Margie's Madness

Sunday Book Recommendation

2011-11-13T19:25:00.000-05:00

My book recommendation today is Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson. I read it many, many years ago, but it impressed my heart so deeply that I use his wisdom still today and even used it this week. I love homeschooling, but I have a deep concern about some of the fruit I see from homeschoolers including my own. I do not have anyone in specifically in mind nor do I have a particular group in mind. I almost hate to even bring it up since the excellent fruit from homeschooling far surpasses anything bad, but we are to always measure ourselves to God's standards. Homeschoolers have such confidence that sometimes it comes across as a lack of reverence for others. Most homeschoolers are raised by "first-borns" so they jump right in take charge, which can be an excellent attribute. However, we have to remind them to temper it with self control. Sometimes, it would benefit us all if we stayed back listened, watched, and waited. I am reusing this wonderful book to remind me how to discipline my children that they may reverent me, their father, other adults in authority, and ultimately God.

Saturday Summary

2011-11-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

My weeks go by like turning a page in a book. I prepared this week for tutoring my last Essentials class of the year. It means 12 weeks have gone by and I will come back in January and tutor 12 more weeks. I have mixed feelings right now. I am a little weary and I feel like it maybe coming across in the last class or two. My creative juices are starting to slow way down. As Alfred said in Veggietales The Rumor Weed, "I need to go home and recharge my batteries." On the other hand, I am going to miss seeing all my lovely families each week. I have been amazed at their genuine excitement to study and listen to things like Sentence Patterns and Sentence Structures, how to diagram a compound sentence, etc. I haven't even began to talk about their writing!! IEW is ingenious in their method to take any child or student and with a few techniques have them writing a "real" paper. In a world where everything can try to tear you down, a child given the confidence to write his own words on a paper is esteeming for him or her. It has been the highlight of each of my weeks to read all their papers. The last papers I will read will be about The Boston Tea Party! How exciting will that be right before Thanksgiving? I just want to break out singing "Onward Christian Soldiers". What mighty warriors these little people will be one day!

Motivational Monday

2011-11-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

Priorities! My motivation to you this week is setting priorities. If you can step away from all the busyness of life and really focus on what matters the most, it can make all the other things fall into place. For me, I needed to put the Lord first in my day. I have recently been just "too busy". That is sad isn't it? But for it was true. I had to step back and think of the scripture Matthew 6:33, which is "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto thee." It has been true for me this past week that once I put our priority to study the Bible first in our day, we were able to get all the other things done. Do I think it is some kind of magic? Maybe, but probably not. It is simply God having me focus on what has to be done in the order of importance. It is a blessing and it is freeing all at the same time.

Book Recommendation Sunday

2011-11-06T21:28:00.001-05:00

On Sundays, I like to take a minute to reflect on a book that has influenced me the most during the week or a book that has been on my mind. We generally think of novels for book recommendations and often times they are, but so many other types of books are used for my lifestyle that I will be sharing those as well. This week I choose Veritas Press' The Gospels Teacher's Manual. It has been invaluable and insightful for me this week as I teach and learn The Gospels along with my children. Can you think of a better time of year dive into the life of Jesus? Veritas Press provides student with doctrinally sound studies of the Bible including exciting activities that reinforce what their are learning. This week, we learned about Zachariah and the birth of John the Baptist. When John was born, Zachariah could not speak. Elizabeth said the baby would be named John and the people in the temple could not believe it, because it was not a family name. So, when they asked Zachariah the name of the baby, he wrote on a clay tablet, "His name is John." The book suggested an activity that my children did this week to make a clay tablet of their own and carve in the scripture "His name is John." I like when we can learn by hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching, because a child's retention goes up into the 90 percentile. I haven't even touched on the beautiful art work Veritas uses with their bible and their other curriculum. It has a built-in Art History course. It is worth doing. We have thoroughly enjoyed it this week.

Saturday Summary

2011-11-05T17:51:00.000-04:00

There are times when we get such clarity in our goals, in our priorities, and our abilities. This week has been one of those weeks for me. I have been struggling with my decisions concerning many things. For starters, whether we should add onto our house or not. Second, I was trying to decide where to homeschool. We were "home-educating" from our dining room this year for the first time instead of in our upstairs bonus room, which we made into a playroom. (mistake!) My school had been chaotic this year as well as my schedule and my day! I didn't seem to have a sincere handle of things. Almost like a bolt of lightening, I had clarity last weekend. Number one, move school back upstairs, two, arrange desks including mine differently, third, a very different schedule for school, and last, not to add on to the house, just make changes to the rooms I have. I am becoming more and more convicted to be a better steward of what I have than I am of getting something new. All this clarity didn't come without inspiration. I got inspiration of a new "schedule" or way I wanted my day to go from a dear friend at Classical Conversations. I got my inspiration for how my desks should be arranged from a table I saw in Potterybarn Teen website. All the other decisions just followed in suit. It was a huge relief. I felt like singing, well I actually did sing, "I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone...I can see all obstacles in my way...It's going to be a bright bright sunshiny day!" And it was! Truthfully, it was a bright sunshiny week! I can honestly say in my 7 years of homeschooling I have never had such a darn near perfect week of school.

Saturday Summary

2011-10-29T21:38:00.002-04:00

Caring for a sick child, then caring for another very sick child, and then caring for yet another sick child. I am sure you do not want to hear the details! Exhaustion can do a number on a momma. A reminder for me this week is Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto thee." I don't have the Bible in front of me, but that is very close to the verse if not it exactly. I can so many times worry about all the things that need to be done and forget to seek the Lord. I can rely on his strength instead of my own. If I would do that more, I might not forget to put coffee in the coffee pot when I brew coffee like I did this week.
All activities and school ceased this week. The only other thing we were able to get to this week was getting our schoolroom (see picture below) ready for next week, the week I am going to start seeking the Lord first! Have a blessed week!

Motivational Monday

2011-10-24T14:04:00.000-04:00

Have your children had their daily vitamins?

