Lakeview Christian Academy and Boarding School - Homeschool Blogger

My Mom Died

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:00:00 -0500

My Mom died.
How does one get through a time like this? Every single day I think about her and miss her. My husband says something and I think, I will have to tell Mom that. I read a book review and decide to order a copy for my Mom. All day long I am thinking of her.
Hardest of all is remembering her in the hospital bed telling us she can't believe she is dying, telling us she doesn't want to leave her kids because she loves them so.
Sometimes she would cry out for her own mama who was able to be at her bedside. I said to Grandma, "See Gramma, you are never too old to need your Mama."
And I need my Mama now, but she isn't here.
I feel like an orphan.
I feel jipped.
And no matter what the day holds there is sadness in the midst of it.
Sure I am praying and my friends are praying. But grief is a journey, so I am told. There is no way to rush through it and no way around it.
All I really know is my Mom died.
And I miss her so very much.

Blogger Friend School Spending Spree $1000.00

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:12:00 -0500

I would love to have a set of china. I currently have a tea set with purple lilacs and if I could find dinnerware to match, I would LOVE that. However, I would "settle" for a china set at an auction store or even brand new.
I did find luncheon plates and accessories here at Lilacs and Lace. And at the English China Shop.

Total budgeted for china, $400.00

And I would love a new sewing machine, especially one that does machine embroidery!

I found it at Overstock for $300.00.

Re-decorating my bathroom would be fun and my towels and shower curtain do need replacing.

I really miss my food processor that burnt out on me, so I would love a new one, got any recomendations?

Everyone tells me I would LOVE a George Foreman grill, but I would need the jumbo size with 4 kids still at home. Here is one at Overstock for $90.
Or maybe I should get this one?

My cervical support pillow has worn out and I need a new one. I would like to try these.

After all is said and done $1000.00 doesn't go as far as one would think!
But I sure have had fun dreaming!!!!

Blogger Friend School #18

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:30:00 -0500

As a child I always wanted to be a wife and a mother. For many years I had an imaginary husband named Fred and I would ask my Mom to babysit my babies so Fred and I could go out. I told my Mom, Aunt and Grandma that I would have 12 kids someday.
Well, I only ended up with 6... But they certainly are 6 of my BESTEST blessings.

In junior high I wanted to be a psychologist and if I had had enough confidence in my abilities I probably would have went to college.

Now my dream is to raise children who love the Lord with all their heart and be a godly wife and mother.

Prayer for My Mom

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:25:00 -0500

My Mom has COPD. Unfortunately when she was first diagnosed she did not quit smoking, My brother and I wonder if she was in some form of denial.
The disease has progressed and in the last month or so has really taken hold. She has been in the hospital for most of March so far and a week just in February.
This last hospitalization I wondered if she would even be going home
Because her health was so precarious and I wanted to keep friends and relatives updated I started a Caring Bridge site for her. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lanawhitson
There are few Christians in my extended family so I sent a plea out to my children, their friends, our homeschool group and church to ask them to pray for Mom. Her recovery is nothing short of miraculous. She is doing so much better and I just PRAISE the Lord for His hand on my Mom.

Blogger Friend School Assignment #5

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 02:59:00 -0500

This is such a FUN assignment! I enjoyed making lots of signs. I didn't realize such a site existed.

HELP! I can't stop.....

SOMEBODY, stop me!

I was dealing with a rude person and a difficult situation this week and this is the verse God laid on my heart,
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18"
So I have laid aside my "rights", my disappointments and my anger to seek peace. This is hard to do when you know you are not wrong and have to lay down your pride.
We have a little booklet/tract that I picked up one year titled, "You Do Not Have To Be Wrong To Repent" by Craig Hill and in the midst of this I thought about that and realized I would repent of my self-righteous attitude. Yes, I am in the right, but I'd rather be right with the Lord.

New Contest at the Company Porch!

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 02:36:00 -0500

     I entered to win the writing instruction program
     MY Access! Home and the SAT Prep Pack
     on the HSB Company Porch!

