Are you beautiful?

Before I get real with you on physical beauty, I want to touch base on natural / inside beauty.  We all have heard the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and that is very true.  I have met some people in my lifetime who on the outside, first impression, are ordinary.  You know, not supermodel material, not ugly, just ordinary.  I would consider myself ordinary people.  Nothing stands out as gorgeous, just.............ordinary.



But as I got to know these 'ordinary' people I've come across, they are quite the opposite of ordinary, they are simple gorgeous!  Their attitudes, heart, kindness, and compassion makes them absolutely gorgeous.  You can meet America's top supermodel and think she is ugly because of her attitude.  (I'm not slamming America's top supermodel, I honestly don't even know who she is.  lol)  Beauty shines through your actions, your heart, your selflessness, and compassion for others.

Now I'm going to get real.  Vain.  Outside beauty.  Not what is in the inside, but the outside physical beauty.  

Everyone has that one thing (or a few things) about themselves that if they could change, they would.  Some change it, some hide it, some just deal with it and have low self esteem and never feel truly good about their appearance.  I have a few things I would change about myself.  First is my nose.  I don't like my nose.  I feel it's too big and I don't take good pictures because of it.  I also don't like the dark circles under my eyes.  (Those were inherited, I supposed my nose was too?) Now, I share this with you NOT to be lifted up by others or any other reason.  I have a point and I'll get to it soon.  ;)
The other thing, and the biggest thing, I am never happy with my hair for long period of time.  For those who know me, know this is right on and totally accurate.  I get a pixie, love it for a few months, then hate it.  I highlight it (myself), love it for a few months (sometimes only weeks), then dye it dark again. I've even had it bleached professionally before.  (Sorry the pic is really bad.)




I loved it that way, but it really damaged my hair.
I get it cut again, then I grow it out, love it for a while, hate it and cut it again then complain that I shouldn't have cut my hair.  





This is me.  This is how I've always been.  I've never happy with my hair.  Now, this is not a spiritual thing.  I am grateful for my hair.  Going through breast cancer last year, I am blessed not to have had to do chemo and lose my hair.  THANK YOU LORD!  I just feel better about myself when I have 'nice' hair.  

So, here is my point, yes, finally getting to it.  If you don't like something about yourself change it!  If you don't like your eyebrows, pluck them.  If you don't like your weigh, try to lose it.  If you don't like your nails, paint them.  If you don't like your eyes, find make up tips to change them.  If you don't like your hair, change it.  There is nothing wrong with making changes to yourself to feel more confident as long as you are doing it for YOU, not someone else.  Now I can't have a nose job done so I will do what I can and change my hair.  I started wearing wigs.  Yes, wigs.  I've done some research and I can buy a nice wig less than I can go and get a haircut.  Yes.  It's true.  So at first I thought to myself 'what will people think?'.  I did get a few weird looks at church last Sunday morning, but you know what, people get their hair frosted, dyed, extensions put it, gray covered up, permed and straightened so why not just wear a wig?  You can change your hair style anytime you want or change up your color any time you want and you don't damage your natural hair in the mean time.  In the past I have bleached my hair, messed up my hair, fried my hair, you name it......my hair has been through it.  It heals itself and gets healthy again, but lately my hair isn't as thick.  It doesn't feel the same.  I don't know if its the Tamoxifen (cancer medication) or if it's just my age, but it's just not the same.  I'm not happy with it so I decided to do something about it.  

So here it is.  The wig I have been wearing.  I matched my natural color (without the gray, lol).  (I do need to darken my eyebrows though.  My eyebrows are thin so I color them in, but I think they need to be a bit darker.)  




I ordered another one from ebay and it should be here soon.  It's very long and curly.  I'll post a pic below when I get it.  

Like I mentioned above, it's cheaper than going to get your hair trimmed!  The average wash, cut (trim) & style is about $30 plus tip now and that is on the conservative side!  That doesn't include highlights, color, or extensions.  I just read a post on facebook and read that some women pay $150 to get their hair done.  If that is you, I'm not judging.  If it makes you feel better about yourself and you can afford it, go for it!  But I cannot afford that.  (Even if I could, I probably wouldn't.  I'm pretty cheap.)  

So if there is something you don't like about yourself, CHANGE IT.  You'll feel more confident and happy.  Pamper yourself.  And as far as the haters go (whether it be wig haters, make up haters, fake nail haters, etc)........who cares what they think?!  I only care about what my God thinks first and foremost and then my hubby.  That's it.  Feel better about yourself and go for it!

***UPDATE***  Here is my new hairdo!  

My daily Kefir Breakfast

A good friend of mine introduced me to Kefir.  For those who have never heard of Kefir (like me until a few weeks ago), Kefir is a tart drink that taste like yogurt.  It contains beneficial yeast as well as probiotics that your body needs, like those probiotics you buy in the store or find in yogurt.  Kefir contains natural bacteria and yeast.  It has great health benefits when consumed regularly.  It's loaded with valuable vitamins, minerals and easily digestible proteins.  

You can make Kefir in your own home by starting with Kefir grains.  You can get the grains from a friend and I've heard you can buy them online.  I would recommend that you get them locally, from a friend. 

