Lone Star Academy - Homeschool Blogger

Autumn is just around the corner

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:56:00 -0500

This was one of my favorite poems as a child. Of course, every time I think about it I think of the movie "The Outsiders". It just reminds me the world is in constant change and no matter how hard we try to keep things just as they are today, it just can't happen. And while we may grieve that which is no longer, it doesn't mean there isn't something better waiting around the corner.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Win $100 in Nature Books

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:30:00 -0500

what a perfect addition to your family's nature walk. Go to the The Green Parent today to find out the details.

Preschool BIble This week

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:12:00 -0500

The Servant King
The Last Supper, from Mark 14 and John 13-14

"Quietly, Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, picked up a basin of water, knelt down and started to wash his friends' feet.
"You can't," Peter Said. He didn't understand about Jesus being the Servant King.
"If you don't let me wash away the dirt, Peter," Jesus said, "you can't be close to me."
Jesus knew that what people needed most was to be clean on the inside. All the dirt on their feet was nothing compared to the sin inside their hearts.
"Then wash me, Lord!" Peter said, tears filling his eyes. "All of me!"

I love God-breathed, God-inspired scripture. I love the infallible Word of God. While this certainly isn't in its original text, it is still beautiful and brought me to tears. There is just something so sweet about the simple language that is meant for preschoolers to understand.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

I have loved this Preschool Bible. To see Jesus in every story from Genesis to Revelations. Many don't think about that when they read the Old Testament. But this Bible paints a beautiful picture.

Bittersweet

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:38:00 -0500

I know it has been a long time since I have posted on my blog. I am not gone and I do hope to pick back up with a lot more entries on our homeschooling adventures. Since I blogged here last I have made a few entries on my other blog and I have been working to redesign our family website.

School with Prince "T" and Princess "C" has been great this year. We have really enjoyed this school year. While this hasn't been our favorite Sonlight Core, we have been on many learning adventures. Things have run smoothly throughout the year and we have pretty much stayed on schedule. I have stayed caught up on grading which is a MAJOR accomplishment for me.

School with the littles has been a different story.

Lady "M" has made some wonderful progress this year. Her speech has such a long ways to go as it has been so delayed because her closest playmate is Sir "C". She loves school and has such a passion for learning. And I can't say it enough that this sweet girl has the best imagination I have ever seen. We took a couple of months break from pre-school but we started it back up again today and she was so excited that she was once again "doing school"

As I indicated in our last post Sir "C" is special needs and would be having doctors appts. during the year to firm up his diagnosis. I can honestly say we have had lots of appointments but we still have no diagnosis. While some genetics diagnosis have been ruled out, everything else is still floating around. While we personally believe here on the homestead that he falls somewhere on the autism spectrum, doctors are telling me at this point, regardless of the diagnosis, the treatment is still the same and at this point they don't want to give him a permanent diagnosis. I can't begin to tell you how completely frustrating that is to hear. While it is all good and well that the treatment is all the same, it makes it next to impossible to get services for a child when a diagnosis doesn't exist.

Here is the thing- I am at my wits end. It is both frustrating and completely heartbreaking to work with a child on a skill over and over and you can see it in there eyes that there is no comprehension. Or on the other hand, you teach a child a skill and it clicks and even as early as five minutes later they look at you like this is the first time you have ever introduced the skill to them. This hasn't been about slow and steady wins the race. He simply doesn't get it. And I am not teaching the child to read. I am just talking about basic living skills and very beginning preschool skills.

Our family life completely revolves around him and his needs. There is constant turmoil because of his coping mechanisms and constant need for direction. With children like this you don't just tell them no and move on about your day. A simple no can turn into a 30 minute ordeal. The whole family is wound up so tight we really feel like we are spinning out of control.

I think one huge frustrating factor is that people look at this sweet, curly headed boy with an incredible smile and gorgeous brown eyes and by all accounts he looks "normal". Whatever normal is anymore. Instead what they get is a child who is on sensory overload and as a way to cope his behavior gets out of control. When people see this, they don't see a little boy with special needs, they see a spoiled child who is out of control and all he needs is some discipline. It is heartbreaking to watch your child have no social skills. Everyone thinks it is so cute that he is so friendly. It isn't cute- it is scary. He would walk away with a total stranger and never think twice. He looks out the car window into another car and genuinely thinks the people in the next car are his friends. It is all so very overwhelming at times.

I don't mean to sound negative and I realize there are many more out there who have children with far worse conditions. But in keeping it real, I have say, I feel like a failure. Right now I am hanging on by a thread and my only saving grace is knowing that while I feel like that last thread is about to unravel, if it does break, I will gently land in my Father's hands.

