Dreaming, Discovering, and Daring to be Different

No words

2009-09-16T18:32:00.003-04:00

Back from a great week at Disney. Husband layed off today. ISn't that great timing?!!! Hopefully a school update coming soon. We are still on vacation for the rest of this week and I"m glad, I need it!

Quick Updates

2009-09-04T07:32:00.002-04:00

Why can't I seem to find time to update this blog? Here are a few tidbits about what we have been doing. In Geography we learned about Italy. We made Venetician Carnival masks, read about Da Vinci, and colored our maps and flags for that country. Princess Poodle also read a mystery about Rome. Triple H seem to be progressing with his reading. We are moving slow but I am very proud of his progress. He wants to read like his sister but I keep reminding him to be patient. Truth is I want to read like his sister. She is a reading machine! I'm beginning to think she reads to get a break from him. ha ha
We will start our co-op in a few weeks and I know the kids are ready for that.

This coming week is family vacation. We are off to our favorite resort at Disney World. Coronado Springs here we come! This vacation is needed so much right now. The kids and I are exausted and need a change of scenery.

Finally, I am still continuing to paint when I can get a chance. And I feel fall in the air. Yeah!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and sorry for the lame post.

Bonjour!! With Pictures.

2009-08-10T11:43:00.002-04:00

Crepe filled with chocholate! Yummy

Triple H making crepes.

Princess Poodle making crepes.
Monet water lily tissue art.

Just a few pictures from our time spent in France. We have also started French lessons. Our local library has Rosetta Stone on the computers for free. Why French? Why not Spanish which would be much more practical. I don't know. We are just doing what we want to do. Triple H works on math and reading while Princess poodle and I take French. What fun! Off to French lessons. Au Revoir

Update on Hazelnut Academy

2009-08-02T20:57:00.003-04:00

I wanted to post a few pictures of some of the things we have been working on in addition to our curriculum basics. I won't bore you with posting math sheets or cursive writing practice (oh the torture!). We spent two weeks "visiting" England in our countries and cultures portion of school. My goal is not to have the kids walk away being able to quote the type of government or the population total of each country. I want them to get an idea of where in the world these countries are, how life can be like in some of these areas, but mostly to just enjoy the sights, sounds, tastes, etc. of a place different from their own. Who knows what or how much of what we teach will stick. History and geography and culture are not like math facts. I did almost fall on the floor when Triple H came to the office and asked me in his still very toddler sounding voice, "Momma, how do you spell Joseph William Mallord Turner?"((the four named artist was said so speedily and with slurred sounds that only a Momma could decipher) and then , Momma, what do you think about him? He was attempting to write about him in the Hazelton Sunday News, or at least his copycat version of what his sister was doing. She was writing about Shakespeare. For Princess Poodle, my literary minded child, Shakespeare was right up her alley and she is begging me to buy more kid versions of his plays. This past week school was put on hold for a four day long art camp in our small town. The kids got to spend time learning from a painter, fabric artist, photographer, and basket weaver, and got to make projects in each discipline. The kids had a good week. Tomorrow its off to France. We will be studying Monet and Degas for our artist focus. We plan on making crepes and at the end of the second week having a mock tour de france. Note to self: must purchase cheap gold medals. Hope you enjoy the pics. Thanks for stopping by.

Paper mache globes. One earth is a bit crooked. We are beginners at this.

Art project for our Turner study. Stormy Seas by Triple H

Storm seas by Princess Poodle. Travel Log entry below.

Princess Poodle's Turner information page for Travel Log. We place all our maps, artist focus, country informational pages etc. in travel logs for each of the kids. At the end of the year we should have a documented trip around the world!

Jingle Bells...Jingle Bells

2009-07-16T16:50:00.004-04:00

Am I the only one out there that has Autumn fever and has started singing Christmas carols in the shower? They just come out of nowhere, I promise. One minute I'm shampooing my hair and the next I'm belting out "oH the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful..". I think I must be crazy. It has got to be this GA humidity. Seriously, there have been days when I thought I was melting, just like the witch in The Wizard of Oz. I am known for being a holiday nut in my family. I love it all but the Autumn/Winter holidays which include for me, Halloween, my birthday, and Christmas, are the very best of the year. My Christmas "itch" usually starts in late August, and yet it has come sooner this year. I don't know why I rush things like this. This autumn my Princess Poodle turns eight, I am horrified and still not over my baby boy turning five on me. But the carols and visions of colored lights are flooding my mind and today as I watched 10 pine trees being cut down and chopped into mulch, the smell nearly sent me into fits of joy inside! We have much school to accomplish. My big goals for the kids this year. ..For PP I hope to see her math facts solidified and her writing progress. For Triple H, I want to see him come to love reading and move beyond, Al has a fast cat. I would also like to see some improvement in their chores around the house and in my own as well. (gotta be honest) Mostly I want to see us find a rhythm to our schooling and our days. I hear others talk of such a rhythm but we have yet to find it and I feel that is my own fault. As for school, we are studying Great Britian and next week I introduce Princess Poodle to Shakespeare for the first time. We will be reading childrens versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet. Triple H is loving memorizing poetry which suprises me a bit. Princess Poodle is working on The Violet. Math is new to us and so we are working on a level that is a bit easy in order to transisition into the new program. WWE level 2 has introduced dictation. This is somewhat new, especially in the length of the passage dictated. For spelling I think I am going to go for a combined approach of a workbook and real life application. PPoodle writes all the time. She is working on an infomational "book" about space. I think we will work through Spelling workout and also add words to our list that I find her misspelling in her fun writing. I won't make her correct her fun writing, I'll just put these words down in some type of list/folder/etc. Triple H is working in the Kinder part of SIng spell read and write. I would love to finish the Kinder portion this year but I will move at his pace. He won't officially be a Kinder until the 2010/2011 school year. We will do some ETC pages along with this. He also enjoys much of our math and sits in on our countries and cultures lessons most of the time.

I'm off to check on dinner and maybe sing a little Silent Night as I finish it up.

Christmas Morning 2007 Kids still love the boxes more than anything!

First Week of School, Spelling Impaired, and a painted Friend.

2009-07-11T07:08:00.005-04:00

We finished our first week of school here at Hazelnut Academy. I now have a second grader (oh I see a rabbit in our yard!) and a K-5 boy! Hard to believe. For the most part school went well. We started our geography unit which is the kids favorite part of school. They are making paper mache globes which are an experiment to be honest. We studied maps and they each made a map of a local nursery/art studio including a map key. Tomorrow we head off to Europe with our first stop being England. I really need to update my curriculum link with the full story of what we are doing but time hasn't permitted it yet. I have noticed that I have let Spelling slide and Princess poodle, being an avid writer and wanna be journalist, really needs me to kick this subject into high gear. I guess I was just hoping that it would come naturally. Hopefully a better weekly update with pictures will come soon. I'm still here but swamped from trying to get into the routine of things. As usual the house and meals suffer when school is in session. Why can't I have enough money for a maid and a cook? ha ha Also I have discovered a new passion, or hobby, or maybe just a release. I'm not sure what to call it but I am enjoying playing with paints. I am not an artist. My sister is the artist in the family. But at the age of 33 I have picked up a paintbrush and I like the way it feels. Here's a picture of a recent, really my first real, painting. Its very simple really but I enjoyed painting her and now she is somehow my friend. Thanks for stopping by.

A new Hair Style and New way of thinking

2009-07-02T08:59:00.003-04:00

I am undergoing quite a change in my life. It has been coming on for some time now. Part of this change has been learning to relax and take life a little more as it comes. To savor all that is sweet and beautiful and smells good. I am no longer blowdrying my hair. Perhaps I never will again. I am wearing it in its naturally wavy state which is a bit messy but that is ok. So here's to tossing the blowdryer and flatiron and embracing my true self or at least my true hair. What are you embracing these days? What are you tossing?

Sinapore Math is shipping!

2009-07-01T07:13:00.003-04:00

I just received an email that my backordered sinapore math is shipping. Yeah! I am excited and a bit nervous about the change. School for us starts in a few days and I can't believe that I am about to have a K5 and a Second Grader. I am very blessed for these two kids to be in my life. Their spirits are unique and quirky and sweet and just what I need. Triple H is standing in the bathroom talking to me. He is wearing his vote for pawpaw t-shirt that was mine when I was a little girl, an old cowboy hat, a robe he is holding over his left shoulder and is tapping dancing in his new flipflops (his very first pair). He just said" Momma thank you for my flipflops, I love them"). Princess Poodle is still fast asleep but will soon be up and will have The Silver Chair in her hand the moment she awakes. She is now in my lap giving me special hugs and holding her lovey that she has had since she was 6 months old. How the time goes by? Why so fast? And I try not to drown in the sadness of them growing up. Their spirits are eternal and they are growing up at just the speed God wants them too. I however would do things a bit differently.

This post is quite random but that seems to be my life these days. I do have good news. We made it into a co-op which is a miracle because the waiting list was 70 families long. It is called Explorers and we will meet one day a week for six weeks. There will be three six week sessions. each six weeks we will cover a new topic, a unit study type of thing. I think the kids will eventually love it but it will be hard on all three of us at first. We are all a bit shy in new places and around new faces. But this is ,I am sure a blessing and a challenge from God. A way to stretch our characters. I know He will have somthing there for each of us to learn.

Here are a couple of pictures from a recent fieldtrip to Spruells Bluff. We are still enjoying our summering and hope all who read this crazy blog are having a magical summer as well.

What is going on at Hazelnut Academy

2009-06-15T14:30:00.002-04:00

We are still on Summer Break. I am in the process of organizing our school room. Thank you Steven for the perfect IKEA bookshelves. I have our first two countries for our geography study planned out. I decided to add in a short study on William Shakespeare, Princess Poodle is wanting to learn about him. I am in search of good children's versions of some of his plays. Our math curriculum is still on back order and therefore I can't plan for that. I have yet to decide what my notebook will look like and what type of lesson plan forms I will use. The kids will each have a Semester Notebook and a Geography notebook. As well as their poetry notebook which will go through 5th grade. Here is a breakdown of what I think our curriculum will look like.

Countries and Cultures Study: this will incorporate geography, science, art, music, literature( I am piecing this together myself)
Writing with Ease Level 2
Singapore Math
Abeka Cursive
Poetry memorization
First Language Lessons for the Well trained mind Second Grade
Bible?
For Triple H: Sing Spell Read and Write K level as well as Explode the Code and math games.

I am probably forgetting something. I may add in mindbenders for Princess Poodle. I have not thought about a plan of action for our days yet. We still haven't heard from the co-op we are waiting to get into. That's ok. It will work out. How do I want to structure our days. Do I want to save our countries and cultures for Fridays or do a little each day. Hmmm. I know Math and Writing must be everyday. I just don't know how I want things to flow this year. Still thinking....

A Day at the Beach

2009-06-15T14:25:00.002-04:00

I Want to be a funky, turqouise, velvet couch

2009-06-13T07:27:00.003-04:00

I have a couch. It is a camel back couch that belonged to my Momma and Daddy. They bought it new when I was a young teenager so it is pretty old. Plus its pink and that won't do. My plan is to sand the wood legs and refinish them in an ivory antiqued finish. But what to do with the fabric. I will have to pay someone to reupholster it I know but what fabric to choose. I am not a decorator. Oh how I wish I were. I know what I want. Something slightly funky. I want this traditional couch to have some flare. I want it to be tourquise and velvet. The problem is that the rug in my living room has all brown, burnt reds and oranges in it. How can I incorporate a funky, tourquise, velvet couch. Hmmmm....

That dilemma will go on for awhile because I do not have the money to fix it up yet. Maybe christmas. But it got me thinking. I've been doing ALOT of that the last few months. Trying to figure out who I am. Who God made me to be. How my need to please others has held me back from being who He wants me to be. I'll have to post more on that journey later. But I do know that I want God to make me over like that couch. I know the "bones" are there. He made me after all. But I'm faded, from being selfish, I'm tattered from sinful choices, I'm just not shining and making the statement I could make; all because I have feared man instead of God. I want to be a funky, tourquise, velvet couch. I want to me who God made me to be, which will glorify Him all the more. I don't want to be this shell of a person, a robot going through the motions. I want to be Sheryl and to be a Sheryl that is in touch with her Father. And something tells me that this person that God knit together for a purpose; will be some shade of tourquise. (pardon the horrible spelling; I am quite sure that I spelled tourquise wrong, it looks wrong but I am too lazy this morning to go find my dictionary.)

Update on Lost Curriculum

2009-06-07T20:33:00.006-04:00

Ok..I have now officially lost my MIND; not a math curriculum. The missing SAxon 3 kit is missing because I never ordered it. It must have been a dream. So now I am going to order math this week and I'm seriously thinking of swithcing to Singapore. I think I will order Singapore 1b and 2a; that way Princess poodle will have some review with the new method of teaching etc. Why is switching a math curriculum so scary?

Also, we enjoyed the first little tomatoes from our garden today. Yummy and homegrown!

Udpate: I ordered the Singapore curriculum today. Somehow buying an 80 dollar math curriculum feels like signing your life away. I know that's a bit crazy . But I did it, I pressed the complete order button and I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming this time.

Update #2: new curriculum is all on backorder. That's why I ordered the math curriculum months ago.... so I thought!

Fieldtrips Coming Up and my own version of LOST

2009-05-30T21:03:00.003-04:00

Summer is in full swing her at Hazelnut academy. I know this because my legs are covered in bug bites and my back and chest in this strange red color that only shows up as Spring fades and the first real heat of summer catches me off guard. I also know that summer is here because I found myself buying a book from Publix. I mean really, how good of a literary masterpiece can come from a grocery store. But summer reads have a place and it had been awhile since I had read something so, saucy and quick witted. Finished it in one day and now I feel guilty about the 1o bucks I spent on it. I have no want to keep it on my shelf and would be slightly embarrassed to pass it on to someone else. lol
This week we leave for a long weekend trip to visit my sister and her family in Charleston, SC. We are hoping to hit the beach one day, downtown Charleston one evening, and then hit Columbia another day. We have reservations to go see the Turner to Cezanne art exhibit that is touring only 5 US cities. Princess Poodle is beyond excited to be visiting a real art museum. She has been jealous ever since I got to visit the Lourve last summer. I cannot wait to get my toes in the sand, feel the ocean breeze on my face, and get lost in a little VanGogh, Turner, and Monet. Fieldtrips are so much fun! I also got some time to get away tonight and read up on next years writing plan and finish planning out our "trips" to England and France. Also, am I the only crazy, absent minded homeschool mom that has ordered curriculum and then LOST It. I mean an entire SAxon 3 kit cannot be found. Now I am wondering, "Did I really order it or was it a dream?" This has been known to happen to me, confusing reality with something I dream. I will search the house from top to bottom this coming week and if it is still unfound I guess I will have to order, "again"?.
So until my next post which will hopefully include pictures of our Charleston trip, a FOUND ad for my lost curriculum, and hopefully less bug bites and a golden color replacing the garish strawberry red that presently exist on my skin.

Happy Summering! (not a word, but Oh it should be!)

The Planning has begun...