I have two sweeties in our home that are expanding their writing horizons and this would be perfect to help with motivation, accountability and ideas.

How To Start Your Own Business for Families and Teens

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 00:47:00 -0500

Description:
Starting a business without a road map is hard! The odds of your family or teenager succeeding in the business world are very slim unless you understand certain business concepts and can apply them to real-world situations. This DVD workshop, How To Start Your Own Business for Families and Teens, will take you by the hand and guide you through the small business jungle. When you emerge from the other side, you will have a business idea with a working business plan and marketing plan that you can implement right away!

Here are just a few of the things your family will learn:
- Biblical principles of business
- Pros and cons of having your own business
- Generating business ideas
- Marketing a new business
- Crucial financial numbers for a new business
- Growing a new business
- Taking a new business on-line
- Generating a totally on-line business!

This eight-hour information-packed workshop includes four DVDs and one CD-Rom which includes resources, a printable workbook for taking notes and even has reproducible pages to allow students to continue their business analysis for additional business ideas generated in the workshop.

To learn more, CLICK HERE!

From the author: "We want to get the word out! We want more Christian families to take their rightful place furthering the kingdom of God through small family businesses. That's why I've purposefully reduced the price to allow teenagers and families access to the business knowledge it took me 20 years to discover. This course would be a bargain at twice the price given the knowledge you and your teen will gain he or she will be able to apply it for the rest of his/her life!
I'm holding the price down for now, but this won't last, I'm sure of it. If you've ever struggled to find an educational resource you need to start your own business, look no further!
I want to do everything I can to put this critical information in the hands of the devoted families who are looking for a way to reshape their lives.
You can click on this link and read how to get the “How to Start Your Own Business…For Families and Teens!” Workshop on DVD RIGHT NOW 100% RISK FREE. Our unusual 90-day satisfaction guarantee means if you don’t like what you see, you won’t pay a dime!"

VERY Funny Grocery Shopping Incident

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:47:00 -0500

This is a REAL, ACTUAL and totally legit. listing on ebay written by a mother of 6 children. It will surely make you laugh!
Mom of My 6 Pack

She also has a funny blog writing about the antics of her household and children. She has a style of humor similar to Erma Bombeck.

I have never taken all 6 of my children grocery shopping with me so I can not imagine how crazy it would be.
As a matter of fact that only (public) place I have ever taken all my children is church and our homeschool group. Oh, we did all go out to eat a couple times, however I do have adult children as well as my littles so that makes a difference.

Let me know if you take all your kids alone grocery shopping with you alone?

Fun Contest - Guess the Horses

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:50:00 -0500

Suzy's Scribbles has a contest going at her blog. Guess how many horses are in the jar and you could win her new book which is a kids' historical adventure, Andrea Carter and the Family Secret

Charles Gets Tackled!

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:06:00 -0500

Wordless Wednesday

Blogger Friends ABC's

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:36:00 -0500

Our assignment this week is to use the alphabet to describe ourselves, one word per letter.

A - Amicable

B - Believer

C - Crafty

D - Depression

E - Excited

F - Friendly

G - God-fearing

H - Homeschooler

I - Intuitive

J - Junk

K - Knitter

L - Loving

M - Motherly

N - Nice

O - Obstinate

P - Picky

Q - Questioning

R - Random

S - Surfer, as in internet

T- Tired

U- Usual/Unusual

V - Vigilent

W - WWW.homeschoolblogger.com/momblog

X - XXL

Y - Yarn

Z - Zealousness

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9

Hands of A Child Lapbook for FREE!!!!!!

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:02:00 -0500

You can get a wonderful FREE lapbook at:

It is Christian Missionaries To Know published by Hands of A Child.

I do not know how long they will be offering this, so hurry on over.

FREE LAPBOOK! Art Appreciation from Hands of A Child

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:22:00 -0500

I am a long-time fan of Hands of A Child and their lapbook project packs.
They are now offering a freebie for you to try.
The current free project pack is Art Appreciation.
Check it out!