After much prayer and discussion here at the homestead we have come to a very difficult decision. We are putting Sir "C" in public school in the special education program. I will say that I was the last hold-out on this decision. This decision caused me to set aside my pride and think not of myself and what I thought my children's lives would look like, but instead focus on the immediate needs of Sir "C". This was no longer about whether or not I was a "successful" homeschooling mom but rather the needs of this sweet boy. It has all been bittersweet because I never thought I would ever enroll one of my children in public school. Simply put, right now he has needs that I can't meet and he needs therapies that I can't get locally. We are very blessed that two of the therapist that will be working with Sir "C" go to our church. He will be in a smaller special ed classroom with aides in the classroom to assist the teacher as needs arise. We are also looking into another personal program for Sir "C", but I will talk about that more when I firm up the details.

The last of his evaluations were done today and I have one more questionnaire to fill out before we meet for the planning meeting next week. Once all of the goals are set in that meeting we will enroll him and he will finish out this year in kindergarten and then next year he will repeat kindergarten. I feel a peace about our decision and know that the Lord will hold us close while He guides and directs us down this new path. We will continue to pray for the needs of this sweet boy and will constantly evaluate if his needs are being met. I ask that you would also pray for our family as we move forward.

This may not make sense tomorrow as often happens when I pour out my heart on my blog. If so, I'll edit my post so it makes more sense.

Now that I finally have a peace about Sir "C"'s education and therapy needs I can focus on some planning for Lady "M"'s kindergarten year and make some decisions about Prince "T"'s educational goals.

hugs,
b

More on God's Sense of Humor

Thu, 6 Sep 2007 14:55:00 -0500

Yesterday I mentioned a funny that happened during school and I mentioned God's sense of humor. I used the Mandrill as an example of His sense of humor because this animal makes me laugh both coming and going. After reading Kim C's Blog this morning, I just have to show you there are MANY animals that proves God has a wonderful sense of humor. Be sure and check it out when you have the time. As Kim points out, spend time on this website, and you can add it to your school portfolio as school time. Enjoy!

Princess "C"'s prayer today

Wed, 5 Sep 2007 16:12:00 -0500

Today we were doing our Bible time and part of our mission studies is learning and praying for the 10/40 Window. Today's city was Beirut. After learning about the city's religious make-up and history, I read several prayer points about the city and its people.

After I am done reading I ask Princess "C" if she would please say a prayer for Beirut and it's people. She is praying along and I notice that she is mispronouncing Beirut by saying Beiruth. I dare not interrupt her because I know she is making an honest mistake and doing her best to to pray for this city and these people.

The prayer continues and the next thing I know, she is praying for...

The Great Bambino!

The Sultan of Swat!

You've got it, instead of praying for Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon

Princess "C" was now praying for Babe Ruth! OOPS!!!! Prince "T" and I immediately started cracking up and we couldn't control ourselves. Princess "C" caught herself right after she said it and started cracking up as well. Needless to say, prayer time was over.

God has an incredible sense of humor (have you ever looked closely at a Mandrill?) and I just know His sweet Princess, who made a very innocent mistake, gave Him something to smile about today when there are so many horrific things going on in this world.

Nice Matters Award

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 08:26:00 -0500

Over the weekend Grandmommy at Live, Love and Learn blessed me with the Nice Matters Award! I feel very honored that she thought of me and has gifted me with this.

Here are the rules for the award:

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you have been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

While I am just getting back into blogging after a bit of a sabbatical, I have have kept up with reading several blogs. These nominated blogs are the ones that inspire and challenge me to be a better Christian, wife and mother. As a small token of my thanks I am sharing the "Nice Matters Award" with the following bloggers:

Little Bit of Everything Mama - my best girlfriend- our relationship is one of "iron sharpening iron" and I love her like a sister.

The Perils of Parenting and other Ponderings - Quiet Cajun- I have read her blog for a very long time and I am in awe of her sweet ministry Bundled in Prayer. I have also been following her family's reversal journey and pray for her often.

Life in a Shoe- Kim C.- We seem to have so much in common. We are both small town Texas girls who love reading, coffee and CHOCOLATE! I love reading her blog as it is mixed with both truth and humor. I have seen this woman under the fire for her beliefs and God has truly gifted her with the ability to speak in love and show patience to those who do not do such a great job at holding their tongues.

