Midwest Homeschool Convention

WoW! What a great time! A huge "Thank You" to my wonderful husband who watched the kids for me while I was away and for the encouragement and support he gives me. He said he wanted me to go because he knows how much it helps me and how it can benefit our children too greatly! It really recharges the batteries for me when it comes to homeschool. You can view the curriculums in person and all in one place. I'm a very "hands on person" so this really works for me. I found some great books to incorporate history and geography and at the same time link them together (it will even incorporate math and some science! =D). I really like linking subjects together. It reinforces what you've been learning in other subjects and shows how these skills can be used in other areas of life.

Seminars were very good and I learned some new tricks, gained some insight and refreshed my vigor for teaching my children. As I go through my notes I will be posting some of the info that peaked my interest and also my plans for the rest of this school year, summer time fun learning and the new school year to come!

Still debating if I will start Princess in K this year. She seems ready in many ways, but I don't want to push her too soon. I might start her but do it slowly, perhaps 2 to 3 days a week, to see how she progresses.

Each day its becoming more and more clear as to why I do this. I'm also learning to relax a little on my requirements. The signs of the times are more clear than they've ever been and my/our (my hubby of course!) main focus is to always point our children to the Word of the Hour! In March we finished our first Revival Month on Young Foundations. I'm so proud of my kiddos for putting forth the effort and for paying close attention to what the Prophet is saying. They may not remember every little detail but thats ok, because each time we hear it, it becomes more a part of them and us! I really like doing the quiz along with the Tape...it helps me to focus- remember! I'm not an auditory learner! lol

As typical of me- I forgot the camera! ugh! Hopefully I can load the pics from my phone and maybe get some from online too.

Stay tuned for more to come!

"This is Fun!"

Oh, how I've longed to hear those words come from my son's mouth! Well, it finally happened. We've started multiplication this past week. Not only is he good at it but he thinks it's fun to boot! Yahoo!

Next for things to brag about- my boy is getting really, REALLY good at reading! =D Today we started a chapter in English on how to write book reports. So I let him pick out the book and was about to read it to both of them when he said, "I want to read it to you!" and he did a great job too! I about dropped to the floor! Truly the fruits of my labor are starting to really blossom! Thank you Lord for guiding us all along the way!

Little Princess is coming right along. Been working on her sounds and such. I think she will be a great reader- she really seems interested in books/reading. She also is doing great with her counting and number recognition. The other day we were out and about and there was a sign that read $64 (I don't remember the change) anyway, out of the blue she said the that's 64 cents! =O I'm thinking, "Oh my stars! Did I just hear that correctly?!" As far I as know, Bubby did not say anything prior to that to clue her in.

Will be heading to the homeschool convention at the end of this week. Very excited to see all the neat stuff out this year.

See ya!

School is general is going pretty good. Been derailed slightly with some unplanned chaos here around the house.

Inspired Science

With the current events of Japan, I have decided to start a unit study on earthquakes and tsunamis (with the approval of my son of course). With this I will incorporate what Bro. Branham had to say regarding the sinking of California. First I will start with the general concept of earthquakes and then will study in detail the ring of fire.

I hope to update our progress on this subject and include some crafts that relate as well.

I love science- always have and it seems my children share my fondness for it!

Still Alive!

Yes, we're still alive and kicking....someone reminded me to update my blog so here I am. lol

Been keeping pretty busy for a bit now. Lots going on with, schooling, general holiday planning and such. I've also been doing a lot of exercising...finally putting myself first for a change so that I can take better care of my family! =D I need it and it is making a difference in me.

Things are going pretty well with school....as you can imagine, there is always room for improvement. Bubby is doing well in school. =) I do need to pay more attention to spelling and reviewing his phonics more. We try to start each day by reading a chapter from the Bible and then praying. It really sets the tone for the day and the day always seems to go smoother. It's amazing how good things can be when you put God first!

Princess is doing good too! She has learned her ABCs and is so proud....Mommy and Daddy are proud too! =D Now I need to move into the next steps with her....I'm thinking she is going to be an early reader. I haven't been pushing her by any means, but she is way more eager about learning than Bubby ever was. Now that his reading is improving more and more though it encourages him to keep going.

I'm still really liking the BJU. Unless something major happens I will be using this same curriculum for math and English for the foreseeable future. Bubby does well when studying sentence structure, but he despises the actual handwriting....you'd think I was ripping his heart out or something!

Making plans for the Midwest Homeschool Convention coming at the end of March! So excited! I'm already registered and made hotel arrangements. Looking forward to a time of refreshing, learning new ideas and encouragement. =D

I'll try not to wait so long until my next update!

Time Frustrations

Been working on time with Bubs...we were struggling today for sure. It didn't help that we started school late this afternoon. I have some paperwork that had to be completed today so school was delayed big time. After a certain time it seems like he loses all concentration!

I really feel I'm lacking in the preschool department. I need to find ways to have Princess working on learning type crafts and such to help her along, but it seems like I have to focus so much on you know who...Bub! What it comes down to is I need more planning time...perhaps a week at a time. Perhaps I figure it all out by the time they graduate! =O

Seems Like Its Working!

I'm glad we made the switch to BJ English 2! Its just what we both needed. He will need review on certain parts as we continue through, but it helps me to know what we need to work on....and for someone who didn't like English/grammar in school its helping me to correctly teach it and maybe refresh my memory a bit too! LOVING THE BOB JONES AND THE WAY THEY TEACH FOR UNDERSTANDING!!!!!!

Spelling

Today we started back with A Beka spelling. We are actually redoing 1st grade spelling (we didn't finish the whole book to begin with). A Beka spelling is very advanced (in my opinion) and they cram in a lot of words for your student each week. So I'm testing Bub with the words we worked on last year. The ones he has trouble with with make up our new list. I"m keeping the list smaller than they do too. I just don't want to frustrate him like last year. I'll continue on this way until we finish it. I'll update about this strategy as we go.