Here is a great video on youtube that shows how to grow/make Kefir and the benefits.  This youtuber is very informative and says that it helped cure her from Crohn's disease.*






This is my daily kefir breakfast:

I use Phood, by Plant Fusion.  I buy this on Amazon for around $38. It comes in vanilla or chocolate caramel.  (I didn't like the caramel one, just thought I'd throw that in.)  It has several vitamins, high in protein and no soy, no animal products, no gluten and no dairy.  I also use raw, local honey.  I get this from a few bee keeper friends and it is wonderful and yummy!  Then, the Kefir.  I use about one cup of the refrigerated Kefir and add some ice to the blender as well.  Blend together and drink.  If I have bananas, I put one in there.  You can add any fruit that you'd like.  You can add flax seed or chia seeds too if you'd like.





Here is the label on the Phood in case you are interested.




I don't claim to be a health nut.  I eat my share of junk food.  My fault is candy!  I love candy!  But I try to limit myself and try to eat as healthy as I can.  

Since I started Kefir, I have felt like I had more energy and I don't have to take my daily stool softener anymore. I have to say that when I heard that the Kefir helps with digestion, I was sold and willing to try.  There are so many health issues that all stem back to your gut health.  I've only been drinking this for about a week and a half.  I plan to continue.  

So if you have health issues, you may want to check into this.  :)

* Disclaimer:  I do not claim this will cure Crohn's or any other disease.  I only blog from my experience and help spread the word on what health benefits others received from this product.

A 1200 lb. pet? Yikes!

I did it.  I'm a horse owner.  Well, we had Cinnamon, our mini horse.  (I knew I wanted a riding horse, so we got the mini a few months back.)  Anyway, I found a nice trail horse.  I have to say, I prayed, and prayed, and prayed for the perfect horse for me.  I wanted the 1200 lb. animal to be the right fit for me.  My order wasn't small either.  I wanted a good trail horse.  A mare with a huge amount of patience and well behaved.  I wanted no bad habits. One who was trained and gaited.  I wanted a horse that would bond with me and our personalities match.  Well, my prayers were answered!  




She really only has one bad habit and that's is that she reaches over our fence to eat the grass in our yard.  The grass is literally greener on the other side of the fence.  Due to the low amount of rain, our grass isn't that great anymore.  I've been feeding her grain, minerals, salt and of course hay.  LOTS of hay. 

Took her trail riding several times and she is doing great!  She is gaited and she even knows how to beg.   Which I didn't know she was begging until our Farrier told me what she was doing.  Someone spent some time with her.  She's 12 years old and she is gentle and I love her already!  

Cinnamon gets along with her very well.  They had it out a few times in the beginning, but it's all good.

I am new to all this horse ownership stuff, but I do have a great mentor.  My friend Marilyn has helped me with choosing a horse, trail riding, safety tips, health tips, etc.  She is an angel.  :)   I would highly suggest that anyone wanting to buy a horse to first find a mentor.  There is a lot of responsibility that goes into this beautiful creature (and well worth it I may add), and it wouldn't be fair to the animal to get into horse ownership without being prepared. 

So, this bad habit she has (reaching over the fence for greener grass), any suggestions on how to correct it?  My husband is planning on putting electric fence on the top.  The fencing we have now is goat/sheep fence, which is very strong, good fencing. We have sheep and goats so we already had this type of fencing and knew it was strong.  Well,........not strong enough to hold a 1200 lb. horse from bending the top over.  lol.    Any suggestions?

What made me decide to homeschool?

I think some parents decide to homeschool because they are called to.  I personally was told by the Lord to homeschool my boys, so I did.  But at first I was scared, confused and uneducated about it.  I pushed the thought aside for a bit and went on with life.  Our oldest son just started third grade, our middle son just started the K4 program and my youngest was just a few months old.  We had just recently made the decision for me to be a stay at home mom full time.

One day while picking up my two older boys at the private Christian school they attended, the teacher (also principle and pastors wife) met me at the door.   She told me that she had an issue with my oldest son.  I was shocked because he was the quiet, calm, did as he was told, son.  (Not that the younger one was not, he was just more of the 'class clown'.)  She began to explain how he sat in her classroom all day and didn't do any of his work for that day.  On the way home I questioned my son about this issue.  Nothing was said to him until right before I got there.  At first I was irritated but I began to think 'I pay really good money for the boys to attend that school.  How is it that she was in the same room all day with him and didn't notice him not doing his work?'  (Especially when there was only about 20 children in that room.)  The more I pondered this, the more irritated I became.  The school uses aBeka curriculum.  I've seen the curriculum and thought to myself that I could teach this to my boys.  I could teach them the same material they were learning at this expensive private school.  (Which money wasn't the issue at this point.  Remember, I was called by the Lord to homeschool so I believe this was his way of opening my eyes.)  

I started to research homeschooling.  I was shocked to see that there were several homeschool groups right here in my county!  Really?  Where were they all?  lol.  I've never noticed.  I heard that the local homeschool group was holding a meeting about homeschooling, so I decided to go.  I was a fish out of water.  Do people really do this, educate their own children at home?  They get to spend all day, everyday with their children?  Where do I start?  I don't need a degree?  What would my husband think?  How in the world do they organize, give grades, chose curricula?  I had so many questions.  I tried to ask a few, but again, I was a fish out of water and felt so overwhelmed.

