I am now blogging on the following website:

http://www.sarasreflections.blogspot.com/

Come for a visit!!!

Hey there!   I learned of "home-school-inc.com" while at the St. Louis Home school Expo, and I'm so glad I found out about them.  I've tried different home school planners/organizational ideas in the past, but nothing has worked well for me.  I'm much more of a computer software organizer (need it organized FOR me)....

Home school Inc has a program online that's free, called PER (Plan/Educate/Record).  How much or how little it does for you depends on what your needs are, and it doesn't matter what schooling method you are using (workbook vs. Classical). You can make an account for your home school, and choose your school terms ( I suppose one could school year round), add student's names, subjects, and the days/times the student will be working on those subjects. You can also keep track of attendence and grades....even printing out monthly calendars (so the kids can see what's expected of them)...and can print report cards, attendence records, etc.   This is great!  I just find it hard to believe that it's free!  I have this coming school year (Fall '08 -Spring '09) all planned out, and the best part is that I'll never misplace my info, that I have planned...because it's on the web!!!       I am also excited over this, as I've been thinking more and more of simply piecing together my own curriculum when we are finished with My Father's World- "Countries & Cultures".   We'll be going the "Story of the World" (Well-trained mind) route when we finish MFW.  Using this PER web planner will make it easier with piecing all my curriculum together. Yes, I know- I know....I change curriculum every year.      Curriculum is very over priced...and I think I could do just as well piecing things together from the Well trained mind book (as a guide). 

Here's the link to home-school-inc in case you are curious.  Keep in mind that you need to create an account  before you can try out all the features I've mentioned.

www.home-school-inc.com

I could talk more about the Well Trained Mind, and home schooling in general but I tend to be too wordy....and my kids are grabbing at my arms and complaining about how hungry they are (didn't they just eat an hour ago?)...so I had better help them out!     Have an awesome day!  

   Richard's sister's family visited us over the weekend, and their children are close to the same ages as our own kids.   This morning, I overheard this conversation  coming from the breakfast table (the children were eating; the adults had finished and left the table):

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"This cereal has 18 grams of fat...this one has only 10!  It's better for you!"  "Oh...look how much protein is in this one... but there isn't any calcium!"    "You know what?  Some people eat way too many  fat grams and that's how they get drunk."    I could not tell whose voice belonged to whom, as they all sound quite alike from a distance.

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One of the boys: "Did you know that little girl scouts are called Brownies??"

Another boy: "If they are called brownies...what if we could eat them?!?!?"

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This evening, Richard put Ashlyn (age 3 1/2) to bed, saying, "It's time to go to sleep!"  Ashlyn asked, "Can you pray that God will help me go to sleep?",  "God doesn't want me to go to sleep! I can't sleep!"      Richard prayed with her, and then Ashlyn decided that she could go to sleep afterall.  "I think Jesus is helping me  go to sleep now.  Goodnight."

     I know that there is a verse in the Bible about being content in all circumstances...but I'm pretty upset!  How can one be content with wet, smelly carpet because of a breaking-down A/C.. .with everything happening right in the middle of having company?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

  I understand that worse things happen to people, and that life isn't all about us....I need to keep praying for patience and grace .......and perhaps get some clothes pins to keep my nose plugged. 

    Here's what happened.  Earlier this spring/summer season, our A/C would not turn on...we called someone out to look at it, and they told us that we would have to eventually replace the entire A/C unit because of its efficiency, etc., etc....they did get it going, and we put the A/C on the backburner because we really didn't want to cough up the money for a new unit.   Well....time went on...and then I noticed a smell coming from Ashlyn's closet. I thought maybe she had had an accident or something (it's hard to tell with a 3 yr old), cleaned it up and thought nothing more of it. A couple of days later, Richard discovered there was a little bit of water leaking from  something(?) in the utility room (which happens to be right next to Ashlyn's bedroom)...he figured he'd just keep mopping the water up, not sure what the problem was, but knowing it had something to do with the A/C.      We continued to enjoy our air conditioned house, slightly nervous that the A/C would one day blow.   

