Ten On Tuesday: Homeschool Style

 

Ten Things I Will Never Do Again

Since we homeschool, my Ten on Tuesday answers will reflect that!

1. Send my children to public school. Besides the fact that it is my calling to teach them at home, I shudder to think about what goes on in public schools today. Kids can't pray, they can't express themselves, can't escape peer pressure, have to worry about who's bringing a gun to school that day, and in many cases, have to walk through a metal detector and be scanned by a security guard before entering the place! No thank you!
2. Let the "socialization" question bother me! In the past, it really bothered me that people would ask me this. After all, couldn't they see my children were just fine. I now love to answer this question. After all, the girls spend all day everyday with their parents, learning not only academics and life skills, but also communication skills. They aren't sitting around a lunch room table talking about Lisa's new belly button ring or what boy they want to kiss. Kelly has written a wonderful post about this topic.
3. Doubt my ability to teach my children. Alot of "educated" people think that homeschooling parents can't possibly teach their children all they need to know without a college degree in something. I am often asked how I will teach algebra to my oldest daughter. Well, I'll read the material, digest it, and help my daughter understand it. Simple as that. No, I don't have a math degree, and I don't need one. I have a curious mind that doesn't like to be defeated. So, if I don't know something, I'll learn. It also just so happens that I like math and I was pretty good with algebra back in the day :-o)
4. Put my children in a box. I will not be married to workbooks but will expose my children to a variety of learning styles and materials. I did this just the other day and the girls made some beautiful sketches that I didn't even realize they would enjoy. Why? Because I've been too married to our workbooks!
5. Use Bob Jones curriculum. Didn't like it.
6. Buy school desks for our house. I am much happier seeing the kids working at the kitchen table, on the couch, in the floor, outside, or laying across the coffee table! I'm not happy about having to clean up all the eraser mess from the kitchen table but hey, it's a small price to pay! LOL!
7. Pay full price for curriculum! It's way to easy to find things on Vegsource! And many times it is much cheaper!
8. Think that Saxon math works for everyone. I have been using it with my youngest daughter and it just isn't working for her. My oldest daughters gets it. It's not her favorite (because there is alot of repetition) but it works well for her. With my youngest, not so much. Apparently, they have different learning styles!
9. Become involved in too many activities. There are so many things that homeschoolers can be involved in and I used to be bad for trying to do it all. Co-op, weekly trips to the library, field trips, lunch guests, music lessons....you get the picture!
10. Doubt that this is what God has called me to do. Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed and like I can't effectively teach something, I secretly think to myself, "I can't do this". God is quick to remind me that "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13).

To read more TOT's, go here.

Just as a side note, I also love the fact that my youngest just sent me an email from upstairs that said, "Mommy, I hope you know how much I love you, Love,Caroline". She wouldn't have been able to send that to me if she'd been in our local public school." I ~heart~ homeschooling!

Creative Blogger Award

Sweet little Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane was kind enough to give me this award. I appreciate anyone who swings by to read the things that come out of my head and from my heart! I especially appreciate Stacy for the sweet comments and emails she sends me!

I'm supposed to nominate five people now and that's a hard job. I read many blogs and they are all so inspiring. Here are my choices for the top five most creative bloggers I have come across so far:

Jenny--Now, she and I are RL friends and she has taught me so much. This woman screams creativity! She can take the most ordinary thing and turn it into something beautiful. She homeschools and I get many organizational ideas from looking at her lesson plans, etc. She has also taught me the basics of quilting and that is no easy task! I love you man!

Kristi-- I recently found her blog and just love the recent round of totes she's making along with some really cute headbands. Swing by and check out her Etsy store. She's got some cool stuff! Great for Christmas or birthday gifts!

Kelli--I love visiting Kelli! Her blog makes me feel so at home. She shares wonderful recipes and some really great ideas of things to do around the house. She has a beautiful way of putting the simplest of things together and making it look so beautiful. She also hosts Show and Tell Friday , which I just love!

Rhoda-- I love looking at all of the things Rhoda posts. She's got so much eye candy on her blog that I get distracted by it! I have to look at all the pictures and then back up to read her post! She even has a store where you can purchase things that she's found at thrift stores. It's wonderful!

Monica-- One of my all-time favorite blogs! This sweet lady has wonderful craft ideas, frugal tips, and plenty of other useful info! I love the way she uses what she has to really personalize her home and make it special. She inspires me with all of the wonderful ideas she has to share.

I know many others who have received this award and I think they are all very deserving. Be sure the visit the people I've mentioned above. They all have lots of cool things to say and share!

Weekend Reflection # 26

What a crazy week! I can't believe it's gone already. I can't believe I'm so late with this post! I hope you'll forgive me.

