Updates

Finally a day where I can have a few moments to just relax and blog :). It hasn't been anything to serious about being busy just little things like going to the Laundromat, MOMS Club meetings, grocery shopping, a field trip, family visiting and in between all that schooling the boys and making dinner LOL.

We also went to H&R Block to get our taxes done, since hubby finally got his unemployment W2 in. Everything else came in pretty quickly but that seemed to take it's time. We won't get any money though till the fourth so I am patiently waiting. We are getting a decent amount this year thankfully. We so need it. I plan on getting a new computer since this one is getting super slow even after I wiped it all out. This one will go to the boys (with careful monitoring of course). Then we will get some things done on the Jeep that needs to be done (like struts and maybe an added leaf in the back since it sags a bit) and of course I will be getting next years curriculum with some of it too. I usually get most of it from www.rainbowresource.com .

Also with the money we get back we plan on putting some away for a small vacation. Nothing really big but my mom owns a small house up north further and we plan to spend a few days up there and find little things to do while we are there. It's always a relaxing time when we go there. We haven't been on family vacation (even a small one) in about five years! This is something we really need.

Granted we could just put that in the bank and save but we really do need this time together and it will be well worth it I think :). But the rest of the money will be put back and we will save as much as we can because you never know what can happen. Trust me when I say I know all about that LOL. I hope everyone is doing well! So far we are. God Bless!!!

Homeschool Memoirs: Homeschool Agendas

This week’s theme is about sharing your 2008-09 homeschool agendas and plans. You’ve been preparing your plans for sometime and you’re ready to go. Or you’re still in the planning-stage and need some inspiration or tips on what to use. Because many use different curriculum and methods there is always something new to be gleaned from other homeschoolers. It’s always fun and interesting to see what other’s are using and the WWWWH as Robin Sampson suggests. So this week I hope you will share what you’re doing this year for your homeschool agenda. Share the different curriculum you’re using. You can also include what age/grade you’re using it for, how long you’ve been using it, and why you like it.
Please share a Bible verse that has encouraged you or inspired you during this planning-process, and how.

Hmm our Agenda. I guess we are more of a relaxed homeschool family. While I do have curriculum for the boys and we do follow them it's also easy for us to either drop what we are doing if something else interests and come back to it later or drop it all together or skip things here and there if we are just not interested in it or if it's something we have already been through previously. Here is the Curriculum we have...

1. Bible - we have BJU Following Christ. I use this for both boys. I don't really have Jarod do the written work but we discuss things all together that is in it and what we can learn from it. This way they are both getting benefits from it.

2. Phonic - This is for Jarod not Chord since Chord can read and read well. Jarod is only in first grade so he is still learning to read. We are doing Saxon Phonics 1. I used it with Chord and now I am using it with Jarod. He is really loving to learn to read. He took his first test today in it and he got them all right!!!

3. English - This is For Chord. He does BJU English 3 Writing and Grammar. He is doing well in this.

4. Math - They are both doing Horizons math. Jarod 1 and Chord 3. I am thinking I really need to go through the math book for Chord because he does really well in math. I probably should go a grade higher for him. I just don't want to skip anything that he may not get. See in Third grade they are just getting into learning multiplication and he's already known how to multiply small numbers since first grade. Even before he knew how to carry over and borrow in addition and subtractions. I just don't want to skip over something and then have him confused I guess. For Jarod he's getting much better in this area! He still needs some work but he's finally getting what addition and subtraction is :). We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel :).

5. Reading - I have Chord read books silently and I also have him read some of his Bible (he can choose what he wants to read) out loud and we discuss what it means and what it's talking about (reading comprehension). With Jarod I have him read to me what he can and I help with words he doesn't know yet.

6. Spelling - For Jarod it's in his Phonic so I don't have to worry. For Chord I just have him look up words in his dictionary and learn to spell words that way.

7. Science - God's Design for Life, The Human Body is what I have for both boys. We do this three times a week. It's a lot of fun for the boys. There are some things we can do and other things we read about. It's for 1st-6th graders so it's good for both boys :).

8. History - I had gotten a History curriculum but I didn't like it so we are just getting books from the Library and reading about History. Last year we learned about Ancient Egypt. This year we are learning about Rome. We will probably do like last year and do what follows their interest. Last year too Chord learned about some of our Presidents.

9.Writing - I print some handwriting sheets from http://www.edhelper.com/ and have the practice their writing. Chord is learning to write cursive better (he started it last year) and Jarod is just practicing more of his writing. I so want them both to have better handwriting than me LOL.

10.Music - I just have this for Chord right now because it's learning how to read music. This is cool too since I don't know how to read music either so we are learning together LOL. It's called Theory for Young Musicians (ages 8-12) and it comes with 3 small workbooks to go through.

