Writers Block or Maybe Not

So it Friday, November 14, 2014.  I have now been blogging consecutively for 45 days.  It is hard to believe that I came up with that many different things to say.  And for the past 13 days, I have also been working on my NaNoWriMo project as well.  I am finding lots of things to say. But as I began to think about what to blog about today, I hit a wall.  I had Writer's Block.  I started and deleted several drafts before I began this one.

Yet the third time proved to work.  That is this version.  It is so hard sometimes to put thoughts on paper.  I want to be sure I am using the right words to convey exactly the meaning I want.  After all you can't hear my voice or see my facial expressions or hand motions to know what I really mean.  All I have is my words.  The right words convey exactly the meaning I want, while the wrong words can leave nothing.  I just know I have a lot I want and need to share.  At the same time, I am finding a desire to write that I never knew I had.

I always thought my sister was the one with the writing talent in the family.  I was gifted in math.  But as the years have gone by, I find myself spending more time writing or editing writing.  As Dennis attended college, I edited his papers for him.  I edit my children's homeschool work.  I edit my blog and various posts on various forums I am on.  I am surrounded by words. I can't escape them.  They follow me where ever I go.

What are you surrounded by?  Or what do you find yourself doing that you did not expect to be doing?  I hope you will share with me!

Ultimate Blog Challenge Wrap Up

Today I have done something that I was not sure I was going to be able to do.  I have had a new entry on my blog every day for the past 31 days.  It was because I took part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  It is amazing to think I found things to write about every single day.  I have enjoyed sharing, remembering, feeling and writing about so many things our family has experienced over the years.  

I want to be able to continue this journey.  I know I have many more words, stories and posts to share.  I have more pictures, recipes and homeschooling posts to share.  I love getting the opportunity to record my thoughts to where years down the road, my children will be able to read them and gain insight into their mother.  So even though the Ultimate Blog Challenge ends today.  Tomorrow, I am starting a new challenge.  I am beginning the NaBloMoPo November Challenge.  Plus I am beginning the NaNoWriMo challenge.  

The NaBloMoPo challenge will involve blogging every day during the month of November.  So stayed tuned to see what topics come up.  The NaNoWriMo challenge involves me trying to write a novel.  I have tons of material to share thanks to my husband and family.  So my goal will be to write 50,000 words by the end of the month.  I have some ideas of what I want to write about, but we will have to wait and see what develops.

As my children grow up, I really enjoy sharing memories and stories with them. But more importantly I enjoy making memories with them.  Every day is a blessing given to us by God.  Each day deserves us giving our best

Today is not just the ending of the Ultimate Blog Challenge, it is also the final day of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study for "The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkeurst.  I have learned so much from this book.  I don't want to focus on "people pleasing" instead I want to focus on pleasing and honoring God.  I want to spend time in His Word and in prayer.  I want to draw closer to God.  After all, He is God the Father.  He is a father who willingly sent His Only Begotten Son to die on a cross for our sins.  He was the perfect sacrifice.  I need to give Him my best yes.  This means I need to give my best yes in everything I do, say or think.  I know I will never be perfect.  As Romans 3:23 - 24 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus".  

I want to strive to honor God, even if it means I give "small no's", so I save time to give my "Best Yes".  It means I need to take time to listen to the sometimes small, still voice of God - even when it is not the answer I want to hear.  I pray you strive to give your "Best Yes" as well.  I pray you have enjoyed the journey this month.  I would love to hear from you. 

So today I say good bye to this past month and this past study.  But I say hello to new challenges and around the middle of the month I will be saying hello to a new Bible study as we begin Max Lucado's book Before Amen and I invite you to come along with us for the journey.  This study is all about prayer.  And what better time to begin a study on prayer than in the month before we celebrate Jesus' birth.  The best part about this study is that the conference calls are FREE!  That is right for this study the conference calls cost NOTHING!  So I hope you will join us.

Sunday Celebrations

If you have been reading my blog recently, you know I have been talking about how our family spends our Sundays.  Today is a special Sunday though.  We will be attending church and Sunday School this morning as usual.  Then we will come home to prepare for our company that is coming to dinner.  Our youngest three have all had birthdays in the past two weeks.  It began on October 14, continued on the 20th and finished on the 23rd.  If you want to read about their births and other things I shared about each on their own birthday you can go to the posts for those dates.

So we tend not to do regular birthday parties.  Since we moved to Pennsylvania, I have tended to have special family dinners.  So today we are having friends of our family over to eat.  We are preparing Bar-b-cue Pork (thanks to my father-in-law for the awesome sauce we will be using), boneless pork ribs, greens trio sauteed in olive oil, potatoes, green beans, and corn.  I may make some homemade bread to have as well.  For dessert we will be having cake.  I love opening our home to friends and family.  Tune back in on Monday when I will be sharing pictures of the food that we created and ate.

I hope you have a restful and wonderful Sunday afternoon.  Please feel free to comment.  I look forward to reading what you have to share.

