It has been a little over a month since I wrote the first post of our new school year. We've been in an ebb and flow fashion as of late. I sometimes feel like, right after we get a good pattern going with life and school, we have some sort of disruption. I guess the trick is to keep the ebb and flow pattern and limit the disruptions as much as possible. We had a great visit from Pap-pa in November where we visited several Pensacola landmarks (Naval Air Museum, Pensacola Lighthouse and Ft. Pickens). We loved all of those things. We had never gone to the top of the Lighthouse before (and I still didn't, because at the last minute, Aiden got cold feet - and really to be honest I did too, as I didn't wear the proper foot attire and I was NOT looking forward to going up that winding staircase barefooted!). So, Aiden and I stayed down below and watched everyone above us and took pictures. It was also a little bit of a stretch for me to allow my babies to be up there without me. I tried not to panic at the thought of Noah or Caitlyn bouncing over the side before Pap-pa could catch them. Luckily, their Pap-pa is in great shape and that helped my anxiety a bit. They all made it down safely, PTL. The next day we went to Ft. Pickens. We had not been able to visit the last time we were stationed here because of the hurricane. It was really neat. We all enjoyed seeing the fort and reading the history and seeing Caitlyn chase after butterflies. She has a knack for catching butterflies and takes every opportunity she can get to chase them. Feeling their little flittering wings against her hands transports her to a magical place where her brothers cannot follow as they are not quite so adept at catching the little creatures. The day after that we had a great time at a local art gallery painting. Who knew we had so much talent in one family?
We traveled to Houston for Thanksgiving and then decided that we just couldn't make another TX trip before the end of the year, which was bittersweet for us. It was great thinking about being home for Christmas, but alas, Pensacola is not home. So, we enjoyed being with Granddaddy and Grandmommy for a while. We shopped and went to see the new Muppet movie. I got sentimental and shed a few tears while Kermit transported me back to my pre-teen life with his Rainbow Connection. There is just something beautiful about frogs strumming guitars, singing about rainbows, you have to admit.
December has just been a push toward Christmas, unfortunately. I wanted a peaceful Advent season, but that isn't really how it has been. I'm not sure why I've felt so anxious, maybe because I'm unsure of how Christmas will be without the traveling, or maybe this semester hasn't exactly worked out how I thought it should. So, I guess I will just try to wait as patiently as I can for God to move in our new lives here. I can tell He is working on the internal part of our family, just not so much the external part. (And if you know me, you know waiting for that part is very difficult for me!) I am remaining faithful to the promise that God made in Joshua, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you" and learning how to appear patient even when my insides are telling me, "WHAT is going on here???"
I will say that we did have a rockin' Christmas party! It is the first time I can remember hosting a party and it was a rousing success. I could hear Melissa's voice telling me that I had a gift for hospitality and it really showed that night. We had Chris' co-workers over and had a TX style spread complete with taco bar and home-made salsa! We had a few great rounds of rockband on the Wii and then completed the night with a HILARIOUS dance off between Caitlyn and a giant guy to a Katy Perry song. I was laughing so hard that I forgot to get it on video or I totally would post it here for all to enjoy. It was a fun group and a great time. Glad we did it. Will do it again.
Then, last weekend we had an awesome Saturday with our friends Melissa and B and R. OH. MY. GOSH, I can't tell you how happy it made me to see the kids skipping and running and laughing with their good buddies. Melissa said R's heart was happy, and boy mine was too. I will post pics as soon as I get them off the camera. We all decided that our next meet-up would have to involve a hotel stay so we could hang longer. We met half-way in Gulfport, Mississippi at the childrens' museum. It was a little juvenile for the "big" boys, but they endured it with lots of Beyblades and chatter. Aiden vacillated between the boys and the girls and only told me once that there was "nutting to do", which is typical retort when he is tired!
I would love to say that we had gotten through our curriculum gloriously this semester, but it seems that transition always takes more time than I expect. Although, it is going pretty smoothly. This month we have enjoyed many Christmas crafts which I'll post pics of soon.
I hope that this post finds all of my readers well and blessed, even the hacker who insists he needs my help in transferring millions of dollars. I hope he finds a good place for his millions, even if it isn't in my bank account. I am looking forward to celebrating the birth of the Christ child tomorrow and the day after. I hope that my kids remember Jesus amid all the presents and wrappings. I hope I will too...
Blessings friends.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wow, November!
I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to blog since we started our school year. I've even blogged in my mind some, just not IRL. So, today November 14th is the day for an update!