Our Resident Goofball

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:57:00 -0500

Birth order experts say that the baby of the family tends to be entertaining and a clown, that is definitely true of Ya Ya. She is never happier than when we are all sitting in the living room so she can dance or sing or just make us laugh with her silly antics. Even her nickname, Ya Ya came from her, she proclaimed and insisted it was her name and it has stuck. I praise the Lord for enriching our lives with this feisty bundle of JOY!

What Makes Your State Special

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:49:00 -0500

* WHAT MAKES WHERE YOU LIVE in the USA SPECIAL ?*
ALABAMA ... Was the first place to have 9-1-1, started in 1968.
ALASKA ... One out of every 64 people has a pilot's license.
ARIZONA ... Is the only state in the continental U. S. That doesn't follow Daylight Savings Time.
ARKANSAS ... Has the only active diamond mine in the U. S.
CALIFORNIA ... Its economy is so large that if it were a country, it would rank seventh in the entire world.
COLORADO ... In 1976 it became the only state to turn down the Olympics.
CONNECTICUT ... The Frisbee was invented here at Yale University.
DELAWARE ... Has more scientists and engineers than any other state.
FLORIDA .. At 759 square miles, Jacksonville is the U. S.'s largest city.
GEORGIA ... It was here, in 1886, that pharmacist John Pemberton made the first vat of Coca-Cola.
HAWAII ... Hawaiians live, on average, five years longer than residents in any other state.
IDAHO ... TV was invented in Rigby, Idaho, in 1922.
ILLINOIS ... The Chicago River is dyed green every St. Patrick's Day.
INDIANA ... Home to Santa Claus, Indiana, which gets a half million letters to Santa every year.
IOWA ... Winnebagos get their name from Winnebago County. Also, it is the only state that begins with two vowels.
KANSAS ... Liberal, Kansas, has an exact replica of the house in The Wizard of Oz.
KENTUCKY ... Has more than $6 billion in gold underneath Fort Knox.
LOUISIANA ... Has parishes instead of counties because t hey were originally Spanish church units.
MAINE ... It's so big, it covers as many square miles as the other five New England states combined.
MARYLAND ... The Oujia board was created in Baltimore in 1892.
MASSACHUSETTS ... The Fig Newton is named after Newton, Massachusetts.
MICHIGAN ... Fremont, home to Gerber, is the baby food capital of the world.
MINNESOTA ... Bloomington' s Mall of America is so big, if you spent 10 minutes in each store, you'd be there nearly four days.
MISSISSIPPI ... President Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear here ... that's how the teddy bear got its name.
MISSOURI ... Is the birthplace of the ice cream cone.
MONTANA .. A sapphire from Montana is in the Crown Jewels of England.
NEBRASKA ... More triplets are born here than in any other state.
NEVADA ... Has more hotel rooms than any other place in the world.
NEW HAMPSHIRE ... Birthplace of Tupperware, invented in 1938 by Earl Tupper.
NEW JERSEY ... Has the most shopping malls in one area in the world.
NEW MEXICO ... Smokey the Bear was rescued from a 1950 forest fire here.
NEW YORK ... Is home to the nation's oldest cattle ranch, started in 1747 in Montauk.
NORTH CAROLINA ... Home of the first Krispy Kreme doughnut.
NORTH DAKOTA ... Rigby, North Dakota, is the exact geographic center of North America.
OHIO ... The hot dog was invented here in 1900.
OKLAHOMA ... The grounds of the state capital are covered by operating oil wells.
OREGON ... Has th e most ghost towns in the country.
PENNSYLVANIA ... The smiley, :-) was first used in 1980 by computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University.
RHODE ISLAND ... The nation's oldest bar, the White Horse Tavern, opened here in 1673
SOUTH CAROLINA ... Sumter County is home to the world's largest gingko farm.
SOUTH DAKOTA ... Is the only state that's never had an earthquake.
TENNESSEE ... Nashville's Grand Ole Opry is the longest running live radio show in the world.
TEXAS ... Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco back in 1885.
UTAH ... The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant opened here in 1952.
VERMONT ... Montpelier is the only state capital without a McDonald's.
VIRGINIA ... Home of the world's largest Office building ... T he Pentagon.
WASHINGTON ... Seattle has twice as many college graduates as any other state.
WASHINGTON D. C. ... Was the first planned capital in the world.
WEST VIRGINIA ... Had the world's first brick paved street, Summers Street, laid in Charleston in 1870.
WISCONSIN ... The ice cream sundae was invented here in 1881 to get around Blue Laws prohibiting ice cream from being sold on Sundays.
WYOMING ... Was the first state to allow women to vote.