2009-05-22T22:10:00.002-04:00

I have started my planning for next year which for us starts in July. Today I picked out three of the poems we will learn for next year and printed them out ready to be illustrated and go into the poetry notebooks. I will need to find easier poems for Triple H to memorize and he really wants too or I wouldn't bother. I have also just about finished my planning for the intro as well as England and France units of the countries and cultures study I am working on. I am excited about how it is coming together. We are going to create travel diaries/logs from our trip around the world this year. What will these include? A passport page where we will place a stamp (flag sticker) before each journey, maps of each country, a flag coloring sheet, dictation/illustration from some of our living books, artis info and activities, composer info, words to songs we learn, pictures of our cultural experiences ie english tea, mini tour de france, jap. hibachi grill etc., printed pictures of famous landmarks or people etc. What a notebook this will be at the end of the year!!! I might be jealous not to have one myself. I have already printed out the maps and flags for most of the countries we will cover. I still need to check which books are readily available on interlibrary loan. I need to find directions on how to have an english tea. Of course I will need an ongoing supply list. I would like something that we could color or print to put up on our world map for each country but not sure what yet. Why can't I get this excited over the three loads of laundry I need to fold? I would like to update the lesson planning page but don't have the time to type it all out right now. Hopefully that will happen eventually. So July we will do some stargazing and dreaming about the vastness fo God's creation and the diversity of His world. We will start off with an intro to geography covering hemispheres, continents, oceans, time zones etc. Then we journey over to England and France for the month of August. But first, summer break the month of June. I have to make plenty of time for icecream, swimming, playing barefoot and other adventures. Oh and hopefully a trip to IKEA for the bookshelf I am needed to hold all these wonderful, lovely books!!!!!
Thanks for stopping by.

Welcome Summer!

2009-05-21T18:39:00.005-04:00

Leaping into summer.
Running into summer.

Its good to be a boy in the great outdoors.

My little man turns five this summer. sigh

Feathered friends and girly skirts.

Barefoot days.

Pure joy.

Not sure what to say about this one. But I like it.

Bashful beauty.

My little island man being a monkey!

Hazel NUTS for sure

2009-05-13T14:16:00.002-04:00

This month we are living up to our name Hazel"nut" Academy. Today we had school in the van, while eating tacos. Really, we did. We have had school outside, school in the library, anywhere but our school room. I just can't sit around a table in a room with four walls right now. May is our month of insanity I guess. Things are winding down. We finished WWE this week and now our main focus in on math. I am not really happy how Saxon has saved all the new material for the end of the year. Teach new concepts then have a four week break. That makes no sense at all. Why not teach the new concepts earlier and review at the end of the year. But I don't write the curriculum, or at least not the math one. So we will continue to have school this month but its a school for oddballs. We are reading Little House in the Big Woods as part of our pioneer studies. Studies which are really loose ended right now. We will cover reptiles and amphibians over the summer months but all in a very relaxed way. We will probably have school in a number of strange locations over the next couple of weeks because I just can 't be blocked in or tied to a chair right now. So we will sit under trees, read great living books, learn some math but not be pressed by it and maybe get in another session while eating tacos in the van. And for those of you wondering why we didn't go into Taco Bell to eat and have our lesson. Call me a freak but I just don't like eating in there.
Hope you have a wonderful and weird May everyone.

Just Playing Around

2009-05-10T08:55:00.003-04:00

Momma,

These are some paintings I wanted to share with you. I can't seem to go back to a painting so each of these was done in one sitting. Once that time is over I can't seem to want to go back and add, fix, anything. Hmm...wonder why that is? What do you think? I know I don' t have the talent that Jobo got but I do enjoy how it makes me feel. Love you.

To My Momma

2009-05-09T13:56:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to my MOMMA.

I am thirty three years old. The older I get the more things I notice about myself that are much like my Momma. Some of these are good, some not as good. I guess that is the case with all of us. Recently I have discovered a longing to be free, to be moving and tasting life around me. Its as if I want to drink it all in and have my kids do this as well. I think there is a "gypsy" like quality in my spirit, a longing to be free to roam that I didn't know was there. I think it has been hidden underneath multiple layers of fear, rules, and a need to please others. I have many things to thank my Momma for. My love of nature, wanting to be close to God's creation, is from my Momma. My ability to leave dishes in the sink while I paint with my kids and not to freak out when the house isn't perfect...that's from my Momma. My love of the written word, how poetry makes my blood feel warm...thats from my Momma. The ability to be still and to really see things and more importantly, knowing the necessity of that...its from my Momma. Having a child-like spirit and not caring what others my age and older think of my eccentric nature when I climb a tree with my daughter; in a skirt, ..thats from my Momma. so whether its from sharing her genes, the ones that God chose me to have, or whether its from the years I spent being near her; I have much in common with this young-hearted, brave, somewhat of a misfit, mother of mine. And I thank God that I do.
I love you Momma.
Sheryl

Recent pictures from life

2009-04-30T16:31:00.004-04:00

Partial view of the garden. We have tiny green tomatoes on the vines. Yeah!

We have been observing a Canda Goose nest at a friend's house for the past few weeks. We went for a visit on Tuesday and to our surprise....gosslings! They are adorable! We will be writing about our experience in our nature journals.

Here is princess Poodle twirling the baton in her co-op musical Amerikids.

Here she is holding her first place ribbon for her art piece "Lady Listening to birds". both of her pieces are on the table laying flat behind her.

She also got first place for her science exhibit. I was happy for her. She truly worked very hard on the project. Can you see the joy in her face? Priceless.

Random Tidbits

2009-04-30T07:46:00.002-04:00

1. We have tiny, green, baby tomatoes in our garden!!!
2. I also shooed away two large does from our garden yesterday morning!!! Must get up fencing.
3. Only a few more weeks of first grade for Princess Poodle. The year has flown.
4. Even though I am sleeping so much better, I feel run down lately. Why is that?
5. We have started reading about the westward expansion and pioneer. This will be kept simple with living books and some videos.
6. The kids and I washed our dirty van yesterday.
7. After budget crunching and being willing to give up some other things, we are going to get to go to Disney world again in the fall. We are so excited. This trip does wonders for me and the kids mentally. After schooling in July, and August, the trip in September will be a welcomed break.
8. We are going in early June to visit my sister in Charleston. I have never been. Also we will be going to columbia to see an art exhibit that will have some works from the greats like Monet, van Gogh etc. Princess Poodle is very excited.
9Princess poodle got first place in her science fair and first in the art fair. She got third in the photography fair. Will post pics later.
10. God loves me even though I am hopelessly flawed, a sinner, and stubborn beyond measure at times!

Thanks for stopping by.
Sheryl

I love the outdoors BUT...

2009-04-23T22:26:00.003-04:00

I am an outdoor girl. I love having our garden and spent time there this evening teaching my kids the proper way to weed i.e. Don't pull up our dahlias that are just coming up!!! I tended to my iris bed and potted some plants for the back porch. I have dirt under my nails even after my shower and my nails are WAY short because of my pottery classes. I am taking Triple H to feed ducks tomorrow and I never feel as at peace as I do when outside. With all that said there are some things I hate about the outdoors. Two main things to be exact....mosquitoes and biting ants. I loathe them. They make living in shorts and barefeet misery at times. Well, as of this week I can now add a third bug to my hate list. No its not spiders, I kinda like them as long as they aren't black widows. (Spiders eat insects remember and remember I hate mosquitoes. Anyone guessed yet my new arch enemy?
I won't keep you in suspense any longer. TICKS! AGGGGHHHHHH. Just this week I have removed one from myself, two from Princess Poodle and one from Triple H. We have never had ticks before and my kids have been playing outdoors their whole lives. But for whatever reason, be it rainfall, or lack of harsh winters, or location; we have a tick problem and we don't have any animals! Unless you count backyard deer and turkey. Blast those beautiful white tail deer and proud looking turkeys!
I won't go running for the tv remote and computer screen. We must be outdoors. So I will have to find a way of dealing with the ticks. Right now my only line of defense is a nightly tick check of their entire bodies. And I do mean entire. Those ticks have a way of getting in some not so great places!
With summer fast approaching I guess I need to stock up on ant poison, bug spray with low deet, anti-itch creme, benedryl, citronella candles, and new tweezers. I'll just add all these along side the pool towels, sunscreen, popsicles, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk.

What a list!

From the Garden...

2009-04-18T10:53:00.002-04:00

Our garden is complete. It has tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, blueberries, and flower bulbs. We are starting small, hoping not to overwhelm ourselves. We made stepping stones with Mimi and placed them in the garden to have a path to walk on. I still want to paint the raised bed but that will have to wait for now. We also have to put our lovely signs up. Need to go to home depot for stakes. Enjoy the pics.

Mommy and Princess Poodle planting our tomato plants.

Look at those dirty hands. A true sign of a job well done!

This is Crinkleroot. He is the protector of our garden.
Here is Triple H. I took this picture from a distance. I think he and Crinkleroot are having a deep conversation about the meaning of life. What do you think?

A few pictures from Easter.

2009-04-17T13:16:00.003-04:00

Here are a few Easter pics. Husband is absent in pictures because he hates having his picture taken. He always looks drunk in them. Really he does...

A Hodgepodge of a post

2009-04-17T13:00:00.003-04:00

This week has been a week of trying to get back into reality. After a week devoted to a science fair project and then a week of spring break, we are a bit off kilter. We have hit math heavy this week, moving quickly through many of the easier lessons. We got back into our Writing with Ease and have a few more lessons to go in that curriculum. Princess Poodle has practice everyday this week adn next for her co-op's spring musical and that is keeping us on the road! Triple H is a mystery as one day he wants to do school and the next day doesn't care and is way too silly. I'm so glad I haven't felt the need to push him this year.
My pottery classes are about to start back and I'm excited and nervous. I haven't been on the wheel in four weeks and hope I haven't forgotten everything. Our garden is now complete with tomato plants, pepper plants, and dahlia bulbs; thanks to my two best friends. (Are you laughing Karrie?) My iris bed is planted and I want to add some lamb's ear for a silver touch. I have a growing interest in all things grown lately. (Can't imagine why..stop laughing Karrie!) I am also starting to play with painting and have a picture of a little girl I am dying to paint if I can ever find the time between the laundry and the homeshooling. (ok, go ahead and laugh Karrie, I deserve it!)
We have a few more weeks until our 4 week summer break in June. I am trying to talk hubby into taking a few days off to go to Charleston to visit my sister and then hit columbia to see an art exhibit that is coming there that I really want to see. It will have paintings from some of the great masters! I really want to go to Disney again, but seeing that we have no stimulus check coming like we did last year, I don't see that happening. I guess Mickey will have to do without me this year. I also need to finish planning our geograpy/world tour curriculum for next year.
This crazy posts sums up what has been going on with us lately. I'll post new garden pics soon.
Thanks for stopping by.
And please pardon the references to someone named Karrie. I just couldn't help myself and only she will know why.

Upcoming Art/Science/History Festival

2009-04-06T08:18:00.002-04:00

Princess Poodle's Art Entry: Woman Listening to Birds is what she titled it.

Princess Poodles Photography Entry: Theme was Inspiration: Things that inspire you

Its a picture she took of one of her best friends. She says that he inspires her to be courageous, brave and adventurous. I think the picture shows that really well.

I'll post pics of her Bird Exhibit once it is finished.

In other news, we are on Spring Break. Next week we will be hitting math and writing hard in order to get caught up. We will also be starting Pioneers in May. All is well as long as I keep my laid back attitude going. This festival takes alot of time but I think it is worth it. As far as co-ops for next year we are on a waiting list and hopefully will get a call in June.

Everyone have a wonderful Easter!

Change is annoying!

2009-03-31T19:49:00.004-04:00

Do you ever wish things were settled? Lately nothing with us seems settled. The co-op Princess Poodle has been going to for two years is not going to work out next year. Its a long story as to why but basically after a visit I payed today I don't think it will be a fit for Triple H. And what we do has to fit both kids. Two kids that are vastly different not only in gender but personality. So the search is on for something else. Change is scary and my little girl cried today at the thought of it. She is like her Mommy in so many ways. I cried today because I had next year all planned out in my head including Tuesdays off for me since both kids would be in co-op from 9-2:30. Today I feel like Ive hit a wall. Compared to the stresses others are enduring my wall is probably more like one brick and not a whole wall of them, but still hitting a brick doesn't feel so great either. We are also going to be making some changes with church. This doesn't mean leaving the church we are at, but we will be pulling out of a program they have on Wed. night for the kids. This program is huge in Southern Baptist churches but its not working for us. So now I have two homeschooled kids that need some interaction with other kids, no co-op for next year, and no Wed. night children's program at church. Unsettled! I know God loves them and will be taking care of them and their needs but I just don't feel this right now. Is that ok to say? I hope so. Change stinks and I just want things to be settled for awhile. And that's all my venting for today.

Random Tidbits

2009-03-19T11:33:00.002-04:00

It is March...how did that happen? The end of the school year is coming up. We finish in May. Princess Poodle is busy with her, If I Was A Bird , science exhibit. I am trying to memorize my drama for this Sunday..my memory is not what it used to be thanks to some medicine I have to take. Darn side-effects! The sun is warm and good for the heart and soul. Princess Poodle is going to be a baton twirler in the America musical at her co-op. I have just about decided what my plan of action for next year will be with the kids and co-op. Triple H is doing well and would be reading in a big way if I had spent the time with him I should be spending. But we have another year of PreK so I'm not stressing.
I am hitting some sort of mid-life transformation...not sure if I'm changing or if I'm not changing for others so much that the true me is coming out. Something to think about. I love, love, love my pottery class. I am playing with paint. I am excited about our garden. It will be titled
"Les Jardin D'Enfantes" spelling may be off, my paper is not with me, but it will mean Children's Garden in French. We continue to do all our subjects. Princess Poodle just finished memorizing her last poem of the year, The Beech Tree. She has learned 7 this year and I am so proud of her. She remembers them all. We review each week and I love this part of her education. The kids art education is going well. The other day we were at a friends place and met another little girl named, Georgia. PP immediately spoke up and said , "There's a famous artist named Georgia and she painted flowers and dead bones". I was happy about her connecting this and I thought to myself..aren't all bones dead ones" lol . Triple H is learning as well and although he mixes up alot of the info in his head, I am hoping that little brain markers are forming that he can use later on.
Some changes for next year. I was planning on doing science with our geography unit. However, the co-op science is going to be much more in depth next year, with homework included, so I will only touch on biomes here at the house, and will concentrate on her "school" science for next year.
ok..enough random tidbits. I doubt anyone read all the way through this brainstorm of mine. Hopefully pics will come soon of the bird project in progress and some other work we have been doing.
Happy Spring!

Children's Garden 2009 Update

2009-03-13T15:31:00.004-04:00

Mommy and Princess Poodle after finishing our first row of potatoes.

Princess Poodle and Triple H...why can't they always be this sweet.

The kids covering up a seed potatoe.

Mommy and Triple H digging together.

Our seed potatoes.

Triple H standing in a hole dug for a blueberry bush.

Papa and Triple H digging the holes for our four blueberry bushes.

We are still working on our garden signs for each vegetable. The kids are doing a great job with the painting. Triple H is my biggest helper so far. He loves to water the blueberry bushes. Both the kids were beyond excited to put our potatoes in the ground. Let's just hope that we actually get potatoes so we can make mashed potatoes.