Noah is moving right along in 5th grade. We have made some changes in curriculum this year (yes, yes, I know what you're thinking). These changes have been great for Noah. We FINALLY came around to Singapore math. Why didn't I listen sooner? It is the perfect fit for us. I have a teacher's manual that helps me teach and Noah has a variety of different exercises to learn the concepts. Perfect fit. Can I say it again, perfect fit. I like the way it sounds. I think I'll stick with this one! For history and language arts we are using a Sonlight/My Father's World hybrid. Noah is too advanced for the Adventures program that I selected, so I have managed to meld the program with Sonlight D+E for a challenging and full program. We are pretty much following both programs, with the exception of other fun tidbits that the kids or I find interesting. Right now we are doing an in-depth study of American Indians (or Native Americans). It is going slowly, but it has been really fun. I am basing our study off of the Evan Moor Native Americans History Pocket. All the little crafty things are right up Caitlyn's alley, and they hit some essential fine motor skills that Noah really needs work on. He has been reading about a novel a week, with some overflow. The thing I love about Sonlight is that it really doesn't give a bunch of Mickey Mouse exercises to check comprehension. I always hated those book report sheets that I had to fill out when I was in school. I have done a variety of things with Noah to check his comprehension. Sometimes I just quiz him with some of the questions. Sometimes I pull out a quote and ask him to tell me what is happening in the scene. I used to quiz my 9th graders with quotes when they would do outside reading. I think the most effective exercise, though, has been my using The Arrow, by Bravewriter. The Arrow is a language arts magazine that is put out monthly, I think. I was able to buy "back issues" through Homeschool Buyers Co-op, so I just picked up a few that matched up with the Sonlight novels (geneous, I know). I am alternating days of the Arrow passages with The Phonetic Zoo and Evan Moor's Daily Language Review. I've found that alternating grammar and writing is the best for us. For science, I will admit, I'm failing...I had every intention of creating this wonderfully rich science experience for Noah, but it just ain't happenin'. So, we are doing weekly interest based research topics and he is working with Caitlyn in REAL Science Odyssey Life. He is still learning, but just not at a rigorous pace that I had hoped. I guess I am just trying to figure out how to really teach two different levels at once.
Caitlyn is doing great with Adventures in My Father's World. I have been watering it down some by just using picture books about the topic at hand. We are still using Explode the Code for phonics as well as some scholastic ebooks that I ordered during their dollar sale. I also am using some readers by Abeka. I'm not totally happy with this combo, but it just came down to the fact that I didn't want to spend more money on curriculum. She is also using Singapore for math, with a splash of Miquon. I mostly use the cuisenaire rods to teach the concepts when the Singapore teacher manual calls for a manipulative. Since we used Miquon last year, Caitlyn is very comfortable with the rods. I still say that Miquon gave her a way to "see" math, in a way that I was never able to.
Aiden is mainly playing with Little People and playing apps on the iPad. I really am amazed at what the iPad technology can get the kids to do. It really does just invite the kids to perform activities that my oldest would NEVER have done at 3. Aiden can identify all of his letters and most of the letter sounds as well as write some of his letters. I think the games on the ipad have helped him tremendously.
Other than those things, we don't really have anything else to report. We are trying to get connected in various things, some success, some fail. We're just plugging along...
Noah is moving right along in 5th grade. We have made some changes in curriculum this year (yes, yes, I know what you're thinking). These changes have been great for Noah. We FINALLY came around to Singapore math. Why didn't I listen sooner? It is the perfect fit for us. I have a teacher's manual that helps me teach and Noah has a variety of different exercises to learn the concepts. Perfect fit. Can I say it again, perfect fit. I like the way it sounds. I think I'll stick with this one! For history and language arts we are using a Sonlight/My Father's World hybrid. Noah is too advanced for the Adventures program that I selected, so I have managed to meld the program with Sonlight D+E for a challenging and full program. We are pretty much following both programs, with the exception of other fun tidbits that the kids or I find interesting. Right now we are doing an in-depth study of American Indians (or Native Americans). It is going slowly, but it has been really fun. I am basing our study off of the Evan Moor Native Americans History Pocket. All the little crafty things are right up Caitlyn's alley, and they hit some essential fine motor skills that Noah really needs work on. He has been reading about a novel a week, with some overflow. The thing I love about Sonlight is that it really doesn't give a bunch of Mickey Mouse exercises to check comprehension. I always hated those book report sheets that I had to fill out when I was in school. I have done a variety of things with Noah to check his comprehension. Sometimes I just quiz him with some of the questions. Sometimes I pull out a quote and ask him to tell me what is happening in the scene. I used to quiz my 9th graders with quotes when they would do outside reading. I think the most effective exercise, though, has been my using The Arrow, by Bravewriter. The Arrow is a language arts magazine that is put out monthly, I think. I was able to buy "back issues" through Homeschool Buyers Co-op, so I just picked up a few that matched up with the Sonlight novels (geneous, I know). I am alternating days of the Arrow passages with The Phonetic Zoo and Evan Moor's Daily Language Review. I've found that alternating grammar and writing is the best for us. For science, I will admit, I'm failing...I had every intention of creating this wonderfully rich science experience for Noah, but it just ain't happenin'. So, we are doing weekly interest based research topics and he is working with Caitlyn in REAL Science Odyssey Life. He is still learning, but just not at a rigorous pace that I had hoped. I guess I am just trying to figure out how to really teach two different levels at once.
