Sunday, May 29, 2011

Goal Planning -- Week #4

Mama Manuscripts




Well let me see if I can catch this project back up.  We spent the last week in Franklin/Brentwood, Tennessee.  Had a wonderful time and a few roller coaster moments...go figure!

Let's see if I finished anything off the previous two lists:

Week #2 Goals

1. Paint and caulk windows among the driveway.  Not the driveway windows, but the south side of the house is done
2.  Plant sweet corn and carrots/lettuce plants.--Finally decided today where to plant everything.
Did not get out corn planted:(, but got my mom's radishes, summer squash and some sort of green stuff planted.  Guess ours will have to wait a few more days.
3.  Help price items at the garage sale 3 days this week.--our family is having a big sale in 2 weeks and trying to get it set up....lots and lots to price    Not done with everything...but trying
4.  Clean out cabinet underneath and beside the kitchen sink.--Find a rainy afternoon to do this.  Only got one of the 3 cabinets done.
5.  Finish washing and putting summer clothes on the shelves.6.  Start Story of the World lesson plans for the summer.--Two long waits at the dentist office await me this week..so will work on this then.  Done through the end of July right now.
7.  Clean out the back shelves of the garage before garbage day this week. 
8.  Take aluminum recylcing over to the Recycling center.9.  Sit down with each boy and finally post on their blogs.  Life has been so stressful that I haven't taken the time to do this...Bad Mommy!  But with the verge of our 2011-2012 school year...good time to start.


Week #3 Goals

1.  Finish the 2 cabinets in the kitchen.
2.  Recycling over Wednesday.
3.  Plant corn, carrots and lettuce. Didn't get lettuce or carrots planted yet.
4.  Finish pricing garage sale items for Thursday.
5.  Start packing suitcases.

6.  Clean off and organize Joe's office area so that I can have a packing area without the necessity of tripping over suitcases for the next week or so.
7.  Get a babysitter for the cats.
8.  Clean up the stray cat so that he can finally come in the house.
9.  Listen to as much of the homeschool conference this week as possible!!
10.  Clean up the front flower bed and get the hostas planted, and get the new tree planted where the scene of the "accident" happened a couple weeks ago.  Don't worry, the only casualty was our very tiny pine tree we planted a couple years ago for Earth Day.  It was no match for the riding lawn mower.

Week #4 Goals:

1.  Clean out garage of unneccessary items.  Get trampoline into the yard.  Measure and see what supplies are needed.
2.  Keep on schedule for taking over our paper/cardboard/plastic recycling.
3.  Move some items off the front porch to the soon to be new storage area.  Clean up and porch for exercise use.  The Gazelle is out there now also.  Hopefully get our treadmill in a couple weeks.
4.  Work on planting flowers around all the trees in the front yard.  Plant pine tree also.
5. Clean the following areas....Monday (porch & front bedroom), Tuesday (kitchen/work area), Thursday (kids rooms), Friday (schoolroom)
6.  Get kids grade cards ready.


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Homeschool Science lesson in Tennesse

So we have been MIA this week from posting because we were trying to relax in Tennessee.  My hubby works from home but is based out of the Corporate office in Franklin/Cool Springs, Tennessee.  When he comes down to work, we usually follow him and visit all kinds of wonderful places around the Nashville/Middle Tennessee area.  This week we visited Fort Granger, Cheekwood, Belle Meade Planatation, Nashville Zoo, Vanderbilt Children's ER (Caty fell at the zoo and we were told she needed stitches...yeah not a fun day), a cool Artsy place called Sodium and tomorrow still up in the air as to how to finish our trip.

But from the day we arrived off of I65 into Franklin we heard a humming noise.  At first we thought something had died in our van as we got off the Interstate.  Scared us...since our van just got out of the shop for a starter/ti-rod issue and the last time we were in Tennessee the van broke down and almost had to be towed.  Then we realized it was outside...and we heard it everywhere we walked throughout downtown Franklin.  I recognized the hum finally as Cicadas.