I am not talking about these little gummie things that come in a bottle even though they are helpful too. I am referring to vitamins that can be just as beneficial if not more so.

Are your children unplugged and outside for one hour a day?
Have you sat down and read with them or they read to you?
Have your children had at least one healthy high protein meal today?

We all know how important these things are for the healthy growth of children without me going into a long dissertation. We may even laugh at these three little things and how simple they appear, but when we are busy and tired, they are easily forgotten. It is much easier to run through a drive thru or just let them sit in front of the tv. It gives us the much needed break we are looking for as parents. Unfortunately, I may not ALWAYS get to these three things everyday. However, just like vitamins, I TRY very hard to include them in our everyday lives. It helps keep me and my children happy and healthy.

Book Recommendation Sunday

2011-10-23T17:25:00.001-04:00

Today I recommend the book I have been using quite a bit lately. It is a valuable aid to any mom who finds herself not having enough time to cook. I love the back cover of the book. I says, "The Make-Ahead Meal Plan for Time-Starved Families. I love the word Timed-Starved! Aren't we all "Timed-Starved"? (pun intented I guess) Picture taken and linked to Amazon.

Saturday Summary

2011-10-22T20:34:00.000-04:00

What worked this week: I got my schedule tweaked and all went well. We got a lot done considering I am still not feeling back to myself. Headed to doctor next week!

What didn't work this week: Our meals! We ate out a lot, which is expensive and not very healthy. Also, breakfast preparation is taking too long and we don't get started with school until really late. So, tonight I cooked make-ahead meals. First, I made mini crustless quiches, then waffles with quinoa flour, and put those in the freezer for easy preparation next week. I marinated steaks and put them in the freezer to pull out for quick grilling. I made spaghetti casserole and put in the frig for tomorrow and left overs. I also plan on making healthy oatmeal pancakes tomorrow for the freezer, a pork tenderloin, and potato soup. They can all go in the freezer or some in refrigerator! It should make meals next week go smoother. Just a handful of make-ahead items make my week less hectic, more healthy, and less expensive! I am happy to post recipes if anyone is interested. Have a great week! Happy meal planning!

Nobody Does Gardening Like Disney

2011-10-22T13:18:00.000-04:00

Check out these cool Cars topiaries at the entrance of Hollywood Studios!

Saying goodbye to Peter Pan

2011-10-19T19:33:00.001-04:00

Well, Disney wasn't the only one who turned 40 this year! Yes, moi turned 40 too! I only have a few more months and I will have completed an entire year of being 40 and I must confess a lot has changed. All the things people talk about happening to you when you hit 40 are true! Imagine that! Things I have heard people talk about, but apparently just thought they would never happen to me. I was living in the land of perpetual youth. I was flying with Peter Pan until I hit 40. I wasn't sure whether to fight my aging as "everyone" tells you to do or embrace it. I wasn't sure whether to work with everything I have to keep a youthful appearance or just accept the change. How do you embrace a new ache or pain every morning? Or my hair becoming grey overnight? I no longer go to get it colored just for the fun of it! Or what about my skin and hair getting so dry? Do I forever hold what I am reading far away from me, or break down and get me a pair of those darn reading glasses?

But for every disappointing physical change I have experienced, I have experienced the opposite internal change. I much more confident than before I turned 40. As much as I want to be liked, I am much more at peace with the fact that there are people that are just not going to like me, and I am okay with that. I accept more readily what I am comfortable doing and what I am not comfortable doing. In other words, it is far easier for me to prioritize my time than before. It is okay to say no and feel a bit guilty. I appreciate the smallest things that went unnoticed before. I notice a hazy blue sky or blooming flowers in a pot. I appreciate the aroma that comes from a savory bowl of soup or fresh wet grass. I don't mind taking my time and enjoying the journey. I think I am ready to say goodbye to Peter Pan. I think I just might embrace my age gracefully, with a little color now and then, that is. I am happy where I am and I am happy to move forward.

Saturday Summary

2011-10-15T22:28:00.001-04:00

     If I had to score our week, we would definitely be way over par this week. My husband is a golfer so it is much easier to explain my week in golf terms if I want him to understand it at all. Well, in truth, there were times this week I should have yelled "FORE!" For all you non-golfers out there, it means get out of the way, I just hit the ball way off the course! It all started Monday morning, when I woke up in a fog, literally and figuratively. I could feel a slight cold coming on and I had my head in the clouds in how I could still be on vacation at WDW. I was reading all my lovely friends tweets about their wonderful time at the most magical place. I could just imagine me having just one more Grey Goose. Some of you know exactly what I am talking about. A Grey Goose, however, is this lovely refreshing slushy for adults only served during the Food and Wind Festival. I think it should be added to the the Disney must-do list. Moving along though, I could now empathize with all those who were reading my tweets while I was there and feeling the same way. I could have stopped reading at anytime I wanted, but no, I kept right on. In fact, I was enjoying it immensely until reality hit me a jolt on Space Ranger Spin. It is almost 10 and I have a job, remember, I have 3 children to home educate, who, of course, were playing so sweetly. They always do when they are trying to avoid me. We barely got done with math when daddy came in and whisked them off to karate. Day 1 and minimal accomplished.

     Tuesday saved me, because we go to Classical Conversations, a very special part of our home-centered education that I will explain in detail on another entry. Classical Conversations provided us with direction and achievement that day. I tutored Essentials and enlightened everyone on adverbs and sentence structure. It was a good day. A whole day of school for us! Day 2 and more got accomplished than yesterday.

     Wednesday was here and uh-oh a sick child. He coughed and coughed and coughed some more. The cough did not motivate me to start our studies, even though I easily could have done something with the other two children who had begun to play so sweetly again. Oh well, why disturb them? I have a sick child to care for anyway. Golden rule for our house got broken on this Wednesday. Our GR is we ALWAYS start our IEW writing assignment on Wednesday, no matter what! I just could not conjure up the energy to dare start that assignment. I was feeling lost and defeated. Reading! That is it! We can all read and so we did just that then we got in a math assignment. Day 3 and our swing is off again and not hitting the ball.