After the meeting I went home and told my husband all about what I found out.  I then looked up the Florida homeschooling laws, (we lived in FL at the time), discussed and went over it with my husband.  He was ok with me doing this, so I then joined HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association), gave the private school and county Notice of Intent, and I found a mentor.  :)

So some are called to homeschool, some are just not happy with the public school statistics, and some want to be with their kids.  For whatever reason, it's good to know that we as parents have the right to decide what kind of education our children receive.  Because the government is funding our public schools, we as parents have less and less control and say on how they are run and what they are teaching the next generation.  I used to say that I am not anti-pubic school, but I feel my opinion shifting.  They are not getting better.  Our safety for our public school children is diminishing as well.  I have great concern for our public schools here in America.  Do I think homeschooling is for everyone?  No.  But if you aren't happy with the education your child is receiving, you can do something about it.  You do have choices.  YOU are responsible for your child's education, not the government.  YOU should decide what kind of education they should receive.  Pray about it.  Ask God to show you the answer and help you decide what educational path you should take for your family.

HAPPY HOMESCHOOLING!

BEFORE you start homeschooling, you should..............

#1  Know your state laws!

This seems a little scary.....the word 'law', yikes! There are laws with homeschooling?  Yes.  Each state has their own homeschooling laws and requirements.  You can go to HSLDA.org (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) and click on your state to see what your state laws are.  There are only 5 states that have high regulation, some with low to moderate regulation and there are also a few that have no notice requirement at all!  The few that have no notice requirements (meaning, you do not have to notify them at all that you are homeschooling) are MI, IN, IL, IA, MO, OK, TX, AK, NJ, ID and CT. (Guam & Puerto Rico are in this group as well.)  Some of these may require a certain number of days or hours to be schooled, or different compulsory age requirements, some want log books and portfolio's to be kept, but there is no notice to be filed and I don't believe any assessments are required to be turned in.  So please check your state before you start to homeschool to make sure you are compliant with the laws!  Our veteran homeschoolers fought to preserve these rights for us so we don't want to infringe on them.

#2   Plug into your local homeschool groups!

If you don't think your community has a homeschool group, think again.  We are out there!  (We are everywhere!  hahaha)  Homeschooling is growing at a ridiculous rate this past decade.  There are over 2 million homeschooled children in the US alone!
Just Google 'homeschool groups' or find your state under- http://www.homeschool.com/supportgroups/
HSLDA also has groups listed.  However, keep in mind that these groups will need to register with these websites.  So if you cannot find a group using these websites, that doesn't mean they don't exist.  Our local homeschool group has over 120 families in a rural area of northwest WV and we aren't on these sites.  (Not sure why now that I'm thinking about this.  Hmmmm.)  Your public library is another great place to ask about homeschooling groups.  Most homeschooling parents utilize the library.  Also, there are several homeschooling groups on Facebook now.  So they are out there, you just need to look.  :)

#3   Ask for help!

Don't be afraid to ask for help!  Don't be afraid to ask what you might think is a silly question.  But do NOT ask your local pubic school questions!  They do NOT know the homeschool laws and may give you wrong info.  Also, they are more than likely losing money on those being homeschooled so their goal is to get your child(ren) back into the public school system.  You see the picture.  (By the way, don't feel bad about the local schools losing money on your child(ren), they still receive some money for them and you still pay school taxes even though your child isn't attending.)  Anyway, please ask someone who knows the laws.  A homeschool coordinator, a veteran homeschool mom or dad, HSLDA, etc.  These are the people you want to ask because they are knowledgeable about homeschooling all the way around.

Before I end this blog post, I want to take a minute to explain HSDLA.  



HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Assoc.) is a group of Christian attorneys who fight and help preserve our homeschooling rights.  Not just here in the US, but all over the world.  They are wonderful.  There is a membership fee of $120 per year.  This fee includes any questions you may have, advice, shopping perks, etc.  You will get a teacher ID card with membership so you can use it at certain stores for discounts just like the public school teachers do.  (After all, you will be an educator.)  The best part of this membership is peace of mind.  If the school board contacts and asks for something that isn't required by law, you call HSLDA and ask for advice.  Our local school board started calling parents a few years back asking for information (why we are homeschooling?  what can they do to get our kids back in to the public school system?).  A few of us called HSDLA.  They wrote a letter to the board explaining that they are not to contact us for things that are not required by law.  The phone calls stopped.  But it goes beyond that.  I've read articles on homeschool parents getting charged with Truancy.  (Maybe their paperwork got lost or they were still on the public school roster.)  HSLDA will go to court for you and defend your homeschooling rights.  No fees are paid to them except your membership fee.  I've been to court before and lawyers are not cheap!  HSLDA has been my peace of mind for many years.  They have monthly plans (of $10) or you can buy 5 years for $500 or even a LIFETIME membership for $1000.  I wish I would have purchased the lifetime membership.  I am going on my 13'th year of homeschooling and I've paid by year.  hahaha.  But it is worth every penny!  To view the membership options or to join, click HERE.

Thank you for reading my blog!  I hope this information has helped those who are currently homeschooling and are new to it. 

 God Bless & Happy Homeschooling!

Where do I start with Homeschooling? What do I need to buy?

Getting started with homeschooling seems to be a struggle for some.  "Where do I start?", "What do I do?" and "What do I need to buy?"  These are the questions you may be asking yourself.  

"Where do I start?" -
Well, first ask yourself what does your child want to learn?  What are they interested in?  Then use your resources!  Your library is your #1 resource in homeschooling!  It's free and I'm sure it's not that far away.  Whether you child wants to learn about electricity, frogs, crocheting, Italy, cooking, trees or dragons, the library has information on it.  Anything your child wants to learn about can be found at your local library.  Can't find it, ask the librarian.  Your #2 resource is the internet.  There are literally thousands of websites for homeschoolers.  You can find a homeschool friendly website or just Google what you are looking for.  (You know how this works.)

