Retired Homeschool Mom (formerly Learning Together)
~ thoughts on home, family, friendship, creating, homeschooling, marriage, faith and life in general now that my nest is empty but my days are still full!
Living in central North Carolina, snow is a rare treat. It took a few years for this Northern-bred girl to get over my astonishment at the fact that things here completely SHUT DOWN whenever a couple of inches fall. In fact, just the prediction of snow is enough to cause event cancellations and a run on the milk and bread aisles at the grocery store! A winter storm dropped 5 inches on Friday night and Saturday, and not only was everything cancelled yesterday, but church services were cancelled today and most schools are closed tomorrow. Our street has not seen a plow, and most likely won't. And the secondary street that we are off of saw its first snowplow late this afternoon. Temperatures this afternoon got slightly above freezing but are dropping into the 20's again tonight, so all the slush will refreeze into ice. According to the TV news, state budget cuts have resulted in even fewer workers and trucks out plowing and treating NC roads, so .... the official advice is STAY HOME. Fortunately Mark can work from home, and we still have milk and cereal and bread and peanut butter. Sadly we are out of hot chocolate mix though.
Wait! What did I just see on WRAL? More snow possible for next weekend?????
The topic of our most recent homeschool support group [Lighthouse] meeting was "Frugal Homeschooling". Most homeschoolers live on one income, although many homeschool moms do part-time work to supplement that. Other families find that cutting coupons, shopping in consignment stores, and bartering helps provide the extra resources needed for homeschooling. Nowadays, with so many family breadwinners out of work completely, it is even more important to find ways to cut costs. But the good news is, there are many inexpensive and even free resources available, thanks to the internet and community networks, which allow you to provide a rich and individualized education for your children without losing your shirt in the process! Here are some of those resources that one mom shared at our meeting:
Freebies www.currclick.com– has a free item each week; also click the Free Stuff icon www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com– a new free item daily Many homeschool curriculum suppliers have freebies on their websites, such as a free lapbook or notebooking pages. Some of them offer a free resource if you sign up for their newsletter. You can unsubscribe later if you find your email getting out of control.
Downloadable books and audio resources www.books.google.com– when you do a search, click on full view only on the left side; most items that allow full view are out-of-copyright and can be downloaded in .pdf format; you can download numerous old textbooks such as McGuffeys or Elson Readers, Harvey’s Grammar, Rays Arithmetic, history books by such authors as Helene Guerber and James Baldwin, nature books by Jean-Henri Fabre, and MUCH MORE! www.librivox.org– free audio books iTunes University – Download iTunes, then click on the link for the itunes store to find free podcasts including resources for preschoolers to adult.
Many museums and government websites have kids sites that are excellent. There are yahoo groups for many curricula where users can share ideas and additional resources.
Swapping and Bartering Look for opportunities to exchange tutoring, lessons, or non-homeschooling services in exchange for services. For example, two of my friends traded lit/writing lessons in exchange for math lessons by having their kids spend the day with the other family once a week, giving each mom a “free day” to run errands, etc.
Library If you don’t live in Wake County, it is well worth the $25 annual fee for a nonresident card. You can use the online catalog and have your items shipped to the branch nearest to you so that you can just run in to drop off and pick up books. Interlibrary Loan is now available online so that you don’t have to go to the library to complete the form. The book I currently have checked out via ILL sells for $150 on Amazon. Check out the online database – you can access Consumer Reports, and all sorts of academic and professional resources.
Homemade Math manipulatives Numeracy – Egg carton and beans or buttons – use a sharpie to write a number in each hole, then have the child count out the correct number of beans or buttons to put in each hole. Base ten set – popsicle sticks – rubber band 10 together, then 10 sets of 10 to make 100, then 10 sets of 100 to make 1000 Print from internet or make in excel – 100 board, multiplication tables, number lines Triangle flash cards – print from www.donnayoung.org onto cardstock paper and cut apart See www.montessorimaterials.org for ideas for manipulatives for all subjects, not just math
The images coming out of Haiti are just heart-breaking and mind-numbing. How can a tiny nation, already desperately poor and politically unstable, survive a calamity of this magnitude? In the midst of the destruction and despair, it is encouraging to see the response of those rushing to provide aid and to see people pulling together to help one another. I am proud that so many Americans are reacting with typical generosity and compassion - and am somewhat dumbfounded by criticism accusing our nation of using this situation to "occupy" our island neighbor. If our government sat back and did nothing but send money, we'd be accused of indifference and isolationism, but sending resources is "occupation". interesting.
I've been following the blog of a missionary family in Haiti that gives an up-close view of what they are dealing with there... http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/
Needless to say, I once again look around at my own little corner of the world and am profoundly grateful for the many blessings we are showered with on a daily basis. Some of the things currently topping that list:
Alex should be boarding a flight OUT of Iraq and BACK to the US in a matter of days. His year over there is finished and he returns with his entire Brigade back to his home base in TX. Oh thank you, dear Father, for watching over him and keeping him safe these 12 months, and please give them safe travel next week.
