Search This Blog

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

Make a donation

CONTACT ME

Name

Email *

Message *