"What do I do?" -
Let your child learn.  Some children like sitting at the table to do their work, some (like my son) love to sit upside down on the couch.



Learn where the child feels relaxed and the most attentive.  My son doesn't like to sit still at a desk or table.  He even does his writing on the couch, (quick, call the school police!)  along with all his other schooling.  

You just observe and of course offer help, if needed.  Kids are smart.  If they really want to know something, they'll find the information.  You are just there to help them get to a place where they can find it.  I think our main goal as homeschoolers are not to teach our kids everything, but to teach them how and where to find everything they want to learn.  For example, my youngest (starting 8'th grade this fall) doesn't want to go to college so we are not teaching Algebra.  And if that bothers you, he is excellent in math!  Some may think that it's dumb not to teach something a child is good at, however, it's wasted time.  Don't believe me?  When is the last time you used Algebra in your adult life?  Exactly.  If he changes his mind and decides to go to college, guess what?  He'll learn it.  My youngest wasn't interested in Pre-Algebra when we did it last year.  He didn't like it at all, so why go on if he isn't going to apply it in his everyday adult life?  He doesn't like to write either, however he won't be able to support himself in life if he can't write.  There are some things we must teach that they don't like, you just have to find a way to make it fun.  

Some school days we like to just play with bait and fish.  ;)



Learning to fish, baiting hook, removing fish, knowing the laws and regulations.....these things are all learning!

"What do I need to buy?" -
It really depends what you are going to be learning about, but there are some basic supplies that you should keep on hand during the schoolyear.  Here's a list:

manila folders for lapbooking and filing
pencils
colored pencils
gel pens 
markers
tape or glue
staples and stapler
lined writing paper
clear typing paper
highlighters
bookmarks
ruler
one 3 ring binder (for mom) 
a few spiral notebooks

Yep, that's it.  All of these things on this list can be found at the Dollar Tree or Dollar General.  Your homeschooling supplies don't have to cost very much.  Even grocery stores have big 'back to school' sales with notebooks selling for 50 cents per book.  

I hope this helps with these basic questions.  I'll be blogging more on the new to homeschooling theme in the near future.  :)

Encouragement for new homeschoolers

I am so excited because my BFF in Florida has decided to homeschool.  :)  (Dancing in my PJ's right now.)

So I wanted to blog some advice for all the newbies.  Here it goes.

#6  Do NOT compare your child to other homeschooled (or non homeschooled) children.  This may seem like a no brainer, but it is something that I have recently stopped doing after years of homeschooling and a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, seriously.  It's not easy to stop comparing, it's in our nature and it's very easily done.  When you are out at homeschool events, you'll hear moms bragging about what their children are doing (and that's ok by the way).  Don't be discouraged if your child isn't doing what everyone else is doing.  They don't have to.  

#5  Don't listen to the myth that a child must learn something by a certain age or grade.  Like, you must teach a child to read at the age of 5, or do long division by 5'th grade.  Who came up with 'what every 5'th grader should know' anyway?  Someone had to set in place a guideline for the public schools.  That doesn't pertain to you or your child.  He/she isn't public schooled.  Your child can learn things in their own time, their own way, at their own pace and that is ok.  My middle child read at age 4.  My youngest is 13 and still struggles (he has Dyslexia).  Every child is different.  It's not the end of the world.  If your child isn't reading at age 7, it will be ok.  It will click and then you can praise them!   (Always encourage them to try.  If they fail, tell them that they will succeed in time!)

#4  Don't compare yourself to another homeschool mom!  Some mom's like to have detailed lesson plans and a tight schedule.  That is ok.  Some mom's like to school by the 'seat of their pants' (meaning, decide daily what they should do for school).  Both of these are ok.  You do what works for YOU and YOUR FAMILY!  If your little one likes to sleep in and is more energetic in the evening, then homeschool in the evening and let her sleep in.  We sleep in.  We start our homeschool around 10 am and school until about 2 with a lunch break.  Yep, that's it, approx. 3.5 hours a day for my middle schooler.  We can get a lot accomplished in those few hours, trust me.   If you are night owls like us, school at night and sleep until noon!  Yes, there will always be someone judging you.  Who cares?  (Family members are good for this.)  Let them judge, you can ignore it or address it.   To address it, politely tell them, "This is what works best for our family, but thanks for your concern".  

#3  Don't let "LIFE" get you down.  There will be interruptions!  The phone will ring, you'll get a UPS delivery during spelling, you'll have to run to the store for something in the middle of a math lesson, etc.  Life happens.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  There are some days when I have good intentions for a productive day, but I wake up feeling like I haven't slept, I'm out of coffee creamer (big deal!  call 911), and then my hubby calls and needs me to do an errand. Sigh.  It's ok.  Take a breath, there is always tomorrow.  Kids in public school have movie days, snow days, hurricane days, free time, even electronics day (yes, this is true).  So don't lose any sleep over your homeschool day getting messed up.  This too shall pass.  And don't be afraid to say 'no'.  If someone needs something and it can wait, tell them no.  When you are finished with schooling, then take care of it for them.  ;)  You can do it!

