Learning is an Adventure...

"Mom, did we do math today?"

2012-01-10T20:16:00.002-05:00


I am participating in Homeschooling Hearts & Minds Virtual Curriculum Fair. This week's theme is Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and some Science. This theme can include anything to do with mathematics, mathematical thinking, numbers, arithmetic, symbolic logic, critical thinking, and math-y sciences (physics, chemistry, etc.).

Yes, you did. Math is all around you.

With a couple of learning disabilities in our house, we tend to do math a little differently. We have found that Math Mammoth works great with my two dyslexics. They are able to move at their own pace, and that makes all the difference.

Dragon is using a Glencoe Mathematics text book that we bought second hand last year.

We also make sure that we make math fun. We do a lot of hands on math. It might be a lesson in symmetry, or even planning our vegetable garden.

If you have a chef in the family, like we do, there is a lot of math in the kitchen.

If you have a child handy with tools, there is math in that as well.

If you have a gifted artist in the family, guess what...yep math.

We have played some marathon Monopoly Games lately.

We are currently working on saving money for our Disney World Trip this fall. We are doing a lot of counting money and clipping coupons.

This is how we incorporate math into our daily lives. How do you do math?

For many more wonderful ideas, grab a glass of water and head over to Homeschooling Hearts & Mind.

Here are the other wonderful blogs that are taking part in the Virtual Curriculum Fair:

MathLapbooks---Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 2 Angie Wright @ PetraSchool
VirtualCurriculum Fair Week Two: Discover Patterns, Mathematics, Logic andSome Science by Leah @ The Courtney Six Homeschool
OurChoices For Math by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool
AMagnificent Math Manipulative by Letha Paulk @ justpitchingmytent
OurMath Choices - Virtual Curriculum Fair by Tristan @ Our BusyHomeschool
MathLiterature?!?! by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic
LearningMath at My House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
MathUsing Hamburger Paper by Debbie @ Debbie's Digest
MathFacts or Fun? Why Not Both! by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings
Heartof Dakota- The Fine Details- Part 2 Science by Lynn @ LadybugChronicles
LearningMath Block by Block by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World
PluggingAlong with Math by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family
What'sWorking and What's Not: Math Edition by Leann @ MontessoriTidbits
MathAnyone? by Cindy @ For One Another
Ahh,Math. by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
FlyingWithout a Parachute: Math with no Curriculum by Pam @ EverydaySnapshots
Mathin Our Homeschool by Christine T @ Our Homeschool Reviews
Math,Math, and More Math by Dawn Chandler @ tractors & tire swings
ThinkingMathematically- How I Choose Math Curriculum by Kristen @ Sunriseto SunsetDiscoveringPatterns: Math, Logic, and Some Science by Christa Darr @Fairfield Corner AcademyTheScience of Math by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
"Mom,did we do math today?" by Chrissy at Learning is an Adventure
Math,Math, and More Math by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

Playing With Words

2012-01-02T16:14:00.001-05:00

If you were to enter my house at any given time, you would most likely hear an audio book or two. We seem to always have one going in the house and one in the car. If you came to my house for lunch, you might hear a poem or maybe an adventure story.

In our house, we listen to a lot of audio books. We also have a couple of read a loud books going at the same time. Dragon is an avid reader and writer. He is constantly coming up with fantastic ideas! He is currently working on his first book. Last year he was able to meet one of his heroes, Christopher Paolini. Ever since then he has been more determined to finish his book. I try to help, but he is way beyond my level. He has just started taking writing lessons from a neighbor. This is his favorite part of the week! In addition to writing lessons, we are using Painless Spelling & Vocabulary. For his Literature we are using Living Books. We pick out classics, read and then discuss them.

Tracker is just starting to come into his own when it comes to writing and reading. He has made tremendous progress since he has started therapy for his dyslexia. He is currently using Spectrum workbooks for grammar and vocabulary. We do a short reading comprehension everyday. I am so thankful to be there when I get to see that spark. He has homework from therapy that he must do everyday, but he sees them as games. He is also reading anything that he can find on hunting, fishing, and zombies. Quite the combination!

Squirrel is a combination of both Dragon and Tracker when it comes to grammar and reading. She is a mild dyslexic that is an avid reader and writer. She taught herself to read, but still has some difficulties here and there. We are working on those spots every week. She is also using Spectrum workbooks. She is most often found curled up on the couch with a couple of books. Her current favorite is Junie B. Jones.

This semester we are going to be changing things up just a little bit. We will be using Ignite Your Writing. I love this program! I can use it with all 3 children and just make a few adjustments. We have done one or two of the lessons before and the kids thoroughly enjoyed them. Another new thing this year, will be writing journals. We are going to be writing in them everyday. I am going to use inspirational quotes, picture prompts, and a journal jar for inspirations. This semester we will focusing on doing research reports. We will continue with 30 Days of Poetry as well(you can find the file here). The children will each continue using Spelling City. This is a fairly new addition to our day, but the children love it.

For many more wonderful ideas, stop by the Virtual Curriculum Fair at Homeschooling Hearts & Minds.

Reading on Time by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family
Playing with Words: the Language Arts by ChristaDarr @ Fairfield Corner Academy
Readingand Beyond: Language Arts in Our Homeschool by Laura O in AK @Day by Day in Our World
LanguageArts that Work for Us by Melissa @ Grace Christian School
LearningLanguage at Our House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
VirtualCurriculum Fair: Language Arts by Christine T. @ Our HomeschoolReviews
TheLearning of Language by Dawn @ tractors & tire swings
Readingand Spelling: Modifying the Magic by Pam @ Pam and EverydaySnapshots
AnIn Depth Look at All About Spelling by Missouri Mama @ OzarkRamblings
VirtualCurriculum Fair: Let's Talk About Words by Debra @ Footprints inthe Butter
WhyWe Love Classical Conversations Essentials (and how I know that is nota complete sentence!) by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
VirtualCurriculum Fair---Playing with Words: the Language Arts by Angie@ Petra School
WholeLanguage vs. Phonics by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic
It'sAll About the Art of Language by Brenda Emmett @ Garden ofLearning
WatchingMovies for Language Arts Class by Debbie @ Debbie's Digest
Only5 Spelling Tests a Year! (Can we do that?) by LP @justpitchingmytentLanguageArt at Our House by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
VirtualCurriculum Fair Week One Playing with Words: the Language Arts byLeah Courtney @ The Courtney Six Homeschool Blog

Save Big Money At In The Hands of a Child

2011-11-21T00:16:00.001-05:00

Black Friday ~ Small Business Saturday ~ Cyber Monday

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They will also be offering additional discounts up to 30% on ALL other products they carry during CYBER MONDAY.*

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Start planning your purchases NOW and SAVE LOADS OF MONEY on Lapbooking units, Notebooking units, and so much more.

*Excludes Custom Designed Project Packs, already discounted products and Super Memberships.

DID YOU KNOW?

In the Hands of a Child is the only company that offers you the option of ordering lapbooks and notebooking units custom designed to your specifications!

Check it out here.

Spelling City Review

2011-11-13T08:48:00.001-05:00

I was excited when Spelling City approached me with the opportunity to review their online curriculum. As a homeschooling mom, I am always excited to introduce a new way to learn those challenging words.

Spelling City has pre-made reading lists containing over 40,000 words. If you would rather make your own spelling list, you can do that as well. Once you determine your word list you get to choose from 25 activities to reinforce these words. My children's favorite activities were HangMouse, Word-O-Rama, Letter Fall & Alphabetize.

The Kid's Review:

Dragon: I have enjoyed the some of the games. The games that I have not enjoyed would be better if there was less repetition of the same sentences. For example, in Match It Sentences, the same sentence will repeat a couple of times. I would enjoy it more if they only used the same sentence one time per game. I really found HangMouse challenging due to a lack of hints. I would enjoy it more if there were more hints other than the number of letters.

Tracker: I think that the games were a good mix of easy and challenging. I found the most challenging game to be HangMouse. My favorite game was Word-O-Rama. I enjoy Spelling City.

Squirrel: I think that it is great! My favorite game has to be HangMouse. It would of been even better if there was a word list on the screen.

My Review: Overall I really enjoyed Spelling City. I found it easy to manage the assignments. I really liked being able to track each child's progress throughout the week. I also liked being able to print out flash cards that included the word and definition. I did notice that my children were getting frustrated with a couple of the activities. Tracker & Squirrel were having a difficult time with Sentence Writing Practice. They found it long. It would of been better if there was a way to pause the activity in the middle. It is hard for dyslexics to put thoughts to paper, or computer in this case. I would recommend this program to my friends.

I've been given a premium membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com for a candid, personal, online review.

VocabularySpellingCity.com helps students study word lists using 25 different learning activities such as Crossword Puzzle, HangMan, and Handwriting Worksheets. Parents can create their own spelling lists, find published lists already available on the site, or use any of dozens of free teaching resources such as sound-alike words, and contractions. Be sure to come back in three weeks to read about my experience.

There might be more free memberships available for bloggers. If you're interested, find out how you can review VocabularySpellingCity.com.

Pinterest & A Great Quote!

2011-11-02T14:54:00.000-04:00

Have you checked out Pinterest yet? I have fallen in love with it. You are able to group your favorite things together by boards or subjects. You capture an image and 'Pin' it and the link to your board. My favorite thing is the visual reference. I can see the craft I wanted to create. I do not have to try and remember which link it was or where I put it. If you have not checked out Pinterest, let me know. I will send you an invite.

