the way, Savannah is not smiling, she is smirking from my say "Cheez it" comment made in front of other people.  Bad Momma! Though my teenagers don't show it, all of us loved the museum.  As an added treat, my husband is old friends with the sister of the museum curator and she was so nice and took lots of time with us and told the kids stories about some of the different displays.  We hadn't seen her since we had just adopted Aricka so it was nice to catch up, too .  The family that owns the museum are just wonderful people, and great story-tellers, too! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/372186/ Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:08:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/372186/ Recently we went to the Wind Farm near Beaumont, KS.  We got a little "lost" along the way but it just made the journey a little more adventurous .  We were pretty amazed at how enormous the windmills really were close up.  These pictures do not do them justice at all!  My camera phone decided it's memory was full & we couldn't get it to work right once we were close . This was taken from a fair distance away This was taken on the road we became lost on (hehehehe).  It had received flooding rains the night before and nearly every other road we tried to turn onto was flooded.  Normally we wouldn't get quite so turned around.  Well, that's my excuse anyways .  The next 2 pictures are of my hubby & I, Seth, Aricka & Matthew.  Stephanie & Savannah were playing camera shy that day.     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/372184/ Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/372184/ Welcome to my blog!  I am so glad you came for a visit!  As you can see, I am not very computer savvy, but I do hope you will enjoy your visit anyway .  A big thanks to Tiany, www.homeschoolblogger.com/Tiany,  for hosting this Homeschool Open House.  It has been so much fun peeking into everyone's homeschool, I have learned so much already and I am not even done yet!!  I love Tiany's blog!  It has been such an encouragement to me. A litte about our family: We have 5 blessings, 3 of whom homeschool "formally".  Stephanie is 15, Savannah 14, Matthew 11, Aricka 2, and Seth 2 (almost 3).  We have been homeschooling since the fall of 2000 when I pulled my 2 oldest out of public school.  Before the spring of 2000, we had no idea that homeschooling was legal.  Back in the early 80's, I had an aunt and uncle who homeschooled my cousin, but my family was sure they would get caught and be forced to put her into a "real" school.  Thankfully that never happened.  I always wished I could do school at home like she did and was secretly envious of her.  Now, both our families (mine & dh) are extemely supportive of homeschooling. Our homeschool day: I wish I were more scheduled than I am, but we do have a fairly consistant routine that we follow.  I wouldn't even have that if it was not for my Managers of Their Homes book, which you can find at www.Titus2.com.  It is one of my absolute favorite resources. We try to begin school by 9 am.  We mainly use their assignment sheets as a checklist and I choose the order based the amount of interaction I need to have with them to get them started and my availability at that time.  I also try to vary the subjects so that they don't have a lot of writing or reading all at one time.  We take breaks as needed.  We take an hour for lunch around 11:30.  I like to try to get much of our formal school work wrapped up by 2 or so.  Often we have appointments, visitors, activities or shopping to do in the afternoon once the youngest ones wake from their naps, so I want to be done by then.  This year we will have 2 in highschool so this might be more of a challenge.  Our curriculum: We are very eclectic in our method.  Bible: still trying to find something we like for this.  For Matthew we are using Egermeier's Bible Story Book to introduce him to the Bible.  We are going to try the Bob Jones University Press Bible Modules for highschool for Stephanie and Savannah this year.  We use/ have used a variety of things for math.  I just can't seem to find something that I really like.  We have used Key Curriculum Press and like it.  Switched on Schoolhouse (so-so).  Saxon (no).  Abeka (haven't decided yet).   English:  Copywork (I love Queen Homeschool Supply http://www.queenhomeschool.com/), Emma Serl's books and Rod & Staff.  History: Christian Liberty Press, some Abeka, biographies.  Science:  Abeka, Answers In Genesis materials, Christian Liberty Press Nature Readers.  I like School of Tomorrow paces for Word Building.  Savannah prefers paces for most of her school work.  Stephanie and Matt do not care for paces at all.  I use a lot of the information contained in Barbara Shelton's Highschool Form+U+La book to put together other subjects. Where do we homeschool? Everywhere.  The girls have desks in our family room downstairs that they use and they work a lot on the couch.  Matt uses his desk in his room, the dining room table or the computer desk.  We also will sometimes take school work with us in the van. Tips to share: Don't give in to peer pressure!  Just because it works for one homeschool family and doesn't for you does not mean that you have failed your child in some way.  Listen to what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do.  You are the mother that God picked out for your children.  They do not need Mrs. Homeschool Super Mom down the street, they need you .  