MATH?

2009-03-05T07:05:00.002-05:00

Why do I not like teaching this? I'm good at math. The kids like it for the most part. Princess Poodle catches on easily to most concepts. What is my problem? I love to teach history, science, writing, poetry, art, etc. So why not math? I find it so hard to do daily. I guess I should start doing it first. Maybe that's the problem. Get through the lesson and then I can teach what I want. Math is crucial and I know this. I just struggle with wanting to teach it. I thought about a math day, where we devote most of the morning to math but I know that daily exposure is very important. Any ideas out there for a mom that isn't that into math?

Snow in the Deep South...

2009-03-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

Our Garden Adventure 2009

2009-02-22T13:12:00.003-05:00

I have wanted to try my hat at vegetable gardening for some time. The kids and I are going to use this garden as an educational one. I want them to be as involved as possible in the making, tending, harvesting , and EATING of this garden. I will post pictures to update our progress. Go easy on us..this is our first time.

Wordless Wednesday: Feb. 18th

2009-02-14T10:45:00.005-05:00

Barefoot in Winter

Recent Artwork at Hazelnut Academy

2009-02-12T21:48:00.003-05:00

Triple H's lion.

Princess Poodle's splatter art after studying Jackson Pollock.

Triple H's Picasso project.

Princess Poodle's Picasso Project.

Please Note: I may have incorrect spelling of the artists' names. Its late and I'm too lazy to go check at this point.

Thanks for stopping by.

Recent fieldtrip in photos

2009-02-12T21:32:00.003-05:00

Triple H's favorite part..playing on the rocks of course!

Princess Poodle had her share of climbing too.

A beautiful butterfly that I saw in the Butterfly habitat.

The same butterfly but in black and white, easier for sketching.

Our adventure was a last minute whim and it turned out to be a wonderful day. The kids completed a wildlife bingo scavenger hunt, worked in their sketch pads, climbed rocks, explored and filled up with a good hamburger when we were done. We hope to go back next week for the birds of prey show. Admission is free all month long. You can't beat that!

My Woodland Fairy and other news

2009-02-12T08:03:00.004-05:00

I have been so bad about posting. Life is a bit crazy right now. I have to memorize a long monologue for our Easter play. We are trying to get our garden spot ready. Its time to plant potatoes! I need to do a history project with Princess Poodle but there just doesn't seem to be any time. I think we are going to take a week off soon for Winter Break and that will give me some time to plan ahead. I want to finish reading about the human body this month. I want to teach the kids about birds this spring and then about reptiles and amphibians in late spring. I also have to plan ahead for our last unit on American History which will be about the pioneers. So much to do and all before June when we will take 4 weeks off before we start the new year in July! I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at all I have to do..can you tell?

Where were are in school as of February 12th. 3 1/2 months left in school year.

Math: Saxon 2 ..we are on lesson 70.

Writing with Ease Level One: we are own week 25

Fll: we use this along with WWE ..we don't do all the lessons ..we are almost done with the first grade portion..working on verbs

Cursive: still moving slowly through the first grade Abeka workbook

Poetry: Princess Poodle has memorized about 6 poems and we are starting a new one this week

History: on break until the spring when we will cover pioneers

Science: working on a brief study of the human body. Read alouds and Magic School Bus videos

Bible: I have really slacked with our theology questions..what to do here?

Art: we studies Andrew Wyeth, some Picasso, and lots of painting and drawing

Music: we have been listening to Vivaldi's four seasons and both kids LOVE LOVE it!

Nature Study: starting to pick up with the warm weather. I want to focus on birds for the spring as well as a study of our garden. Hopefully lots of nature journal entries to come.

I may be forgetting a subject but that is where we are right now in Hazelnut Academy.

Chest colds, pottery, and spring fever!

2009-01-29T18:19:00.004-05:00

I have recently had some time off from the website due to an unwanted chestcold. I am feeling better and cannot believe it has been so long since I last posted.

We are plugging along in school. Triple H read his first book "Dad, Sam, and Pat" the other day all by himself. I cannot express in words the look of pride on his little face when he realized what he had done. Princess Poodle continues to plug along with her schoolwork. The dreaded winter months have hit and we miss our nature studies and fieldtrips. We are ready for spring!!! History is on hold for a bit as we delve into a basic introduction of the human body.

I have started taking a pottery class and I love it. I went into it with no expectations other than to get my hands dirty. What do I love about it? I love that I get my hands dirty. I love the way the wet clay, spinning round, feels on my fingers. I love that when I am at the wheel everything else in life just fades away. Its just me and that lump of clay. I love the characters I am meeting in my classes and I love having something that is mine and mine alone. I doubt that I will become some master potter. But it is the process I am after not the end product.

Coming up in Hazelnut Academy...history fair project to start with Princess Poodle, spring musical to rehearse for, easter drama for me to rehearse for and hopefully a garden bed to prepare.

The freakishly large squirrel that lives in our backyard. Yes, his face is masked in black like a raccoon.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sketch Tuesday Results: Something Fast

2009-01-13T17:48:00.003-05:00

Princess Poodle's hummingbird (rapid wing movement)

Triple H's Fast Train

My attempt...

Thoughts on Jane..Part Two

2009-01-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

It is over. I have finished the book and I must say that I was sad to turn the last page. To have to say goodbye to the fiery, benevolent Jane, to bid farwell to the passionate, wild, and at times sturn, Mr. Rochester. I will miss the bouncing curls of little Adele. I will miss the quick wit of Jane and the beauty of the groves at Thornfield. Oh how I long to walk in those groves at dusk and feel the wind come at me through the trees. I must not speak of plot here or I might ruin for one of you, what is to be a great journey in a book. I will say that the Jane Eyre is a work of art. Its characters are so well defined and so very different in personality and rank. I have had tea with a lowly school teacher. I have sat in a room holding a little orphan girl that was locked up and mistreated. I have laughed at the clandestine games of Mr. Rochester. I have wandered across a lonely and desolate moor with a friend in search of something, anything to eat. I have had spiritual conversations on the difference between truth and self-righteousness. I have observed faith in God in such very different forms. Faith rushing out the veins of a little girl on her dying bed, a faith that is pure and nonjudgemental. And I have seen the faith of a stern missionary that although loved God greatly, perhaps he loved his calling a little more than the people around him. A good book for me is one that moves me somewhere inside. Not for mere entertainment, those although pleasurable, are easy to come by. But a good book that makes my insides ache for truth, that makes my blood feel hot, that takes me away to a place that I can't quite put into words, a good book like that is truly a treasure and one not often found. So now I pack the book in my sachel and carry it back to the library. How long will it sit on the shelf undisturbed, just longing for some other young woman to pick it up? I will miss it immensely. But I plan to visit with my friends again this summer because the only thing better than reading a truly good book for the first time is when you get the pleasure of reading it again. Until then Jane...

Sheryl

Thoughts about Jane...part one

2009-01-04T09:47:00.002-05:00

I have started reading again. I suppose it is a part of this "awakening" I am going through. I have recently read some short stories by a local author. They made me laugh, they made me cry, and at times they made me cover my ears, I'm not used to cussing. After a recent trip to my local library I now hold in my hands ..Jane...Eyre to be more specific. I have never had the pleasure of reading this piece of art by Bronte. I have never drunk in the words slow enough so they might sit on my lips awhile. I have only just begun this book and I must say I am enthralled. The language is intoxicating, the characters already friends to me, and the soul of this book which I know is yet to be discovered, seems to beckon me to keep reading. I can't wait to see what friendship forms between Jane and myself over the next few days. I have this feeling that she will somehow change me. Other books have done that. They have left a fixed mark upon me that I carry with me year after year. Yes, I may sound silly talking about a book like this, but sometimes books are magical that way. I hope to post more on my thoughts about Jane, my new friend in the making.
Sheryl

A Peek into the Soul of a Child

2009-01-02T09:07:00.003-05:00

I have completely cut out morning cartoons. I used to turn on the tv first thing when the kids got up and we would watch them while I cooked breakfast and while we ate breakfast. This seemed normal to me at the time. Recently I have made some changes in our days. I just stopped turning on the tv in morning. Instead I put in some good music, sometimes jazz, sometimes classical, it varies really. I have the music playing softly in the background and now instead of tv, the kids and I talk, the kids talk (and sometimes argue, this isn't utopia). Well to get on with my story, on this particular morning while the classical music was playing, Triple H brought a phonics bingo game to the table and Princess Poodle brought pen and paper. She told me that she wanted to write a poem. I encouraged her to do so and to express what was in her heart, what she was feeling. The following poem is what she wrote. I am thankful for cutting the tv off, for this morning its absence allowed me a peek into the soul of my child. Now I wish I could express how that feels.

The wind to me is the king of the plains.
It swirls in the sky onpon(upon) the morning gray.
It plants the seeds of dandylions in an odd like way.
It plants the seeds of the dandylions in the morning gray.

It is very short but I think it speaks a little bit of what the soul of this precious little girl holds. I ache everyday as she grows up and I see the little girl she once was disappearing before my eyes, and yet I anticipate with such delight at the thought of knowing this amazing soul as she grows into the woman God has made her to be.

No snow in the south but plenty of leaves.

2009-01-01T11:25:00.002-05:00

Sketch Tuesday Results

2009-01-01T11:02:00.004-05:00

I have started participating in Sketch Tuesdays from Harmony Fine Arts. I have always been afraid of art. Fear of failure, pride, and an older sibling that excelled in art, aided in developing that fear I suppose. I don't want my kids to fear art. I don't want to fear art anymore. So I, the complete non-artist that I am, am trying to encourage Princess Poodle and Triple H to draw and keep drawing, just as I am encouraging them to read, write, and listen to good music. They may never be artist in the true sense, but perhaps they won't fear it as I do.

The latest assignment for Sketch Tuesday was to sketch something old. The kids tossed around various ideas, but decided to sketch an old hunting cabin that hides itself in the woods behind our house. The cabin is no longer in use and I am not sure of its age, but I am sure of its beauty.

Princess Poodle's (7 years)

Triple H's (4 years)

A New Year Coming

2008-12-26T13:19:00.007-05:00

Each year about this time, people and the media start talking about two things. One, they think about the year in rewind and two they think about the future and what they want to change in that future. I have never been a resolution kinda girl. Its a little too cut and dry for me. A list with numbers down it of things I should do and hope to check off but then I don't do. I don't think I've made such a list in many a year. I am however in the midst of something transforming. So instead of resolutions, things I must do, I am going to focus this year on things I WANT to do, not things I need to do. I've spent the better part of the last 15 years thinking about what I need to do. I need to make good grades in college, I need to learn to cook, I need to learn how to take care of a baby, I need to have a 30 minute quiet time everyday, I need to sweep the floors and finish the laundry. I am going to listen to my heart and soul more and follow them. I don't know what this will look like. I can't make a list of where my heart will lead. That would most certainly defeat the purpose. I'm going to let go and just be...and enjoy what that brings. Yes, there is a new year coming.
Sheryl

Recent Adventures in Photographs

2008-12-21T22:03:00.005-05:00

Deep South "Snow"

Forgotten Cabin

A Lonely Walk

Beneath a Covered Bridge

A boy and a bridge

Sketch Tuesdays

2008-12-18T14:41:00.003-05:00

I have decided for us to participate in something called Sketch Tuesdays. Each week we are given an assignment and then we go off and sketch something related to the assignment. This week we were supposed to sketch a favorite zoo animal. Princess Poodle chose an owl..some zoos have them. Triple H chose a moose...I have never seen a moose in a zoo but he wouldn't change his mind for anything. We went to the library and they checked out a book and used a picture to look at in order to sketch. The weather here is a warm December day and we enjoyed doing this outside, beside a beautiful water fountain. Here are the results of our first Sketch Tuesday.

Triple H (4 years) Moose
Princess Poodle (7 years) Owl

"Wordless" Wednesday: Random Pics

2008-12-16T15:32:00.005-05:00

Triple H tree climbing.
Triple H during our Chrismtas pics

Princess Poodle and Triple H clowning around. This is not posed I just caught them this way and called to them so they would look up. I just love it when they play together.

My newest nephew at one years old.

Review: Disney's Our World

2008-12-10T10:18:00.001-05:00

I received this book a few days ago and have finally gotten around to looking through it. The hardcover book is full of bright, beautiful color photographs of the people from each country. The book is divided into continents/regions and then subdivided into countries. I have chosen around 18 that I want to cover for next year. Each country has a section that talks about; Who we are, Our country, Our communities, what we eat, what we study, what we do for fun, holidays and celebrations, and then another section that changes depending on the country of study.

I believe this book will fit nicely into our countrie/cultures geography study next year. My only concern about the book is that it focuses on the beauty of each country. This is wonderful but the book does not show the plight of people in our country and other countries around the world. I really want both for my dd. I want her to see the beauty in other cultures and places but I also want her to see the hardships that exist around the world. I don't want to depress her with info that is too heavy for her young heart but I do want to open her eyes to the whole truth around us. I will have to supplement in order to fill in these gaps. Also the book covers most of the topics I want to cover for each country with government being the exception. I understand why they didn't go into governments in a book for elementry students, but I would like to be able to teach my dd about other types of governing that exist. I believe that this is important for many reasons but one being to help develop an appreciation for democracy and the freedoms God has allowed us to have.

I am excited to use this book next year. The whole geography/science/art/music lesson plan will be connected as much as possible and this book will be a part of that. Its starting to take shape. I want to start next year a little more prepared than this year. I want to have my copies made of the flags to color and the maps. I want to have my living books list narrowed down. I want to have a recipe for each country on hand and activites planned out. I want to have the artist focus planned for each country (this won't be for all countries) and an art activity ready aka The Usborne Art Treasury and Discovering Great Artists. I thouht I was planned out this year and to a degree I was but I really want to be more prepared for next year. I think this book will help. If library books fall through and don't come in on time I will have this book to read. It will be on my shelf and well used by the end of the year.