/ Author unknown /

emailed to me by a friend

Psalm 23

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:05:00 -0500

Hav you been over to Utube or GodTube and seen the adorable videos of a little gilr named Abby reciting Psalm 23?
It is SO, SO sweet. Every time I watch it I tear up.
Check it Out!

My daughter-in-law initially sent it to me and then it was emailed to me 2 more times. I was telling my husband about it and we watched it together, he thought it was cute too.
Thus inspired he decided we should start with our 2 1/2 year old and teach her to recite Psalm 23.
The conversation cemented our opinion that toddlers have quite a different worldview.
Here is how the exchange went:

Daddy: Norah we are going to recite the 23rd Psalm, okay?
Norah: Okay.
Daddy: Norah say, "Psalm 23."
Norah: Psalm 23.
Daddy: Good! Norah, say "The Lord is my Shepherd."
Norah: "The Lord not you shepherd, the Lord MY shepherd!!"

And once again we observe, live and in action, the dreaded sin nature we truly are born with.

Free Audio Books and Bibles

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:33:00 -0600

Did you know you can download FREE stories, books, music and Bibles from many different sites?

This is something I just discovered. Perhaps I was clueless because I do not have an MP3 player of any kind.
I was doing a search for some classic stories we could download and listen to together. After reading out loud for any length of time, my throat gets tired and I have a hard time catching my breath. (I have asthma.)

Additionally, we are going to be reading through the entire Bible in our homeschool and I knew I couldn't read it all out loud so I thought I'd see if there was such a thing as a Bible audio file.

So here are some of the FREE treasures I found:
Music of Faith has several Bible chapters available for download, inspirational music, hymns and children's songs. You get 10 free downloads and I am not sure how their membership works and if you could get more.

Here are some FREE Christian songs at Touch of Fire and some kid's songs.

Here is a Bible you can listen to online.

This site, 1000+ Free Books, MP3 Audio Books, is AMAZING! You will find history, science, classics, a long list of children's books, e-books and audio books with so, so many titles. ALL FREE!!

Find some Christian classics at the

Look at Songs for Teaching. OH MY GOSH! Songs for every school subject and in some other languages. You are sure to find something fun and useful here. Bummer... it is not a free site. BUT you can get a free song each month with newsletter sign up.

Kids Learn Out Loud is a audio and video learning resource for Kids as well as Teens. I found Aesop's Fables, Rumpelstiltskin, preparing for the SAT test, speeches by Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.,
Browse thousands of Educational Audio Books, MP3 Downloads, and Podcasts for Kids!

I plan to download some Spanish songs we can listen to while cleaning or cooking.

Find some great classic stories, like The Secret Garden, The Road to Oz, Just So Stories by Kipling, and more here at Kay Ray.

Here is a GREAT treasure, J. Vernon McGee's Bible commentaries, Thru the Bible.

Stop by Free Classic Books for titles like: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, Treasure Island by R. L. Stevenson, and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Free Christian Audio Books has many Christian classics most of us would like to read and can now be hear. At this site you will find these titles:

Reality of Prayer by E.M. Bounds
Revival Addresses by R.A. Torrey
Secrets of a Happy Christian by H. Smith
The Necessity of Prayer by E.M. Bounds
The Practice of the Presence Brother Lawrence
and more...

Light Up Your Brain has stories for children including a couple of Beatrix Potter titles.

