Tapestry of Grace

I am planning on doing a short series on why I am so excited about using Tapestry of Grace this year.  I am slowly working on getting all my thoughts organized and I’m adding my affliate button to my side bar.  In the mean time, feel free to look into the curriculum for yourself.

Be sure and click on the link below to give me credit for being the person who directed you to the site.

The people who produce “Tapestry of Grace” have put the three weeks of everything they produce online for free.  They’re offering a complete mini-unit on ancient Egypt, which consists of the first three weeks of “Tapestry of Grace,” specially prepared evaluations materials, a comprehensive writing program, customized maps, hands-on lap books, and their unique new “Pop Quiz,” which provides audio CDs so dads can come up to speed on what the family is studying each week.  Here’s a link to the new “Go to Egypt” site:

Go to Egypt Site

If you don’t have high-speed internet, they will send it all on a disc, for free.  Get the disk here:

Free Tapestry of Grace Disk

Spring is in the Air

So many things are going on around here…

A has started t-ball.  This is his first season playing a sport, so we knew it’d be fun to watch the games.  The first game he mostly squatted and dug in the dirt.  The second game he stayed standing (after a talking to by his daddy!) and just stared when the ball came near him.  The third game was better.  He was playing first base and we had to yell for him to pay attention several times out of fear he’d be hit in the head by the ball his teammate threw to him.   He’s making progress…

 

B’s competition season is over, thank goodness.  It was a very drama-filled year.  She did really well in her performances, but there were a lot of nervous tears along the way.  We weren’t having very much fun at all.  I was lonely with no other moms to talk to, and she was a ball of nerves with no one else to distract her.  I finally talked to her the competition before her last and we figured out that she still loves to compete, but that it wasn’t very much fun doing solos.  So, the solution is that we plan on letting her try out for the dance team at her dance school.

At one of the competitions she competed her solo, our dance team was there.  They were so sweet to her and complimented her on her techinique.  They really made her feel like a part of the group already.   She’ll be in sixth grade this fall, so it’s the right time.  I think she’s ready for the commitment.  It’s between 5 and 6 hours of classes a week, so she’ll be at the school on her own a lot.  I know I can trust her to behave and make good choices.  It’ll be a lot of fun to have friends at competitions again.

 

C is changing so much.  She’s at the age where she’s trying to decide if she’s a big girl like her sister or if she still likes princesses.  Some of the things she says surprises me, because she is so little physically, that you forget she’s almost 7 years old. 

Her schoolwork has been way too easy for her this year.  I’ve been looking into ramping it up this fall for her.  Speaking of the fall, I’ve done some curriculum changes and scheduling changes.  I’ll write about that next time, though.

 

Homeschooling Teacher Wanted

This was in my e-mail box on the Alpha Omega newletter.  I thought it was worth sharing.

Wanted:  Homeschooling Teacher 

“Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” (Psalm 68:28)

Have you ever thought about how an advertisement would read for a homeschool teacher? If truthfully stated, the ad would probably go something like this:

Now accepting applications―

Family seeking fun-loving, godly homeschool teacher. Applicant will be responsible for providing total educational development and daily personal care for children of multiple ages. Applicant will assume the following roles: cook, housemaid, nurse, taxi driver, administrative assistant, accountant, athletic coach, social director, computer technician, household and automotive repairman, gardener, course instructor in multiple subject areas and grade levels, and various other responsibilities. This is a full-time position―approximately 120 hours or more per week.

Qualified candidates must be able to work well under pressure, multi-task, and prioritize work loads while maintaining a friendly, enthusiastic attitude. Quick thinking, good memory, and a varied background in extensive subject matter are a must. Promising candidates will be resourceful, adjust easily to distractions, and display creative, hard-working leadership abilities. Organizational and problem solving skills are a plus. Previous teaching experience and/or college preferred, but not required.

If you’re interested in working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, this is the position for you! For more information on this exciting opportunity to earn fulfilling, one-of-a-kind rewards, please apply in person today.

After reading the above qualifications, no wonder many parents walk away from this employment opportunity. Who can measure up to these standards? Praise God, you can! As you step out in faith and yield your weaknesses to God’s strength, you’ll not only get the job, you’ll also successfully homeschool and discover the fantastic benefits of teaching your children at home. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10)

Lord,
Homeschooling seems overwhelming and there’s so much to learn. Like the new guy on the job, teach me what I need to know to successfully homeschool with Your wisdom, strength, and power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Water in His Ears…

Tonight my son ran in the schoolroom, after being tucked in twice, to tell me, “When you washed my hair, you got water in my ears.  Then Dad told me to brush my teeth, go potty and get a drink.  (He’s counting the things off with his fingers)  But because of the water in my ears (Mom’s fault), I didn’t hear him say brush my teeth.”

I grinned and said, “So you need to brush your teeth?  Well, go do that real quick.”

“Yeah,” he screams as he runs down the hall,  ”and I also forgot to go potty and get a drink.”

So, if he has cavities later in life, it was my fault for using water to wash his hair. 

