Day 2

begins slowly and with the first cup of coffee. This isn't a "couch to 5k" and I'm not necessarily speaking about Creation either.

Yesterday, I pulled the contents of about 4 shelves to the floor, dusted the shelves, reorganized the books, and put them back. I went through craft supplies and purged a few things into a trash can. The floor was left with a few piles of stuff (some of last years school work that needs to be filed) and a few things for the boys to deal with.

Today, more shelves and boxes to organizes and Vacation Bible School (VBS) to work on. Looks like I won't be leaving the fireplace room much today.

Sunday Afternoons

This has been a Sunday afternoon that I truly like. I've spent the better part of the afternoon working on a couple quilt squares. Over at "Five in a Row", when there is a lose of a friend from the boards (or a member of their family), the ladies pull together several quilt squares to make a larger quilt. Our friend, Fran, lost her battle with breast cancer almost two weeks ago, so I've been working on a square for her husband's quilt and one for one of her daughters.

My picture taking is a bit off today, but this is
the panel for one of Fran's daughters.

This panel will be going into the
quilt for Ed, her husband.

Also enjoyable today, has been cooking and baking. Granted there isn't much special about grilled cheese for lunch, but no one seemed to complain about having lunch fixed for them. It was also the easiest thing to fix given that I wanted to roast a chicken for dinner. HHHmmm the house has smelled wonderful this afternoon. Who cares that it feels horribly hot outside.


Other odd things that have made today day enjoyable (pictures below the statements now):

~ being able to maintain a newly sodded front lawn
~ a quick trip to the library to pick up a new book for the boys (sssshhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell the homeschool police that I only picked up one book!!) and their summer reading packages
~ a quick trip to Starbucks for their iced tea (only $0.53 when bringing in one of their cups to reuse)
~ finishing up a baby blanket; I like how the edges turned out looking a bit like lace!
Off now, to enjoy the family!

Words of summer . . .

What words or short phrases define summer for you? Here's a list I've been contemplating:

1. flip flops
2. sun screen
3. pool
4. long days
5. pool
6. sleeping in late
7. fireflies
8. thunderstorms
9. sunburns
10. shorts
11. grill
12. umbrella
13. tomato plant
14. basil
15. heat
16. humidity
17. swimming
18. tan lines
19. fun nail polish
20. reading
21. vacation
22. traffic
23. "How much longer?"
24. no school
25. lingering over coffee
26. corn on the cob
27. bleach
28. comet (as in the cleaner stuff)
29. fresh fruit
30. sound of ice cream truck
31. libraries' summer reading program
    

Journey into the land of patience . . .

Kevin and I had our last interviews with our social worker two weeks ago. In theory, we should be receiving a rough draft any time now in the next 7 days to review. It's almost like the last few weeks of being pregnant in that, the "due date" is only an estimate, it could happen anytime around that date.

In the mean time, we've been mulling over which agency to go with for the actual adoption, how much do with think we can afford, how to pay for it, how to rearrange the bedrooms, and on goes the list.

Prayer requests, for now:

1. Wisdom for the financial aspect the adoption. We don't want to be over our heads in debt.
2. Clear disernment regarding which agency to go through.
3. Endurance for the organizing of our house.
4. Patience and peace for walking in God's timing.

Thank you friends,

Playing in the dirt.

Sometimes I wonder why I am the one that plays in the dirt the most. Yesterday, for example, after 10 bags of dirt was put into the whole that was our tree out front and leveled some, I wet it down to help it settle. It was basically a big mud pie. Really surprised that Thing One and Thing Two didn't even ask if they could play in it.

Today, (after a second trip to Wal-Mart last night for 15 more bags of dirt) I put in 13 of the bags and leveled it out again. Will probably use the remaining two later and wish I had more. After 23 bags of dirt this is our front yard, morning sun light and all.

Did you notice how much sunlight hits the living room
window? Curtains are closed a whole lot more now.

Out back, our vegetables are growing. Here are
our pumpkin vines. No actual pumpkins yet, but the
fact that the vines are growing like crazy and we have a
lot of blooms bods well fro having pumpkins.

Corn was planted as well earlier in the Spring.
We have a couple ears growing. Hope they'll taste
good later.

Legacy

what does the word legacy mean to you? Possibly something you leave to the ones that come after. According to Yourdictionary.com it means:

noun pl. legacies -·cies

1. money or property left to someone by a will; bequest
2. anything handed down from, or as from, an ancestor
3. ☆ a student applying or admitted to a college or university who is a relative of an alumnus

adjective

being or having to do with something, esp. something outdated or otherwise undesirable, that is carried over from a previous system, business operation, etc.