Saturday Sayings

So we are in day 25 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  Today I just want to share some of the favorite things my children have said through the years:

Upon us telling our oldest son that we were expecting our third child, oldest son says, "I don't want a new one, I want to keep Joseph!"

Upon us telling our oldest three that we were expecting our youngest child, "But I don't want a new one, I want to keep Nathan!"

Both boys would have been about 4 years old at the time these statements were made.  They both honestly believed that adding another child to the family meant that one had to leave.  Now how they were positive they were the one that would be kept and the younger one would be the one to go, I am not sure.  However, they eventually did okay.  I don't know if it is because I had three sons and then our only daughter or if it is something else; but we never had the out and out sibling rivalry (or whatever you want to call it) where the older one resents the younger one. In fact, we had the opposite problem - they loved their new sibling too much.  I had to be on constant guard that they did not carry off the youngest sibling (especially when said youngest was an infant).  

If you ever have heard the expression, "Kids say the darndest things", well it definitely applies in my case with my children.  My children are not afraid to speak their mind and say what they think, wonder or just feel like saying at any given time. I hope you will tune in next Saturday to hear more "Saturday Sayings".  Not that these things were said on a Saturday, but it just means I am sharing them on Saturdays.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

I have quite a few favorite things in my life.  One of my most favorite things is my family.  My husband, three sons and one daughter bring a lot of blessings, love, joy and fun into my life.  I can not say growing up I expected to have four children.  Nor can I say I pictured my life looking as it does.  But I can not imagine any other life that would suit.  

My husband is truly the love of my life.  He is such a blessing to me and the answers to my prayers.   We have been married for 22 years and while they haven't always been perfect, we are still together and more in love than ever.  I can't imagine spending my life with any other.  When your parents separate when you are in your last year of college and then wind up divorcing the following year, it can't help but color your perspective.  However, having a personal Savior, Jesus Christ, sustained me.

We have four children - three sons ages 18, 16, and 14 plus a 12 year old daughter.  They are a blessing.  They are enthusiastic, active, funny and amazing.  God truly blessed my husband and I when He allowed us to be their parents.  These children mean my house is never quiet, dull or unimaginative.  Homeschooling them means I get to see these amazing children grow in their faith and in their interests.  I am truly thankful for them.

My second favorite thing is my collections of Bibles and Christian resources.  I love being able to spend time in God's Word and in prayer.  The resources help me to develop as a Christian.

Another favorite thing in my life is my teddy bear that I recently blogged about.  This bear was a wonderful gift from my husband for our anniversary.

Another favorite thing is reading.  There is nothing like a good book on a rainy or cold or snowy day.  Books can take me wherever I could imagine.  They also mean I am never bored.  I love discussing books with family and friends.  In the last several years, I became part of an Online Bible Study ministry through Proverbs 31 Ministries and I love the way the books challenge and touch my soul.

I love snow.  I love watching it fall softly and quietly.  I enjoy watching my children play in it.  I love seeing their snow creations including snowmen and snow forts.

Another favorite thing is attending homeschool conventions.  These conventions allow my family to connect and have fun while learning so many things.  Plus we get to see neat places and acquire more books.

These are just a few of my favorite things.  What are some of your favorite things?

Happy Birthday Joseph

So 16 years ago today, my second son was born.  He came into the world before anyone but me was ready.  We expected to have a baby around 1-2 pm that day.  So my husband decided to run out and take care of a few of his vending locations.  Instead about 10 am things started getting interesting.  We had the worst nurse for any of my births.  She was fairly incompetent.  Fortunately about the time we were discussing if I wanted anything for pain, another nurse walked by and ended up coming in the room.  As they were talking, they decided since my doctor was right in the hospital to have him check and see how far along I was.  

So as he came in the room and was preparing to check me, I looked at my coach (my husband's sister-in-law) and said, "I think I am going to be sick."  But then I changed my mind and stated I needed to push.  About that time everyone started telling me not to push.  I asked for my coach to call my husband.  I had even wrote down all the numbers she needed to call before we went to the hospital.  But she was so focused on me, that I ended up calling my husband to tell him to get back to the hospital.  

So our son entered the world much earlier in the day than anyone expected.  This is my child that enjoys adventures with his older brother, is an instigator, and is up for a challenge.   He makes up his mind to do something and accomplishes his task.

He put his mind on becoming Eagle Scout and he achieved it.  Also as a result of his drive, his older brother received the rank of Eagle Scout the same day.  He is one of my children that loves to sing.  He is also the tallest in our family.  I will not be surprised if he reaches 7 feet tall by sheer drive and determination.  He loves his siblings including his baby sister and helps look after them even when he is tormenting them.

So happy 16th Birthday Joseph!  We love you!