Turns out we are visitng during the 13 year life cycle and there are 1000s of these things flying around!!  They run into you while you are walking down the street, cling to your clothes while going into the supermarket...and getting into your van as you leave the supermarket (as I discovered yesterday).  Our boys are a bit bug-phobic!  So it has been an interesting week of not only this loud humming sound causing sensory issues with them, but there are bugs everywhere.  The girls though are mesmerized by them and try to catch them everytime we have been at the park this week. Caty can say Cicada as clear as her own name....maybe clearer!

One of many that Lydia and Caty found at the park.

Cicada holes we see everywhere.

We looked up some information when we started seeing holes everywhere. 

After mating, the female cuts slits into the bark of a twig, and into these she deposits her eggs. She may do so repeatedly, until she has laid several hundred eggs. When the eggs hatch, the newly hatched nymps drop to the ground, where they burrow. Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer life cycles, such as the North American genus, Magicicada, which has a number of distinct "broods" that go through either a 17-year or, in some parts of the world , a 13-year life cycle. These long life cycles perhaps developed as a response to predators, such as the cicada killer wasp and praying mantis.[14][15][16] A predator with a shorter life cycle of at least two years could not reliably prey upon the cicadas.[17]
Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives, at depths ranging from about 30 cm (1 ft) down to 2.5 m (about 8.5 ft). The nymphs feed on root juice and have strong front legs for digging.
In the final nymphal instar, they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge. They then molt (shed their skins) on a nearby plant for the last time and emerge as adults. The abandoned skins remain, still clinging to the bark of trees.

I'm almost getting used to it.  So by the time we head back to Ohio, I will probably miss the sound!

Wordless Wednesday a bit late.


Do you know that a Smart phone will vibrate off of a bookshelf when the alarm is ringing???

I didn't...see my new phone:(  Stupid warranty cost me more to replace the phone than I actually paid...but still cheaper than needing to buy a new phone.  Sad though....I cried because of the cost and waste!  I only had it about a week and was just getting used to using it.  My hubby was so happy to get it for me. 

I like Ike!!!---Drawing Presidents???

How much do you know about our US Presidents?  I have to openly admit, very little of the lesser known ones.  Yes, I know that anyone who has been President of the United States is not a lesser known individual.  But how much do you know about Dwight D. Eisenhower versus Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, or even Barack Obama?  Well we got a challenge this week when we received a copy of A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the United States...How to Draw the Life and Times of Dwight D. Eisenhower

I had told the kids that the book was coming and we were excited since Joey loves to draw and Lydia also has developed a doodle bug mentality.  I wasn't sure how Brayden would handle it though, since he is not a kid who enjoys art.  I have to say that when I opened the package, I was really impressed.  I flipped through and read the book before introducing it to the kids.  I love the way that the facts are put in a very simple to understand format.  It is great for use with kids from kindergarten up to middle school.  Depending on your child's skill level and interests, these would make a great Presidental Encyclopedia set to own (the art lessons being an added benefit). 

Our particular edition on Dwight D. Eisenhower included information on his family life, military career, election to President and his career as the 34th President of the United States.  The reason I feel that it would go right into Middle school level is the information included on McCarthyism, Arms Race, and Civil Rights.  There is a Timeline and Glossary for new terminology. 

We have a wide range of ages that we homeschool, so this book helped to introduce Lydia (Kindergarten) to the timeline of someone else's life and showed a span of years (longer than the timeline of her short life).  I was able to read to her what I knew she was able to comprehend and leave out some of the information that would be over her head.  We found some art and I helped her to follow the directions and draw her picture.


Joey and Brayden seemed to enjoy the steps also.  We read through the book together and then he chose a picture that he thought he could attempt (without feeling frustrated).  I thought I would try to see if he could complete this page on his own, so I explained the steps page and then went to help his sisters do their work.  I checked over his shoulder occassionally and he enjoyed it immensely.  Brayden chose a different picture with fewer details since he is not a kid that enjoys drawing.  He did really well considering his writing/drawing level is lower 1st grade level (and he's entering 4th grade).