Higher Up and Further In- Lindafay- Although we do not use completely use "Charlotte Mason" method, I still glean so many ideas from Lindafay. If you have not read her blog I truly encourage you to check it out. She puts time and care into her posts and does a wonderful job of sharing her wisdom with others.

Dandelion Seeds- Amy- She has invested much of her time to minister to other moms by creating Clean Heart Clean Home Ministry. She started this about the time I was moving last year and it was such a blessing that motivated me right out the door! Now the Lord has led her to share her experiences with a personal emotional and financial crisis and how she is clinging to the Lord to help her through this difficult time.

Days to Come- Jeana- This is a blog I always read for comedic relief. Jeana and her husband have some of the funniest conversations I have ever heard and she is nice enough to share them with the world.

For My Children's Sake- Ali- I have always enjoyed reading her posts. She does a wonderful job of sharing pictures and details from field trips her family takes. It is such a blessing to be able to experience places we might otherwise never get to visit.

There are many more blogs out there that I read on a regular basis and they all inspire me in some way (otherwise I wouldn't read them ), but for this award I was limited to seven.

"B" is for Butterfly

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:50:00 -0500

Sir "C" and Lady "M" are focusing on the letter "B" and words that start with the letter "B". Here is a craft that they made yesterday (with a bit of mom's help).

Perhaps it's just me...

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:59:00 -0500

...but i simply DO NOT get all the hype about dictation. I am sure there are daggers flying my direction from all over the homeschooling community as they read this- or at least from teh 2-3 people who read this post. At least I am being honest. I struggle with it for a few weeks every year just knowing that this will be the year I finally understand why I do it. Instead I am on my 4th year of scratching my head wondering why I waste our time.

Clearly there must be some benefits that I am missing because Sonlight uses it and even after revamping their LA program, it is still on the schedule for once per week. And now here I sit again beginning week four of school, once again scratching myself on the head asking WHY, WHY, WHY???

I just feel like any benefit I can get from dictation, such as spelling and handwriting skills, I can get from creative writing or science. Is there anyone else out there with me on this or have I COMPLETELY missed the mark on the purpose of dictation all together?

Our first camping trip for the new school year

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:15:00 -0500

Last weekend we went camping at Mineral Wells State Park.

We began our family camping trips last September with my best girlfriend and her family. Since then we have scheduled several more camping trips- most of which we have had to cancel for numerous reasons. In May our family went to Lake Arrowhead State Park and had a blast even though it rained all weekend.

For this school year I planned out our basic syear school calendar with all of our field trip days, camping days, Geocaching fun!s and family time at home days scheduled. I presented the calendar to my sweet husband who made a few changes and now we have an official school year calendar with lots of fun things planned through out the school year.

So...

back to the camping story...

It wasnt' long after scheduling the camping trip that a hurricane decided to head towards Texas and while our camping trip was no where near the coast, it still meant we were once again doomed for rain. When we got to the park the sun was still coming in and out so we were able to set up with no rain. Dinner time came and it started sprinkling. I decided to stick to the camping menu and get started. I finished dinner just in time for the downpour so we ran to the tent with our food. I probably haven't mentioned yet that for some strange reason our tent leaks like a siv. I think after our tent got soaked yet again, we have finally figured out the problem. We will know for sure during our next camping trip because I am sure it will rain then too.

After Friday night's downpour we stayed dry for the rest of the weekend. We enjoyed driving around Mineral Wells, taking time to visit a water bottler. Mineral Wells has a very iMineral Wells Historyand I wish we had had more time to explore. We had a wonderful afternoon of swimming and ended the night with a campfire and s'mores. YUM-O!!!

We actually managed to break down camp in timely manner- after a camp breakfast gone bad. We endured the normal car sickness on the way home and relaxed Sunday evening with some Bar-b-q take-out. Our next camping trip will be in September. Not 100% sure where we are going yet, but I know the weekend will be full of more adventure and family bonding.

Fun with Geocaching

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:06:00 -0500

"Using Billion Dollar Satalites to Find Tupperware"

I was visiting Mother Hen over at Sweet Life and she posted about Geocaching an adventure our family started back in September. My My Best Girlfriend! and her family initially got us started when we went camping together. After some delays, we were finally able to invest in a GPS unit and our family has been treasure hunting ever since.

While there are many educational benefits to Geocaching, there are other benefits as well. Since we are often hiking to find out hidden treasures we get a good amount of exercise during our Geocaching excursions. Another benefit is we get to spend the day together outdoors as a family with no television or computer in site. By far my favorite benefit to Geocaching is seeing our family work together as a team. While it might seem the adults have the advantage with Geocaching, it is often our children who think outside the box who locate the cache first. It has been so great to see the kids working together to reach a common goal.

