These are a couple of cards I made recently. The pink in the photos isn't as true as it is on the cards but you get the idea. The bird graphic and poem and I found in a back issue of Seasonal Delights by Kelli. The violet sticker is from a sheet of wall stickers I found at Dollar Tree.
What I would change about how we homeschooled- revised
I have had it asked of me in the past if I have any regrets in regards to my homeschooling. I do have regrets. I think everyone does. I am going to share my regrets in this post but before I do I first must give you a bit of background information.
We began homeschooling when my oldest was 6 years old. After we had been homeschooling about a year, I was very fortunate to have a telephone conversation with a gentleman who sold used homeschool curricula. He encouraged me to read real books with my children and have my boys (when able) read books to me. A year or so after this conversation, I came across a few books by Ruth Beechick. This lady is a God-send to the homeschooling community. If you want to know how we did what we did, read “You Can Teach Your Child Successfully” by Mrs. Beechick. Although we didn’t do every single thing she mentioned in her books, we used her method by in large throughout all our years of homeschooling. Today my sons are 21 and 18. One is very scholarly and intellectual (he is an avid outdoorsman as well). The other is a hands-on type guy. He loves to work on his car and build things. He loves to read car manuals and Popular Mechanics magazine in his free time. One son is soon to be a mechanical engineer, the other plans on being a mechanic. I think both career choices are wonderful and I am proud of both of the career paths my sons have chosen. I am thrilled that my oldest son is studying for a career he enjoys and I am thrilled that my younger son plans to study for a career he enjoys. I am so happy that my oldest son is in college and I am so happy that my younger son plans on joining a branch of the military. I do NOT think that a mechanic is a more worthy individual than a mechanical engineer or vice versa. My one true heart’s desire is for both of my sons to love the Lord and serve Him. Period. If one of them became a CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation and turned his back on God and the other became a janitor and loved the Lord and His Word, was active in his local church, and led his family to worship Christ, I would grieve over the CEO. Money and status in this world are nothing. They are dust.
So, back to the original question, would I change anything about how we homeschooled? Would I incorporate a more rigid schedule? Would I buckle down with more intensive curricula? As far as the schooling itself is concerned, truthfully, honestly, after much soul searching, I can’t think of what I would change in our method.I don’t wish I had used a different math book or even wish we had stuck with the same math curriculum for several years. (We switched around using a curriculum for a few months then moving on to another. It made no difference. As I said before, one son is a studying to be a mechanical engineer, the other a mechanic and neither one is hindered by this switching that I’m aware of.) I don’t wish we had done grammar workbooks for years (what good would this do?) I don’t wish we had used more history or science textbooks. My sons have read hundreds of books on many subjects, far surpassing what is contained in a few textbooks. If I could go back and change anything concerning our homeschooling, here is what I would change. I would take away those times I was impatient and lost my temper. I would erase all the times I worried if I was doing it right. I would spend more time in prayer for my boys and with my boys. I would sing more songs with them. I would sit on the couch and read more to my boys (and I would not fall asleep when they read to me!) And, I would tell them more often how much I love them.
A New Contest - Homeschooling at the Speed of LIfe
I enjoyed having the last contest so much that I have decided to have another one! This contest is for the book Homeschooling at the Speed of LIfe by Marilyn Rockett. I purchased this last year and have gently read it. (It looks brand new and includes the cd.) To learn a little about the book you can read Cathy Duffy's review here: Cathy Duffy's review
To win this book (and I'll mail it to you free of charge!!), Just leave a comment on this entry, be sure to include a way for me to contact you - either your email address or website, etc. To be entered twice post about the contest on your blog or send an email about it to your friends and send me the link to your blog with the post or a copy of the email.
I'll draw the winner's name on Monday, March 16, 2009.
My sister in law, Lisa, decorated a beautiful mini bulletin board for me for Thanksgiving (I hope to post a picture soon.) I liked it so much I made one for my oldest son's girlfriend for Christmas. They are inexpensive and simple to make. You could make one in 15 minutes or less. I took close to an hour to do this one because I wanted it to be "just right" and kept changing my choice of graphics and where to place them.
To see some really creative paper projects (cards, paper dolls, etc.)
Visit There is no place like home
This one is a wee bit like one that Kelli made a few weeks ago:
To view cards and different paper crafting projects that others have made visit: There is no place like home
~Penni
----thank you for the wonderful comments! I tried to comment on some of your blogs but am unable to. You all have made such lovely cards!! ~ P
"A fallen souffle` is just a risen omelette. It depends on how you look at it, that's all - from above or below."
~Rabbi Lionel Blue
I love this quote. It makes me think of failures in my life. I see the fallen wreck of a souffle` but maybe God sees it as a risen omelette - an opportunity to teach me, humble me, and for Him to be glorified!
As the mother of a 21 year old and an 18 year old, there are many things I miss about not having a little boy any longer. Here is one example:
I miss.....
Cardboard wings and a little boy who flew ~ if only for a second or two~ off our picnic table.
Todays frugal tip may sound a bit odd but it really works well and is extremely frugal!