Top 9 Favorites for Homeschoolers

So this year we are in our 9th year of homeschooling.  When we began our journey, I really did not know a lot about homeschooling. Nor did I know a lot about what was out there for homeschoolers.  So today I thought I would write about my top 9 favorites for homeschoolers.  These are my "go-to" items, and are especially the items I recommend to families who are thinking about or are brand new to the homeschooling journey.  But they are also great for even the most experienced homeschoolers to have.

1)  I believe an absolute necessity is Cathy Duffy's Top 101 Picks for Homeschoolers.  This book is incredible.  (Although when I was first introduced to it it was only her top 100 picks).  It breaks down homeschooling into manageable pieces and her recommendations I have found to be spot on.  She includes a section to determine your philosophy of education, your teaching type, and your student(s)' learning type.  Then she goes through each subject and breaks the subjects down into what matches up with what teaching AND learning style.  So it is easy to make wise choices.  She also has a website with a lot of the information on it - but I still recommend getting the book.  I share mine often.

2)  The Rainbow Resource Catalog - OK, I admit this book is a monster - I mean it is huge and it is heavy.  But it is jammed packed full of incredible homeschool supplies, materials and more.  Getting it each year is like an adventure that lasts an entire year.  Everything is broken down by subject, topic and even grades so you can easily find things.  Their website is awesome as well.  Their customer service is fantastic.

3)  Homeschool Conventions - I firmly believe in attending homeschool conventions, especially if they are good ones.  When we began our journey 9 years ago, I was blessed to be part of a military community - so we had lots of ladies with lots of experiences and knowledge. But more importantly they were so willing to share that knowledge - especially with someone who was brand new to the world and needed guidance.  I remember several of the ladies giving me some sage advice that I use to this day - never buy on the very first day.  Our family always spends the first first day just looking around (well I should say my husband, my mom and I), while our children typically participate in the Children's Conferences (well they used to participate - now all but our youngest are old enough to help instead).  I bring the entire family.  We use the opportunity as a family vacation.  But I will be devoting an entire post in the future to conventions.  I will end by saying there is nothing like a homeschool convention to be able to see, touch and connect with homeschoolers and homeschool materials.

4)  Homeschool Magazines and catalogs - There are a wealth of maganzines and catalogs homeschoolers can choose from that assist in choosing curriculum and such.  Some of my favorites include "The Old Schoolhouse Magazine" and "Practical Homeschooling".  I love Christianbook.com for homeschooling materials as well.

5)  The Internet:  In these days and times there are a wealth of sites online that can assist with your homeschool journey.  Or even if you don't want to homeschool full time, on those rainy or snowy or dreary days when the children claim they are bored, you can go online and find activities for them to do.

6)  Educational Manipulatives:  I love manipulatives.  I love giving our children a chance to experience learning "first-hand" - if you will pardon my pun.  Some children just learn better by doing, touching or creating.  So they need outlets for those experiences.

7)   Patience and a Sense of Humor:  Homechooling parents need a healthy dose of patience and wonderful sense of humor.  Some days will just not go like you planned, and you need to understand that.  There will be fantastic days where everything just clicks and moves along smoothly.  But then there will also be days when everything and anything that can go wrong does.  But if you keep the right perspective, you will all come out on the other side having learned something.

8)  Some kind of Homeschool record-keeping system:  Whether your state requires it or not, you should maintain some type of records.  We have only homeschooled in two states:  North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  But for both I have used some kind of record keeping system.  In Pennsylvania where we have lived for the past 6 years, I am required to turn in a portfolio at the end of the year that has to include a list of what books we used on what days of the years.  Doing this by hand is tedious.  So instead, I  had a friend recommend a wonderful online program called "Homeschool Skedtrack".  I love the flexibility of this program.  While it is somewhat time consuming to enter everything in initially, the end result is marvelous.  Each subject/course is entered individually.  Assignments are marked off as they are completed.  If the students are responsible enough, you can assign them their own login to where they keep up with what needs to be done each day and mark it off as completed.  At the end of the day, the parent goes through and approves what they have done.  Then the next assignment pops up for the net day.  If for some reason a student does not complete something, it automatically moves it to the next day.  Also the parent can schedule days off and what courses are on what days.  This program is one of the best I have seen.  And the fact that it is free is terrific.  

9)  A Homeschooling community (whether it be found online, in a group, with one or two friends or a co-op).  You need to connect with other homeschoolers.  It is okay if this takes a while to find the right fit for your family.  When we began our journey, I became part of a group that met once a week - moms (dads if they could come) and children.  We did various activities based on the week of the month.  It fit our family perfectly.  I have found tons of community online to give me support.  It is nice to know when I have a question, an answer is as close as my computer screen.  I have never participated in a co-op, simply because I have not found the right fit for our family.  But I know lots of people who have participated in them and found them to be very useful.

So these are my top 9 favorites for homeschoolers.  I hope you enjoyed reading about them.

Sundays

We have three children who share the same birthday month, which happens to be this month (October).  Two are sons and one is our only daughter.  When they were younger and we lived in North Carolina still, we would rent the local rollerskating rink and have a huge party.  The nice thing about that was we could invite a lot of people without it costing a lot of money - beyond renting the rink, getting the cake and things.