The week was pretty typical until Tuesday. That was to be a busy day for me. I had to take the dog to the groomer at 10am and then had to drive 40 minutes to my doc appointment. It would have worked out fine, except that the groomer got sick and called me to come get the dog while I was waiting to have my blood drawn at the doc's office! There was no way I was leaving without my blood draw since I had to drive 40 minutes to get the dog plus I HAD to have a particular test run with this blood draw. As a side note, the hubster and I have had trouble conceiving for the past three years. We really want more children and have grown impatient. A few months ago, I started having tests done to make sure that there was nothing medically wrong with me. This particular test had to be done on a particular day and Tuesday was the day. So, now you understand that there was NO WAY I was leaving without getting my blood draw! Well, I did have it drawn but when I inquired about all of the tests that would be run, the most important test was not included....WHAT???? My doc had apparently forgot to add it to the order. Ok, I had a minor breakdown and explained to the check out lady that I HAD to get this test done. She emailed the doc (who was in surgery and couldn't be bothered) to let her know about her oversight. Thankfully, she called to let me know that they were going to run the test with the blood that they drew. Yay! I was happy. I did make it back to pick up the dog and then came home and planted myself! I was emotionally drained from all of the running around and the blood test deal.

Wednesday was an exciting day. My brother and his wife welcomed their first child into the world. They had a baby girl, Haley. I have not been able to see her yet but hopefully will get to do that soon. My brother and I aren't really close and since he lives in Charlottesville and is a cop, I rarely ever see or hear from him. He's taken some time off and they'll be staying with his in-laws for awhile. His in-laws live closer to me so hopefully we can work it out to visit with them and see Haley. I'm very excited to be an aunt, finally! I hope I'll be able to get to know Haley and enjoy watching her grow up.

On Friday, my BIL brought some tilapia fillets over and even cooked them up for us! He did a wonderful job and also fried some yellow tomatoes. I made hush puppies, homemade tartar sauce, and grilled corn on the cob. It was one of the best meals we've had in a long time! Caroline and I didn't eat the fish but did get hubs to grill us a hamburger. We're picky, what can I say!

The rest of the week was pretty quiet. Saturday, the hubster played with the bagpipe band at a festival in a nearby town. It's always fun but man was it hot! I really didn't want to go because it was so hot but decided at the last minute to tough it out. I'm glad I did. It cooled off and there was a nice breeze blowing. It was nice to see several families from church there too! I forgot the camera so I didn't get any pictures! Bummer!

This morning, hubs wasn't feeling so well so he stayed home from church. The girls and I went and heard a wonderful sermon. We came home and had a quick bite for lunch before I crashed for my afternoon nap! I love those! I finished reading The Nannie Diaries today and I was pretty disappointed with the book. The authors left it open for a second book but at this point, I don't think I'd bother reading it. I feel like I wasted my time on 300 or so pages of stuff that really didn't do anything for me. I'm glad it's over so now I can finish Mr. Darcy's Diary. I'm also reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and I need to finish it up. It is wonderful!

I've also been trying to map out our school plans for the upcoming year. We school year round and I usually get all of my books ahead of time. I've got most of the things I plan to use but I still have a few things to get. I'm looking forward to doing a few more hands on things with the girls and hopefully doing some things to let their creative sides come out. I'm bad for not doing that. They did take a nature walk this week and picked some leaves to bring inside and sketch. They both did a wonderful job and I'll share those as soon as they finish up their projects.

That's about it around here. Nothing fancy or exciting. Just plain and simple everyday life. Just the way I like it! I hope your week was wonderful! Don't forget to hop over to Judi's to read more WR's. Also, remember her in your prayers. She has a friend who is sick and it's a sad time for her. Also pray that God would comfort this friend through whatever He has in store for her.

Show and Tell Friday

Kelli hosts Show and Tell Friday and I always love looking at what everyone has to share. This is the first time I've taken time to show anything but I love the idea and I hope to participate regularly. I think it's a wonderful way to share some of my special things with all of you. I want to share an item I found at a thrift store this week. I don't get to thrift shop nearly as much as I'd like but I was able to make a quick stop this week and I'm so glad I did. I found a butcher block cutting board for $2, a nice chrome wine rack for $3, and this cute little candle holder.

Here's what it looked like before I cleaned it up. Notice the frumpy old candle and imagine all the dust I had to clean out of it:

I cleaned it and added a pink candle (since pink is my favorite :-o)

It now sits on the coffee table in the living room and I just love looking at it. It opens on top and reminds me of a birdcage. The best part is that I got this little beauty for $1.50. I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by and remember to head over to Kelli's to see other Show and Tells or to add your own!