I found this quote on Pinterest this morning. It was in a list of Life's Little Instructions. I think that it might be my favorite quote of ALL time.

"Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation."

Coming Soon..

2011-09-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

I've been given a premium membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com for a candid, personal, online review.

There might be more free memberships available for bloggers. If you're interested, find out how you can review VocabularySpellingCity.com.

Divison, Dyslexia & Dysgraphia

2011-09-08T20:44:00.000-04:00

Tracker has a love-hate relationship with math. He loves puzzles and he sees math as a puzzle. He gets frustrated because he gets numbers and even directions mixed up. He might be able to do a problem one day, but not the next day. Imagine if you were given a calculus book on the first day high school math. You would most likely be overwhelmed and not know where to start. This is how my dyslexic son is currently sees math. He is overwhelmed and getting frustrated because he is not making much progress. He feels that he should know how to do this, yes he can be a perfectionist at times.

Dyslexia is not only a 'reading' disability. It has to do with short term memory and sequencing. These are 2 very important things in math. Dyslexics often have a hard time getting beyond addition. In my household, multiplication is the stumbling block. Tracker has struggled with memorizing his time tables. When he does math, he uses a multiplication chart for reference. He does not always use it, but he said that it makes him feel better having it. Take today for example, he was struggling with long division. He could not get the sequencing correct..do I add first, multiply or divide. We started to write out times tables and he struggled. We then started to use his multiplication table, and it made it a little bit easier. Whenever there is a new topic introduced, graph paper is essential. Graph paper helps him properly line up his columns. This is one of the symptoms of dysgraphia.

Tracker's dysgraphia is very evident in math. He has a hard time getting his numbers to line up and writing numbers in a consistent way. I make sure that he does not do all the writing. I will write out some of his problems. When we are starting a new lesson, I tend to write them out mostly on the first day and then my writing decreases as he becomes more comfortable with his lessons.

We will be starting to include more games both online and hands on to help with math. We will find creative ways to overcome and adapt to the different challenges that lie ahead of us. While teaching a child with learning disabilities is a challenge, it is the greatest challenge in the world. You get to see the light bulb moments. You get see the joy in their eyes when they do it by themselves for the first time.

Review: Time 4 Learning

2011-09-04T19:53:00.004-04:00

When Time4Learning asked for volunteers to review their product, I quickly signed my family up. I was very interested in trying their online curriculum that I have heard about for years. I signed up all three children, grades 4, 6 & 7.

There was a mixed review among my children. Squirrel, fourth grade, loved the website. She thought that it was fun and really enjoyed the playground. Her favorite things to do was learn to count in German. To my surprise, this was a 'game' in the playground area. Both Tracker & Dragon found the lessons a little bit dull. Dragon did not think that the 7th grade area was challenging at all. He found it easy. Both boys were frustrated when it came time to play in the playground. They were not able to progress on the games quickly, due to a lack of directions. Dragon was disappointed that there were no challenging games for 7th grade and up.

My family found that the Time4Learning would be a great supplemental program. The younger grades were on target for the age group. For a learner that would like more of a challenge, we would recommend signing them up for a higher level.

*** The opinions expressed are mine. I was compensated for this review***

Reptile Show

2011-08-03T15:58:00.003-04:00

Did you know that I am terrified of snakes? I think that they are beautiful creatures, when they are on TV or behind glass. This past week we had a Reptile Expo come to town. I did what any good mom would do...had a mild panic attack at the entrance and went in. The most amazing thing happened. I actually fell in love with some of the creatures. I loved the lizards, bearded dragons and turtles. I especially fell in love with a fire beaded dragon. It had the most beautiful red coloring. By the end of the 2 days I had been convinced that I need to get a snake for the house. One vendor actually had me holding a snake at the end of second day. My kids were so proud of me. Now we have a wish list of pets...snakes, spiders, and bearded dragons.

Coming Soon: Time4Learning Review

2011-08-03T11:42:00.000-04:00

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. Time4Learning can be used for homeschool, afterschool and summer skill sharpening. Be sure to come back and read about my experience.

Art Blog Hop

2011-07-31T08:40:00.006-04:00

I am in the process of planning out our art for the year. I thought that I would share some of the wonderful art blogs that I have visited so far. I wish that I was a kid again so I could attend some of these classes. I do not remember having art teachers this cool.

Katie at Adventures of an Art Teacher has a great idea for a Dimensional Paper Project. This will be an amazing project. I cannot wait to do this myself.

These beautiful Rainforest paintings are from Art With Mr. E.

Stop by Ms. Malone's Art Room to view this great lesson on Name Mandalas. My children love mandalas.

Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists made these amazing Calder-esque Sculptures. These will be beautiful on our school shelf.

School Planning Update...

2011-07-22T19:18:00.004-04:00

Dragon 7th Grade:

I have almost the entire first semester planned out. I have figured it out weekly. I have asked for Dragon's opinion and stayed with it as much as I could. He wanted daily assignment, so I did those. I also threw in weekly assignments, ie you need to do x number of pages to do this week. We have gone through the Ancient History books and decided to use living books with projects/hands on activities. He loves this idea. Everything else we will be using a curriculum for.

Tracker 6th Grade:

He is making remarkable progress with his reading. He is getting up there. I have seen such a difference since in the last 6 months. He will be continuing with Math Mammoth and Spectrum for Language arts. We will be continuing with a workbook that we have for Handwriting. He will be doing unit studies for History..really the same thing as Dragon, just different topics. This is his favorite subject. We will be finishing up the Revolutionary War..and then moving onto Westward Exploration. I think that he will love this. He loves anything military or outdoors. He will be using a textbook & doing nature studies for science.

Squirrel 4th Grade:

She will be using Spectrum for Language Arts. She will also be using Math Mammoth. These books really work for her. She likes them. For history this year we will be using the Little House on the Prairie series. I feel that this will fit her personality very well. She will be using the same science book as Tracker.

The only thing that I really have left to figure out is Art. If you read this blog for long, you know how artistic my children are. This year I am going to be adding lots of field trips for art this year. We will be attending The Nutcracker Ballet, a musical, an orchestra performance, a play by the local college, and we will be visiting various art museums. I would love to find a pottery class for the kids to attend.

Hopefully, I will have everything set for our start date.

A Homeschooling Bucket List...

2011-07-19T00:46:00.003-04:00

We have all read about "Bucket list" in the past year or so. Just the other day I saw that someone had a Homeschool Bucket List...I thought that it was another great idea!

My Homeschooling Bucket List...

1. go to the Grand Canyon
2. see The Nutcracker Ballet
3. visit The National Zoo
4. see the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium
5. take on NYC
6. see a Broadway Show
7. watch a sea turtle release
8. visit the White House(I use to live outside DC and have never been inside the White House)

I am sure that I am forgetting somethings. I will be adding to this list.

Finding Mom Time...

2011-07-16T21:21:00.003-04:00

One of the blogs I follow asked a wonderful question on Facebook. Do you have a hobby and if so what is it?

I found this an interesting question because it made me think. I had to think about the last time that I took time out for one of my hobbies, passions. It has been a long time. I feel guilty taking time out of the day for myself. I know that I am not the only homeschooling mom who goes through this.

I need to figure out how to fit more me time into the schedule. I have found that I need to get my day started before the kids get up. The only problem is that I am not a morning person. I use to be. I really was, but I cannot sleep through the night anymore. I tend to wake up around 3am and then stay up for an hour.

Now I ask you my friends, do you have a hobby or passion? If so, what is it? How do you find "mom time"?

Full Steam Ahead...

2011-07-10T17:17:00.003-04:00

I am in full planning mode here. There are going to be a few changes this year. The first major change is that we will be working in Trimesters this year. I found that it was easier to break the year down this way. My oldest will be going into 7th grade and record keeping is geting a little bit harder. I am hoping that this will be a good thing.

Another change this year, will be the addition of community service. We will be working with a local hospice to make baked treats, meals and cards to their clients. I remember growing up and having to do so many service hours every year.

One of the changes that I am most looking forward to is getting outside more. We will be taking advantage of our tents and state park pass. After all learning does not just happen in the 'classroom'.

I am sure that there will be some tweeks here and there, but for the first time I am finally excited. I feel prepared.

Are you making any changes this year?

2011-2012 Supply List

2011-06-28T12:00:00.003-04:00

Peace Creek on the Prairie put up a 2011-2012 supply list. I thought that it was a great idea. So I decided to put up my own.. of course there will be changes as I am still in the planning stages.

General Supply List:

pencils
erasers
colored pencils
erasable pens
paper clips
binder clips
highlighters
composition notebooks
poster board
blank drawing book..science
ink cartridges
card stock
printer paper
index cards

Art Supply List:

Watercolor paint
drawing pencils
Fine tip markers
Sharpie markers
various papers
canvas in various sizes
chalk pastels
oil pastels

My Wish List:
telescope
laminating machine
binding machine
frames to display art

Is it the end or the Beginning?

2011-05-26T17:26:00.003-04:00

Here it is Memorial Day and we are starting school back up. This is comical to my neighbor, a high school english teacher. I then explained that my children just got off of 3 week break. We live in the south..it is HOT in the summer. We like to take time off in the spring and the fall. We enjoy that time outside. We use the time when it is miserable to do school. But don't feel sorry for my kids. When we get the urge to play hooky, we do. When we want to escape to the campground, we do. We take advantage full advantage of vacationing during the off season. Not only does it save us money, but the crowds are gone. This is good when you have family members who do not like crowds.

