Archive for Homeschool and Education
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal-February 5, 2012
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It’s been practically forever since I did one of these, so it is time to get my act together. A lot of things have happened since the beginning of November. I quit a job and started a new one. Crazy stuff to be sure!
In my life this week…
I’ve been battling some health issues lately. I have lupus and I have been in a constant flare up for several months. It has been draining and the stress of my old job is what brought it on and now I can hopefully get it back under control once again. I have high hopes anyway.
We took a trip to the big city and I spent some time in the herb shop I like to visit. I found someone very knowledgeable who was able to give me some really great advice for some of my issues. She really understood my problems and advised me accordingly. We really felt some hope for the first time in awhile that I can get well again. I have been avoiding the meds that the conventional doctor would like me to be on. I am very leery of the side affects and I really feel a strong prompting from the Lord to NOT take that medication. So I am trusting Him to help me learn what I need to do instead to get well. He has never led me astray, so I feel my faith is well placed in His hands.
In our homeschool this week…
Chandler has been working really hard on all of his schoolwork. He is doing well and is currently enjoying literature. He is reading The Three Musketeers. He says it is his new favorite book, and the best thing he has read to date. That is high praise, since he still says that Mark Twain is his favorite author.
He did get caught earlier this week slacking off a bit. He ended up having to complete his school work for the day at around 7:00 pm. It has been a really long time since he has done school work that late. He didn’t enjoy it much. I think it will be a long time before he repeats that one, if ever. I’m mean that way. 
He did some deep and indepth study this week on World War I. He has studied it before, but he said that he learned some things this time that he didn’t know before. He really enjoyed covering it again.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Really listen to your kids about how they are feeling about school. Chandler and I had a long talk this week about what he wants to do for literature this next year. I thought we would be doing the Lord of the Rings curriculum. But Chandler is really enjoying what we are currently using. So after a long talk and weighing the pros and cons, we are going to just stick to what he is enjoying. I own all of the other levels of this curriculum anyway. So it will save us some money as well as make him super happy. I think he feels empowered to help make some of the choices and have a say in his own education. That is important.
I am inspired by…
Neal A. Maxwell. I shared a quote of his on my Facebook page this week and I want to share it here as well. It is an important one for me to remember.
Things I’m working on…
I have several things I am working on at the moment. I am working on finishing up my first ebook and then preparing it for the Kindle. I am excited about that. I will also be editing one that my husband is completing on Seed Starting. He has a degree in horticulture and is very knowledgeable and experienced in gardening and everything in that industry. It is kind of fun to be his publisher.
I will be having this blog redone in design by a professional. I am excited to be able to do this. I am tossing a few ideas around, but am open to suggestions. I want something that truly represents ME.
I’m cooking…
Not a lot at the moment. I didn’t even really follow my menu too closely this past week. However, I am determined to be better about that this coming week. I know I need to eat better to get healthy and it will help me lose a few unwanted pounds. So this next week will be different. I am determined. And I need to cook so I can take pictures and share more recipes on my blog. I have that as a goal for this year. 
I’m grateful for…
My family and my friends. They have been such a blessing to me as I have been going through so many changes in my life. I love them all and I am grateful that Heavenly Father placed them all in my life.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
Staying on Top of Everything
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This is the final week of the Virtual Curriculum Fair. The subject this week is The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together! This theme can be really practical, and include any helps you use for organizing, making plans, keeping little ones occupied, remembering to do your laundry, etc., etc. Or you could take a spiritual approach to it. I encourage you to use this week to explore how you get it done,whether it’s due to scheduling and planning or putting your faith in a higher power or somewhere in between.
Before I get to my words of wisdom…NOT!–here are the entries for the other weeks of the fair:
January 2 – Playing With Words: The Language Arts
January 9 – Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and some Science
January 16 – Exploring Our World Through History and Science
Ok, so here is my confession to the world…Many people think I am super organized. The truth is that I am in only some things. Other things…not so much. I specialize in organized chaos. I just do not have it all together. I just fake it well.