Complete Randomness

I don't know how most of you do it. I mean, I'm pretty good with getting things done. At least I used to be :-o) Since I started to blog, I find that my time passes like the wind! Where does it go? I have discovered Google Reader, which helps me easily catch up on reading blogs. How in the world do I find more time to post though? That may be something that isn't realistic. After all, I do have a family to take care of and that trumps everything. My current practice is to catch up on blog reading first thing in the morning while the kids are having breakfast or taking showers. That gives me plenty of time to get a good chunk of them read. As for posting, I usually do that at night after supper while the kids are reading or after they go to bed. Easy, right? You'd think so but it doesn't seem to work that way. I usually have papers to grade or lesson plans to go over. If it's not that, I want to get a good book and pop myself down in a corner somewhere. I've decided tonight that it'll work itself out and I'll be just fine! LOL! I would love to hear how you organize your blog reading and blog posting time.

I thought I'd take a minute to review a couple of movies real quick. First, for Stacy, Premonition. I liked it pretty well. The hubster was disappointed with the ending but I thought it was as good as it could be. I don't want to give too much away so I can't say much. If you like Sandra Bullock, you'll be surprised at this role, I think. I thought it a little odd for her but she did a good job with it. If I were rating it on a number scale, I'd give it 3.5 out of 5.

Next, Number 23 starring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen. First off, the trailer made me shiver when I first saw it. I couldn't imagine Jim Carrey in this kind of role. I like Virginia Madsen pretty good and she did a nice job in this film. Overall, I'd give this 4.5 of 5. I felt like this film didn't last long enough....like maybe a few more things could have been fleshed out given another 20 minutes. Anyway, it was good and Jim Carrey did a nice job. It's rated R due to some language and sexuality. It's not horrible but it is there. So, there's your warning. I was so taken with the plot that those things were just annoyances to me. I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that everything seemed to be linked to the number 23.

I hope these were helpful. I am trying to give you as much info as possible without spoiling the films for you. I'm not sure if I've said it before here but one of the best films I've seen in a long time was Breach. If you haven't seen it, go rent it now! Oh, we also recently watched The Good Shepherd and all I can say is, ack! WAY TOO LONG! Too brutal. It doesn't make me look very positively on government agencies (FBI or CIA), not that I do anyway :-o)

I'm off to do something with the other ten cucumbers I pulled out of the garden yesterday! LOL! I could sell these babies to the supermarket, as fast as they're growing! I've got about six more to pull tomorrow. Looks like I'll be taking more to church on Sunday! I'll leave you with something else I pulled out of the garden...actually, I cut them!

I ~heart~ zinnias!

Menu Plan Monday July 30-August 5

Monday: Cheap take out pizza from Mad Greek. Jeff has bagpipe lessons tonight and I have a to do list that's a mile long.

Tuesday: Santa Fe Soup w/tortilla chips

Wednesday: Asian Orange Chicken, rice, egg rolls, shrimp sauce (Thanks Carrie!)

Thursday: Lasagna, garlic bread, salad

Friday: Easy Baked Fish and chips, potato wedges (From Kraft magazine)

Saturday: Hamburger steak w/onion gravy, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, salad

Sunday: Fish tacos, chips-n-queso (I'm still looking for a good recipe for the tacos)

I'm also looking for a gyro recipe if anyone has a good one. As promised, here' the dressing recipe I whipped up this week that was oh so yummy!

Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1/3 cup mashed strawberries

3 TBS red wine vinegar

1 TBS sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk oil, vinegar, and sugar together until blended. Add mashed strawberries and whisk until blended. Come to think of it, I added 1 tsp more sugar after whisking it together because my strawberries were a little on the tart side. I'd say just add sugar to taste if this isn't sweet enough for you. Mine was tart with a hint of sweetness. Just the way I like it! You can use it right away or chill it to use later. I also made up a batch using balsamic vinegar but I preferred the recipe above.

Have a great Monday!

 

