Class planning and a fun conference

So far this week has been busier than usual.  I am (last minute) preparing some classes to teach for our homeschool co-op beginning next week, and  mentally creating a checklist of all the other to-do's on my list.

It's just one of those weeks.

I feel a little weary right now, but I know it will soon past the moment I knock some of the class planning out of the way.  I am creating this curric from scratch, as many of us do when there just aren't any other resources available on the topic that fits our particular situation.  Fingers crossed, I am hoping that I cross all the t's and dot all the i's before the start of our first day of co-op...at the very least, I want to have an idea of what can technologically work, and what can't , and have a back up plan.  Uh oh...where did the relaxed me go?  (..come back...)

And if you're wondering what I mean by "co-op", it's simply a group (large group, in our case!) of homeschooling parent teachers and our kids, who get together on a regular basis (weekly for us) to offer enrichment classes for our children.    We parents take turns teaching the kids K-12 and rotate on a block schedule basis each hour.  Most of the kids I know, especially NyGirl, loves it with a passion.  It's like her favorite time of the week!  It's where she meets up with her friends in a classroom environment and gets to take "fun classes", as she would describe.  I also enjoy the time chatting with other homeschooling parents.  It gives me a nice break away from the monotony of the week...AND I get to meet new people and make new friends, which I love.

And this weekend we just got in from Atlanta.  It was, seriously, the most awesome homeschool conference experience I have ever had...and not because the conference was so great (though it was pretty good, admittedly)...but because I had LOTS of help with the kids.  My husband was so gracious and let me have a full day of workshops and seminars while he kept the kids for me.  They attended only one, first thing Friday morning, and after that couldn't sit through any others.  And...it was just as I had anticipated.  Two year olds don't sit in conference meetings all day long.  Just won't happen.

So, I went to workshop after workshop, met with my family for lunch, and went back down to the curriculum hall to see if there was anything I wanted.  I didn't buy much-- no curriculum, in fact, since I have more than adequate to cover us for the school year.  But I did find some fun things the girls would enjoy, like a set of Glue Dots, and an antique 1800's paper dolls set for NyGirl.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we attended the Southeast Homeschool Expo.  We actually missed the one in our state, so this one was the next closest.  I will have to write about our times there in another post when I get a free moment.

Well...on to another day and week of planning for my upcoming co-op class.  Hopefully by next week I should be all done with it and can finally breathe.  Will let you know how that goes...

Our new dry erase markers

I found them, I found them!

Okay, so maybe I am a little too excited about some dry erase markers.  But we've been having fun with these and they are low odor.  Makes school a lot easier for us when we don't deal with itchy eyes and allergic reactions to the strong marker fumes.

For low odor and reducing allergic reactions, try these dry erase low odor expo markers. Someone else on The Homeschool Channel was telling me about a set of marker board markers that were free of harmful chemicals.  Of course, I am not going to stop here at the Expo dry erase and look into the chemical free markers at some point.

We've been finding ourselves marker board fanatics these past few weeks, only because we haven't been able to use it for what feels like centuries!  What with my active 1 year old a year ago, there was no way we could do a "sit still at the table and write your answers on the marker board" kind of school...

...uh...not that we do that now...BUT...

like I said, it's fun just getting to do something we normally wouldn't have done much a year ago.

Storynory for Kids

NyGirl LOVES Storynory.  My daughter sat at the computer for an hour, completely mesmerized by the audio stories available at this site.

This website is awesome on too many levels.

First of all, this site is a collection of stories for young children which vary in  genre, from classics to fairytales.  There are educational stories as well, bible stories, stories about the saints, and even original stories.  If you have much younger children, they might enjoy stories from the "junior" category.

Click on the story you like, then click on the play button to listen to it.  The storyteller has a wonderfully soothing reading voice, which would suit children really well.

The best part about this site (besides it being FREE) is that these are quick and easy access to audio stories like the classics (Alice in Wonderland, Dickens stories, poetry, and Rudyard Kipling stories) that I have been meaning to introduce to my daughter but just never had time to sit down and do those "read-alouds".  Even if they aren't available at my local library  in CD or mp3 download, I have them available right here at this site.