This summer my kids are going to taking part in a virtual summer camp. I cannot wait. My kids are even excited. They are also excited because summer means - free bowling, free movies at a local theater, free summer concerts and of course....the beach.

I have a question for you, are ending your school year or beginning it?

Week in Review

2011-04-02T10:20:00.002-04:00

What we did this week: We finally had the chance to get to the library. We spent the entire morning there. I think that I have found a new favorite day to go..Monday mornings. There is no story time, so we have the kids' section to ourselves. The kids and I really enjoyed the time we spent there. We had a marvelous day at the co-op on Friday.

New things the kids tried: Fire Rat did some furniture making this week. Each of the children had the opportunity to use the electric sander. They had a blast.

What was my favorite part of this week: Curling up on the couch with Tracker. He was reading to me. It was a magical moment. The one that makes the trials of homeschooling worth it.

What is happening next week? We have homeschool skate day, co-op, and a new schedule to contend with. Oh and the best thing...only 16 more days until we are deep in the woods and sleeping in tents. Not that I am excited or anything.

Enjoying the Process

2011-03-19T19:54:00.003-04:00

I received a treat in the mail today, Homeschool Magazine. (I love to read homeschooling magazines). On the cover, they had an article title that caught attention, Mind the Gap - Watching for "Holes" in Your Child's Education. What a perfect time for this article to arrive in my mailbox! I have been struggling with this for the past month. I am not sure if I had been looking for these holes, or if I am just noticing them. I eagerly sat down to read what Dianne Flynn Keith had to say about gaps in education. In this article, Ms. Keith relieved me of my fears. She pointed out that there would be holes in a public school education. I just need to look back on my own to see that this is true. I have been so worried about what the public schools would be teaching, that I have forgotten why I homeschool.

There was another article that really struck a chord with me, Enjoying the Process by Mary Hood. This article made me realize that I have been concentrating on the product and not the process. I have forgotten the real reasons that I wanted to homeschool. I had forgotten to step back and let my children go through the process of learning. I always want to fix it for them, I need to stop that. When I think that they need help, I need to guide them, not fix it.

There are certain articles, books and even blog posts that make you stop and think. This magazine did that for me twice. I just love it.

You can read the e-magazine here.

New Name

2011-03-12T16:56:00.003-05:00

Time for a change. We are restructuring school yet again. I seem to do that every spring. I have found that my children are not being challenged enough. They get by a little bit too easy. I want to challenge them while instilling a love of learning.

Here are some changes:

The kids are now using ALEKS for math. I was lucky to get a 3 month trial for my kids. They are loving it. More to come about their program.

For writing we are going back to Ignite Your Writing and 30 Days of Poetry. My boys have fallen in love with Edgar Allen Poe & Robert Frost. They will all also be starting Writing Strands. My children have fallen in love with this program through the library. I love have a homeschooling friendly librarian. The children are also taking part in a monthly writing club.

Science we are still doing unit studies. We are currently using Intellego's Human Body I. This is our first time using Intellgo. I am really pleased with the company so far.

For history we are currently trying out a new curriculum, American Heritage Education. This is another program that we are just starting with.

The kids are also constantly listening to audio books, taking gym at the YMCA and attend co-op on Fridays.

Some of Our Art Work from the last 2 weeks...

2011-02-08T23:42:00.003-05:00

Squirrel did this in our homeschool co-op 2 weeks ago. That artist woman had a fantastic Polar Bear Craft.

Last week the kids and I worked on chalk pastel iguanas. This was my first time ever using chalk pastels. Thanks to Deep Space Sparkle for this great project.

2011 Educational Goals

2011-01-02T21:43:00.002-05:00

I saw this idea on another blog. I am not sure which one. I thought that this was a great idea. I have also included it on my sidebar.

1. Less screen time for everyone
2. Read aloud more
3. Move more
4. basic sewing class
5. home economics class
6. slow down
7. more art
8. music
9. weekly Nature Study
10. Writing Journals

A Find to Learn From

2010-12-30T09:22:00.003-05:00

I found a great resource for homeschooling at the library. I found a book called Homeschooling at the speed of life by Marilyn Rockett. In Home Schooling at the speed of life, Mrs. Rockett, helps you organize all parts of your life. She tackles clutter, paperwork, household routines and much more. At the end of each chapter there is a section called Stop, Look, Think. In the first part of this section, she has included questions and activities for you to do. In the second part there are devotionals for you to do. There is also a CD that contains forms to help you become better organized. Mrs. Rockett has included many inspirational quotes throughout the book. They are both religious and secular.

For my secular friends...this is a religious book. The most religious part is Chapter 1. There are also religious quotes throughout the book.

I would check and see if your library has this book.

Win an iPad

2010-12-19T14:27:00.001-05:00

Go to Frugal Family Fun Blog to enter to win an iPad and an assortment of children’s books courtesy of Target!

Changes are a coming...

2010-11-15T08:48:00.002-05:00

Changes will be coming to our homeschool day. All of our outside commitments are coming to an end in the next couple of weeks. We will have the opportunity to devote more time to our studies. We are currently out of the house 3 out of 5 days a week. That does not include the weekends. I am looking forward to getting deeper into subjects. I am looking forward to bringing back some of our favorite subjects...art & nature study.

A New Post

2010-11-09T09:33:00.002-05:00

We are here, just struggling to get through the day. It is not the kids fault, it is mine. I am letting outside distractions interfere with school work. I just keep reminding myself that we can go day by day and that is OK.

We have started a couple of new things this month..

Dragon is writing a research report on Thanksgiving..then next month will be candy. His choice. He is also doing more independent work. He is taking charge and getting everything done by lunch time. He says that it is the only way to make sure he has his afternoons off. :)

Tracker is making progress with his reading, it is a slow road. But that is OK. He is writing more than I have ever seen him. I think that having a dyslexic pen pal helps. He is not afraid of making mistakes. He is at least sounding out the words. He has taken a new interest in drawing. He cannot get enough of it.

Squirrel is on fire with math. She has a love/ hate relationship with it. She cannot stand it when she cannot do it right away and then loves it once she figures it out. Squirrel has also taken an interest in drawing. She will go through an entire ream of paper if I let her.

We are enjoying our co-op. The kids look forward to it every week. They are also still participating in Homeschool PE at the local YMCA. It gives me a nice break. Today I am going to take my camera down to the ocean and take some pictures. I just wish that I could find the charger for my good camera.

A New Experience

2010-07-30T07:32:00.003-04:00

This year will be participating in a local homeschool co-op. I am very excited. We are going to be taking classes on Fridays. This will be the first year for the co-op and the kids cannot wait. The ladies that are going to be a part of it are amazing. They have some wonderful ideas for classes. So far I have heard about tae kwon do, natural cooking class, Waldorf inspired classes, open art, and the list goes on.

Are you doing anything new this fall?

2010-2011 School Year Plans

2010-07-28T13:13:00.002-04:00

Math: Math Mammoth curriculum

Language Arts: Living Books
Painless Grammar
various Evan Moore books to practice.

Reading: Barton Reading & Alpha Phonics

Social Studies/ History: Unit studies & Lapbooks
Topics to include:
Overview of the 18th Century Unit Study
Overview of the 19th Century Unit Study
SC History
World Cultures

Science: Unit Studies & Lapbooks
Topics to include:
Astronomy & Space
The Earth
Weather
Dinosaurs
Animal Classification

Physical Education: YMCA Homeschool PE

Art: Various art classes at Myrtle Beach Art Museum
Teach Art at Home

Character Studies: Characters with Character

2010-2011

2010-07-25T20:35:00.002-04:00

It is official.. the new school year has started. I am still in the process of trying to plan everything out. So far we have decided to use unit studies and lapbooks for history and science. I think that we are going to switch to Math Mammoth for math this year. We will also be doing Nature Studies as a part of science this year. Writing is still up in the air. I am not sure what we will be using for that. We will be taking part in a 10 week character education study. I found a wonderful book at the library last week. I think that this will be the core for that particular subject. For the first time we will be participating in a Homeschool Co-op. The kids and I are very excited about this. They are also looking forward to seeing all their friends at the Y's homeschool PE classes in the fall.

Once I have everything together, I will post a more detailed plan.

Hi

2010-05-22T20:59:00.003-04:00

I am back where I belong!

New Home

2009-09-27T07:53:00.002-04:00

You can now find me at my new home Toes in the Sand.

Darn

2009-09-18T07:50:00.003-04:00

I have lots of pictures to share unfortunately blogger will not let me. Bummer. We have done 3 really great crafts. I hope to have them up this weekend. We also went on an amazing field trip. :(

Gone But Not Forgotten

2009-09-11T21:09:00.002-04:00

Alligators, Goats & Snakes

2009-09-08T21:02:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful day out. I did not want to be stuck inside. We went for a walk around one of our outdoor malls. While there the children noticed that there was a creature had parked itself by out car. It was a 4ft alligator getting some sun. After that we decided to go a local farm. I wanted to check out their produce market. On the way to the farm we saw a "U Pick Grape" sign. Dh pulled a U turn and we ended up picking some grapes, $5 for a small basket. We were done in 5 minutes. LOL. We are going to try and make jelly out of some of them. Dh wanted to do this as an experiment. If they turn out well they will be Christmas gifts.