For school, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. We have done workboxes in the past and they worked really, really well for us. My son could find what he needed to do and it all got done. There was some sort of semblance of order to our day. It was nice. This year, we rely heavily on my Homeschool Tracker program. I have input most everything in it and let it schedule things for us. I often reschedule things to fit our lives. But at least we started somewhere.
This year, Chandler has just learned what he needs to do. I pretty much let him do it in whatever order he wants. The only exception is his Seminary class. That is a scheduled class, so he needs to go when it is time. Otherwise, he just does it as he wants and I collect the grades. Or grade if I need to. It totally works for us. I am glad we can do that now. It’s less hands on for me unless I want to be immersed in it. Chemistry is one of those things I want to be immersed in. Those of you who have read my entries previously know I have designs on blowing things up all in the name of science.
As for scheduling the rest of my life, I am still working on that. I am pretty good about doing meal plans most of the time. That is just for my own sanity, rather than for the appearance of being organized. I simply got sick of being asked the question, “What’s for dinner?” That is seriously the only reason I even do it. I just hate that question and the accompanying look of terror when I reply that I have no idea. You would think I never feed them or something. Now I just reply that they can look on my blog. Sometimes I even rattle off the menu. Once in a while I ask for input. It just works for me.
I have organized several planners for my own use over the years. I still have yet to find the perfect one. I have tried most everything I can think of to remind me to do laundry. Truth is, I avoid it until we are almost out of clothes. I usually have to hear that someone is out of underwear before I can be bothered to do it. I don’t mind doing laundry. I even like it sometimes. I like the fresh smell of clean clothes. I even make my own laundry soap sometimes. You would think it would be a no brainer to do laundry. I do really well at times, and then well…you know how it is the rest of the time. Let’s just say it is a good thing I married a man who will do the laundry when I forget.
Cleaning my house? I hate it. I have used several methods to help me get it all done. They didn’t work. I tried flying with the flylady and I crashed and burned. Not even a flutter left. The fact is, I just can’t stand it. I do like things clean though. I know that probably seems to be in contradiction with each other. But it really isn’t. I just have other things I care about more. Cleaning is one of those things I do because I have to do it. I probably will never enjoy it. Scheduling it will probably never work for me. I’ll find something more important to do instead.
I guess my philosophy on staying on top of everything can be summed up in one sentence: Pick what is most important to you and do it, and the rest will just work itself out. If you have sound advice that will help me get the rest of it together, I am all ears. Just know I have done Motivated Moms and The Flylady several times. I just don’t fly and I guess I am not that motivated. LOL!
Be sure to check out these other great posts about organizing in the Virtual Curriculum Fair:
Weekly Homeschooling Schedule by Julie @ HighHill Homeschool
Virtual Curriculum Fair: Week 5: The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together by Leah @ The Courtney Six Homeschool
Our Schedule’s Working! by Eunora @ All Things NoriLynn
Homeschooling: How do I do it all? by Debbie @ Debbie’s Digest
Virtual Curriculum Fair— Wrap-up by Angie @ Petra School
Virtual Curriculum Fair: 5 Ways to Use an iPad in Your Homeschool by Pam @ Everyday Snapshots
A Peek Into Our School Day by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool
A Day in the Life… by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
Homeschool and Life: How we get it done by Jen @ Forever, For Always, No Matter What
Homeschooling at My House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
Getting a Grip on Things by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Making Home School a part of LIFE by Cindy @ For One Another
Now Where’s That Pencil Again? by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings
Something About Homeschooling I Really Didn’t See Coming by Letha @ justpitchingmytent
Curriculum, Kids, and a Frazzled Homeschool Mama leads to Controlled Chaos! by Laura O from AK @ Day by Day in Our World
The Virtual Curriculum Fair – Nuts and Bolts by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset
Staying on Top of Everything by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
How Does This Homeschooling Thing Actually Work? Fitting it all Together by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all together by Christa Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy
a homeschooling carnival – January 25, 2012
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to the January 25, 2012 edition of a homeschooling carnival.
family
Sara Dawkins presents 10 Books to Get Kids Reading Again posted at NannyPro.com, saying, “Kids are constantly bombarded with visual images from television, movies, video games and the internet. All this vivid imagery can make reading books seem dull and boring.”