Also, depending on your state laws, don't try to keep up with the public school days.  For example, most public schools go for 180 days per year.  In FL and WV, we don't have a set amount of school days.  We don't have to put a certain amount of hours in per day either.  So again, don't sweat the small stuff.  ;)

#2  RELAX & HAVE FUN!  Seems like another no brainer, but it's harder to do than you think.  Teach your kids what they are interested in.  Not interested in reading or math?  Then find a subject they ARE interested in, and go with it.  For example, your daughter loves horses?  Do a unit study or lapbook on horses.  Create spelling, history, science, reading and even math that revolves around horses.  How?  Lapbooks, research, books, movies, color pages, documentaries, workbook pages, crossword/find a word puzzles, math problem with horses, etc.  All of this is school.  You get the picture.  A wonderful math game for children is the grocery shopping. Yep.  Give them a few items on a list and tell them that they need to find these items in the store (supervised of course) and give them a budget to stick to.  

#1  Think outside the box!  If you child loves animals, go to the library and get some books on certain animals.  Read about them,  color them, draw them, have him/her tell you a story about them.  Take your kids to the zoo and then have them tell you what he/she seen and learned that day, then draw a picture of it.   Having trouble with addition?  Use candy!  Take skittles an have him/her group all the colors together and then count them.  Be creative and encourage!  Don't make learning harder than it has to be.  

Enjoy, Relax and have fun!  Any comments to add or questions, feel free to post/ask.  :)  

Happy Homeschooling!

5 Top Reasons Why You Couldn't Possibly Teach Your Own Children at Home

Warning:  This blog post is filled with Sarcasm!  Reading beyond this point could make you laugh, cry or get angry!  Read at your own risk!

5 top reasons why you couldn't possibly teach your own high school children at home.

#1.  You'd have to put together a plan.  An educational plan.  A plan to educate.  At home.  Your children.   Hmmmmm, I bet you organize and have a plan now right, you just don't realize it.  Your current plan includes taking them to soccer, baseball, basketball, whatever activity they are in, right?  You probably also help them with their homework or school schedules?   Let's see, you did teach them to use the bathroom right?  You did teach them to feed themselves?  How did you manage that?  All by yourself?  Wow.  Impressive.  How did you find the time?  

#2.  You have to keep them on the right track.  Forget it, too much work.  Really, you have to make sure he/she completes the work given each week.  No can do. 

#3.  You would have to teach them the basic life skills yourself.  Yikes!  That means balancing a checkbook, banking, how interest works, how to pay household bills on time, and how to be responsible!  No way.

#4.  You would have to give them a diploma!  EEEEKKKK!  You would actually have to order a nice diploma online that comes in a nice case, all printed out with YOU under the educators signature!  Holy cow.

#5.  You would have to hear all the negative homeschool comments from your friends an neighbors on how you have become one of 'those weird homeschool families'.  Talk about pressure!  

So as you can see, you couldn't possibly do it: teach your children at home.  So forget about it.  It would be too hard.  Go ahead and send them to the government run schools so they can teach them what you don't want them to learn and expose them to things they will never find beneficial in life.  

Loop Scheduling? What's that?

I've about to start my 13'th year of homeschooling and I just heard about Loop Scheduling.  What is Loop Scheduling?  Good question. But first let's have a chat.

Your weekly schedule isn't getting completed?  You ask yourself, why do I put together a schedule and then not stick to it?  Why in the world do I do this to myself?  Maybe I'm asking too much out of my children.  I work so hard to put together a weekly, monthly and / or yearly schedule and then I don't stick to it or don't get everything finished? When IS the last time we did science anyway?  

Does any of this sound familiar?  It does to me.  I try to have a weekly plan in my head, get it down on my lesson plans and then we don't accomplish it so I erase and basically write in what we did.  So instead of a 'lesson plan', I should call it a 'what we accomplished this week' log.  lol.  

Well, Loop Scheduling can help.  This is what a Loop Schedule looks like:



(Sorry about the quality of the ink.  My printer was on the fritz when I printed this.)

So, on the top I have written down what I want my son to accomplish on a daily basis.  So Math & Unschooling Journal are the only two things that he must do daily.  Now down below, on my Loop schedule, is what I need his accomplish with no time frame.  For example, we will on Monday, start at the top of my Loop.  Map / Geography is first, so we will (after his daily work is finished), start on this subject.  He will work for 45 minutes (or whatever time frame you choose for your child).  When that time is up, he will go to the next on the list which is science.  Now, if he doesn't have time for science, he will start there on Tuesday.  So if Tuesday morning comes and we have to be away from the home and he doesn't get to science, it's ok.  He will start on it the next available day.  The goal is to make it through the entire Loop.  Once you made it through, you start from the top and repeat.  

I chose to use this because I had our weekly schedule as Monday and Wednesday science and then Tues. and Thursday for history.  Well, if our homeschool group has a co-op or event on the next 3 Tuesdays, we will be getting behind in history and not where I want to be as far as his accomplishments.  

Let's face it, life gets in the way.  Last year we went a whole entire month without doing any history.  Every day I had it scheduled, something came up and we didn't get to it.  With this Loop Schedule, you will ALWAYS get it.  You won't miss out on any subject.

I found this Loop schedule idea from a homeschool mom, Sarah Mackenzie.  She has a web site with the idea and how she uses it in her life.  She also has a Quickstart Guide to Loop Scheduling on Youtube that you can watch.  It shows you in detail on how to create your own. 