Now they are older (my youngest just turned 12) and we live about 12 hours away from our immediate family.  So we have to try different things.  This year we will be attending church this morning as we always do.  Then we will be having friends over for dinner.  To me there is nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon with family and/or friends.  

I really enjoy cooking, so this gives me a chance to do this for more than just my own immediate family.  Today we are having Bar-b-Que Pork that I am fixing in my Ninja cooking system (I love this machine).  Plus we are going to have ribs cooked on the grill.  We will have a salad, vegetables and some type of potatoes.  Actually I think I am going to have my oldest son and his father make their special oven baked bacon cheesy potatoes.  This is their new creation and it is fantastic!  

So what are you doing special today?  What are you having for dinner?  I look forward to reading what you share!

Planners, Planners, Planners oh my!

I admit it.  I love planners, stationary, school supplies and all things associated with them.  Ever since I began college, I have used some type of planner.  Typically I just got a cheap one - either from Wal-Mart, Target, a bookstore or such.  Then I was introduced to MomAgenda.  While I liked the format and idea of the planner, the hardcover didn't lay flat enough for me or seem to want to stay open.  
So I began using Day-runners, Day-timers and Franklin Covey binder types that I got at local stores.  These just didn't seem to fit our family needs.  After all I am the official "Keeper of the Calendar".  As I tell my children - if it is not on my calendar, it will not happen.  This way they make sure to tell me every time they want to do something.  Plus when they ask, I can easily check to see if there is already something going on.  

I am part of an Online Bible Study community by Proverbs 31 Ministries.  Before our most recent study began, we got into a discussion about planners.  Two different ones were mentioned:  The Erin Condren Life Planner and the Plum Paper planner.  I had to immediately attempt to find out all I could about these two planners.  I joined some Facebook groups to see what I could find out.  I also studied their webpages for information.

In my family there are 7 individuals:  my husband (with his Army schedule and such), myself (and all my Army and Church commitments), our three sons (ages 18, almost 16 and almost 14) and our daughter who just turned 12.  Plus my mother lives in our home.  So there is a lot of to keep up with.

so I want a planner that can handle all of that.  Plus I want it to help with my "to-do lists", errands we need to complete, and so forth.  It needs to have space to write in and places for me to make notes.

As I entered into this process, I assumed that a planner was meant for just that:  writing down plans, events, shopping lists and other such things.  I never realized it was an artistic and creative outlet.

Planners these days get personalized in all kinds of way.   Some use washi tape to add color, texture and dimension to their planners.  Stickers add a wonderful touch.  Many use scrapbooking ideas to give their planner that just so touch.  

Having the correct type of pen is an absolute must.  After all no one wants to have their pens bleed through other pages.  Also, there is a need for post-it notes, something called a dashboard, and more.  There is a whole wonderful world of opportunity to make these planners an amazing creative expression of who someone is; whom or what they love; and what is important to them.  It is completely phenomenal to me.

So in the coming weeks, I will be sharing more with you about: which one I decided on; how I am using it, and how I am decorating it. #blogboost

Today Is Dictionary Day

So today is Dictionary Day in honor of Noah Webster's birthday.  He was born October 16, 1758 and is considered the Father of the American Dictionary.  We happen to have the Noah Webster 1828 dictionary in our home for our homeschool.  I love this dictionary.  It has a beautiful cover.  I love words and love to read them in books.  I want my children to develop a love of words.

Words have a tremendous amount of power and can be such wonderful ways to communicate both ideas and beauty.  In our homeschool, I try to develop a genuine love and appreciation for learning.  Words play a big part in that for our family.  The bigger and richer someone's vocabulary is, the better they will be able to communicate.  I know regardless of what my children choose to do in the future, they will need to use and understand words.  I love to see them learn more words and use them in their vocabulary.

Several years ago, we were attending a special Christmas church service at the Jeanette Assembly of God Church in Jeanette, PA.  As part of the service, the pastor handed out verses to various members of the congregation to read.  My older two were given verses.  My second son came to me because he was unsure of a word.  The word was "zealous".  So we had a discussion about what the word meant.  He then owned the word and he used it with great enthusiasm.  The following year when the pastor passed out the verses, you can believe my second son made sure he got the verse with zealous in it.

He can be quite zealous about things that interest him.  He puts his whole heart into things that fascinate him.  But like all of us, when it is something he does not care for or want to do, there is no zeal to be found.  

Each one of my children are unique.  Each one of them has gifts and talents that God gave them.  I expect them to use our dictionary to enrich their vocabulary, which in turn enriches their speech and their writing.  So happy dictionary day to you all!

Scheduling Chores, Activities and Routines

Having just moved into our current home gives us opportunity to re-evaluate our daily schedule and routines.  We homeschool, so that means I have my children home all day every day.  So every meal we typically eat at home (especially since our oldest is lactose-intolerant).   So we expect our children to help fix meals and clean up after the meals.  Also we expect our children to do their laundry and clean their rooms.

