Thanksgiving





 

Thanksgiving!  I love Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for.  We all do.  This year we are traveling "home" to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.  It has been 5 months since we have been there, they have traveled here though.  It is about a 9 hour drive and although we will not cross any ocean, it seems almost like a "Mayflower" voyage.  We pack and prepare, we anticipate, we check the weather, and the excitement is building as we get closer!

I remember when I was in elementary school and we would make paper turkeys and study pilgrims, the mayflower and Squanto.  I loved everything about it!  So I have always tried to instill a thankful attitude with my children. 

Sometimes, I wonder if  one can really grasp "thankfulness" until they have been without or until they have seen others go through tough times.  I seem to realize the meaning more as I am older.  Our family has been through some changes in the last couple of years and I believe my children can understand  "thankful" more now.

These are a few of the many things I am thankful for, not in any order:

I am so looking forward to visiting with family this Thanksgiving. 
It will be so nice to travel "back home" to familiar roads and sites!
We have a nice, warm and dry house.
We have plenty of food to eat.  I am thankful for this, even though sometimes I complain about the increase in pricing, God still provides for us.
My husband is my best friend and is so supportive to me and our family.
My children are healthy, smart and kind.
We are able to homeschool.
We have great friends.
We live in the United States.  It is not perfect, but we have many freedoms that others do not.
I am thankful for Facebook and the Internet which allows me to stay in touch with family and friends and make new friends!
I am thankful for the laughter of my children!

I am thankful that Emily loves to cook!

I enjoy seeing SarahAnne being crafty and how she is improving in the details.

I love seeing Samuel get so excited building Lego's and doing "science experiments" with his dad.

I am so thankful for our extended family and the joyous times we share together.

I am thankful that I came through surgery fine and had a good report.

I am thankful for my parents and all of their help and support of my family.

This Thanksgiving, I pray that you and your family enjoy each other and have a wonderful time of fellowship and create many happy memories.   Let's all remember to thank the Lord for His abundant blessings.





Our moving experience

Moving.....we all dread the thought of it.  We have moved many many times in our life.  Someone told us once, that our furniture should have wheels! 

We were married in January of 1994.  We have moved at least 11 times!  No, my husband is not in the military.  We didn't move each time for a new job, but sometimes.  It was easier to do when the kids were younger, because they had less STUFF.  We had less STUFF. 

We have moved from smaller to bigger homes and from bigger to smaller ones.  We have moved to be closer to family.  We have moved to be closer to work.  We have moved because of work. 

Last October, we moved from Kentucky to North Carolina.  It was the longest, hardest , most expensive move ever!    Matt had lost his job in Kentucky in May and was provided one in North Carolina.  We sold our KY house (Thank you, Lord!) at the beginning of July.
We packed things into storage until a job offer... not knowing where we would go.  We took our most precious things to our parents' home until we moved.  We stayed there, too. 

Matt had two job interviews.  One in Kansas and one in North Carolina.  At the end of July, he was offered a job in North Carolina.  He took it and started a new job in August.  We stayed in Ohio with my parents.  We took a couple of trips down to look for housing and found one in September.

It has been the hardest move we have ever made.  We knew no one here.  We were far away from the people we loved and the places we knew.  The culture is different than were we came from.

Through all of this, God has blessed us.  We found a house that had been foreclosed.  It provides us with a school room, in addition to everything else we need.  We are 3 hours from the Outer Banks of North Carolina!  We have a great neighbor, who right away introduced our kids to her grandkids.  (They are now friends.)  We have grown closer as a family.  We have learned so much by this experience.

I believe that one day we will be moving, yet again.  I don't have any plans right now, but I know that God is in control and His plan will work for me even when I don't understand it.

Midwest Homeschool Conference

I just had to post really quickly.  I am so excited!  I just found out that the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio will have the Duggars as speakers!  In addition to all of the other great speakers.  If you have never been to a homeschool convention.... let me highly recommend this one!  It is so inspiring!  Also overwhelming, especially the first time!  (all of the curriculum in the vendor hall will make your head spin!)

Beginning in 2011, there will also be conferences organized by the same people as the Midwest Convention, in three other places in the United States.  So you may be able to travel to the one closest to you.  We will travel back to Cincinnati.  Why?  Because, we have so many friends that attend that one and we just LOVE Cincinnati!  If you plan to go to the one in Cincinnati, let me know and we can plan to meet!  I am getting more excited. 

Ask my husband, he will tell you that I was a changed woman after my first conference.  I went by myself.  It was so much smaller then and still it was unbelievable!  So many vendors, speakers, so many homeschoolers!  The next year, I took him with me!  This past year, we took Emily.  It is a highlight of our year.  I'm writing the dates on my calendar!

Midwest Homeschool Convention       

-  Cincinnati, Ohio               March 31- April 2, 2011

Southeast Homeschool Convention    

  - Greenville, South Carolina        March 17-19, 2011

Northeast Homeschool Convention   

 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania       June 23-25, 2011

Midsouth Homeschool Convention     

 - Memphis, Tennessee                March 3-5, 2011

Hope that you can attend one of these great conventions.

My little extra time...

Well, I woke up extra early this morning......uh, ok, I  really had a little extra time because of the time change.  I could always use a little extra time!  Anyway, since I've been off the blogging path for a while now I decided to do a little blog hopping.  It was nice to visit and see what everyone has been up too. 

I am still slow, but am making some progress and hope to have a good full week of school this coming week.
The kids are starting to think about the holidays.  (ok, I am too!)  Emily is wanting to decorate and put up the tree already.  We may do a little decorating by getting out our Christmas village, but not the tree, yet.  Our Christmas village goes up high on a shelf above our built-in bookcases, so it is something Matt has to do. 

It seems, the rest of the crew has risen!  Emily has the coffee brewing, so it is time for me to go. 

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Getting back

Yesterday, I visited my doctor for another post-op check-up.  Things are good.  I can increase my activity slowly and start getting back to normal.  YYYYEEEAAHHH!  I am so looking forward to this.  I am ready to get back.  My kids are ready.  My husband is ready.  We really do enjoy our normal day to day homeschooling life.

I am so thankful for my parents.  They came and spent 3 weeks helping to take care of me and my family.  I know that I am so blessed to have them!  My husband and kids have been helpful too.  I also have to say that my doctor was great and am thankful that all test results came back cancer free.  God has been so good to me!

