A New Year

We've begun a new year, but we started our homeschool a few weeks ago. We are using Abeka for Science books, and amblesideonline.com for our reading lists.

Academic Fair

Our homeschool group had an Academic Fair this week! The kids all gave wonderful presentations! My son gave a speech on the politics and economics of 1930s. The kids had fun, and learned alot. I was very proud and thankful.

A Christmas Carol, by the GCHSA

Here's our homeschool group in their play this past December. A Christmas Carol by Dickens. They did a great job. They all painted the scenery, and learned their own lines. Also their was dancing scenes. I thought that it was wonderful for them to have an opportunity to dress up and have a chance to perform on the stage!

Back in the fall, we decided to create our own little 'puppet theater'. My son helped to glue on the wallpaper...it was fun. You can tell by the smile he really enjoyed it!

Field Day, November

Finally.... I have a photo of my kids at a Field Day for our homeschool group. This one was in November. They had a great day! They played tug of war, and lots of games.

Paper ornaments

This year I made a few of my own paper ornaments. They are hand stamped, with glitter on them. This one is beige and blue, with snowflakes stamped on them. One I made for an ornament exchange, in which I was thankful that the boy who received it really appreciated paper folding, since he loves origami! I think that next year I will put bows on all of them, and improve on my technique!

It's January, and we just went to a beautiful park in Fort Myers! It was gorgeous today. There was enough wind to fly a kite for a while, which is unusual for us! The kids really enjoyed the friends. My husband took a walk with the little one.

I'm glad that the library story times will be back this week. We are trying to make time for more parks now that the weather is so nice. Not much to say lately. I can't wait to get some sleep. LOL That's what all the parents at the park were saying!

Coupons & On Vacation

Ok everyone! A family member of mine just gave me a tip for some coupons...so I really wanted to share this with you! Philadelphia Cream Cheese has a current coupon for $1 off on 2. Winn-dixie is running a sale on them, 4 for $5. I'm not at home to get see if this will work local, but maybe you will check it out. Go to http://www.kraftrecipes.com/holiday-coupons.aspx and sign up to get the coupons.....and then at Winn Dixie, maybe you can use the coupons for them. That is about $1.25 each, and with a $1 off of 2, it's about .75 cents each. If this works for you, please let me know. I am going to try to find some other ones too.

I'm at Grandma's enjoying the family and loving the Georgia Pines! We are having a good vacation, but the weather turned cold alittle early, and we changed our plans for today. We get cold easily, and our plans had included outside things near the marsh, that would've been too cold for us. So, We will try again another day.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

November in Florida!

Well, at last, the wonderful weather is here! I'm so glad. Everyone loves a sunny day in Florida, and we have waited all summer for this day. There are lots and lots of craft shows throughout the county on the weekends! The handmade items are so impressive. Totally different from a few years ago. I love seeing things made in America!

We are preparing a Play in our homeschool group, and it's been a blast. The kids made their own scenery. The Play is "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens. So much fun for all ages in this group. I will try to post some pictures of it soon.

So, have a great day, and I will try to start posting more. I've been quite busy with making candles, and keeping up with all the kids activities this year. It's been much different than in the past, and I'm happy about the improvements.

Another day

I have no idea where to begin. Millions of ideas I've had for years, and all I can think of is try to wake up and have that same cup of coffee. I'm happy with that. I think I do want to achieve, but I want to enjoy some of the time on the way. You all know that relax is not anywhere close for me, it's a long road to get there. So, I am going to enjoy a trip to the library today, and do a little house work, (since I mowed the lawn yesterday) and try to make sure that the kids do learn something today. My little one is starting to be a big girl. She even helped me clean off the table alittle. DS helped learn how to mow the lawn. All I want to do is get through a peaceful day. Have a good one! :)

where has the time gone?

September is finally here. I was amazed at the very slight change in our weather in Florida. The wind came in from a different direction, and I actually sat in the park the other day without sweating. (of course, that was in a shady park) I really enjoyed the wind in the trees.

My little one love to bake with me, and so, we try to bake often. It's difficult to lose weight with all the baking, but I really enjoy time with her.