My husband has a job. Enough said.
We have amazing friends who love us and are generous with us and help us in many ways.
Mark and I are sooooo blessed to come from intact families - neither of our parents are divorced, and that makes us pretty unique! Also, none of our siblings have divorced, and even extended family has been relatively untouched by divorce. How did that happen? I am very grateful that my children have this wonderful legacy and model of dedication, commitment, and faithfulness to look up to.
We are all healthy
despite all the craziness going on in government and politics in this country, we are still a FREE people living in a nation founded on the principles of liberty, equality, and justice. We can protest against things we believe are wrong with our government and not get thrown in jail or shot because of it. We can gather with like-minded people and start grassroots movements and effect change, and not have soldiers break down our doors in the middle of the night and terrorize our families. We can worship God in the way that seems best to us, and we can teach our children what we believe is right, even disregarding the established state-run institutions - something that even people in civilized places like Germany and Sweden do not have the ability to do!
With the start of the new year, I've added a couple of new endeavors to my weekly schedule.
First, Grandma's Christmas gift went to good use as we joined the YMCA right after Christmas. This has been something we've wanted to do for a long time, but never had the extra cash for. My older boys who worked there as lifeguards got automatic memberships as employees, and the rest of us were jealous. But with my 50th birthday looming this year, I am feeling the urgency of getting back in shape more than ever. So I am carving out time in the mornings to go to the gym for an hour and walk on the treadmill or work on the weight machines. Amanda has been going to practice basketball and workout in the gym as well, and we'll probably try to swim on the weekends. Jason goes this morning for his "middle school orientation" so he'll be able to use the equipment and play in the gym without me. We opted to join as one adult and dependents ( me and the kids ) instead of the Family membership which would have included Mark, because the cost was a lot more for the second. But Mark has access to a full health club at work that he doesn't use, but could if he wanted to.
Second, I am teaching 2 art classes here at my house starting this week. I was an art major in college once upon a time, but my kids rarely get art unless I put a formal class together. So I have a couple of 10-13 yr old boys coming on Mondays after lunch, and a few high school girls on Wednesday afternoons. I've got most of the planning done for those classes, but have to go out and buy some materials this weekend, and order some paper from Miller Pads & Paper or Dick Blick. Our first projects will be Papier Mache Monsters with the boys, and Introduction to Pastels with the girls. I'll post pictures later in the week.
Third, I decided to start a Geography Club for elementary & middle schoolers in my homeschool support group. The response was so great that we are creating two clubs, one to meet at my house and one at the home of another family, two afternoons a month. The plan is to highlight one continent each month, looking at pictures in books, coloring maps, and sampling traditional food. The kids can bring something for "show & tell" or can do a presentation on some aspect of a country from that continent. This month it is North America. Then we'll break up into small groups and play geography board games and card games and quiz games and puzzles....
This will force me to keep my house clean, as well....
Ohhh.... these are good! And high in fiber, low in fat! Only 2 Weight Watchers points, if you care.
3 cups All Bran Cereal ( the original stick kind, NOT the Buds - trust me ) 2 1/2 cups water 1 pkg Low Fat Brownie Mix 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Measure the All Bran Cereal into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the water and let sit for 30 minutes. Mix in vanilla, baking powder, and baking soda. Then stir in the Brownie Mix and chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin tins. filling 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 for 23-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan.
Every day, according to one survey, Americans buy an average of 3,972,603 movie tickets; 1,683,835 songs and albums from online resources; 1,650,000 DVD rentals from Netflix; 978,030 bags of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet popcorn; 568,764 Titleist golf balls; 443,650 large fries at Burger King; 160,968 bottles of Absolut Vodka; 7,500 Samsung LCD TVs; and 60 Ford Mustangs on eBay. It’s clear from this incomplete list that many consumers are spending money on things that have temporary stamped on them. Jesus, however, says that we should use our resources to acquire things that have eternity written all over them.
In Matthew 6, He identifies two types of treasures. The first are the ones accumulated on earth. These treasures are vulnerable to all kinds of decay and theft. .... The alternative is treasures in heaven. Now Jesus was not saying we can buy our way into heaven. He was simply calling us to simplify our lives and leverage our time and resources for the sake of people in need (Matthew 19:21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). When we, with pure motives (Matthew 6:1-4), give up our lives and resources for the marginalized, we’re “storing up” treasures in heaven. And this made me thinkof these statements I've heard or read...
Wow! Adoption is soooo expensive!
