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Dec 30, 2009

Hit Life Harder Than It Hits You! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

This is a quote I made up "Today I will Be Better Than I was Yesterday"! We can always do better, think better, love better, learn better. We must always do our best and more importantly always raise our goals and standards so we can achieve more than we ever thought possible!

Life is not easy sometimes, but I have come to realize it is not meant to be easy!

It is how we handle the tough times that gives us certain results! If you want to get different results than you need to do different things....."The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different result!" Albert Einstein

If you haven't seen this movie go do it. This is the best part of this movie another great one to watch!





When life hits hard then you hit harder, don't let adversity stop you!

To Your Success!

Dec 29, 2009

I Hope You Had A Great Christmas With Your Family

I can't believe the year is almost done, time goes by so fast but I probably don't have to tell you that lol!

I hope you all had a great Christmas and can start the New Year out fresh.

I know for me I want to get more organized with my home and school stuff, I would like to get more schedule oriented as well. All things we need to work on, I can't stand it when things are unorganized it just makes my brain cluttered as well.

I want to get a few more containers and some shelving with small containers. I need to go threw all of the finished school work and keep what I want/need and chuck the rest.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and home schooling success!


Dec 21, 2009

The Christmas Story!

Nativity scene, Christmas scene, Christmas, Holidays
Merry Christmas!

    Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of the Christ. The holiday was established officially by the Church in AD 354 using the date of Dec 25 as the day in which to celebrate the most holy of days the birth of Christ. It is unknown exactly what day Jesus was born and whether in winter or another season is debatable but according to tradition handed down to us we celebrate this holy day in the winter.

"We also know that some Christians had been identifying December 25th as Jesus' birthday at least a century and a half before this time. Around A.D. 206, St. Hippolytus of Rome wrote in his Commentary on Daniel that: "The first coming of our Lord, that in the flesh, in which he was born at Bethlehem, took place eight days before the kalends of January." In ancient Roman time reckoning, the kalends was the first day of the month, and if you count back eight days from January 1, you arrive at December 25."  (For more information read: 7 Top Myths About Christmas by Jimmy Akin Secret Info Club jimmyakin.com)

Taylor Marshall also has some wonderful insights into the day of Christmas in God's Birthday.

For Christians Christmas, which also bears the name of Christ is the beginning of Christianity, truth and pure love! The word Christmas in Middle English is Christemasse, from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass. On this day we remember what God has done for us and how much he loves us, he has given us a son.

Isaiah 9:6 sums it up well for us...

"For there has been a child born to us there has been a son given to us and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father. Prince of Peace."

The Nativity Story

It came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, to be taxed with Mary his wife who was pregnant. She brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night, and the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were afraid. The angel said unto them, Fear not for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

This shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us now go unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. They went with haste, and found the babe lying in a manger and worshiped him, they brought him gifts fit for a King, Gold Frankincense and Myrrh.

When they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told to them concerning this child and all who heard it wondered at those things which were told to them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart, and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

You can read the story from scripture in Luke 2 and Matt 1...


Gifts Fit For A King

GOLD: This carries obvious significance. It's precious and worthy across all cultures and times. It's a gift fit for royalty. It says to the Christ child, You will be a King!

FRANKINCENSE: Frankincense has been touted for its medicinal and soothing properties. Herbalists say it is calming, restorative, gently clarifying, and meditative. Frankincense oil is thought to have stimulating, toning, and warming properties. The ancient world used it for treating depression. We recognize the word incense in its name. Ancient people burned frankincense, believing it to carry their prayers to heaven. Its use as incense illustrates Christ's role as our Priest.

MYRRH: This is perhaps the most mysterious of the Gifts. It is a resin produced by a small, tough, scraggly tree that grows in semi-desert regions of North Africa and the Red Sea. Myrrh is an Arabic word for bitter, and it is considered a wound healer because of its strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Calling it mo yao, the Chinese used it for centuries to treat wounds, bruises and bleeding and to relieve painful swelling. The Egyptians made it famous in Biblical times, having acquired myrrh about the fifteenth century B.C. from Africa where cammiphora trees were abundant. It was used in incense, perfumes and holy ointments and also medicinally as recorded in the Ebers Papyrus. But its most notable use to them was that of an embalming material, used in Egyptian mummies. As an embalming ointment it signified that He was born to Die for the world. In fact, Myrrh was one of the burial spices of Jesus (John 19:39).

Christmas is a time when we can soon start the new year hopefully with a greater appreciation for each other. Christ teaches us about love and leads us to our family in heaven, and teaches us to love and respect our families on earth. With this I say please do not hold grudges towards one another, place problems in the past where they belong this is a new day and soon a new year. The past is gone, tomorrow does not exist yet, all we have is today, and this very moment, use it wisely, be grateful for all the things you have even if you feel it is not much!

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Also check out:

God's Birthday

The Hanukkah Story

Dec 9, 2009

The Hanukkah Story

Happy Hanukkah!

menorah, menorah candles, hanukkah candles, happy hanukkah
Hanukkah begins at sunset on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, and ends at sunset on Wednesday, December 28, 2011. 

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. In Hebrew, the word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.” The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the rededicating of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.

In the Jewish Temple there was an eternal flame that burned day and night as a symbol of Jewish faith. After many Jews were killed and the the inside of the Temple and the eternal flame was destroyed by the Syrian-Greeks. A small band of Jewish farmers, shepherds and teachers was led in a fight against the kings army by Judah Maccabee.

They had no experience as soldiers, very few weapons, and was ten times smaller than the kings army. But they believed in what they were doing, fighting for there right to practice their religion and this belief gave them strength, courage and hope!

After three years winning battle after battle the Maccabees reached Jerusalem and reconquered it. Saddened by what had happened to their Temple and eternal flame, they fixed the Temple and at last were ready to rededicate the Temple to God.

The problem was they only had enough oil to light the lamp for just one day, but instead the oil burned on for eight days! It was a miracle! With joy the Jews proclaimed " Let us celebrate these days every year so that The story of the Maccabees victory over the Syrian army, and the miracle of the oil will never be forgotten!

We have come to love the story of Hanukkah and learn more about it every year, it is another reminder of the miracles we are given everyday by God.


Want some great Hanukkah activities you can do with your family?

Hanukkah Color Pages
Printable Hanukkah Worksheets
Hanukkah recipes
Learn about Traditional Hanukkah foods..



Light the Menorah!

A Menorah is a set of nine candles, eight of the candles represent the eight days the light stayed lit in the Temple. The middle candle is the helper candle and is lit first and used to light the other eight candles from left to right. On the first night the Shamash lights one candle, on the second night, two, on the third night three candles and on until the eighth night when all candles are burning brightly.

The candles are lit from left to right, so that the last candle added is the first lit.