Not to mention, my two year old enjoys The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood.

I always say, if you can't get a child to read, you can at least get him to listen to a story.

Storynory is a wonderful online audio resource for enchanting our kids with reading. And for our kids who are already reading, this is a great online resource to help introduce them to classic literature they may have never chosen to read on their own.  Plus, it builds their imagination.

NyGirl can't wait to  hear what will happen next on Alice in Wonderland.

First bloggy award

I was happy to receive my first blog award from Julia @ Live Laugh Love!  Check out her blog- she has FABULOUS children and I love to read about her home school.

Thanks, Julia, for the award...

...and now the rules of this award is for me to share 7 things about myself, and to pass this along to 15 bloggers whom I have recently discovered and think are fantastic.  Wow...that's a lot of folks...and since I just recently started following a few more people (but not quite 15)...I will pass this award along to as many bloggers that I enjoy reading (which may not equal 15, mind you!)...so I am fudging a little on the rules.

Anyhoo...

So, here goes (7 things about myself):

1. I love to blog about my life (as you all know).  It is somehow therapeutic and gives me a little energy to keep going.
2. In my spare time I sit at my piano and write music.  I've always had this dream that one day I would record.  That part is becoming more real as we are moving away from CD's and on to digital music.  I'm starting to check into indie sites like CD BABY.  Maybe I'll really record one day and open up a CD BABY account? Maybe upload my songs to Itunes?  Who knows? :-D Just the thought of it makes me feel happy.
3. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  being with and raising my children.  I think homeschooling is an awesome privilege...though not always easy.  Every day is a step closer toward shaping our children for God's kingdom--and I rejoice for that.
4. More about me...hmmm...I like to go to bed late and sleep in late-- BUT that will have to change soon.
5. I like learning about new gadgets and playing around with the latest techie stuff that I can get my hands on.  A few years ago I owned a web design/tech consulting business (which I ran from my home)...and I LOVED it- but I put it on a hold for a few years.  It's still kind of floating around up there waiting on my final "go".  Still don't know what to do with it yet because I also love...
6. FREELANCE WRITING.  So if I could write for a living that is what I would do  (which I guess is why I love blogging so much).
7. And finally, I love my wonderful husband and children, my friends and family, I love babywearing, I love to eat pizza (no pepperonis please) and TCBY and Olive Garden, and I want to find out more about natural health, and I love Jesus more than anything in the world.

'Nuff said?  :-)

So...I am passing this award on to the following (and these are bloggers that I find interesting and fun for one reason or another--you all are SO different and unique, but each of you contribute something beautiful to my life each time you post):

1. A Set Apart Life
2. Alabama Menagerie
3. Our Crazy Life
4. Raising A Quiver Full
5. Mama Jen
6. Whole Hearted Christian Homeschool
7. A Mommy's Adventures
8. Home Grown Mosaic
9. Raising My LIttle Lady Bug

You guys are the best- you make me think, you make me laugh, and even cry--I am enjoying your journeys...so keep it up! :-)

Pass it along...(snag the award image and pass it on to your fave bloggers, then tell 7 things about yourself)...

A Full, But Relaxed, Homeschooling Day

Today we had a pretty full school day.

Out in the yard, the girls observed our little garden of peas and squash.  I had NyGirl take out her science notebook and pencil, her digital video camera, and a measuring tape.  Of course, BabyZ wanted her own measuring tape, notebook, and pencil too.

Our squash measured at 15 in. and our peas at 6 in. high.

We saw a couple of caterpillars eating away at the leaves.  It won't be long before we'll need to starting weeding the garden.

Afterward, we went back inside and read this book from the library.

Next, on to American History.  From our BJU Heritage 3 studies, we covered a chapter on  the Bill of Rights.  Some of the terms are a bit complicated for NyGirl ("amendments", "ratification", "declaration", "hold these truths to be self evident")...BUT...I figure it doesn't hurt to introduce the concepts.  I don't care so much that she doesn't understand all the minor details of each historical fact.  I just want her to be introduced to the ideas and have a general feeling of what mainly happened.  We came away with a discussion of how grateful we are for our rights in America.  (We followed this up with writing a few sentences of "What I Am Grateful For").  And since we didn't purchase the timeline that accompanies this curriculum, we created our own out of index cards.  We've never done much with timelines in the past, so I should probably update to let you know how it turns out for us.