Pamela Jorrick presents Unsolicited Advice posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.
Kathy Simmons presents 10 Reasons Why Kids Love to Play Candyland posted at Nanny Services, saying, “Candyland is probably the simplest board game that exists. It is made for very young children, and as long as it has been around, young children have been enjoying the fun it provides”
home education
Karyn Tripp presents Books for Young Readers posted at Teach Beside Me.
Jennifer Bardsley presents Math Without Worksheets | Teaching My Baby To Read posted at Teaching My Baby To Read, saying, “Looking for a free way to expand your child’s math skills? Every once in a while, try having your child write about their mathematical thinking. It’s harder than it looks.”
Christy presents Math Curriculum for Homeschooling posted at Just another step to take….
Annette presents A slow day, yet study accomplished posted at A Net in Time, saying, “despite a slow start to the day we managed to be productive.”
Jennifer Moore presents Cotton Gins, Charles Dickens, and Cleaning Up Faster than Barney posted at Frolicking Flamingo.
technology & higher learning
Katie Hellerman presents 20 Best Google Chrome Extensions for Computer Nerds posted at Masters in Computer Science.
Melissa Rothstein presents Best Online Colleges: Is there a future with a career in Mathematics? posted at Comments on: Is there a future with a career in Mathematics?, saying, “Often described irreverently as a dry, brow-furrowing subject, careers and education in math have been put in the corner by physics and engineering buffs for centuries. In reality, math has fueled hundreds of innovations, from the moon landing to professional gambling strategy. Regardless of whether you’re in Vegas, math class, or anywhere else, math has undoubtedly impacted your life and will continue to do so.”
Patricia Oaklief presents Free Online Classes From Yale and Other Top Universities | Free online announcements: The wedding blog,parenting,pets,graduation and living posted at Amigram (Free Online Announcements) Blog, saying, “Top universities around the world, including Yale, MIT and Notre Dame, now offer free online classes you can take on your own schedule.”
**virtual curriculum fair**
This is a special entry in the blog carnival. It was also featured in the last carnival as well, with a different set of posts. You can find those entries here.
WEEK 3
Science and Worldview by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings
Nature Study as Science by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic
Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 3- Social Studies and more Science by Leah Courtney @ The Courtney Six Homeschool Family
Curriculum Fair–Exploring Our World by Angie @ Petra School
Paths of Exploration by Jen @ Forever, For Always
Learning Geography at Our House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
Mapping Out Our Social Studies by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
The Fascinating World Around Us by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family
More Heart of Dakota Praises by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
Our History by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool
Playful US Geography for First Grade by Pam @ Everyday Snapshots
Heart of Dakota-The Fine Details-Part 3 History by Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles
Exploring Our World Through History & Science by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
Two History Must-haves by Letha @ justpitchingmytent
Learning About The World Around Us by Laura O from AK
Social Studies and Science – What do we do? by Joelle @ Homechooling for His Glory
History Chronologically and with Living Books by Debbie @ Debbie’s Digest
Why History? by MissMOE @ Homeschooling While Living the Life of Easier
Exploring Our World by Christa Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy
WEEK 4
Memory Making by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic
Learning Art at Our House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
history, up close by Jennifer @ a glimpse of our life
Fitting in the Arts When Homeschooling by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World
The Art of Exploration by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Appreciating the Arts by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family
Beauty in Homeschooling? by Cindy @ For One Another
Heart of Dakota- The Fine Details- Part 4 Poetry & Bible by Lynn @Ladybug Chronicles
The Art of Art by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
The Beauty of the Arts – Where Does It Fit? by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Learning and Art Library by Angie @ Petra School
Seeking Beauty: The Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World by Christa Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy
How to Fit “The Arts” in School by Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a homeschooling carnival using our carnival submission form. The next edition of a homeschooling carnival will be available on February 15, 2012.
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