Instead of buying spray cans of air fresheners that have over-powering smells and are gone all too soon, instead go to your local Dollar Tree and purchase a pump bottle of body splash for one dollar. They have beautiful scents - rose, lavendar, etc. All it takes is one or two sprays to have your room smelling great. These last a VERY long time. The bottle I have I bought at least 3 years ago and it still has 1/3 of the spray left (and this even includes a spill from the bottle once!).
For more frugal Friday tips visit Biblical Womanhood
I am unable to post on Homeschool Lounge and I am wondering if others have had a problem with this? I have recently joined the Lounge again. (I had previously been on the lounge but was unable to post often times and so left.) I decided to try it again because it looks like such a fun spot to be a part of. However, I am unable to post. I have deleted cookies and cache to no avail.
Has anyone else had this problem? If so, were you able to resolve it? I have no problems any where else and am able to watch videos, etc. on the net. I and my husband (who is VERY knowledgeable about computers) are unable to figure this out.
1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even the weather.
2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou are not.
3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.
4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou doest thyself.
5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."
Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his record true:
To think without confusion clearly;
To love his fellow-men sincerely;
To act from honest motives purely;
To trust in God and Heaven securely.
“Why do women want to dress like men when they’re fortunate enough to be women? Why lose femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get more accomplished by being charming than we would be flaunting around in pants and smoking. I’m very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don’t want to look like one. When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error…" Tasha Tudor
~ I love this quote. It makes me thoughtful.
I love the fact that Tasha wore long dresses--many of them vintage-- everyday. She wore long dresses milking her goats, working in the garden, cleaning house, etc. Just like our great, great grandmothers did. She wore them until the time of her death in June 2008 at the age of 92.
I have continued to think on the subject of why I expect my children to go on to some sort of training after high school. It certainly isn't because my husband and myself are well to do and highly educated. We are working class poor. My husband is a steady hard working man providing for his family at an entry level position and I am a homemaker and home educator. He had a year of Bible school after high school but no college. I had 1 semester of University after high school.
I think why we feel the way we do is because we don't want our children to struggle financially as we have. Even more so though, we want them to spend their lives doing what the Lord intends for them to do. I personally would love it if they both wanted to be preachers or missionaries, at present, though, neither of them feel that is what the Lord has for them and my desire is for them to study and train for a career or trade that they will enjoy.
The homeschool community at large - and I HATE to generalize but it is true- talks about little else but college once a child nears high school age. In articles online, books, speeches at homeschool conventions, and at smaller homeschool support groups the number one topic is how to get your child into college. Very little is said about going to a tech or trade school, Bible school, or joining the military. I have searched high and low online for articles on these topics and there are some great ones out there - however they are the minority and it takes a bit of digging to find them.
Somehow it seems the big picture has been lost. The goal has gone ascue. College or bust is the cry but for many bust is the result. All too often we hear of a young person dropping of college. They went to college because they felt their parents wanted them to. (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) They get discouraged and confused about why they are there and after a year or two (or less) they drop out because they never wanted to go in the first place.
I know many herald this focus on college entrance for homeschoolers as being truly wonderful. I wonder though if in our race to prove that "homeschoolers can go to college, too" (which they have been doing all along anyway), if we are losing sight of our children and what they truly need.
A few nights ago, while chatting with a friend she mentioned 2 of her grandchildren. One, a grand daughter, graduated last June from public school and is working at a pet store (chain) as a dog washer. The other a grand son is working at Target - He graduated a few years ago from a private school.This grandma is very proud of her grandchildren. I could hear it in her tone of voice and I could see it in the twinkle in her eyes. Her grandchildren are happy with what they are doing and she is happy for them.
This got me thinking. Why is it that as a homeschooling parent we tend to expect more from our graduates than the average public school or private school graduate? Why does even the thought of my son going to work at a retail store as a career choice make me feel sad?
As some of you know, I have two sons. One is in his junior year at college with Mechanical Engineering for a major. He loves all things about books - history, science, Bible. Even as a little guy he could never get enough of books. He enjoyed reading the encyclopedia and dictionary for fun!! My youngest son is a grease monkey and very happy being so. When young he loved to be read to. Could never get enough of me reading to him. For his own reading pleasure he read the Tin-Tin books HUNDREDS of times but never really cared for non fiction except if it pertained to automobiles and engine repair. At present, he reads auto manuals, Popular Mechanics (devours each new issue), etc. He spends every free moment working on his car. He plans to join the Marines and specialize in working on either airplane engines or tanks.
We have always made it clear to our sons that we expected them to go to college (hopefully Bible school), trade school or join the military. Just "getting a job" after graduation was NOT to be an option for our guys. Why is this so crucially important to us? Is it because of the personal investment of 13 years? Is it pride? Both?
The years have slipped bye so quickly. It seems as though it was just yesterday we were starting out homeschooling with a six year old and a 3 year old. Now my sons are 21 and 18 and this is my last year of homeschooling. A new season in life is ahead ~ the best is yet to come.
Spring Garden Jigsaw Puzzle
These are a couple of cards I made recently. The pink in the photos isn't as true as it is on the cards but you get the idea. The bird graphic and poem and I found in a back issue of Seasonal Delights by 