Now, I need to plan to get back on track with school.  This week we will do a little catch up and next week we will work pretty diligently to get where we need to be.  I really don't think we are too far behind.  I would like to get a couple of good weeks in before Thanksgiving. 

We always take time off in December to study a Christmas theme, so I need to start thinking about that too.  So, for the next couple of days ....plan, plan, plan...!!!!

I overdid it

I guess I overdid it last weekend and Monday.  On Monday and early Tuesday I was in a lot of pain.  I went to the Doctor Tuesday morning and he thought I may have pulled an internal stitch or two.  He told me to stay off my feet and do very little until next Tuesday.  It is a setback, but a small one.  I have tried very hard to follow Doctor's orders.  The hardest part has been asking for others to take care of me.  I really appreciate my family's help.

I am hoping to get back to a more regular school schedule next week.  It has been two full weeks of extra worksheets, reading, Hopefully by two weeks we will be good.  (Just before the Holidays!)  I am not stressing about that so much, because we started school a little early and had stayed on track pretty well this year.

Hope that you all have a great weekend!

Recovering

Slowly, slowly I am recovering!  Last Friday I went in for a total abdominal hysterectomy.   The doctor did the routine hysterectomy and discovered a mass behind my left tube.  It was wrapped  around  my large intestine.  He successfully removed the mass also.  He was unable to remove my appendix, due to the mass removal taking an extra amount of time. I was sent home on Saturday and slept and slept.  I was very sore for days.  The pain medication makes me dizzy for a little while after I take it, so I have to watch that.   Today, (Sunday) I am starting to decrease the medication a little and hopefully will be able to continue to keep decreasing a little each day. 

I have had 3 c-sections and knew that the recovery would be similar, but I must say that I am more sore than I remember being with the c-sections. (I am sleeping though!)  I am also older now and this surgery did take a little extra time than had been anticipated.  All in all, God watched over me and I had a great surgeon! I am doing well and improving each day.  I am also blessed that the pathology report came back that there was no cancer.  I am so blessed.

My parents are wonderful!  They have been so helpful to me and my husband these past couple of weeks!  The kids have so enjoyed having them here.  I really appreciate their help!

Yesterday, Matt took my dad, Samuel and Emily to Wilmington to tour the USS North Carolina.
He has wanted to do this for quite a while now.  The weather was perfect and I was taken care of here, so off they went.  They had a fabulous time.  Samuel loved it.  It was a great memory making day for them. 

I stayed home  (of course)  with SarahAnne, my mom and sister.  We enjoyed a quiet and relaxing day.  I've had a lot of those lately, during this recovery.   I have read two books,  watched a lot of HGTV and food network, cleaned out my coupon organizer, taken naps, and had long talks with my family.

I hope to get back to blogging again later in the week.  May you all have a blessed week!

Prepared and Waiting

Book basket--filled!

A workbox for each -- with worksheets, puzzles, fun things-- filled!

School work for the week-- completed.

Chores caught up on!

Errands finished.

Grandparents on their way!

I have preparations completed  and now I wait.  I am scheduled for Friday afternoon for my hysterectomy.  I am ready to get this surgery over.  I know the recovery will be tough, so I'm ready to get it going.  

We completed our school work early this week and caught up on filling our notebooks.  We sorted some things and tied up some loose ends.  It has been a light week.  We finished Brazil and South America.  After my recuperation, we will head off to Norway.  Emily will continue her studies and is pretty much on track.  She may even complete her Latin study a little early!

I filled one box with a variety of things for Samuel and SarahAnne to do while I rest next week.  They also have a book basket filled with books for reading and Awanas to study.   The weather should be cooler, for some outdoor physical education and nature study. They will play a variety of boardgames with my parents who will be here.  So I think homeschool will continue next week, even without the regular teacher! 

I am so thankful for my family.  My husband is so supportive.  My parents and sister are traveling down from Ohio to stay with the kids and help out when I come home.  They are all so great.  I am blessed with a great family.  The kids are so excited to see them, that it overshadows the concern of the surgery to them.  That is a good thing.

I may not be posting for a little while, but I hope not to be away too long.   Until then, I would appreciate a little prayer.  Thanks.

Autumn Blesssings

This is my favorite time of year.  I sometimes stress about getting everything "picture perfect".  I want to have pumpkins and mums on my front porch.  I want to have candles lit all over my house and lots of fall deserts.  I want pretty autumn place mats on my table with a nice centerpiece.  I don't have all of these things, I do have a couple and that will have to do this year. 
God is already decorating our world for us and He allows us to view it.  He has given us a world with the most beautiful seasons.  Where we live now, the seasons are not as evident as we are used to, but we have a yard full of trees (several oaks).  We have lots of nuts and pinecones and squirrels.  It is a nice fall nature study!

                 

I love the smells of fall. 

 The pumpkin, caramel, apple, and cinnamon. 

I love the smell of  warm soup and baking bread.  

 Hay and crisp leaves, rain. 

 These things are so comforting.  

I love the sounds of fall. 

 Crunchy leaves when your walking,

wind blowing through the trees with leaves falling down

and laughter of children jumping in a leaf pile.

God gives us a multitude of blessings with each season.  I believe the ones in autumn are just an overflowing bounty.  We should always have a thankful heart, but this time of year, I seem drawn more to thankfulness with the holidays coming.   May we all be thankful for God's many blessings.

OVERWHELMED

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?  Overwhelmed by all you have to do?  Overwhelmed by homeschooling?  Keeping house?  Church?  Activities?  Extended family?  Finances?  Medical concerns?

There are times, we all feel overwhelmed. I certainly do!  I try to live up to the housekeeping standards of others or the homeschooling or the BLOGGING!  I have to remind myself, that my situation (life) is different than the other persons.  God gave me these abilities and there are some things that I am really good at and somethings not so good. 

It seems sometimes that I really need an extra clone of myself to get through the day!  Things tend to go undone on those days.  And that frustrates me.  It makes me feel like I'm a failure.  It  upsets me that my kids didn't do their chores better.  Or that my kitchen needs painted and I don't have time.  So I end up catching a glimpse of Martha Stewart, Paula Deene, or an HGTV show and that makes me feel worse.

This week in our Bible reading for MFW,  we read Matthew 6:25-34.  It was meant to be.  God put that reading there on that day for me to read!  He tells us not to worry about things.  God will take care of us.
Here are the last 2 verses which sums it all up:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given

to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry

about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:33-34

I hope to remind myself of this and give more of my thoughts to Jesus.  I want to seek Him more and not worry.  I know I will still worry some, but I hope to do better!  