Next on today's agenda- on to Geography.  Actually, it wasn't on the agenda...it just kinda crept up on us.  I was digging in our pantry (where we keep most of our homeschoooling supplies) for BabyZ's counting bears, and out tumbled all of our games from the top shelf- right splat on the floor.  So I had to clean up.  While cleaning up, I realized that the United states puzzle that fell would go along good with what we were just learning about the colonies and how they ratified the Constitution.

So...out came the puzzle for NyGirl, and while we did that BabyZ kept busy with her own puzzle...and counting bears.

Counting bears- new fun for BabyZ.

We finished up our day with our next Saxon math lesson, a grammar lesson, a handwriting practice sheet, and a bible lesson from our Explorers workbook.

AND...believe it or not...we had a VERY relaxed day.  And how could it have been THIS relaxing when we covered so many subjects?

Hmmm....I question that myself.  In fact, in just a few posts previously, I talked about how our days were so packed full of subjects during one of our earlier homeschooling years, that I would never make that mistake again.

At this point, however, I can assuredly say, that I still whole-heartedly stand by my decision not to overcrowd my children's schedules.  But that is, presumably, if I am the one overcrowding their schedules!  You see what I mean?  The main difference in a long school day that is productive and one that is intensely difficult with each second on the clock, is who is initiating the learning.

Sure, I oversee the lessons.  But, I feel like although I planned the outline and prepared to tackle the day's presumed lesson, I wanted to step backward a little and at least make them feel like they were leading the show.  So they wanted to keep going.  NyGirl thought she was the one who initiated going outside to check on the garden.  And when I slightly suggested the video camera and notebook, she hopped all over that idea because she could play like a scientist and detective.  Then she knew when we went back inside that we need to cover the basics like math and grammar...but I let her have her choice of grammar book for the day (between Shurley Grammar - which I totally do not prefer at this point, and BJU--and, uh...she actually chose both).  And with History, she looked forward to creating the timeline. I tried to make it as fun as I could (being that she feels it's her hardest subject, with terms like "ratification"-- I mean, I completely understand!)  When we stumbled upon the U.S. puzzle, she had a blast.  Of course, we had plenty of breaks for snacks, lunch, free time, play,and PBS.

So that was our day in a nutshell.

Hungry

Tonight at church, the evangelist asked an interesting question:

"Are you hungry for Him?" he asked.

I began to wonder about the Scripture that  says in the last days there would be a famine of His Word.

You know...I began to really think.  Who is my Jesus to me?

I call him my Jesus.  He is mine. I think of Him that way.  And I have to continue to remind myself daily...

"Did I partake of my Savior?"

"Did I drink from His fountain of Living Waters?"

" Did I consume Him as my daily Bread, my Living Bread in as much earnest as He wishes to consume me?"

I want to be hungry for Jesus.  I want to be thirsty for Yeshua's Living waters so that I will never thirst again.

Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING can ever satisfy the way He does.

He just makes that itch go away.  He replaces that horrific sadness with a joy so deep.  That deep yearning - He fills it.   The void- He consumes it with His presence until it is full.

Any and everything I have been wanting in life, I found that He alone is the answer.

I can turn right or left-- but He is always surrounding me, beckoning me to look to Him.  He is never too far away- an "ever present help".  He has never, ever left me alone, and never, ever will.

So, am I hungry? Do I long to hear His words, sit in His presence at His feet and enjoy His company?  Do I long to hear Him speak the Words of Life that sustain my soul?  Do I long to partake of His presence here and now...and also at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the days to come?

Hungry.

I want to be hungry. Hungry for more of my Lord.

Kentuck Festival

The kids had a great time at our local crafts festival.  Hundreds of vendors and artists showed up.  Thankfully, there were special activities for the kids to get involved in.

So they paint and create in the hot summer heat.