Once we got to the farm we went into the market and saw a ton of tomatoes. If I had the space or the materials to process them I would of bought them. There must of been ten pounds of big tomatoes for $6 and a bushel of baby romas for $13. Unfortunately, I do not have the space. After we picked up some goodies we went for a walk around the farm. We had fun walking around looking at the animals. I thought that I took a picture of a goat trying to eat from the feed machine. It was rather funny he just climbed the fence and was putting his tongue inside trying to get treats. We also met "Pooper". His real name was Humphrey, but my kids renamed him. He followed us around everywhere. The first time that he came up to us he came right up to me and put his head in my pocket. I jumped the first time. The kids thought that it was the funniest thing that they had ever seen. I would move away and sure enough he would follow me. It was rather cute. We also saw about 6 of the world's cutest piglets. They were precious. Squirrel went running to try and see them & was surprised when they took off. She thought that they were very fast. They were also very clever. I had a lot of fun watching them run around. They would approach us and then take off.

We also had an amazing opportunity to observe a turkey hen defending her nest. The nest was in a stall and a hen(chicken) and her chicks entered it. The mama turkey did not like this at all. When the chicken would get close to the turkey nest the hen would defend the nest. The kids watched for a little bit and thought that it was neat.

The funniest thing happened about 10 minutes later. Dragon wondered where the peacocks had gone to. We found then and started walking to their pens when all of the sudden Dragon let out the biggest scream that I have ever heard in my entire life. He went running with tears running down his face. I was wondering what was going on and then I noticed the 3 or 4ft grass snake that was coming fast. I scream and jump back then just start laughing my a$$ off. I found it extremely funny. I was trying to comfort him while not splitting a gut. Tracker and Squirrel came running and to see what happened. I am seriously surprised that a farm employee did not come out to make sure that everyone was ok. However, Dragon and I both started to laugh when we saw that Pooper had come hurrying to make sure we were ok. He went right to my hip. He stayed there until we started to move again, and of course he followed us.

It was a great day. We had some laughs, thrills and some more laughs. The entire way home the kids just kept saying that it was the best day.

Thankful..

2009-09-05T21:24:00.001-04:00

I know that Thanksgiving is still a couple of months away, but tonight I am thankful.

I am thankful that we have the money to get groceries.
I am thankful that we have a roof over our head.
I am thankful that we had a great week of school.
I am thankful that I have lost a little weight.
I am thankful that tomorrow is a day off for me.

But most of all... I am thankful that it is bedtime.

Mandalas, Symmetry & The Noun Game

2009-08-25T21:36:00.005-04:00

Today we started off focusing on life skills. The boys tag teamed the dishes and Squirrel learned how to properly fold clothes. Of course, she would not fold her brothers' clothing. She had a lot of fun. After we all did a little cleaning the kids jumped on the Wii and played for about an hour.

While I was cooking lunch, the children were coloring in mandalas. While Dragon was coloring his, we noticed that it wasn't symmetrical like the others. This lead to a conversation about what is and is not symmetrical. Dragon argued that there really is no such thing as a mirror image. He said that it cannot be the same because the mirror image is backwards and it is our eyes that fix it. I told him that I was proud of him speaking up. That he did a very good job of making his point. I honestly did not know what else to say. LOL.

After lunch, I read to the children from our current read aloud: The Seekers: The Quest Begins. The children are really enjoying this book. I am only reading one chapter a day. Today we talked about jealousy, compassion for those that are sick, and parental love. There is bear in the book that thinks he is a burden to his mother because he is healthy. I talked to the kids about how mothers never see their children as burdens. We see them as individuals and we love the fact that they are not alike.

After reading a chapter we moved onto math. The kids did their lessons. I have notived that Tracker & Dragon are really getting distracted during math. If I am not sitting at the table, they are goofing off. I have tried to talk with them. Nothing is working. Dragon is taking 45 minutes to do 3 problems. I know that this are a little bit more difficult, but he is spending most of the time staring into space. I am going to have to come up with something else, that or I cannot leave the table to go to the bathroom. LOL.

After math we took a break and watched an IMAX movie, Deep Sea. I get all of the IMAX movies from Netflix. We love them. This movie was no exception. We saw the Pacific Giant Octopus eat a crab. Talk about amazing. The kids favorite thing to watch was the sun star. This thing is HUGE and fast. I am going to try and find a way to make one. I am not quite sure how to do it. After the movie and a snack we moved onto grammar. We played the noun game. I asked Dragon if he wanted to play and he said No, but in the end he had just as much fun. What I did is label the board A-Z. We had to come up with three nouns for each letter. But they had to be different. They had to be a person, place or thing. The kids had a blast. After we played the game the kids then created their own Mad Libs. It was alot of fun.

The kids went out to play until they got hungry. All in all it was a good day.

The School Year is Back!!

2009-08-25T12:09:00.002-04:00

We had the official launch to our homeschool year. We had the first ever NOT back to school picnic yesterday. My kiddos had a BLAST! They played for almost 4.5 hrs!! They were very excited to see their old friends and even made some new ones. It was a wonderful day to meet new people.

I am going to host a picnic at the local state park next month. I am hoping to get even more people to show up this time.

Right now we are just going to be a park day & field trip group. I do not think that we are going to start with co-ops yet. I want to make sure that everyone participates in a co-op instead of just one person.

How to Pick a Color

2009-08-14T20:39:00.005-04:00

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. ~Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

I saw this quote this evening and it really made me think. I have been told that I need to get my blood pressure under control, it is very high (check out my Beach House for more info). We all know that moms have to do a lot. I am sure that I am not the only mom that has out herself last while everyone else is getting their checkups & dental cleanings. I am now paying for these mistakes. I have always put the kids and dh before myself. I have come to a realization that I can no longer do that.

So far I have turned over several chores to the kids, turned off the TV and turned on music, watched what I ate today, and I took the time to put together a puzzle with Squirrel. :)

I just need to learn to relax during the day. I have been letting the little things get under my skin. I need to toughen up.

So how do you choose your color?

Photo courtesy of USBR

What Will I Do Different This Year??

2009-08-13T15:16:00.003-04:00

Someone asked this question on one of my yahoo groups a couple of weeks ago. I had to sit down and really think about this. I was not sure exactly what I would change. Last year was a whirlwind and I think that I overdid it.

Here are the things that I will change this year:

~ delegate household chores more. After all my kids are old enough to do more.
~ do more hands on activities
~ use more multimedia resources
~ make better use of the time that we are here.
~Stay home more. Last year I was running 5 or 6 days a week. I will save Tuesday afternoons for appointments, allergy shots, grocery runs. Thursdays will be for co-ops, park days and any outside activities. We will most likely go to the library on Tuesdays as well.
~I will take time out for myself everyday.
~The TV will be on less.
~daily walks or bike rides with the children. They loved this last year and it was a great way to start the day. It got their energy out and they were ready for school when we got back.

I think that is it. I know that there are more things to change, but this is enough to start out with.

What are you going to be doing differently this year?

Speechless....

2009-08-03T22:24:00.003-04:00

For the first few years that we homeschooled, we were met with family resistance. My mil asked when we would test the children. I explained that we were not going to the test the children. She was concerned that the schools would not know what grade to put the children in when they went to school. I said that we were doing what we believed was the best for our children. Since that day, she has stood by us. I had sensed some doubts a few times, but she had never said anything. Tonight I called her and told her the results of Tracker's testing. She was very supportive, explaining that she believes that dh had dyslexia as a child. The only reason she is not positive is because when we went to school they didn't test for it. Before we got off the phone this is what I was told..

"I really believe that what you are doing for the kids is wonderful. I truly believe that they would of been really frustrated in schools."

I got very emotional. I have always looked up to my mil and this just meant the world to me.

Art Lessons For Kids E-Book Giveaway

2009-07-28T19:23:00.001-04:00

Go here and register to win her e-book. Good Luck!!

It's Official

2009-07-28T16:11:00.003-04:00

We just got back from getting Tracker tested for dyslexia. It is official he has it. It has confirmed what dh & I have been saying for months now. We just went and did the test. Tracker said that it was easy & comfortable. I think that it was great. While there we learned that dh & I most likely have dyslexia as well. There were too many times that we sat there and went..wait that is me. It is hereditary. So now we know that there is a chance(50%) that Dragon and Squirrel has it as well. The tester even went as far as to say that we should just start over with Squirrel's reading with the Barton Reading. This lady was great. She even suggested that dh & I do the tutoring ourselves. She said that it would save us money and allow us to use the program with all of our children.

Just A Thought..

2009-07-20T11:57:00.002-04:00

While looking for something for my kitchen wall I found this...

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

The Quote Garden

Carschooling Must Have

2009-07-17T18:18:00.002-04:00

A Lap Desk is a carschooling must have! Go over to SUPERMOM CENTRAL and register to win a Lap Desk from Room It Up.

Children & Electronics

2009-07-15T12:46:00.003-04:00

I am not sure about your family, but I know that my family spends WAY too much time in from of the television, computer or on a video game. I have tried to limit the time, but it has not worked.I have tried to ban the tv and everyone likes it for a time, then the tv goes back on. Part of the problem is that I have a hard time to telling my husband, who works 2 jobs, that he cannot channel surf or play on the Wii. I think that it is time for my family to spend a little bit more time away from electronics. I remember what it was like when you could not be reached in restaurants, movie theaters or on the beach. Life was freer. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked out the door without my phone when we leave as a family. Fire Rat always has his, so we are covered in case of emergency. I just like the fact that not everyone can reach me sometimes. I think that is one of the reasons that I like to camp so much..no reception.