The great thing about this Loop Schedule is that you will never forget about something as long as it's on that Loop and you can add, remove or tweak it anytime.  One of the recommendations she makes is not to put too many on the Loop when you start.  You don't want 10 items on the Loop because it will overwhelm you and you will feel like you'll never get through the Loop.

As you can see, I only have 4 things on my Loop. (Note:  Our history is in our unschooling journal.)



I laminated this so my son could make a check mark next to the finished subjects in the Loop.  He will know exactly where to start the next day.  Once he is through the Loop, he'll erase those checks and start over the next day.  I also put it on a clip board so it will be easy assess for him and won't be misplaced.

So there you have it, Loop Scheduling.  You can use this for Looping your housework as well.  You can Loop just about anything in your schedule to make sure things get done.  

Pretty cool hey?  

HAPPY LOOPING!

Review: Science Handbook and Portfolio, The Thinking Tree

The Thinking Tree's Science Handbook and Portfolio can be found for purchase on Amazon.  The book is now on sale for $18.45, but hurry.  This sale will be ending tomorrow (I believe).  The regular price for this journal is $34.50 so hurry!  This book is for all ages.




I was introducted to the The Thinking Tree books & Journals a few months ago and I was totally impressed.  I was recently given the opportunity to review the Science Handbook and Portfolio journal.  This book/journal is new from the author Sarah Janisse Brown. 



The book/journal contains 199 pages.  



The first page opens up the child to learn about what he or she wants to learn about science.  They write down 5 things they want to learn about.



They go to the library (or bookstore) and bring home a stack of books on topics that they chose to learn about.  It instructs them to watch tutorials and do their own research and experiments.  I think this is great!  With the internet booming the way it is, my son loves to get on youtube and look for stuff that interests him or find videos to help solve something he's been working on.  Whether it is a video game he needs help with or how to help his poison oak, youtube is where to find it.  (Yes, he really did research the poison oak.)  So having the kids self direct is a wonderful idea!


 There is also a place to list the books they chose, like the other journals have.  It also has a place to put science tools that they will use.

   


The next section is for research & reading time.  They list the name of the book, the topic, date, chapter, page number and title.  This is great because some may only use a certain chapter of a book and not use the entire book.  There is a place to the right of this page to draw pictures and/or make notes as well.  There are several of these pages.





The next section is for the experiments, observation and discoveries.

They can tape or draw their experiments here.  You could even tape a picture of the experiment here if you'd like.

  

This next section is pure genius in my opinion!  The biography of a scientist page is a great way to get your kids to not only learn the scientific concept and do the experiment, but it's purpose is to learn about the scientist himself (or herself)!  Maybe his/her life, history, hometown, parents, etc.  

Then there is a section called science stories.  This is a creative writing page.  They can imagine discovering or inventing something, then write and draw about it.

  

Next brings us to the Who? What? When? How? pages.  The kids can decide who to study and answer these questions.  There is a page to the right of this for drawings, photos and images as well.




That brings us to the vocabulary and spelling section.  The child must look up and define 5 words, then choose 10 spelling words related to science.  This is so creative!  This makes the child think instead of just copying or writing 10 spelling words that don't pertain to anything in discussion or topic for the day.

This next one is my favorite.  It's the science films and tutorials page.  We use Netflix quite a bit in our homeschool.  My son is more attentive if he's listening or watching something rather than reading himself.  This will be great for those documentaries!



Next section is about science projects.  There are pages where the child can list the projects they have completed and a list the materials used, results and add photos, drawings, etc.



Records keeping, charts & graphs is in the next section of this book/journal.  Great place for young scientist to document the great experiments they are doing and/or data they are collecting!

 
Here is a research, essay and creative writing section.  There are several pages of these in here with different pictures for creativity.

 

Some are 1/2 page with a picture and a box below to draw in.  Some are full picture on one side and to the right is a place for writing.  There are several of them though.  There is a place to write a title and date on each.

The next section of this journal is a list of the Periodic Table of Elements.

And how great is this?  They can make up their own Periodic Table of Elements!  There are several of these for the kids to be creative.  

The last section of this book has a place to list/draw extra books that you are reading or using with this journal.  




These book/journals from The Thinking Tree and pure genius. They let the child be creative and learn about what they want to. 

One of the many many reasons why we homeschool is so we can be creative and learn about the things that interest us and do so outside the box.  Let's face it, kids get bored sitting at a desk, reading a lesson and answering questions about what they have read.  This brings that explosive imagination that is inside of them to life!  

Our homeschool year doesn't start up until after Labor Day, but I just know that my 13 yr. old son will love this!  We are using other Sarah Janisse Brown funschooling journals this fall as well.  


Here (to the right) is my collection of fun schooling journals.  I just started and I expect my small pile to grow!  The next book on my list to purchase is Picturing the Past.  It is a book full of paintings to learn about and their creators.  I can't wait!  To see a list of her funschooling books, just click on my picture.

Sarah Janisse Brown also chooses a book to go on sale for a few days.  Not just a tiny 10% off, but really on sale!  For example, this book, Science Handbook and Portfolio, is one of those on sale now for $18.45 from $34.50!!  That is some savings!  

There are over 200 funschooling books offered for ages 3 -adult. They have math, spelling, devotionals and even mom journals! 

The web site is funschoolingbooks.com.