     All is quite alright! Just call me the persevering mom with a capital P. I stayed up late after choir practice getting everyones' assignments ready for the next day, Thursday. We were going to finish the week with a bang. We would get more done in 2 days than we had in 2 weeks! I woke up Thursday morning if you want to call it that, it was more of a stammer to the coffee pot, only to swallow and realize I needed to make green tea instead. Yes, you see where this is going. Ole Mom with a capital P had a cold herself. We did nothing and eventually I had to lay back down. I had to lay down, because someone had to take these precious darlings to their doctor appointment that afternoon. No go. I just couldn't do it. I felt that bad. Day 4 and we were rained out!

     Okay, I rested and I took all my supplements. I slept late, but I felt much better.  Because I cancelled their doctor appointments the day before, I had to take the children to the doctor that morning. We usually don't make appointments during school hours if at all possible. On our way out the door, my son immediately returns crying. The children found our cat dead in the driveway. After much crying, wailing and consoling, we get out the door to the doctor. We finally left the doctor's office two and a half hours later and it was way passed lunch. So, we head to Zaxby's for lunch at 2. Oh well, how do I make children go home and do school after losing a family pet and spending over two hours in the doctor's office? I couldn't. Day 5 and our week was a bust.

     There was a time when a week like that would have discouraged me a great deal. Not so much anymore. It is life and it happens. We don't often have weeks like that, but when we do, I am trying to look towards brighter days. I have to be faithful, diligent and obedient to do what is before me to the best of my ability, but there are times when unlike The A-Team, a plan doesn't come together. During those times, I have to extend myself and those around me love and grace. This Scarlett says next week will be a better week. In fact, today was better, we wrote our papers.

Favorite Parenting Post

2011-10-15T20:40:00.000-04:00

I want to offer the link to a favorite parenting post of mine. I think I am going to print it, laminate it, and hang it up!

http://www.thebettermom.com/2011/09/there-are-rats-in-my-cellar/

Cranberry Farming at Disney? Really?

2011-10-13T19:05:00.000-04:00

We have always claimed that Walt Disney World, while as entertaining as it can be, is also very educational. Learning can always be fun, especially at Walt Disney World. However, that last thing I expected to see there was cranberries. How yummy they looked too. Just in time to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving. Now, we live in a rural community where farming is nothing new to us. We are one of the largest cotton producing counties in the state. Georgia, also, produces the largest percentage of peanuts to the United States and our county is a substantial contributor to that figure. So, we love our farming. Surprisingly, our recent trip to Epcot enlightened our family to cranberry farming, which takes place in Massachusetts. We observed and listened to a live demonstration presented by cranberry farmers. Mr. Bob explained The Ocean Spray cranberries are grown as a farming co-op. The farmers, no mistaking their accents, travelled from their homes and farms to educate us on their techniques. He went through the complete process from beginning to end with us. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing, touching and seeing for ourselves how this farming operation works. Aside from a trip to a cranberry farm, it was the next best thing. Thank you farmers for all you do to provide us with wholesome food!

Moms Panel Meet and Greet

2011-10-07T10:08:00.010-04:00

I was there! I actually got to go and meet all the ladies (guys too) of The Walt Disney Moms Panel! Let me tell you, it was over the top! Disney went all out! I was surprised how nice it really was. Why should I have been surprised? It's Disney right? The room was decorated beautifully with pink lighted trees, dimmed lights and a magnificent stage! Disney really loves their Panel! They provided ballon animals and toys for my children. We got a dolphin, dog and a turtle that looked exactly like Crush, a Captain Hook sword and oh, the children surprised me with a balloon flower. Awwwww. They had a full spread of hors d'oeuvre with wine and beer. They had all the Mickey ears rice crispie treats and ice cream a little child could desire. The other added surprise was Donald and Daisy!!!

I loved meeting everyone! They are every day people just like you and me. They have other jobs and families and live all over the country. The panelists are not some PR executive or marketing guru (well, maybe a few, haha) They are all people with a passion. They are very down to earth and love to share about their favorite subject, Disney. The time flew by! I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to go to the Meet and Greet and the experience has changed my life forever. Even if I don't ever get selected to be on the Moms Panel, I am a better person for my time with all of them.

40 years ago...

2011-09-29T10:39:00.004-04:00

Meeting Mickey almost 40 years ago!!! This picture is from 1975. My sister and I are spending time with our favorite mouse! Check out that WDW retro stroller! They have come a long way!

Education Disney Style

2011-09-29T09:18:00.010-04:00

On the last day of our most recent trip to WDW, we decided as a family to go to the World Showcase at Epcot only and not go to the Future World. It allowed us to take our time and enjoy each of the countries. We, however, only got to 8 of the 11 countries. It was an everlasting educational experience as homeschoolers or for anyone! We have been many times before, but this time we bought each of the children these wonderful Epcot passports ($10).

The children decorated each country's page with stickers of various landmarks from that country, then they took it around to the Kid Spot in each country. At the Kid Spot, they met a native from that country and the cast member wrote something special for each child. It is marvelous to meet and visit with friendly people from another country. The children felt like they were really taking a trip around the world! The most interesting fact they learned is how different people from different countries write differently. At England, they would write left to right, then at Morroco, they wrote right to left, and at Japan they wrote top to bottom. How amazing is that?
Oh, the many hats of Disney!

John 1, Latin Vulgate

2011-09-27T00:49:00.001-04:00

Fellow Latin Teachers and Students! Here is a reading of John 1 in Latin. It may help with memorizing it this year for Classical Conversations. Click the below link. :)
John 1, Latin Vulgate

Celebrating 40 Years!