Local food pantries are struggling to meet needs; donations are down
You can sponsor a child through Compassion International for $38/month; almost 2000 children are waiting for sponsors
churches and ministries such as Focus on the Family and Family Life are facing budget shortfalls for the year
I know you could add to that list.There is a saying that you can tell a person's priorities by looking at his checkbook. What does my checkbook say about my priorities? Does my "walk" match my "talk"?
Our homeschool group holds an annual Christmas Craft Day and Gingerbread House Contest. Moms and teens set up tables with craft materials and help the children create crafts that they can give to family and friends for Christmas. Christmas music playing on the boom box and cookies and lemonade added to the festive atmosphere.
This year there were 13 entries in the Gingerbread House Contest; the kids get a kick out of seeing what everyone else came up with and plotting the things they will attempt next year. We had a pair of impartial judges come and award 1st place in each of our categories ( age 8-12, age 13- 18, and Kits ) and we also had Viewers Choice awards, where everyone got to vote for their favorites with a $1 ticket. The money from the Viewers Choice voting as well as the $5 entry fees totalled $127, which went to the Salvation Army of Wake County!
the one on the right was a gingerbread earthquake!!!
Here are some photos of the lovely table settings and even lovelier ladies at our homeschool group's 2009 Mom's Christmas Tea. I posted about the Tea here.
I finally have some pictures to post of our 2009 Gingerbread Creation. Jason and his friend, Nathan, decided they wanted to try a castle this year, after looking at some pictures online. So I used my mad math and engineering skills (cough cough) to draw up a pattern, which I then cut out of copy paper.We needed a quadruple batch of our favorite gingerbread dough for all 30 pieces required. One trick is roll out a baseball size piece of chilled dough on a piece of aluminum foil. Then lay the paper pattern piece on the dough and cut out with a pizza cutter or small sharp knife. Remove the excess dough and transfer the whole sheet of foil directly to a cookie sheet and bake. When the pieces are baked, let them cool slightly before transferring to cooling rack - you don't want the warm gingerbread to bend or crack.
We let the baked pieces cool and harden overnight, then started construction with pastry bags of chocolate royal icing " cement". Canned goods from the pantry helped provide support as the icing set.
Our base was an 18 x 18 inch piece of plywood, covered with foil and white decorator icing.
Another friend, Tyler, helped out with the assembly too. Once assembled, we let the castle sit for 2 days to harden. Then the boys spent an afternoon decorating, with chocolate decorator frosting, ice cream cones, caramels, Skittles, Cheerios, and malted milk balls. (My camera had been kidnapped by a certain daughter that afternoon, so I don't have pictures of the actual decorating process.)
TA DA! now on to the Lighthouse Gingerbread House Contest!
Wow. I have been extremely delinquent in keeping up with my blog this month. I have quite a lot to post about, but will save that for tomorrow - or the next day - and just wish all my readers ( haha - all 12 of you! ) a
Introversion is a preference to focus on the world inside the self. Introverts tend to be quiet, peaceful and deliberate and are not attracted to social interactions. They prefer activities they can do alone or with one other close friend, activities such as reading, writing, thinking, and inventing. Introverts find social gatherings draining.
Introvert Characteristics
Energized by time alone
Private
Keeps to self
Quiet
Deliberate
Internally aware
Fewer friends
Prefer smaller groups
Independent
Not socially inclined
Enjoys solitude
Thinks before speaking
Intuition (N)
Intuition refers to how people process data. Intuitive people focus on the future and the possibilities. They process information through patterns and impressions. They read between the lines, they are abstract thinkers.
Intuitive Characteristics
Future-focused
Sees possibilities
Inventive
Imaginitive
Deep
Abstract
Idealistic
Complicated
Theoretical
Feeling (F)
Feeling refers to how people make decisions. Feeling people are subjective and make decisions based on principles and values. They are ruled by their heart instead of their head. Feeling people judge situations and others based on feelings and extenuating circumstances.
Feeling Characteristics
Decides with heart
Dislikes conflict
Passionate
Driven by emotion
Gentle
Easily hurt
Empathetic
Caring of others
Warm
Perceiving (P)
Perceiving is the preference outwardly displayed. Perceiving people are flexible, like to keep their options open and think randomly. They like to act spontaneously and are adaptable. Perceivers like to keep things open ended.
Perceiving Characteristics
Adaptable
Relaxed
Disorganized
Care-free
Spontaneous
Changes tracks midway
Keeps options open
Procrastinates
Dislikes routine
Flexible
INFPs ( the "Dreamer" ) are introspective, private, creative and highly idealistic individuals that have a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. They are driven by their values and seek peace. Empathetic and compassionate, they want to help others and humanity as a whole. INFPs are imaginitive, artistic and often have a talent for language and writing. They can also be described as easygoing, selfless, guarded, adaptable, patient and loyal.