Prayer is given to God on each day a candle is lit....

Blessed art Thou, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.

Blessed art Thou, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has wrought miracles for our ancestors At this season in days of old.

Blessed art Thou, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has kept us in life and sustained us And enabled us to reach this season.


All three prayers are said on the first night, but on the other nights only the first two are said.


Learn about Hanukkah this is the best time to do it!


Happy Hanukkah And Many Blessings!

Dec 8, 2009

Free Christmas Color Pages

More Coloring Fun!

Free printable Christmas color pages, many to choose from fun for the whole family!

Christmas Color Pages

Many Wishes!

Free Printable Winter Color Pages

Great Winter Color Pages For Your Family!

Stay home with a cup of hot chocolate, crayons and color pages on the table! A great way to spend a cold winter day!

Here are some winter time color pages your family will love!


Printable Winter Color Pages From DLTK

Winter Color Pages From Apples 4 The Teacher

Other Winter Worksheet Activities


Happy Coloring!

Dec 7, 2009

Free Printable Super Mario Color Pages

I was looking for these for my son who loves Mario Brothers!
Do you have a little guy or girl who would like to color the Super Mario Bros?

I just thought I would post the links just for fun, we love to color!
Super Mario brothers color pages, free printable Super Mario color pages,
Super Mario brothers color pages, free printable Super Mario color pages

Dec 6, 2009

Free Printable Poinsettia Flower Craft

Free Printable Instructions For Great Holiday Crafts!

Hello, I found this great holiday craft idea, it is easy to make and would be great as Christmas decorations. Paper Poinsettia Flowers, for ages four and up, great for your home school. Get a book about poinsettia flowers and make it a whole learning experience as well as fun! My kids loved this and yours will too!



poinsettia flowers, poinsettia craft idea, poinsettia crafts for kids

Free Printable Christmas Worksheets

Hello, looking for Christmas worksheets?

I love this site , I always find what I'm looking for on this site. On this site you will find a
ll kinds of free Christmas printables like, Christmas word search, Christmas word jumble, Christmas cross word puzzles, Christmas mazes, and so much more!

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas from my family to yours!


Christmas trees, Christmas tree,

Dec 2, 2009

Positive Letters

poinsettias, christmas flowers, Merry Christmas, holiday flower
Hello, I wanted to introduce you to one of our friend's, Hilary. We met her at an event last year and she was so very nice. She has a wonderful blog called Positive Letters, it's full of great stories and information. She reminds us that in life each and every event is an opportunity to learn something new and we can do it all year, every year, any day!

Take a look!

Christmas tree, Merry Christmas,

Home Based Charter Schools

      A home based Charter is a public Charter school that offers a home based schooling program available to us in our town. They do use state curriculum and all rules apply the same as any public school. The difference is the parents not teachers or schools are in control. 

We get several curriculum choices and can use the curriculum as we see best for our child. We have an advisory teacher for support and to help us use and choose curriculum if we need it. We keep attendance and have to turn that in as well as 3 work page samples once a month, which is very easy and the requirements are very reasonable. 

Not unlike what we would have to do anyway if homeschooling privately. They also offer extra curricular classes and events which are not required but an added bonus. Our advisory teacher who is a certified teacher also home schooled her own 3 children so she knows the game! 

California is a low regulation state for home schooling see Home School Regulations.
We have chosen to use the Charter program so I wanted to give you an update on how it's all going. What are your Home School Options ?

With this program we have a advisory teacher who is available during the week and we see about once a month. She was a home school mom to her three children, they are now grown. She assist us in curriculum selection and all curriculum is provided for free from the school, as well as any other workbooks we may need. The also give us vouchers to buy school supplies at the school stores, we love this!

They offer classes for my children to attend and we love the science class at the local nature museum. At the school there is other resources, and materials for us to use as well.

I am thankful to have this program right in our town, there are many home based charter schools to choose from and you would have to check with you state to find programs like this for your family. You may also be able to use a online charter program depending on were you live but I think this is pretty widely available.

The problems with a program like this in my opinion is, we do have to use state standard curriculum for now this is fine but in the future I may not want to use a state run curriculum.

We do however get to use any curriculum we choose but we do not have the option of the state paying for it, for example a religious curriculum etc.

Starting in 2nd grade children have to participate in state testing and we do have to turn in attendance and progress records, ideally I do not like it but I understand why it is done, and it helps me to have a record of our hard work.

If you are just starting out like we were last year, then a program like this may be right for you. If you home school already I want to know about your school, do you go threw a program like ours or do something else?

Nov 29, 2009

The Pursuit of Happyness

This is from the movie Pursuit of Happiness with will smith I just watched it for the third time we really love this move and his has such a power message. This is one of my favorite parts, he realises what he had said to his son.

If you haven't seen this movie you are missing out, it is a great movie!



Don't ever let anyone tell you you can't do something!

Protect your dreams!

Pursue your dreams, make it happen! No one else will do it for you!

It will be hard to do and others will tell you, you can't do it, only because they are not willing to do it them self!

Encourage your kids, tell them they can do anything!

To Your Success!

Nov 27, 2009

A Great Project, My Six Year Old Is Doing

proud to be an american homeschooler, home schooling, american homeschooling
The other day my son and I were discussing what an average is, after I explained it to him he was wondering what the average favorite color was. I told him why don't you take a survey! He really liked the idea and I felt it would be a great project for him to do, he decided to survey one hundred people, asking them what their favorite color is. Today we bought a little pocket note book for him to record his findings and while we were at the park he asked eighteen people of all ages for starters. After he records his findings he will create a graph to show which color was favored more. When we go somewhere he will have is notebook so he can continue his research.

What your child will learn from this project: I think this is a great project idea because it teaches graphing, surveying and getting an average.

It also teaches public communication skills, "Hi My name is Hayden I am doing a survey can I ask you a quick question?" politeness, and real socialization skills, Imagine that lol!

Your kids can do this project as well they can pick what ever topic they choose to conduct their survey, for older kids they can choose a topic suitable for them my son is six so favorite color is appropriate.

Just make sure you are with your children supervising them, because this project requires talking with other people you and child may not know.

Thanks for reading!

To Your Success!

Nov 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving To My Followers And Readers!

I can't believe it is Thanksgiving again the year goes so fast!


thanksgiving blessings, happy thanksgiving


I am thankful that I am home schooling, I am even more thankful for my wonderful children.

I remember when I had each one, I have two, the moment I held them in my arms and looked into their eyes It felt like I always knew them, like they had been here all along! I was so amazed at how it felt, maybe it was the nine months of pregnancy but I think it was something more and for that I am truly thankful! I pray that all Mothers felt that way, I know many do!