2011-09-26T18:45:00.007-04:00

Walt Disney World turns 40 years old! I was there that opening day back on October 1, 1971; it was a beautiful autumn morn and I was only 9 months born! That is the beginning of my life long love of Walt Disney World. I can honestly say that I have been to WDW close to 100 times if not more! I will be going back this October with my husband, my children, and my parents to celebrate their 40 years and my 40 years. It will be a special time for me and my parents as we (well, really they) remember the first time they went with me. We are meeting friends from England that we met at "The World" a few years back. I am so looking forward to our trip.

Of course, for our family, there will be several do-overs, but there will be new experiences for us as well. We always have a new experience every time we go, that is the beauty of WDW. For us, a first this year will be The Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. It is quite the extravaganza as there is over 25 countries presenting their cuisine. Food is represented from 6 continents. We will get to taste our way around the world.

Another first for me and my family is the Mom's Panel Meet and Greet! I am looking forward to an incredible time meeting and talking with other Disney enthusiasts as my self. My hat goes off to them and all their hard work to spread the love and joy a Disney vacation can bring!

I will update my blog with all of our magnificent photos and news of our trip! Arrivederci! Bon Jour!

California Court Rules Against Homeschooling

2008-03-04T18:10:00.004-05:00

Dear Fellow Homeschoolers,

In light of the court's decision in California last week, I want to urge all homeschoolers to join the HomeSchool Legal Defense Association. We immediately joined the year we "legally" began to homeschool. When we joined, we received a nice card with our names on it. It names me as the teacher. It makes it seem so official. We have to be professional and appear official if we want the world to see us that way.
I do not want to alarm anyone, but due to my experience in working with several government agencies as a social worker and child abuse investigator, I know the attitudes and sentiments that are out there about homeschoolers. It is not that the attitudes are extremely negative. It is just that there is a lack of true understanding and knowledge of homeschooling. We take for granted our knowledge of homeschooling. There are many people who know very little about it, and as we all know, we become fearful of what we do not know. It is OUR job as homeschoolers to educate ourselves and those around us.
Being a member of the HSLDA seems initially expensive, but believe it is worth every penny. They are only existing "lobby" group, if you will. They have created wonderful strength in the homeschool realm and fighting for our causes. I read every week where someone has been "harassed" in some form or another and usually it is out ignorance on the part of the investigating part, and the HSLDA does an excellent and competent job of defending our rights. So, please, please, I urge you today, to call HSLDA and sign up or click on the following link: http://www.hslda.org/join/apply.asp . Don't be sorry you didn't. It is my understanding that the family in California that has been ordered to put their children in public school or a 'legally qualified' private school were not members of HSLDA nor did they involve them in their legal fight. It is my prayer that they will reach out and use their help with their appeal.
Also, as a reminder, God is control. He is the Alpha and the Omega. We do not need to act out of fear, but out of courage to stand up for truth.

P.S.
To find out what happened last week click here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57679

P.P.S. I do not personally benefit from this endorsement in any way!!

2008 Motivational Tools

2008-01-31T16:21:00.000-05:00

We all need a little motivation to finish the new year. I have worked on a few ideas to get us through this year!

A visual rocket to count down the weeks to finish 2nd grade. It says, "Blast off to 3rd Grade." The goal is to visually stimulate my son and myself to finish up the year!
A homemade task chart for my darling children. I glued clothes pens that hold paper medallions to a piece of cardboard and hung it with a pretty ribbon, left over from Christmas. They have a "medallion" (laminated construction paper) with their names on it and their tasks that need to be done daily. Once they have completed them, it can be traded in on "medallions" for TV time/Computer Time. They earn TV time in 30 minute increments and Computer time in 10 minute increments. TV and Computer are hot commodities here, because they are restricted. The goal here is to get used to habits that we lost during the holidays.
Menus! I am back doing 2-week menus. It is a wonderful tool. I have done it before and got out of the habit. It is a great budget-control idea. I plan 2 weeks worth of menus for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner and grocery shop for those 2 weeks. It really saves time thinking about what to make and making trips to the store. The main change here has been I keep the same breakfast menu every week. This idea that I got from a fellow homeschooling friend is wonderful. I have heard of it before. My grandmother did something similar with all her meals, but I never thought it would work for me. It has!! It saves me time, because my children know what we are going to have. We are not going in several directions in the morning or mommy is not being a short order cook. There are less arguments and we are finished with breakfast much quicker. Goals for this are saving time and money and eating out less!

Please share your ideas for motivation at this unmotivating time of year in the comments section. Happy Homeschooling!!

Fantasy versus My Reality

2007-12-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

I love a good fiction book with all it's fantasy and wonder. I read to my children often and they love fantasy and wonder in fiction books. We all do! However, on many days fantasy preoccupies my mind versus reality. I always have a running list of things I want to accomplish that day. At the end of every list, I write," and bake cookies". Do I really intend to bake cookies every day? Of course not, but in my fantasy world I would like to do that. In my real world, baking cookies at the end of my to do list is my reality check. It is my way of reminding myself that everything on my list will not get done. Gasp! Things happen, people get sick, milk gets spilled, dog runs off, an unexpected visitor comes by, car keys get lost, etc. Whatever it is, something comes up to prevent us from accomplishing everything we want, the way we want.
And Christmas time is the worst for that. There is always one more thing. Every morning I wake up and envision my house all clean, my children playing sweetly, presents all wrapped beautifully, me sipping hot tea, carols playing softly in the background, and cookies baking in the oven. If I look real close, there are elements of all these things happening in my life just not at the same time, and it is not quite like the picture in my mind.
As a homeschooling mother, I feel like I am knitting an unraveling sweater with all the things I am trying to do that need doing time and time again. We strive for the best and do everything to accomplish our ideal, but many times end up short. Even when we do begin to get it all done, we are exhausted and start to say, "we don't want to do it anymore." I am so glad God sees my heart. He knows the fruit I want to bare. He judges me on that alone, not if I got everything done that day. I miss the mark so much. I just thank God that He has chosen me to do it, to show how very mighty He is, because I am so very weak.
The good news is Christmas is not about just the baby in the manger. It is about the Man on the cross who died for people like me, a sinner and He rose on the third day so the I might be redeemed if I believe. This helps me every day, but especially on days when the cookies aren't baking in the oven!