Countries, Cultures, Biomes, Artist, and Music Outline of Lessons

2008-12-09T22:30:00.037-05:00

Potential outline for year:
July: Nighttime sky/space
August: Intro to geography/maps/globes etc Europe: England
September: Spain , France
October: Italy, Holland
Nov. Russia (Tundra), Antartica/Artic
Dec. finish arctic
Jan. Asia: China, India (mountains)
Feb. Asia: Japan
March:Africa: Kenya/S. Africa
April: Australia (coral reef) start: North America: Us. Canada
May: finish North Am. , South America: brazil and Mexico
June: Break

Spines: books that will be used on several occasions
Atlas
Disney's Our World
A Life Like Mine
Usborne Art Treasury and Discovering Great Artists
Wild Places
Wee Sing Around the World

Geography Intro: ( 1 week)
DOW: pages:
Atlas: pgs. 8-9
Living Books: Katy and the Big Snow, How to Make an Apple Pie and see the World, Somewhere in the World Right Now(timezones)
Activities: make a paper mache globe
Wee Sing: Hello to all the Children of the World

Continent: Asia Disney Our World (DOW) pgs. 42-43
Altas: p. 26-29
Country: China Science Focus: Mountains (2 weeks)
Disney's My World: pages 44-47
A Life Like Mine: pages
Wild Place : mountains: pgs. 2-32
Living Books: Kite Flying, Ruby's Wish, Lon po po, The Empty Pot, Laterns and Fire Crackers, Good Morning China, The story about Ping, The Moon Lady, Moonbeams, dumplings and dragon boats, In the Sun, In the Snow, , A little Tiger in the Chinese Night, Tikki tikki tembo, the Chinese Mirror, Little Pear, The year of the Panda?,
Recipe: fried rice,
Activities: color map, color flag,locate on globe, make a dragon out of cereal boxes, make paper lanterns,
Artist Focus: Shen Quan, activity: Chinese cat painting

Music/Composer Focus:
Wee Sing: Fong Swei

Country: India Science Focus: mountains (1 week)
DOW pages: 48-51
ALLM: 124-125
Living Books: A Little Princess (IR) , Binya's Blue Umbrella (IR) , Gandi, Little Black Sambo, To the Top, The Story of Little Gagaji
Activities: map and flag, make flat bread,
Wee Sing: Anila, Anilae
Country: Japan Science Focus: seas/oceans (2 weeks)
DOW pages: 64-67
ALLM:
Wild Places: 2-32
Living Books: Grandfather's Journey, the Bicycle Man, the Wise old Woman, Two Foolish Cats, Crow Boy
Artist Focus: Hokusai, Activity: sea print
Cultural Experience: japanese grill or aquarium visit
Wee Sing: Ame, Ame

Continent: Eupope Disney Our World pages: 105-107
Atlas: 22-25
Country: England (1 week)
DOW pages: 140-143
ALLM pages: 42-43
Cultural Experience: English Tea
Living Books:
Artist Focus: Damien Hirst (activity: spin painted plate)
Joseph Mallord William Turner (activity: stormy seas)
Music: Wee Sing: Lavender's Blue
Country: Spain (1 week)
DOW: pages: 132-135
ALLM:
Living books: The story of Ferdinand, Isabel saves the prince,
Artist Focus: Picasso (fractured friend, clown collage)
Wee Sing: Mi Burro
Country: France (2 weeks)
DOW pages: 112-115
ALLM:
Living Books: Adele and simon, Antole, This is Paris, The cat who walked across France , Joan of Arc Step into Reading, Look what came from France, Giraffe that Walked to Paris, Bon Appetite Berite, Mirette on a High Wire, Madeline, Glorious Flight, Joan of Arc, Tour de France
Cultural Experience: go bike riding and have a mini-tour de france
Activities: map and flag, make crepes
Artist Focus: Monet (read Linnea in Monets Garden, Layered lilies project)
Manet? (melted crayon painting?) booK:
Degas (pastel dancers, chalk on cloth) booK:
Wee Sing: Frere Jacques
Country: Italy (1 week)
DOW: pages 124-127
ALLM: pages
Cultural Experience: Italian Venician carnival
Living Books: papa piccolo, St. Francis and the friendly beasts,
Activity: map and flag, make Italian Ice
Artist Focus: Michelangelo (Activity: paint on paper placed on underside of table while lying on back) Di Vinci : book: Di Vinci and the flying boy
Activity: map and flag, make Italian Ice
Wee Sing: Mio Galletto
Country: Holland
Dow: pages:
ALLM: pages: 108
Living Books: Boy who held back the sea, the hole in the dike, the cow who fell in the canal, The little Riders, The Gret Tulip Trade?,
Acitivities: map and flag, tulips
Artist Focus: VanGogh: activity: swirly landscape books:
Wee Sing: Alle Eedjes
Country: Russia Science focus: Tundra (study in Nov. ) ( 2 weeks)
DOW pages: 128-131
ALLM:
Artist Focus: Kandinsky Art: project: color contrast concentric circles
Living books: Sasha and the Wolfcub (IR), Peter and the Wolf (story and music) ,Another Celebrated Dancing Bear, The Peddler's Gift, The Fool of the world and the Flying ship, The cat and the Cook, the mitten, One Fine Day, One Small Square: Tundra,
Activities: make pretzels? maps and flag
Music Focus: Tchaikovsky and the nutcracker

Continent: Africa (living books: Ashanti to Zulu, A country Far Away, Jaffa's Journey, Koi and the Kola Nuts, Africa Calling , Wee Sing: Tue Tue, African instruments
Country: Kenya Science Focus: Grasslands (2 weeks)
DOW: pages: 22-25
ALLM:
Artist Focus: African masks Project : cardboard mask
Living Books: Growing Up Massai (some chapters as IR), Masai and I, Moja means One: Swahili counting book, One Small Square: Grasslands,
Wee Sing: Kanyoni Kanja
Activities: map and flag
Country: South Africa (1 week)
Dow Pages: 34-37
ALLM: 52
Listening for Lions? Akimbo and the Elephants?
Food Experience:
Activities: map and flag

Continenent: Australia/Oceania
Country: Austalia science focus: Coral reefs (2 weeks)
DOW: pages: 94-97
ALLM: pages: 62
Living Books: Big Rain Coming, Koala Lou, Wombat Stew, The Very Bratful Kangaroo, The Pumpkin Runner,Colors of Australia, One Small Square: coral reefs , Down Under Down Under Artist Focus: Johnny Bulunbulun (activity: scratched animals)
Wee Sing: Kookaburra
Activities: make pavlova dessert?
Continent: North America DOW pages: 173-175

Country: U. S. Science Focus: Deserts? (2 weeks)
DOW pages: 180-187
ALLM: pages: 96, 120
Wild Places: Deserts: 65-95
Living Books: One Small Square Deserts, Granberry Valentine, When I was young in the mountains, Lentil, yankee doodle, The story of the Statue Of Liberty, First Flight, My Great Aunt Arizona, Oxcart Man,
Activities: map and flag, make a flag from graham crackers, white choc. chips, frosting
Artist Focus: Mary Cassatt (activity: tempera monoprint/mother child paintings) book:
Georgia OKeefe : (activity: petal collage and painted flowers) book:
J. M. W. Turner:
Wee Sing: UHE BASHO SHO, patriotic song
Country: Canada: Science Focus: River and Lakes (1 week)
DOW pages: 176-179
Living Books: Morning on the Lake?, Very last , first time, Prairie Boys Winter, The Flight of the Union, Chesters Barn, One Small Square,
Activities: map and flag, make snowshoes our of cardboard and yarn
Wee Sing: Going over the Sea

Continent: South America/ Latin America Dow: 147
Country: Brazil Science Focus: Rain forest (2 weeks)
DOW pages: 154-157
WIld Places: 33-64
Living Books: Ond Day in the Tropical Rain Forest (IR) , From another World?, One Small Square: Rainforests, The Great Kapok Tree, Rain Forest Adventures,
Activities: map, flag, rainforest mural (see internet link for pics) , make a miniture rainforest in a fishbowl,
Cultural Experience: play soccer
Artist Focus: Henri Rousseau (not born here but painted many rain forest scenes, activity: jungle scene)
Wee Sing: Ciranda
Country: Mexico (1 week)
DOW pages: 162-165
Living Books: Alejandro's Gift?,
Wee Sing: Pin Pon
Artisti: Freda Kahlo
Cultural Experience/Food:
Continent: Antartica Science Focus: antartica (January) (2 weeks combined)
Living Books: Mr. Poppers Penguins (IR), A trip to antarctica, A for Antartica, Polar Wildlife,
Continent: Arctic:
DOW: pages:
Living Books: Little Polar Bear, Take me Home?
Activity: make an igloo; 3 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of salt, 3/4 cup h2o gradually, knead until ball is formed, Press into ice tray and freeze 2 hours,

Review: The Usborne Art Treasury Part Two

2008-12-09T06:49:00.003-05:00

I thought I would like this book and that it would be a good resource for next year so I purchased it from Amazon. The book arrived yesterday and I love it. Its a beautiful hard cover book with lots of color inside. There are artists from many countries which will work well with my geography unit next year. Off the top of my head I remember artists from France, U. S., Norway, Africa, Holland, China, Japan, and I know there are others. I was also impressed with the projects that relate to the artist and his/her work. They are unique projects and Princess Poodle is already begging to start them! She can't wait to creat a wave print that resembles the wave of Housakai, or to make a foil man figure, or to recreate Degas' dancers with soft pastels.

For each painting there is a background on the work, a background on the artist, and directions for the project. I am at heart a simple girl and this book is simple and will be easy to implement. As for the materials needed, they are listed in the front of the book. For my overseas friends, if you are interested I could email you a list of what is needed and then you might be able to determine if you can get the supplies.

The only thing I feel is a good supplement to this book would be another book that contains other pieces from the artists. I am seeing the benefit of my daughter and son seeing many pieces from one artist. They are starting to recognize the style of the artist even if they don't know the name of the style etc. We were in the library the other day and we always stop to look at the pieces of art by local artists. Princess Poodle pointed to one and said, "Mommy it looks like a Cezanne" and it did!! Something about the style was very similar. I have a book that showcases a piece of art for each day of the year. Many of the same artists' works appear in each book. For those that do not I will probably use the internet or library books to showcase other pieces from an artist we are covering. I will also use projects from Discovering Great Artist to supplement more artists for a country or use when we just feel like doing more art.

My Final Review: If you love art and you want your kids to appreciate art, if you are a hands on mom that enjoys projects, and if you can't wait to feast on Degas, Monet, Matisse, Roussao (bad spelling I know) then this is the book for you. If used properly this book will allow your kids to see, hear, and feel good art. As for tasting and smelling..well I'm in search of a good multicultual cookbook and I'll let you know when I find one.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheryl

The Usborne Art Treasury

2008-12-01T17:44:00.003-05:00

In thinking about a direction for next years studies I have been searching for "spines, books that I will incorporate throughout the year. I came across a book by Usborne that I am truly excited about. It is the Usborne Art Treasury. The book contains around 20 artists and a picture of one of their famous works. Information on the artist and the piece is given and then a project for the students is laid out that is representative of the artist's work. I have been using a book similar to this from our local library (Discovering Great Artists). This book has great info on the artists and wonderful projects to create but fails to have examples of the artist's work. I went ahead and ordered the Art Treasury book..I feel that good about it. The kids seem to truly enjoy our art studies and I don't have many art books on hand. I am going to use this one woven into our cultural studies next year instead of getting the next Artistic Pursuits book. I ordered it off of Amazon and it should be here in a week or so. Yeah!! When I recieve the book I will go about organizing the artists according to their location, into my geography studies. I think they even include a famous artist that made African masks...so exciting. I will use the Art Treasury in conjunction with Discovering Great Artists projects. I also plan on having arts/crafts that we will make that revolve around the various countries of study as well.

I also want to focus on various composers for the first time next year which will mean purchasing some classical cd's and fitting these around the regions/countries we study. I hope to keep this simple. The kids and I listen to music during the preparation and eating of our lunch and sometimes in the evening. We have been gradually replacing the tv with music and they don't seem to even miss the lunch time cartoons. There is also a Wee Sing Around the World cd which I may purchase as well. The kids have truly enjoyed learning the songs from the Wee Sing America cd this year.

Thats all for now.

Review Galloping the Globe

2008-11-30T22:45:00.002-05:00

I recently checked out a copy of Galloping the Globe from our library. I wanted to preview it before I purchased it and I'm thankful that I did. The book didn't have as much meat as I thought it would. The planning tips were very general and many quite obvious. For example, an activity listed for a certain country might be, Color the flag of Kenya. ..my thoughts were, "Well of course". I did enjoy reading the literature list however and plan on using many of the books listed. The science was almost entirely animals and although we will talk about which animals live in certain regions or terrains I want to focus more on types of environments such as rain forest, desert, corral reef etc. The Bible recommendations simply give scripture that relates to a certain topic. I really don't like to say that I was underwhelmed by any book. Someone worked very hard at putting it together I"m sure; but it just wasn't what I was looking for in terms of depth. I'll take some ideas with me and keep moving. Also, it was linked to the My Fathers World curriculum...I'm not sure why someone would need both of these. My Fathers World has a county and culture program themselves.
My final decision has not been reached for next year. Usborne has a potential curriculum guide but most likely I will end up cooking this one up myself. I think I can without too much effort formulate a plan for the different continents and countries. Usborne does have many books I am interested in such as; Usborne Art Treasury, World Geography, Wild Places and Living World Encyclopedia. I could order these, add in Dinsey's Our World and Tales from Around the World , Wee Sing Around the World, for example and have a great starting place. I will continue to search for the right fit.

"Plugged In"

2008-11-18T10:28:00.002-05:00

I remember reading somewhere that you should always unplug your small appliances even when not in use. It said that even when not turned on the appliance is still using up energy from the outlet. I'm not sure if this is entirely true or not, but it got me thinking.

Am I that "plugged in" to Jesus? Am I so plugged in that even when I am off, when my Bible is not open, when my eyes not closed in prayer; that I am still pulling energy from Him..that I still remaining in Him?

With my horrific sleep problems and diagnosis of them I am finding each days' work to be overwhelming. Grocery lists, shopping trips, bathing the kids, teaching the kids, cooking meals...such simple things but with so little sleep and my energy failing me I can't help but need Him more. I think so many things in my life God has allowed to happen because I have a tendency to lean on myself, believing that in my own strength I can get it done. Well now I have no strength. I'm not writing this for pity or anything like that. I just realize how important it is to be really plugged in to our Savior. How necessary it is on a daily basis to be remaining in Him so that even when we are turned off He is still filling us up.

So I want to be like my toaster...turned on everyday, used every morning, meaning in His word everyday and in prayer, but also when I am "turned off" I am still soaking up energy..still bringing Him in. Like my toaster does with electrical power... Oh God let me be like my toaster!
Sheryl

Guess the Masters

2008-11-15T14:46:00.003-05:00

This week in art I let Princess Poodle choose a famous piece of art that she would attempt to recreate in her own way. Triple H refused to paint the painting she chose so he flipped through our art book and chose another painting. I even attempted this project. I didn't get the art genes in the family, my loving sister Jojo got them, but I really enjoyed this project!!! I painted them same painting as Princess Poodle.

Can you guess the two famous paintings below? Let me know your guesses.

Hazel"nut" Academy Update

2008-11-14T11:58:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from yesterday's colonial day activities. It was our family plus some dear friends that also homeschool and happen to be covering American History as well. The day was a success in terms of hands on learning and good fellowship.

We made quill pens out of turkey feathers we found in the woods. We used store bought ink (cheated on that one) and the kids wrote letters. When they dried we sealed them with red wax and they got to use a signet with the letter H on it to seal up their letters.

Here is Princess Poodle at our mock signing of the Dec. of Indep.

Triple H taking his turn.

This is the craft we made. It is a Game of Graces. We decorated the hoops and painted the sticks. The kids had fun tossing and trying to catch the hoop. We also played marbles which didn't quite work out like I had planned but that's ok. Triple H and his buddy lets call him Monkey, mostly enjoyed rolling the marbles all over the house. On our Colonial Day we also made butter, took a nature hike, and ended the day back in present day at a local Mexican restraurant. hee hee

In other news,

We have completed 14 weeks of Writing With Ease as well as some added dictation because Princess Poodle is ready for this.