That's about the only worthwhile advice that I can come up with.  Even 7 years later, I am still learning how to homeschool. God bless you in your homeschool journey! Thanks for visiting . Crystal http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/364527/ Sun, 29 Jul 2007 09:51:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/364527/ We finalized on Matthew's (Hilario) adoption July 6th.  What an awesome day it was!  Another judge was supposed to finalize Matt's adoption but was unable to, so our lawyer was just going to have a judge sign off on it for us and skip the hearing.  Turns out that the judge who worked Seth's CINC case (Child in Need of Care) and then finalized our adoption with him, signed off on ours with Matt.  He recognised our name and met us in the courtroom after all for pictures and so that he could see Seth.  It was more like a family reunion than a meeting before the judge.  Afterwards we ate at the restaurant that Matt picked out (mexican).  The following Sunday we went to Chanute and celebrated with family .  Our God is so awesome! On another note, it's finally quit rainning here.  I am probably odd, but I love rainy days.  I love the sound of thunder in the distance, the patter of raindrops on the roof, watching the birds wash themselves in the puddles.  But even I have to admit that it was getting to be too much of a good thing.  Especially when we were watching the river nearby rise and had to begin thinking about evacuation plans should it come to it.  PTL that it didn't, but we were sure beginning to worry!  My hometown was hit hard, and harder still south of it.  We have much to be thankful for! Another thing we are thankful for is the recent news about my MIL.  A few weeks ago we were told that Margaret had a mass in her brain and that the nursing home staff thought it must be growing very quickly as she has declined rapidly over the course of a week's time.  As it turns out, after the results of a MRI came back, we find that it is not cancer but a mild stroke.  She is getting physical therapy and doing better.  Scares like this make one re-think their priorities. Another school year is just around the corner.  Where did summer go?  I have been thinking about and planning out our curriculum.  I will post our choices when I can make up my mind.  Oh why do I feel like I will ruin them forever if I choose one Math program over another?  Homeschooling is a wonderful adventure!  An adventure that I praise the Lord for (nearly) every day !     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/359276/ Wed, 18 Jul 2007 23:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/359276/ I'm back bearing good news!  We will finalize on Hilario's adoption in just over a week!  Hilario will be changing his name to Matthew, keeping Hilario as his middle name.  This is a decision that he made himself, even choosing the name Matthew.  He loves that it means God's Gift. Matthew Hilario ~ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/348790/ Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:13:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/348790/ I found this little poem at http://highland.hitcho.com.au/langartforms.htm Cute way to memorize the Nine Parts of Speech   The Nine Parts of Speech Three little words you often see, Are articles – a, an, and the. A noun’s the name of anything As school, garden, hoop, or swing. An adjective tells the kind of noun – Great, small, pretty, white, or brown. Instead of nouns the pronouns stand – Her head, his face, your arm, my hand. Verbs tell of something to be done, To read, sing, jump, or run. How things are done the adverbs tell, As slowly, quickly, ill, or well. Conjunctions join words together, As men and women, wind or weather. The prepositions stands before A noun, as at or through the door. The interjection shows surprise, As ah! how pretty --- Oh! how wise. The whole are called nine parts of speech, Which reading, writing, speaking teach. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/265617/ Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:07:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/265617/ The other day at our homeschool co-op, a friend of mine was showing us her granmother's handmade quilt, which she had inherited.  It was beautiful!  Some of the other moms told about special quilts, handmade items or antiques that they had received likewise.  I found myself envious.  Over the Christmas holidays we went to visit my family and help my mom clean out my grandma's apartment, as she had just been placed into a nursing home.  This was emotionally hard for me.  It was hard to admit that my onory grandmother had finally slowed down.  She just wasn't the same anymore.  In fact, she barely knows who any of us are now. Mom asked if there was anything I wanted from what was left behind. I asked about this and that.  Every time I asked about something Mom said that she had already given it to my sister, or my uncles, or kept it herself.  Everything that I grew up thinking was so special to me had been given away.  I was getting a little disheartened.  Finally, Mom walked over and picked something up and turned toward me.  She said, "Granny would want you to have this, " and handed me her police scanner.  Yep, a police scanner!  I had to laugh!  Nothing my grandma owned fit her personality more than her scanner.  As long as I can remember, Granny always had to get the "scoop."  