Now this site is uber-exciting! I can't wait to listen to some of these audios. At Kiddie Records Weekly you will find old time radio shows, old recordings from Grandma or Great Grandpa's era, children's operas, OLD Disney, musicals and LOTS MORE. I can't wait to listen to Uncle Remus and Peter and the Wolf.

The Talking Bookstore had a couple of free titles, I thought my boys might like Flash Gordon.

Kids Free Music had some Christian and many traditional children's songs.

Listen to Church History.

Free Scripture songs, some are described as rock, so be careful.

Audio Treasure has the Bible in MP3. So now you can listen and then DO the Word of God.

Now I have not actually downloaded from some of these sites, so listen to some samples first and tread through the sites carefully.

I'd like to hear your feedback. Will you please add some of your finds?

Tidbits About Scheduling and Planning

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 14:56:00 -0600

Scheduling and planning can be very stressful. It seems the minute you get a prospective plan together you begin to doubt yourself or worry that you weren't realistic. Or perhaps something happens that makes it obvious you will have to make alterations: an upcoming baby, a move, or illness. Or more common, you over scheduled, planning more than is feasible in a day.

There are some things I have learned in my many years of homeschooling that may help you as they have me.

First of all, and probably most obvious, is to pray. Pray over each child asking the Lord to give you wisdom regarding that particular son or daughter, ask the Lord to reveal areas that need addressing and how you can best reach him or her. Pray OFTEN with your spouse, if possible, for direction and unity. Additionally, pray with your child. It will soften their hearts to know that you approach the throne of God on their behalf.

Don't just focus on academics when filling in your chart; also consider character, area of weakness and also home or life skills. I strongly feel we need to focus on daily Bible study, prayer, character studies and personal quiet time. These are the foundation not only of Christian living, but the building blocks of creating a student after God's own heart.

Additionally, I often have this feeling of expediency in teaching kids the Word of God. We could easily have our homeschool rights revoked. Our country is BIG on socialist education and they want not only to require public education for every student, but they also want children to start public school as young as 3 years old.
Furthermore, will your child be tempted to sin at some point? Of course, we are all, but God's Word hiding in their hearts helps them fight against temptation.
I wonder too, do we really have freedom of religion in our country? Our freedoms are diminishing more and more each year. Could there come a time when a Bible is scarce or Christianity is outlawed? Maybe we will face persecution, God's Word will strengthen us at such times.

Well, time to get off my soapbox and back to the topic. :-) Sorry!!!!

I also like to consult my student: Are there areas you would like to work on? Is there a subject you are struggling with that we can give extra attention to? Do you have an interest or hobby that we can incorporate into our studies?

Our very best planning session was when my husband and I went away for an overnight. In addition to having a wonderful, relaxing time away we were able to share our vision for our family and make a unified decision on curriculum choices, scheduling, outside commitments, extra-curricular activities and personalized plans for each child.

I would limit your detailed daily or weekly plans to three-six weeks worth at a time. Then you can evaluate what is working, what needs tweaking and what needs to be added and you won't be throwing out a year's worth of plans or trying to make something fit that is actually causing more stress instead of alleviating it.

Also plan out blocks of time so you know how the day might flow. This can be as precise as 7:00 a.m. wake up, 9:00 family devotions, 11:00 nap (my personal favorite), 12:00 lunch, etc. Or can be more ambiguous like: Morning: Bible study, prayer, math. Afternoon: read aloud, chores, language arts. Evening: computer time, family reading. Bedtime - character story.

For your first couple of weeks keep track of how long an activity took, use your timer. This will help you in your future schedule planning to be more realistic in planning. I have often thought something would take 20 minutes and it took an hour. Make ongoing notes on your schedule, ex. "this works better in the afternoon," "need to fit in spelling tests," "naptime needs to be longer", "add teatime", etc. Don't get discouraged, just keep hammering it out and praying. I think you will find that even partially following a schedule makes the day flow better than having none at all.

There are times when I look around and wonder what to do next and I seriously don't have a clue. OR my mind fills with TOO many things and I get overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed I do not function well and tend to shut down. Well, a lot of good that does!?! Looking back to when our homeschool adventure went more smooth, were the weeks I had planned out, even if it was only a to-do list. Another thing that helps you to feel better about your day is to make a list of all the things you DID get done, you were probably more productive then you thought. Or maybe you had a cuddle and jammies day, that is great too! We are after all, HOME schoolers.