I was thinking about this while weeding my garden. It seems that my children had to go from the Nintendo Wii to the computer to cartoons. They did not want to try and entertain themselves. So we are going to change the way things are around here. I was reading this article on How TV Affects Your Child and found some really good advice. My favorites are:

Stock the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, kids' magazines, toys, puzzles, board games, etc.) to encourage kids to do something other than watch the tube

Check the TV listings and program reviews ahead of time for programs your family can watch together (i.e., developmentally appropriate and nonviolent programs that reinforce your family's values). Choose shows that foster interest and learning in hobbies and education (reading, science, etc.).

Come up with a family TV schedule that you all agree upon each week. Then, post the schedule in a visible area (e.g., on the refrigerator) so that everyone knows which programs are OK to watch and when. And make sure to turn off the TV when the "scheduled" program is over instead of channel surfing.

Another great piece of advice is to talk with your children about what you are watching. I am the type that does not like to talk too much while watching tv. I think that it is a great idea though. We really should be spending more time discussing what they are viewing and reading.

TV Free Activities:
101 TV-Free alternatives
TV-Free Activities
TV Free-Television Free Activities (some religious content)
Fifty TV-Free Activities for Kids this Summer
Unplug Your Kids
101 Things to Do Instead of TV (pdf)
Instead of TV

I Need Your Help

2009-07-11T09:25:00.003-04:00

What would you consider to be an essential homeschool book for the library? Maybe it is not an actual homeschool book, but something else. If your librarian asked you for a list of books that you would like as a homeschooler what books would be on your list?

Why do I ask? My librarian asked me yesterday after I asked for some updated books. My library is very homeschool friendly. They want homeschoolers to come in more and take advantage of them. Both the children's librarian and the head of the library are very homeschool friendly. When I have had ideas for classes or something along that line their only comment is when do you need me?

Please any suggestions would be great. Thank you.

Clip art courtesy of #1 Free Clip Art

things that make you go hmmm

2009-07-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

Learning is not a spectator sport.
-- Anonymous

The secret of education is respecting the pupil.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influences...
Amos Alcott

Never, never, never, never give up.
Winston Churchill

One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty, until you try.
Sophocles

We think too much about effective methods of teaching and not enough about effective methods of learning.
John Carolus S.J.

Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind.The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, To have one idea spark another.
Marva Collins

The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.
Anatole France

Learning is never done without errors and defeat.
Vladimir Lenin

The secret of education is respecting the pupil.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are our teachers -- they help us to learn.
John Bradshaw

Homeschool Helps

2009-07-08T07:08:00.002-04:00

I thought that I would pass along some helpful things for the planning of next year.

Typical Course of Study

Various Reading Lists:
BookSpot
Reading Lists
Children's Book Central
Hoagies' Gifted

Planners:
Homeschool Planners and Organizers
Homeschool Lesson Planner Forms
Homeschool Planner Links

ABC's of Me!

2009-07-07T09:47:00.000-04:00

Since I am in planning mode, I thought that I would share a meme that I saw on Throwing Marshmallows.

A - Age: 34

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Doing the dishes (no dishwasher) and the toilet.

D - Dog’s name: We do not have any dogs at the moment. Our last dogs were Little Boy & Cookie.

E - Essential start your day item: 30 minutes of reading and no noise.

F - Favorite color: blue

G - Gold or Silver: Gold

H - Height: 5’5”

I - Instruments you play: the radio

J - Job title: Mom, Fire fighter's wife & Founding Mom of local homeschool support group

K - Kid(s): Dragon - 11, Tracker(in 2 weeks) -10, Squirrel 7

L - Living arrangements: Single family home on the coast of South Carolina

M - Mom’s name: Linda

N - Nicknames: Toot(I use to go Toot Toot every time I saw the train on Soul Train)

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I slept in my Dragon's bed when he had his tonsils taken out.

P - Pet Peeve: not putting the silverware in the drawer properly

Q - Quote from a movie: Carpe Diem

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 2 brothers & 2 sisters

T - Time you wake up: 6 am

U- Underwear: Boy shorts

V - Vegetable you dislike: beets

W - Ways you run late: waiting on the kids to find their shoes

X - X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, both wrists, both ankles, both knees, thumb, elbow, cat scan

Y - Yummy food you make: Pan seared black bean dumplings

Z - Favorite zoo animal: Panda

Under the Weather

2009-07-06T20:08:00.003-04:00

My kiddos are loving life....mom has lost her voice. They have decided that they needed to share their germs. We spent the day at the doctor for Dragon(sinus infections) and Squirrel(ear infection) and Fire Rat(sinus infection). The good news is Mom does not have to cook as long as she is sick. Hmm, I might not get my voice back anytime soon.

Image courtesy of google images.

We are back....

2009-07-06T14:45:00.000-04:00

We were all excited to go camping for the Fourth of July. We have always enjoyed going to Wilmington for the Battleship Blast. I is something that we look forward to all year long. When we arrived at the campground, we were very disappointed that they did not have a site quite big enough for our cabin tent. Before I made the reservation, I called and specifically asked if they had a site big enough for us. They said that they did, but they didn't. We ended up finding a spot that was ok. The main problem was the bugs. They were horrible. I understand that when you go camping that you have to put up with bugs, but these bugs were something else. We had to reapply bug spray every hour. You could not put any food down without at least 10 flies landing on it. We ended up spending the entire first night in our tent. The next day we spent the morning playing in the pool. We went to downtown Wilmington after having pb&js for lunch. We spent part of the day walking around all the stores. We ate at the most amazing place.. Front Street Brewery! It was $25 for a family of 5 to eat dinner. It was the best shrimp that I have ever tasted. The fireworks display was spectacular. I would have to say that it was the perfect end to the day.

I just had to try...

2009-07-01T12:50:00.004-04:00

Last night I was reading Deep Space Sparkle and I just had to try her Line Drawing Part I: Turtles. I had so much fun. I cannot wait to do it with the children. I just tried to do the fish in her next section, but my paper was too small. I will have to wait until I get a bigger piece of paper. I am going to take her advice and have many examples of different patterns on the board before doing this with the children.

It's Official

2009-06-24T22:01:00.000-04:00

The 2008-2009 school year is complete. The paperwork has been signed and is ready to be mailed.

Now to plan 2009-2010.

Taking some time

2009-06-20T12:10:00.001-04:00

We are taking a break.
We are enjoying the sand and the surf.

See you in a bit.

Your Mom Gets An "F"

2009-05-29T08:26:00.004-04:00

I was reading My failure as a homeschool mom over at Principled Discovery, and it reminded me of a story. Here is the email that I sent my family...

Today has been one heck of a day. Tracker & Squirrel were on the washing machine(why I don't know). I told them to get off the machine. Next thing I know Tracker is on the ground screaming. When he jumped down he got his foot caught in a tall hamper. Well the hamper went down with him. When I got there his right leg was a t a funny angle. I had to call dh home(he was on duty) so I could take him to the dr. The thing that was bugging me the most was his lower leg. It seemed to be looking funny. Dh agreed and off I went to the dr. We were in there with 7 people that were there for their manadatory drug & alcohol testing. Well, I can safely tell you that everyone of them failed. How would I know....because I have never seen such drunken fools. Anywho, I had to fill out forms and I kept asking Tracker questions...are you a boy or girl? Are you married? How will you pay for this sir? Just really making him laugh. By the time i had finished his forms there was a couple of us laughing out loud.The doctor was great even if he did give me the evil eye when I said we homeschooled. Here is a conversation.. d+doc T=Tracker

d-Tracker does your nose hurt?

T-No why?

D-because your feet smell so bad it hurts to smell it.

(At this T was laughing sooo loud).

d-did I hear right that you fell off of the washer?

T-No my sister pushed me.

d-did you hit her?

T-No, she's smaller than me.

d-oh I guess you can't hit her then.

T-no she is only 5, I'm 7. I am much bigger and stronger.

d-well, she will have a great protector then.

We got some x-rays and they were fine. The X-ray tech was awesome. She told him everything that she was going to do AND even showed him his xrays. She even looked through the discarded ones for a broken bone, but they didn't have any. It turns out that he twisted his knee.

Before we left the doctor and T were talking again. I was not really paying complete attention when I heard: "I guess your mom fails dryer dismount". I am not really sure what was said, but T and the doctor were laughing pretty hard.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T06:22:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day
Edgar Guest

The finest tribute we can pay
Unto our hero dead today,
Is not a rose wreath, white and red,
In memory of the blood they shed;
It is to stand beside each mound,
Each couch of consecrated ground,
And pledge ourselves as warriors true
Unto the work they died to do.

Into God's valleys where they lie
At rest, beneath the open sky,
Triumphant now o'er every foe,
As living tributes let us go.
No wreath of rose or immortelles
Or spoken word or tolling bells
Will do to-day, unless we give
Our pledge that liberty shall live.

Our hearts must be the roses red
We place above our hero dead;
Today beside their graves we must
Renew allegiance to their trust;
Must bare our heads and humbly say
We hold the Flag as dear as they,
And stand, as once they stood, to die
To keep the Stars and Stripes on high.

The finest tribute we can pay
Unto our hero dead today
Is not of speech or roses red,
But living, throbbing hearts instead,
That shall renew the pledge they sealed
With death upon the battlefield:
That freedom's flag shall bear no stain
And free men wear no tyrant's chain.

Thank you to all the military men, women & their families.

Graphics Courtesy of Free ClipArt & Lil' Docs

Doodles

2009-05-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

My kids like to do things while I read aloud. One of their favorite things to do is Doodle while I am reading. Here are some of their creations. We had a doodle starter, but I cannot find the link at all. If you happen to know it, please leave it in a comment. TY!