My son has started to take more consideration for his hair. I am amazed. He never seemed to care much about it before.

We are so happy to be a part of a play that our homeschool group is doing, and the kids can't wait to work on it.

I really can't think of much to blog about. I've been making candles, trying out new methods, and new materials. I hope to have a fall line out soon, but fall surely creeps along around Florida. I love fall, and remember how one time I went to Conneticut and saw the changing leaves, how beautiful it was.

I miss so many things, and try not to dwell on them too much. I will be teaching a little class for some homeschoolers I know next week. I hope to do well.


Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine,
I will taste your strawberries,
I will drink your sweet wine.
A million tomorrows shall all pass away,
ere I forgot all the joy that is mine, today.


This song I sang in Girl Scouts. It was a wonderful place to be, and I am thankful to my mom for all her work to be a leader of our group.

End of July

I really don't know if I will ever have much to type about on my blog. If you speak to me in person, you might find that I have plenty to say, and love to talk. So, maybe journaling isn't really my best place to express myself. Yet, I figure I will give it a try.

I'm glad that I don't have cable tv anymore. The news gets me down. I would rather read some friends blogs. Besides, I can get the news on CNN.com or other news sources. But, I must say I miss seeing a "same" every night news anchor, telling me the reports, as if he or she was there. It's not the news itself, but the person delivering it, and their face that I had become fond of. I remember some of the news anchors as a child, and their familiar faces every night gave me a sense of security, like everything was normal and ok. I've never watched the news in the evenings with my kids, so I don't think that they will have that feeling. I don't miss Katie Couric. She's nice and all, but I really didn't like the black eyeliner she started to wear when she became the news anchor in the evening. She didn't wear black as much in the mornings, and with her skin colors, well it didn't seem to appeal to me. It was like her first night on evening news was a funeral or something. It's just and opinion, and maybe she liked the way she was dressed and her make up. I like Rachel Rays attitude. Cheerful, but not overly. So, maybe I miss alittle tv now and then, since the shows I enjoyed were like my friends. I believe that my life is different than I ever expected. Maybe difference is good. I wonder if I had too many expectations of things outside of me, instead of the inside of me. ???

Well, I'm looking at a day of finally seeing my husband. He's been working in the nights on his job, and we haven't seen him much at all this week. The kids will be glad if we have some time together. I have a little cold, and hope for it to end soon.

I've tried to explain to my littlest one about being careful to not choke, or get hurt. But she was confused, and talked about trying to die to go to God. So I tried to explain things differently, to correct the confusion. I told her we can be with God when we talk to Him, that He is with us. And we visit His house on Sunday. She must have thought that because I said that God lives in heaven. And on a different day she must have heard me say that my Grandpa was in heaven with God, and that he died. So she's smarter than I understood, and put them together. So, I'm going to watch her carefully, that she doesn't do anything to endanger herself. I will try to remember to talk about God's presence with us, in our hearts, more.

We moved a few weeks ago, so I really didn't have time to blog. The boxes are unpacked. It didn't take long. I'm thankful that this place is a quiet neighborhood.

We went bowling the other day, which was fun. But I didn't really live in the present for it. I was remembering a past difficulty. So, I will try not to think about the old for a while, and next time have more fun in the present.

Thanks for visiting with me today.
:)

No more Chair time

www.sciencedaily.com

I just read a study regarding "chair time".

I'm going to try to remember to set up computer work stations where we can stand up and use the computer. I tried to copy the link, but the website didn't let me.


The act of sitting shuts down the fat absorbing enzyme. Standing up uses blood glucose. I plan to stand more often.

Disconnect between brain regions in ADHD

Disconnect between brain regions in ADHD

Let's clean up our Hearts!

Pondering and thinking lately about all the problems for teens. The latest technology seems to be mostly use by teens to gain access to others there age...which they believe is "kool" or "fun". Yet, what I see is the majority of the kids are not learning to use the tools wisely. And the darts from the devil come at these teens from all directions, but the easiest is through the new tech gadgets, from their peers. Yes, that's right. They are sending negative messages to each other. I once bought a little chicken. I built it a nice coop, and thought this would be great. She grew up, and seemed happy alone. But then I put another one in with her one day. She tried to kill the new little chick. She didn't realize that it was one of her own. So, I had to separate them to keep them alive.