In a word search within the Bible, much of the usage is geared toward the adjective legacy and the undesirable outcome of certain behavior. One positive usage, within the Message Bible, states in Psalm 127:3

Don't you see that children are God's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

The thing about a legacy though, we need to be aware of our motives. Why are we handing something down? Does the item have value to the recipient? Are we just handing over a problem to the next generation?

The word has been on my heart a lot in the the last few days. I wonder what will be remembered after our time on earth is over. Will the legacy we leave our children be an honorable one, a God inspired, God breathed legacy? Will we have breathed a love for God into our children lives like God breathed life into Adam. Will they know how much we love them and that our Savior loves them way more than Dad or Mom can ever show them? I pray for these things and that, with each moment I spend with them, there will be a memory built that can be called upon when they feel low.

I'm realizing, all to quickly, that life on the earth is just a blip in time, to be overly legalistic about so many things. As a parents, Kevin and I need to decide what is ultimately important and impress this upon our children and love on them like crazy.

Tears of sadness! Tears of joy!

There times in ones life that we just need to have trust in God, for His wisdom, and for His timing. A sister in Christ, from Five in a Row, has been battling a second round of cancer in the last few months. Her husband posted, on her blog, that she is not doing well and does not have much time left before going to Heaven.

Though I have tears of joy for her perfect healing, there are tears of sadness for her husband and family. There will be such a void in the family, that only God can fill. I pray for the family that His presence be felt and apparent.

Next Years Curriculum

We're on the home stretch of having all the things we want for next school year. So far, we have the following, which includes some things we haven't finished up from last year:

• Math-U-See - we'll wrap up Alpha and Delta, then move onto Beta and Epsilon
• Five in a Row and Beyond Five in a Row
• Chronicles of Narnia Bible Study and will add in other things from Home School Share
• The Testimony of Charlie Coulson - a unit study for Civil War times which we'll due prior to going to Battle Cedar Creek Reenactment
• Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 2
• Language Lessons for Little Ones 3
• An Honorable Boy - A Bible Study for Elementary Aged Boys (one for each boy)
• Thanksgiving Unit Study from Amanda Bennett
• My Nature Journal
• Sequential Spelling
• Mystery of History
  

The following things came from Queens Homeschool Supply, should you be interested: both of the Language Lesson books, The Testimony of Charlie Coulson, and An Honorable Boy. We're also working on creating some copy work for the boys. Still being considered is Excellence in Writing.

As an aside, copy work can be a great thing for a few reasons, following are a few:

1. kids are reading things that demonstrate good grammar
2. when copy work is chosen that is a level or two above where the child is currently reading, they slow down their work to focus on spacing, punctuation, spelling
3. it also helps them with penmanship
4. they are introduced to wonderful poems, prose, quotes, etc.
5. it can be used as a "warm-up" so to speak for a writing assignment, a way to get the mind working when trying to create a paragraph, essay, or outline
6. we'll also be using copy work as a way to reinforce math facts and the direction of numbers, both items the boys need a bit of help on

So, our days will be busy with school, bible study, being outside, and hopefully a bit more fun.

Lessons Learned

We've been home from Richmond less than 24 hours, so it seems appropriate to write about my lessons learned. So here they are, in no particular order:

• don't make eye contact with the vendors unless you are interested in their product
• Old Navy flip flops are not good for that much walking (last years Wal-Mart flip flops were better)
• as much as I dislike the "home school" carts you see there, they don't wear your shoulder out while carrying the curriculum you've purchase
• making reservations in January/February ensures that you get an early entrance to the used curriculum sale AND reservations at a close hotel
• know how much items cost, at the cheapest vendor/retailer BEFORE, going down. You can price shop for new/used curriculum being more knowledgeable
• know where you can pick up a free wifi signal, in case you want to double check a price before buying
  
• hit Rainbow Resources early on the second day = not many people or the homeschool carts you trip over
• Yes, just about all vendors have no s/h on items if they have run out of items before the end of convention, so if you don't need an item right away it's no big deal
• remember to drink LOTS of water
• with a hotel room close, with a fridge and microwave, you can eat lunch and dinner super cheap (2 people + 4 meals = under $10.00)

There you have it, some of my lessons learned. Part two of 2010 convention will be items we bought.

Excitement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As an adult, what gets you totally excited? The success of your child in school, sports, or spiritual things? A raise in pay? A new car, house, or something else?

While all these things are wonderful, probably one of the greatest fun things for me, in the last few years, is going to the HEAV Convention. It's a chance to go to a bunch of vendors, listen to a few speakers on many different topics, see some friends, and having 6 meals with Kevin without kids!!!

Should you care, here's a list of Vendors I'll be visiting and most likely buying from:

• Excellence in Writing
• Math-U-See
• My Father's World
• Queen Homeschool Supplies
• Rainbow Resource Center, Inc.

