In the weeds

Well, we have moved, gotten all settled in, figured out how to take care of the pool, the well, and the septic system, and now spring has sprung!  Well, at least the weeds of spring....they are popping up all over my 1.1 acre, and that's A LOT of ground to cover with weed killer!!  Makes me think of God trying to weed stuff out of my life.  As I am squirting the weeds down, I am being ever so careful to not hit actual plants.  I notice also that good stuff and bad stuff can grow out of the same place.  Hmmmm..

Ok, so we are thinking that next year we will consider putting the kids into a 2 day a week co-op type program.  I am thinking about one that is just down the road, that I have never heard of, and where Sydney would be the highest grade they have.  I am also considering one that I have heard of that has lots of experienced people teaching and is a bit further away.  And so here are the complexities that come along with homeschooling....knowing when to give away some of the reins to someone else, and how to do it.  Praying to see God's best for my children in all of this.....

Koda swims

Here is our dog, Koda.  Koda is a girl dog, though most people mistake her for a boy.  She's a lil sensitive to that fact....she has always aspired to be a girlie girl dog, but alas....

She is part yellow lab (loves water) and part Shar-pei (hates, hates water), so she truly has an internal fight going on when it comes to water.  Recently, we moved to a house with a pool.  She hasn't even looked at it.  She acts like it's not even there.  Enter one beautiful sunny gorgeous day.  We were all out back after a bike ride, enjoying the sun and the view of the pool.  We don't dare get in; it's about 60 degrees in the water.  But Koda decided to!  She stepped off onto the large step and swam a couple strokes and turned back around to face me.  I was happy to see her get in till I saw the look of distress on her face!  She was trying to get up onto the side of the pool, and knowing she'd try that, I talked her (with a potato chip) into coming back toward the large step.  Didn't have my camera until it was all over, but you do get to enjoy the "after" pictures.....

Checking it all out....

"Yeah, I got in, what do you gotta say about it??"

 "A little bit of sun and I'll be ready for the backstroke....."

Now, back to school, of which we have done about half the day.

Till next time....

Urban Air

Yesterday, I took the kids to Urban Air in Southlake for a little midday jump.  It was fun...and jumpy!

They have a dodge ball room, a foam jump pit and the trampolines are all in the floor, so that there's no chance of someone falling off!

The kids got hot and sweaty pretty quickly....and tired....

and smelled a bit like gym socks afterward.....buuuut, they were happy and tired when we left.  This is one of the beautiful things about homeschool; we can go at 2pm on a schoolday and burn off some energy.  We can go someplace in the middle of the day just to get a change of scenery!  Love the lifestyle.....

Movin' to the Country...

I just found this previously unpublished draft from our blog!  It's almost like extras on a DVD!  The date on it is 1-16-12, in case that matters.....enjoy!


Hello all!  Well, since I last blogged, we have moved to the country!  Well, sort of.  We have an acre out west of the DFW area, where the doggie can roam and the kiddos can swim (well, come summer, they can).  We are looking forward to a new lifestyle and one that fits in nicely with our homeschool lifestyle as well.  As soon as I can, I will post pics of our new homeschool room.  It seems to be more....um...how do I say it....more quiet than it was when we were sharing an office with Steve.

Here are a few shots of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the book of Daniel.  We made a cookie out of it, then crushed the feet of the cookie with a rock from outside.  Then we ate it.  That part is NOT in the book of Daniel, but did I mention it was a cookie???

 My sweet girl carving some detail into the cookie statue.

Sydney, looking cute as usual...even early in the morning....

It's been forever and a day....

Since I last posted, lots has been happening.   The girls and I completed our first year of homeschool.  I feel a sense of accomplishment, yes, but I mostly feel closer to my kids than I did at this time last year.  We have laughed so hard at funny names and situations in history, we have cried so hard (mostly about math).  And through everything, we've learned to accept each other more.  That has been the greatest lesson.

Now, I am beginning to pull together books and other items I will need for next year.  I am excited and really want to begin now!  We are planning to continue math, devo and reading through the summer.  Besides that we plan to geocache, hike, relax, camp, and travel.

I will update you with our adventures as we have them!

math mistake

This is Syd and when we started to homeschool, we did not know what kind of math to do for me, so we got something on the internet called adaptive ciriculum and the 1st lesson was super easy. then, after a few weeks, it got really stressful and hard. then mom noticed that i was doing 7th and 8th grade math and im in 6th grade. but now im on a very cool math program called math u see and i love it.

To Add or not to Add?

Wowwee!  There are lots and lots of things to choose from in the realm of curriculum!  It is a beautiful, amazing world, full of possibilites.....but can also be COMPLETELY overwhelming to a homeschool newbie like myself. 

When I strode into my first homeschool bookfair, I thought there'd be about 10 things to choose from.  I'd buy the best of the ten choices and be on my way.  Little did I know, I'd manage to find my way to the door hours later with a pounding headache and little to no idea of what I'd like to use!  It's important to know that you absolutely do not have to buy anything when you go to these bookfairs - they are all on-line and appreciate your business either way.

I spent time looking over all of the literature, reading on-line reviews, and praying over my decision.  I ended up choosing a very good curriculum for our family and still wander from it from time to time, just for fun.

So now, I keep adding things and moving things around and massaging every detail.  Day to day doesn't look too different from last week, but sometimes it is.  I am adding a keyboarding program for Sophie, who really hates writing.  I know that she will have to write sometimes in life.....or will she???  I am changing up math for the 3rd time.  Math has been difficult for me to get a bead on, but I think this new program is going to be IT (I always think that!).

All of my changes are relative to the things I am learning about my children.  As I learn more, I change things up to suit them and we keep on a-movin!  After all, isn't that exactly the reason why I began homeschooling in the first place?  I wanted to zoom in on their special-ness and nuture it.  I wanted to make sure that they didn't have to put up with the frustration that goes with a teacher who goes too slow or too fast for their taste.  All-in-all, they are better for it.  I am still adding and taking away and massaging, but I am also learning.  I am learning all about the special gifts that God has given my girls, and the special gifts He has given me by allowing us the time to do this......