I am thankful to all my followers and readers of my posts, thank you so much it make me feel so happy to know of such wonderful people and I hope to know you better!

I am thankful for my family and all the wonderful things life has to offer and I wish many wonderful things for everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

To Your Success!

Joanne

happy thaksgiving, thanksgiving cartoon

Nov 24, 2009

The Media Destroys Kids And The Parents Let It Happen!

What The Kids Are Watching!

    This is a continuation of my last post I felt I needed to address this as it does go with what I said before, thanks to the posters of my last post who reminded me of this issue!

You sit down grab the remote and you start flipping the channels, you just have to see what is on. After a few min of channel surfing you see sex of every sort, violence of every sort, foul language, and the like! I am not even just talking about programming said to be for adults only! and what is that these days  triple X ?

Apparently the media thinks if there isn't full nudity then it is children's programming!

Now when I say children I mean people up to the age of legal adulthood but really the things that I have seen from regular channel surfing in my opinion doesn't need to be viewed by human beings, period! Now I know I am conservative but for good reason, many kids are disrespectful to each other and their parents, they use foul language, dress inappropriately, and view sex and drugs as something cool to do for fun! Oral sex in school bathrooms as well as doing lines on the classroom desk, this is the norm for many kids!

I know this is not every kid and I hope not most kids but you can agree it is a big problem.

I see first hand when I am out with the kids the affect of this media programming. I have also seen it personally with my self as I have gone threw my life up to writing this post. I do not care to get into detail about my childhood but I will mention a few things.

Lets just say by the time I knew what sex was I was exposed to it over and over again from many different media sources, not good, it affected the choices I made and the way I viewed woman and men for that matter. I was friends with the kids who did drugs at school as well as doing lines in English class, many of my friends by Jr high were sexually active and the parents knew about much of it, Ok enough said.
 
Even cartoons which are designed for young children are not any better considering the ages they cater to, for example many of the popular cartoons for kids have words like stupid, shut up, idiot and moron. I have even heard Squidword from Spongebob say "would someone kill me". This is in many popular kids shows and not just Spongebob.

Now likewise there are also some great programming for kids like PBS kids and Disney channel is good only  in the morning and early afternoon hours. Later in the day you have the "teen shows" were you will see kissing, dating, back talk, as well as disobedience to adults and parents.

These shows which are said to be for kids are raising these kids and indoctrinating them with this bad behavior! If you the parent allow it to.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn form it"
Prov 22:6

You can't blame school to much since the kids are watching the media at home! But obviously considering the things I mentioned that are going on in schools and the lack of supervision on the part of the schools as well as parents are to blame.

Parents in my opinion need to get rid of the cable, pay attention to what the kids are watching and control what they are exposed to! I am not saying shelter your children, only allow information to be fed to them in an age appropriate way and only when children are ready for certain information.

If kids are going to school the parents need to know what is going on and were! Parents need to be actively involved with school officials to guarantee the safest and most educational environment possible!

I know I am guilty of letting my kids watch some things I shouldn't, like Spongebob, I am also guilty of watching some of it myself, but I will also say that I have always been more conservative with it then many parents that I have encountered.

We had cable early on and we did enjoy cartoons and such, but I learned early on to use the parental controls but honestly that wasn't even enough. We got rid of the cable completely then we moved in with my brother in law who had cable in the house, once again I gave in a little but limited what we watched. Now thank God we have no cable and will never have it again!

I know that you already know this and I do not wish to insult your intelligence, I only want to remind you about the dangers of media viewing. We prefer to go to the library and get good books and educational movies provided to us for free from our local library, media viewing is just not necessary and in fact can be damaging to our true self!

Supervise your kids no matter how much of your time and money it requires, in fact cable can cost 30, 40 even 80-100 dollars for many families and you can use that money each month to attend a play and or visit a museum with your family! You can even go to the movies instead just choose what you see carefully.

Thanks for reading please comment if you have anything to add it is greatly appreciated!
To Your Families Health and Happiness!

Here is my last post if you haven't read it note the comments really add to it!

Nov 23, 2009

Something I Have Noticed

She Said To The Other Girl "Stupid Whore"

  Today my kids and I went for a walk to the park, which we love to do! It was after two and schools had let out, it is not the first time we have been at the park at this time. Well the teenagers like to congregate at the park without parents or adult supervision I will add, especially this one which has a skate park, I do not mind to much as long as they are respectful and that rarely happens unfortunately!

I have noticed how teens just have little to no respect for anyone! I am generalizing I know there are many great respectful well taught teens ( I assume most are home schooled lol!) I am joking a little.

Seriously though I was there with my young children and there were many other young children too. The teenagers were shouting out the F word over and over and they were just playing and I guess having fun. Many other cuss words came out of there mouths usually I say something but there were a lot of teens and I decided to just let it go, but I am telling you all now.

Another thing I noticed is the way the boys were treating the girls and how some of the girls were treating each other! The boys cuss at the girls in conversation! And one girl walked by me and my children and shouted to her friend "stupid Whore" and she was only trying to get her attention there was no arguing going on. I have also heard girls call each other bitches and many other degrading terms, this has been going on since I was a teen. What is going on have the girls settled for the disrespect the boys give them and turn it on to each other?

I see this over and over again, it is very sad, I am glad my kids do not go to school and I can teach them the proper ways to treat human beings, unfortunately the things I have mentioned are learned behavior and these kids are getting it from peers at school and many of them sadly I assume get it at home!

Something is wrong here and I do not even blame schools, I blame the parents!

I am happy to say that I also meet great parents and children all the time and I am thankful to know them!

I only can teach my kids the right things and pray that these kids I mentioned and their parents mature enough to see the error of their ways!

Nov 22, 2009

Free Pre School Sites

Awesome Site For Pre Schoolers, It Is Fun Learning With Games!

Hello I just wanted to share with you about this great site for pre schoolers called kneebouncers. This is the kind of thing pre schoolers love and they will learn so much, we checked it out and I was happy to see it was very easy for my pre schooler this site has one key controls so all the pre schooler has to do is hit one key and they can easy play on this site, without using the mouse!

Also check out starfall for pre schooler needs, star fall also educates elementary grads as well.
Star Fall is a phonics learning site and they make it super easy for kids to learn how to read!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Please comment tell us what you think about the sites!

Nov 21, 2009

Mike Huckabee, Chuck Norris & Michael Farris: The Government Wants To Raise Your Children

Chuck Norris On Obama Care Dirty Secrets!


You can read the article by Chuck Norris reffered to in the video titled:

Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare

Other articles by Chuck at World Net Daily

Nov 20, 2009

Home School Regulations

What States Are Best For Home Schooling?

There are four levels of homeschooling regulation in this country:

1. states with essentially no regulations.
2. states with low regulations.
3. states with moderate regulations.
4. states with high regulations.

