Minivan Moments

Yay! I have just been contacted by the Grapevine Studies program that there will be a special discount period for readers of my blog. I get to pass that great news onto all of you!! Even if you don't homeschool, their Bible studies are a wonderful tool for educating your children (and yourself!) about the Bible. Grapevine Studies is celebrating our new year with a fabulous 30 % OFF for the entire month of January!! If you haven't read my review for this company, click here to read it. I love this company! You can also access other reviews of Grapevine Studies here . If you are already sold, start shopping here on or after January 1, 2010! Just enter the promotion code "crew" when you are checking out and you will save 30% OFF an already affordable Bible program.

...to cleaning! I know, it sounds like i must be making this stuff up, but i think it might be true!! Yesterday, i decided to tackle some of the unidentifiable junk that has been accumulating in various places upstairs over the past few months (with 1 birthday, Halloween, another birthday, Thanksgiving, ANOTHER birthday, 3 Christmas gatherings, and our regular routines, it has been all i could do to focus on the downstairs). About an hour into my tidying, my nose turned into a leaky faucet. A couple of hours later, my head was pounding a most unpleasant beat. Later in the evening, after i had ceased all attempts to organize the chaos that i had created during the gut-it-to-deal-with-it frenzy, i wanted to liberate my nose from my face for the constant itching and my eyes were trying to swim out of my head. Hmmm. To clarify things some more, i took some Benadryl before bed so i could sleep, convinced i was getting a cold and was going to be miserable for the duration. Not so: I sl...

Last night, we enjoyed a Christmas performance here at my house. My 2 oldest children and 4 of their closest friends told the story of the birth of Jesus, offset with LOTS of Christmas musical favorites. They worked so hard this month, memorizing their lines, learning the actual words to the songs, and learning motions to accompany the songs. They got a bit nervous and giggly in the first act, but they rose above it and persevered... ending with applause! We had Christmas cookies, Birthday Cake, homemade hot cocoa, and two different kinds of decaf Christmas tea. I put a donation cup on the refreshments table and explained that we were raising money for a missionary family in New Zealand. At the end of the night, there was almost $40 in that cup! ( God is really making his $20 point! ) I will be making DVD copies of the recorded production for everyone who couldn't attend last night's performance. A small donation of $1 to benefit the missionary family in New Zealand is al...

This first half of the school year has been very busy for us. We have been blessed to be a part of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , benefiting from free curricula from various sources. It has been eye-opening as I didn't realize there were so MANY things out there for homeschoolers. It has also been a little awkward at times, like when the product we are reviewing is not our favorite, but we are using it for a time anyway. Occasionally, I have had to do a lot of prep to understand how to use a curriculum, and that has been especially difficult for someone like me! The value of the products have been well worth the effort, but it has been some effort. That said, we recently received something fun AND easy to use and review: a CD from Maestro Classics of the fable, The Tortoise and the Hare . This is something that we just got to enjoy. There is the classic tale of the hare who believes he is so fast that he cannot be beaten in a race of speed, but he soon ...

Today, I have the privilege of telling you about Mathletics ( from 3P Learning) , an online math practice program that we have been blessed to be able to use and review for the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew . My kids have tried several math programs already this year for the TOS Crew , many of them good, but this one has them genuinely excited! They couldn't wait to inform me of all the ways Mathletics was better than everything else they had tried. THAT is impressive. Mathletics offers online math practice programs around the world, and kids actually have the opportunity to "represent" their country with their accomplishments. There are Top 50 and Top 100 categories for the kids to get that recognition, as well as a Hall of Fame - all right there on the home page for the world to see! In addition, your child has his/her own account, and parents get a different login - that way parents can check how their kids are doing. Mathletics also emails result...

This was too cute not to put on my blog! Dania and her cousin, Donald, love each other SOOOOOO much that they request play dates frequently. This picture was of the two of them sitting at the top of the stairs with a snack... then, WHAMMO ! He laid one on her! Are they cute or what?

Well, the computer geek i married decided he needed a better career path - one that had more ability to move up in the company or greater potential with another company should something happen with his job. He put in for a management position and was offered the job. Congratulations. Yes, by all means, congratulations are in order; i am very proud of him. That being said, i turned into a corporate wife overnight!! He officially got named for the position yesterday and was handed an invitation to the "Managers Only" Christmas party at the VP's house... for tonight! No learning the ropes, getting used to the way things are done, or slipping slowly into the swing of things?!?! Nope, being a good little stay-at-home wife, i exchanged my sweatpants for pleated slacks, my bobby pins for style, and my slippers for heels... and i accompanied my husband to his holiday party. We hobnobbed with the other managers, made nice with the Vice President, and exchanged small talk wi...

Okay, being married to the Computer Geek of the Century , I thought we would have fisticuffs over the Tektoma 'Game Maker' software we received to use and review. Good thing I'm not a bettin' woman! The makers of Tektoma: Game Tutorials for Kids were kind enough to give us a temporary subscription to their website, complete with the Game Maker Lite software and all of the many tutorials and assistance they provide so that kids (or interested adults) can learn the programming of making their own computer games. I was thrilled: finally, I could plug the Smallish Man 's genius brain into something constructive that might lead to learning something useful for... I dunno, like a career or something... you know, someday . When he's eaten all our food, learned everything I know, and given me a head full of gray hair. You know what I'm saying..... What I failed to count on is the Computer Geek of the Century deciding he should finally fix our Wii . Yeah, t...

When I received All About Spelling ( AAS ) to review as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Homeschool Crew , I thought it might be the answer to prayer! My eldest child is not a fabulous speller, but with the proper drills, she does great. The problem with this is the method: I think drills are ridiculous methods to teach spelling in early elementary grades because the children are so young, the language so complex, and rote memorization so limiting. So, needless to say, spelling has taken a backseat to all other topics lately, and my daughter is falling behind. The first thing right out of the chute with AAS is the time-consuming, finger-cramping, scratch-inducing letter cards preparation. The Starter Kit that came with our Level 1 box included the letter tiles, CD-ROM with phonograms, and magnets for the back of the letter tiles. Unfortunately, the letter tiles are NOT cut out, nor are they perforated for easy disconnect. It took me over an hour to cut out all ...

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at our house, about 20 people dined and shared it with us. There was so much food, but it was all prepared by 4 different teams, so it worked well and wasn't too stressful for any ONE person. I even had time to lay pretty tablecloths and decorate each table a little to make it special. I wanted to post some pictures, but i am having computer problems and am having to use my husband's computer, which is not where the pictures are stored, so i am out of luck! Maybe i'll get some of them up later.... I hope everyone is recovered from their overindulgence... nothing like Christmas shopping to burn some calories!! Be blessed!

...and forget what we are stressed about, worrying over, and fretting for. Today in Target, the Smallest Drama Princess on the Planet was playing with a squeaky toy we were buying for our dog, Oliver, for his Christmas stocking. Walking through the Christmas section, where all those stressed-out shoppers were frantically trying to figure everything out, she pipes up: " Is dat gettin' annoying, Mom? " I giggled and answered that Yes, it was getting annoying .... naturally, the surrounding area was full of people laughing and smiling in our direction. Sometimes, a small child can remind you not to take yourself so seriously. Remember to savor the simple things, let go of the heavy burdens, and enjoy the season of JOY!