Now you know…

 

3 Days…

Only three days left until we leave for our trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!   We’re so excited!  The kids have never been and hubby and I haven’t been in almost 12 years, when we went on our honeymoon.

I have many surprises up my sleeve for the kids.  They know we’re going, but I didn’t tell them we are doing a couple of character meals or any details.  The most exciting thing to me is the morning I have planned for the three of us girls.   I’m taking the girls to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the castle to get their hair done and sparkly make-up on.  Then we’re going to eat breakfast with Cinderella.  It’s going to be magical!

I don’t think they realize there are firework shows and things like Fantasmic either.  So everyday will be special and full of surprises.

Have a wonderful New Year full of many blessings!

 

The Fourteen Days of Homeschool

The 14 Days of Homeschool
To the tune of “Twelve 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 P.E., 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 P.E., 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 S0 STRANGE, what about P.E. , 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 P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?”

On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do 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 P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do 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 P.E., 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 P.E., 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 P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: “They Can go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don’t like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing nothing, we’ll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL LEGALLY!

On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “How can I get started, why didn’t you tell me, where do I buy curriculum, when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE’RE STRANGE? I think we can do this, if you will help us, can we join P.E. and we’ll homeschool legally.”

Insert Witty Title Here…

So, long time, no post, eh?  It’s not because nothing has been going on. 

It’s just the opposite, really.  We’ve been having a lot of fun with all of our fieldtrips and special activities.  This fall has been the most eventful few months we’ve had in a long time, by far.  We’ve visited the Police Station (for a field trip, of course, we’re innocent, I swear!), visited the Symphony twice, painted crafts at the pottery shop, gone to The Little Mermaid on stage (there was real water for the mermaids!), sang at the retirement home, and hosted a Christmas craft party.  We celebrated A’s 5th Bday, had his party, gone to a few movies and had Thanksgiving, and have been working hard on dance competition solos.  Our favorite kitty died, we got a puppy, he broke both of his legs, had surgery, and is almost recovered.  I’ve also spent a lot of time planning our trip to Disney.  Whew, right?

But the thing is, I love being busy.  My kids have had so many memories made lately, that I can’t help but think they’ll look back and think they had a great childhood.  What wonderful opportunities they have to do special things and learn with their whole selves.  Their being immersed in culture and getting excited about it.

We are so blessed to have these opportunities through our homeschool group and family members.  I don’t know what I’ve done right to have such great kids, a wonderful husband and be able to school the kids at home, but I’m glad I did it.  All of these things have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. 

I am blessed.

 

 

The Evolution of Dance

This is the funniest video I’ve seen in ages.  We laughed so hard…  It’s worth all six minutes!

Wanted…

Maybe they should hire a few editors while they’re at it…

Ruffin’ It

I feel like every time I post, I have something bad going on… It’s just been rough these last few months.  Or should I say “ruff”?   We’ve had a hard few weeks with our new puppy (see picture 2 posts down).  I’m not talking Ellen problems, but still…

While I’m talking about Ellen… (I was, wasn’t I?)  She’s driving me nuts with this puppy stuff.  Please feel free to disagree with me, but my opinion is that she sure did spend a lot of money to acclimate the puppy and not want him still.  She said she spent several thousand dollars on training, etc.  She has plenty more, so why didn’t she get more help if the puppy still was being naughty?   And if he was so naughty, than WHY would she give him to a friend?  Doesn’t she like her hairstylist?

I, of course, feel sympathy for the little girls who fell in love with the puppy, but bottom-line–Ellen broke the rules.  Was it a stupid rule?  Yes.  Do we have to follow rules even when they are stupid?  Yes.

Okay… side-tracked rant over.  You’re welcome.

Let me try to make this short, almost two weeks ago, I took the kids to lunch.  When we came back the puppy wasn’t coming to the backdoor when we called him.  We found him sitting under our deck unable to walk.  I picked him up and took him to our vet.  She did x-rays and found that he had broken both his back legs.

I was shocked.  The only thing I can imagine that could have happened was that Riley decided to jump up on the sand table on our deck, then tried to jump on the handrail.  He must have missed or slipped.  At the point of the deck his was under, that’s a 9 foot fall.  The vet said his injuries were consistent with a fall like that.  She also said she was worried about him being able to walk at all.

We were sent to the veterinary specialist who agreed his legs had more damage than breaks.  He would need surgery on both his back legs.

We’ve had him home a week now and he’s come along way in his recovery.  He will have to stay in the pack-n-play and crate until 6 weeks after surgery.  At that time we will take him to the specialists to see if his legs have healed.  At that time they’ll let us know if he’s allowed to exercise more.

While it’s been hard dealing with the injuries with our puppy, the response we had from a few people were worse.  One person actually asked why we didn’t just shoot the dog.  I was so offended.  I get people not being a “dog person” or whatever, but who says that kind of stuff out loud?  Geez.  It’s definitely caused a ridge in some relationships.

On an upbeat, we are less than two months away from our Disney trip.  I can not be more excited!  I’ll try to update here with some details soon.  Like, before we go.  Deal?