States with no regulations are the best for home schooling. The more strict the regulations the less freedom parents have to teach their children how they want, when they want and what they want! For us this is important while, we do agree with teaching kids the basics, children should not be slaves to curriculum or doing the same things everyday. Home schooling should be free with the whole family learning what they love!

Many states allow home schoolers the freedom and flexibility in their curriculum's, and in the amount of time they decide to spend on educational activities. Currently, there are 10 states that fall into this category: Idaho, Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, and New Jersey. These states require no notification. They do not have to notify the district in any way of their intent to homeschool. There are no forms to fill out, no phone calls to make. Even if one decides to pull their child from public school in order to begin homeschooling, there is not even a form to sign.

The states which have low regulations, require only that the parent notifies the district in writing of their intent to homeschool a child of compulsory attendance age. These states are also highly home school friendly as they require no testing, no reporting, and no home visits. Currently there are 15 states which fall into this category: , Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas,Mississippi, Alabama, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Delaware and Washington D.C.

States with moderate regulations, require written parental notification, they also require state standardized test scores and professional evaluation of the homeschooling students' performance. If the district within which the homeschooling family resides felt, after this testing and evaluation, that the homeschool was not fulfilling its legal requirement to educate the student to the state's standards, they could revoke that family's right to homeschool. These states are not considered overly homeschooler friendly. Currently 20 states implement this program: Washington, Oregon, Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Maine, and Hawaii.

The strictest level of homeschooling regulation in our country, requires notification, mandatory state testing, professional evaluation, and may also include curriculum approval, reporting of hours and progress, teaching certification of the parent and home visits by state officials. These states would not be considered the best for homeschoolers, knowing this info I would not live in one of these states. They are not homeschooler-friendly, allow little to no flexibility, and may just be states that homeschoolers prefer to avoid all together. Fortunately for most homeschoolers, there are only 6 states which currently fall into this category: Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

States may very in their enforcement of regulations. Some states may or may not have some of the regulations listed, this info is intended to be general you still must do your own research for your state and each individual state. My article is not a substitute for your own research and what is best for your family!

Now that you know this important info if you are planning on home schooling and moving consider the home school laws in the state you choose it could mean the freedom to home school your kids the way you feel is best for them. You know your children the best and in time learn the ways that is best for the learning of your children. Children should also be free to choose what they learn, learning the things that interests them the most.

Thanks for reading please comment!

To Your Families Success!

Joanne

For more on state home school laws visit HSLDA

Nov 14, 2009

Getting Discouraged About Home Schooling

We All Do It! Getting Discouraged About Home Schooling


Digital Product Boot Camp One of the very real things about home schooling is that it is hard sometimes, and I think many moms including myself sometime don't want to admit it, we get discouraged! Maybe me more then some, I don't know. We have only been doing it for two years now and some days it is good my kids do real well and get things done as do I, but some times it just seems like it will never work!

We have a chart to follow on school days to keep us on track, the problem is if we get up to late or I wake up to tired to wake the kids up then the whole day is shot! I hate doing school work after noon and I have so much other things I need to get done in the house too!

I get discouraged often these days, I am the Mom, the Teacher, the house keeper, the cook, the shopper, the peace keeper lol! Add turning thirty soon and mood swings, oh and I need to loose fifteen lbs too! Add that together and you got your self discouragement lol!

I am sure many of you can relate.

I wanted to post this because I want to be real and not try to pretend it is all good and I am super woman. No I am not going to quit home schooling I still stand by my decision and feel it is best for my kids despite its challenges. I understand and hope you all do that home schooling is not just about teaching our kids and educating them about the world it is also about personal growth.

For home schooling to work for us we need to change the things about our self that may stand in the way of achieving our goal. And children need to understand that home schooling is a family effort and requires all involved to do their best!

Nothing worth doing is easy!

I stand by that and live by that daily, home schooling is so worth it and the benefits for my kids and yours are tremendous, I try not to take it to seriously and just have fun and enjoy having my kids with me on a twenty four seven basis lol! I need to take some time for myself and so do you don't forget that!

Thanks for reading!

From Joanne

Free Printable Thanksgiving Color Pages

Turkey Coloring Pages and More Thanksgiving Color Pages



Digital Product Boot Camp


Thanksgiving is almost here, I can't believe it! Time goes by so fast and I can't say I look forward to the holidays. But I do like to eat stuffing, my Dad makes a great chestnut stuffing but it seems like never enough. I was looking around and went on that blog I posted about before, this blog is a great resource for free printable color pages and he has a Thanksgiving post now so I wanted to share it with you I am going to get some print ables for us to color for the thanksgiving holiday. Really cute pictures too!

Free Thanksgiving Printable Color Pages


I wish you well!

Nov 13, 2009

Free Potty Training Charts

Free Printable Potty Training Charts

Stickers work well with the toilet training charts! Or your child can color in the space each time she uses the potty.

Hi I came across this site with these great potty training charts.

My son is three and a half and we have been working on potty training and I wanted to get him a chart to use with stickers. He is into Spiderman right now and I was able to find a Spidermam potty chart for him.
If you are looking for potty charts this is a great site and free to print!

I wish you all well, message me here anytime!

From Joanne

Free Printable Behavior Charts

Nov 6, 2009

Free Coloring Pages

Free Printable Coloring pages

This is a great site if you are looking for free printable color pages of all kinds!
I wanted to post about it, we printed out a human anatomy color page and there are so many more we will be printing, my kids love to color and so do I, we some days do it all day!

I hope all is well and you are having a great fall season, and I wish you the best!

From Joanne



Nov 4, 2009

World Map Color Page

Great Map Color Page Link

My son needed a world map to color for Social Studies and I could not find the one I was looking for until I found this blog * here is the post with the free printable map link * and I found just what I was looking for when I clicked on the map.. The link took me to a great site with other maps so I also found a great USA map color page as well.

This is a great blog with great resources you should check it out for your home school. I also am a follower of that blog you should follow too.

Nov 2, 2009

Home Schooling Requirements

Home School Law

It is important to satisfy the home school laws in your state and meet the home school requirements. Learn home school laws and requirements in your state, testing and record keeping requirements.

Read my other posts about home school laws laws home school

About.com: Homeschooling

Oct 27, 2009

Old Fashioned Soft Pumkin Cookies *****

Pumpkin Recipe!

I love this recipe, I have made them many times before including this week and last week. They are so good!
I will be making them for Christmas gifts for my family...

Tip 1: You can cut the sugar in half on this one without sacrificing taste, makes it healthier and better for the kids too!Tip 2: You can use pumpkin spice instead about 1 tablespoon. Tip 3: You can omit the glaze, it gets kinda moist and makes the cookies wet. But this recipe is best with out it in my opinion.