   My Mom and Dad came for a visit (from South Bend, IN) this weekend, and guess where the guest room is?   Ashlyn's room.  Upon waking from their pleasant slumber, they placed their feet over the side of the bed and exclaimed, "Why is the floor wet?!"   My Dad opened the utility room door, and the room was filled with water (the utility room).  Since the door to the utility room is in Ashlyn's room, and the floor slants in the bedroom's direction, the carpet slowly became saturated with water!   We mopped and mopped!  We plugged in our fans hoping they would help dry the carpet out.   The usually pleasant, peaceful rooms were suddenly full of activity.  We all took turns mopping, readjusting the fans, moving things out of the rooms, and looking for more towels (to "mop" carpet).   We called an A/C company ....when he arrived (later in afternoon), he informed us that the pump(?) on the A/C had quit and needed to be replaced.  He didn't have an extra one with him. [ since it was a Friday....that pump won't be replaced until sometime next week (?)].   Anyhow, while he was coming to our front door to tell us he didn't have a pump with him, the sky suddenly let loose with pouring rain, strong winds, and hail!!!  He was drenched (and was hit by the hail)!   In the middle of our conversation with the service guy  concerning the A/C...we heard a "boom, boom, BOOM!!!!" -- right across the street, as our lights flickered and went out.  A transformer had blown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The service guy was happy to get back into his van, and we all wondered what we were going to do without our electricity...how were we going to dry the carpet without the fans???   We kept trying to mop  the carpet with towels, but it was still VERY saturated.  We hoped that the open windows would help too, since it was a windy day. We were out of power for 6 whole hours.    Well...this is turning into a very long story.  Long story shorter, the carpet never dried out, and it stinks horribly!!!!!!!!  Our house smells like we have a community of cats (we don't have pets)!   We are doing our best in dealing with this problem...Richard  ran a carpet steam cleaner in the bedroom, but the house still smells.....   I'm  also thankful for the cool weather that came our way, since we are without any air conditioning!      I can see the ways God has blessed us.   Even though our house smells like animals, I can be thankful that it isn't this way all of the time, and that Mom and Dad were here to help with the mopping/water chaos!  Should we need to replace the carpet, it won't be the end of the world...I might have fun carpet shopping.  Even if we end up being without Air conditioning later in the week when the hot weather returns, we will survive and be happy (God gave us sweat glands for a reason).   I need to be content....what a hard lesson to learn!

   As I said in the last entry, we discovered ourselves in Florida.   Well, here are a few photos of the place we stayed for 2 weeks!  It really did feel like home...

    We would start each day with wishing Richard a good day at work.  After breakfast, we'd go and feed the ducks at a pond across the street. We would then explore or go to the park and/or library.

One day, there was a turtle in the pond who ate the bread  we threw, too!  I did not know that turtles even liked bread!

We also enjoyed visiting the beaches during the day...

Of course, we spent doing every -day things too...like going to the store and doing laundry, and surfing the Internet  (the laundry & computer room were right down the hall from us),  Oh! I guess I should also mention that we did school during the morning hours.

We went to St. Augustine without Richard one day....and we had a great time (he was in training)!

The hardest part with visiting St. Augustine without Richard with us, was that I could not take photos easily while driving down the road.  I did try, however, but when I spotted a police man eyeing my camera hanging out the window, I decided to stop.  Here are a couple of photos taken while driving: 

We visited a neat little village, and the oldest log school house in the US.  The highlight for the kids, was visiting the fort!

I know this would have been much easier if I had (at the beginning--many entries ago) told about our trip in story-form, instead of giving it in bits & pieces, but there's just been so much going on!!!     Okay.....on our way down to FL (for Richard's training) we saw the boyhood home of Lincoln, visted Cumberland Falls in Kentucky...

 ....then, we drove through the Smokies, crossing from TN to NC.  This was such an awesome experience for the children--it was their first time to see mountains.

Then, we drove through a bit of NC, all the way down SC, and Georgia.  We stopped in SC to see some pretty Southern sites....among them, "Old Charles Town"...the first settlement in SC. There was a museum to visit, and a small zoo (birds, small animals). I simply did not take many photos because we were in awe ...it was our first time in the southern States.   We'd never before seen so many flowering plants and bushes, moss dripping from trees...and swamps everywhere along the walkways...I might add that we  rode around  Old Charles Town on a tram, which should help to explain why I don't have many photos of Old Charles Town.   Or at least, it should explain why.  I'm feeling guilty enough as it is!! Please don't comment on the lack of photos on SC!