We have completed almost 50 lessons in Saxon 2.

We have enjoyed learning about the explorers of North America, the mystery of Roanoke, the first settlements, some on how it was in colonial times, and now we are geared up for the Revolution!!

We have learned about mammals, insects, and spiders. We have taken several nature studies including going to a local animal preserve twice this year. Our most recent adventure is in a post below. We have added many entries to our nature journals.

Princess Poodle is working on her fourth poem for memorization. I will try to post her reciting these soon.

We have added in cursive to Princess Poodles handwriting. We are going to go slow and practice alot. Handwriting is not her favorite thing in the world and never has been . Reminder to self: do not push this to hard!

Triple H is doing so well with his phonics. He is working his way through the single consonant tickets on the Ferris Wheel song and his blending of three letter words improves a little at a time. He continues to learn how to write his letters properly. He is counting well to thirty and by 10's to 100. He loves art as does Princess Poodle and we will continue with our art just taking a break from AP and learning about some artists and their work.

Our second quarter seems to be off to a better start due to some prayer and some added flexibility. Instead of daily folders labled and filled with each days work, I changed the labels to reflect subjects etc. This will work as long as I don't let math slip and have to do three lessons in a day or something like that. I just like that I feel free to do stuff each day as we want and as life leads still making sure to get the basics in of course.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm so glad it is Friday. And I'm glad that its noon and I'm still in my jammies, and Im glad that Princess Poodle is in her room strumming her guitar making up some kind of song and that Triple H is downstairs writing another quill pen letter. I better go check on him to make sure ink isn't everywhere.

Sheryl

Wordless Wednesday Take "2"

2008-11-11T18:47:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-11T17:59:00.003-05:00

DD First Grade self portrait in ebony pencil: she hates it, but I liked it...thought it had a neat feel to it.

A Secret Garden

2008-11-10T18:05:00.005-05:00

Have you ever wanted a secret garden..a place to hide away from things..well a place to hide from all things but God of course. Because I find that He is most present in our secret places...or perhaps it is just there we hear him better. Well today I got to venture into a secret garden. It isn't mine but I am thankful that Mr. Steven is willing to share it with us from time to time.

Here is a bit of what we experienced on our first adventure into this secret garden.

We saw hundreds of ferns growing in a greenhouse; rows of them in the moist heat, beautiful swans with graceful necks, his art studio full of amazing paintings, his wood work shop where he was working on making magnificent bowls out of stumps of wood, a bamboo forest that reached up to the skies like giant vines that only Jack would climb..I could go on and on. I can't wait to go back to see each season as it shows its beauty in this treasured place. I have always loved the book The Secret Garden. I have always wanted a secret garden of my own. I am hoping that as we develop our backyard here at the house that I can carve out a little secret spot to call my own. I know now as a grown up that I can't step through a wardrobe into another land but I do believe in secret gardens and the power that they hold. I hope you find your secret garden.

Here are some pics of the callicara americana we found decked out in its finest with the most beautiful berries as well as the kids history diaromas of a keeping room they made as part of our colonial studies. The picture at the top of the blog is the secret door that leads into the garden we visited today.

Hope you enjoy.

Book Review: Facing The Lion: Growing Up Maasai

2008-11-10T07:20:00.002-05:00

I read this book as one of many that I am reviewing for next year's Geography study. The Maasai, a beautiful people group, are from Kenya. My dh traveled there several years ago on a mission trip and we have wonderful pictures and some items he brought back with him. After reading the book which is one man's experience of growing up a nomadic Kenyan..I believe it will be a little much for dd who will be 8. One chapter focuses entirely on the ritual of circumcision and although it is not overly graphic I feel it might be too much for her. Other chapters are excellent in describing the relationships of the people and the importance of hunting and lions. So my final decision
1: Check it out from the libray and read certain chapters to her for discussion
2. Explore the wonderful photographs that depict the real character of the book.

I will look for some picture books related to Kenya for ds and will also use my husbands scrapbook that I made him on his return from the mission trip.

As for Material World: I must have this book for the pictures alone. It covers a specific family and how they live in a certain country. Beautiful photos that if one takes the time to see the details will gather much information on the condition of the families etc.

That's all for now. Off to make pancakes and start what I hope will be a wonderful week of school. I'll be back to posting school updates, pics, etc. this week.

Sheryl

A Need for Pink

2008-11-07T17:58:00.004-05:00

I am a blue girl. I always have been; The sky, the ocean, blueberries, and blue hydrangeas..I was never a pink girl. I have found a way to tolerate pink. God gave me a pink girl. My princess Poodle is all pink. But today or should I say tonight I am feeling fond of pink. Grandma's funeral was today. She loved pink. She even had a pink bathroom..toliet, tile, tub..all pink. Her funeral flowers were like paintings...splashes of pink everywhere; roses, gerber daisies, lilies that O'Keiffe should have painted. So tonight...I am a pink girl. I turned the blog pink in honor of Grandma. At the funeral today they spoke of her community service, her founding of our county, her place of honor in this town, but I sat and thought of different things. I can feel even now how it felt to hold her 92 year old hand. I can see the softness of her beautiful white hair that I remember kissing. I can see her standing on her front porch as the kids and I drove away after a visit as if she had to watch over us; When it was all she could do to stand. She wasn't my grandma until I married her precious grandson. But she took me in and through her love taught me what a grandmother should be...what a grandmother could be. And I think because of her I will forever have a fondness for pink.

And as for the picture at the top of the blog..thats my pink girl..dancing. And I think that is what Grandma must be doing now in heaven before the Lord. It could only be from God that in such sorrow a spirit can dance. Do you feel like dancing with me?
I love you Grandma!

bittersweet but God is Good!

2008-11-06T13:03:00.003-05:00

Life here has been hard and surreal. At one point we had both my mother in law in ICU, my father in law in surgery and my grandmother in the hospital all at the same time..same hospital. We are tired and emotionally drained. Praise God that my mother in law is now home and doing well, my father in law came through his surgery and is home doing well. We did lose our grandmother and tomorrow is the funeral. For those that read this and pray please pray for my husband as he will be doing the funeral. He was very close to his grandmother and is exhausted to say the least. I am looking forward to school starting back next week. A dear friend wrote on her blog today about the joy of a groove...our groove has been shaken and although there I times I want it to be shaken right now I need our routine. I need groceries and library trips and school time and early bedtimes and smores on the back porch fireplace. God is very good. He has blessed us this past two weeks beyond measure. I will write more about our sweet grandmother in the coming days. Oh what a precious lady she was! But in all of this...family crisis, death, even election results that were not the results we wanted..God is good. God is unchanging. And He is present. Breathe Him in today.

Sheryl

Random Thoughts on School and Life

2008-11-02T20:26:00.005-05:00

While at Disney our family got chosen as the dream family for the LIghts Motor Action stunt show. We got to sit REALLY close and even got to introduce the show on the big screen. We all felt very special and the kids loved the show. Just another snip it of our special trip. I'll stop bugging ya'll with it soon I promise!

I have decided to start slowly adding cursive into our routine. We won't officially start until Princess Poodle finishes Spelling Workout A...which should be before Christmas break. Right now I plan to start showing her how to form the letters on my small handwriting whiteboard. Maybe she will want to practice on the whiteboard too. I'm going to work this into our Morning Meeting and it will be very light hearted to start. Come January I plan to use Abeka Cursive First Grade and move slowly. I also have extra Abeka paper to practice. At some point we will pick up Spelling Workout B...not because I like it but Princess Poodle likes it and enjoys being able to do it independently. Latin will be held off until third grade so thats not even on the radar at this point. I am still considering REAL science for next year because I havn't found anything else that strikes my fancy and I like focusing on one thing at a time. Bob Jones skips around alot and that will drive me crazy. I am in search of a simple book that gives activities on the human body. I will use these along with a spine I have and some library books and that will be our human body science that we will do in the dead of winter. Colonial Day with a homeschooling family is coming up a in couple of weeks...I need more turkey feathers, ink, marbles, coke bottles, baby food jars for making butter, a thimble for hide the thimble, and a few other things. I think it will be a fun day. The American Revolution will soon follow and Princess Poodle keeps begging to learn about it. How strange is that?

Other thoughts...making doll clothes is harder than I thought but I will do it, I found a rug on clearnance at Target that makes me smile and I bought Princess Poodles' Christmas dress. It is dark velvet green with cream ribbons running across it....so pretty. I hope to find Triple H some dark green cords and a cream button up. I alos went ahead and bought some Christmas presents. I'm crazy I know but I needed somthing as meaningless, fun, and lighthearted as shopping after the week we have had.

The kids are up too late and I must go. Things are looking up today. My sweet mother in law is doing much better and I can't wait to get her home and love on her and get her help with the doll clothes. lol

Hopefully some pics of school work this week now that we are starting back.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T15:31:00.004-04:00

Oh my sweet princess Sleeping Beauty..any magic spells that will keep her a little princess forever?

Here is my Pouting Peter Pan.Maybe Captain Hook got the best of him or maybe he just didn't want to grow up. Either way I love this little guy...he's a lover and a fighter!

Happy Memories

2008-10-30T20:42:00.002-04:00

Our Resort The Coronado Springs Resort

Kids in the hammock that they loved to play and rest in.

Me and my best friend; we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on the trip.

Sad News - Happy Video

2008-10-30T20:23:00.004-04:00

It has been a very difficult week for us. Mom, my husband's mother, was put in the hospital and then moved to ICU for breathing difficulties. She is on a respirator and unable to breathe on her own. Needless to say we are worried, concerned, and worn out. Each day I find things that make me miss her. Perhaps it is strange that Mom and Dad are in a way our best friends? But they are. Please pray for her to recover and for Dad to remain strong throughout this trial. I am posting a video below that is happy. I needed to do that today. I also made brownies with Triple H..I needed brownies. Below is a video of Princess Poodle's birthday celebration at Chef Mickey's in DisneyWorld. There is singing, dancing, and lots of smiles. I needed to smile. I hope it makes you smile too.

Back to Hazelnut Academy

2008-10-27T14:35:00.002-04:00

Fall Break was what I needed it to be. We started back today with a good review in all the basic subjects. We will continue our review this week as well as enjoy some fun halloween stories and crafts. Our trip to Dinsey was once again so much fun. I really couldn't put it into one post. Seeing my kids who often argue holding hands in the park with one another. Riding Soarin which was the most amazing experience. Seeing my 4 year old light up at the sight of donald and mickey and chip and dale. I have to say Epcot was a bigger hit than I expected and I am starting to see the benefits of homeschooling. My kids enjoyed the educational rides as much as the others. I remember asking a man at lunch about a certain ride or two and he said he recommended not to do them because it would bore the kids...but it didn't! Even my 4 year old boy loved seeing vegetables grow outside of soil and the fish hatchery. The show, The American Adventure, was well done and captivated both of them. Our resort was beautiful and we enjoyed watching the sunset over the lake and the giant waterslide was a hit with the kids. THe Halloween parade, show and fireworks were unbelievable. The headless horseman kicked off the parade by riding through main street in the magic kingdom. So cool!!! I hope we can save our money to return next year. We made the kids no promises but did talk to them about how working together to save our money would give us a better chance.

As for school it is a new quarter. I have spent so much time in prayer asking God to help me with patience and gentleness. Today was a great day. We are off now after rest time to go on a nature hike on one of the trails in our neighborhood. Who knows what we might see today.

Also on my thoughts are choices for next year. I seem to do this sooner each year..its not even November yet. I am looking into a science curriculum for the first time. R.E. A. L. Science (read, explore, absorb. learn). I believe we will do earth science and space next year. So much fun!!! I am continuing to look into a geography study for next year instead of the second half of American history. Also I plan to start some intro to cursive in January with Princess Poodle. I ordered Abeka and hope I like it.

Ok...really off to go outside now. Have a wonderful week.

FALL BREAK!!!

2008-10-12T10:55:00.003-04:00

Fall Break has officially begun. We will not have school for two weeks. Princess Poodle will still do random math fact sheets ...I don't want to lose our progress in this area. She is also finishing reading Squanto Friend of the Pilgrims and will read Thanksgiving on Thursday while we are on break. Apart from that the only educational things will be the ones will get while at Disney. Epcot appears to have alot that is educational but the trip is for fun and education will come second on this trip.

I am in more need of this break than I ever have been before. It's not homeschooling, its me and there is so much I need to talk to God about, so much "breathing" I need to do, and even though we will be active for half of the break while on vacation I plan on my spirit being still. Soaking up the blessings God has had mercy on me to give and loving on the three special blessings that I call my family.

Transparency is needed more often between believers and to those believers that are reading this post please know that you are not alone when you have a down spell. This past quarter has been the worst so far of our schooling. Not the learning but my attitude. I have raised my voice, spoke in harshness, felt like staying in bed all day instead of loving on my kids...I have snapped at my husband,threatened public school on my daughter and I have disliked myself and I feel somewhat lost. But our God is a God of forgiveness and so I will accept this gift he gives and pray for a spirit that is more in tune with Him, a more obedient spirit, a more joyful spirit. And I pray for sleep because I feel the lack of it is playing a crucial role in my attitude and weakness.

So Fall Break here I come. As a little girl I remember catching falling leaves with my sisters that fell from an old tree in front of my Mamaw and Papaw's trailer. We believed that if we caught one in the air and made a wish, the wish would come true. I guess as I have gotten older I have come to believe in prayers more than wishes. But for this two weeks, not putting sound theology aside but maybe just on hold for a bit, I will become like that kid again and believe in wishes and wishes come true.

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes! Disney here we come!

Sheryl

For Mary

2008-10-07T15:50:00.002-04:00

Mary, you left a comment on a post I have about First Grade Curriculum. I couldn't figure out how to respond to you so I thought I'd leave a message here in the hope's you would get it. I did do Ancients with my dd for Kindergarten. History is her favorite subject so she was enthralled. My suggestion is however, if you plan to do SOTW I feel that the early modern is a bit much for a 6 year old. I decided to use only the chapters that had to do with American History. I came up with a history plan that I used to have posted here but took it off because I never found the time to update it. Basically I used a spine, living books, videos, and projects, all which I found on websites, book lists etc. If I could do it over again I would start Kindergarten/First grade with a geography/culture year; I am thinking about Galloping the Globe for next year. I think this will be good for a foundation before starting into ancients and I think that it is easily made interesting for young learners. Then I would go into Ancients after that. I do remember last year during Ancients my daughter saying things like, "When are we going to learn about our country" etc. I guess "home" is more tangible to young kids than far off countries thousands of years ago. lol....Thats the great thing about doing a geography/culture year...when you come to the continent of North America you can spend as much time there as you want. You could even go into learning about your state etc. You could learn some basic early American History before you move on to another continent. I'm all about tweaking. So with my kids my "plan" is this.
2009/2010: PreK(5) and 2nd grade: Geography//Culture (GAlloping the Globe?)
2010/2011 Kinder (6) and 3rd: Ancients
20011/2012: First grade: 4th grade: Middle Ages/Ren.
2012/2013 2nd grade 5th grade Early Modern (American History time as well)
2013/2014 3rd grade 6th grade Modern

This would put the cycle staring back at Ancients when my dd is in 7th and my ds in in 4th.
I haven't thought yet about state history or what if our adoption of a third child comes in etc. To be honest now that I have typed this out it is freaking me out because the thought of my baby boy in 3rd grade and my sweet little princess in 6th grade is pretty scary!!!! I hope this helps and I hope you see this post. For everyone else that had to muddle through it I'm so sorry!
Sheryl

Hazel"nut" Academy Update

2008-10-07T15:22:00.003-04:00

Language Arts: Princess Poodle continues to work on her Spelling Workout A independently. It is really too easy for her but I didn't want to skip it. I am not sure if we will continue on to level B or not. Spelling is a subject that baffles me. Writing with Ease Level One is going well with a little tweaking. Princess Poodle is getting better every week at picking out the most important parts of a passage and turning these thoughts into a narration. She is also doing well on very simple dication that we do a couple of times a week to prepare her for next year. I have let poetry memorization slide and thus far this year we have only learned two new poems. Mental note: put new fervor into this. We will be picking back up with FLL when we return from Fall Break. It correlates with WWE and is easy to implement along side it.