Anticipating......

Well, I  had hoped to be getting lots of things accomplished this week.  We are doing ok, but not doing double in anything.  Maybe tomorrow.  Do you ever have days when you just can't seem to get motivated beyond what you have to do?  I am having one of those days.  I hate feeling like this.  I have been researching a little on post-hysterectomy recovery and it is getting a me a little down, I really need to get it in gear and accomplish some things before next week. 

We are enjoying the cooler temperatures this week!  (Finally!)  On Monday we had cheesy potato soup and buttered rolls.  Just perfect for fall. 
The acorns keep falling and hitting my roof.  At first, I thought there was something ON my roof.  We have a lot of trees on our yard and quite a few are oaks. 

The kids and I went out yesterday and picked up a big basket full of pinecones from our yard.  We probably could have picked up 2-3 more, but that was enough.  Maybe we will use them in a Christmas craft.  We will see.

I am hoping that tomorrow will be better.  I need to make a list  and prepare some things for the kids to do the week after my surgery.  My parents are coming to visit and will stay for a few days, so I'm not counting on school for a few days.  I just don't want to get weeks behind, when we have gotten off to such a good start this year.  I am counting on getting in some reading for all of us!  Some read alouds and  some books for individual reading!  I know that that will be something they can continue on their own!  Any ideas?  Any book suggestions?

Preparing and counting down.....

This coming week I will spend preparing.  We will be doubling up on some subjects and trying to get ahead on some house chores.  Why?  Because I am scheduled to have a total hysterectomy on Oct. 15th.  There are a couple of reasons why this should be done.  I have had this recommendation from more than one doctor.  I have put it off for a while already.  I am not looking forward to it, but feel like it must be done.  I hope I will feel better.  I really have no idea how long recovery will take.  I ask for your prayers
that things will go well.

This weekend, we took some time to get a few things done, do some leaf raking/sweeping, and cooking ahead.  We did take some time out to watch a little football too!

We are at week 10 this week!  Wow.  It is hard to believe we are that far already.  Eight weeks till Thanksgiving and 12 weeks till Christmas! SarahAnne and I have worked on few little crafts.  I have also searched the Internet for new Christmas ideas.  I love looking at Christmas things.  I love all the ideas.  We are planning to make candles this year.  (I'll let you know how that goes.) We planned to do it last year, but we had just moved in our house on October 31st, so we decided not to be so ambitious. 

I pray that you all have a good week.  Enjoy all of autumn's bounty of blessings. 

"Making Your Home a Havan" Fall Challenge

This morning while blog hopping I ran across a blog,  Women Living Well .  Courtney is having a fall challenge.  I just love fall and decided to hop aboard!  Just thought I'd pass it along to you.   So enjoy those pumpkin scented candles and apple cider and beautiful crisp mornings!  Happy Fall to you!

Friday wrap-up

Here it is Friday and I've finally gotten around to blogging.  It has been a pretty usual week around here, except that we have had so much RAIN. (We really needed rain, but not so much at once.)  School has gone pretty well.  My son and daughter are doing so good at multiplication and spelling this week that I have been less concerned about getting everything else finished.  Those are the focus this school year. 

We have started our study of Brazil and we are all enjoying studying all the different animals, fruits and spices of the rain forest.  The kids are really getting into the geography game, also.  This weekend I hope to do some fall baking and talk more about spices.

We made some Kool-aid Playdough.  I've had the recipe for a few months and finally decided to get it out and make some.  It was so easy.  It only took around 10 minutes, total!  It turned out really nice and the kids played for 2 hours after we made it, so it was definitely worth it!

Kool-aid Playdough

1/4 cup salt

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp cream of tartar

1 envelope Kool-aid

1 cup water

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1.  Mix flour, salt, tartar, Kool-aid and water in medium saucepan.  Stir in oil.

2.  Mix over medium heat 3-5 minutes until mixture forms a ball in center of pan.

3.  Remove from pan.  It will be hot, knead until soft.

4.  Store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.

It is suppose to smell like the flavor, ours must have been old.  There was hardly any smell.  We also added some food coloring to ours, before kneading.

We may make some more this weekend, but first I need to buy some cream of tartar.  We used it all in the last batch.  Quick and easy.   Hope you and your little ones enjoy!

Our path of Frugality

In May 2009 my husband lost his job.  (Like so many others.)  He was layed off from a job that he loved.  A job that he was very good at and one that looked to be promising; career-wise.  It was a real blow to us.  So unexpected.

We immediately put our house up for sale.  (We had moved there specifically for the job.)  We started purging and had a yard sale.  We started scouring the Internet for jobs.  It was a tight market and a difficult time.  

God blessed us with our house selling within a little over 3 months.  It was truly God.  We lived  in the middle of rural Kentucky with about 7 houses for sale in a two mile stretch.  We also got a fair price!

We had no job to go to at this time.  We put most things in storage and some stuff  with our parents.  Meanwhile my husband continued to look for a job.  He had an interview in Kansas and one in North Carolina.  He was blessed with the job in North Carolina.  That is the short, very condensed story of how we ended up here.

We are living on less money and still recovering from moving expenses among other things.  Needless to say, we try to cut corners on things and live more frugally than ever before.  I have always used coupons and tried to be frugal but now it is more necessary.  

We have learned so much during this time.  We've grown closer as a family.  We better appreciate the things we have.  We've tried to teach our kids to be thankful for what we have and the blessings that God has given us. 

I play the coupon game at CVS, Walgreens and Target.  I love Aldi and it is only 2 miles from my house! I have stocked up on some nice little surprises for my kids and saved us quite a bit of money.  It does take time and sometimes I don't do all that great and other times I hit a home run!  It all helps though.  I am learning daily to be a better steward of the things God has blessed my family with.

Below are some of my favorite saving money sites:

http://www.couponingtodisney.com/

http://www.savingwithamy.com/

http://www.5dollardinners.com/

http://kingdomfirstmom.com/

http://southernsavers.com/


Hope you enjoy these.  Do you have any money saving sites to share?

Some of our favorite curriculum

I recently had a friend ask what some of our favorite curriculum has been.  She is starting a folder for future ideas.  So I thought I'd share with her and you at the same time!