On a SC beach....

Then we found ourselves in the State of Florida!!!!    (to be continued...)

Here is another photo, taken in Savannah, GA.    By the way, if you cannot see these photos, you might want to add  my web page address (homeschoolblogger.com/sorrellsunshine) to your list of "allowed sites" on your filter.  Most filters will block  photos on blogs...even if you can see the typed words....it will still block photos.

   The above photo was taken on a ferry boat in Jacksonville, FL....we were crossing St. John's River, just for fun.  I think this picture is so cute.  "Hey Mom, the sun is in our eyes!"     The photo below is a view of Jacksonville, FL.

Our three munchkins...on some steps in Savannah....

.....the kids kept asking why the "parks" didn't have play ground equipment.  We reminded them it was an old, romantic city... and that children back in the old days didn't play  (ha, just kidding).  we did finally find a play ground.

Here is one awesome Antebellum home:

A couple more....

I'll be adding some more photos of our trip, later on this  next week (hopefully).      You will  need to keep checking back (on your own) when you want to see my entries/photos on this site... because I no longer want to bother people with "updated blog" emails.      You will no longer be getting those email notices!                  www.homeschoolblogger.com/sorrellsunshine

 Hey there, everyone!  My 33rd (gasp) birthday is just around the corner...causing me to become more introspective.  I  like taking personality tests but nothing matches who I am!  I've often thought of myself as another "Mary Poppins" (hence my blog title), but Richard thinks I'm more of a "dark headed Anne of Green Gables".   I'm really not graceful during times of crisis, say things I shouldn't (when  upset), and find myself in "the depths of despair".    I'm free-spirited, a dreamer, and if I didn't have children, would be reciting poetry or having my nose stuck in a book.  I don't see myself breaking anything over anyone's head though.    I don't really think I'm  one certain  "personality-type". It's just fun to talk about.

     Richard went to Target to buy  an early birthday present....Caleb & Antonin (on their own--I did not ask them) already told me what he's buying, so I'm trying to figure out if I still act surprised when I receive the gift.   He's buying me a new stereo!  I can't wait!  You would be beside yourself too if you knew what kind of stereo we have right now.  It's about 7 years old, the antenna is broken, and one has to pound the whole stereo (with both hands) repeatedly, for sound to come out of the speakers.  Nearly every time I put in a CD, I have to give the stereo a big smack, hoping it doesn't damage the CD in the process.   Yes, I will be SO HAPPY to get rid of that old stereo.  Although, come to think of it, having to smack the stereo has been a great conversation starter when we have company.      Well....Richard  returned from Target....yeah!!!  The children gathered around me and said, "Happy early birthday Mom....here's your stereo!"... then there were rounds of yeah's and yippies.      Now I need to figure out how to use it....and I'll try not to slap it out of habit.

   Well, after writing about how frustrated I was over the music links  (youtube) not working, the problem has been fixed and now they work!  So....I needed to change this entry.  The lyrics of "The voice of Truth", by Casting Crowns ...and "You and I were made to worship", and "You're the One", by Chris Tomlin, speak volumes to me. You can probably tell that I like Chris Tomlin and Casting Crowns real well, by the way.  

   At first, I was thinking I'd simply say that nothing is new and that's why I haven't written in this blog.  Actually, the truth is that  challenging things have happened lately...so I'm just going to be real about it.   

 Besides the daily sibling rivalry/character training issues that are never ending,  Caleb slammed the bathroom door the other day, causing one of my ceramic wall decorations (in bathroom) to come crashing down and shatter into many pieces!  I hope I can find another one like it at Garden Ridge (I sort of doubt I will...it's been over a year since purchasing the original)...and yes, he will be paying for it with his own money.    Did I ever tell you about the time the boys broke the window out of the back door?  That was something they couldn't possibly pay for with their own money....so even though I'm sad to lose a nice decoration in the house, at least it wasn't a window!

