Irritations and Blessings 2007-05-27 20:50:29 I consider myself an optimist. I try to look on the bright side of things. Well, most of the time. I can get along with just about anyone. But, there are some people who just irritate me so bad!! You must know the kind of person I'm talking about...the ones who, no matter what has been done, they've done it better...or no matter how bad the situation, they've seen worse. Yes, I must admit, these people bug me to no end! If they've done and seen it all and have it worse than anyone, why don't they just move on, so I can have a more balanced conversation with someone else? Can you tell I've encountered this lately?
Oh well, in other news, my Sunday School class (4th and 5th grade) was like a breath of fresh air this morning. We had two visitors, and guess what? They were both homeschooled!! So the homeschoolers outnumbered the public schoolers today, 3 -2! You wouldn't believe the change in the topics of conversation! Usually, when given some free time to chat, the topics Read more:Blessings
A Tribute to the American Soldiers 2007-05-26 17:41:38 With Memorial Day upon us, I want to remember that this isn't just a holiday that starts the summer months. This isn't just a time to swim, camp, or cook-out. It is about remembering and honoring our soldiers who have fought and are out there right now fighting for our safety and freedom!
Read more:American
, Soldiers
My Best Summer-time Friend! 2007-05-25 19:21:58 Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
My kids and a friend swimming
When I was growing up there were two kinds of pools. You were either really fortunate and your parents had an in-ground pool or you were like most kids, including me, and you had one of those little plastic kind with the raised seashell shapes. You were doing really good if there was a built-in slide!
Nowadays, there is a pool-size to suit varying budgets. Being the summer-girl that I am, I love swimming and sun-bathing. So naturally, I really liked the idea of having a pool. But, we couldn't afford the more pricey in-ground style and I'm afraid I've quite out-grown the little plastic ones. So we opted for an above ground. It is my best summer friend. I clean it's filter and feed it the right combination of chemicals and it provides my family and me with hours of drenched enjoyment! Read more:Summer
Sheltering Children 2007-05-24 09:24:25
Shelter: To provide cover or protection for; a refuge; a haven.
One of the things I love about homeschooling is the ability I have to shelter my children from unnecessary trouble. After all, it is my job as a parent to provide cover and protection for my children, right? Surely there isn't a parent out there who doesn't see it as their job to be a refuge to their children. However, many times I've come in contact with people who oppose homeschooling, and what is one of their reasons for opposition?..."Homeschooled children are too sheltered!"...How can someone be provided too much protection? Especially a child?
Psalms 61:3 says "For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." We look to our Heavenly Father to provide us protection. Are not we, as parents, to model our parenting after that of the Lord?
It seems the idea some have is the need to inoculate our children with trouble in order to prepare them for future troub Read more:Children
Garden-y Goodness 2007-05-23 08:55:58 Here's a sneak peek of what we've been working on this week...
Squash
corn
beans Read more:Garden
, Goodness
Freedom of Imagination 2007-05-20 14:02:19 Morgan has finished up school. Matthew is finished with Math (he will continue his reading through the summer). We are now officially entering our summer break. Will learning cease? Nope. It will just be the more relaxed, sneaky kind that the kids don't realize is happening.
My husband, Michael, is off for most of this week. We are planning to work in our garden, swim, take a daytrip to a local creek, build a backyard fire and roast marshmallows, bring out the telescope and star-gaze and just enjoy the freedom of imagination that homeschooling allows!
The other day, I overheard some parents complaining talking about their summer schedules. Their days sounded as if they would be filled with running their kids from one "camp" to another for what they called "training". I wondered what they were being trained to do. Whatever happened to free time? You know, that time when there is nothing scheduled and you have to entertain yourself ? Doesn't constant activity le Read more:Freedom
Schools are for Fish 2007-05-19 14:59:04 Jason Holm of Inflatable Studios has a couple of great homeschool comic strips up. Check these out...
"Go to your local public school, walk down the hallways and see what behaviors you would want your child to emulate." ~Manfred B. Zysk
"By breaking up topics into age-appropriate subjects as schools do, learning is divorced from real life, and therefore limited." ~Sara McGrath Read more:Schools
"Anything on the table...two dollars." 2007-06-02 14:43:01
My kids have begged me for many a summer to let them sell things. We've tried the lemonade stand approach, but our location evidentially doesn't occupy many lemonade-loving customers. So when family members informed us they would be having a yard sale this weekend, I couldn't resist giving the kids an opportunity to sell.