Math: Saxon 2: We are still working on math fact drills, the most recent being the plus nines. Princess Poodle is thriving with her facts now that the timer is gone. I must admit that this is not a very fun subject to teach.

History: American History has been a big hit around here. We started the Mayflower/Pilgrims this week. We have made Pilgrim puppets, read lots of living books, and watched a video on William Bradford. We are using some elements of History Pockets for this unit. I believe the kids will like having a pilgrim history pocket to pull from and play with when we are done.

Science: science is on hold for now except at her co-op where she is learning about cells.

Theology/Bible: I am impressed with the kids ability to learn the catechism questions and answers and I know this is an important foundation. I feel something is lacking in this area of our schooling. Papa was supposed to handle this but the demands of his work, SS class, and other responsibilities has this being pushed out. The kids do learn verses for Awana each week but something is missing. I am praying about this. Is it virtue education, is it modeling, or perhaps it is just the fruit of the Spirit that seems absent from school too often.

PreK: Triple H has learned his letter sounds. Is just about finished with the pre explode the code series. I have him learning the Ferris Wheel song from SSRW which should help with blending in the future. He can sound out some three letter words but not with great consistency yet. Today I took him to storytime at the library while big sister was in co-op. I also feel something is missing here. He joins in for science and history and therefore gets to do projects etc. Am I just worrying too much. I mean he knows his letters,his sounds, his shapes, etc. what need is there for a pre-K program. I just want to teach him to read ..when they can read everyones job gets easier and more fun. But I can't help but feel something is missing here too. Perhaps it is more storybooks. I keep saying that I will pull out my FIAR and do a book a week with a couple of activities for him but when would I do this? Next year I plan to do a geography study with the kids for history and I know how these books will work in then. But for now I have a blank. I am seeing a genuine need for a curriculum that can be multi-age in nature. My history plans for this year as well as my science plans accomplish this fairly well.

Myself: I am making the effort to read more. I have recently discovered Augustine's Confessions. Wow! Beautiful..soul searching stuff. I can't believe that I have in 33 years somehow missed reading this. I am also reading Andreoloa's Charlotte Mason Companion. So far it is a great read and is reaffirming something I feel God has been calling me to. I have this ever present struggle between creating a rigorous yet gentle learning environment. This book is addressing the gentle part of the equation.

Homeschooling Train of Thoughts: latin next year?,, I want to I want to. Cursive handwriting...I don't want to but I need to. Galloping the Globe for our geo/cultural studies...I think this might work along with tons of living books and some world art and cooking books. Fall break is needed. Sleep will make homeschooling better. Nature study needs to be more often. This week we will go on Thursday as long as it isn't lightening. Moving Triple H from letter sounds to blending..when will the lightbulb go off for him? Princess Poodle is more emtional this year. Balance challenge and victory.

Sleep Study: The Results

2008-10-04T09:46:00.003-04:00

The sleep study results are in. For a little background information, I have had trouble sleeping for the past 15 years. It started in highschool. I would wake up often in one night's sleep. This has continued through the years. Some nights I wake up 4-5 times, other nights its double that. This leaves my body feeling fatigued, my emotions are snappy and easily set off. The everyday pace of life can seem daunting. Now to the results. I do NOT have sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, low oxygen levels, or snoring problems. That is the good part according to the clinic. However, they see horrible sleep architecture. Everyone while asleep goes through several phases of sleep. This starts off in a light sleep phase, progresses to a deep sleep phase (the most important), and then moves into the REM sleep or dream phase. A person will cycle through this many times in one night. According to the doctor the normal person will spend around 50 % of their total sleep time in the deep and REM stages of sleep. My total was less than 15 % and the majority of that 15 % was spent in REM not the deep sleep stage which is so crucial to restorative sleep for ones body. According to the doctor I am somehow skipping the deep phase of sleep and moving from the lighter stages into the REM stage where I then wake up. This is not good!!Its why I feel like a mac truck has hit me everyday. Now for my reactions to the study. One the positive side I feel validated. There is a reason I feel like I do and it is not in my head. I havn't somehow mentally convinced myself I am sleeping bad..I really am. There is relief in knowing you are not crazy. THe downside is that the doctor told me on the phone that they are baffled. Usually someone that has such poor sleep architecture will have one of the above mentioned problems that I don't have.

Where to go from here. I have an appointment with the neurologist at the end of the month. I know they want to run some more tests to rule out other health issues that could be causing this. After that I am not sure what the treatment options will be.

I don't want to pop a pill. And I am making small steps to better my nutrition, cut out sugar, caffeine has obviousley been cut out and to increase my exercise. (This is on hold due to an injury but will hopefully be going full force soon. I am going to seek my chiropractor's advice as well as look into a really good vitamin supplement. With that said if I can take some type of medication Temporarily! to help me until the above mentioned things start helping I will. And I'm going to pray.

Sleep affects everything. It affects your attitude, your ability to function well, it affects your memory, your performance, your mood. Lack of sleep makes everything more overwhelming than it really is. Lack of sleep makes it dangerous to drive, kills another kind of "drive", and makes one more prone to temptation and sin. Lack of sleep can even lead to major health problems. Lack of sleep is dangerous.

I know that God is aware of my sleep problems. I know that He has forgiven the sins that I give into so easily with little to no sleep. I need to believe more that He cares enough about me to help me.
I wish I had some great words of wisdom that related to this. This sweet lady named Ali in GA writes so well about life and somehow manages to see God's gentle reminders in all of it. Right now I guess I'm all out of wisdom. I have no answers and at this point I don't really know why God has allowed this to go on the way it has. I pray God gives me a spirit of obedience, a spirit of perserverance, and a spirit of hope. I need all of these things to get through this.

I know this post has little to do with school so thanks for bearing with me.

Sheryl

Hazel"nut" Academy Update

2008-09-28T15:36:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of Co-op as some call it. Its really a private Christian school that has classes for homeschoolers on Tuesdays. Princess Poodle will take History (SOTW), Science (biology), Art, and Music. She had a wonderful first day. Princess Poodle can struggle with being "shy" when she feels out of place. She really is quite the talkative, inquisitive, often corny little girl but if she feels on the outside of things she closes up completely. I pray she will come to feel comfortable there on Tuesdays. Today she came home telling me all about Spanish Conquistadores and told me that history is her favorite subject.

Last night Papa, Princess Poodle, Triple H and myself went bug hunting. We used a white sheet and a massive work light to create a bug haven. We were after moths mostly but ended up with moths, grasshoppers and one big black cricket! Triple H fell in love with this one old, slow (he would just sit on his hand)brown grasshopper. He reminded me of some granddaddy grasshopper. Slower, wiser than the little green "teenage" grasshoppers that dart around and are afraid of human hands. Maybe this "granddaddy" grasshopper has been in his share of nature studies and knows he won't be hurt. The kids loved the nighttime bug hunt. It made me miss camping and long to take them.

In other school news: Math: Saxon 2 is going well. Nothing too exciting but we are getting it done. Princess Poodle seems to be making progress with her math facts now that the timed portion of the drill is gone. I am really liking Writing with Ease and consider it a winner so far. It includes copywork from good literature, narration exercises from portions of stories, and I add in a few things like picture study and creating a simple story based on the picture, as well as dictation of a simple sentence. We are leaving science for a bit except for our nature study on the changing leaves etc. and will be starting Native Americans and Pilgrims in the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow we will make spears and read in our history encyclopedia. I think the kids are going to enjoy this segment of American History. I hesitate to say we are in a groove because life always has a way of changing that groove but we seem to be doing well most days. I am already looking into possible direction for history/culture study next year. I am considering Winter Promise Children Around the World but then again that is a long way off. I have so many things running around in my head I apologize if this entry has been choppy. Thanks for stopping by.

Oh and Autumn is in the air. I can feel it coming. The leaves are losing their vibrant green color. The air has a hint of coolness in it. I planted my mums. And my heart is beating a little faster. Autumn does that to me everytime!

Sheryl

Countdown to Disney: 18 days!

Fieldtrip: Nature Study

2008-09-19T21:37:00.004-04:00

What an amazing homeschooling day. We went to a nature preserve with another homeschooling family and the day was so enjoyable. We saw a black bear, many owls, a red fox, a cougar, a playful river otter, a nervous coyote, two agressive bobcats, many birds of prey, snakes, turtles and bison. There were farm animals and nature trails and lots and lots of smiles and laughter. A pleasant picnic, active kids, conversation with a sweet friend that gets where I'm coming from...what a good day. I thank God for each day but I must admit I send Him a little extra grin at the end of days like today. Here are some pics of the trip and the animal friends we made. Enjoy a peak into this day of Hazel"nut" academy.

KIDS ARE GETTING OLDER :Caution: controversy ahead

2008-09-18T09:07:00.002-04:00

I read an article today in a Christian parenting magazine. It was about something known as "age compression". It spoke of how 10 is the new 13. How kids are trading in their toys at age 6 for video games and celebrity icons. How children younger and younger are into fashion and want the latest trend in clothing.

I hope this post will not offend anyone that reads it. I seem to stand quite alone at times even in circles of believers on this topic. I do believe in age compression and I believe it is a scheme of Satan that is being led by the media and marketing divisions. The idea of kids getting older younger is even a marketing term they use to market older items/icons etc. to younger children. They are making 8 and 9 the preteen ages that were once 11 and 12.

So here are some rambling thoughts of mine. First Hannah Montana, High School Musical, etc. I have watched these (by myself) I have researched online as to their purity factor etc. Both of these rank high on Christian websites as good clean fun to watch. However, both of these shows/movies are about HIGHSCHOOLERS. I feel people seem to miss that. As good and clean as Hanna Mon. or Highschool musical are ...they contain boy/girl "love" relationships/crushes, they contain at times emphasis on clothing etc. And I don't believe even these things are bad..but they are not appropriate for a six year old, or five year old...they really should be for Preteen and preteen used to be 10-12 years old. And yet most parents meaning well, wanting to enjoy some time watching something good together have opened this preteen world to their very young girls. Could this be harmful? ? Could it led to a bedroom filled with pop-culture icons instead of ponies, stuffed animals, dolls or sports..maybe. I don't know. What I do know is that a mom recently told me that her 12 year old had outgrown Hannah Montana. What? What comes after that!! I think that these shows are good pure entertainment that is meant for the 9-12 year old group of girls. I'm truly not against them. But are we pushing age compression on our kids? Are we unwillingly setting them up to feel older than they are and thus lead to feelings of inadequacy, wanting to dress older... ( I chose these two Disney dynasties to talk about because they are in essence good. I won't even go into all the crud out there)

The article also talked about the age of video games and how this too is being pushed on kids to young. How there is danger with some kids that these video/computer gaming systems is taking the place of age appropriate toys and creativity. I thought about this alot to. Now he has a leapster and plays this on long trips in the van or at the doctors office. And I let him play educational computer games while I teach harder subjects to my dd for school. I have a blog. I'm not a technophobic. But there has to be a limit. My 4 year old son wants a WII for Christmas..he played it at a friends house. He won't get it. Not because its bad, not because I can't be disciplined and limit his time on it..but because it isn't necessary. He is four and he can play with cars, balls, trains, action figures, and well DIRT. So I guess my kids might be slightly disappointed this Christmas.

Halloween is approaching and I am so thankful that my 7 year old will be wearing a princess costume that she chose because she loves it. Already I love to see her twirling in it. And that my 4 year old will be Peter Pan complete with swashbuckling dagger he totes around the house. I am thankful that I don't have to buy one of those blonde Hannah wigs....at least not for a few more years.

What are your thoughts on age compression? I welcome them . I know we all have different views on society, culture etc. I am just one brainstorming mom that wants to fight in the battle to protect my kids. Sometimes I may be too extreme and make mistakes..other times I might be right on. Its a journey and I'm learning as I go.
Sheryl

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-16T19:13:00.003-04:00

Me..sick..very sick. After two trips to the ER, 4 shots, and a round of antibiotics plus a few weeks to forget this ordeal I finally felt I could make fun of myself and post this pic. DD6 took it while I was sick. And yes that is a frozen bag of corn on my head! lol...aren't I pretty? ha ha ha

I Smell Like Tobacco and other thoughts

2008-09-15T15:26:00.003-04:00

I smell like tobacco. I don't know why. It is baffling me. I have been to Snip-Its for Triple H to get his twice a year hair cut. We went to CHildren's Place for fall pants and tops on sale. We went through the drive in at Chickfillet for kids icecream cones. Where is the tobacoo smell coming from. It reminds me of one of those stores at the mall that sold pipes and old pictures of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. I know because I bought such an Eastwood picture for my husband back when we were dating. I smell like a Tinder Box. Strange....And Princess Poodle just said that I smell yummy..even stranger!

Bugs...In science we are learning about insects. Today we painted butterflies, read about butterflies and moths and their differences, and watched a Magic School Bus and Bug City about the insects. Tonight we go moth hunting. All it takes is a big white sheet and a bright flashlight. Well really all it takes is a porch light but I'm trying to make this fun here. Keep that curiosity flowing.

School went much better today. I dropped the timed portion of our math drills. Such relief. The funny thing is I think she did them the fastest she has ever done and with no timer on. My sweet little girl..wished I had dropped the timer long ago.

In other school/Hazel"nut" life news: Brownies was a big hit. So is softball. But with everything plus church on Wed. night something has got to give. I keep telling myself that it is only for a few more weeks. If I have to pull into a fast food place one more time to feed my starving kids cause practice is at 5:30 and they don't want to eat much at 4 and I don't want to cook at 7 then I am going to scream. I think I even saw two little golden spikes coming out of Princess Poodles head the other day.. I THINK she is growing golden arches.

OH and to our delight Fall Break and Family Vacation is only 4 weeks away. YeaH!!! Disney world here we come.

Fieldtrip to a nature preserve with great animals later this weekend. Pictures to come! And hopefully I can write about Tales from the crypt..oh I mean from the sleep lab. I'm already a little spooked about spending the night there! They said to pack light..I hope that includes my big Bible, my torn copy of Pride and Prejudice and my cell phone!

Have a great day everyone!