 About a week ago, Our air conditioner was not turning on at all.  We called someone to come look at it, and it took them 2 whole hours to get the thing figured out.  Basically, the AC system was ruined from having it worked on 2 years ago by some other A/C people who obviously did not know what they were doing.  This recent person who came out to fix it, said that we will need to replace the whole system eventually.  The good part is that he did get the A/C up and running for us.  Maybe we can keep it running a little longer.

We are taking our summer vacation from school now..........and I don't know yet when we are resuming.   Sometime in August.....maybe after the home school meeting.   Oh!  Did I tell you that I won a prize at the home school Expo in St. Louis [in March]??   I just haven't received it yet.....they called and said that it might take awhile for me to get it, but it's on its way (I'm not sure what that means).      I won a book and DVD set....from Focus on the Family...History something or other...I'll tell you about it once it arrives.  It's time for me to plan for the next school year.....I'll talk more about that another time.   

It's time to get back into the routine of life after our trip....and it's so COLD here in IL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am anxious for the weather to get warmer...it should be warmer by next week end.  yeah!

The children and myself are still remembering Florida....Ashlyn keeps talking about how we went to the beach and then came back home again (making me want to return!)...the boys have sorted through their sea shells...I've went through all our photos....*sigh*  I think I may be going through withdrawl.      Really, life is good....couldn't get any better...really and truly...  I just miss the sunshine and the beach.    

This photo was taken at a park in Savannah, GA, on Mother's Day.  Everything is so lovely in the South!  Blooming bushes and flowers everywhere...Spanish Moss hanging down from  the trees....It's like experiencing a sensory overload...you have to slow down to take everything in!    We discovered "Live Oak" trees...very different from the trees we have in the Mid-West.  Live Oaks are never bare...the leaves constantly replace themselves all through the year so there are always nice green leaves to see (the downside is that there are always dead leaves on the ground to rake up through the year).   My favorite kind of tree was the Magnolia (they still had some blooms for us to see)!   There were also small lizards skittering everywhere...so the children had so much fun looking for them.  Some were green, others were brown or black.  I'm calling them small lizards, but there might be another name for them.  ....And this is all part of home schooling!  How fun!      Antonin had an unfortunate run-in with the local  red ants....it was soon after the photo above was taken.  We were walking down lovely Savannah streets, oohing and aahing over the Antebellum homes and beautiful scenery, when Antonin came screaming over to us, scratching and pulling at his hair, "It itches!  It itches!!", he cried.  I took a look in his hair, and found red ants!  There were so many ants, I handed the job over to Richard (seeing how it was Mother's Day ), who spent at least 10 minutes getting all the ants out of Antonin's hair, and off his back.  We still do not know how this happened!  Antonin said that he was flipping around a hand railing ... looking at an ant hill.  I personally think he must have been admiring the ant hill while balancing on his head.

Beyond the beauty of the South....the people there are very different (in a good way). They walk and ride their bicycles everywhere, and are generally outdoors more than people in the Midwest.  They sit outside and enjoy the weather... along with  the company of other people.      At first the friendliness felt a little strange to us.  For example, while walking up to a museum in SC, we were all munching on apples, and every single person who passed us on the walk way commented on our eating apples,  "Good to see you eating fruit!",  "Mmm, nice snack", "Apples are very good for you, keep it up."      

The following are a couple of beach photos.  The Jacksonville, FL  beaches were a lot of fun!  It was the kids' first time to see the ocean (although if you say that to Caleb he will quickly inform you that he saw the ocean when he was 1 years old (in Maine) and just doesn't remember it). 

Oh yes!  There's nothing like the beach!   We were going to try and take a family photo on the beach, but the kids kept running into the ocean every time our backs were turned, so we  gave up and just enjoyed the moment.  We enjoyed our time in the South very much!  Though it wasn't exactly vacation for Richard (he was in training during the week), the rest of us had a blast!    BTW, I did go to St. Augustine with the children for one day....I'll share more later.  I do recommend that you visit the oldest city in the U.S. when you have a chance. It's beautiful there, too.