They are really little entrepreneurs sitting out under a large oak tree with their own table of knick-knacks. And I must say they have done pretty well. Who knew there would be people who wanted a ragged, stuffed bunny or some old computer games? But, I guess the old saying is right, "One man's trash is another man's treasure". Of course now that they are "rich", they're ready to go buy themselves some new future yard sale items! Read more:dollars
Photo Hunters - "Art" 2007-06-01 19:38:02 This week's theme is: "Art"
This is my husband and he will tell you that there is an "art" to fly fishing. Read more:Hunters
, Photo
Photo Hunters - "Shoes" 2007-06-08 18:15:09 This week's theme is "Shoes"
Nothing like the feel of a comfy pair of shoes! Read more:Hunters
, Photo
What's Been Up? 2007-06-08 18:05:45 This has been one busy week 'round about this house, which is the only explanation I can offer for my lack of blogginess. The first part of the week we were host to my mom and little sis. They had an unfortunate experience with a tree and power-outage. So they spent some time with us. It was a whole lotta fun too. The kids had a blast playing and swimming together and I got to spend some much-enjoyed time with my mom!
For the middle part of the week, Morgan went to spend with her BFF. They stayed up the whole night and then decided to come to our house the next day, but instead of taking a little nap, like I suggested, they completely wore themselves out!! After taking her friend home, Morgan went to sleep about 5pm and slept the whole night!! She ended up sleeping about 17 hrs. straight! I think she caught up, don't you?
Today, we had a yearbook signing party with our homeschool group. Our yearbooks are so nice! I was really impressed how well they turned out! The kids had a bla
Worth the Walk 2007-06-06 12:27:48
I sat in line today to get gas for 7 cents cheaper than the surrounding gas stations. That made the price two dollars and some change, instead of three dollars and some change. Big difference when gas is that high! The only catch was it wasn't a pay-at-the-pump station, so you actually had to walk! I was so proud of all those little people! In this fast-paced, drive-thru world of ours, most people want the fastest, easiest choice, but I guess today, 7 cents was worth a little walk! Read more:Worth
My Blogging Story 2007-06-11 10:07:08 Chilihead has a little blogging story carnival going on and I thought it would be fun to put my story in the mix. So here goes...
1. How did you start blogging?
Well, I would like to write this amazing story of how I invented the blog, but I'm afraid that I am just a regular ole joe. I heard about something called a "blog" in a magazine. Being a couple of years behind the times, as usual, I came to find out that everyone who was anyone had a blog. So of course I had to be cool --I signed up quick!
2. Did you intend to be a blog w/ a big following? If so, how did you go about it?
I originally started out on homeschoolblogger.com because it was easy and being a homeschool mom, I fit right in. I blogged there for a little over a year. I never intended it to be something that anyone would read, but then I came to the realization that my family and friends could peek inside our homeschool life if they wanted, so I sent them a link. I've just recently switched to typepad --LO Read more:Blogging
Test Results & Picture Frames 2007-06-10 16:20:22
Morgan's test results came back. No big changes to report. She's above average in everything EXCEPT, (yep, you guessed it)...Spelling. I'm not disappointed; mainly because she is staying consistently 1 grade level behind. She isn't falling further behind, just staying consistent. I like consistent. I ordered the 1st level of Sequential Spelling to try with her. I'm just going to keep trying to improve her spelling, but I'm not too worried, because she's so advanced in all the other areas. She scored a 10th grade equivalent in reading comprehension, so I'm thinking she understands what she reads well enough, don't ya think?
As I mentioned earlier, this week has been pretty busy. As a result, I haven't done any reading lessons with Matthew this week. Tomorrow starts a new week and I'm going to work really hard to get in a full week's lessons with him.
The weather is scorching hot 'round here! Nothing to do but stay inside with the air conditioning or swim. So that is wha Read more:Frames
, Picture
, Test Results
Late Readers 2007-06-14 13:30:13 Once again Jason Holm of Inflatable Studios hits the nail on the head with his homeschooling cartoons! Being a mom of a late-reader, I can so relate to this one! Click the cartoon for a larger, easier to read version:
"When kids are allowed to read when they want to, when they find it meaningful for them, when their brains are developmentally ready, when they have pleasant associations with reading, then kids do learn to read." ~Joyce Fetteroll
Melissa says: "AMEN!"
The Garden Mystery 2007-06-13 12:31:56 Lettuce was mysteriously disappearing. Our green bean vines had many curious nibble marks. We had ourselves a garden varmint, but who was the culprit? At first we tried to ignore the problem, in hopes that it would just go away. Yeah right -- like an animal that has found a gracious source of food is just going to decide he's had enough heavenly goodness?!? -- sometimes we're just ignorant like that! Eventually we realized that we must do something to salvage our crop, but what? Our first action was to put the kids on alert. They were to report any unusual goings-on in the garden area. They accepted this job of garden detectives with glee.