Growing up, my sister and I were frequently sick enough to be hospitalized.  Grandma was always there for us -- especially when we were in a room close to the nurses station, with the door wide open and before things slowed down around 7 pm!  It was an added bonus to be there while the doctors were making rounds.  Granny always had to know what was goin' on.  When Granny got a police scanner she was in heaven!  She could 10-4 with the best of them and knew the badge number of every single police officer in our small city.  Her scanner became her best friend and her link to the outside world as she grew more tired and isolated.  Ahh yes, some of us have grandmothers who pass on beautiful quilts or crocheted teapot cozies or favorite family recipes, but for me, nothing reminds me of my granny more than her trusty police scanner. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/265611/ Mon, 8 Jan 2007 00:08:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/265611/ Wow!  I can't believe that it has taken so long for me to post.  It has been a very busy time of year for us!  I have an update on Hilario's adoption.  Late last month, his worker asked us to take him in to get a photo ID so that they can get his social security card, which they need to go forward with the adoption.  Well, Chuck called and found out that the DMV needs 2 forms of ID, one being his birth certificate (which cannot be simply a xeroxed copy).  Our worker went with Chuck because she hoped to convince them to use the copy.  Of course they refused and then told her that they would not even be able to use the original of the one that they have a copy of!  In other words, they have to get a certified copy of his state issued birth certificate, send it to us, we get the SS card, send it to them, and then we can proceed with the adoption!  How crazy is that?? I am a little upset with this because I feel that they should have taken care of this 10 months ago when they told us he was available for adoption.  Not 2 months after they place him with us. This could easily drag into summer .  Very frustrating.  At times like this I hold onto the hope found in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. " God bless & Happy New Year!!!    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/265582/ Sun, 7 Jan 2007 22:21:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/265582/ Please read Part One below this entry first before reading this entry.  Thank you! WHY SHOULD THE BODY OF CHRIST GET INVOLOVED?   Our answer to this question is, “Why not?”    Let us look at what God’s Word says about this subject:   -Psalm 10:14, God is the “helper of the orphan.” -Psalm 10:18, God will “vindicate the orphan and the oppressed.” -Psalm 82:3, God commands his people to “vindicate the weak and the fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute.” -Deuteronomy 10:18, God “executes justice for the fatherless.” - Deuteronomy 27:19, “Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the fatherless.” -Hosea 14:3, “in you (God) the fatherless find compassion.” -James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”   Orphan Defined:   Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines an orphan as “a child who is bereaved of father or mother or of both.”  Further, bereaved is defined as “deprived; stripped and left destitute.”   The “waiting” children who are languishing in the foster care system are our society’s orphans.    God’s Heart for Adoption   Gerald D. Clark, Home for Good Foundation, beautifully describes God’s plan of adoption:   “God proved his love for us in a form we could understand-adoption.  (Rom. 8:15-23) and as many as received Him (Jesus Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God.  Jn 1:12   Jesus loves orphan children, and He IS calling Christian families to adopt.  Many families long to answer His call, but the cost is prohibitive.   Adoption by a Christian family is the best way for an orphan or foster child to discover that Jesus really loves them, and they too can become an adopted child of God . . .   Jesus died on the cross to pay the ransom for our adoption.  If we intend to evangelize orphans of the world, we can do our part for their ransoms by sending missionaries who can bring the gospel to them in a form they can understand-adoption . . .”       Adoption is the heart of God, and that which concerns the heart of God should concern the body of Christ.  We cannot continue to ignore to orphans in our own backyard.  It is time for the body of Christ to send in the missionaries-those called to adopt the orphans of our society. An orphan has little hope for success in life without the care,  nurturing and support of a loving family. Statistics prove it, and  adoption is God's model for us to follow. Christian families are the missionaries who can bring God's love to orphans in a form they can understand - adoption. Adoption by a Christian family is the best way for an orphan child to  experience the kind of love that will help them overcome feelings of abandonment, and allow them to comprehend God's love,  so that they too can become an adopted child of God.                                          (Home for Good Foundation)      http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/249251/ Sun, 3 Dec 2006 08:07:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/249251/ Several months ago I researched and wrote an article about the sad state of affairs in our country, Kansas in particular, for children who are in foster care awaiting adoption.  