Great for the kids to help and so easy!



Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies!

Happy Halloween

I made this video, to share with you our pumpkins that my kids designed and I carved!

I wish you all well, have a great Halloween!



From Joanne

Oct 10, 2009

Flu Shot

The Truth about the Flu Shot

1. What’s in the regular flu shot?
 
 Egg protein and avian contaminant viruses
 
 Thimerosal (mercury): in multi-dose vials
 
 Polysorbate 80:allergen; infertility in mice
  
Formaldehyde: carcinogen
 
 Triton X100: detergent
 
 Sucrose: table sugar
 
 Resin: known allergen
 
 Gentamycin: antibiotic
 
 Gelatin: known allergen


2. Do flu shots work?

Not in healthy babies: A review of 51 studies involving more than 294,000 children it was found there was "no evidence that injecting children 6-24 months of age with a flu shot was any more effective than placebo. In children over 2 yrs, it was only effective 33% of the time in preventing the flu. Reference: "Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2 (2008).

Not in children with asthma: A study 800 children with asthma, half were vaccinated and the other half did not receive the influenza vaccine. The two groups were compared with respect to clinic visits, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations for asthma. CONCLUSION: This study failed to provide evidence that the influenza vaccine prevents pediatric asthma exacerbations. Reference: "Effectiveness of influenza vaccine for the prevention of asthma exacerbations." Christly, C. et al. Arch Dis Child. 2004 Aug;89(8):734-5.
 
Not in children with asthma (2): "The inactivated flu vaccine does not prevent influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma…In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are three times more at risk for hospitalization than children who do not get the vaccine." Reference: The American Thoracic Society’s 105th International Conference, May 15-20, 2009, San Diego.
 
Not in adults: In a review of 48 reports (more than 66,000 adults), "Vaccination of healthy adults only reduced risk of influenza by 6% and reduced the number of missed work days by less than one day (0.16) days. It did not change the number of people needing to go to hospital or take time off work." Reference: "Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 1 (2006).
 
Not in the Elderly: In a review of 64 studies over 98 flu seasons of elderly living in nursing homes, flu shots were non-significant for preventing the flu. For elderly living in the community, vaccines were not (significantly) effective against influenza, ILI or pneumonia. Reference: "Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 3(2006).


3. What about the new Swine Flu vaccine?

Some of the new H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines are going to be made by Novartis. These shots will probably be made in PER.C6 cells (human retina cells) and contain MF59, a potentially debilitating adjuvant. MF-59 is an oil-based adjuvant primarily composed of squalene.
All rats injected with squalene (oil) adjuvants developed a disease that left them crippled, dragging their paralyzed hindquarters across their cages. Injected squalene can cause severe arthritis (3 on scale of 4) and severe immune responses, such as autoimmune arthritis and lupus.
Reference (1): Kenney, RT. Edleman, R. "Survey of human-use adjuvants." Expert Review of Vaccines. 2 (2003) p171. Reference (2): Matsumoto, Gary. Vaccine A: The Covert Government Experiment That’s Killing Our Soldiers and Why GI’s Are Only the First Victims of this Vaccine. New York: Basic Books. p54.

Federal health officials are starting to recommend that most Americans get three flu shots this fall: one regular flu shot and two doses of the vaccine made against the new swine flu strain. School children who have never had a flu shot are targeted for four shots in the fall - twice for seasonal flu, twice for pandemic swine flu. (July 15, 2009 news)
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been talking to school superintendents around the country, urging them to make plans to use buildings for mass vaccinations and for vaccinating kids first. (CBS News, June 12, 2009.)


4. What can you do?

You can't do it all, but you can do something!
Give this information to everyone you know and love, especially church members, social groups, school teachers and administrators, and first responders (EMTs, Paramedics, Firemen, etc). Contact your local police, sheriff, city council members, county commissioners and chamber of commerce. Discuss your concerns about forced vaccinations. Their support is important to maintain your right to refuse.
Email or fax this information to local TV and radio stations. Call or fax to your State and National political representatives.
Connect with other activist organizations – those who support 2nd amendment issues, the environment and animal rights. Help spread the word about their passion and get them involved with yours.

Write a small article for LOCAL, community newspapers.
Watch for samples on http://www.pandemicfluonline.com/

Check out http://www.oathkeepers.org/ .
Share this with your local law and military folks. A pdf for easy printing is available on http://www.drtenpenny.com/

Have at least 3 weeks of food and water on hand; be prepared to voluntarily self-quarantine.
Stock up on Vitamin D3 (3000 IU per person), Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fish oil, and zinc.

As stated years ago by Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

For more daily updates and information

http://www.vaclib.org/ http://www.pandemicfluonline.com/ http://www.drtenpenny.com/

Download the PDF

Oct 9, 2009

Swine Flu Vaccine



Oct 5, 2009

CHESS

Do you play chess?

I never did until my son at three wanted to play. So we learned how and by the time he was four he really had the hang of it, he still needed practice of course so we played when we felt like it. I was surprised he learnt it so fast! I always thought it was hard to learn but to my surprise it is a very easy game.

I would like to get him into a chess club for his age, but I have not found one in the area yet.

The Christmas before last we got him a really cool chess set, I wanted to share it with you I think it is really cool!


Chess, home schooling


I like chess for kids because it teaches so many important lessons like, critical thinking, thinking ahead, making decisions and consequence. Knowing what to do when to do it as well as learning from the opponents move knowing how their actions will affect you.

All of these lessons can be applied in the game of chess as well as in real life!
We need to play more for sure, have you ever considered chess as fun tool for life lessons?

Do you play chess with your kids too?

It is never to late to learn and from my experience it is easy and I feel most kids at four and five can easily learn the game with just a few lessons..

Thanks for reading I wish you all well and the best of success!

From Joanne

Oct 4, 2009

Home School Resource

Hello I hope all is well!

I found this great site for charts, I just printed out the student roster.
I have been having some trouble staying on top of our school work and staying organized so we are doing something a little different.

Teacher Vision lesson plans, printables and more.

You get three free items to print out then you have to get the membership.

I hope to get a paid membership this site looks like a great resource for teachers and home educators.

Thanks!

from Joanne

Sep 26, 2009

Child Temper Tantrums

Get Me Out Of Here!! Do You Say That Sometimes When Your Kids Drive you Crazy? Now There Is a Solution!

If you are like me in drives you crazy when your kids misbehave. If you are like me you like to read and learn from those who know and can tell you what to do, when your kids misbehave. We love our kids we just want them to listen and behave, right?

21 Days To A Happy Child Guide - Turn Misbehavior Into Great Behavior

Click Here!