Update on Woodland Fairy Bedroom

2008-09-14T16:21:00.003-04:00

Here is a pic of the mural so far. I used Wallies for the fairies and then I painted on the branch to make it look like they were sitting on the branch of a tree. I used some stencils to look like "fairy dust". I have a metal bistro table and chair set my sister is handing down for free and we should get that at Thanksgiving. I'll put it under the branch and hang some sort of lantern/light above it. The perfect tea party table for my little girly girl.

I'm TIRED MOMMY ; superhero extrordinaire

2008-09-12T07:40:00.004-04:00

I am soon to be an official lab rat. After 15 years of bad sleep..and I mean the wake up 10 times a night bad sleep...after focusing on two babies, a husband with RA , and everyone and everything other than myself I am trying to find out why the heck I can't sleep. So I'm off in less than a week to be hooked up to wires, but in a bed thats not my own, and have my brain monitored while I sleep. Does this mean that they will be able to read my dreams..oh I hope not!!!If they could they would surely send my to the nut house.

Life has gotten busy with Brownnies, softball coaching, church Awana, co-op and homeschooling. And I"m exhausted. My kids hear me say it way to much. My poor husband has heard me say it for way too many years. I'm not super mommy ...I'm TIRED MOMMY...its written on my cape. My superhero symbol is two very large eyes half shut and droopy. If you press a button on my left hand (thats made of plastic of course I'm an action figure here) a big yawning sound comes out. TIRED MOMMY...able to do all of the days functions wit her eyes half shut and half her memory missing. I even lay out a cereal bar, SCISSORS, and a cup of ice for my son to get himself breakfast before waking me up. The ice melts overnight to make a nice cup of water. And I do cook breakfast later in the morning so don't call defax on me just yet.

I just need some sleep. I need rest and I need joy and some of these things I must chose to take because God is handing them to me. And for the sleep thing...well maybe these doctors will figure something out because I'd really love to change my superhero status!!!!

Thanks for stopping by...off to make breakfast, teach school, go to Brownie, drive a car! and more all with my eyes half shut!

A rough outline of our schedule

2008-09-09T09:18:00.002-04:00

Another homeschooling mom asked to see our daily schedule. So for Ali and anyone else interested here is a rough outline of our days. This is for a first grader dd6 and pre-K ds4. My son will have another year of PreK after this one. We plan on holding him back a year due to a late summer birthday and not wanting him to be the youngest in his class.

Monday: no later than 9:00 start time : Morning Meeting: This is where we sit down together and cover various topics. Examples: work on memory of theology questions and answers (kids catechism), work in skip counting, counting by 1's for ds, telling time, counting money, sometimes we do math problems on our small hand held whiteboard, we also say a morning prayer and each child choses someone we know to pray for, we say the pledge each meeting and also work on any songs we are learning (right now it is the Star Spangled Banner). This meeting is ususally about 15 minutes or shorter if the kids end up laying on the floor. Alot of work gets done in these first few minutes.

After Morning meeting we do TABLE TIME. I start my dd on her copywork from Writing With Ease or Spelling Workout A (I keep an eye on this as she works so I can catch any mistakes. ) While she is doing copywork I work with ds on his worksheets from Get Ready For the Code. He can pretty much do these on his own at this point and I mostly read directions, check his work, and help him with his letter formation. After he finishes his "table time" I take him up to the computer and he plays on Nick Jr. Playhouse Disney or PBS Kids or Starfall. While he is working on the computer I tackle either Saxon Math or Writing With Ease/Language Lessons for the Well trained Mind with dd. I pick which subject needs one on one without brother that day to do first. If she needs a break after this we take a little break. DD is very good at staying on task and we tend to finish work quickly. Some days math can include little brother and he joins us.

Books are often read throughout the day, during lunchtime, on the couch etc. This time is pretty non-structured. DD loves to read and some weeks she reads what she chooses (right now it is Charlottes Web) and other weeks she must read a book I choose. Next week she will be reading excerpts out of CHristian Liberty Nature Reader that correlates with our science.

Tuesdays: DD goes to a co-op where she takes science, history, music and art

Wednesday: Basically the same as Monday but with some Awana verse review thrown in.

Thursday: The first half of the day is the same as Monday. We use Thursday afternoons to do science or history. I have worked myself into a month on science, a month on history and so on. I will have some months that overlap but when they do the science will be less so we can fit in our American History.

Friday: This day is our different more relaxed school day. Library trips, field trips on some Fridays. We use Fridays for our Artistic Pursuits lessons, science lessons and history lessons. If we have fallen behind during the week due to illness etc. Friday becomes a make-up day. I anticipate having to have math on Friday some weeks in order for us to finish our curriculum near the end of the year.

Most homeschool days we finish all our basics work by 10:30 or 11:00. This doesn't include reading stories etc. at or after lunch. And of course on Thursdays we have an afternoon session for history or science. With younger kiddos you might need more breaks and might find during little one's nap time to be a good time to teach. My dd is really quite the little machine when it comes to school work. Her focus and comprehension amaze me. My son will probably need more breaks between subjects etc. as he gets into the heavy schooling.

To be honest I am a person that craves reason in my day but I also grant myself flexability. If something grand comes up for science and it is a Monday then we spend our day doing nature study etc and move the basics to Friday. I really try to keep to the basics first because if I don't then my science/history loving 6 year old will let her favorite subjects take center stage.

For curriculum THIS Year I use with my first grader:
Saxon Math 2
Writing with Ease (Susan W. Bauer)
Language Lessons for the WEll trained Mind (wise) I correlate the lessons with the writing with ease and we won't do ALL the lessons.
Language Lessons for the Very Young (picture study/story telling lessons onlywhich could be done with a great art book instead)
Spelling Workout A (easy for her and independent at this point)
Science: a variety of sources with a focus on our nature journals: covering mostly animals this year
History: We did sotw 1 last year and loved it. This year we are doing American History which I have pieced together using a variety of sources. We will not be going into the Civil War this year.
Artistic Pursuits Book Oone

My ds4 is using Get Ready For the Code , Get SEt for the Code etc. and he will be doing some work from Sing Spell Read and Write K level. We also do songs, games etc.

I hope this helps Ali. My youngest just turned 4 and this year is easier than last year. Plus my dd6 is reading quite well and this cuts down on how much she needs me for her work. We are trying to adopt from China and if that ever happens then I will have a little one again and I don't know what I'll do! lol

Photos and school update

2008-09-08T16:05:00.002-04:00

My Serene little girl..something about this photo captivates me.
A sister-brother Hawaiian tea party...really that's what it was. These moments are so nice though not as often as I would like.

School Update: We are in Week Six of our new school year. So far the curriculum choices are a good fit. Get Ready for the Code and Get Set for the Code are great for Triple H because he can do them on his own with little to no instruction and this is nice for me. It is reinforcing his letter recognition and sounds and we are starting to work on reading three letter words. Today he read the word "big" all by himself. I also like Writing with Ease. Princess Poodle likes to hear the classic story excerpts and I like the open and go format. I am also using First Language Lessons for the well trained mind which I work in quite easily. Saxon 2 is a good fit. We are still in the review stage of the lessons but I think after too long of a summer the review is nice. Princess Poodle is getting the hang of adding two digit numbers with carrying and I'm so proud of her. She is also making progress in the ever dreaded math drill sheets.
We are on a break from history for one month so we can focus on science. I find it a little much to do these two subjects together so we have somewhat created a every other month rotation and it is working out nicely. Next year I may look into a science program or maybe not. I would like to do a couple of months on the human body and don't think we will get to that this year. I also want to hit the earth sciences sometime. I really need a long term plan but I work best from year to year. This week in science we are studying insects. We will talk about grasshoppers and crickets this week. Our science is pretty much a pieced together curriculum including Christian Liberty Nature Readers, some science spines, lots of library books, Magic School Bus videos, Animal Atlas videos, nature study and some experiments. Both the kids love their nature journals and take great pride in showing them off. I'll post some nature journal pics very soon.

Hope everyone is having a great school year.
Thanks for stopping by.

Some Pictures of Princess Poodles First Grade Work

2008-09-02T16:05:00.002-04:00

This is a picture from Language Lessons for the Very Young. Princess Poodle studied the picture and answered some questions about it. Then she got to create her own story based on the picture. I wrote her thoughts exactly as they came out. I thought her story made sense and followed a logical sequence.

Here is Princess Poodle's landscape from our Artistic Pursuits curriculum.
And here is her still life. We used watercolor crayons on both of these.

A New Attempt at Chores

2008-08-28T09:02:00.003-04:00

I am notorious for good ideas that I don't follow through on. Its a bit of a personality flaw I have. Even with my projects..I often get just done enough to enjoy the immediate results and then I have trouble finishing the project once I have that initial satisfaction. So I have tried the chore thing with the kids and it stopped because I didn't follow through.

Well I am trying again. I don't want lazy kids and see some bad habits developing already.

We are going on our family vacation to Disney in October. We are beyond excited. I know everyone looks forward to a vacation; a break from the normal routine. But somehow I think for a homeschooling mom and kids that anticipation is magnifide. We are home ALOT. I work really hard with school and get very little time to myself and Papa works very hard at his job and church activities and we don't spend as much time with him as we want to. So with the week to Disney coming up I developed a chore chart and the reward for a day's chores done, DISNEY DOLLARS. I made up pretend ones and the kids can earn one a day if they complete all their chores for the day. List of daily chores are as follows; make bed, get dressed, brush teeth, pick up downstairs toys that have lingered and have room clean before nightime room check. The kids are really doing well and I'm sure the incentive is part of that. Hopefully some habits will be developed in this process. The kids can also earn dollars for extra chores like helping me on bathroom cleaning day, dusting for me, or if I catch them doing something really good for no other reason than doing the right thing. The Disney dollars they earn will be what they use for buying fun things at Dinsey like a Micky doll or light up sword. Here's hoping for some better habits this fall and maybe to knock some of that laziness out of them.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Picture of Me if the kids get their chores done!

A Picture of me if they don't....ha ha ha.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-08-26T15:10:00.004-04:00

Here is my Wordless Wednesday Post: This is a tower that was outside our window in Belgium. I loved how it looked different throughout the day.

New House Projects

2008-08-26T13:56:00.004-04:00

Little Girl's Garden/Woodland Fairy Theme

Our new home is so nice. I don't have walls that need to be painted or cabinets that I must refinish. Really its so nice. However I am a project girl...it does something good for my spirit to create something. So I have decided to give my little girl an amazing room. I didn't even get to decorate her nursery due to seminary housing rules. She has chosen a woodland fairy theme. I wish I was an artist because my initial plans involved a wall size mural of a tree..but talent and money are lacking and so I must get creative. I will post updates of my new project. Today I got fabric swatches, a bird house that will become a fairy house and a pale yellow cover for her bed. I am waiting on some Fairy Wallies to come in the mail and then I will pick up a paintbrush and hope for the best. I also have some window treatments to make and a bistro set to redo for a garden tea party table. My husband is going to build her a window seat that will have two "window seats" one on each side and a desktop in the middle. Any ideas out there for a woodland/flower fairy theme just bring them on.

Here are the fabric swatches and what will become the fairy house.

Here is a picture of the window I must make curtains for. The window seat/desk area will go into this nook under the window. I will use one of the fabrics to cover the window seat cushions.

This is a canopy that will hang above her bed. I bought it very cheap at IKEA(it was made to go over a crib) and I am embellishing it with flowers to fit into the theme.

Some Curriculum Changes

2008-08-26T08:33:00.003-04:00

As always there comes a time for some curriculum tweaks or changes. We are into week 4 of the new school year and most everything is going great however I am going to make some changes.

Triple H has retained more of us letter recognition and sounds than I anticipated. We are going to continue with the three books from the Get Ready for the Code series from Explode the Code. I have taken out the SSRW handwriting pages because he is getting enough handwriting in the previously mentioned book. I have ordered the second workbook from the Kindergarten level of Sing Spell Read and Write. He is starting to roughly blend three letter words. So I anticipate adding this into our week sometime mid-year and going as slowly as necessary. He will have another whole year of PreK after this year so I don't feel a need to rush him but I feel he might get bored with the other curriculum sometime this year.

As for Princess Poodle's curriculum most everything is going well. Writing with Ease seems to be a good fit for her. She enjoys the narration days the most. Perhaps I should have started her in workbook 2 but I wanted to start at the foundation and build up. We are working on doing narrations in three to four sentences. Most days this comes easily to her, other days we work together to combine two sentences if necessary etc. Once we get to the part of the workbook where she copies down the narration I will only have her do "one thing you remember from the story" for awhile. She loves the picture study and story writing that I have pulled from Language Lessons for the Very Young. I do not do the copywork from that book however. I am also having her independently finish Spelling Workout A which we started last year. I don't know where spelling will go from there. I may buy a few of the Explode the Code books that I feel might solidify her phonics and have her work in those and perhaps readdress spelling in second grade. Poetry memorization is going well. So far she has three, The Swing, The Caterpillar, and Spring Magic. She likes this part of our day.

Saxon is going well except for the timed math facts. She does excellent with the flashcards but when she is timed she basically falls to pieces. There are two options here; one take away the timed factor or two ;keep it. Right now I am voting to keep it because I feel it is a skill which she must learn (meaning being timed) and learn how to manage the stress factor involved. Once in third grade she will take basic skills tests which will be somewhat timed and in life in general sometimes a timeframe is given. So I am increasing her drill practice, have lessened the number of problems I want her to complete and hopefully this will lead to success. I want her to know that she can do this.

History: a self put together curriculum for American History is going well. I feel a need for more hands on projects and know that will come with colonial days etc. Princess Poodle is loving the lapbook concept so I need to educate myself on this so we can make "cooler" ones.

Oh, I am finding that DVR on satelite is a tremendous help with school. I tape all the Magic School Bus cartoons, Animal Atlas and Liberty Kids. We are already using those that tie into our studies and I don't even have to go to the library to check them out. This is nice. Also having purchased more of our history/science living books this year is keeping our library trips down to once a week or every other week and this is wonderful because it is 20 minutes or more away and gas is crazy high!

I have rambled. Soon I will post pictures of some schoolwork the kids have been doing.

Thanks for stopping by.
Sheryl

Two HUGE pieces of my heart!

2008-08-20T21:41:00.002-04:00

Those eyes, that contented grin, that innocence. She may be my daughter but in ways we are kindred spirits. Is that possible to maintain?
My little man is all boy and oh how he loves his Mommy. I get the most kisses from him..everyday.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-19T08:57:00.002-04:00

From my last trip to the North GA. mountains, this is the view from my Daddy's front yard. I'm a little jealous.

School Update

2008-08-18T13:19:00.005-04:00

I tried really hard last year to do a weekly report of our schooling. Sometimes I found time other times I didn't. So I thought I'd try to do School Updates whenever I can. They might cover a week or maybe two or three. I'll post pics when I can and try to get in some of the kids.

Today has been a wonderful homeschool day. YOu know the the ones. Kids are up early and bright eyed and ready to school. We finished so much work this morning and all by 10 am. Princess Poodle is a schooling machine. She really stays focused for quite a long time for her age. Sometimes I feel that we are not schooling enough yet we seem to be getting so much done. Today is Monday and one of our lighter days meaning no history, science, or art scheduled in. Here is a breakdown of our morning.