The pictures have a wide age/skill level range.  Lydia in Kindergarten, just getting ready to start 1st grade level work, did struggle a bit.  Younger kids will need a lot of hands-on instruction with these books, but they are totally workable for the age range.  The books can be broken down over a couple days or for a full project last several days.   A student can decide to draw every drawing or just choose a few.  This series appears to be extremely adaptable, and in our family situation of having multiple kids with learning disabilities and autism, I was able to easily adapt and teach with this book quickly.

Here's a picture of our finished product:




Pros:
  • Easily adjustable to multi-level teaching. 
  • Packed with information about each President
  • Directions are easy to follow in each drawing.  The previous instructions are shown in the next step, but highlighted in red.  Makes for independent work.
  • Great for Hands-on learning.
  • Our kids really liked learning about a President by drawing.
  • A child can do every drawing or just select one depending on their level.
Cons:
  • Only available in hardcover...think if they were available in paperback cost could be cheaper
  • Price....individual quantities are limited and full set is pricey.

Publisher information:
Author: Philip Abraham
ISBN:
9781404229785
Publisher's Information:
Pages: Each book has 32 pages
Binding: Library bound (Hard cover)
Copyright: 2006
Publisher:
Rosen


If you are interested in ordering this set, please visit the link below. 

A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the USA
http://www.timberdoodle.com/A_Kid_s_Guide_to_Drawing_the_Presidents_of_the_USA_p/239-president.htm

Timberdoodle has a wonderful set of supplies to fit all homeschoolers needs. 

History Curriculum,
http://www.timberdoodle.com/homeschooling_History_s/28.htm

Art Curriculum, Art Supplements, Art for homeschoolers
http://www.timberdoodle.com/homeschooling_art_s/12.htm

Free Homeschool Catalog
http://www.timberdoodle.com/Articles.asp?ID=139

Complete Curriculum Kits
http://www.timberdoodle.com/Complete_Homeschool_Curriculum_Packages_s/363.htm

Timberdoodle on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/timberdoodle

As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Which one is more excited?!?!

Joey has always wanted to win a trophy......always.  He dreams about it....talks about it all the time!  So last night at the 2011 Special Olympics Sports Banquet he finally won one!  And it was a TROPHY!!  But does he look excited???


 Now Brayden actually was called up first....Does he look excited?  He never really mentions something like wanting a trophy for Basketball.


Brayden won for Most Improved Basketball Skills for School Age and Joey won for Best Hustle.  I wonder is that because he was the quickest to hustle and tell the refs and opposing coaches what they were doing wrong?  Joey is known for telling refs they have made bad calls.........What a season!

The boys were proud of their awards....





Thursday, May 19, 2011

It's a Keeper---Recipe Link up


Decided to try and put roast on the grill with carrots, baby potatoes and celery (you could throw onions in also..but I'm allergic:(...)  I only put on salt and pepper since I wasn't sure what to put on and the kids get grouchy if I use too many seasonings.  It could've definitely used some basil and oregano and even some tomato.  But it was still very, very good.  I just added some water to the pan, covered with aluminum foil (found recycled kind from Reynolds), and set the grill for about 375-400 degrees.  And went and did my tasks for the afternoon.  It was sooooo good!!!  I made too much, but we ate on it for a few days.  I loved jus the veggies!

Visit here for some other really cool recipes:

It's a Keeper
.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Wordless Wednesday--Unearthed treasures.....



Guess what I unearthed while planting my mom's radish plants?  Do you know?  The kids were
amazed...another educational moment!!













Monday, May 16, 2011

Advice Needed.

So I am in need of advice from all you homeschool mamas!! 