Since the kids have different areas of interest, they often go their separate ways when the school day ends. Geocaching has given our family an opportunity to come together on common ground. No one seems to have an advantage and as a result we all have a blast as a family.

hoping to get going with my blog again

Mon, 2 Apr 2007 22:08:00 -0500

This has been a crazy year. I have missed blogging and all my blogging friends. I haven't been posting or leaving comments, but I have been keeping up with several folks through my RSS reader on my Modzilla Thunderbird.

If you are looking for a great reader I HIGHLY recommend it. New posts come in like individual emails but it looks like you are looking at the web page. But the great thing is you can delete the posts once you are done reading them OR you can save them just like an email. They all download as individual posts into individual folders. If you have been looking for a way to organize your feeds I really believe this is the way to go.

I am busy finishing up the end of the school year, but at the same time I am enjoying planning next school year.

Anyway, I look forward to being a part of the blogging community again.

Do you deserve your high school diploma quiz?

Mon, 2 Apr 2007 21:27:00 -0500

I found this quiz over at Quiet Cajun's blog so I decided to give it a try. I was very pleased with my results. Although, I have to admit I bet much of what I knew was more because of homeschooling my children and less about my astute memory.

You paid attention during 91% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Well, Thanks Quiet Cajun for sharing this because it was just the thing to get me back into the blogging groove.

Huge to all!

Long time no blog

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 22:39:00 -0500

Well, I noticed that the tumble weeds were starting to roll through my blog so I thought I better check in or people would start to think I abandoned this place. Wait, that would insinuate that people besides me actually read this thing!

We started school this week. It has been a blast. At the same time of course we started up our school year schedule. I base my schedule from the wonderful tool Managers of Their Home. The school week has gone really well. I was worried how it would all work out teaching two different ages groups. I shouldn't have worried- God had it all worked out. I had committed it to enough prayer that He had it all under control. Now I just have to follow His will.

I have missed blogging and I hope that as we settle into a new routine that I will pick back up on my posts. Prince "T" and Princess "C" are posting every Tuesday and Thursday as part of their typing program so be sure and check out their latest entries. The other thing they are doing for typing is the BBC: Dance Mat Typing free typing program. They seem to really be enjoying it.

In other news I spent 2 hours and 1 minute on the phone yesterday with my best girlfriend!!! It was so wonderful to be able to catch up with her. I chatted with her during my scheduled hobby/special project time. We are making plans for a wonderful, fun filled camping trip to Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site
& Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway . I am getting so excited as this will be the first time our family has gone camping.

I have lots more to say so I better split this into multiple posts. Glad to be back and can't wait to hear from all my Bliends.

Welcome Carnival of Bloggin Chicks!

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 19:38:00 -0500

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Be sure and check out the latest addition. Learn about everyone's favorite things at the latest Carnival of Blogging Chicks

Plus next week the Carnival of Blogging Chicks is open to ALL FEMALES. If you want to try a Carnival this would be the perfect opportunity. Details can be found in this weeks carnival message.

Fun Contest and Quiz

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:41:00 -0500

Go on over to Amber's Place and participate in her fun and educating new contest

Welcome Carnival of Homeschool

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 11:54:00 -0500

Be sure and check out the 30th edition of Carnival of Homeschool- School House Rock Style! The Carnival of Homeschool shares its "30th birthday" with School House Rock. There are some fantastic articles so go check it out.

Welcome Carnival of Bloggin Chicks!

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:07:00 -0500

Hello Ladies! Sit back and relax in the air conditioning as you enjoy the Carnival of Blogging Chicks Summer Theme Edition.

Welcome Christian Carnival

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 02:46:00 -0500

Be sure and check out this weeks Christian Canival over at The Evangelical Ecologist. A great job was done by all. Be sure and check out the great reads.

In Him

Blogs of Summer

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:17:00 -0500

Join the fun over at Bloggin' Outloud.

Nominate your favorite blogs (me) for the Blogs of Summer in any of these "Best Of" Categories:

1)Chick & Mommy Blogs (me)

2) Humor and Satire Blogs

3) Milblogs/Military Support Blogs

4) Random Blogs That Don't Fit a Category (me)

5) Kitty Kat Blogs (And Other Pets Too!)

6) Political Blogs (Or Something Close)

This will be lots of fun! Nominations (me) end noon on Sunday so head over there now!

Disclaimer: Any subliminal messages within this post are a pure figment of your imagination.

Related Tags: Blogs of Summer, Contest, Bloggin' Outloud