God bless and Merry Christmas to all!!

Has it been a month?

2007-11-27T14:45:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been a month since I posted last. I recently sent a belated birthday card to my sister and it had a guy running after a train and it said, "I am running a little behind these days." That could not describe me more. I feel like I am so far behind. We (my family, not me this time!) has been sick again. It seems like it is our year. We have only fully completed 10 weeks of school and I feel so far behind!! Any suggestions on catching up? It is hard to do school when someone is sick. The only thing I know to do is one day at a time until we finish. I just did NOT want to do school past May. We actually are beyond 10 weeks, we have done some other things, but I am still not where I need to be. I am going to play with the calendar and my schedule and see what I can do. Happy Homeschooling!!!

Just Horsin' Around

2007-11-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

Our homeschool coop recently went to a horse farm and a professional horse instructor gave the children an introduction to horses. It will assist us on meeting our goals for Keepers of the Faith Club.

Cookies Anyone?

2007-10-24T15:34:00.000-04:00

As requested by friends at our Homeschool Dance Class, here is a cookie recipe I use that is a bit healthier, but similar to the refrigerated rolls in the store. It is from Jill Bond's cookbook, Dinner's in the Freezer. This is not the cookie recipe that I use with honey. I will post that one too later. :)

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or your favorite flour) ( I mix 2parts unbleached white with 1 part wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar or fructose or sucanat
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (I do not substitute here)
2 eggs
4 TBS milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
*You can add in nuts, raisins, or chips i.e. chocolate, etc.

Sift flour with baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar into a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture until similar to coarse corn meal. Stir in eggs, milk, and vanilla. If easier, use hand mixer. Either wrap in rolls for slicing (use wax paper); OR place in airtight container. Either refrigerate at least 2 hours or freeze.
To form:
From frozen dough: Thaw partially. Slice into 1/8" circles; roll out to 1/8' inch thick and cut with favorite cutters; or simply spoon out in cookie-sized mounds. Dough works better when it's very cold. Keep unused portion in refrigerator while you work.
From chilled dough: Slice, roll, or spoon out as above.
Bake on cookie sheets (there is no need to add extra grease). Spraying with cooking spray helps with clean up. Bake 7 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool on wire racks. Makes 10 dozen.

William Tell Overture

2007-10-22T11:53:00.001-04:00

This is for all you mom's out there. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! We all can use a good laugh now and then. The woman singing this is Anita Renfroe. She is a christian singer and comedian.

Fun Fall Crafts for Preschoolers

2007-10-19T18:46:00.000-04:00

Check out these ideas for preschoolers for the fall. It looked fun. I like the weblog too!
http://thesparrowsnest.typepad.com/the_sparrows_nest/2007/10/autumn-activiti.html

All Created Equal

2007-10-17T14:10:00.001-04:00

If there is anything where we are all equal, it is with TIME. We all have 24 hours a day. It doesn't matter whether you homeschool or not, whether you work outside the home or not, or whether you are C.E.O. of a large corporation or not. We ALL have 24 hours. Based on MOTH, I decided to write down the basic things I needed to do each day and approximately how long it took me. I added it all up and it took 10 hours!!!! That did NOT include homeschooling or running errands or grocery shopping!! That is crazy! According to my calculations, I cannot do that!! No wonder I am feeling like I cannot not do this. I have got to cut corners, somewhere. One thing that is eating my time is meal preparation, serving and cleaning up. We like homemade meals and do not like to eat out much or pick up, but we may need to reconsider it REAL soon if I am to continue teaching my children. I am also exploring using my crockpot more. I have used it a good bit, but I am going to try new things. I will post the new crockpot recipe we tried this week with chopped up ham left over from the ham I baked Saturday. This is for all you busy people out there that your hours don't add up either. :)

Broccoli, ham, and cheese soup in the Crockpot

5-6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 garlic cloves, pressed (I used the jar minced garlic to save time)
1 medium onion, chopped
2-14 oz. cans of chicken broth (I use organic)
1-12oz. package diced cooked ham (like Hormel, but I used a leftover whole ham and chopped it)
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (I used organic frozen ones, but fresh would probably be better)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups of whipping cream (you could also use fat free or lo-fat half and half)
2 cups (8oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (I used 8 oz. Organic Valley Organic raw mild cheddar cheese and shredded it.)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until potatoes are tender.
(I prepared everything the night before and put in slow cooker and put in fridge, then the next morning I took it out and turned on the slow cooker to cook all day for supper.)
Process half of soup mixture in a food processor until smooth. (I used a high powered blender)
Gradually stir potato puree, whipping cream, and 2 cups of cheese into remaining soup mixture.
Cover and cook on LOW 30 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with desired toppings i.e. sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, crackers.
Makes about 12 cups.
Enjoy!!!

Honey Farm Field Trip

2007-10-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

Our homeschool co-op went to visit the local honey farm. For all you homeschoolers out there that are familiar with The Bread Beckers. This honey farm provides them with all their honey. They are friends of ours and they do an outstanding job. They treated us like royalty!(no pun intended-you know-queen bees haha!) Anyway, here are some photos of a great day. You can see the boxes where the bees go to make honey. The place where the extract the honey. You can see the tables where they had lots and lots of snacks for us that use honey and products that use honey.
Oh, you can see the men with the bee uniforms on and the smoker thing is used to calm the bees down when they work with them.