Caitlyn is doing great with Adventures in My Father's World. I have been watering it down some by just using picture books about the topic at hand. We are still using Explode the Code for phonics as well as some scholastic ebooks that I ordered during their dollar sale. I also am using some readers by Abeka. I'm not totally happy with this combo, but it just came down to the fact that I didn't want to spend more money on curriculum. She is also using Singapore for math, with a splash of Miquon. I mostly use the cuisenaire rods to teach the concepts when the Singapore teacher manual calls for a manipulative. Since we used Miquon last year, Caitlyn is very comfortable with the rods. I still say that Miquon gave her a way to "see" math, in a way that I was never able to.
Aiden is mainly playing with Little People and playing apps on the iPad. I really am amazed at what the iPad technology can get the kids to do. It really does just invite the kids to perform activities that my oldest would NEVER have done at 3. Aiden can identify all of his letters and most of the letter sounds as well as write some of his letters. I think the games on the ipad have helped him tremendously.
Other than those things, we don't really have anything else to report. We are trying to get connected in various things, some success, some fail. We're just plugging along...
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Year of the FROG...
Today we began our fifth year of homeschooling, even though we are calling it "school lite" for a couple of weeks. We have had a busy and difficult summer with our pcs to Pensacola from our beloved home state of Texas. I think we are all missing our friends and family a little bit. I had been in prayer about our "theme" for this year, (you know I've just done VBS too many times not to have a theme to get excited about) and God showed me the frogs.
One of my fondest memories of our time in Pensacola was our nightly frog count. Each night Noah and I would go out to our front porch and count the little tree frogs on our overhang, devouring the mosquitos. We loved those little guys. Our highest count ever was 19, can you imagine? It was a whole family! We loved that time together so much, counting those frogs, me and my one child, little three-year-old, Noah. I also thought about another special time with frogs, last year during VBS. We were doing a camping type theme and we were raising money for a charity with our offerings. The best part of the week, though, is that we set a goal for the week, and if we met that goal, we were going to make the chaplain kiss a frog. It was awesome, the kids really got into it. We decided that our unofficial theme for the week was that we were learning to Fully Rely On God, or FROG! Cute, huh?
I think that God was bringing these sweet memories to me to highlight the fact that our little class really does have some work in the "relying on Him" department. With our transition and our changes, we really do have to rely on Him, because we have nothing else...We've been stripped of our security blankets (family and friends). I find that a time such as this is the perfect time to return to the security of His arms and know that not matter what the problem is...we can RELY on HIM!!!!
Night before last I happened upon a package of letters that Chris had saved. You know how it is when you move, there's just no telling what the packers could have unearthed in the depths of your junk. Well, this night I found letters. I had written them to Chris at a VERY difficult time in our lives, just after we lost our sweet Emily. Chris was away at OIS and Noah and I were at home dealing as best as we could. The part of the letter that I thought was most interesting was my sentiment that I wanted to love Noah intentionally each day. I didn't want a day to go by without him feeling my love. After you suffer a loss, you are often left the with the acute awareness of the fragility of life. Within that awareness you have the desparate need to live life to the fullest. Part of that fullness is making sure that my family know where I stand with them. I want to make sure that each of my children feel the fullness of my love. I find it so ironic that I should find such a letter the day after I create a sobbing mess of a ten year old over his messy room. Now, before you go down the, "loving means discipline" road, I know that I must instill certain values in my children. I know it is important to create order and cleanliness. I just should have gone about it in a different way. I should have been more loving.
So glad that we all have already learned so much, and it is only Monday...
One of my fondest memories of our time in Pensacola was our nightly frog count. Each night Noah and I would go out to our front porch and count the little tree frogs on our overhang, devouring the mosquitos. We loved those little guys. Our highest count ever was 19, can you imagine? It was a whole family! We loved that time together so much, counting those frogs, me and my one child, little three-year-old, Noah. I also thought about another special time with frogs, last year during VBS. We were doing a camping type theme and we were raising money for a charity with our offerings. The best part of the week, though, is that we set a goal for the week, and if we met that goal, we were going to make the chaplain kiss a frog. It was awesome, the kids really got into it. We decided that our unofficial theme for the week was that we were learning to Fully Rely On God, or FROG! Cute, huh?