• Explode the Code - these books are great for teaching phonics.  They are also inexpensive!
• Apologia-  My oldest daughter has used Apologia since 7th grade and although challenging,  it is very thorough and well-planned.  We love the creation view and how evolution is also presented as a theory.
• Considering God's Creation-  I used this book over a 2 year period with Samuel and SarahAnne.  It is across between lapbooks and unit studies.  They enjoyed it.  We stretched it out to cover some topics more in depth.
• My Father's World-  Although we are still new at using this curriculum, I must say I do like it a lot already.  We are using Exploring Countries and Cultures and have already gained so much geography knowledge.  We also like having the Bible all planned out and the mission emphasis.
• Latina Christiana-  Emily has used this for a couple of years now and has really loved this.  It is below her grade level, but she had no prior Latin.  She has pretty much done this independently.  She will soon progress to the next level and wants to add Greek.  So it must have been inspiring as well.
• Wordly Wise-  Emily only used this one year, but I really liked the vocabulary building!
• Teaching Textbooks-  Again, another new one to us this year.  Emily is using the Geometry curriculum and is really liking it.  She is again pretty independent at this.
• Notgrass History- This is another new one for us this year.  We examined this at the Mid-West  Homeschool Convention and we were impressed right away.  Excellent!  This is very well researched and  written.  It also includes English and Bible credits as well as world history.
• All About Spelling-  We are using this one also for the first time.  We have a struggling speller and  I can already see some progress!  I pray this continues.  I have high hope for this based on reviews.
• Library-  We have such a big personal pile of books (Don't we all?)  that we use for school.  We also scour the public library for books, cds, dvds.  Some libraries have teacher kits that you can check out with tons of books and resources.  (We used one in the spring on the human body with skeletons that worked like a puzzle.)
• Usborne books.  Great quality books.  We also like DK books.

I have used Abeka, Bob Jones, Math U See, and many other curriculum.  I am probably leaving out some that I really liked.  (There are so many!!)  I choose not to speak badly about the ones I did not like.  They just didn't work for us, but may for some!  I am sure that our list will continue to change.  This is one of the perks of homeschooling, our kids are not bound to continue with something that does not work for them.

Some great Homeschool Websites:

• 
  
  The Homeschool Lounge-I can not tell you how I love this place.  If you have a question, a concern, a prayer request or just need to talk with another mom, then this is the place! 
• Homeschool Share- tons of resources from other homeschool moms that share!  Unit studies, lapbooks, etc.
• Free Homeschooling 101-  nice site that list all kinds of free websites.
• Spelling City- my kids love to play these games with their spelling words.  It is FREE!
• Star Fall- great phonics games for little ones.  FREE.

Again, this list is not complete.  I have lots more on my favorites file.  These are just a few.  Maybe some will be new to you!  Do you have any sites that you love too?

A full weekend

This past weekend was full!  On Saturday, we attended the Oceania Naval Air Show in Virginia Beach.  It was awesome.  The power of the jets, the knowledge and skill of the pilots, and the history of planes made it a great outing.  We were surrounded by military and military history.  It was good exposure for us and our kids.

I kept thinking throughout the day of a friend of ours that gave his life for our country just 2 short months ago.  He was just a couple of weeks shy of turning 24.  He was killed in Afghanistan.  I hope I never take for granted the freedom we have in this country and all of the blessings God gives us daily.

Sunday was Emily's birthday.  She had spent the weekend with her aunt and uncle and Matt picked her up late Sunday morning.  We had a birthday celebration Sunday afternoon.  We were all tired from the road trips, so we enjoyed some football on TV.

Today we had a slow start, and some whiny attitudes.  We all have those days.  Our day did get much better.  We finished school with a celery experiment and crafts and reading!

My Sweet Emily

Today, I am blessed to celebrate 15 years of knowing, loving and caring for my daughter Emily!

I truly have one of the most mature and sweetest girls whom I am very proud to call mine.  These are some of the things I love about her:

1.  She loves Greek and Latin. 
2.  She enjoys cooking!  (Which I must say, I enjoy!) 
3. She makes coffee almost every morning. 
4. She listens to a wide variety of music from classical to bluegrass and including rap and contemporary Christian. 
5.  She would love to travel to Europe.  She especially would love a trip to Greece. 
6.  She is a huge C.S. Lewis fan.
7.   Emily has for years been in love with sea turtles.  We have enjoyed watching her light up at aquariums when she would spot a turtle! 
8. She helps me in so many ways:  with her brother and sister, with cooking, and with chores.
9. Emily has a talent for beading.  She has made quite a number of bracelets, earrings and necklaces that are very nice.
10. She LOVES the beach.  She is happy just to sit and watch the waves roll in or to play in them.
11. Emily is organized.  She plans her lessons for school.  She is keeping track of most everything this year!  (YEAH, for me!)  She has calendars, planners and she has it all together!  (She does a great job of this!)
12. She plays the violin. (and a little piano.)
13. She is a good friend to her friends.

She is my sweet Emily, she is my daughter and she is my friend too!   I know, I've read those books and articles that say we are not to try to be friends with our children.  I will say to them, that I am the parent, but at some point that starts to change when our children talk with us and laugh with us and share with us.  We have long talks and share laughs and that to me is friendship! 

All of these things make up who my daughter Emily is, but the list is not complete. She does have some faults, we all do, but I am focusing on the good things today! She is still growing and changing.  She is still experiencing life.  My dream for her is that she is grounded in her beliefs and that she always knows that her mom and dad love and support her!   I want her to travel and to see the world that God has made.  I want her to have great strong friendships.  I pray that she has a wonderful and loving family of her own one day. I want her to be all that God wants her to be.
My prayer is that God will lead her and guide her as she grows.  I  pray that He protects her.  I believe that He has great plans for her!  Matthew 6:33

Our week

This week was planned.  I had everything ready!  My workboxes were planned, all of our group work ready, our calendar was filled, but then a little stomach bug came to visit on Tuesday night and I have just felt awful.

Monday and Tuesday went pretty well.  We started our journey to Canada.  We visited the library on Tuesday after the girls had homeschool group Bible study.  At the library we attended a presentation from the North Carolina Museum of Science on Reptiles and Amphibians.

On Wednesday, however it was slow going for me.  Thankfully,  the workboxes were easily ready.  The kids did them and had a pretty relaxed afternoon.  Matt took them to Awanas that night.

Thursday morning was a little better.  I felt so much better.  We accomplished a little more school  (although, not everything), ran errands and had a pretty good day.  The kids played with friends in the afternoon. 