We need kindergarten level Math for our 5 year old.  I was leaning toward Math U See, but not sure if she will enjoy the instructor.  I have good things about both Right Start and A Beka.  But when I was going through  the Timberdoodle website tonight I fell upon Horizons. 

What do you use and recommend?  She has no attention span and trouble with recognizing her 7s.  She enjoys computer work (which is why I wish Teaching Textbooks was in this level....).

You can send me a personal email (renita@krazykuehnerdays.com) or leave your suggestions in the comments..

Thanks so much!!!




What is a "typical" day?!?--What we are trying for.....



With the upcoming start of our new school year (like most homeschoolers, we go year round), I have really been looking at the way we use our day.  Most of our sports activities are during the afternoon/evening hours.  That will not change this next school year.  But I have spent the last few months checking out attention spans and when they are at their best. 

Our days will start about 9:00.  First thing we will do will be talk briefly about the current Biblical person we are studying.  About 9:30 we will then move to Math class/Grammar work.  The boys are in the same Teaching Textbooks level, so we cannot do them together.  So one will do Grammar work/Spelling with me, while the other will do Math and then we will switch off.  At 9:30 is when Lydia will do Phonics.  This process will take us to about 10:15-10:30 (depending on cooperation).  Then it will be snack time.  Some days the kids will be in charge of making a snack for each other and other days it will just be a choice from our snack drawer.  About 10:45 (depending on when our 15 minute break actually starts), we will do our science together.  After Science it will be time for Lunch/Free Time.  I can run and get some stuff done in the house and the kids can have a breathier...so can I since cleaning the bathroom is easier at times than practicing math facts or sight words...LOL:)!!  After lunch, about 1, we will finish our school day with History/Geography.  We will continue World Geography this year and we are starting Story of the World Curriculum.  Very excited about continuing both.  World Geography will wrap up by fall and then we will continue with United States geography an visit a state a week.  After Geography, they will be done with set curriculum for the day and need to finish a couple of workboxes of individual tasks.  I don't care if they finish them before lunch even, as long as they are done everyday.  The beauty of homeschooling is the ability to adjust and be flexible, and guess what....we may change up our workbox system a bit to make it multi-level (in our house) friendly.

I am in the process of posting a schedule that will allow them to see what is happening and when.  It will be adjustable to show field trips, library days, and extra activities like American girl club/LEGO club or Art Class.  I purposely put History in the afternoon, because even if we are van schooling that day for any reason, I have the MP3s of the Story of the World level we will be in (Volume 1), so they can follow along and listen!!  Very good situation for us!!  We will also be doing some Social Skill work from a book I found called Social Skills Lessons & Activities

We'll plan in fun times such as celebrating National Popcorn Day or National Pancake Day.  Of course we will also throw in some padding for stubborn attitudes and tantrums, since life with special needs kids can be extremely unpredictable at times. 

What are some schedules that your family follow?  I love seeing what other families are doing, which is why I am most likely addicted to blogging.  It's great when you don't have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. 




Goal Planning -- Week #3


Well let's see how we did?!?!?


Week #2 Goals

1. Paint and caulk windows among the driveway.  Not the driveway windows, but the south side of the house is done
2.  Plant sweet corn and carrots/lettuce plants.--Finally decided today where to plant everything.
Did not get out corn planted:(, but got my mom's radishes, summer squash and some sort of green stuff planted.  Guess ours will have to wait a few more days.
3.  Help price items at the garage sale 3 days this week.--our family is having a big sale in 2 weeks and trying to get it set up....lots and lots to price    Not done with everything...but trying
4.  Clean out cabinet underneath and beside the kitchen sink.--Find a rainy afternoon to do this.  Only got one of the 3 cabinets done.
5.  Finish washing and putting summer clothes on the shelves.6.  Start Story of the World lesson plans for the summer.--Two long waits at the dentist office await me this week..so will work on this then.  Done through the end of July right now.
7.  Clean out the back shelves of the garage before garbage day this week. 
8.  Take aluminum recylcing over to the Recycling center.9.  Sit down with each boy and finally post on their blogs.  Life has been so stressful that I haven't taken the time to do this...Bad Mommy!  But with the verge of our 2011-2012 school year...good time to start.