I think that God was bringing these sweet memories to me to highlight the fact that our little class really does have some work in the "relying on Him" department. With our transition and our changes, we really do have to rely on Him, because we have nothing else...We've been stripped of our security blankets (family and friends). I find that a time such as this is the perfect time to return to the security of His arms and know that not matter what the problem is...we can RELY on HIM!!!!
Night before last I happened upon a package of letters that Chris had saved. You know how it is when you move, there's just no telling what the packers could have unearthed in the depths of your junk. Well, this night I found letters. I had written them to Chris at a VERY difficult time in our lives, just after we lost our sweet Emily. Chris was away at OIS and Noah and I were at home dealing as best as we could. The part of the letter that I thought was most interesting was my sentiment that I wanted to love Noah intentionally each day. I didn't want a day to go by without him feeling my love. After you suffer a loss, you are often left the with the acute awareness of the fragility of life. Within that awareness you have the desparate need to live life to the fullest. Part of that fullness is making sure that my family know where I stand with them. I want to make sure that each of my children feel the fullness of my love. I find it so ironic that I should find such a letter the day after I create a sobbing mess of a ten year old over his messy room. Now, before you go down the, "loving means discipline" road, I know that I must instill certain values in my children. I know it is important to create order and cleanliness. I just should have gone about it in a different way. I should have been more loving.
So glad that we all have already learned so much, and it is only Monday...
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Our new notebooking strategy...
This semester I've started doing our notebooking a little bit differently. I recently read a blog about a homeschooling mom who used "altered" composition notebooks for her notebooking. I thought maybe using comp books would be great for us. We've tried lapbooking in the past and although, we had a great time doing them, I ended up doing most of the work. Also, my son became frustrated when he didn't have enough room to write on the lapbook piece. Then I tried traditional notebooking with a three ring binder. I had papers EVERYWHERE. We just aren't organized enough to put and KEEP everything in the binder. It seemed like every time we put something in, it mysteriously let things slip out. Anyway, so I was on the search for a new idea and it seemed as if the comp books might work for us. I wanted something that could be as elaborate or simple as necessary, as I have kids at various levels. So when we started REAL Science Odyssey - Life this semester, it seemed like the perfect time to implement it. I also used the same concept for our TX history study. I really got into decorating the cover, and I loved the way it turned out so much, that I plan on decorating all of their notebooks for next year. I put clear packing tape over the cover of them to help with the longevity! The idea is simple, just use the pages like you would a normal spiral notebook (if you have work that needs to be written out), or just glue/tape in any lapbooking or notebooking components that you might have. Our last step in any activity is to put it in our notebooks. With the strength of the binding and the gluing of the pieces, nothing has fallen or gotten ripped out yet. Some notebooking pages, I do trim down so that it will fit, but sometimes I just make the cutting and pasting part of the assignment (which is always good for my son who struggles with his fine motor skills). Hope this gives you an idea about how I've used these in my school. Oh, and I've had lots of questions about how RSO Life is going and it is going fabulously! I do "beef it up" for my oldest. Any topic we cover, I make him read in more depth in his science encyclopedia and pull out more details for his notebook.
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Rush of Angels Wings...