Friday (today), I had an early morning Dr. appointment.  We had a light day of school only getting the basics. Although we did not accomplish everything I had planned, it wasn't a total loss.  The kids stayed pretty busy this week. I must say that the workboxes helped and having the plan finished to work from. 

Sunday, is Emily's 15th birthday (I can not believe it!).  She is going to visit my brother and his wife for the weekend.  They are taking her to a concert Saturday.  She will have an awesome time.  We will pick her up Sunday.

The rest of us are going to Virginia Beach to the Oceania Naval Air Show on Saturday. It is a big air show that Matt has been wanting to go to forever.  We are only about 3 hours away, so this year we are going.  He and Samuel are so excited.  I am looking forward to it also.  When we first were married we went to a couple of smaller air shows and I really enjoyed them.  SarahAnne is not so excited.  She just can't imagine how it will be fun.  I think she will be surprised.  We will see.

My First Blog Award!  Thank you so much Lynda for givng this award to me.  I am so new at this and it was very unexpected. I am excited and hope that my blog will enable me to share some of our life stories and encourage others in the journey along Wildflower Paths. Please visit Lynda's very nice blog (My Heart's Desire) at http://lynishiskid.blogspot.com/.  Thank you again Lynda for this encouragement to me!

The Rules for accepting the Award are:
1. Accept the award! Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.

3. Contact those blog owners, and let them know they've been chosen.

So, I am passing this award on to the following great blogs: (in no particular order)

1. Teresa-  Life with the Matz'  http://lifewith5monkeys.blogspot.com/
2. Kimberly-  Raising Olives   http://raisingolives.com/
3. The Adventurer-   http://lifesadventures-amb.blogspot.com/
4. Joyce -   Joyful Creations 2 Honor Him     http://joyfulcreations2.blogspot.com/
5. Monica-  Discover Their Gifts     http://discovertheirgifts.blogspot.com/
6. Mrs. Mandy-   Mrs. Mandy's Musings  http://emptymelord.blogspot.com/
7. Adventures of Arbor Creek    http://www.arborcreek3.blogspot.com/
8. Jolanthe-  Homeschool Creations   http://homeschoolcreations.com/
9. Mary-  Homeschool Success     http://homeschoolsuccess.blogspot.com/
10. Jimmie-   Jimmies's Collage    http://jimmiescollage.com/
11. Anna-  Passionate Motherhood   http://passionatemotherhood.blogspot.com/
12. Walking By The Way-   http://walkingbytheway.com/blog
13. Mama Jenn-   http://mama-jenn.blogspot.com/
14. Amanda-    Life of the Mom of Many     http://lifeofthemomofmany.blogspot.com/
15. Maranda-  Sassy Down Home Mama-  http://onesassydownhomemama.blogspot.com/

Please give these blogs a visit and I'm sure you too will gleen a little something that will enrich your homeschool.  Thanks again Lynda and to all of you bloggers that we meet on our journey.

This week started with a holiday and with me not feeling well.  We did manage to accomplish some school and start some activities.  Overall, it was a good week.

On Tuesday evening, Matt took Samuel to his 1st Cub Scout meeting.  Samuel was so excited about this!
He did not know anything about it, until Matt came home from work.  We could not have stood to hear about it all day!  Needless to say, he came home from the meeting overjoyed.  He called his grandparents and my brother who went all through Scouts, to become an Eagle Scout.  This will be good for Samuel.

Wednesday morning, we had  school and spelling was my highlight of the day!  I was very pleased with this lesson for both Samuel and Sarah Anne.  We recently began using All About Spelling and we are now starting to get to the "meat" of it. 

On Wednesday night, Samuel and Sarah Anne had the 1st meeting of Awanas for the year.  They came home psyched for the year! 

Thursday, the girls started a homeschool Bible study group that will meet twice a week.  It is a small group, but they seemed to like it. 

We are finishing up our study of Mexico this week.  We had our Fiesta tonight!  We had taco salad and chips earlier in the week, but on Thursday, we had Southwest  Rice Bake and Chicken Enchiladas.  We also had Sarita's.  Which is just Kool-aid and Sprite!  It was very good though.  (Our flavor was tropical punch.)

Friday was a lighter day and we finished our Mexico study.  We made Apple Enchiladas for desert.  These were very easy.  You just need apple pie filling, tortillas, 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, and cinnamon.
Lay a tortilla out and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Place apple pie filling on top.  Roll this up and place seam side down in a casserole dish.  Repeat until dish is full.  Melt butter and mix with sugars.  Heat in microwave and stir.  Pour over enchiladas.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Serve with ice cream. These were good, but I prefer old-fashioned apple pie. 
Anyway, here are some pictures....

Our Mexican Fiesta!

Apple Enchiladas

Frustrations...

I feel like I always give excuses for not blogging more and I am sorry.  I have not been feeling well this weekend and did not accomplish everything I had hoped.  I did get a good start, and will be posting later this week about that. 

I went to the Doctor today and left feeling frustrated.
I have high blood pressure and hypothyroidism.  Lately I 've been feeling very tired and  for the last day or so my blood pressure has been pretty low. That in turn, made me feel a little off balance.
So today, my Doctor spent more time typing into the computer notebook than actually talking with me and doing any type of exam.  This frustrates me and makes me wonder why I am seeing him.  I guess,  I need to start asking around for Doctor references.  I hate going through all the medical/ prescription history again, but I'd like a Doctor that has some interest in his patient.  I have only seen this Doctor for a year in December.  We have only lived in this town since last fall.

I understand that in today's medical world, patient care is a business.  I've argued with insurance companies and changed medications at their bidding.  I've put off and rescheduled appointments due to cost.  Why must health care be this way?   Why must we wait 45 minutes to see the Doctor for 15 minutes?

I apologize for rambling and posting all of my frustrations. ( Can anyone else, relate?)  I hope to rest and get back to business real soon!

We've had a slow school week, so far.  I really haven't stuck to the program at all.  We had no school on Monday because my parents were visiting.  They ended up staying until @ 10:00 am Tuesday.  The kids and I did our Bible and handwriting, had lunch and then read some.  We had some chores to do and that was pretty much Tuesday.

Today, ( Wednesday) we concentrated on Bible, geography and science.  This is supposed to be our first week of Mexico (ECC) and we are having delays with our passports and airline tickets!  LOL  I think we will take off tomorrow! 