I don't remember who spotted him first...either Michael or Matthew, because us girls just don't have the patience it takes to sit and wait for some creature to appear; and what if it was a hideous beast? Do hideous beasts eat lettuce? Anyway...Our lettuce-snatching, bean-nabber was a big (well, medium-sized) fat (off all our vegetables!), fuzzy Read more:Garden
, Mystery
All Creatures Great and Small 2007-06-12 11:58:11 All things bright and beautiful,All creatures great and small,All things wise and wonderful,The Lord God made them all.He gave us eyes to see them,And lips that we might tell,How great is God Almighty,Who has made all things well.~Abridged version of a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander
Read more:Great
, Small
Share Your Homeschool Tips and Advice 2007-06-18 15:09:44
Kelly at Pass the Torch wants all us veteran homeschoolers to share all of our best tips and advice. Visit Pass the Torch for all the details. Read more:Homeschool
, Share
Time for Family 2007-06-18 12:23:46
It's no big secret that our family LOVES homeschooling. I've been trying to explain some of my favorite things about homeschooling, with my first topic being Sheltering. Another of my favorite things about homeschooling is the time I get to spend with each of my children. In this fast-track world we live in many parents are pressed to the limit. I know this from experience, since before our family decided otherwise, my husband and I both worked full-time jobs and our children spent the biggest part of the day being cared for by someone else. Rushed mornings provided no time for nurturing the parent/child relationship. Because we used relatives as babysitters, most mornings our kids weren't even awake when we dropped them off. When we arrived home in the evenings, we all were tired. We got the kids at their crankiest and (just to be honest) vise versa. Our children didn't see us as the main people in their lives. I felt guilty for not "being there" and let behavior problems slide s Read more:Family
Homeschooling Advice 2007-06-21 23:01:15
Our family has been homeschooling for about 7 years. To some, I am considered a veteran homeschooler, while to others, I am still a rookie. I would have to agree with both assessments. Sometimes I feel like I have it all together, like I've been at it for much longer than I actually have, and I can handle anything that's thrown at me. On the other hand, there are days when I feel like I began just yesterday, I worry if I'm doing the right thing, and I feel like giving up. The veteran in me has plenty of advice to share, while my rookie side is always looking for tricks and tips to help. I guess it all balances out.
To give any decent advice, it helps me to think back to my first thoughts about homeschooling. Of course, I asked those seasoned veteran moms the most popular questions...Is it really legal?...Am I capable of teaching?...and the ever-present: What about socialization?...But those questions were easily and patiently answered...Yes, it's legal...We've taugh Read more:Homeschooling
If You Want Me To 2007-06-19 19:13:12 This is a very beautiful, meaningful song...
How the Garden Grows 2007-06-25 14:53:32 Our garden is growing by leaps and bounds! Despite the severe lack of rain in these parts, we still have quite a crop. Check it out...
How many garden-friendly critters can you spot?(Click the picture to see a larger version) Notice all the pollen on that one bee! And if you look really close you can spot a ladybug.
Take a gander and this great big green bean!
And an itsy-bitsy watermelon
This pepper plant is loaded!
Our tomatoes are coming along just fine also.
We are already eating squash and beans from the garden and it won't be long before everything else is ripe for harvest! Read more:Garden
Bloggity-Blog 2007-06-23 23:12:32 A couple of fun little things...
What is your blog rated?
And...How addicted to blogging are you?
81%How Addicted to Blogging Are You? Read more:Bloggity
Homeschooling Advice 2007-06-21 23:01:15
Our family has been homeschooling for about 7 years. To some, I am considered a veteran homeschooler, while to others, I am still a rookie. I would have to agree with both assessments. Sometimes I feel like I have it all together, like I've been at it for much longer than I actually have, and I can handle anything that's thrown at me. On the other hand, there are days when I feel like I began just yesterday, I worry if I'm doing the right thing, and I feel like giving up. The veteran in me has plenty of advice to share, while my rookie side is always looking for tricks and tips to help. I guess it all balances out.
To give any decent advice, it helps me to think back to my first thoughts about homeschooling. Of course, I asked those seasoned veteran moms the most popular questions...Is it really legal?...Am I capable of teaching?...and the ever-present: What about socialization?...But those questions were easily and patiently answered...Yes, it's legal...We've taugh Read more:Homeschooling
If You Want Me To 2007-06-19 19:13:12 This is a very beautiful, meaningful song...
Share Your Homeschool Tips and Advice 2007-06-18 15:09:44
Kelly at Pass the Torch wants all us veteran homeschoolers to share all of our best tips and advice. Visit Pass the Torch for all the details. Read more:Homeschool
, Share
Time for Family 2007-06-18 12:23:46
It's no big secret that our family LOVES homeschooling. I've been trying to explain some of my favorite things about homeschooling, with my first topic being Sheltering. Another of my favorite things about homeschooling is the time I get to spend with each of my children. In this fast-track world we live in many parents are pressed to the limit. I know this from experience, since before our family decided otherwise, my husband and I both worked full-time jobs and our children spent the biggest part of the day being cared for by someone else. Rushed mornings provided no time for nurturing the parent/child relationship. Because we used relatives as babysitters, most mornings our kids weren't even awake when we dropped them off. When we arrived home in the evenings, we all were tired. We got the kids at their crankiest and (just to be honest) vise versa. Our children didn't see us as the main people in their lives. I felt guilty for not "being there" and let behavior problems slide s Read more:Family
Recommend Site To A Friend