Due to space and time constraints, I will need to post this in segments.    Part One   In Kansas there are:   6,409 children in foster care 2,185 are waiting to be adopted Only about 19% of those children will be adopted Source:  Child Welfare League of America   Foster Care Statistics:   3 out of 10 of the nation’s homeless adults report a foster care history 70% of 17 year-olds in foster care express a desire to go to college.  Just 54% will finish high school and only 2% will earn a college degree African-American children make up 15% of the U. S. population, but represent 34% of the children in foster care Only 38% of foster care alumni are employed 12 to 18 months after discharge from foster care Source:  www.fosterclub.org   Every year approximately 18,000 youth nation-wide “age-out” of the foster care system. Source:  www.jimcaseyyouth.org   Christian Adoption Fact:   Fewer than 10% of Christian families adopt at all Source:  Home for Good Foundation   WHY THESE CHILDREN NEED PERMANENT HOMES   The answer to this may seems obvious to us.  These children need homes because everyone needs food, clothing, shelter, the basic items that sustain life.  You may ask, “Isn’t the foster homes fulfilling these needs?”  In two words, “yes and no.”    Yes, the government does reimburse foster families or group homes for food, clothing and shelter.  However, as the previous statistics have shown, these kids still come out of foster care to bleak hopes of succeeding in life and being vital, contributing citizens of society.    More often than not, the children who “age-out” of the system become a drain on taxpayer’s pocketbooks, just as they have been since they entered into foster care as children.  In an article that appeared in the Newton Kansan on January 30, 1999, it costs Kansans $2,100 a month per child in foster care.  An average stay in foster care for any child nation-wide is 44 months (www.childrensright.org).  So in 44 months, Kansas taxpayers will have spent $92,400 for just one child in the system.   According to the Children’s Aid Society:   70 percent of [foster youth] are school age, and their school work often suffers for a whole range of reasons They score lower on standardized tests, Have higher absentee and tardy rates, Are more likely to drop out of school, Are three times more likely to be referred for special education and related services Living in foster care before the age of 15 increases the odds of juvenile delinquency Studies of youth who have left foster care have shown they are more likely than those in the general population to not finish high school, be unemployed, and be dependent on public assistance.  Many end up in prison, homeless, or as parents at an early age.     What these children need are the very things that being part of an adoptive family offers:  a place to call home, parents who love them unconditionally, a family with which to spend Christmas and holidays.  Someone to help with mundane things which we take for granted like help filling out college and job applications or buying their first car.  Everyone needs a constant anchor in their lives to which they can turn when the storms of life tosses them about.  These children deserve no less! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/245973/ Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:14:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/245973/ This is what we are using this year in our homeschool.  As you can see, I am very eclectic!   Stephanie- 9th Grade Bible-- the Bible, Spirit-led studies I create for her, Family Devotions Grammar -- A Beka, Copywork, Composition Spelling/ Vocabulary --  Word Building PACEs Math -- Key to Series workbooks Literature -- Progeny Press study guides.  Currently reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. History/Geography -- A Beka Science -- Answers in Genesis, Answers Academy Reading though Maidens of Virtue by Stacy MacDonald Driver's Ed in a Box She is also studying the guitar & web design.  Keeps up/ designs our church's youth MySpace.   Savannah -- 8th Grade Bible -- the Bible, Spirit-led studies that I create for her, Family Devotions Grammar-- A Beka, Copywork, Composition Spelling/ Vocabulary -- Word Building PACEs Math -- Key to Series workbooks Literature -- Progeny Press study guides.  Currently reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. History/ Geography -- A Beka Science -- Answers in Genesis, Answers Academy Reading through Maidens of Virtue by Stacy MacDonald Piano Loves to bake   Hilario -- 4th Grade Bible -- the Bible, Family Devotions Grammar & Handwriting -- Intermediate Language Lessons by Emma Serl, Copywork      I use eduhelper.com to create his handwriting worksheets. Math -- PACEs Spelling -- PACEs History -- A Beka Health -- A Beka Science -- Newton's Workshop creation science videoes from Moody Press   We also are involved in a homeschool co-op, which meets 2 times a month through the school year.  The classes that they take there are: Stephanie & Savannah:  P.E., Life Skills (which cover everything from art to careers to cooking to creative writing), Music, Debate, Spanish, Creation Science. Hilario:  P.E., Life Skills (see above), Spanish, Creation Science, Music. Seth & Aricka:  (Toddler/ Preschool Class) P.E., Busy Boxes, Music, Free Play & Nap Time.         http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/245962/ Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/killionszoo/245962/