We did get caught up on chores today.  That always makes me feel better.  Even when we have a week that things don't go as planned, it's ok.  I used to (sometimes, I still can) get stressed out about it, but things will work out.

I am planning to work on a few things this weekend around the house and on the blog.  I know I need to post pictures and I will, I promise!  My husband is going to help me.  He can do those things so much faster than I can!

By the way, have you checked out his blog? He started a blog for homeschooling dads.   He has really surprised me with it!  He also, would love to have some other homeschooling Dads follow him!  Spread the word!
His blog is  http://dadshomeschoolgarage.blogspot.com/

Tonight is the kick-off and sign -up for Awanas.  The kids are excited.  They are happy to start at the beginning of the year.  So, I need to get going and get them and myself ready!  Until later....

No School Today!

No school today!  I know, I know, we just started.  My parents came for SarahAnne's birthday this weekend and stayed a couple of more days.  So, we took the day off and spent it with them!  We learned last year that spending time with the people you love should be a priority.  We lost Matt's dad in June.  We all still miss him a lot.

 We did take them to the library.  That was fun.  Samuel and SarahAnne loved showing them all of the books they could choose from.  After that, we did a little shopping and went home.

Maybe, we'll have school tomorrow.......

Tuesday, August 31st, will be SarahAnne's 9th birthday!  Since we live hours away from all of our family and still have few friends here, we celebrated her birthday Saturday.  She decided she wanted a LUAU.  She is growing up and is getting away from all those character birthdays!   YEAH, for getting away from the character birthday themes, not for growing up so fast! 

She is our feisty, stubborn, artistic, original girl!  We had Emily and had tried for a few years to have another baby, when  we surprisingly got pregnant with SarahAnne.  We were thrilled and scared.  At that time I was on several blood-pressure medications and was apprehensive about that.  About 4 months into my pregnancy  my placenta pulled away from the uterus which caused bleeding and I was put on bed rest for a few weeks.  After this I was scheduled an ultrasound which brought up questions about down syndrome.  Matt and I decided that no matter, this is our baby and we loved her.

SarahAnne was born healthy and with attitude from the beginning!  She was and still is very vocal!  She loves to read and draw.  She adores animals, especially horses.  Little House on the Prairie is her favorite show to watch on DVD.  She is a blessing.

We had a great Luau with my parents and sister, my brother and sister-in-law, Matt's cousin and wife, and neighbors from next door.  We ate pineapple and chicken kabobs, chicken salad and crackers, fruit salad, punch and cake.  We all had a good day, but SarahAnne especially enjoyed having people there to celebrate her day!

Week in review...

It's Friday and we've just finished another week of school.  It was a comfortable week.  It seems like we are getting into that well-fitting groove.  Not everything was perfect, but things flowed pretty well.

Emily is so organized and independent this school year!  WOW---- that really helps me.  She is doing well in Latin and Geometry and is loving History, English and Bible (they all go together).  Chemistry is coming along, but we have had trouble finding items for a couple of experiments.  Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we will get on the ball with that as well.

Samuel and SarahAnne are doing great in MFW.  This week we finished the USA study of North America.  Concentrating on the geography of the US, we worked puzzles, filled in blank maps, looked at individual states, listed all the states we had traveled to and so on.  At the end of the week, I gave them a blank map and had them label all the states they could remember.  I was very pleased!  Emily did this with us and did quite well, also.

This week we have read about Harriet Tubman and it has been something the kids looked forward to doing.  Samuel always got his Bible notebook and was ready to write at the end of each reading.

We started All About Spelling this week also.  I am starting slow with this and have been pleased so far.  Hopefully, next week we can get our feet a little wetter!   LOL

The workboxes are so wonderful!  I only started with six boxes and will soon increase to eight and then to ten.  I need to plan this and work out a schedule soon.  The kids love doing them and I can't believe how easy it was to implement!

Writing this blog was something I wanted to do for a while, but now that I have started it, it seems like my time is filled with so many other things and I just haven't fit it in very well.  I am going to try to do better.
I'm wishing now, that I had started it earlier this summer, so I would have been better prepared.

Week #3 MFW- Exploring Countries and Cultures

Today is Friday and we have completed week #3 of our homeschool year.  We are learning so much.  The kids are really enjoying the maps and the Bible study with Hero Tales.  Samuel's favorite subject is science and he really enjoys the outside nature study, still.  We are all looking forward to some cooler temperatures, so we can really enjoy the outdoors more often!

This afternoon we made a trip to Raleigh to a homeschool curriculum store.  I have been wanting to visit there for a few months and just never made it until today.  I needed a couple of things and had called ahead to make sure they had what I needed.  I got what I needed today and saved shipping. 

One thing I needed was a teacher's manual for Emily's Latina Christiana  II.   Why we didn't get it when we purchased the rest of the curriculum, I don't remember.  I certainly do NEED it!

Another item was a spelling curriculum.  I have been back and forth on this for months and finally went with All About Spelling.  I have read lots of reviews and testimonials and this one seems like it could be a good fit for my children.  I have one very strong speller and one that struggles.  We will start with this Monday.

My husband started a blog for Homeschooling Dads!

Just a quick note to let you know that my husband started a blog for homeschooling Dads.  When he had looked before for something for Dads, there was little to nothing out there.  So, he decided to start this just to connect with other Dads.  He would love to hear from your husbands.

                    http://dadshomeschoolgarage.blogspot.com/

Hope you are all having a good Monday!  Ours went pretty well.  We had a full day with school, chores, a trip to the library and Walmart.  It is a good thing that Monday night, Emily cooks dinner!  Tonight we are having Lasagna!

Ready for Monday!!

I just finished filling my workboxes and I have gotten a few other things sorted and ready for this week.  I feel like I am finally ready for Monday.  It feels good to be ready.

We had a pretty good weekend.  We stayed home and that has been good.  I got a lot accomplished Saturday and we had some good family time.  It has been refreshing. 

We caught up on MFW this weekend and made our world cake.  Samuel and Sarahanne really enjoyed that and we all enjoyed eating it. 

Taking the day off

It's been a long week.  My husband has worked longer hours and hasn't been at home as much.  It has been incredibly HOT and Humid.  We have all been a little grumpy.  It just all exploded (or should I say I exploded)  this morning.  Everything I started to do just went wrong.  So, I loaded the kids in the car and drove to a park.  The kids had a little phys.ed and I took a  breather.  I also called my husband and talked with him about my morning.  I knew this would help!  I thank God for my husband, he is just what I need.