So I didn't get the boys blogs taken care of.  I have most of the lesson plans done through the middle of August (in pencil though...discovered never to use ink).  Still have 2 more cabinets to finish cleaning out of junk.  I also cleaned out the front porch/storage room so we could get the new mini-blinds up.  We can get safely to our eliptical machine now!!!  We can watch rain storms in almost quiet...and if Joey needs a quiet place to hide out for a bit, he can go out there and build.

Week #3 Goals

1.  Finish the 2 cabinets in the kitchen.
2.  Recycling over Wednesday.
3.  Plant corn, carrots and lettuce.
4.  Finish pricing garage sale items for Thursday.
5.  Start packing suitcases.

6.  Clean off and organize Joe's office area so that I can have a packing area without the necessity of tripping over suitcases for the next week or so.
7.  Get a babysitter for the cats.
8.  Clean up the stray cat so that he can finally come in the house.
9.  Listen to as much of the homeschool conference this week as possible!!
10.  Clean up the front flower bed and get the hostas planted, and get the new tree planted where the scene of the "accident" happened a couple weeks ago.  Don't worry, the only casualty was our very tiny pine tree we planted a couple years ago for Earth Day.  It was no match for the riding lawn mower.

Everyone have a great week.  If you want to check out what others are doing or want to link up your goals, check out Mama Manuscripts.

Menu Plan Monday


Trying to use up our food before Tennessee:

Friday
Breakfast- Open
Lunch- Open--choice of what's in house
Dinner- Roast w/ carrots, potatoes and celery cooked on the grill all afternoon in an pan--MMMMmmmm


Saturday
Breakfast- Open
Lunch- Leftovers
Dinner-Smoked Sausage Kabobs and buttered noodles  (we made the kabobs on the grill...let the kids choose what they wanted on each stick.  Caty discovered she loved mushrooms and Lydia loves zuchini now.  Brayden loved these, and Joey wasn't a fan of the smoked sausage..but he's not a fan of anything new -- Autism....these were requested again!)

Sunday
Breakfast- Strawberry shortcake
Lunch- HM Fried pickles, pork loin nuggests, potato chips (All Homemade)
Dinner-Scalloped potatoes & Ham (We ended up ordering pizza because I was soooo busy trying to get the To-do list done.  But I did make and unhealthy lunch of homemade fried pickles,  homemade pork nuggets (I use pork loin...I'm allergic to chicken) and homemade potato chips...it was a hit!!)

Monday--Library Tour Field Trip--Joey has horseback riding and the boys have soccer practice
Breakfast- Open
Lunch-leftovers
Dinner-Turkey noodle casserole with buttered peas

Tuesday-Cedar Point Amusement Park----gotta love homeschooling (amusement park in the middle of the week!!)
Breakfast- Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch- Packed and eaten in the van on the way there
Dinner- Most likely food at the park

Wednesday- Humane Society Volunteer day--Girls have soccer
Breakfast- Open
Lunch-Chili Dogs
Dinner- Salisbury Steak w/ potatoes and corn

Thursday - Garage Sale and Special Olympics Banquet
Breakfast- Open
Lunch- Steak Burgers & some sort of side (easy to grill that day)
Dinner- BBQ Beef (on the grill--can put on and walk away), homemade pork & beans & corn

Friday - Homeschool Zoo Expo & Garage Sale
Breakfast- Open
Lunch- Packing
Dinner- Spaghetti & Garlic Bread--making my quick easy sauce because opened a jar sauce last week and the boys wouldn't eat it.

Saturday- Girls have AM Soccer Game and wrapping up the garage sale
Breakfast- Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch- possibly biscuits and gravy (Brayden has been asking for it)--but maybe take-out from the Dairy Bar downtown
Dinner-Potato Skins


Sunday, May 15, 2011

Simple Woman's Day Book



Outside my window...It's rainy and a bit icky.