Today's kids seem thrown in a big arena at the schools, and they don't know who the real strangers are. Most public school kids are having some problems with socialization! That's right folks! They are not friendly. They don't recognize their own kind of species. And their ideas of what is kool or fun is usually based on which clothes they can get, or how much violent games they have at home, or if they can get on the computer and talk trash. It's a real mess out there. I wish people would realize that it is a crisis here in America too. We are rich in comparison to Haiti.....and spiritually poor! The kids are in a culture at their school, which is full of destruction to the human heart.

I plan to find new lessons for my kids. One that I found lately was The Squire and The Scroll, by Jennie Bishop. It's for boys, to teach them purity, valor, and to be on guard! It's really a rough world right now. Jennie Bishop also wrote the Princess and the Kiss, for girls to learn about purity.

I surely hope that I can find ways to teach them to guard their hearts and even their eyes from the things that will bring them down. Lots of kids I meet have wounded souls, which I think is sad. Sometimes a kid will say to me, "recycle, save the earth".....to which I'm ususally thinking...."May God save us!" We need to save our kids hearts, or they won't be able to enjoy a earth, even if it's clean, without landfills. The heart shouldn't be a dump! Let's clean up our hearts!

A Better Life

I am in search of a better life. I thought I had it years ago, and lost it along the way with all the discipline issues, etc. Today was a glimpse into that life, because my son really tried hard to do well. I am hopeful today, which helps my outlook!

We started a few new good habits in our homeschool this week. We are reading the Psalms more and using them for handwriting practice too. Also, I found a great website full of charts at www.chartjungle.com The charts really help dear son to see his own responsiblities and progress.

We also joined an afterschool recreation for kids, and have the option for him to go there on some days. It's not too far from home, and we can choose which days we want to use the program.

We are trying to explain to the little one, that she isn't a baby anymore, but will always be loved. She will be 3 this month, and still thinks she's a baby.

I am trying to drink lots of green tea, since it's suppost to be healthy for all kinds of stuff! :)

The cold weather is strange to us. It nevers lasts this long. What happened to all the global warming?

I actually had a minute for this post, but I hear the laundry calling me.

FREE GIVEAWAY

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She's got some great beautiful aprons and hats for Mom's & Kids!

Yard Work

Well, since I had procrastinated the yard work, I finally went out and did some. I worked hard today. The front yard was overgrown. I've hedged, raked, pulled lots of weeds. I am exhausted! Yet, I am happy that the much needed work got done.

Homeschool thoughts

As the next semester approaches, I have used the amblesideonline.org to guide my literature for the children. I have used an eclectic style with the kids for years, but I believe that the philosophy of Charlotte Mason has been my outlook regarding most education. My eldest daughter loves to read so much, and I hope to go to the library this week. I've written her an index card of the books I would like her to read before summer. I've done the same for my son. I'm considering moving my son up to a higher science, to challenge him more, and give his brain more to think about.

I'm trying to consider that I may not necessarily need more organized things, but more priorities to accomplish. We will be printing out our charts to keep us on a good schedule, and it helps to see some progress on them.

I really like the Abeka books for science. They are so interesting and all my children like them. I would like to incorporate some character based learning into our day. Since the town near us has a big Medieval Fair in February, I would love to do some unit studies on that this year too.

Vasilopeta

Ok! Success! I made my first Vasilopeta bread! It looks great. but, it has a hole in it! LOL ;) That's because I didn't have a regular round pan, so I used a bundt pan. I think it will be delicious. I can't wait to see who will get the piece with the coin!

Our oaks are falling leaves like there is no tomorrow. They don't just fall in autumn, but many times through the year. It's alittle annoying, but in the summer the shade they give is important.

Dear daughter and I were just looking at photos yesterday, and I was thinking...gee we need to start to scrapbook these. I don't really know when we will make the time!