So scheduling chores, activities and routines become a natural part of life.  Through the years I have had numerous books and methods shared for scheduling chores.  Two of my favorite ones are "Managers of their Home" by the Maxwell family and "Large Family Logistics" by Kim Brenneman.  Both of these methods have their benefits.  It really depends on your personal preference.

"Managers of their Homes" uses a very detailed approach.  Literally, you break down every minute of every day for everyone in the household and every single thing you all need to accomplish each day.  Once you do this, then you assign tasks to specific time slots.  Each person/activity is color coded.  Once you complete the initial chart, you fill out a large chart that can be put up on a wall where everyone can see it.  This way everyone can see what is going on when.

Another option for scheduling activities is "Large Family Logistics", which breaks things down into routines.  So there would be a morning routine, meal routines, Afternoon Routines, Evening Routines and so forth.  The routines would be specific to your family and your family's needs.  There are also specific days assigned to things like running errands (Town Day), Laundry Day, Kitchen Day, Office Day and so forth.

It really depends on your own preferences or tastes.  I love both.  For someone just looking to begin organizing their day, take time to look at both and decide what works best for your family and the season of life you are in.  Then investigate what is out there.  Regardless of what you decide, I have to say having a written plan is a necessary part of organizing your day.  What methods do you like for organizing your day?  #blogboost

Our Lovely Daughter

So today we are celebrating our first birthday of the month.  Twelve years ago today, we welcomed our first daughter into our family.  She was my easiest labor and delivery.  I basically rocked her into the world in a rocking chair.  She has been the joy of my life.  

She came into this world following her three brothers.  Following those brothers is exactly what she has not been satisfied to do.  Early on she decided that anything her brothers did, She could do better.  With homeschooling, she was constantly striving to move ahead.  She approached school with a thirst for learning.  

Her brothers got involved in Scouts, which meant she spent lots and lots of time around boys.  Considering both her dad and I were leaders for our pack and then troop, she attended numerous scout meetings.  She could hold her own around boys.  Nothing really scared her.  

She has an tremendous amount of determination.  At the same time, she shows her love for her family.  She thinks the world of her brothers.  Yet she also does not take anything from them.  

She is the joy of my world.  She is my little princess.  I love her dearly.  We were truly blessed the day she joined our family.

Cleaning and Organizing After Moving

One of the fun things about moving is getting to organize everything.  Also, it is an opportunity to clean everything and figure out what to keep and what to get rid of.  So back during the summer, we moved into our current home.  Now this was a local move for us.  We moved from one house to another about 10 miles away.  Due to circumstances, it has taken us a while to get around to working on unpacking and organizing everything.

With my husband being military, he gets all the federal holidays off.  So he has off today for Columbus Day.  We are taking advantage of the day off to work on unpacking and organizing.  As a homeschooling family, we have a lot of books (and I do mean a lot).  Which means we have to have lots of shelves to put them on.  So we are working to get them straightened up.  As our children grow up. some books just need to pass from our hands into other hands.  As much as I would love to be able to keep all the books we have, it is not practical.  So we are in a season of passing things on to others.  My daughter is now considered middle school/junior high, so the elementary books need to go.  How about you, do you have things that you need to either clean, organize or perhaps purge?  If so, I would love to hear from you.  #blogboost

What Happened to Sunday?

Well it is day 12 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge and I am still going strong.  Today I want to talk about Sacred Sunday.  I can remember growing up as a child and there being blue laws, where most businesses did not open on Sunday or holidays.  Those were days to spend with God and with family.  You typically went to church, came home, ate and spent time with your family or friends.

After I met my husband, I spent most Sundays at my in-laws' house.  We would get up Sunday morning, go to church and then come back to their house to eat and spend the day together.  As we had children the tradition continued.  It was so nice to know exactly what we were doing.  But over the years, we have moved twice thanks to the military.  We now live in North Central PA while my in-laws live in southeastern NC.  So we don't get to spend many Sundays with them.  While living in PA (and we have lived here for almost 6 years - 4 years in the western part of the state and 2 years where we are now), we don't always succeed at keeping the Sabbath as I would like us to do.  

However, I want to get back to it.  It makes for such a better week to take one day and devote the day to God and what He has given us.  All too soon my children will be gone.  There is no telling if they will live close by or live far away.  Which means, I don't know how often I will get to see them.  So I want to instill in them a sense right now of spending Sundays with God.  Oh I am not saying we should just spend Sundays with God and forget about Him the rest of the week.  We need to focus on God all the time, but Sundays should be a day of rest.  After all if God took the seventh day to rest, why should we be different.  Also in the Bible, it continually points out how Jesus went and took time for himself in prayer.  We need that time to focus solely on God so that we can focus and understand what He would have us to do.  

