Minivan Moments

As a member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , I received the Amazing Bible Timeline in the mail to use in our homeschool and review on my blog. This is that review. I have to be honest, when I received the timeline in the mail, I was overwhelmed: it is so big, so detailed, and I am SO bad at teaching details in our homeschool. We focus so much on "big picture" stuff, the basics of schooling, and things that interest the kids specifically, and this timeline was way over my head! I didn't even recognize the names of half the people on the timeline (which is totally my problem, not that of Bible Charts and Maps , the creators of this timeline). As a dedicated Crew member, though, I knew I needed to give the timeline a chance. I stuck it on the wall and studied it. I went on their website and read about it. I downloaded the Interactive Maps of the Holy Land that I was to receive as well, and I felt further out of my element. I can certainly see...

I have offended my parents. Not my intention. I am not angry, resentful, or condemning at this stage of the process; the forgiveness happened years ago with the help of the Lord. I just want to be able to break whatever chains are binding me to negative behaviors and unhelpful relationships. I want to look at my grandchildren some day and know i gave them the best hope for parents that i could. I want to use what God has brought me through to help others. I do not believe that God allows suffering for the sake of suffering; He has a purpose for this pain He has led me through. I told my therapist a few weeks ago that according to statistics of my childhood traumas, i should be living on the streets, selling my body, and addicted to heroin. He asked me why i think i'm not. I told him that God carried me. I believe that with every fiber of my being! This week has been hard: i have been down the paths of the past in the hopes of discovering places that i can change negative pe...

The Spring Hill area homeschoolers' Read-A-Thon benefiting the local public library was a HUGE success. We turned in our pledge sheets today and received certificates of participation - as well as a little bag of treats. The money collected will be used by the director of the Spring Hill Public Library to purchase homeschooling resources. The group raised a little over $600, according to the director, and it looks like my kids raised almost half of that all by themselves!!! Way to go, kiddos! And a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who supported their efforts - we have never seen Quin so motivated to read!! We got to play at the park for a bit after handing in our stuff. Pictures are below! Can you find the kids hiding in the trees? Quin's crazy smile! Calysta upside down on the geodesic dome. Dania at the top of a big-kid climber! The kids peeking out of the "castle."

Today, while i was making lunch, i heard rustling in the pantry. Since that is always a sure sign that Senorita Self-Sufficient is helping herself to some tidbit or other, i peeked in. I had to giggle at what i saw: Dania was sitting in the floor with a plastic box of candy corns in front of her, and she was picking the candy out one at a time and stuffing them into her pockets. She put away the box when her pockets were full to bursting, then ran over to sit on the couch and munch her treats while watching Word World! Yeah, i love that little bundle of mischief! Have a Sweet Day!

I received a book to read and review as a member of the 2009-1010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew . The book is Sarah's Wish , and it was written by Jim Baumgardner to offer his grandchildren an enjoyable way to learn about the history of some of the American people. The main character's name is Sarah , and she is a 12-year-old girl living in the mid-1800s. The beginning of the story was hard for my kids because Sarah loses her mother in an accident. Once we passed the grief-stricken child to the story line, we recovered fine (especially since there is mention of a "secret" for a chapter or two before we learn what the secret is - nothing like a secret to keep a child's attention!). Anyway, rather than spoil the story itself for you, let me tell you how much we enjoyed the writing style and story line. Sarah is a likable child with a big heart, and every girl could identify with her. In fact, my nine-year-old loves to play "back in the old days,...

Okay, so as a wonderfully blessed member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , I received FOR FREE a package of handmade soaps from Virginia Soaps and Scents - with the agreement that I would use them and review them for you all. Before my review of their line of soaps, here's some background information for you: I know just enough about modern soaps and cleaning supplies to be leery of them, but I haven't yet been ambitious enough to learn more or do much about it. I have stocked up on all that I need to make my own laundry detergent, but haven't actually made it yet. I have stopped using "drugstore" type of soaps and hair care products (actually I stopped this some time - and money - ago). And I clean my house with vinegar (except that stubborn stuff on the bottom of the textured shower) instead of toxic mainstream chemicals. Enter Virginia Soaps and Scents . They sent me a small "make your own" laundry soap kit. It came with ever...

Today, the kids got to go to work with Daddy for an hour. {BIG smile} He let them eat breakfast in the cafeteria, work on their writing in his office, and hang out with him. Calysta says he doesn't really work, he just talks to people about computers... "and not just work computers, either!" Then we raced home to walk all four dogs in the never-ending chilly drizzle, and off we went again! This time, we headed in the opposite direction to visit Grandpa and Grandma, who had the cousins over for the weekend. We made homemade scare crows (with newspaper and construction paper, if you can believe that!) and played in the yard with the cousins and grandparents. Yay, mud!! It was a blast, if a bit chilly! I desperately needed that second cup of coffee that came far too late in the day, so i will probably pay for it late tonight when my eyelids refuse to shut! Oh, well, it was bound to happen. Still, it was a fun, fabulous day! Y'all have a fun, fabulous Friday night!