I am thinking...about our upcoming trip to Tennessee and our trip to Cedar Point on Tuesday!

I am thankful for...my hubby, even with one hand in a cast he's still trying to help me finish some of the projects that need to get done.

From the learning rooms...We're on Break right now.  Still working on some things though like phonics, reading and checking our progress this year.

From the kitchen...it's a mess.  Just made lunch for everyone and now I'm exhausted.  Will have to go back in and start dinner in a couple hours.  Having scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner....Yummy!!

I am wearing...green and pink.

I am creating...a mess as we clean up and declutter for the garage sale.

I am going...to continue working on the storage room/front porch and get the mini-blinds up.

I am reading...Quirky Kids and listening to a Danielle Steel book on the Playaway MP3 player our library offers.  My hubby just downloaded Clan of a Cave Bear to listen to next.

On my mind...How do I get more hours in each day?  Do I really need to sleep?

Around the house...is a MASSIVE mess!!  Trying very hard to clean up and get things ready.

One of my favorite things...getting to relax and watch TV with the hubby after the kids go to sleep.  We have so few quiet hours together.  We're lucky for anything most days.

A few plans for the rest of the week...pack and get ready for the garage sale this weekend.  I also will be listening to the Homeschool Expo at Old Schoolhouse.


What DID NOT work for us this year...2010-2011

We had lots of stuff that worked for us in the education department.  But what do we need to change?

1.  Mom's lack of organization--Need serious work here.  I am working on house cleaning schedules, dinner plans and other tools to help me.  We have a massive issue though that works against us....ADD/ADHD is so common in this house you can catch it like a cold!  This in connection with the Autism...and it's a recipe for disaster.  I find myself getting frustrated when the new tools are not working the way they should be.  I still find myself doing too much, and feeling overwhelmed and not getting a sense that I am accomplishing anything.  I just keep praying that one of these days we find a schedule or some other tool that will allow me to be able to keep things picked up.  It is hard when the kids cannot stay focused on what needed to be done, but unfortunately that is our life:(.  I am proud that I have most of the our lesson plans for the next 4 months in pencil (we all know life throws us curveballs) in the new planner.  That is nice feeling!  Also trying to adjust the Flylady schedule to our lives, it seems to have helped alot of people.

2.  Too many field trips in a row--Who doesn't love a field trip?!?!  We do...and I love planning them for the groups we are involved in.  But I have decided to limit the amount each month.  With all the other activities, it has been overwhelming.  So we are going to limit them to one, maybe two each month in addition to other committments we have made. 

3.  Not encouraging reading aloud--With getting used to multi-level teaching, and using K12 made this very difficult for me, I left the boys to silent reading more than I would've like them to.  So we are going to read aloud more often both during schoolwork done together and one-on-one with Mom.

4.  TOO much Curriculum--Hi, My name is Renita and I am a curriculum junkie.  I collect it, whether it be an actual book or workbook you hold in your hand or e-book.  Our shelves are over flowing from me visiting used book stores and Warehouse Sales and Garage Sales.  OH and the Resource sale our homeschool group has in the late summer.  Our "fun" reading shelves are just as bad!!  Problem is I either lose something or forget about it until it is too late.  I have even bought multiple copies of items. So I need to find a better way to handle this obsession or just buy fewer books...I think I will do better trying to find a better storage solution:)!