So I pray you take time on whatever day your Sunday is to focus on God and your family.  Focus on what really is important.  I realize everyone may not have Sunday off, but devote one of the days you do have off to God and family.  See if you don't have a better week for it.  Share your thoughts and results with me.

WHAT WE USE FOR OUR HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM

So yesterday I talked about what a day in our life looks like.  Today I want to talk about what we actually use for our homeschool curriculum.  Then tomorrow I will be talking about how I actually choose curriculum.

We have four children:  three sons and a daughter and they are all individuals and are all different.  What works for one child doesn't always work for another child.  Or even sometimes, what works one year for one child doesn't work the following year.

Our oldest son is 18.  This son has had numerous health issues for the past 9 years.  It affected every area of his life and especially his ability to complete schoolwork.  So this summer we evaluated where he was and where he wanted to go.  We agreed that it was best for him to complete another year of homeschool.  So this year all of his curriculum is online.  He is the only child that is using one curriculum for all subjects.  For him, we are using Alpha Omega's Monarch Online curriculum.  I love the flexibility of this program in scheduling assignments.  Also, it is almost completely self grading.  It calculates grades, keep track of days school is completed and such.  While no curriculum is perfect, it does work well at the point we are right now.

Our second son would be considered 10th grade if he was in public school.  This year, he is doing Bible, Math, English, Science, History, Latin and electives.

Our third son would be considered 9th grade in public school.  He does Bible, Math, English, Science, History, Latin and Electives.

Our daughter would be considered a 7th grader by public school standards.  She is doing Bible, English, Math, Science, History, and Electives.

So now to get into more specifics starting with our 2nd son:

Bible:  He uses a variety of items including some of his Dad's resources from his Ministry.

English:  180 Daily Grammar Lessons by Easy Grammar, IEW's Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course; Excellence in Literature's Introduction to Literature; English from the Roots Up; Phonetic Zoo for Spelling

History:  He began the year doing Notgrass' Exploring Government and has now competed that and moved into HSLDA's Generation Joshua's ICitizen course for Civics

Science:  Friendly Chemistry

First Form Latin

Music activities - he pretty much works on what he chooses for this including practicing singing, practicing instruments and working on music theory

Introduction to Criminal Justice

Forensic Science course with Lab

and some electives on Monarch

Son numer 3:
Bible:  He is basically expected to keep up with daily Bible reading.  We are getting ready to jump back into our Advanced Training Institute Wisdom Books, which will help give this more structure.  And the whole family does this.

Math:  Videotext Interactive Online for Algebra

History:  Completed Mystery of History Volume I and now is getting ready to probably start Mystery of History Volume III, but I have to decide what I want him to do.

Science:  Apologia's Exploring Creation with Biology

English:  Daily Grams by Easy Grammar, IEW's Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course; Excellence in Literature's Introduction to Literature; English from the Roots Up; Phonetic Zoo for Spelling

First Form Latin

Practices keyboard

Does Electives through Monarch Online.  He is doing 2 now and will do 2 more in the spring.  

Daughter:

Bible:  Does daily Bible reading and will be resuming the ATI Wisdom Books

Math:  Life of Fred:  Currently has completed Pre-Algebra I and is working on Pre-Algebra II and then will move into Beginning Algebra

English:  Daily Grams, IEW's Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course;  English from the Roots Up; Phonetic Zoo for Spelling

History:  Completed Mystery of History Volume 1 and is now doing History on Monarch Online.

Science:  Doing Science on Monarch Online

Latin: Latina Christiana 

Electives:  On Monarch including American Literature and a couple of others. 

All of the children are expected to do some activities related to art throughout the year.

So that is what we are using this year.  If you homeschool, let us know what you are using this year.  We welcome your comments.

Never liked English in School So How Did I Get Here?

Alright I need to be honest about something.  All through school English was never my favorite subject.  Oh, for the most part I adored reading (I am a bookaholic), but the rest of it including literature analyses and such I did not necessarily find fun, exciting or interesting.  Initially I went to school to become a teacher, but allowed some well meaning people and a few not so well meaning people to convince me I was on the wrong path.  So I switched majors and colleges to pursue a degree in Business Administration.  This was not my "best yes" by any means.

I graduated from college and despite attending numerous job fairs and interviews through the university,  I did not find a job.  Then I decided to stay in school to complete the courses I needed to get an accounting degree.  After all there would always be a need for accountants.  That first summer, I ended up getting the worst sunburn of my life along with falling through a dock and hurting my knee.  So I ended up not doing well in the courses.  I decided to withdraw.  And because of some other things going on I ended up moving to Jacksonville, NC to live with my finance's sister.  The following August we ended up getting married.

Four years later we had our first son.  Then we had two more sons and while I was working at an Insurance agency as the office manager and enjoyed my job, it was time for a change.  So I interviewed for and accepted a job as a high school math teacher.  I did what is called Lateral-Entry - it means you already have a degree and courses you need to get certified in a particular area and basically just have the education course requirements left.  I worked at the school for two years, the third son was born during that second year.  My husband and I decided it was best for me to pursue being a substitute teacher since we had health insurance through his job.