Sep 9, 2009

Home Schooling

Hello I just wanted to post something. It has been a few weeks now in our 1st grade year, I can't say it has been organized lol! It is hard to keep on a schedule I am sure most of you would be better than me in that way. As far as the school work it is fine, my son is reading good and doing some advanced math for his age but we still do the math for his age. I want him to get all the concepts as he should for later. Anyway I hope all is well with you and family!

I hope to be back soon with some great writings about home schooling. Thanks for the support!

I have made a couple new vids on the unborn human rights channel on you tube if you would like to see them.

From Joanne

Aug 14, 2009

Sourdough Bread Starter

Grow Your Own Yeast and Never by it again!

A great family project, learn how yeast grows, create a world of micro organisms that you can then make bread with!

This technique is thousands of years old when yeast was not easy to get or expensive to by, I don't know about you but I love history and learning how to do things simple the way people have done for thousands of years!

I found this site that tells you all about how to do it, it is easy and you won't have to by yeast for your baking.

I do a lot of baking and by yeast all the time so as soon as I saw how easy it was, I am giving it a try and getting my kids involved with it.

Check it out we are going to give it a try!

Sourdough Bread Starter

From Joanne

Aug 6, 2009

Back to School

Soon we will be officially starting school back up and we are getting ready for it I have gotten the school stuff organized and my son is excited to be a 1st grader. I told him no messing around from now on he is in big boy school no more baby school!

We made it one year and can do it again one day at a time!

I hope you all are getting ready to have a great week and weekend I will be back to post about our 1st grade year and how it is all going!

From Joanne

Jun 23, 2009

SHOCKING! Circus Animal Cruelty

For Fathers day we went to a circus that was in our town not really thinking to much about it just going to take the kids they had never been to one. Some animal rights people were there protesting it and handing out pamphlets I took them, I have always been concerned about life issues even ones concerning animals. We talked with them a little and they were very nice, we did go in to the show and it was nice the kids liked it I mostly like the rope acrobats I have always wanted to do that lol!

When we got home we read the information and went to the site circuses.com and learned more about the animals, how they are in many cases they are scared to death and hooked and beaten! The elephants in many cases have TB and are denied medical treatment the TB can be spread to humans who touch or ride elephants.

We learned that there are many animal free circuses to go to and from now I on I am going to educate before we go to entertainment that use animals. For me it is not cool to mistreat the animals we must respect there life as a creature of God.

Our eyes have been opened to this issue thanks to the people who were there to educate us on the issue.

We should all get more informed on all life issues, animals and people!

While this in going on in the circus we also have another life issue to be educated about where 3,000-4,000 unborn babies are mutilated everyday and labeled as toxic waste! If we did abortions on animal mothers and there unborn fetuses the animal rights supporters would be outraged and up in arms to say the least! Yet many of them are pro-choice when it comes to the abortion choice for humans!

Please educate on both issues!

Do your part!

Vote against abortion for the unborn humans!

Vote animal rights for the animals!

We simply cannot tolerate this type of mistreatment of the humans or animals!

To learn more about voting against abortion choice nrlc.org

For more info on abortion lifedynamics.com abortionfacts.com

For info on animal free circuses and the treatment of animals in the circus circuses.com

Thanks! Comments appreciated...

Jun 21, 2009

Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day!

I hope you all had a great fathers day, we wish you all the best!

Jun 12, 2009

A Lesson For The Kids!

A month in a half ago a couple of brown doves made a nest in our patio we were delighted of course. We watched them lay eggs and they sat on them so patiently, we video taped them everyday and the kids loved it every morning we woke and checked on the birds.

When the eggs hatched we got the new born birds on tape they were so small and cute. They grew bigger and bigger everyday and we taped them. As they got bigger and ready to leave the nest they would stretch out their wings and we could tell they got more anxious from being in that little nest area all the time. I thought it was amazing how they just waited until they were ready very patiently it was so nice to see such a miracle in our own back yard great for the kids to.

This morning when I woke up they were gone, they had flown out of the nest, I didn't know were they went, I didn't know they were hanging around we kept looking for them all day to see if they were around but I didn't see them.

My kids were playing outside when our dog ran out and then I herd my six year old scream Mom angels got a bird! We ran out and told her to drop it and she did, it was one of the baby birds! She had killed it instantly with one bite! To make matters worse the other baby bird got scared and flew over the fence in the neighbors yard were they have four little dogs, the dogs weren't out and the bird disappeared so I don't know what happened to it.

Now the parents are hanging around and it seems like they are looking for the babies and don't know what is going on.

We are upset about it we watched them grow and documented it and my kids got to see this miracle take place and then this happened my kids also got to see the other side of things unfortunately that is life.

Prior to this our dog ran out one night and killed a rat with one bite!
I explained to my kids that a dog is a predator to the birds and small animals and that is just how life is.

It is still upsetting so I just wanted to share it with you sorry for the sad story!

A lesson for the kids!

We are going to bury the baby bird and say good by at least we got to see them and know them as long as we did and we get to have it on tape.

From Joanne

Comments always appreciated!

Jun 8, 2009

Character Building



There are two ways to live your life, One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everthing is a miracle.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)





Stop And See The Miracles Everyday

We work on character building as a part of our home education, I get a binder with the character building curriculum to cover ca standard for character building so I am posting this to talk about that a little and tell you about how I hopefully am building good character and values in my kids. We all got to do our best because when they are grown up we no longer have a vote, and that scares me! We have to do our best at raising them so we can be confident that they will make good choices as adults most of the time!

Character Building Lesson

Don't just stop to smell the roses, stop to see the miracles around you!

My kids and I go for walks, less often then we should, But when we do we like to find miracles, I told my son we should call them miracle walks instead of nature walks anyway we look at flowers, bugs, people, plants and animals and we say there is a miracle and we talk about how everywhere we look we can see miracles. I want my kids to grow up thinking that way and taking the time to stop and see the miracles, take the time to appreciate Gods miracles and all that he has given us. I feel it is so important, we must all make it a point to do this and if you do already great do it more!

On our walk we seen beautiful flowers, plants bugs we even saw a worm in the water, and we were just in our neighborhood taking a walk so you can do this anywhere. If you go to the store make it a point to say look at all of the miracles that are here and start by pointing out with your kids all of the miracles you see!

I can't help but feel like to many people don't even take not even a little time to see the miracles that are all around them. In our society it is legal to kill 3-4,000 of the most precious of Gods miracles daily and many stay silent and do nothing while others are strait out condoning it and people actually put up with it, STAND UP!

With Out Life We Have Nothing!
Remember Life In All That You Do!
Like I teach my kids God is life and anything that has life in it also has God in it!

"What you do unto the least of you, you do unto me"!

I am definitely going to do this more, I hope you can to!
You are a Miracle!
Thanks for reading!