Sometimes, things in life can be overwhelming and we just need to stop and take a break from it all.  God is in control when we can not see.  He will lead us through this. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."   Proverbs 3:5-6


After we finally returned home, we had lunch and some rest time to re-coup.  The younger ones did some handwriting and followed a map to find treasure and are spending the rest of the day playing upstairs.  Tomorrow, we will finish school and make a world cake as part of MFW- ECC curriculum.

This week, we have (almost) finished our second week of Exploring Countries and Cultures.  On Monday night we moved half our schoolroom/office around to make things flow better and to make room for our gigantic world map!   When we get everything in it's place, I'll post pictures!  It is the most organized school room we have ever had. 

I have a lot of preparations for next week to do this weekend and somehow in the midst of it all, relax a little.

Getting into the groove

We are slowly getting things going here.  Finally the kids are all home from visiting with grandparents and school is in session!  MFW is going well and we are enjoying it and learning a lot.  The workboxes are great and I think will even be better as I get more into the groove. 


Getting into the groove is more my problem than the kids.  (It usually is, isn't it?)  I know that I set the tone for how our day will go and sometimes I fall short on this.  Way back when I taught in a classroom in PS, I could walk in and teach and not have to do laundry, fix lunch, plan dinner, pick up prescriptions, deal with air conditioners on the blink, etc.  Now, I do these things and teach and although it doesn't always go accordingly to plan, we are accomplishing so much more.  ( although, sometimes I NEED reminded of this!)


One thing we have started this year with our chores is having  a 30 minute time period after breakfast and before school to do chores.  Not everything gets done then, but a lot gets accomplished.  It is a good thing!  Laundry is loaded,  DW is run or emptied,  kitchen is cleaned from breakfast, vacume is run, etc.  Now we concentrate on academics.  We also have a time right after dinner each night, before any TV is watched.  It is a good thing!


On our MFW plan today is our Nature Walk.  Here in NC it is forecasted to reach 100 degrees.  We are headed outside as soon as I am finished typing, before the temps soar any higher.  I hope for all you other MFW followers that it will be a cooler nature study for you. 

May we all continue to find our goove and continue this homeschool path, Wildflowers and all!
 

In need of time...

We are on the last day of week one in MFW ECC.  This is my second week doing week one.  Last week I did week one with my son and this week I have done it with my daughter.  Next week we will progress to week two.   Last week  went rather smoothly, but this week was a little rocky.  LIFE got in the way of my plans.  We've just had one of those weeks.  I am hopeful, that this weekend, we will get back on track. 

As for blogging, it will have to take a backseat for a few days.  I really need to do some planning.  I am amazed how some can do so much with their 24 hours and I just can't seem to get there!  Anyone else?

Hope to come back refreshed and have a few helpful posts, until then May the Lord bless you. 

Wildflowers in our life

The title of my blog is Wildflower Paths.  It was not the original title I had chosen and I really didn't give it an enormous amount of thought.  I am pretty happy with it though. 

I have always loved flowers.  Especially wildflowers.  Probably because where I grew up (in the country) they were abundant and free!   I can remember when I was little, I would almost daily pick a bunch of Queen Anne's Lace and Daisies or Violets and Clover for my grandmother.   As I got older I would put a bouquet in my bedroom and change them often.

When we lived in Kentucky, I was in bliss.  The original owners had planted flowers everywhere, (Roses, Irises, Daylillies, etc.) but my favorite was the wildflower patch back by the garden spot.  (The picture at the top of my blog is from there!) It was an ever changing, out of control, surprising array of beauty.  I could go out and pick a bouquet one day and a totally different one a day later. 

I think that life is like wildflowers.  Sometimes we just see the weeds and sometimes we see the beauty.  It offers a colorful combination and an assortment of wonder.  Life is always full of surprises and the best things in life are free.

This can be said of homeschooling too.  Sometimes, we must see past the weeds to find the flowers.  Wether this is in curriculum, schedules, or waiting through a particular hard season.  We can plant and water and get nothing but weeds or so it seems to us, and then surprisingly a rare and beautiful flower emerges and we can bask in it's beauty.

As we walk this path of homeschooling (life) let us see past the weeds and look for the wildflowers.  Sending you each a bouquet of wildflowers!

Not so ready for Monday....

I really had good intentions, really!  I was going to be so ready for this morning with a nice blog post, my workboxes all ready, my calendar looking nice, the office/school room neat and organized, my grocery shopping finished, etc. etc. 
What happened?  My parents came to visit and bring back SarahAnne and pick up Samuel for his week to visit, so the weekend was spent visiting.  I do have my workboxes finished and I graded and looked over all of Emily's school work. (That was a chore!  My head hurt when I was finshed reading Latin, history and Geometry! Whew!)
And to beat it all, I have to run to town to take care of some errands this morning, so school will wait until this afternoon.  Hopefully, the rest of the week will be smooth.  I am anxious to do school with just SarahAnne.  She has already asked about starting a new reading list for this school year. 

Still Tweaking.....

It's Wednesday!  We have 3 days under our belts this week.  Samuel is doing very well with workboxes and Emily seems to be really enjoying her curriculum.  She is on the couch reading C.S. Lewis as I type.

This morning we did our Backyard Habitat worksheet and Samuel was a natural.  He found a brown moth hanging upside down on a leaf under a bush.  It was so camouflaged!  He was very excited about his discovery.  He was also very cute with his magnifying glass!

I have been going through recipes and sorting them by category.  I am also going to put the ones we use more frequently in a special binder.  I had a file box full of them from when we moved last and it looks like an overwhelming project.  I figure if I just do a few minutes a day ( maybe  when we are watching TV or something) then I will eventually get it finished.

Here is one that we like (even the kids).  It is quick and easy.

Frito Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 can chili (16 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese
3 1/2 c Frito chips
1 1/4 c sour cream
Brown ground beef and drain. Stir in chili, tomato sauce, taco seasoning and 1/4 c cheese.
Sprinkle Frito chips in bottom of 8x8 baking dish.  Cover with chili mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Spread sour cream on top.  Sprinkle remaining Frito chips and cheese on sour cream and bake 5 minutes more.

Once I get a handle on my big recipe box,  I'll post some more quick and easy recipes.  I am hoping that I can get these together for my house to be able to get dinner on the table without spending so much time in the kitchen.   I also think this will help to plan our menus ahead and that will save not only time, but money too.  If I know ahead what I am planning to make then I can shop for those items and not have to run out at the last moment for them.
I can also look for coupons for these items ahead of time.