Oh yes....as you may already know...Richard & I were also celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Here we are in Mechanicsburg, IN  on Feb. 21st, 1998:

                   .....And here we are 10 years and 3 months later in Savannah, GA....Caleb took the picture for us.  I think he did a good job!

Ashlyn decided she was going to be different from her brothers and not smile.

 Here's some random photos:

 Ashlyn loved doing this over and over again!  At the Cumberland Falls in KY, Richard held her over the water so she could splash!

 The boys enjoyed a little backyard pond at a house we were touring in Savannah...another first hand Science lesson!

Last but not least, (I will possibly keep adding to this blog entry, there's so many pics I want to share)...here's Ashlyn picking flowers in Savannah. 

We are home!!!     I wanted to clarify that our whole family saw the States listed below (in earlier entry) together on our way to Florida.  Once we arrived in Jacksonville for Richard's training, the kids and myself got to know the area, and enjoyed our own vacation during the week days.  We were so excited to spend the weekend with Richard, and go to the beach with him on a couple of evenings (during the week) too.  I accidentally left KY out of my list of the States we drove through on our way.  It IS a beautiful State too...we stopped  to see the Cumberland Falls during our "journey" South.          It's getting late...so I will share about our trip next time (I promise!)   I did want to tell you that we traveled a total of 723.48 miles in one day.  We started driving this morning in Tifton, GA....and arrived in Belleville around 9:45 PM.   Whew!  The kids did awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   My allergies have officially returned now. I'm coughing and my nose is running.

Hello there!  It's been awhile since I've posted anything on my blog... we've been on vacation in the South!!.   I'm not wanting this vacation to end!   The weather in Florida is wonderful....not to mention the beautiful beaches, flowering trees and bushes.   I have also not been having any allergy problems....I'm hoping I won't have too long to go (resuming with allergies) once we return to Belleville.   We have gone light on the school work....the boys have focused on math and a little bit of reading...and of course we've been talking about early American and Spanish history.  Of course, I'm not sure how much they will remember, since we did not study this stuff prior to vacationing in the South/Florida.    This may just inspire me to tackle making up my own "unit studies"...instead of following a curriculum.  I never thought I'd EVER want to do such a thing.  I've been reading through "The Well Trained Mind", however, and it breaks things down in a simple/workable way (in piecing together your own curriculum).  "Unit studies" are not necessarily something out of the Well Trained Mind, I'm simply putting several methods together. I have a goal. Whenever I can articulate it, I'll share it with you.   For now, we are enjoying all the sunshine and the absence of allergies.   We've visited, Southern IN,  NC, TN, historical Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA...and tomorrow we may visit St. Augustine.   Richard is in training during this time, so most of the children's time (and my own) has been spent doing normal day-time things along with exploring the area. It was last weekend that we all--as a family--visited Savannah, GA.    We have been having a blast with and without Richard.  The children love the beach the best!  I will need to tell you more about our trip during my next entry, as the children are needing my attention.  Perhaps when I return to IL, I'll fill you in on all our Southern adventures!    

I found out that I'm a banana!  How funny!!!  This is so hysterical!

You Are a Banana

You are mellow, easy going, and a total softie on the inside. People find it really easy to get along with you. You suit most tastes. And while you're very sweet, you're not boring or ordinary. You have an attraction to the exotic, and you could show up anywhere... doing almost anything! You are spirited, energetic, and a total kick to be around. You're also quite funny. Your sense of humor is on the goofy side, and it fits you well.

My Precious gift from Heaven arrived one cold, wintry day,  God knew what I needed, and sent her via special delivery.  I had no idea, while holding her in my arms, what a blessing she would be.  All I knew was that my little, helpless girl needed me.   She's been growing up so quickly, and I wish that time could stand still.. even for just a moment...but I know it never will.   The sleepless nights with colic is but a fading memory...it's grand that we tend to remember the good in everything.      I've been watching her little ways, with how she relishes all her days. She rises each morning with a smile on her face, and eagerly  helps  put things back in its place.  Though I could easily do the job much quicker, there is nothing like having  a happy little "helper".   Most days she can't wait to play outside, to run with her kite and zip down the big slide. I watch her hair fly behind her, hear her squeal with delight.  And I pray that I won't take these moments for granted ...but that I might... always be thankful for my precious gift from Heaven.