Remember what works for others doesn't always work for you, but God never fails, He will order the steps of the righteous and guide our path with the light of His Word.

So now you are seeking the Lord, conferring with your spouse and consulting your children, making for a more realistic and hopefully peaceful day.

Please leave a comment and tell me what works for you!

Thankful Thursday

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:14:00 -0500

I am thankful that no matter who faithless I am, God is always faithful!
I am thankful that His mercies are NEW every morning, the day is fresh.
I am thankful that He has blessed me with these 6 children and filled our home with noise and joy.
I am thankful for my devoted husband.
I am thankful for homeschooling and this extra time with my children.
I am thankful that I can learn new things and change old habits.

Struggling with your math?

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:50:00 -0600

I recently read a blog post where a mom was crying out in frustration because of their experience with their math text. It brought me back to our days of temper tantrums (mine) and frustrations (my kids) and I shared with her some of the tricks we used to help things go a little smoother.
This particular post was about Saxon math, but the tricks were used for many different subjects. We had a struggling reader so we implemented some of these ideas with the phonics reading program.
Hopefully, you can use some of these ideas.

We have done Saxon for about 12 years and here are some tricks I found:
1. We work on the first part of the lesson that presents the new skill being taught, then do all the practice problems.
2. For the next section (review) we do all the odd problems one day, even the next. If there are a lot of problems that day I may reduce the requirements further.
3. The timed drills we do once a week and chart/graph our time so we can see if we got faster or slower. It often got so they wanted a timed drill 2-4 times a week because they liked bettering their time.

These next three ideas we utilized many times over and they did make a difference!
Anytime we would struggle I'd declare a break and we would do the following:
1. Before starting your schoolwork or a difficult subject, eat a snack with protein, drink water and do some stretches and exercise.
A snack will fuel the brain and help with concentration.
I read, and later heard in a learning styles seminar, that water is the only substance we put into our bodies that directly nourishes the brain, so give it a good drink.
If you do physical exercises that cause you to use both sides of the brain like crab crawls, rub the belly/pat the head, army combat crawls, you will help the brain work more efficiently. Boys especially need physical outlet.
2. Be lavish with the praise and your child's effort. Maybe you can say, since you had a good attitude today, tomorrow you only have to do 10 review problems. We also rewarded good book time with fun learning games either on the computer or board games.
3. AND pray together before you start. Your child will be blessed to hear you bring your lack of patience and plea for wisdom to the Lord.
4. For some kids having instrumental music in the background may help with concentration. We found classics like Mozart and Beethoven to be beautiful and soothing.

Please remember you are not required to do everything a curriculum suggests. Additionally, textbooks are written for classroom instruction so a teacher may assign all 100 problems because she needs to keep her students occupied. Homeschool students need not do this no matter what the subject is.
Additionally, we did math Mon. - Thurs. and Friday was math games and manipulatives.

Please drop me a line and tell me if you tried any of these and if you noticed a difference.

Lastly, I would like to add something that is VERY hard to come to terms with, often times the problem is not your curriculum, it is not your child, it is you. Maybe you are being impatient, quick tempered, or grumpy. Maybe you had your own agenda and it isn't getting met. Take it to the Lord, confess and pray and seek comfort in His Word, the situation may not change, but you will. Furthermore, an apology about your attitude or harsh words (whatever) to your child will do wonders for your relationship. I have found children to be so forgiving and absolutely delighted that Mom would confess to them.
I'd like to share more about this tomorrow because it just happened to be in my reading last night about the VERY same subject.

Thank you, Lord for your Holy Spirit. He is hear to teach us, comfort us, admonish us, convict us of sin and lead us to repentance. Lord, send your Holy Spirit now to speak to my heart, mind and spirit, in Jesus name I pray.

I don't want to just be a better mom, I want to be like Jesus!