Goodies from our goodie bag they gave us

Studying Benjamin Franklin

2007-10-11T19:57:00.000-04:00

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Patriot and Statesman
Born in 1706 - Died in 1790

Benjamin Franklin - Timeline

1706 -- Born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1718 -- Apprentice with brother James in printing shop.
1728 -- Opens printing office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1729 -- Becomes sole owner and publisher of Pennsylvania Gazette.
1731 -- Founds first public library.
1748 -- Retires from printing.
1752 -- Kite experiment.
1757 -- Goes to England as colonial representative.
1776 -- Signs Declaration of Independence.
1778 -- Negotiates Treaty of Alliance with France.
1782 -- Negotiates Treaty of Peace with Great Britain.
1787 -- Signs the Consitution of the United States.
1790 -- Dies in Philadelphia.

Here are some great places to go to study Benjamin Franklin with your children:
www.libertyskids.com/arch_who_bfranklin.html
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,1076243,00.html
www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/benjamin%20crafts.html

I Am Here..

2007-09-30T14:40:00.000-04:00

I have been sick, as usual. It gets discouraging at times, but then I think about how much I have to be thankful for and I feel guilty. I don't have it as bad as others, but it is difficult none the less. My autoimmune problems have really flared up on me. I had to get a shot of steroids last Thursday afternoon and I am on prednizone now. It will help with the swelling which has been in my joints, bladder, chest and throat. Enough of that!!! I just wanted to let you know why I have fallen off the face of the earth.

We have been doing school even though I have not produced weekly reports. I will show some work we have done soon. We have completed 7 weeks of school. Yippee!!!!
We are preparing this week for the State Fair in Perry, Georgia, where my ds will show his lamb. It is a kind of a big deal, a whole family affair. There is has been a lot of planning and packing this weekend. We leave early, early Thursday morning. We are looking forward to a change of scenery.

School has been tough to say the least since I am not up to full speed. We have had to address character issues in my children. Particularly with my oldest son. I believe he leans toward being ADHD. There I said it. I don't like labels like that. I usually do not use that term. He has never been diagnosed by a "professional". It comes from a mom knowing her son, and I believe that with special work and training it can be corrected or minimized. I usually can keep him on task and help to build his attention, but when I am not up to par, he can be difficult. I am not able to keep up with it. Pray for him and pray for me. He is larger than life and incredibly bright, but a hand full.

Our Second Lamb Show

2007-09-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

We had our second lamb show at the end of August and my ds, 7 yo, did great. It was only his 2nd show and he came in 3rd in Showmanship and 1st in Weight Class. I started to cry. I knew how hard he worked for that. It feels good when someone else recognizes how hard they worked without them knowing it. Here is a picture!!

How Are We Homeschooling?

2007-09-16T21:45:00.001-04:00

Are we schooling our children by a system or a method? It is much easier to school with a system than a method. Many of us moms are first generation homeschoolers. We were taught in a system. It takes constant watchfulness, unforeseen action and renewing our mind to teach a method. In other words, we are teaching ourselves a method and then teaching are children. The slothful side of our human nature would have us to revert to a system. (Note: In some cases a system is the only choice) However, we as parents, particularly mothers are qualified to teach our children, because God chose us to be their parents and thus their teachers. We can look at this as a sense of duty to properly train and educate.
Are we approaching our children's training and education with the same fiery diligence as we would as a hired professional teaching other children? Are we devoting the same responsibility and punctuality as we would to a stranger? We should value that calling exactly that way. I know I fall short. I have read where sometimes we are more loving and polite to strangers than we are to those in our own homes. I think this concept applies to the teaching of our children too. I know I am guilty of not rising to the task of really taking serious this all too important job! I am praying for a deep sense of perseverance and a deep sense of endurance. I also pray for consistency!

Love Your Neighbors

2007-09-12T21:57:00.000-04:00

Thank you for your prayers. We have been very sick and we are much better. I appreciate those of you who came by anyway to encourage me. It is hard to homeschool and be sick. We are only about a week behind. I say only because that is good considering. I will have to post tips on how to continue homeschooling when you are sick. HaHa!

As much fun as the blog world is for me and others, we have to remember to build relationships with those around us as well. We are to love are neighbors. It was when we were sick that I am reminded of how important people we see and know are in our lives. I like having blog friends and I appreciate their prayers and encouragement, but we cannot hide here and not reach out to those around us, literally. It is as important to have friends to whom you can take meals , to whom you can call for advice, and to whom you can give a needed hug.

God bless!

Prayer

2007-09-04T20:17:00.000-04:00

We all could use every one's prayers. We are all sick, some more than others. We found out today that my ds, who has not been getting better, has pneumonia. Thanks. I will not be posting until we are all better.

Change is Good

2007-08-28T18:54:00.001-04:00

Please be patient. I am in the middle of changing my blog.

A Fun Quiz!

2007-08-27T21:59:00.000-04:00

Being the Austin fan that I am, I enjoyed taking this quiz. My husband helped me. I wasn't sure if I see myself the same way others do, but we pretty much had the same answers. Not serious, but fun.

Take the Quiz here!

Lo, Children are a Heritage of the Lord

2007-08-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of my great niece. I just had to post it. I cannot believe I am a great aunt!