Here's a free online quiz to identify your Personality Type, based on Jung's and Briggs-Meyers' research. The Multiple Intelligences quiz identifies learning styles. There is information about each of the categories, with descriptions and analysis of the results, and suggestions for suitable jobs, etc. I found the results to be quite accurate, although I probably gave too many "middle ground" answers in the Multiple Intelligences quiz. There wasn't a question pertaining to indecisiveness!
Tuesday night was our support group's annual Moms' Christmas Tea. Ten table hostesses did a beautiful job of decorating the church's round tables with their own linens, china, and centerpieces, and other ladies brought a variety of homemade sweets, finger sandwiches, and hot beverages. A homeschool teen played the electric piano, providing Christmas music while we ate and talked, and also accompanying us as we sang carols together.
I had spent a few days recruiting 12 ladies to be part of our "14 Days of Homeschooling" ensemble, and we performed a version of that holiday homeschool classic that included props and funny hats - inspired by some YouTube postings by other homeschool moms. I did have it videotaped, and if I can ever figure out how to transfer the video to the computer, I will get it posted here!
My dear friend Eileen was our special speaker for the evening, and she shared part of her amazing testimony of how God has shown his power and purpose in her life in a talk she entitled "Believe!" Very appropriate for this Christmas season!
I have pictures that I'll try to get loaded this weekend - computer and camera are still not getting along.
THE 14 DAYS OF HOMESCHOOL
sung to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas “
On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can you homeschool legally?”
On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me,“How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me,“Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me,“Why do you do this?How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this?Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about graduation? They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this? Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “I could never do that. What about graduation? They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this? Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can they go to college?I could never do that. What about graduation? They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this?Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the thirteenth day of homeschool, I thoughtfully replied, “ Colleges love homeschoolers! Sure, you could do this. We have graduation. And we have a Prom! We do it cuz we believe in it! They aren’t missing anything! We might homeschool forever.WE ARE NOT STRANGE.We have great sports teams. Sometimes we give them tests. Yes,they are socialized. And we homeschool legally!
On the fourteenth day of homeschool, my neighbor said to me, “How can I get started? I think can do this! Why didn’t you tell me? Can I help with the Prom? When is the next conference? This is soooo exciting! Where do I buy curriculum? Homeschooling is not so strange! What will my mother-in-law say?Can we join the basketball team?God, please give me strength! Together we’ll homeschool legally!
Now that the Thanksgiving leftovers are in the fridge we can start looking forward to Christmas, which is right around the corner. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorite holidays, and I just wish they were spread apart a little bit more.
I adore the Christmas season - the music, the decorations, the lights, the nativity displays, the cookies, the goodwill that is displayed more than at other times of the year. But I don't like the crass commercialism ( crass = insensitive, crude, coarse) , the selfishness, the stress resulting from overspending or overscheduling. So I have worked hard over the years to find balance in our family celebration of Christmas, aiming for moderation in spending & decorating and incorporating traditions that provide joyful family memories and also that direct our hearts and minds to the "reason for the season"!
from Chapter 1 "Celebrate": "Celebrations are not only fun, they are wonderful teaching tools. God gave His people festivals of celebration to encourage and teach them. God wants us to teach our children His truth. We are to talk of His Word when we sit in our homes, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up. What better way to communicate God's truth to our children than through the Symbols of the Season?"
The focus of this book is celebrating with meaning, trimming away the superfluous, and approaching the Advent season as well as the 12 days of the traditional Epiphany with joy and purpose. The 10 chapters are titled "Celebrate", "Advent...With Your Family", "Symbols of the Season", "Traditions... Yours, Mine and Ours", "Gala Gatherings", "Grateful Giving", "The Twelve Nights of Christmas", "More Than Just Recipes", "Uncluttering Christmas", and "Afterglow".
Some of the activities we have taken from this little treasure and incorporated in our Christmas celebration are the Advent Jar, the Advent Wreath & Devotional, Advent Chain, Birthday Cake for Jesus, and a St. Nicholas project.
In Raleigh, the Home School Gathering Place gets a shipment of this book every December. Owner Julia Harris knows the author and has promoted this book to the homeschool community here for many years.
There are also some free unit studies online inspired by the Advent devotionals in this book. We have done all of these at one time or another, and they are a wonderful way to teach the meaning behind many of the customs and traditions of our traditional celebrations.
We are on a roll! First Eric wins a 4-day trip for 2 to Miami, FL ~ and now I win an e-book! Not quite as exciting as Florida, but cool nonetheless.
One By One: The Homeschool Group Leader's Guide to Motivating Your Members This e-book was written by Denise Hyde and Kristen Falaga, two homeschool moms and support group leaders who have a blog dedicated to providing information and encouragement for other homeschool support group leaders! I have only had time to skim through the book, but it looks like lots of great information on motivating and engaging support group members, and I think it will be a great benefit to our Lighthouse leadership team.
deer tracks in our backyard