  Poetry has never been my thing....so I'm taking a break and may be adding more to this later on.   BTW, These photos are of Ashlyn with two of her girl cousins in MO.

  I'm feeling quite sentimental today (I'm not sure why...maybe because my birthday is only a couple of months away...or maybe because it's a rainy day). I wanted to share a sweet photo of my parents.  What have I learned most from Mom and Dad?  A good work ethic, and keeping God #1 in  one's life. 

   My Dad was a meat cutter, and also sharpened saw blades (the latter business was at home in the basement).  My Mom had her Master's Degree in Library Science, but chose to stay home with her children...then when I was in high school, she went back to work.  I did not realize until later on (my late 20's) that I should have also went into Library Science instead of Education (I'm more like my mother than I realized!).  Oh well....I'm using my Associates Degree (ECE) to now teach my own children, so God knew what He had in mind.    .   My brother and sister (both older) probably won't appreciate my sharing this photo....but it brings back pleasant memories of being at home with my brother and sister (yes, even though we had our spats).  I would have been in 2nd or 3rd grade, and my sister and brother would have been approx. 6th  and 9th grades.  This photo was taken at my Aunt's house in Central Indiana.  The photo is imperfect because it was saved from a house fire my Aunt had years later.  The year of this photo  was circa 1983....if I find a more clear photo later on, I'll replace this one.

I couldn't believe Richard's early phone call this morning....to tell me that there had been an earthquake that shook our whole house.  He had went ahead and left the house--since he couldn't go back to sleep (he called me on his way to work).   At first I kept telling him on the phone that he was making the whole earthquake story up.  Richard laughed and said, "Sara, the whole house shook at 4:30 in the morning [the bed, windows and the closet doors were rattling/shaking loudly], and we both woke up.  I asked you, 'Sara, do you hear/feel that? We must be having an earthquake?!'  You sat up and said, 'No.  That's just someone in our closet', and then you went back to sleep."   I still cannot believe  that I said those words... and went back to sleep!  LOL!  here's the latest news on CNN and Fox news to prove that the earthquake took place...reality is slowly setting into my brain.   Oh...the children all slept through it too!  BTW, On our way to the home school choir practice around 10:15 AM, there was an aftershock, but we did not feel it since we were driving along busy streets...and had music playing in the van.  We have simply missed out on ALL the action!  *sigh*    I really am disappointed.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/18/illinois.earthquake/index.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351698,00.html

Mom: "You are a cutie pie!"   Ashlyn: "I'm not a pie!!!"

Antonin: "I got a lot of stuff out of my teeth while flossing!!"     Ashlyn: "That's because you have been eating too much candy."

Antonin, age 6:  "Mom, do you know how I know that I'm really hungry?  My stomach growled FIVE times!!"

While teaching Sunday school, I was drawing on the dry erase board as I told the story about Elijah and the Baal worshipers on Mt. Carmel.  I had drawn a happy face for "Elijah", but wasn't thinking about the faceless Baal worshipers I had drawn on the board.  A  three year old girl stood up quickly, staring at me with a mad look.  I asked, "Is there something you need?"  She answered, "I don't like your picture.  You need to put faces on those other people."  I quickly added frown faces to the Baal worhipers, and the little girl smiled and sat down.      While reviewing what we had all learned, I asked the children, "Okay...now who's this man?" (pointing to Elijah)....all the children said "GOD!!"  in unison.  When we got it straightened out that the man was Elijah, I asked them what God did after Elijah prayed (sent down fire to consume sacrifice and water)... a little boy raised his hand high and said, "Did you know that fire and mud makes volcanos?"  I had to try real hard not to laugh outloud.

Caleb,  age 8: " I wonder when I'll be able to buy a camper?  It probably costs around $900, so maybe when I get to be about 23?"  When asked about his getting a job or a car, he said, "Well.... if I don't have a camper by then, I might just live at home with you guys, and drive your car."

Ashlyn, age 3: "mommy? I have an owie (sad voice)....can we go to the doctor?" (said in a bright, happy voice....she likes the doctor because she gets suckers and stickers).