TOS Review: Apologia Educating the Whole Hearted Child

When I began homeschooling out of necessity, I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew I was fed up with public school not providing for my child and that I could certainly do better than the education we were told he would get in his local school district.

Little did I know how much our lives would change with homeschooling. It is a lifestyle, not just something we do for a few hours everyday to satisfy an education requirement. But I knew very little about the lifestyle when I started homeschooling. I focused on education and “catching him up” - laying a foundation that was not there. Had I known about Educating the WholeHearted Child when we began this journey, I think the first year or two of homeschooling may have looked a little different. (And perhaps it would have been quite a bit less stressful!)

The Mighty Macs (A Review)

I love a good movie. But I have loved very few sports movies. Mainly because I have seen very few good sports movies. And The Mighty Macs is a good sports movie. But there is so much more than sports in The Mighty Macs. Set in 1971, Cathy Rush is a recently married woman whose odds are against her. The world (and her husband) are still pulling her to stay home and be a wife. She wants to pursue a dream. 

This Blog is Not my Home

It's not my job either. I thought I wanted it to be my job.

I love writing. I love blogging. I love the blogging community. But I love my children more. I love my calling more. And my calling is my children.

A few months ago I began consciously noticing how much I was on the computer while my kids were awake. Then I noticed things that didn't get done because I was blogging. Or emailing. Or Facebooking. Or reading others' blogs.

Then I started thinking about the legacy I was leaving for my children. Did I want them to remember me on the computer? Or Facebooking on my  phone? Or blogging?

I started listening to myself ...

"Let me just finish this post."

"I need to send one more email."

 "After I finish reading this, we can do that."

Or do I want them to remember we played? And built forts. And created art.

Do I want them to remember that I was there for them - not just caring for their daily needs, but getting down and living life with them. 

This blog is not my home.

This is.

And this.

Amy at Raising Arrows wrote on a similar subject this week.

It took me over a month to get this post ready since I am only writing now when my kids are not awake. I have some reviews and other commitments that will take precedence over more personal posts, however, know that I am not abandoning my blog. I just have more pressing things on my plate at the moment.

Like homeschooling my boys and building forts. :)

Cooper and Me

 Cooper and Me is a cute little book written by a mother-daughter team. An artist from a very young age, Alexa Peters, wanted to give back to others through her illustrations. The idea for this book was found in her sketchbooks.

Raising Real Men

Being that I am a girl, raised by a single mom with only a sister, I knew nothing about boys.

And I am blessed to be the mother of two of them.

They are loud.

And rowdy. 

And they can't sit still for anything.

And I love it.

Homeschool Mother's Journal 09/30/11

Today is my first entry for the Homeschool Mother's Journal. I hope to go back and add the past few Fridays in so I have a complete record of the year.

In my life this week…
Mimi came to visit. It was a quick visit centered around taekwondo testing.
 
In our homeschool this week…
We've been struggling with structure and getting things done on time. I am still working through our schedule and tweaking it a bit.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
taekwondo testing
orthodontics appointment

My favorite thing this week was…
Watching my mom's reactions to how well my boys are reading now.

What’s working/not working for us…
Farm Boy is doing much better with his independent work. Still tweaking math curriculum and making sure there I'm not over-scheduling the workboxes.

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

Carlito C. Caterpiller's MathHouse Games

We are always looking for math games around here. I have two very oral kinetic learners who love, love, love to play! So of course I said "yes!" to reviewing a product for math games. And my goodness, isn't he just so cute??

Carlito C. Caterpiller's MathHouse Games is a set of full-color cards of 40 math games. The games introduce math abstractly through fun hands-on activities. In Carlito C. Caterpiller's MathHouse Games, there are three stages to understanding math:

• Stage 1: Quantity
• Stage 2: Numeration
• Stage 3: Operations

TOS Review: Games for Competitors Tri-Cross

Created by a family and based out of Atlanta, Tri-Cross, a Classic Game of Strategy for the 21st Century, is like nothing else (we totally agree there!) It is challenging and gets increasingly harder as desired for more challenging play. The creator describes Tri-Cross as a mix between Stratego, Chess and Checkers.

Because Farm Boy loves chess and checkers so much, I felt he would love Tri-Cross too. It was a bit challenging though as it is recommended for ages 10 and up.

Earning several awards, I think Tri-Cross is destined to a household favorite - it is here!!