I AM...

2009-05-23T22:22:00.004-04:00

Awhile back Gerkin had posted some I AM poems. I thought that they were great. I wanted to do them with my kiddos. I just recently found them. I did not correct any of their writing.

I Am Poem by Tracker

I am funny and crazy
I wonder what is in cardboard
I hear swords clinging
I see dozens of giraffes that can grow 10,000 ft tall
I want a Guitar Hero for my DS
I am funny and crazy
I pretend to be a Power Ranger
I feel ghost going pass
I tough a very, very long sword
I worry trees start to walk
I cry at sad stories
I am funny and crazy
I understand snakes
I say dragons are real
I dream about Eragon
I try to sneak outside and play
I hope I can be a builder
I am funny and crazy

I Am Poem by Dragon

I am good at drawing and painting.
I wonder if dragons flew and walked on the Earth
I hear rain drumming gently in the background
I see a dragon flying in the sky
I want to be the best cook in SC
I am good at drawing and paintin
I pretend to be a Power Ranger
I feel the soft fur of a dag
I touch a dragon's rough scales
I worry that I will get lost in the woods
I cry when I get yelled at
I am good at drawing and painting
I understand that the sun is a star
I say that no cook is bad
I dream nothing
I try to do good in school and art
I hope to write a cookbook
I am good at drawing and painting

I Am Poem by Squirrel

I am cute and nice
I wonder how moms can read our minds
I hear a snowflake talking
I see a castle
I want a Barbie car
I am cute and nice
I pretend I am on a stage outside
I feel a unicorn's horn
I worry about dry skin
I cry when people eat squirrels
I am cute and nice
I understand people
I say God is real
I dream about playing outside
I try riding a two wheeler
I am cute and nice

I think that the kids did a great job! I think that I am going to get the to redo them. I would love to see if their thoughts have changed after a few months.

Fort Fisher Aquarium

2009-05-16T07:31:00.003-04:00

We went to Fort Fisher Aquarium for Mother's Day. It was a spur of the moment idea. We had to take a ferry over to the aquarium. The kids loved it. Squirrel's favorite part was seeing a 9 month old loggerhead sea turtle up close. We have never been this close to a turtle before. They were not sure of the gender of the little guy. The volunteer told us that they would not know for a few years. The turtle was one of 3 eggs given to the aquarium after being rescued from an oncoming hurricane. They will release the little guy in another 5 months. Squirrel loved seeing all the turtles. Tracker's favorite part was seeing all the shark jaws, of course I did not take any pictures of them. Dragon was very excited to see the moon jellies. He just loves to see them glow in the dark. After we went to the aquarium we had a little picnic under the trees. It was a wonderful Mother's Day.

Cypress Gardens

2009-05-12T20:13:00.003-04:00

We went to Cypress Gardens last week. I wanted to experience it before recommending it to my homeschool group. Well, it was worth the trip. We went on a boat ride and saw turtles, alligators, frogs, and birds. Did I mention seeing a few alligators? I was not thrilled with the idea of getting into a canoe with alligators in the water. I am very glad that my family talked me into it. I took some amazing pictures.

After the boat ride we went into the butterfly house. Squirrel was in 7th heaven. She loves butterflies. The kids loved putting their hands against the beehive. They thought that the vibrations were amazing. We were able to see the larva in the hive. It was really neat. The other neat things that we were able to see was a monarch pupa and some butterflies emerging from their cocoons.

Awesome Children's Art Lesson Blogs

2009-04-24T09:42:00.003-04:00

I spent a good bit of the morning blog hopping on art blogs. Let me just say that I absolutely feel in love with these blogs. I wish that I had an art teacher like these teachers.

The Crafty Crow gives you wonderful ideas on how to use recyclable materials for crafts.

Art Projects For Kids uses math to create art.

Deep Space Sparkle demonstrates how to make a Foil Turtle and Fish Collage.

Oodles of Elementary Art Projects has a new take on self Portraits. Falling Back In Space Portraits look like they were a lot of fun to make.

Miss Tabareca has a creative way of making your name into art.

Miss Julie shows you how to make your own castle.

I see lots and lots of crafts in our future.

3rd Annual Turnoff Week Challenge

2009-04-18T11:03:00.002-04:00

This year the National Turn off TV week starts Monday. We are actually starting this tomorrow.

We are a family that lived without a TV for 4 years. Squirrel never even remembered being in a house that had a TV. I feel that we are becoming to attached to all the electronics again. The TV always seems to be on. If one of the kids is not on the Wii, they want the computer or or their DS. I think that they have forgotten how to entertain themselves. I am hoping that this week will change things.

Are you up for the challenge??

Ocean Blue by Dragon

2009-04-17T06:47:00.001-04:00

Across the shining ocean blue I see,
A white dragon coming to me,
A beast of glory, A beast so free.

Across the shining ocean blue I see,
A white dragon coming to me,
Claw and tooth alike and bright,
Needle sharp in the bright morning light.

Across the shining ocean blue I see,
A white dragon coming to me.

Across the shining ocean blue I see,
A seagull coming to me,
A bird of flight, A bird for sight,

Across the shining ocean blue I see,
A seagull coming to me,
Eye and beck alike and bright,
Sharp and shining in the bright morning light.

Across the shining ocean blue I see,
A seagull coming to me.

Free Building Clinics

2009-04-16T07:59:00.003-04:00

Lowe's & Home Depot both have free building clinics for kids. We took part in them this past weekend. Here is the birdhouse that they kids made at Lowe's. They made a helicopter at Home Depot.

A New Twist on Things

2009-04-15T13:26:00.003-04:00

We are slowly getting a routine down on days that dh is at the station. I don't want to say too much for fear of jinxing myself. Yes I said that. LOL.

What I can tell you though is that we are trying something new with Tracker. I bought him a balance ball to sit on while doing schoolwork. Today was the first day and he did great with phonics. I would love to of seen how he did with math, but alas "Not Me" has his math book today. I hope that he is learning a lot.

The kids each did sometime on the computer. Dragon loves the Math Success computer game. I have had it for ages and just forgot about it. He asks daily if he can play on it. Tacker & Squirrel were playing on Starfall. Squirrel needs a little bit of work, but not much. She is not use to having to work at something. Things are getting harder and she is not sure that she likes it.

Dragon also took his Chapter 11 post test. We use it more as a review. He will start the final chapter in his math tomorrow. He is very excited. He has recently started geometry and LOVES it. The other thing that he is currently obsessed with are graphs and charts. We also started a new spelling book, Painless Spelling. He likes it so far. Throughout the chapter are little review exercises.

All 3 kids have done some time on the Wii. They each did their 30 minutes. It is on rainy days like today, that I am thankful for the Wii Fit. The children were able to still get some exercise. I think that I might bring out the Outdoor Challenge a little later on.

We just finished eating and the children are going to do 30 minutes (or more) of quiet reading. Two of my rugrats did not sleep very well last night and it is showing. I am hoping that they will doze off for a few. I love the fact that they are able to do this.

This afternoon we will do more school (science, poetry and art) and hopefully get all my seeds planted.

This Week's Themes

2009-04-12T14:51:00.003-04:00

We are going to be playing catch up. This week we are going to touch on a couple of different things that we need to finish up. We are going to be finishing up exploring seashells..or start actually. We are going to work on the constellations and also the human digestion. These are all subjects that we have briefly touched on. We are also going to continue to work on our garden, poetry and art.

We have swimming Tuesday & Thursday. We will also throw in a dental appointment, a library run, beach field trip and possibly a trip to the zoo.

I hope that you have...

2009-04-12T07:24:00.003-04:00

photo courtesy of free clipart.

Blog changes

2009-04-08T19:38:00.002-04:00

There are some changes here. I am sure that you have noticed that I have changed my name. I just wanted something different, but I wanted to keep my blog. I don't see myself changing it anymore.

If you look up at my toolbar you will see my new blog, Joi's Beach House. I have combined Summer Fae's Kitchen, I'm Getting Healthy and my personal blog all in one.

I will save you a spot in the sand.

Control Freak? Yes or No?

2009-04-06T16:08:00.004-04:00

We are participating in an Easter Egg Exchange through a pen pal group that we are a part of. The idea is to decorate construction paper eggs and swap with another family. I thought that this was a great idea. My kids loved this idea.

We are sitting down to make them and I am trying my best to not tell them how to decorate them. I did not want to stifle their creativity. Well after 30 minutes, I couldn't help it anymore. I know that my children are not putting out their best work. They are half-assing(if that is a word). I had to say something. When I asked the kids if they would want something that someone spent 20 seconds with or something someone put thought and care into. They all wanted the later.

I feel bad, because I said that I was going to let them do their own thing. I want them to understand that they cannot just sign up for things and not follow through. I want them to be responsible.

I just can't decide if I am really just a control freak. What would you of done?

Mealtimes Matter

2009-04-03T08:29:00.004-04:00

I am miss having our meals at the dining room table. I am guessing that it has been 1 month since we have been able to sit at the table. We have either had it packed high with camping gear, my pantry(during the kitchen remodel), or school in progress. Dh took the kids out Thursday afternoon and I spent the time reclaiming my house. My living room and dining room have been in total chaos thanks to camping and remodeling. I had had enough. We can now eat at the table. I cannot wait.