Okay, today is a day for therapy. As i take a break from our lessons and pick up the book i am reading for healing past betrayal, i am compelled to blog about my journey. Maybe God knows this will help someone else. Maybe God knows it will help me. Whatever the benefit... Therapeutic Thursday is born. In the book The Betrayal Bond by Patrick Carnes , i have discovered some things about myself, not the least of which is that i am waaaaaaay better off than i could be. As a child, i was abandoned by my mother. Not her fault, i have told myself, because she has always been a bit emotionally unstable. {incidentally, reading this book shows me clearly WHY she is emotionally unstable, and it truly isn't her fault} My sister and i were placed with our father by the judge (not normal in the 1970s), but he had us only by a thread, and he knew it. Not long after our upheaval, Daddy found us a new Mommy and went off to work. In his mind, he had replaced what we were lacking - becau...

As a member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , I received a few e-books for free from Guardian Angel Publishing to use and review. The books we received were Earthquake , The Sum of Our Parts: No Bones About It , and Andy and Spirit Go To The Fair . The books are easy to read and interesting, with illustrations that catch even the youngest child's attention. The kids (and mom!) really enjoyed the book, The Sum of Our Parts: No Bones About It ! I adored human anatomy in college, and with all of my well-developed language skills, all those parts' names were fun to learn (mostly) - and I love teaching the kids about our bodies because of my fascination with the topic. The Guardian Angel Publishing book had a lot of great information inside, with eye-catching images and a fun rhyme about the body's bones. In essence, if you read the book, then memorize the engaging rhyme, you could actually know the major bones in your body by heart! How fun and eas...

... there is God. When someone who knows Jesus is no longer with us on earth, we mourn our loss, not theirs. Because of the unique relationship with Christ, we do not die ... we merely pass on . The phrase " pass on " is maybe overused to some, but it has great meaning to people of the Christian faith. People with a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, do not die because Jesus, himself, overcame death and conquered the grave. Therefore, to be absent from the body is to present with the Lord! [2 Corinthians 5:8] Let's look at what " pass on " means. We pass on from a mortal life on a wounded earth to bigger and brighter things. We pass on to a place that is more wondrous than we can imagine. We pass on to forever worship our Lord. Also... We pass on suffering. We pass on loneliness. We pass on anxiety. We pass on sorrow. We pass on regret. We pass on anger. We pass on pain. Answer this question today: does your spiritual belief give you comfort in k...

This morning, i gave Calysta the responsibility of helping Dania with her alphabet puzzle (we have started exposing her to letters). I simply reminded Calysta that learning should be fun for Dania and left her to it. You will never guess what she did! I am so proud!! She "hid" each letter somewhere in the house for the younger kids to "find," which is fun in itself. But the amazing part to me is that she hid the letters near or with an object that started with that letter! For example, she hid "C" in the candy dish, "N" in the napkin holder, and "L" in the lamp. She's so creative! {sniff} I am so proud. Future preschool teacher... future homeschooling mother... Did i mention how proud i am? Have a creative day!

As a member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , I received a couple of issues of Nature Friend Magazine for free in exchange for using and reviewing them. (Wow - those writing skills have come in handy!) This blog entry is my review, and before you skip it because you don't homeschool, let me assure you this review applies to anyone with children. When we received our first completely beautiful issue of Nature Friend Magazine , I was enchanted! We sat down immediately and read through the first half of the magazine together. The photography was so amazing, it was dazzling to the eye! Imagine: having a gift that allows you to capture so beautifully God's creatures in their natural habitats - in action! My kids began carrying their own cameras around outside not long after our perusal of the magazine. Additionally, the stories were so engaging, the kids could actually read them to themselves! I cannot tell you how big a feat it is to have a nature maga...

My littlest angel, Dania, is turning three today! She was such a surprise 3-1/2 years ago that I confess to a bit of crying, panicking, and whining (yeah, i regressed momentarily to the terrible-two's). Now, however, it is hard to imagine I was ever anything but grateful to have her!! She sure puts us through our paces, but life would be pretty boring without her. She is energetic, funny, full of dramatic displays and funny faces, demanding, sure of herself and her place in the world, and fully in touch with the Spirit of God. She keeps us laughing, keeps us trying, keeps us working on ourselves, and she keeps us honest. Life is hard. But anything worth having is worth working for. Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, Dania Rose!

We all know there are categories of foods we should eat that benefit our bodies the most, right? Well, there are also categories for proper brain development: Roots & Fruits . No, I'm not actually talking about eating root vegetables and healthful fruits for proper brain development, but rather a vocabulary curriculum ( stay with me, here ) created by Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services ( EduDPS ). Roots & Fruits is an amazing vocabulary program that I received free as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 's Homeschool Crew . I have to tell you, I am learning right along with my children - because even though I had a great education (and have no shortage of words), there is so much to this program that I never even knew we could learn! Okay, so let me break this down for you so you can truly appreciate what I am talking about. You know those programs that you can use to learn "a word a day" - calendars, websites, etc...? This curriculum act...