School starts 8:30 after breakfast and kids are dressed.

Morning Meeting: we practice pledge, counting, money, math facts, theology questions, etc.

Math: We completed two Saxon lessons that really went together and we are still in the review lessons. Lessons were on patterns and creating some, some more stories, and some, some went away stories. For fun we used princess figurines and a tupperware bowl filled with water to be a swimming pool. All of our math stories were about swimming princesses. It was really fun and water makes anything more fun! Princess Poodle completed her fact sheet and daily worksheet with no problem while I helped Triple H on his Letter M pages from Get Ready for the Code. After he was done I let him play Nick Jr. on computer and went on to Language studies with PP. We completed two oral lessons from First Language Lessons, copywork from Writing with Ease, and she read the first chapter of A Lion To Guard Us out loud to me. This chapter book correlates with our history studies on Jamestown. So a great morning and done by 10 AM. We then went on to playdough via Triple H's request and then got some exercise skipping and singing to the Zip a dee doo da song on our disney cd. To top off the morning we headed to McDonalds (nasty I know) to get happy meals because they are Star Wars and even though the kids don't know Star Wars I had R2D2 underoos and love all the Star Wars movies. After lunch we read three stories from Old Mother West Wind which is a HUGE hit with both kids. And now they are tucked safely in their beds for an hour of rest time and I get to get on the computer. After rest its time to make homemade cookies together and take some to a friend to commend her first day of second grade.

We are in week three of our first quarter and it is going quite well. Princess Poodle loves history like last year. We are learning about explorers of North and South America and she is making her first lap book. I 'll post pics of it soon. She has learned her new poem The Caterpillar and recites it with quite the dramatic flair. Of course she does everything with a dramatic flair. You should have heard and seen her practicing softball last night. Can a softball player move like a ballerina and create stories while playing? Hmmm we'll have to see about that one.

In Science we are learning about mammals and incorporating this into our nature studies. We learned about squirrels and then went on a nature exploration in Gramma and Grandaddy's backyard in search of squirrels. She got to see how they use their front paws like hands, how they jump and leap when the move, how they circle up a tree instead of straight up, and how they can balance on a thin fence. Below is a pic of one of the squirrels we "caught".

Awana starts this Wednesday, softball very soon, Brownies (all homeschooling troup), and Co-op in September; she is going to be a very busy girl. I'm just so thankful that she is home with me and not away all day. I am thankful for the cuddling during our stories today. I am thankful for seeing her skip around the house in her undies(they get dressed I swear but it never seems to last) to the tune of Zip a dee doo da. I am thankful for Triple H saying out of the blue "You are the bestest Mommy in the whole world" I'm not but its nice to hear anyway. I am thankful ...why can't I show this more ..to my sweet hardworking husband, to my God.. both of which make this possible. I want to be thankful more and complain less. I want to be content and joyful more times than not. One day at a time...
Here he is. I think Grandaddy said his name was Henry. I had to snap the pic fast...they don't stay in one place for long.

THanks for stopping by

Sheryl

For Art Lovers

2008-08-10T20:06:00.001-04:00

The one and only Mona Lisa. Interestingly she didn't become really famous until about 100 years ago. The story is fascinating and involves an artist known for not finishing his works, a commom lady, a "love affair" with Napolean and a theft from the Lourve which really brought this painting into the paparazzi's spotlight.
I really wanted to see a Degas. Princess Poodle loves his work of the ballet dancers but the only one we found was of a nude woman. I still showed it to her and she can't believe we saw an orginal Degas.
Now I loved this one. I had seen alot of Monets in art books but this winter scene I love more than his water lillies. Its very moody in person.
This is the ceiling of one corridor in the Louvre. Unbelievable in person. Inside this corridor sit two coronation crowns of Louis the something. Jewels are so big they look fake. I think I could make a pretty good replica by going to Claire's and getting a hot glue gun.

Here is the Wedding Feast at Cana. The size of this painting is in itself amazing. Many of the paintings are wall size and you wonder how they got them here.

To enter the musuem you go through the famous glass pyramid. I get it..something old recreated to look modern. You have to pass through this blend of the old and new to enter the museum. The musuem itself is huge. We spent 3 1/2 hours in there and didn't see everything. It wasn't crowded that day. The tour de France was ending in Paris that day and many people had flocked to that event. I was surprised by how close we were able to get to these famous paintings. Security must be all behind the scenes because it wasn't really present in the musuem except for a few people here and there keeping a close eye on kids. I really enjoyed the section of the musuem dedicated to ancient aritifacts. Eygyptian statues, Athenian pottery, Hammarabi's Code, real hieroglyphics...wow. And I found it interesting that paintings that moved me most or caught my attention were pieces of obscurity that I had never heard of before. Steven and I are not very artistic people and yet we both enjoyed our time there except for the thousands of stairs you take which took a toll on my legs and his knees!!

Soon to come: Notre Dame, The Church of our Lady, some comments on Bruge, Greek Alley, and more.

A New School Year and a New Learning Room

2008-08-10T19:45:00.003-04:00

We got the table and chairs from IKEA awhile back and they work great! The school room gets alot of natural light in the morning which is nice for school time. Red folder organizer hanging in the back holds daily work folders which the kids can pull down for school time. I fill these over the weekend for the next week. I borrowed this idea from Jessica at Trivium Academy. Thanks!
This is our wall of maps and the kids artwork. The art lessons are coming from Artistic Pursuits. The kids love the program and I'm just happy to have them getting messy and learning a little in the process. I don't feel I have really had a good day unless at the end of it I know they learned something, had some fun, and got a little messy. These days don't happen everyday but I love it when they do.
So far this wall has our skip counting strips and a word wall which I will use to put hard to spell words etc. I have a morning meeting in the corner on the left. Here we cover math concepts like money practice, counting, the kids practice their theology questions (Westmin. Cat. for kids) and we say the pledge, say our morning prayer, and will practice poetry memorization or songs etc. The kids have loved having this morning meeting together. It takes the place of the math meeting used in the Saxon curriculum.
This is our "butlers pantry" or at least thats what they told me it was called. I use the top (not seen) to hold plates and nice glasses. The bottom is used for homeschool storage and our daily binders/teacher manuals etc. Our kitchen came with two pantries. I was shocked. I use one for food and the other is all homeschool organization. Both the above shelves and the pantry are placed leading into the school room (dining room) and that makes their location very handy. I will one day have to add some bookshelves but for now we are set for storage.

I still feel the room needs some color but I don't want to add a rug because of the above mentioned messy projects. This is technically the dining room and seen when you enter the front door so I won't paint the walls some crazy color. Some plants or a fish tank or something might help it seem more alive in there. So there it is....our new school room. Its so nice having a room just for school and I find that the kids gravitate to them room even in non-school time to color or create a project. Hopefully we can fill the room with a wondeful school year. Here we go!!!

Parade of Pictures Part I

2008-08-09T12:40:00.004-04:00

Uhaul ready to be loaded and taken to new house.
Picture of new house. Its a craftsman style and needs some flowers for color!
View outside our hotel room in Belgium. I took this at sunset one night.
Pic of me and the eiffel tower behind me.

Me and my world traveling man in front of the Seine river and Notre Dame (spelling is wrong I am sure but I'm too busy to go look it up.

Notre Dame and me admist a sea of people.
High Speed train from Belgium to Paris. It was amazing. The glass pyramid at the Louvre.

More to pics to come another day and hopefully some time to put all this into words that do it some justice.

I'm Back in the Cyber World

2008-08-09T09:21:00.003-04:00

Today we finally got internet! Took long enough didn't it. I will make many posts later. Today I need to clean and then its off to the movies with three old and dear friends for a girls day out.
We are in our new home. It is beautiful and more home than this simple GA girl really knows what to do with but I am thankful. I have a school room which has been so wonderful. Steven and I will appreciate it and care for it but will continue to remind ourselves that it is just a house and something we need to be able to let go of when God's time is right.
Steven and I got to go to Belgium and France. Paris was truly amazing and Bruge was so lovely and quaint. I have spent hours touring the Lourve, eaten a hotdog (or what they call a hotdog) under the Eiffel Tower with my sweetheart, taken a boatride down the Seine and toured the Venice of the North by a boat in the canals. And I have had my share of plane rides!!!

School has started and so my mind races with American History and Mammals at the moment. I am still adjusting to a new home even though it is still in the same town. I guess it was a final goodbye to what I knew and loved for three years..living next door to two wonderful friends and being connected with our neighbors.

Our adoption situation looks bleak. Our agency is struggling. Steven and I are unsure what to do and at the rate China is moving with the adoption we will be having Princess Poodles' highschool graduation. Lord what do we do? We need him to show us what to do.

Anyways, I will post with pics later. Lots to show and share.

To all my friends living far away...I miss you like crazy and am glad to be back in touch. To anyone who reads this crazy blog out in cyberspace..I promise to get back in the swing of posting about our school.

Thanks for stopping by
Sheryl

Moving and school postponed

2008-06-28T12:37:00.004-04:00

Real Quick update:

Our home sold in three weeks.
We move in two days.
Will be off line for a week or so.
See you real soon!

In Loving Memory of my Mamaw

2008-06-17T18:18:00.002-04:00

My Mamaw

She was almost 88 years old. She lived in the mountains of North Georgia all her life. I remember visiting her and my Papaw there as a child. The lived in a small trailer at the base of a mountain and beside a cemetary. They never had much money. Usually they didn't have enough. But their trailer and the land it sat on was kept as if it were a mansion; always clean and tidy and groomed. My Mamaw was a strong woman. She loved to camp and I have good memories of camping with her and my Papaw. She was a girly girl. Anything that sparkled and shined caught her eye. I remember her home being filled with all sorts of collectibles. I remember this "tacky" lamp that would change colors. I remember her love of big shiny jewlery. She was strong and feminine..what a perfect combination. She was hard on my Papaw; a man that deserves nothing less than a book to hold all the words that would honor him. But she loved him and has missed him immensely from the day that he died. I didn't see my Mamaw as much as I should have over the past few years. She did get to meet and hold both my son and daughter and for that I am thankful. My Mamaw was a believer in the Lord and I know where she is now. And I can't help but think that the mansion that God has prepared for her is full of sparkle and shine. I have only one thing from my Mamaw and I have kept it for nearly 20 years. It is a small breakable figurine of a little girl praying on bended knee. I am sure that she bought it for a dollar or less but it means the world to me. I find it fitting that this figurine is all I have from her...its almost like she and my Papaw are reminding me to be like a child before the Lord and it is a reminder that in this life there is no better position to be in than on bended knee. There is no better or more worthy lesson that she could have left me with than that.
I love you Mamaw.

PreK Curriculum Choices 2008/2009

2008-06-06T16:52:00.000-04:00

PreK 4 Curriculum 2008/2009

Language Lessons for Little Ones(picture study, oral lessons)
Get Ready For the Code
Handwriting: SSRW Kinder Pages
Math Games, Manipulatives, Number Board
Artistic Pursuits K-2 Book One
Science and History with sister

1st Grade Curriculum 2008/2009

2008-06-04T23:27:00.004-04:00

1st Grade Curriculum 20008/2009 (still fine tuning)

First Language Lessons
Writng with Ease
Spelling Workout A then B
Abeka Cursive (second half of year and going slow)
Math Saxon 2
American History with spine, projects, and living books
WeeSing America CD
Story of the World: Early Modern with Co-op
Story of the World Early Modern CD's (dd listens before co-op class)
Usborne First Encyclopedia of Animals
Nature Study/My Nature Journal:Olmstead for focus
Artistic Pursuits K-2 Book One (Taking a Break from this to do the one listed below)
Discovering Great Artists by Kohl
Co-op classes: Art, Music, Science, History (1 hour each)
Westminster Catechism for Children for memory work
Awana Program at church

Two pics I took at a friends wedding

2008-06-04T14:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Kindergarten Graduation Princess Poodle!

2008-05-28T17:09:00.002-04:00

I'm joining the circus!

2008-05-23T13:36:00.006-04:00

I have never wanted to run away to the circus. Run away to an enchanted island..sure. Run away to some remote house on the beach that seeps of character and just calls me to write a novel..of course. But never the circus...well I think I have joined one unintentionally. I am a....Juggler. Like so many other moms are. I now find myself juggling more than ever. With out house newly on the market I am juggling the extra housework, the cooking, the entertaining of two hot and bored kids, the lesson planning,the exercising,the church going, the errand running..so many balls in the air at once. Not that I'm completely complaining. The balls are bright and vibrant in color and my mind enjoys the challenge of it all. But sometimes I let the stress seep in and when I do I drop one of the beautiful colored balls. Good thing though...these balls don't break they bounce and can be picked up again. So if you find yourself in a brightly colored tent throwing colored balls in the air..don't feak out; you are not alone. Keep smiling and practicing and remember if they drop they won't break. And I guess if I don't make it as a juggler I could always be a clown.

Thanks for stopping by.

More Goodbyes..

2008-05-09T07:49:00.002-04:00

Our precious cat Skeeter is gone. She has just vanished. I have looked at shelters, on road sides, in other neighborhoods. She is gone. Skeeter was an unusual cat. She walked beside us when we took walks around the neighborhood. She was a constant companion much like a dog. She loved to have her belly rubbed. She would never ever raise a claw to my kids. She longed to sleep on Princess Poodles bed but due to allergies in the family she had to sleep outside and she did. On a blanket right by our door. She was good cat. She was part of the family. She kept me company during the day and placed herself where the kids and I would be. She slept with me one night while dh was away and I was having a bad day. I don't know where she is. I don't know if she is dead or thirsty or wanting to find her way home. I know my sadness is silly in the eyes of many. But I'm hurting over her loss. Part of me wishes I could bury her so we would have some closure. Yesterday Princess Poodle came running and crying from our woods saying she saw her laying dead between two trees. It turned out to be a striped tree fallen down but I could see how she thought it was her. I miss my Skeeter who I called Skittle Doo. I know we will have other pets but she was unique and will forever be that way in my heart.

Fairy Tales and Imagination

2008-05-07T11:05:00.004-04:00

Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist.

Children already know that dragons exist.
Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.
-G.K. Chesterton

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.
If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
-Albert Einstein.

These are some quotes I read on another homeschool blog posted by a sweet lady by the name of Jennefer. Having the child-like spirit that I do and doing all I can to raise kids with a good imagination and spirit that dreams, I had to post these as well.

Now go spend some quality time playing make-believe with your kids. I'm off to be a pirate on a ship that is being attacked by Captain Hook.

Sheryl

Finally a School Table Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-03T13:14:00.002-04:00

Here it is thanks to my sweet dh and affordable IKEA. Our first school table complete with adjustable legs so it will come down to the kids size and grow with them too. Not to mention serve as an extra seating area when friends and family are over. Now Princess Poodle doesn't have to do her school work squatting in the dining room chair anymore in order to reach the table. I am so excited. With the possiblity of putting our house on the market I have had to take everything out of the school room because its the dining room but one day this table will be surrounded with maps and charts and lots of artwork done by the kids of course. I can't wait to use the table but for now its 6 weeks of summer break!