I was late to Bible study yesterday...again. I really do try to be on time, honest, I do. But, there are days when I'm doing good just to get out of the door with all my kids, kids' stuff, my stuff, in a sane manor. The words slipped out almost before I could stop them, "Let's go, let's go, let's go," in one staccato phrase. I was immediately transported back to the EHS football stadium where I heard my dad's familiar, "All the way whatdoya say, all the way," and I realized, yes, I've become my father. Anyone who knew my dad during this time, will know exactly what I'm talking about. You could always hear my dad over everyone else... Anyway, so I was on my way to Bible study. The kids were jabbering in the back, about what, I'm just not sure. We arrived 10 minutes late and assumed our usual parking spot, under the tree need the chapel parking lot. I just feel at home pulling in there, it's like God holds it for us. The kids jumped out and took off, very excited to see their friends for the morning. I entered right as they were saying an opening prayer so I quietly and respectfully put my things down, gathered my Bible and book and headed for an open spot. About half way there, I heard and felt and awesome power followed by the loudest rumble and I heard the ladies exclaim, "The angels are here!" Yes, it is that time of year again, The Blue Angels airshow. You really cannot watch their aerobatics without feeling awe. I so love this time of year as it makes my heart swell with Navy pride, but this year, their coming made me feel more than pride... After Bible study we went to Jody's house for some fellowship and it was just the time that the Angels were practicing their maneuvers. The little kids were enthralled as the jets zoomed back and forth overhead. Aiden would run to the window and exclaim, "WOW!" Their utter amazement really got me thinking about angels in general. I remember from Bible stories that many who witnessed angels were awestruck. Oftentimes, the angel had to say, "Do not be afraid." Those who witnessed them knew that they didn't just pop up everyday and that there must be something special in that moment. I also remember the soldiers that came to arrest Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed and at the very utterance of his name, "I AM," hundreds of soldiers fall to the ground. Now that is power, right? In this day and age it really takes a lot to surprise us. I mean, we've got gadgets that do just about anything. We have every kind of reality drama on TV that you can imagine, singing competitions to paternity test reveals. We are, in fact, desensitized to most things in life. We do have brief moments in life, where we experience the height of amazement, like the birth of a child, but for the most part, we float along not really feeling the exhilaration that can come with really experiencing something amazing. Where is all this going, you ask? I'm almost there...drum roll please... Shouldn't we be awestruck every time we encounter the risen savior? Shouldn't we relish in the beauty and amazing things in which God has surrounded us? The ocean tide, the starry sky, the beautiful spring flowers...All of these things, and many, many more point directly to the awesome power of an eternal Lord. As we approach Easter, we prepare ourselves to be amazed. The resurrection is amazing after all. I think the thing we need to remember this season is to continue to be amazed. My dad has often said, "We are an Easter people." He is so right, but part of being an Easter people is living that amazement that we feel every day of the year, not just on Easter. Surprise yourself with amazement and allow it to fill you just as those "Easter people" before you have done!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Caitlyn: iLiveMath Test Results
iLiveMath Results: Level 1
Number of Questions: 2
Correctly Answered: 0
Incorrectly Answered: 1
Unanswered: 1
Correct: 0%
Incorrect: 50%
Unanswered: 50%
Question 1:
A Chinese zoo feeds pandas at 3:00 PM and it takes them 3 hours to feed. What time did they finish?
3:00 PM + 3 hours = 6:00 PM
You need to spin to pick an answer and tap 'Done'.
Incorrect Answer: 8
Question 2:
Tourists started photographing Sarus cranes at 1:11 PM and completed at 1:19 PM. How many minutes have passed?
1:19 PM - 1:11 PM = 8 minutes
(c) 2010 iHome Educator
www.iHomeEducator.com
www.iLiveMath.blogspot.com
Sent from my iPhone
iLiveMath Results: Level 1
Number of Questions: 2
Correctly Answered: 0
Incorrectly Answered: 1
Unanswered: 1
Correct: 0%
Incorrect: 50%
Unanswered: 50%
Question 1:
A zoologist in India saw 7 Sarus cranes last week and 2 this week. What is the sum?
7 + 2 = 9
Question 2:
The pandas expedition started at 6 o'clock PM and completed in 2 hours. What time did the tour complete?
6:00 PM + 2 hours = 8:00 PM
Incorrect Answer: 4
(c) 2010 iHome Educator
www.iHomeEducator.com
www.iLiveMath.blogspot.com
Sent from my iPhone
Test
iLiveMath Results: Level 1
Number of Questions: 2
Correctly Answered: 0
Incorrectly Answered: 1
Unanswered: 1
Correct: 0%
Incorrect: 50%
Unanswered: 50%
Question 1:
A zoologist in India saw 7 Sarus cranes last week and 2 this week. What is the sum?
7 + 2 = 9
Question 2:
The pandas expedition started at 6 o'clock PM and completed in 2 hours. What time did the tour complete?
6:00 PM + 2 hours = 8:00 PM
Incorrect Answer: 4
(c) 2010 iHome Educator
www.iHomeEducator.com
www.iLiveMath.blogspot.com
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, February 18, 2011
I am so excited I can hardly stand it...
My kids and I are anxiously awaiting the new All About Reading program to come out. They had a little sample unit that you could do as a preview and my littles LOVED it. Caitlyn and Aiden both participated, so that gave me the idea of actually using it for both of them for next year. Caitlyn is doing well with her phonograms, but still needs more practice with them. She is recognizing initial sounds, but is still having some trouble with final sounds. Overall she's doing quite well with phonics, but reading still hasn't quite clicked with her. Here is a picture to tempt you like it did me, when I saw it on the AAR forum at the chatterbee...
Now maybe you will await it with me!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Caitlyn's project...
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Aiden's pie for the king!
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Preparing for Battle
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