REVIEW: Visionary Womanhood Gatherings (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Twenty years ago I didn’t even realize what I didn’t know. Visionary Womanhood Gatherings (p. 22)

When I met my husband I was not even a glimpse of the woman I am today. My life plan had me graduating college (though I had no idea in what), moving to the big city (I thought Atlanta,) becoming an independent employee (again who knows in what kind of job!) and living up the simple life, advancing in my career and not being dependent on a man. I did not have any plans for marriage. Or kids. 


And then I met him. 

Ginny Owens CD Winner

 I am still loving this CD so much! It wakes us up every morning as we have it set for our alarm. What a wonderful way to wake up (instead of loud, laughing DJs!!) 

And the winner is .......

TOS Review: Before Five in a Row

I first became familiar with Five in a Row when my oldest was just a wee one. I was attending a MOPS group and one of my closest friends was planning to homeschool. I was fascinated by the concept of homeschooling but at the time had no idea I could since my oldest had special needs. (But THAT is another story!)

REVIEW: Ginny Owens "Get In, I'm Driving!" (And a Giveaway!)

Ginny Owens has been one of my favorite artists for the last ten years. Her music helped me through the most trying time in my life. One song in particular still wraps God's arms around me whenever I hear it. And now, after five years, she has come out with her ninth album! I was so excited to hear it was being released and that I was going to have a chance to review it!!

TOS Review: Wise Alec Civilize This!

We are total history buffs in this house. We also love a good game. So when I saw Wise Alec™ Civilize This! by Griddly Games in the TOS Homeschool Crew cue, I was totally excited. I headed over to check it out and got even more excited!! I just knew this would make a great Fun Friday activity in our house.

Happy Saturday and Grace Card WINNER!

Happy Saturday Everyone! It is going to be a quiet one around here. Maybe some sewing, more purging and lesson planning for next week.

And the winner is ....

The Grace Card and a GIVEAWAY!!

How do you love someone that you really hate in the depths of your heart? 

That is the theme of this movie. 

Set in Memphis, a city near and dear to my heart, this movie really hit home for me. The main characters deal with the death of a child and the struggle the family ensues as a result of it. I felt it was a true portrayal of how the death of a child affects the whole family and the different ways people react to a loss. Other issues in the movie include race relations, family dynamics and job stress. This movie is Rated PG-13 so if you have younger children, be aware of that!

Our Schoolroom 2011-2012

We are blessed to have a dedicated schoolroom that we can use for most of the regular school year. It does not have air-conditioning but it does have heat. We don't use it from June-September/October though the kids will go in there from time to time to read or play on the floor. I love having a dedicated space and look forward to getting back in there. I am still adding things and the look of it changes here and there, but the feel of the room stays the same.

My Name is NOT Monkey Girl by Miriam Jacobs

I came across My Name is NOT Monkey Girl while searching for a flag bracket for our homeschool.

 

I plan to buy this book for our home library and an additional copy for our local library. I want to encourage you all to do the same. As the mom of a special needs child, it is heartbreaking to see your child ridiculed. This book was written and published by Miriam Jacobs, the grandmother of a little girl named Candace. Proceeds from the book will pay for the continued surgeries she needs to reconstruct her face after the birthmark removal.

Toilet Seat Two-Fer (Or How to Keep Your Skinny Minnie From Falling In)

Signs You Have a Skinny Minnie

1. Pants and shorts never fit correctly.
2. S/he has long legs that go on for days.
3. Belts are not a fashion accessory, they are a necessity.
4. You adore clothing lines with adjustable waistbands in size slim.
5. Even with size slim adjustable waistbands, the kid may need a belt.

2011-2012 Curriculum

We began homeschooling in June 2009. We had just moved back to GA in January 2009 and the last part of the school year didn't go very well. We dove into homeschool as soon as the regular school year ended and never looked back. Now we take June and July off for summer break, but we start our summer school a few weeks into August.

Dried Onion Soup Mix

I don't use a lot of processed foods. This first came out of necessity and needing to be frugal. Then I bought even less of them when we started the Feingold Diet to combat the symptoms of ADHD. I further scaled down my purchase of processed foods when I began realizing that I wanted the most control I could have over what I was feeding my family.

With our changes in diet, I began trying to new recipes. My family prefers their favorites however and some just aren't very healthy. I attempt to make them as healthy as possible, making changes where I can. One such change is making my own spice mixes. This began with Feingold and continues today.

Dried Onion Soup Mix

8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley (I use 2 t since I love parsley!)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (I use 1/8 t since my kids prefer less spice.)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and use immediately. Or you can store in an airtight container for up to six months.