This is the time of year that a lot of us go into organization overdrive.  I am still tweaking my homeschool plans and working on menu plans and recipes and have other projects in mind for the next few weeks.  All a part of a continuing homemaking journey.

Starting School and Loosing a Tooth

Emily started the new school year today!  She was so cute!  She worked very hard at getting everything layed out, loaded on her computer, and getting her notebooks set up. She has everything so neat and organized.   She also started reading, "Mere Christianity" by C.S.  Lewis.  She is loving that!  Really, she loves C.S. Lewis and had to tell me all about the 1st chapter.  She had a great 1st day!

I also started with Samuel, but we just did a couple of hours today.  I had errands to run this morning and other household things that had to get done.  Tomorrow we will do more.  He really seemed to like the workboxes.   I also took him to the library while returning books this morning.  We came out with a bag full!

SarahAnne is visiting with my parents this week and will start Monday, August 2, 2010.   By then, I will have already finished the first week with Samuel and that should make it smooth for her.   Plus, he will spend next week with the grandparents.  We don't normally start like this, but time got  away from us this summer and we promised them they could each have a week with momaw and papaw.

For two weeks or so, Samuel has been bothered by a loose tooth.  It is his first!  Finally, he had enough and tonight right before bed he wanted me to pull it.  He was a real trooper.  He was so tickled to have it out!  We took pictures and he called momaw and papaw.  Now he is in bed awaiting the tooth fairy!  A great ending to his first day in 2nd grade!

I have been working to get all things in order for the coming school year, it is good to get this done. I have purchased curriculum, purged book shelves, printed workbox labels and tags, read and researched, and plan to start August 2nd.   I have also visited some back to school isles at Target, Dollar-Tree and Walmart.  We really don't  need  anything, except tape and glue sticks, but I can't help looking!

Emily, however may start this Monday, July 26th. She wants to get a little head start, just in case she needs a break later. Heading into her sophomore year, she is (always has been) quite the planner. Give the girl a calendar/planner and she is happy. This year she will be using The Well-Guided High Schooler  from The Home Educating Family Magazine.  We picked it up at The Mid-West Homeschooling Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.   (I will try to post a link soon!)

Next week, I intend to work on Menu plans, stocking the pantry, chore charts, our calendar, budget, and some plans to craft with the kids. These should keep me plenty busy, along with day to day stuff. I am hopeful that all of this preparation will pay off with a great school year.

Our weather here has been so HOT! And, of course our air conditioner hasn't been working right. Today, (with a projected temperature of 100 degrees) we have been relieved! Our air is cooling once again! The capacitor needed replaced. I am so thankful for cool air!

It looks like many across the US are also in a heat wave this weekend.  Others have had flooding and  in the gulf a tropical storm looms in the sea.  But, God is in control of it all and I am reminded of this verse;  Isaiah 40:8  "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Plans for 2010-2011

This school year we are trying some new curriculum and workboxes. I am really excited and hope that it all lives up to ALL that I have read!

For Emily, my 10th grader:
Geometry- Teaching Textbooks

Chemistry- Apologia.... We have used Apologia for General Science, Physical Science, and Biology and have never been disappointed, only challenged!

History/English- Notgrass Exploring World History - This includes English and Bible.

Latin- Latina Christiana II - She plans to finish this in one semester and start the next level in January.

Spanish- Rosetta Stone... Emily will finish Level One which she has already started.

We will also add some Phys. Ed and continue a writing project.

For SarahAnne, my 4th grader:
History, Geography, Reading, Science, Bible, Music and Art- My Father's World- Exploring Countries and Cultures

Math- We will be using a mix of Internet sites, games and workbooks for part of the 1st semester and then probably going with Teaching Textbooks later.

Spelling- undecided still.

We will also add some Phys. Ed other activities as the year progresses.

For Samuel, my 2nd grader:
History, Geography, Reading, Science, Bible, Music and Art- My Father's World-Exploring Countries and Cultures

Math- We will be using a mix of Internet sites, games and workbooks.

Spelling- still undecided.

We will also add some Phys. Ed and other activities as the year progresses.

Emily will be working very independently again this year. She has already started planning and we have a couple of planning discussions. She is excited and very motivated this year. (She always gets so excited at the beginning of the year!)
She is also looking forward to the possibility of Driver's Ed. (She is, I'm not!)

We are using workboxes this year! I have read other blogs and researched different ways of setting them up and I am almost ready!

We have home schooled since Emily was in the 1st grade and every year holds changes and challenges. I thank God that He allows us to home school. I believe in it more every year. I see the benefits of it and I love the rewards of it!

I do not have all of the answers. In fact, I still have a lot of questions and THAT is a benefit of homeschooling.... We learn together and from each other!

The most precious things....

Yesterday, we received news that a young man from our hometown had been killed in Afghanastan. He was on his 4th tour and engaged to be married this fall. This shocked us and broke our hearts. Some of the most precious things that God give to us are our families, friends and our memories. We thank God for the memories that he gives us when we no longer can hold the hand of our loved ones.
I hope that we can all show love to those we hold dear and strive each day to take more time with them.

I'm so new!

I haven't worked on this blog at all today. I have been busy working on workbox ideas and getting ready for school this fall. My head is spinning with ideas! I will work next week on some links and such for here. I know I have so much to learn and I will probably be slow about it, because the kids come first, ya know!
It is FINALLY raining here in NC! We have had almost no rain all summer. We sure do need it. Thank you God for the rain!

My first BLOG

Hello. Today I have just jumped in... into the world of blogging. I have so much to learn and hopefully to share. Please be patient with me as I learn.

We are a homeschooling family and we truly embrace learning. My husband Matt and I have been married for 16 years. We have a beautiful daughter Emily who is 14 and loves music and reading. Our second beautiful daughter, SarahAnne is 8 and loves horses and art (especially drawing). Our son, Samuel just turned 7 and loves (at present time-LOL) Toy Story (1,2,and3), Transformers and Legos.

We live in North Carolina. We enjoy traveling and seeing God's beautiful world. We recently went on vacation to Tennessee. It is one of our favorite places! We love driving through the Smoky Mountains. It just lowers my blood pressure...LOL

I hope to post some about our curriculum and our journey in homeschooling. I hope that I may share something with you that will be helpful and I will try to always give credit to where it is due.

May God bless you as we travel through this world together.

Pam