I had an art program for them but I think it took all the fun out of art and the boys thought so too. I think I will have Harlow teach them more since he is the artist of the family LOL. I am lucky to draw a straight line if anything at all LOL. Harlow draws wonderfully. If only I had as much talent as he does in his pinkie LOL. Oh well I guess that will be his job now LOL.

The Bible verse that keeps me going I guess would be like it says on my blog...

Dt 6:6-9
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, When you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

For me that means no matter where my children go to school hubby and I are still responsible to teach our children about God, Jesus and what He has done for us!! Reminding me again that we can do nothing without God. :)

Please click on pic above to find out more and how you can participate.

Weekend and Monday catch-up. Friday we really didn't do too much. We just had a relaxing day. Yeah to finally get one LOL. I looked through the new curriculum the boy's will have next year. Seems pretty good. I might have to start some of it early. Chord tends to catch on really quickly. I got Bob Jones University Bible and English, Horizon Math, Bibloplan history for Ancient times, and God's Design for Life, The Human Body for science. I also ordered an art, music and spelling curriculum which should come tomorrow some time. So far I like them but we shall see when I start using it next year LOL. I haven't found our perfect curriculum yet even though we have been at it now for three years, for years next year.

Saturday, I went grocery shopping like every Saturday and then later went to my twice monthly Parenting support group. I have to admit though I just like going to be with friends not necessarily because I want parenting advice LOL. Not that my boy's are perfect or that I am a perfect mom but my boy's for the most part (they do have their moments trust me LOL) are pretty well behaved. So I enjoy "mom time" the most. It never hurts to learn some new things either though. So that was my Saturday.

Sunday, was of course Church. My cousin who had the fire was there too. So she and her family sat by us. It was nice chatting with her and seeing how big her kids have gotten. I don't really see much of my extended family so it was nice. She and her family are doing the best they can be in this situation so please if you all could keep them in your prayers I would be grateful. Thanks everyone!.........After Church we came home and had lunch and then went to my moms for the day. I hadn't been to her house in a few weeks so it was nice to be there with family. My mom and I are really close so it's always nice to see and spend time with her.

Monday, I let the boy's have the day off for Presidents Day and I also left to go to my friends house who also homeschools to show her the curriculum I got for the boy's next year. She wanted to take a look at them and see if she wants to order something similar. She has decided to get similar to me and some of other things too. We plan on during the summer time to get together and maybe share a few things. So how was everyones weekend?

I know, I know I have been MIA again LOL. It's been a busy four day's or so. Thursday we did Create and Play and it was a lot of fun! Kids even got to play in shaving cream LOL.

By the time all was said and done they were both covered in shaving cream LOL. I should have gotten a good picture of that LOL. Oh well I am sure we will have more fun with that another time LOL. The rest of the day just seemed to fly by and I didn't get a chance to blog.

Friday, We got our taxes back so we got a new Jeep! Ok well it's not new but new to us LOL. It's a 1998 not a 97' that I thought it was before LOL. It's really nice. I haven't had a chance to take a pic of it. Hopefully I can soon and show you all LOL. It had a crack in the windshield but that's about all that is wrong with it and we got the replaced today (Monday) So Friday was really busy with running around and getting the Jeep all legal. So again I didn't get a chance to blog.

Saturday, I went grocery shopping and then we went shopping. We got the boy's each a pair of new pants since they some how manage to get holes in their knees in a least two other pairs of pants LOL. Boy's I tell you (at least mine) are rough on pants and socks ugh! I also got some ink for my printer and some Valentines Day cards for the boy's for their Valentines Day party on Wednesday at a homeschool group. Later that night I also went through and ordered the boy's (well mostly Chord since Jarod will just use Chord's stuff from previous years) curriculum for next year. I forgot to get a couple of other things though so I will order the rest after we get what's coming.

Sunday, we went to Church of course and enjoyed the service. Not a lot of people were there though because of the really icy cold weather! Boy was it freezing out! After Church we went to lunch with one of our Pastor's and his family. We went to Tiffany's Pizza. We spent a couple hours just chatting with them. It was a good time. They had a couple of their teenage kids with them. They were really great kids too. The older teenage boy even included the boy's in the conversations and of course they talked about Lego's LOL. After that we came home and stayed in doors because of the cold weather LOL. Day's like that I wish we could just hibernate but then I have said that before LOL.

Today, we didn't do much either even though it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday it was still pretty cold. Harlow woke-up early to get the windshield replaced and then head to work. We did get schooling done though and I got stuff around for tomorrow since it is laundry day! Hubby is going to take us tomorrow though because it's supposed to be really icy tomorrow and he would rather drive us and I would feel better about it too I think. I have to meet a friend of mine there too because I have to return a Science experiment book to her. She has to use it for something she is doing with her daughters preschool or something.

So that is what I have been up to the last four day's. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Saturday,