Jun 4, 2009

Fetal Development

The miracle of life and human development this is a topic we talk about often in our home, I made this video and many others you can see the rest at my you tube account unbornhumanrights. Watch my video it is not graphic and great to watch with kids then talk about how they grew and developed and continue to do so, a great science topic.

The song is On Eagles Wings and it is sung by my cousin Nokomis I felt it was great for the video my son thought so too.

You will be viewing a true miracle when you see the wonderful images in the video, don't forget to see the miracles that are around you everyday!



Thank for watching tell your Friends!

May 29, 2009

Get To Know Your Community Social Studies Project

        The other day my kids and I went to the store and like always my son picks up one of the free pamphlets provided by the store and I let him take it, when we got home we sat down to do some school work, after we did that we read the pamphlet and actually learned a lot about the grocery store we got it from.

So my home schooling social studies idea is this when you go to the store pick up a free store pamphlet and read it cover to cover when you get home and you and your children will learn something about the stores you shop at and possibly more about the owners of the stores, then have the child do a project relevant to what you learned in the pamphlet drawl a picture right a short story etc get creative with it. This is a great social studies project

The one we read was all about how the store we go to recycles and uses recycled goods as well as how there store brand is a very healthy brand with no artificial stuff in it etc..

What a great opportunity to teach kids about recycling and why it is important to buy recycled goods, then you can do a recycling project in your home etc..

More Social Studies Project K-2 grades..

Chinese New Year Paper Lantern project, grade K

Banana Wheat Germ Muffin Recipe

BANANA WHEAT GERM MUFFINS

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 c. milk1/4 c. oil1 egg
1/4 flax sead meal op

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Blend oil and sugar. Add milk, egg and banana. Mix dry ingredients together, then add to banana mixture. Bake in greased muffin tins at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Yield 12.

May 28, 2009

Home Schooling

sun,sun clip art, This summer learn how to start a home business
It is near the end of the school year and I hope you all did well, this was our first year we learned a lot and I was surprised at how fast children learn my son did not read when we started and now has been reading at a first grade level and getting better everyday. We learned so much and had fun despite some difficulties we have had in the past year.

I also learned a lot about being patient and becoming a good teacher to my kids. This next school year I plan on being more organized and stick to our schedule better as well as getting involved in more out of home activities.

We don't plan on stopping our educational activity for the summer however we will still be working in our workbooks and reading books.

I have gotten all of my sons first grade year curriculum already so we will be getting started on that as well. Most of all this summer we want to have lots of fun and do many things because everything is a learning experience there is always so many opportunities to learn and educate ourselves and that is the focus that is why I home school.

Look for my new posts I will be posting about some great activities that we do and you and family can do as well.

Thanks for reading!

May 13, 2009

Free Math Curriculum

I love math, math clip art, click for math games   For Math we are using the Houghton Mifflin curriculum, the workbook is great and it is full of color and clear images the kids love.

This curriculum is very easy to use and we have the first grade one for the coming up school year.

The kindergarten one we did touched on everything a child need to learn in K and then we supplemented the learning with math blocks, counting cubes, pattern blocks etc you can get these at any school store and the kids love to use them.

And don't forget your kitchen is a great place for math aids. Baking is a great way to teach fractions using measuring cups and spoons and dry beans are always helpful for counting out math problems.

For pre school children teach more and less using cups of juice or water etc just get creative and you will see that math is all around us and every opportunity is a time for learning.

The post below has the link for the HM site were you can learn more about the curriculum choices they have.

Also check the FREE Printable Worksheet site for some great math worksheets.

I also love to go to The Dollar Tree store they have great workbooks and I have gotten many math workbooks there.

Check your local dollar store, Wall Mart, Target stores these are great places for workbooks and cheaper than a school store.

May 12, 2009

Spelling Curriculum

     For spelling we have been using Houghton Mifflin Spelling and Vocabulary workbook this is a first grade workbook and it has worked out great. The pages contain a step by step instruction which consist of reading the word, writing the words and fitting them into sentences, we do one page a day and then I give my son a oral quiz based on the spelling words provided in the workbook once a week he has a written test on the spelling words.

I think this particular curriculum is being discontinued but I am sure HM is replacing it with a new spelling curriculum and HM has many other great curriculum's to choose from, this is a CA standard curriculum.

The post before this has the EPS books curriculum which also assist the student with spelling and vocabulary.

Also check out my FREE Printable Worksheets link for spelling worksheets and activity.

May 11, 2009

Phonics Curriculum

homeschooling, apple and books, FREE curriculum site post

EPS Books Curriculum. Primary Phonics and Explode The Code Workbooks.

We have used the EPS books curriculum, Primary Phonics and Explode the Code workbooks so I wanted to give you a review, we love them and my son did to these workbooks are easy to teach to your kids and very affective my son learned to read using these. We had both the Primary Phonics and Explode the Code workbooks and we did a page a day in each. The Primary Phonics comes with easy readers to read at specific points in the workbooks after words have been mastered this way they practice the words learned. You can start with the pre school and move up to the next as your child progresses, or start with the one pertaining to the grade of your child.

What do you recommend? Post your Favorite K-2 grade Phonics/Reading Curriculum..

The EPS Books company is a great curriculum for the phonics as I mentioned, they also have other curriculum you should look into I feel this is a great company with quality teachable product.

May 10, 2009

Happy Mothers Day!

blessed virgin mary,hail holy queen,find me and other moms at cafe momI found this picture and thought it was so beautiful I had to post it for Mothers Day, so in honer of our Mother in Heaven Happy Mothers Day to you all!

************

Dixie Chicks Lullaby

I love this song Happy Mothers Day! Hug Your Kids!

Mothers Day Quotes

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. ~Author Unknown

Apr 30, 2009

Believe You Can And You Will Do What it Takes!

sky, believe achieve, clouds
"Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results,but first you have to believe."

~Mark Victor Hansen



This is so true and applies to anything you will ever aspire to do in your life, applying it to home schooling this quote reminds us we must believe we can do it, believe our children are worth it! Then you can take the steps necessary to doing it and making it work for you family!

I found this quote on a Friend of mines great blog called Believe Achieve, this blog is full of inspiring and motivating stories and quotes,

take a look and as always comments always appreciated.

Apr 29, 2009

Teaching Kids About Sex and At What age?

Home Schooling, Teaching Sex Edd Is A All The Time Thing!

I wanted to post a little about this because it is important, my kids are young right now soon to be six and three so we haven't gotten into the details about this yet. I think that the sex talk should not be a talk at all but a discussion that takes place often and with age appropriate information for there whole life.