I received a link from PBS on Table Talk. I LOVED the ideas. This is my favorite:

Be a facilitator, not a director.
If your child initiates conversation about a topic that interests him, follow his lead, rather than trying to engage him in a different topic. For example, if your child mentions a book that he read at share time, you might ask questions that encourage your child to go beyond the plot. For example, instead of just asking, "What happened in the story?" you might ask, "What part of the story made you think that the dog would be safe in the end?" or "What makes him a character you like?" By following your child's lead, you can help your child develop his interests, while deepening his appreciation of stories, words, and new ideas.

Here are some more links:

Family-Mealtimes
Importance of Family Dinners
The Family Table
The Magic of the Family Meal
Family Meals
Family Meal Lesson Plan
Dinnertime Dialogue
Table Topics
Table Topics Keep clicking table topics at the top for new ideas!

Earth Day

2009-04-03T08:22:00.001-04:00

Shell Hunting

2009-03-31T11:48:00.001-04:00

We're back

2009-03-30T07:31:00.003-04:00

We are back!

We ended up coming back Friday night. Dh & Tracker were getting sick and there were some nasty storms heading our way. We were surrounded by rain on all sides. We decided that the best bet would be to pack up everything while the weather was ok. We woke up Saturday to a beautiful day and everyone feeling a little bit better.

I wish that I had pictures of all the river frog tadpoles and the fish that dh caught, but I don't. I left the camera sitting on the desk.

Even though we were only there for about 32 hours we had a blast! We found an alligator, we saw hundreds of river frog tadpoles (they were HUGE), we caught some minnows, watched the storm clouds from the overlook and came up with some new games.

We talked with the ranger about weather patterns, snakes, birds and trees. We stayed in the field and watched the jets from the base train. Tracker was in 7th heaven. We were completely entertained without electronics. It was wonderful.

We are going Camping...

2009-03-25T23:06:00.009-04:00

We are leaving in the morning for a camping trip.

We are going to go hiking...

The boys will be fishing....

Squirrel will draw....

I am going to kick back and read a little....

But most importantly we are going to be doing all of this as a family.

We have been through a lot in a short time. I personally feel like the world is spinning out of control. We are going to be taking the next few days to just be with each other.

I will catch you on the flip side. :-)

Photos are courtesy of freeclipart and Clipart For Free.

Shhh...It's A Surprise!!!

2009-03-16T06:27:00.002-04:00

We are going to be using this vacation as a way to stress the importance of saving money. DH and I are going to open a savings account for each of them and then encourage them to save money. I want them to feel good about anything that they might spend. Mommy and Daddy have to save some money ourselves.

I can tell you that I am just like a kid! My fil and I cannot stop talking about it. We both are finding it hard not to tell the kids. We have decided not to tell the children for a few months. This is so that we(hubby & I) don't have to answer the question..how much longer until we go??

Blog Hopping

2009-03-14T09:02:00.005-04:00

I have spent the morning blog hopping. I love to find new blogs to read. Here are just some of my favorite posts.

Wise Craft has a great idea for little girl organizing. I love this idea!

Wisdom of the Moon has a Tutorial for Personal Library Bags. These are so adorable. I think that I am going to make these for my kiddos.

Lucky the Leprechaun stopped by Mind Games.

Boys+ Academy has an amazing human body learning aid. I would never of thought of this.

Homeschooling Fun has a couple of Fashion Designers in the Making.

Life Without School has some amazing College Entrance advice.

Spring made a brief visit to Woodstone Prairie.

Queen Bee's Homeschool Hive created some amazing projects for their Educational Fair.

A Day Off, So They Think..

2009-03-13T16:42:00.002-04:00

Today has been a mix of different things around here. I desperately needed to devote some time to my kitchen. It was lagging behind on the painting. I managed to paint my trim and move 2 pieces of furniture back into it. Now I just need to take care of the clutter.

While I was painting, the kids were entertaining themselves. They each played various games on POGO. They played Tumble Bees (spelling), Beaker Creatures (math, grouping), and Greenback Bayou(problem solving).

They watched Spiderwick Chronicles and compared it to the book. They kept telling me the 'background' of the characters. They just did not realize it.

Dragon played outside before the rain came. He is now in his room organizing his Pokemon cards. He also read 2 Magic School Bus books and is also reading Eat This! Not That! For Kids. He is very into this book. I think that we are going to have to buy him his own copy. He is now really reading labels and checking things out. He is now trying to create healthier snacks for the family. I just love seeing his enthusiasm.

Tracker & Squirrel have been playing in their fort all day. They were vets to their stuffed animals. One of the ducks had a broken wing. They used How To 101 Draw Animals for their craft time with their 'animals'. They are now having trail mix and juice boxes.

Tracker is also moving right along with his phonics. I am starting to think that it might be an attention thing. He just read me a story and actually stopped to sound out words. For him this is HUGE. He is normally in such a hurry that he does not try and sound out words.

I just heard Squirrel say "This has been the BEST day!". I could not of said it better myself.

Nutrition

2009-03-11T22:39:00.005-04:00

Right now we are studying Nutrition. We are making a notebook/lapbook. I haven't decided exactly what to call it. The kids are enjoying this unit because it deals with something they love... FOOD. Yesterday we started a Healthy Food Journal and each of the kids tried to plan 3 balanced meals. They found it rather difficult.

Today we worked on vocabulary words. The kids also made a chart of healthy foods and unhealthy foods. They did a good job. They even debated on whether pickles are healthy or not. They decided that it was not healthy because of all the salt. We talked about Vitamins & Minerals and fats.

Once the children finished their charts, they worked on creating their own superhero and villain. The job of the villain will be to tempt children to eat bad foods. The good guy is going to help children make healthy choices. Once the kids design their characters they will create a story or comic strip. Dragon has decided that he will make a comic strip, Squirrel has not decided and I think that Tracker will write a story. I have never seen the kids attack an assignment with so much enthusiasm. I believe that they created their superhero today and will work on their bad guy tomorrow. Once they are done, I will post the pictures.

We Are Expecting....

2009-03-11T22:25:00.002-04:00

5 baby finches!

Every year the purple finches like to build at least 1 nest in hubby's ladder. We have even built them their own birdhouse, they don't like it. Last year we had 2 or 3 sets of babies born in the ladder. The ladder is hanging right outside our door, so we get to hear the mama while we do school.

Here is a shot from inside my house.

If you look at the end of the ladder you can see the birdhouse that they don't like. The nest is on the far left of the picture.

I managed to snap a picture of mama protecting her eggs.

Secular Magazine Giveaway

2009-03-04T18:30:00.002-05:00

I LOVE this magazine. If you would like a chance to win a free year go to homeschooledyear.

Favorite Read Alouds

2009-03-02T12:47:00.003-05:00

I have started to read poems to the children before we start any seat work. I also have been picking a different person to read about every week or two. I also just recently picked up The Wind in The Willows to do a lapbook on. I am looking forward to this, since I have not read the book in years. We are also going to be listening to The Tale of Despereaux on the way to the trip Thursday. We will get the movie from Netflix when we get back and compare the too.

I would like to make a list of future read alouds. My children have enjoyed the Charlie Bone series, Harry Potter, Boxcar Children, and Spiderwick Chronicles. Do you have any favorite books? I would love some that are historical fiction.

Why I Have Not Followed My Menu

2009-03-01T17:32:00.001-05:00

Because my kitchen looked like this on Friday......

They look like this after the primer..

My pantry is in the living room now.....

Tomorrow the cabinet doors and drawers will get painted. The walls will also be painted. I cannot wait. I cannot wait to get my living room & dining room back. My goal is to have everything put back in cabinet doors or not Tuesday night. I can handle not having doors, but

My kids keep asking me when I am going to make something other than sandwiches again. To view some more pictures click here.

A Book Giveawy You Need To Check Out

2009-03-01T13:28:00.001-05:00

Julie over at Booking Mama is giving away a copy of Aesop's Fable.

If you get the chance check out her blog!

Just A Word of Advice....

2009-03-01T07:41:00.002-05:00

Don't ever try and read a Stephanie Plum book first thing in the morning. Your howling laughter just might wake the kiddos up before they should be up.

I did that this morning while reading Plum Spooky. I laughed my fanny off. I had tears running down my cheeks. I love to read Janet Evanovich's books. I am always laughing until I cry. If you ever need a good laugh check out some of her books at the library.

A Question...

2009-02-26T07:05:00.002-05:00

I need your help on a question that I have been pondering for a few days.

We received a phone call Tuesday afternoon that Dh's grandfather passed away. When I told the kids they were understandably upset. I was presented with an unique circumstance. I never had to deal with death before the age of 13. My kids are 7-11. Two of my children are getting concerned about their own grandparents. See we(dh & I) have had 3 grandparents pass away in the past 6 weeks. So the kids are a little worried.

I explained that their grandparents were much younger than ours. That we were 25 years older that they are. But I wonder if I should explain something further. I know that there is not a perfect answer, but I would like to know what you think. Have you had to deal with this? If so how did you handle it? We will be going to the funeral next week. It will be a full military funeral. What should I do to prepare the kids for it?

Thank you.

On the Plate..

2009-02-22T18:59:00.002-05:00

This morning we went to the grocery store and the cashier was amazed by the vegetables that my children would eat. My kids love brussel sprouts, eggplant, salads and bok choy. The cashier was shocked when I said that Dragon asked to try leeks today. Squirrel brought me the eggplant and Tracker's favorite veggie is brussel sprouts.