5.  K12--We only has one enrolled in K12.  She would not have been on an IEP (which is why we never used K12 in the past).  Unfortunately we did not have a good experience.  Lydia is definitely showing her true ADHD side as she is getting older.  I am going to work on getting her into impulse therapy this summer.  We ended up with two separate teachers this year, and the second teacher never returned responses to my emails yet she was grouchy if I didn't check my Kmail daily.  (Apparently I should have been sitting with my box of bon-bons waiting for her to send me emails.)  Lydia did not like any of the curriculum we received, and we spent more on supplemental materials than planned.  On the bright side she helped pick those items out, so the schoolwork fight isn't as bad.  The final straw was when I read the "report" of Lydia's test last week.  I wasn't upset about the areas that Lydia needed to work with, after all who knows our daughter better...her or us.  I already knew Lydia's area of weakness.  I was so MAD when I read the brief report of our Parent Teacher Conference after the test.  85% of what was written was a lie, and I am not exaggerating!!  I am giving her 15% because she actually did talk to me (not a lie) and the points that Lydia needed to improve on were accurate also (and mostly listed by myself).  I am having a really hard time with this program, and we will not be re-enrolling Lydia.  We'll spend the next year "improving" with our own curriculum choices.  (This program may work awesome for others...just not for us.)


Friday, May 13, 2011

Weekly Wrap up - May 8-14, 2011


Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers


Been a long week.  Trying to work on many...many projects.  Trying to declutter for our garage sale next weekend, trying to paint, trying to plant a small garden, trying to price and help set up the garage sale (but my sister-in-law is the rock star there!!).  We did try to do some school in between dentist appointments, sports and all I want to get done.

We mainly worked on Science and a little in Geography.  It was a light week, but we did work on reading also.  Didn't get any of their assessment tests dones.   Going to save those for the week we are in Tennessee, minimal schooling so I don't have to pack curriculum like we did in September...there was more suitcases for that than there was for our clothes!!!

Next week will be listening to the Old Schoolhouse Expo whenever I possibly can.  Will also be working on tieing up all loose ends of projects and packing for Tennessee.  So much to do in such a little amount of time.  The kids also have their Rainforest projects for their Homeschool Zoo class.  I am forcing the boys right now, they didn't enjoy this class...but Lydia did!

I was going to add pics, but having trouble with blogger....go figure.  Will have to do a weekly wrap up with pics tomorrow:) after the girls soccer game!!

Homeschool Mother's Journal - Week 9




.In my life this week…

Trying to get ready for our family garage sale and get ready for our upcoming week in Tennessee.  The garage sale was a last minute throw in because our town is holding the Community sales next weekend.  Just a lot of stuff to get done and priced in a short time.  We have 4 kids and my brother & sister-in-law have 2, so between the 6 kids....no one was ever naked because there was no clothing!!  (It was because they just strip it all off!)  Their little garage is busting at the seems (and it's not even a little garage) with clothes, toys, household items, puzzles, books and other homeschool items I have decided to part with.  Depending on weather is how much we can put out....so praying for good weather.  But we know we will have to have another couple sales this summer because there is so much stuff, it's been a couple years.

In our homeschool this week…

We worked on the weather unit we had not finished yet.  We also did some reading and kept up with most of our normal sports activities.  It was hard to get everything done.  Feel a bit like I am drowning...so looking forward to our week in Tennessee!!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

The boys started cycling this week in Special Olympics. They did 3 laps around the local fairgrounds racing track.....I was dying after one.  And I thought I was in shape.  Next week we have a tour of the library we use to learn how to find items better.  And we are going to go to Cedar Point Amusement park.  Grandpa and Grandma bought the family season passes as a gift....AWESOME!!  I also have the Homeschool Expo conference from The Old Schoolhouse.

My favorite thing this week was…

I was super excited to get the email that we were selected to be on the TOS Review Crew for the 2011-2012 school year!  Can't wait!!!  Also my hubby got me a new Smart Phone to help me organize myself better....so far I like it, but still trying to get used to it.

What’s working/not working for us…

Not enough time...and tooooo much to do!!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

I have been getting our items ready for our new school year, lesson plans, notebooks, etc.  This is on top of everything else we have been working on.  We will be starting the new curriculum the first full week of June.  Still wrapping up items right now, but nothing major.  Getting very excited to start Story of the World Volume 1.  Lots of fun stuff planned!!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

At Cycling....