Now for the the Workshops:

• The Power of Good Habits in Your Homeschool - Simply Charlotte Mason
• Homeschool Distractions - Kerin Morgan
• Nature Studies & Journaling - Barry Stebbing
• Combining Classical Education, Charlotte Mason, and Unit Studies with a Christian Perspective - My Father's World
  

Yes, there is a theme to most of the Vendors and Workshops I'll be attending. With three years of homeschooling under my belt, I'm a bit more relaxed, ready to try new things for the boys, and ready to set things aside if they aren't working. Unit studies have been a wonderful concept for our family. We can focus on a theme, book, idea, or whatever, glean a lot of information about said theme, then move on. Yes, the homeschool distractions play in as I'm naturally and easily distracted by my own body chemistry, things that look more fun, a new topic, and actual household chores. One of my "New School Year Resolves" is to get the boys outside more. There are a wealth of trails to explore in our area, county and state parks to play in or visit, and a lot of places we can go visit within a short drive (or metro)!

New Creation of the Day

Well, maybe not of the day as I actually worked on this last week. "THIS" is a lesson plan page, for a week, to fit into my Desk Planner. Here's what it looks like:

I've got one of those 7 ring, desk top, calendar/planner things. I've been wanting
to use it for everything ~ life, school, boys, etc. It's been a work in progress, as the
years have ticked on. Especially moving from public school to homeschool. A
few days ago, I finally figured out how to make a lesson plan for this size calendar.
Below is a closer look and I'll describe it more.

At the very top says "Week of" followed by "Student"
on the next line. I just couldn't fit more than one kid on
a page, so I tailored it for one and will print out on color
appropriate paper. In the the boxes are the following:

1. The biggest box is for Unit Studies, which is our main focus. There is room to write a title at the top and then day specific items on the subsequent rows labeled M, T, W, T, F.
2. There are four small boxes following. Most of the remaining subjects we study, at least for now, are similar to workbooks. Most of the time, I find that I'm writing out simply notes like MUS 22A and Video. I really don't need a lot of space for notes for Math, History, Grammar, and Spelling.
3. At the bottom are a few lines for other things that come up or extra books we read.
4. The one page takes up half of a 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper. When printing, I can get two weeks on the front, flip over and print again. Four weeks of lessons, for one child, on one sheet of paper.

So, there you have it, a small lesson plan sheet, for one child. These will be kept behind the month calendar.

I plan to rearrange some of my dividers for other things as well. One step at a time though and have made great progress thus far.

When electronics are not allowed.......

Thing One and Thing Two seem to get a bit more creative in their attempts to alleviate boredom. Today has been a leisurely day, other than taking Thing One to Speech and O/T. Finally got to the point that I just kicked everyone outside, including myself. I weeded a couple flower beds, cleaned out a few cracks in the driveway, and took a few messed up tomato cages to the curb. Thing Two decided it was a good time to set up an umbrella outside and color in the shade. I added the blanket. Thing One decided to join in for a bit.
What's even more impressive, is that Thing One came inside and said "I'm going to clean up all my Legos, take them upstairs, and sort them!"

Who are these boys and where did my children go????????????

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally got Picasa working on my computer, so I've was able to make a photo collage!! I'm excited because it makes my blog more personal. I just think it's to cool now! Let me know what you think. These photo's were taken while on vacation in Tennessee.

Used Curriculum!

Our homeschool group had a used curriculum sale this morning. How is it our oldest came home with more money than I did? He wasn't even selling anything!!!!!!!!! Dang the luck! He watched a friend of mine's table for a bit. I sold two books for $0.50 a piece. Oh well. Guess I'll see if there is still time to set things up with the HEAV Convention and hope that a larger audience will lend itself to selling.

First Day

No, I'm not necessarily thinking of the Matt Maher song "Hold Us Together", more thinking that it's June 1. Here are a few random things running threw this scatter brain of mine:

• It still doesn't quite seem real that we're on summer vacation but we are.
• We've had our first interview for our home study. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Both Kevin and I have one more interview individual. It will take about two weeks to create the rough draft, then another couple to have a finalized copy. Possibly, by July 1 we can start the adoption process.
• I'm really impressed with how everyone in our family worked together today to get the house straightened up. The boys are finally "getting it" when it comes to cleaning up. Yeah!!!!!!!!
• Thankful that the cold I feel like I've been battling for the last couple weeks is just about gone. It seems like it wouldn't stay in one place long enough to treat.
• Soooo looking forward to another solid night sleep and a leisurely morning tomorrow.
• Having fun pulling together a wish list of things I'd like to get for next school year.

That just about sums up the day here. Happy June everyone!