This got me thinking what they won't eat. Squirrel does not like raw onions, cooked mushrooms or eggs. Tracker does not like lettuce on his sandwiches and Dragon does not like cooked onions or cooked mushrooms. He is not a huge fan of black beans, but loves the canned beans on salads and he loves fresh spinach on salads & sandwiches instead of lettuce.

Now I have a question for you... what will your children not eat and what veggies do they love?

Have you ever invited a Dragon to dinner??

2009-02-20T22:20:00.003-05:00

Today was a read aloud day. I read a book on Benjamin Franklin during lunch. I also read some poems from I Invited a Dragon to Dinner. The kiddos were laughing hysterically at the poems. I just love seeing their faces light up while I read the poems.

I am starting a short series on Irish folktales. I am doing this in part because my family is Irish. I will continue to read from a couple of different books for the next few weeks.

Today we also watched a short video clip on the Boston Tea Party. The kids have really enjoy the You are There history dvds.

Tracker & Squirrel have both officially finished their current math books. Tracker has already moved onto the next grade. Squirrel is working in AEP's Time & Money book. She is really enjoying this book.

This weekend we will be finishing the prep work for the bathroom. I cannot wait. I have been waiting to get this room painted for 3 years now. Next will be the kitchen. I will at least get the kitchen patched and some what prepped. It will most likely take me an entire day to remove the kitchen cabinets and clean them. I am not looking forward to all the work but I cannot wait for the finished result!!!

The Family Times

2009-02-20T14:26:00.004-05:00

Today for our read aloud we read What Was It Like? Benjamin Franklin by Lawrence Weinberg. The kids loved the book. When I tried to stop and finish reading another day, they begged me to continue. We learned that Ben Franklin created the first lending library, the first American fire department, and the lightening rods. When we finished reading about Benjamin Franklin the kids did some activity pages from school express. They are all in love with word finds at the moment.

Dragon had the idea to start a newspaper called The Kids Times. He said that it will be a 16 page paper put out every Sunday. I told him that was a lot, but he really wants to give it a try.

I have always liked the idea of a family newspaper. We are going to be creating our very fist family newsletter/paper. It will be called... The Family Times. We spent a little bit of time giving out assignments. The kids decided that we had to have a kitchen section. Dragon wants to put in his special spicy sauce recipe. Squirrel wants to add her favorite snack recipe Pan-Seared Black Bean Dumplings. Tracker is going to write a review for our favorite restaurant Red Robin. We are going to have a picture section that I am responsible for. We are also going to have a News sections. The kids decided that we needed to have a review of the remodeling that we are doing in the house. They also said that their dad needed to write this article.

We are also going to include a school section. It is going to include what we are currently studying, what's next and any field trip information that we might have. I think that the kids will really enjoy this.

Library Lover's Month

2009-02-17T19:45:00.001-05:00

Did you know that it is National Library Lover's Month? I did not know until our trip to the library today. Click on the button for ideas on how to show your library that you love them.

You can get Free printable bookmarks here and here.

Thanks to Library Support for their cool button!

Grammar on the Door

2009-02-10T16:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we did grammar on the door. I have converted my sliding glass door into a giant dry erase board. My kids love it! It is not very often that you hear a child beg to do grammar or math.

We are using Igniting Your Writing. It is a little bit above Tracker & Squirrel, but they are learning while doing it in a group. They will only being doing "group lesson" once a week. I will do the other grammar lesson on a one to one basis.

I also learned that my children must do math more regularly. They had a hard time 'refreshing' their minds as they put it. But that is ok it will make me more accountable.

Yesterday was the day to make appointments. I talked with a dyslexia tutor about getting Tracker tested. She will be able to do the test in 3 weeks. Tracker will also be going for his speech evaluation on March 4. I am nervous about both of the sessions, but I know that I am doing the right thing. I was told that the dyslexia tutoring could take up to 24months. That is a little daunting, but hey as long as he is making progress it is well worth it.

Riverbanks Zoo 1

2009-02-08T10:50:00.003-05:00

We just got back from a mini vacation. We went to Columbia, SC for the night. I cannot say enough about our hotel it was fantastic! It was a great place to stay. If you ever have to go out of town, look for an Embassy Suites. They are very family friendly.

While in Columbia, we went to Riverbanks Zoo. We love the zoo. While we were there we saw the new lion cubs. They are just too cute!!

I fell in love with the howler monkeys. They were very talkative. I was unaware that their throats would swell to make the noise. Similar to a bull frog.

I could of sat there for ages listening to them. The kids were ready to go. Please excuse the fuzzy picture..it is a new camera.

Another one of my favorite things was to see the tortoises get fed. The older one was guarding his food. I really like this picture.

We also went for a short hike. I loved being in the woods with my family. Squirrel found a tree that looked like it had faery steps(look to the right of the tree). I love her imagination!!

To see more pictures from our trip you can check out these posts:

Riverbanks Zoo 2-Farm
Riverbanks Zoo 3-Snakes
Riverbanks Zoo 4-Penguins

Riverbanks Zoo 2

2009-02-08T10:48:00.002-05:00

Here are some more of the animals that we saw while at the zoo.

We also stopped by Riverbanks Farm where the kids found a friendly bunny that they wanted to take home.

Tracker & Squirrel tried their hands at milking a cow.

This goat just wanted to be everyone's friend.

You can see more of our trip here:
Riverbanks Zoo 1
Riverbanks Zoo 3-Snakes
Riverbanks Zoo 4-Penguins

Riverbanks Zoo 3 - Snakes

2009-02-08T10:47:00.006-05:00

Before you read any further let me post a disclaimer. There will be some pictures that will be a little graphic. It is a picture of a snake eating. If you think that you or your child will get upset by this please skip the end of this post.

One of the boys' favorite places to visit at the zoo is the reptile house. They love looking at the snakes & lizards.

*****End here if you have a queasy stomach******

One of the neatest things that we saw was a constrictor eating a bird. It was gory, and creepy, but really neat. Here are the pictures that I previously warned you about.

You can see more of our trip:
Riverbanks Zoo 1
Riverbanks Zoo 2-Farm
Riverbanks Zoo4-Penguins

Riverbanks Zoo 4-Penguins

2009-02-08T10:45:00.001-05:00

I promise that this is the very last post about Riverbanks. We have been to the zoo many many times. Every time we go the penguins are not very active. Not this time! They penguins were putting on a show. Squirrel was in 7th heaven. She loves penguins.

We also had the opportunity to view some of newest resident flamingos. Tracker was able to pet an adult flamingo. The babies looked very cute with their changing feathers.

I will be posting a few pictures from Edventure tomorrow.

SNOW DAY!!!!

2009-02-04T22:21:00.003-05:00

Yes, that is right. Here in South Carolina we had a snow day. The snow was only around for a few hours, but it was pretty.

I will leave you with some pictures that Tracker took this am.

A Day Away

2009-02-01T21:53:00.003-05:00

Last week we all really needed a day away. We decided to take a day trip to Charleston, SC. We went to the South Carolina Aquarium. It is one of our favorite places to visit. While we were there we were able to see them move in the new penguin exhibit. It was really neat. We got to see the staff use math to figure out the best angle to get the exhibit in. We talked with the staff who were just as fascinated by the move. Here are some, ok a lot of, pictures from our visit.

Year of the Ox

2009-02-01T20:58:00.003-05:00

We spent yesterday morning celebrating the Chinese New Year. A local museum had an amazing day. We watched a lion & dragon dance. It was very interesting. The kids were captivated by the dragon. I have never seen anything like it. I really enjoyed it.

The kids created plum blossom trees and masks. We all had our names written in Chinese. We are going to get these framed and hang them in my living room. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. We all participated in a noodle tasting where we had to use chopsticks. This wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

I've Been Tagged!!

2009-01-24T16:02:00.003-05:00

Leigh from Wingbeats and Reflections tagged me.

RULES:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people.
5. Inform the tagees and the person who tagged you
Random Things About Me:

1. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket.
2. I love to color in coloring books with my daughter.
3. I love romantic suspense novels.
4. I hate to fold sheets.
5. I didn't know how to cook when I first got married. (The first time I ever used bouillon I didn't know that you had to add water. I just added a cup of bouillon granules. There are many more disasters).
6. I made a new year's goal to make 1 sewing project a month. I haven't started January's yet. LOL.

Now I am suppose to tag 6 people. I don't normally tag people. But I am really looking forward to the responses of those below.

Tag!

1. Anywhere But Here
2. Homeschooling Mom Going Sane
3. Kitchen-Table Learners
4. A Small Corner of Nowhere
5. The Homefront Lines
6. LaPaz Home Learning

Are You Worthy of Imitation?

2009-01-24T09:37:00.004-05:00

I recently joined an online weight loss group, SparkPeople. One of things that you can sign up for is an email called Healthy Reflections. Well this morning I opened up my mailbox and I found this quote in it:

You must be careful how you walk and where you go, for there are those following you who will set their feet where yours are set.

- Robert E. Lee, Civil War General

Wow. What a powerful quote. It made me take a moment and think if I was worthy of imitation. I would like to say that I am.

I have been trying to get healthier. I am exercising daily, watching what I eat and I am drinking lots of water. They are helpful and supportive. They put up with me stopping all the time in the grocery store to read labels. LOL.

I am showing them that there is more to life than the tv or computer. They see me reading, baking or creating a new card for someone I love. They see me creating crafts that I love.

Am I worthy? I am not sure. But I am going to make sure that I am.

Need to Put my Feet in the Sand....

2009-01-20T18:22:00.002-05:00

I am taking some time to be with my family.