This is one reason I am home schooling I don't want my kids to be exposed to this topic in anyway to early in life and by the wrong people like piers and other adults in the schools.
I believe information/knowledge is key throughout all our lives but at the right times for kids especially if they are curious, don't let your kids be curious at the wrong people and be at risk for the wrong information!

For us it started at 2 and a half when my son ask me "wheres your penis Mom? Yes it caught me of gard, so I got a good book it was titled Amazing You by Gail Saltz for pre schoolers about private parts and what they are used for and we read it and talk about it often to this day when he asks me.

My son is now almost six but we have discussed fetal development and pregnancy especially when I was pregnant with his brother a few years ago, we look at pictures of babies growing in there Mothers and how the sperm and the egg come together and make a baby. We also discuss a female menstrual cycle this came up when my son asked me, so when he asks I tell him about it. The only thing I have left out for now is the sex part as you can imagine he is only six.

He is so full of questions and is always thinking, the other day we read a couple books about spring time and Honey Bees, in the Honey Bee book it talked about how the bees all have a job to do and the drones only job is to mate with the Queen, so my inquisitive son had to ask me all about that to, the book didn't go into details about it so I didn't either.

What brings me to this subject is that this morning my son is asking me about it again and I can see his brain working and wondering just how it happens, he knows the male has to fertilise the females egg to make a baby but he knows something is missing in that information and I know it is only a matter of time before he is asking me HOW? I am going to answer his questions as they come along like I always have and just do my best!

For now he thinks marriage has something to do with it and that is a good thing he is still young for further info but the more we learn about the animals the more he wonderes. I am just glad that I am home schooling and he is able to ask us the questions he wants answers to instead of piers at school or some mixed up sex ed class they so eagerly want to get the kids involved in at some schools, we are a Conservative family as far as our values go so I would not be happy with any info that a school would provide my children with.

I was in the fifth grade when the public school I went to gave us condoms and showed us with a banana how to use them, I still remember that and for me I had no idea what I was being told and it left me curious and I went to Friends to learn more and that was not a good idea. I know now that my parents should have been open with me and then I would have came to them, I am doing things different with my own kids.

You probably have heard it before but in these crazy times you got to educate your kids on these things, openly honestly and often with age appropriate information, encourage your kids to come to you when they seek an answer and let them know it is OK to discuss things as often as they like don't forget to add your values, values are most important.

For my other son he is asking too so we will be getting that book again and beginning our discussions with him as I did with my oldest.
When my kids are older I will tell them more and the focus will be on fetal development, pregnancy, the rolls of the Father and Mother, morals, values and abstinence being a pro-life Mom they will be told about BC but not as a option to avoid pregnancy they will understand how it works and why, something I wish I was told as a young person.

We home schoolers have an advantage but this is still so important for any family!

Thanks for reading comments always appreciated!

Apr 27, 2009

Latin Curriculum Home Schooling

Latin Curriculum resources that I have found.


I will be updating this post as I find new resources to tell you, for those who want to get some language curriculum.


The Latin is not so tough workbooks and more a full on Language curriculum for your home schoolers!

I am getting this one as soon as possible The Latin is not so tough Starter Kit the second starter kit, this one is made for the early learner it has the first 3 workbooks plus answer keys and flash cards and more!

This curriculum looks great and I can't wait to get it, I will be searching the net for revues and see what others think but for now it looks like just what I am looking for!

Greek n Stuff

Talk Now Language Course

For a Christian based Latin Course it was recommended to me the Prima Latina.

Apr 26, 2009

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Sponge Cookies

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Sponge Cookies
Had some bananas and wanted to make some cookies, this recipe is good and healthy and they are like mini banana breads! Easy to make and the kids will love to help and eat them..
12 -18 cookies

Ingredients
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2 Mix all ingredients until moist.
3 (I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but imagine you could use quick-cook oats instead).
4 Mixture will be gooey and sticky.
5 That is normal.
6 Drop by tablespoonful onto ungreased baking sheet.
7 Flatten to desired thickness and shape, as cookies WILL NOT spread on baking.
8 Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
9 Remove to wire rack to cool.

Apr 23, 2009

THANK YOU!

I wanted to post a quick thank you to those who are following and commenting!

Ask me anything I will do my best to answer you.

Thank you for all your positive feedback and don't hesitate to leave your suggestions if there is something I haven't touched on that you would like me to write about on my blog, just leave it in the comment box below this post.

Thanks again!

From Joanne

Apr 16, 2009

DLTK's Crafts for Kids Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

Do you have toilet paper rolls and would like to do something with them? My son is collecting them and we have a bunch so we wanted to do some art projects with them, I found this site with tons of ideas and templates you can print for FREE and make all kinds of toilet paper rolls things with your kids!

The picture is a Mothers Day candle or you could make it a vase for fake flowers!

Apr 15, 2009

FREE Printable Worksheets

Awesome site for FREE printable worksheets.

I just printed out a bunch for my son you can choose which grade you want and just print them very convenient and FREE!

Apr 14, 2009

No-Cook Paper Mache Paste Recipe

This no-cook paper mache paste recipe is a good one to make with kids because it is easy to make and does not require heat.

Materials Needed:
Water
Flour

Instructions:To make this paper mache paste, simply mix together 1 part flour to 2 parts water. You will want it to be the consistency of thick glue, but you also want it to be runny and not thick like paste. Add more water or flour as necessary.

Mix well to remove any lumps.

A few helpful tips I have read in regards to using this paste are:

If you live in an area with high humidity, add a few tablespoons of salt to help prevent mold.
If you don't like the smell of the glue mixture you can add a few sprinkles of cinnamon or cinnamon to sweeten it up!

You should be able to store this glue in a covered bowl or jar, in the refrigerator, for a few days.

Follow these simple steps and create wonderful paper mache masterpieces!

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: days
Here's How:

Create your paper mache form (find directions for crating a form here) and prepare your desired paper mache paste (find recipes for paper mache paste here).
Tear newspaper into strips.

Dip one piece of newspaper at a time into prepared paper mache paste.

Hold the strip over the paste bowl and run it through your fingers to squeeze off excess paste.
Stick the newspaper strip over the form you want to paper mache, and smooth it down with your fingers.

Completely cover your creation with a layer of newspaper strips. They should all be over-lapping.

After one layer is applied, let it dry about 24 hours.

Add another layer of newspaper strips and let dry another 24 hours.

Repeat this process until you get the desired effect, but you should have at least three layers.
Paint, decorate and proudly display your creation!

Tips:
Tear the newspaper into strips -- do not cut it! Torn strips lay smoother.
Be generous when dipping the newspaper strips into the paste -- you want each piece thoroughly saturated!

Let each layer dry completely before adding another.

You can use the paper mache pulp recipes I shared here to add extra detail to your form before, during of after you add the paper mache layers.

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