Click HERE to learn a little about the author, Sarah Janisse Brown, read her blog, and see some of her funschooling journals.  Her blog is filled with their homeschooling experience and life story which is amazing!

So bottom line, I give this book a 2 thumbs up, 5 stars, A+ and highly recommended for all ages!

Happy Homeschooling!

I Failed at Growing out my Pixie

I did it.  I failed.  I got my hair cut.  I couldn't stand the humidity and curls.  I was wearing a bandanna in my hair every day!  So I decided to get it cut.  This is what I chose.





Cute right?  Sassy, wispy, not too short, shaggy.  I showed the stylist what I wanted, discuss the 'wispiness' in the picture and well, this is what I got.






Now, the lady did a nice job on the cut............ but it isn't the cut or style I wanted, or asked for.  Really, does it even look like the picture at all?  Where is the wispy, sassy pieces?  And where is the back? Anyway, I'm not mad, just disappointed because I didn't get what I ask for.  I wasn't expecting miracles or too resemble Sharon Stone in any way, shape or form.  But I did expect it to be similar in some way!

Sigh.  So I'm back to square one.  On the flip side, I do love a pixie cut on me.  It's easy, fun and cool for the summer.  I don't know if I really want to grow my hair out long anymore, but I still do want to aim for the Sharon Stone style above.  Shouldn't take too long to grow out.

So if you are growing out your pixie, STAY STRONG and don't let anyone give you a hair cut.  lol.

A Whole New Outlook on my Homeschool

Wow.  Just wow.  I've been homeschooling for 12 years and I have a whole new outlook on how I will be homeschooling my son this year and future years.

This past month, I was introduced to Sarah Janisse Brown and her company called The Thinking Tree.  She has several books, and several of them are set up as journals.  Sarah learned that she has Dyslexia later in life although she always knew that she wasn't like other children in school.  From early on, she recognized her creative ability and talked her mother into homeschooling her.  In her book Life, Love & Dyslexia, she tells her story and explains how God had a plan for her and her family right from the beginning. 

This 294 page paperback is filled with encouragement, God's plan for her, and how she became a writer of these amazing books!  One of my favorite parts of this book is how she (after convincing her mom to hs her) would go to her little house in the woods, that she built herself, and do her schooling.  She would spend all day out there, alone in the woods.  She claimed to be free from all the nonsense that she experienced in public schools.  She says that when she would sit inside a classroom (in public school) that all she could think about was being outside, in the sun, painting or drawing whatever she wanted.   See, we contain our children (yes, even us homeschool mothers) in a confined area and do 'school' daily.  Why not let the children do what they love everyday!  

She has created books called Fun-Schooling Books for those who have Dyslexia to help them learn.  Did I mention that she is a homeschooling mom of ten children?  In these fun schooling books she has such creative ways  for children to learn.  The day dreamers or slackers out there are ready to get out of their shell!  We just need to give them the opportunity to do so!  Every homeschooling mom needs to read her book Life, Love & Dyslexia.  Whether your child is dyslexic or not, it will change your whole outlook on home education!

Here are a few of my favorite Fun-Schooling Journals.  I have a running list of ones to buy for our school year.

Picturing the Past






Charlotte Mason Homeschool Journal & Delight Directed Learning Handbook

Christian Families Homeschooling Curriculum Delight Directed Learning Guide




There are so many to chose from.  I read somewhere that she has over 200 books just like these listed above. Check them out on Amazon!

Sarah Janisse Brown also has a blog - http://www.stillsmiling.net/


I thought I had my curriculum choices ready for this fall until I found these books.  I now will be using these for my homeschool!  

Happy homeschooling!

Why we chose to homeschool & how you can too

I hear mom's say to me quite often how they wish they could homeschool their children.  I ask them why they don't and I get several different answers, but the two most popular answers I get are "I don't have the patience" and "I can't because I work for time".  So I will explain my opinion on each answer and then I will tell you why we chose to homeschool.

#1 -  "I don't have the patience"

Please don't think that I have patience with my children.  I pray almost daily for patience.  You teach your children everyday while you are home with them in the evening, after school.  Do you have patience with them then?  Some nights, maybe not.  But no one, including me, claimed that homeschool moms have patience with their children.  



There have been several days where I have locked myself in the bathroom for 10 minutes crying and praying for the Lord to help me and give me patience and I will be starting my 13'th year of homeschooling this fall!  It's not easy, but I will tell you that it is worth it!  So don't let patience but an excuse.  You can do it and you will find patience......trust me.

#2 - "I can't because I work for time"

There are several moms that work and homeschool.  I'm sure Youtube is loaded with videos on this.  However, being a homeschool mom isn't just teaching, it's delegating and felicitating.
If you have older children (that can stay home alone), you can have lesson plans all ready for them.  Explain how and what is expected of them; meaning they need to finish their work by a certain time.  If they do, give them rewards; if not, punishments.  As far as younger children go, you can do the same but have someone else stay with them during the day.  Grandma's are great for this!  Also, another homeschool mom may be willing to do this as well.  (It is legal to have someone else homeschool your children.  Just keep in mind that you are still responsible to follow all your state laws.)  

Another thought, if you truly, seriously want to homeschool your child, find a way.  Can you work from home?  Night shift?  You can always homeschool on your day's off.  In our state of WV (under the Notice Option), there are no set days or hours on which you need to homeschool.  You can homeschool 2 or 3 days a week all year around if you want.