At last, School and Curriculum Review

2007-08-24T16:37:00.000-04:00

We have started 2nd grade this year with using almost an all new curriculum. I hated to do that, but what we had been using was just not working. I would rather not put here what did not work for us, because I am sure others use it and it works great. I actually loved it and I think my son liked it, but we were going nowhere fast. What I will try to do here is to say what we are using and what I like and do not like about it. This review comes after using it for a mere 3 weeks.
First, we have had a very smooth and productive 3 weeks(despite illness). I am very pleased with our schedule (see previous post for approximate schedule). I did a more structured schedule in Homeschool Tracker, but I am not sure how to put it here. I tried in years past to be more relaxed with a schedule and it just never worked. My son, who is easily distracted and a little bouncy, like Tigger, thrives under structure. It really helps him to focus and it helps me to go right into the next assignment without him wondering.
Due to last year being a flop (an exaggeration), I went with My Father's World's Adventures in My Father's World. We left the Four Year History Cycle, I had started out with and traded it in on a more Charlotte Mason approach with shorter lessons and more projects. The projects are definitely for my ds. I do not like projects at all. I prefer the Sonlight approach(Read #3 of the 27 reasons not to buy Sonlight: http://www.sonlight.com/not-to-buy.html ). So far, despite myself, it really has worked well. I am still adjusting to the shorter lessons. Sometimes I feel like we should be doing more. Well, I must confess, we have added in Veritas Press History cards. This is our World History study.
The other change for us is Phonics/Spelling. We are doing Saxon Phonics 2, which really is phonics for spelling. I am so far very impressed with this program. I don't know what it would be like to teach a child to read with this program, but I think it would be great. I am using parts of it with my 4 yo. It seems a little technical at first, but makes sense later. Here is an example, it focuses on syllables and accents. Here is where I want to skip this stuff. However, I taught it just like it said, which is hard for me to submit to the lesson exactly. Anyway, it really helps with spelling. He has 20 words a week and reviews phonics. It has filled in the gaps for us from where we had taken a more "gentle" approach up to now. We do our own reading separately with various readers we have and Reading Pathways. He still needs work on fluency and Reading Pathways is excellent for this.
We also reluctantly changed math this year. I will tell what we used before because I really only have good things to say about it and I am not sure we won't go back. We used Rightstart Math and we switched this year to Horizons. Rightstart is incredible. It is very advanced and challenging and is taught very well. I am not saying Horizons is not. There is something about it. I am just not sure what. Maybe I have not used it long enough. Everything is review right now. So, why did I leave Rightstart if it is so good? I was looking for a Math program that was as aggressive, but more independent. What I mean by that is Rightstart, because of the extensive use of manipulates is very teacher intensive. I have two little ones and something had to give. I would have everything teacher intensive if I could, because much of it is superior, but there has to be balance until someone here is a more independent learner or more independent period. :)
I tried to be brief, but there is even more I could share, so I will try to wait and spread it out.

First Day of School

Science Experiment

Our Bible Project, we used shaved crayons between waxed paper, and used an iron to melt the crayons to give us a lovely "stained glass" creation.

Finding Time For Preschoolers

2007-08-23T18:17:00.001-04:00

It seems like I am so focused on my second grader and getting the all too important academics done, I neglect my preschoolers. I am trying to follow Sonlight Preschool curriculum. I think it is called Level B now. I bought it several years ago for my oldest and I am using it again for my two younger children. It has a great selection of read-alouds. However, when crunch time comes, read-aloud for my preschoolers is the first thing to go. It is a bad habit of mine. It, too, is important if not as important. It would be the foundation if one was building a house. If we spend time reading to our children we will equip them with the much needed skills to begin to read on the own, they will know that we think reading is important, and, most important, they will know that they are loved. So, in celebration of my self reminder of this well known fact, we read a new book to our library, Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider. We read it several times and then they read it to me. My new readers are on their way!

Laughing with your children

2007-08-20T19:59:00.000-04:00

If you look on the left side of my blog, there is a motivation for moms. Today, it talks about laughing with your children and we did that today. I am doing with my children the art program I Can Do All Things. I really recommend it. I am not teaching it, understand, we are doing it together. Unlike my blog friend at 5wolfcubs, I am not the artist that I aspire to be, and my finished assignments, especially today, leave me and my children in stitches. We were supposed to be drawing someone (a stick figure at that) running and mine looked more like it had fallen. It really was so funny! They think it is so funny that they can do it better and that mine can turn out so bad. What a great laugh with my children. I highly recommend it.

When I am weak then He is strong!

2007-08-20T19:08:00.000-04:00

Boy, those words ring true for me today. We did school despite it being my baby's 3rd birthday(more on that later) and despite me being sick. I drudgingly walked upstairs as if my legs were weighted down. I sat my hot green tea down on the table and began and began our Bible lesson on Adam and Eve leaving the garden. In my droning voice, I could feel the Holy Spirit come in and give me words to say that applied to their little worlds. Things I would normally never think of. Suddenly, it was God, not me. What a blessing! "He who share His Weakness shall by the power of God live with Him in your service" ( 2 Cor 13:4 NEB). I got that scripture today (not by accident right?) from Elisabeth Elliot's devotion titled "Content to be Weak". I pray to be content in my weakness that He can be truly glorified.

Today, is my baby's third birthday. It is hard to believe I don't have a baby right now. Of course, I rejoice in her birth, but I also grieve at no longer having a baby. Once again, I surrender that to the Lord! Here are some pictures of her cake that her mama made and of her beautiful day. I love birthdays. I know that many say it can make them selfish, etc., but it gives me a chance to think about just them and their individuality. I find that I just don't have the time to really do that except around their birthday. I usually focus on the group needs in general. It also lets me and them reflect on that special day. When I say them, I mean siblings too. We usually get out a small album I have of them with right-after-they-were-born pictures. My dear dd who is 3 today is my only girl and she was born at home. It was a very special time for me.

School and our schedule, despite illness, has gone remarkably well. I can't wait to post on our progress. It is coming real soon. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and encouragement! God bless!

School makes me sick!

2007-08-18T17:41:00.000-04:00

Two weeks of school and I am already sick. I was burning the candle at both ends and now I have a sinus infection. I pushed through the pain and fatigue to finish school this week, but I am in the bed and not even feeling like being on the computer. I guess I am sick. I am determined to be well for Monday. I am determined, this year, to not let illness interfere with school. As many of you may not know, I have an autoimmune disease that leaves me, on most days, tired and in pain. I was diagnosed two years ago, and it really interfered with me doing school last year. I almost thought I was going to have to send my ds, to a private christian school, but Praise God, I did not. This year, I pray, will be different, and I think it will. I have a good curriculum and a good schedule. Rest, medicine, and plenty of fluids, and I will be back on my feet Monday. :) I hope to be posting about our 2 weeks of school soon.

Well, it goes a little something like this..

2007-08-08T22:11:00.000-04:00

3 Days into school and I am coming up for air. I don't have much time right now. Our day goes somethings like this:
7 a.m. Mama wakes up, dresses, a brief quiet time ( more on that later)
7:30 a.m. Children wake up, dress, chores
8:00 a.m. Make breakfast and lunch boxes
8:30 a.m. Eat breakfast, then children go outside to run around a bit while Mama tidies up.
9 a.m. Sharp! School starts with Bible and Devotion time
9:30 a.m. Math
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Language Arts
11:15 a.m. Science/History/Geography
12:00 noon Lunch (I pack lunches the night before or that morning to save us time here)
12:30 p.m. Play outside if finished with lunch
1:00 p.m. Art/Music/Foreign Language (These are rotated, but we have started out with art and music everday and will add in Foreign Language next week as soon as I decide which language)
My afternoons are left to laundry, cleaning, and cooking. I try to read somewhere in there and REST!!

We are doing so many new things this year in the way of curriculum. I want to do a review right now after 3 days, but I am not. I will withhold comment for now. I think I will use it for 8 weeks and then review it. I usually can tell if I am going to like something or not right away. However, I want to make sure this time. I am no longer looking to see how I like it, but how my child is responding (if he likes it) and how well he progresses. I have used things before and I liked it, he liked it, but my child did not progress very well.

Homeschooling with 2 preschoolers, hmmm, should I go there? A challenge to say the least. It is going as well as expected. To be honest, I am surprised we get anything done. This is the first week and we are still learning new habits including them!! Happy Homeschooling!!

Why My First Day of School Will Not Be Perfect

2007-08-05T20:10:00.000-04:00

Well, another year is starting for us, come Monday, and it will not be perfect. How do I know? Because, every year, for some reason, I think it will be. I work so hard to get our school room ready (It turns into a playroom over the summer). I get all their supplies ready, schedule ready, curriculum ready and it does not go perfect. God uses this time to remind me, I am not in control, He is. We are all sinners, therefore, fall short. There you have it. Even the first day of homeschool will fall short except by the grace of God.

I know this year, too, will not be perfect, because it has already started out not perfect. I got their tables bleached down and cleaned. I had gotten their first lessons/worksheets put into folders on the table, and taped their alphabet strip to the table. My dh, being helpful, sprayed the room for bugs and then layed down the jug with a leaky sprayer (he didn't know it was leaky) and it slowly leaked a lot of bug spray on everything. It was so bad, the dye from the folders stained the table. I redeemed what I could and quickly realized how, as much as I try, it will not be perfect. And this year, like every year, we will just be at the feet of Jesus! Happy Homeschooling! :)

Preschool

2007-08-05T19:16:00.000-04:00

I have almost finished with deciding what to do with my preschoolers. I am not sure if I am going to start teaching my ds, 4, will be 5 in a few months, to read or not. I think he will learn a lot from my phonics/spelling with my 7yo ds. I think I will just modify what I am doing with my older child for him. If my ramblings make any sense. We also use Quiet Time Cards (not fancy as you can see in photo). Everyone gets to select Quiet Time Cards. They can do what is on the back as long as they are quiet, so I can work with each child individually. :)

1. Magnets with magnets board

2. Pattern blocks

3. Puzzles

4. Playdough

5. Special markers and colored pencils

6. Books on tape with headset

I don't have the cards in front of me, but I think that is all.

By Request

2007-08-05T18:58:00.000-04:00

More lamb show photos. Our entire family, including grandparents participated in this project. It is a wonderful learning experience. It reminds me of what Charlotte Mason says are the 3 things she thinks are important to educating a child, 1.) Something or someone to love 2.)Something to do 3.)Something to think about. Not only does the lamb project teach a child to care for something. It teaches them how present themselves in front of a large group, how to dress appropriately for the occasion, and how to speak to the judge. I cannot say enough about it. We thoroughly
enjoyed it.

Our First 4-H Lamb Show

2007-08-02T09:02:00.000-04:00

Here is my ds, 7yo, showing his lamb, Emily for the first time over the weekend. His lamb came in 3rd in it's weight class on Saturday! Pretty good for their first time.

A curriculum junkie 12 steps

2007-07-26T20:26:00.000-04:00

Many of you in the homeschooling realm have admitted to being a curriculum junkie. I wrote this tongue in cheek step program for myself and my friend,.. well, I won't say her name, but she knows who she is. I will share it with all of you out there who also admit to this struggle.

Hello fellow recovering curriculum junkie,

Step 1 Admit that we have no power over looking for the better curriculum
and our lives have become unmanageable.
Step 2 Have come to believe that only God can restore us to sanity.
Step 3 Made the decision to turn our will and lives over to God.
Step 4 Made a search of ourselves to better understand why we like searching
for curriculum.
Step 5 Admit to God, ourselves, and another human being exactly how many
curriculum's we have and are considering.
Step 6 Entirely ready to have God remove this defect.
Step 7 Humbly ask Him to remove the desire for any other curriculum
Step 8 Made a list of all the people that have been affected by this
strange, but real problem!
Step 9 Make it up to those persons unless it involves giving them another
curriculum.
Step 10 Continue to keep inventory of any entertaining thoughts of new
curriculum.
Step 11 Seek prayer daily.
Step 12 Keep doing all the other 11 steps and help another curriculum
addict!!

A New Year, A New Grade, and A New Curriculum

2007-07-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

I think I have finally finalized my 2nd Gr curriculum after much time, research and prayer. 2nd Gr goes as follows:

Bible: MFW, personal bible
Grammar: Saxon Phonics 2, Grammar of Spelling 2, First Language Lessons
Writing: Classicly Cursive, Writing Strands (if needed)
Language: Prima Latina
History and Geography: MFW, Exploring My Father's World and Veritas Press History Cards
Art/Music: MFW
Math: Horizons 2
Literature: various selections

Now, onto preschool...