Two years later we found out we were expecting our daughter and it was in our best interest for me to quit working.  Two years after she was born, my husband went active duty in the Army Reserves and we moved on the military installation.  At that point, I decided to go back to school to finish my education requirements.  During this time, I had a wonderful instructor for one of my courses.  She was an amazing woman.  She was teaching another one of the courses I needed, but it was on the Masters Level.  She offered the opportunity for several of us who already had degrees and were in the current course with her the opportunity to take this Masters Level class.  What an amazing journey it was too!  The entire class revolved around nothing less than writing papers for the entire course and having meaningful discussions about what we learned.  This gave me a passion for writing.

During this time, my husband also went back to school and I had to proofread all his papers for him and much to my amazement I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed taking apart and putting back together theses masterpieces.  And they must have been masterpieces because he wound up with "A's" in the majority of his courses.

I also was homeschooling my children - which you guessed it, involved me teaching English.  So when we moved from eastern NC to western PA it only seemed fitting to begin a blog.  I enjoyed writing this.  I enjoyed writing about our experiences, our dreams, our thoughts and just the general thoughts that came to mind.  So even though I never liked English in school, I am enjoying it now.

Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day #blogboost

So today is day 8 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  It is also "Take Your Teddy Bear to Work" day.  All my life I have loved stuffed animals and have collected them.  I have grown attached to quite a few.  The best job I ever had was working at Carowinds (an amusement park on the NC/SC border).  One of the shops I was assigned to work in sold almost nothing but stuffed animals.  I loved working there.  A few might have even made their way home with me courtesy of the employees discount.

But one bear outshines all the other teddy bears that have come through my life.  Shortly after my husband went full time in the Army Reserves, he had to go on a trip the same weekend as our actual wedding anniversary.  It was heart breaking to say the least to be apart.  I forget where this conference was - it may have been in Arizona, New Mexico or Texas (or perhaps somewhere else).  He has taken so many trips I can't keep them all straight after 10 years of active duty service.

But getting back to the point, while on this trip he was with the commander of the other unit in our building.  She was his commander prior to him going active duty.  So we knew each other fairly well.  While they had some down time at the conference they ended up at a mall.  My husband found a "Build-a-Bear Workshop" and knew he had to get me a bear.  He even had them put a push button in that says, "I love you!"  He knew this would be exactly the gift to get me.  And he was absolutely right.  I loved him for getting me that bear.  The bear lives on our bed and keeps me company every time he has to travel.  It reminds me of how much he loves me.

 So while I do not work outside the home, a lot of my day is spent in my bedroom since my desk and resources are in here, I spend much of my day with my bear while my husband is at work.  My husband is not only the love of my life, he also is my best friend.  I have the privilege of saying we have been married for over 22 years now.

Wisdom and My Best Yes

So I am in day 7 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge and at the same time I am on day 2 of week 3 of The Best Yes:  Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands which is the current Bible Study being done by Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies and boy do I need this book.  Being a wife, a mother, homeschooling teacher, FRG leader, member of a church, chef, driver (at times), shopper for all things needed in our home means I have lots of different hats and lots of different responsibilities all pulling at me at the same time.  I feel like I am juggling a ton of balls in the air at the same time.  But at any minute they could all come crashing down on me.

So I need lots and lots and lots of wisdom.  I need to have the discernment to rely on God to help me make the right decisions.  This means spending time in His Word and spending time in prayer.  I don't want to make a wrong decision, but as Lysa Terkeurst puts it, I don't want to suffer from "Analysis Paralysis".  You know what I mean, you get so caught up in the "what ifs" and worrying about them, you just don't make any decision at all.  Or you get so caught up in believing the grass might be greener on the other side that you don't make any decisions.

A "best yes" means relying on God's wisdom to help make the right decision at the right time in the right place.  It means not being afraid to make any decision at all.  It also means listening to others around us who God may have put directly in our path.  It is so easy sometimes to get caught up in what we want that we forget to put God into the equation.  I want wisdom like God gave Solomon, but the only way to acquire wisdom is to focus on God.  He has to direct our footsteps.  He has to direct my path.  Oh that God may grant me peace and wisdom to make the right decisions.

How I Choose Our Homeschool Curriculum - Part 2

So we are back for day 6 of the Ultimate Blog challenge and day 2 of my discussion about how I choose our homeschool curriculum.

If you read the blog yesterday, these were the last things I had to say:

      "We have the lists of what we need, so we know what we are looking for and      possibly what vendors will have those items.  Then we go back to our hotel room that evening and have a frank discussion of what we saw."  