Weekend Reflection # 25

Man do I love my life. I mean I really love my life. Every week it seems that I am blessed more than the last. How is that possible? God is good and makes that known to me all the time. Whether it's spending time with friends, or enjoying a good pizza with my family, He is there with us, with me. I take comfort in that and I wish that everyone could feel the love of God like I do. I am so glad that He called me out of the world and to Him. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The first part of our week was relatively normal. No big happenings, just mostly hanging out around the house. On Wednesday, I decided to sew up some things for my secret mailer partner. I got involved with secret mailers through a blog I happened upon late one night and I've had the most fun gathering things for this package. I'm late in getting it out but that's ok. One of my favorite mottos is the old "better late than never" phrase. I decided I'd make a table runner and some place mats for my partner. She doesn't have a blog so the only thing I know about her are things I found out through the lady who organized the mail swap. I hope she likes them. It was my first time making anything like this and I'm happy with the way they turned out. The thing you have to know about me is that it's hard for me to have patience while doing something like this. Sometimes, I do great. Other times, problems arise and I lose my patience. That's when I resort to name calling with my sewing machine. This project should have taken me a couple hours at most but it took me nearly three days. Why, you ask? Well, let me just tell you! It could be that I'm a little OCD when it comes to cutting out material. I have to measure, re measure, and measure again before I touch it. There's good reason for this. Even after measuring three times, I still cut some of the material too short. Go figure. That was the first night and believe me, I wasn't EVEN going to try and sew them together that night! The next night consisted of me attempting to sew some of them together but my bobbin decided to have a party. Literally, the thing kept getting tangled which resulted in a huge mess of thread attaching itself to the back of the place mats. Great. Just what I needed. Needless to say, I dealt with that for a little bit and then called it a night. Night three was even more funny. I was really on a roll with these babies. I was going strong and I noticed my thread was getting low. Ok, I thought. I can do this. I've got plenty left to finish the last place mat. WRONG! Can you believe that I had ONE corner to finish and the thread ran out?!! Where's the justice in that! I put it away for the night and actually I do have to sew that corner up real quick before packing them into the box. Sheesh! That'll make me think before I decide to whip something up quickly again!

The table runner:

Back of table runner. The place mats look like this also but I didn't snap a picture of them:

Here are some the beautiful zinnias that are planted in the garden. I just love these colors!

On Friday, the hubster took me to BAM and bought me that fabulous book I mentioned earlier in the week! He's such a wonderful hubby. He would do anything, within reason, for me :-o) I love that about him. After BAM, we ran to the video store and happened to see Jeff's brother there. So, he and my nephew came back to our place to watch Ghost Rider with us. Nicholas Cage fans, close your eyes and plug your ears! Better yet, just skip this whole part! Who told this guy he could act? Please, enlighten me. Seriously, am I the only person in the world that thinks he should be mowing a lawn or cleaning a pool somewhere? A Cage fan, I am not. I knew that I wouldn't like this movie before we even watched it. Partly, well mostly, because Cage is in it and also because the story line is just too silly to be entertaining. Harsh, I know. I also thought the female actress, can't think of her name, did a terrible job too. A complete waste of a time.

Saturday we had the pleasure of being invited to supper. The P's hosted us and also invited another family from our church, the Mc's. This was such a wonderful evening. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had! The P's served up some awesome cheeseburgers, brats, grilled onions and peppers, and baked beans with bacon on top. We took along a salad with some homemade dressing I whipped up. The Mc's brought some pasta salad and one of those jello pretzel salad things. It was so good! It was orange, which is one of my favorite flavors in the world! Mrs. P and her daughter made blueberry cobbler. We were so stuffed after the meal but that didn't stop me from guzzling the coffee concoction Mrs. P made for me. It had caramel and sugar mixed into the coffee and on top was foam with chocolate shavings and another drizzle of caramel. Heaven in a glass! We feasted and laughed until around 9:30. I came home refreshed and recharged because of these two ladies. We were able to exchange cooking stories and ideas and also talked about all things homeschooling. Fellowship with the body of Christ is the best!

This morning, worship was just wonderful. I feel very blessed in the church we currently attend. The church community is unlike anything I've ever experienced. After worship, we came home and had a quick lunch before taking our Sunday nap. We rested well and the hubster headed back to church for the men's meeting tonight. I am passing the time by baking some chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I'll have to let you know how it turns out. If it's good, I'll share the recipe :-o) We're watching Premonition tonight so I'll give you a review in a day or two. Oh, one more thing to mention. Remember earlier this week when I talked about how we were being over run with cucumbers from our garden? Well, I took two bags to church this morning and I'm happy to report that they were all taken home by families there. There wasn't even one left. Now, I just have to run out and pick the other ten that are waiting on me today! Tomorrow it'll be cucumber avocado dip making day plus any other recipes I come across with cucumbers as the main ingredient!

Here are a couple of the girls and what they've read this week. We got the HP book at the midnight release last Friday at BAM. Logan had the thing read by Sunday evening! I told her she could have read it slowly so that she could have prolonged the end of the series! Caroline really enjoyed A Bear Called Paddington, which we checked out at the library.

I hope your week was wonderful! I'll leave you with the link to one of my favorite Psalms. Have a great week!

Visit Jenny

I'm a little late with this but please go visit my RL friend, Jenny over at Gus' Gang. As part of Blogathon 2007, she is trying to raise money for COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association). You can read about many children who are currently waiting for transplants and also learn about her son, Gus, who passed away while waiting for his transplant. It's a great cause folks so hop over and see her. Donate if you can. If you're not able to, consider praying for some of the children you will read about while at Gus' Gang. Be sure to send Jenny some bloggy love too, as she has been blogging all day and has several hours to go!