2012-2013 School Year

I have no excuse as to why I have not updated this blog since the start of last school year:( I guess the only thing I can blame it on is just being busy, and just not taking the time to do so.  I can only hope to do better this year.

This past week Chloe has began some of her schooling...including her Art and Sign Language class she is taking outside the home. This is a BIG deal, she has not taken any kind of class away from me since we started to homeschool her 1st grade year. It is so hard to believe she is now in 4th! We have made it!! I am so very thankful to live in a BIG homeschool community (my church included). Very blessed in that area!

A quick run down of what each of the kids will be doing this year.

Landon (11th)
Worldview 2, Chemistry, Gov/Eco: These are taken away from home.
At home he will have Algebra 2, Spanish, Vocab

Joshua (7th)
Starting Points (start of Worldview), Art, History and Science: These will be taken away from home.
At home he will have Math and Spelling/Voc

Both the boys Worldview classes include Lit, writing papers, History and Bible, etc....a GREAT CLASS! They both took a writing class last year...Joshua will take an Essay class next year.

Chloe (4th)
From above, she will take Art and Sign Language away from home. She takes her Signing class at our church...
At home she will get her core work: Math, Language, Science and History (all Abeka)
A mixture of BJU and Wordly Wise for spelling/Voc
Writing, reading and Bible

We will have a busy year...some days I feel ready, and others not so much.

As many people know we have been fostering a little girl....she just turned one and we are getting ready to adopt her...I am often asked if I will home school her as well..I think I will. I go back and forth...I hate to think I won't, when I did for my kids. I guess I have a few years to think about it:)

Here is to a new school year!!

2011-2012 School Year

Listening to our names being said in Portuguese

Working hard on our Brazil maps

Finding Brazil on the globe

Mom, really???

Our Geography binders, it is going to be FUN!

Here we go!!!!

Landon was not home today, he helped with a youth function so he will start on Wednesday...tomorrow is his 15th birthday, so I will be nice and let him have the day off. This year Landon is starting the 10th grade. He will be taking a few outside classes which will be nice for him and mom. He will be taking Biology, World View and an Essay class. I really have no clue where my baby went. We just have him for a few more years:(

Joshua will be in 6th grade this year. He will be doing most of his class work at home. He will be taking a Reading/Writing class outside of the home where Landon will be taking his. This mom is not the best teacher when it comes to writing....so this will be nice.

Chloe will be in 3rd grade. So hard to think that I have been her teacher since she started 1st grade....I can do this!! She is the one I have a challenge with....very hard headed and strong willed. Thankfully she is a sponge...we should have a good year.

Going into our 3rd year of homeschooling the kids.....I feel good, not as stressed as I have in the past. This is a good thing, right?? I guess we will see how mom is doing come Thanksgiving break. I know we have our days...but really I love being with my kids...and as I have said in the past....why would you not want to be with your kids??? I know homeschooling is not for everyone...heck being a stay at home mom is not for everyone....thankfully we can choose to homeschool our kids if WE want to. I am blessed that I have a husband that has worked hard these last 12 years, so I can be home with my kids full time. I know this will be something they can look back on and some day think....Man we were lucky!

I pray that this school year I can give my kids everything they need, it is a balance that I find hard to balance some times.....but some how it all works out and we all make it. One thing I plan on doing this year..is more "hands-on" things....I HATE messes and really schooling three kids is not easy at times....but I need to try to make it happen more often. Thanks to many special blogs and other home school moms doing more hands-on things will happen....thanks to all their "work" in suppling ideas:)

Today, Joshua and Chloe had kind of a first day....we really only did Geography and Health...two subjects I am having them do together this year....something new to me...joining two grades together...but hey Health is health no matter what age, right??? Today went well...we had to close up shop for Joshua to attend his Up Wards ball camp...tomorrow is another day....

Credit to Erika @ Confessions of a homeschooler.com for the WONDERFUL work she did on Expedition Earth...our geography material for this school year. She is great!!! You can see some of the work we did today on making our binders for our many adventures as we discover GOD'S wonderful planet....GOD's!!! Another wonderful reason to homeschool...we can talk and learn about GOD all day long!!!

New School Year

We will be starting our third year of schooling at home on Monday, August 1st. I really want to get an early start this year in hopes of staying ahead and to be able to take a break when we finally get some nice weather. This Texas summer has been a HOT one.

I pretty much have everything in order. I am excited to start a new year...and believe it or not I am not as stressed about it as I have in the past. Maybe it does get easier each year?

Plans for the first week:

Landon: Spanish, Math, Spelling/Voc, Health and reading for his Essay class he will be taking.

Joshua: Math, Spelling/Voc, Health and reading

Chloe: Math, Spelling, Health and reading along with her grammar review book.

I plan on doing Health together with Joshua and Chloe and knock it out before we start up our regular Science class.

The 2nd week we will go full force.

So here we go..........

Year #2

Stanford testing in two weeks. Wrapping up our second year of schooling. So hard to believe how fast it has gone. We are all tired and ready to call it a year already...we will make it. I do plan on having the kids work on math this summer. Landon will also start Spanish and will be taking Driver's Ed this next month! How can this be?

The kids have done great this year...just a lot of days where they would try to push their way out of doing certain things. The million dollar question a lot of days was, "Mom, are we having a full day today?"
YES! I really have no idea why they would even ask that.

There have been days where I say this is it, but I know deep down we will pick up year #3 in our journey....continued prayers would be great!

Come on Summer!!!

This school year is FLYING BY....

Chloe working hard

Joshua working hard:)



Hard to believe we are this far into our 2nd year of home schooling. It is going a lot faster and a lot better than our 1st year! Here are a few pics of Chloe and Joshua working on the solar system we did a while back....I am so far behind on keeping up with this blog...bad huh?

Merry CHRISTmas

I can not believe we are so close to yet another Christmas! I pray that everyone has a safe and Blessed holiday. Remember the REASON for the Season...

Looking Ahead

How can it already be November? Mom was right, once you have kids the time will seem to fly by. Oh, how right she was! Just marked the 24th anniversary of my moms passing. It never is easy when this time of year comes around. I think of her often when I see the days and months pass by faster than I would like them to. I so wish she could have been here to see me married and to see her grandbabies. I truly believe one day she will.

The kids and I are looking forward to the Thanksgiving break, we need to really buckle down these next 2 weeks and get as much as we can done and try hard to be at a good stopping point. I hope that this Thanksgiving break I will be able to put the school stuff up and lock my office and stay OUT! I need to make it a point to do that and not mess with school during this wonderful time of year. A season of THANKS!

I am so very thankful for a lot of things....my GOD, family and friends....with out any of them, this life would not be fun that is for sure. My hope is for everyone to take a moment and really think about what they are Thankful for and truly enjoy this time of year and to see just how lucky we all are!