Now, why we chose to homeschool.  There are several reasons. The first reason was because I believe the Lord instructed me to do so.  Other reasons include:  I want to be with them, I want to teach them in the way they learn (no every student learns the same way), I want learning to be fun, I want them to learn things from a Christian point of view, I want to teach them Creation not evolution, I want to chose what they learn, I don't want negative influences and peer pressure to be an issue, I want to be able to chose the environment they learn in and who they socialize with, etc.  As you can see there are several reasons why we chose to homeschool and many people have different reasons.   




Choosing to control their environment, influences and social atmosphere is my job and responsibility.  Call me a controlling, over protective or a "helicopter" mom.  I don't care.  I made some bad choices in my younger years (just like everyone else) and I if I shelter my children from unGodly influences, they will be free to make better choices than I did or just better choices in general.  My job is to raise my children to be responsible, caring adults and support themselves and their families.  

Something I hear and read often is that homeschoolers won't be able to function and socialize in the real world as adults.  I find this both very amusing and utterly ridiculas.  If sitting behind a desk with other peers within your own age all day in a classroom is the real world, then I must have missed that boat because the real world I live in I socialize with people of all ages daily, and it's not in a confined environment with limitations on what I can say and do.  My children can hold entire conversations with other children, adults and groups.  They know how to behave in public.  They are respectful and kind.  I've seen them help strangers load groceries in their cars when needed, help a stranger clean up a mess in a food isle at a store, etc.  They function and socialize very well in public.  Have you ever heard the line, "It takes a village to raise a child"?  (I absolutely cannot stand that saying by the way.)  My response is, "Yes, I've seen the village and I'll raise my own child, thanks anyway".  

So for whatever reason why you are telling yourself that you can't  homeschool........ think about it.  Think about what you want for your children.  If you decide to keep them in public school, private school, virtual school, etc. that is your choice.  You are the parent.  Just please don't let an excuse hold you back from something that will change you and your child's future forever.  Homeschooling is great.  If you are willing to take charge of your children's education, it's totally worth it!

  

Curriculum picks for 2016 - 2017 school year, 8'th grade

I thought I'd share my curriculum picks for this coming homeschool year.  However, I am still undecided on a few but this is what I have so far.  (Click on all the pics to take you to a website to purchase or find more info. out about them.)

Math -  



 

At this time (8'th grade) my husband and I decided that we aren't going to teach Algebra.   I know, some of you are like "WHAT????".  Take a minute to think about that for a minute. When is the last time you used Algebra in your life?  Really.  If he decides to go to college, he'll learn it.  ;)   I didn't learn how to balance a check book, pay bills or learn anything about interest in the public school system.  Why is that?  I do know that they teach high school students on how to attempt to beat the interest on credit cards.  (Ya, sore subject for another day.)  Anyway, this is what we feel that B will apply in his life more than Algebra.  

Science-

A Reason For Science - Level H

This science has colorful pages that will keep B's interest.  He isn't the type of student to read and answer questions.  Lets face it, that's boring anyway!  This is hands-on science with cool worksheet pages.  (You can also buy the experiment kit as well that contains all experiment supplies.)


History -




Rush Revere!

B started this book right at the end of this past school year.  We will continue reading it and then through the series next school year. (Click on the book to take you to the website with the whole series and more info.)  He loves it!  It's funny, quirky,and keeps him in suspense waiting to see what happens in the next chapter!  Not your typical Pilgrim story.  ;)  I plan to add a Geography / map workbooks and read/learn about our Constitution more this year as well.



Bible / Reading / Character Development -




The Purpose Driven Life by:  Rick Warren

This is great!  Can't wait to start this devotional book.  Has scripture and 365 devotionals.  


Language Arts -




This one was tough.  I really like the Easy Grammar series, but this was so inexpensive, I couldn't pass it up.  Grammar at this point in our education plan is just to keep the basic grammar sharp in the mind.  ;)


Writing - 

We may continue 'Excellent in Writing' next year, however, I am thinking of going back to my old school method of free writing.  I had the older boys (when they were younger) write a story.  I begin with writing a few sentences.  Then hand the notebook to them so they can add 5-7 more sentences.  This goes on daily throughout the year, passing back and forth.  But then I found this......


Funschooling Books by The Thinking Tree!





There are several types of these fun journal workbooks for ages 3-17! (Click on the pic above and it will take you to their website with tons of books and Dyslexia games and curriculum!)  This one above is more like a portfolio, but not your typical portfolio.  It lets the kids be creative and tell what they did throughout the school year!  This is a great alternative to those who put together a hand made portfolio every year.  They also have planners for homeschool moms.  So cool!

Spelling -

We will continue (and even through high school) with Spelling Power.





So that is the game plan for this fall.  I may switch it up a bit.  I still have this on my mind, but it is expensive.





One of the best things about homeschooling is that if you find something isn't working, ditch it, sell it, change it up!  I remember one year we changed my middle sons math 3 times in one year!  He went on to college and scored a 97% in Algebra his freshman year. So it pays to find what works for your child.  Most of the things I buy, can be resold on ebay or to fellow homeschoolers too. 

Our goal for our children is .........

#1  Love the Lord
#2  Be able to support yourself
#3  Be able to support your family
#4  Be happy in the career your choose for yourself 

So Happy Homeschooling & remember, BE CREATIVE AND LOOK FOR CURRICULUM OUT OF THE BOX!  Besides, homeschoolers can learn about anything they want!