We discuss the merits of the choices.  We look at any literature we may have collected from the vendors.  Sometimes we look online at the vendor's website or possibly Cathy Duffy's site to confirm our thoughts about the curriculum.  Then we start making new lists.  This time we typically pick 3 to 5 choices per subject that we want to investigate further.  We have a good idea of what will work for our family.  Day 2 of the convention is spent examining in depth curriculum.  This is where things get really serious.  If a vendor does not have time or interest in talking to us, most likely we will eliminate that selection.  I understand that vendors are busy and we go to conventions that have a ton of people.  But if I stand in a booth watching new people walk in and be helped, it turns me off to that vendor.  

Of course, if the vendor acknowledges me and indicates they will be with me when they finish with the current customer, I can understand that and will wait patiently.  So typically on day 2, my husband and I spend time looking and comparing together.  Other parts of the day, he has a list of items he is responsible for looking at while I have my list of items.  This is where we break our initial lists down further.  We look at the materials closely and with our children and our lifestyle in mind.  then that night we go back to our hotel room and again evaluate what we saw and learned that day.  Sometimes, we bring a child or some of the children into the discussion since our children are older.  It helps to have their opinions occasionally.  Other times, we just make executive decisions.  Finally day 3 comes around (if there are 3 days in the convention) and purchases have to be made.  If there are only 2 days for the convention (like the one for CHAP in Pennsylvania), then day 2 changes to the day purchases are made.  Usually by the time the CHAP convention rolls around we have already attended at least one other convention, so we have already looked at a lot of the material and are really just trying to fill in gaps.

Day 3 we have carts and items to place materials in.  This is also the day that everyone is called to action.  If we have a lot of material to buy, my husband and I may split the list and make purchases accordingly.  Other times, we find it faster to stay together - that way we can make runs to the van or hotel room if necessary to unload things.  With 4 children we can acquire quite a bit.  Plus we usually end up adding in some extra items for my husband's Ministry collection or for my personal library.

I love when I can purchase books or materials and actually bring them home with me.  However, that doesn't always happen.  Sometime we have to order the materials and wait for them to arrive.  But when the boxes start being delivered, it is a fantastic day.  I hope you enjoyed reading a little about how we pick our homeschool curriculum.

We begin 

How I Choose What We Use for Our Homeschool - Part 1

So now it is day 5 of the Ultimate Blog challenge.  I decided to blog today about how I choose what we use for our homeschool.  Go to any homechool convention, browse any homeschool curriculum site, talk to any homeschoolers and you will get numerous ideas and differing opinions on what to use.  Some people use a box curriculum - meaning they get all their material from one company (hence the name box - because it typically comes in one box if they order it and have it delivered).  Others use all online resources.  Still others are called unschoolers - meaning they let children lead the learning by what the children are interested in.  Still others choose to use textbooks provided by their school district.  Some go through umbrella programs where all the material is provided for the parent and possibly even a teacher/tutor is provided to grade the work and do the planning for the child.

However, none of those options really fit my style.  When we first started homeschooling, as I stated in a previous post, we joined a homeschooling group comprised of military moms.  This meant we had people from a variety of states who had been homeschooling for a long time between them.  I have to say thanks to those ladies!  They were an invaluable resource for me.

One lady told me that if we went to a homeschool convention, never buy anything on the first day and this has proved to be one of the best tips I ever got.  Another lady brought up the book, "Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks".  This is my favorite book and the one I most recommend to people just beginning their journey in homeschooling or that maybe are struggling with what they are using.  This book helps you create a philosophy of education, determine your teaching style along with your child or children's learning style.  But then it goes one step farther - Cathy Duffy actually breaks down all types of curriculum by learning and teaching styles so you can have a good fit.  And she does this well!!!!  I had the privilege of meeting and talking with Cathy Duffy several years ago at a homeschool convention.  She is as amazing in person as she came across in her book.

Also, I listen to what other moms have to say.  I have created a vast network of online friends that I can turn to when I have a question.  And most of the time, they don't steer me wrong.  Finally I evaluate our materials based on our needs and what is working with that child.  So on more than one occasion I have thrown out my ideas of what I wanted to use in favor of starting over.  Sometimes retreating and regrouping is the right course of action.  Other times, it is beneficial to just put something up for a period of time.  Then when the child comes back to it, the choice works fine.  Other times, it may just take adapting the choice to fit the child (such as not doing as many problems or not following the exact schedule. 

Choosing curriculum is one of my favorite and most dreaded parts of homeschooling.  We try each year to attend at least two homeschool conventions, so we can physically touch the materials and get to talk with vendors and other homeschooling families about our choices.

I always begin by making lists for each child of the subjects they will be doing and the materials I plan on using or need to purchase.  Then my husband and I take the first day of the convention to just walk up and down all the aisles.  We choose conventions that are either in the state we live or that we know have a wide variety of vendors.  We have the lists of what we need, so we know what we are looking for and possibly what vendors will have those items.  Then we go back to our hotel room that evening and have a frank discussion of what we saw.  Stay tuned tomorrow when I will continue my discussion of how we choose homeschool curriculum.