 At soccer practice.....





What Worked for our 2010-2011 School Year Volume 2

So to continue our list from the other day, I have been trying to think of more things that worked for us this year.
6.  Amazon Prime—There were many times either I couldn’t get a book or DVD from the library for our curriculum.  We have access to one of the best libraries!!! But there were a few times the items just didn’t come in on time because they were checked out.  There was actually one two instances where they didn’t have the items at all.  Well my hubby was able to get a free year of Amazon prime because he is a student, we were wondering if it was worth the price.  IT IS SO WORTH IT for us!!  There have been a couple times I actually paid the only $3.99 overnight special rate.  (I get nothing from Amazon for this…just love this deal.)
7.  The Library— Yes I buy many books from both Amazon, Barnes and Noble (do you know they allow homeschoolers to use the Educators Discount—just show your letters from the school district), and I have gotten several from a used book store in our local town.  But an area library is awesome.  Not only do they have the majority we need for homeschooling, but the staff there is super nice!!!  They allow our LEGO Group to meet there monthly and when we were having regular art classes, they allowed us to meet there too.  (Technically we aren’t supposed to meet there monthly, but they haven’t had an issue yet.) 
8.  Blogging—  This blog has helped me a lot to keep all our information from this year organized.  I have pictures of all the activities, and our assessor has already seen most of our blog.  So no carrying over boxes of their work for her to see this year!!!  (Yeah…doing a little happy dance!!!)  I also have found some wonderful resources and blogs with information that has helped our kids.  Yes, have found a new addiction (right after my Pepsi habit)…..it’s blogging!
9.  Netflix/You Tube—  Most of You Tube is free, but have discovered some resources that they now charge for.  We use their tourism and travel clips for Geography.  We have found Magic School Bus episodes to watch (and you all know how much I love Ms. Frizzle).  Netflix is also wonderful.  We find the $9.95 a month for the streaming and 1 DVD option to be great for us.  We use the 1 DVD option for educational titles that we cannot get in the streaming section.  But there are hundreds of documentaries available on a wide range of topics to stream.  Well worth a look if you haven’t yet!!
10.  Ink pens— This sounds crazy….but the kids would whine and whine about doing work and then one day the pencil sharpener was broken.  I said just grab a pen out of my desk drawer, and it Snowballed from there!!!  I now buy pens in a bulk pack at Staples (sorry…..know I can find them cheaper elsewhere but I am picky about my pens and these are the cheapest that I have found that write decently).  So now instead of finding cool pencils, we look hard for cool pens and fancy ones that the kids will like.  I put those in our pirate treasure chest for good deeds.  Found purple ones at Staples and Lydia & Caty are loving them!
Well this is just a few things that have worked well for us this year.  Spending the next couple weeks working on lesson plans for the next 4 months.  Trying to get a firm grasp on our schedule and when we have activities scheduled.  Got a little out of control this year.  Added a lot of activities, and although they were all educational I felt like I was passing myself I have been running around so much.  We definitely van schooled a lot.  The thing though since we live so far away from all of our school activities, even the library we use is about a 30 minute drive one way to get there and most activities are almost an hour one way away.  I am just watching how much we schedule this year, and hope not too many surprises come up!!




Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wordless Wednesday---Got Books???




I know...Wordless Wednesday...but with words:)!!  If you ever get a chance to visit a Scholastic Warehouse book sale, VOLUNTEER!!!   You get $10.00 an hour in book credit to work!!!  Plus it's 50% off all the books.  If you get emails, you get coupons to spend such as getting $25.00 off an order of $100.00.  In these two pictures there is $330.00 worth of books (retail)......got them all with my volunteer credit and coupon for $134.00 w/ tax.  Got prizes for our prize box.....fun reading books.....curriculum add-on books...life skills cookbooks and even a cookbook holder!!!  We are set until next year!!!

Visit Scholastic for more information in your area.....Homeschool Resource #100000221 (LOL!!)

Linking up with: