Lion's Park

Our favorite park days are at Lion's Park. Shade for the moms, space for the kids to explore but still be in sight....

What do teens do who are too old for the park? Weird stuff...

Haiti pictures from Amy

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My cousin's trip to Haiti.

My beautifu, wonderful cousin, Amy, went on a 10 day missions trip to Haiti. Although you can't see her model-like, svelt, sofisticated, georgous face and figure in this picture -- you can see her model-for-Christ, georgous spirit.

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One of the BEST Resources for Catholic Homeschool Highschool

We have really been impressed with Homeschool Connections. Dd#1 took a Homeschool Connections Latin Class! (because I've assisted as far as I can without actually knowing Latin and now it's time to outsourse.)

Jenn's Top 10 Reasons to Love Homeschool Connections

1. It's Catholic. Genuinely Catholic, not pretending so they can get an agenda across, just lovingly, happily, Catholic.


2. The teacher, Alecia Rollings, seems to genuinely enjoy working with the kids. She made the class fun and Dd#1 really appreciated her encouraging feedback.


3. The way the kids can interact with each other using the rolling text chat helps them tease, have fun and get to know each other. Within the first few classes, we were tossing around names of kids whom I'd never met, but with whom Dd#1 seemed to have made a connection. (a "homeschool connection")


4. She learned a TON and I DIDN'T have to disrupt anyone else's school and I DIDN'T have to get everyone out of the house (it can be like herding cats) and I DIDN'T have to drive around town and I DIDN'T have to waste time in the car and I DIDN'T have to pay for gas....so many things about this work for me.


5. It was really easy to use Homeschool Connection's software program and they walked us right through technical difficulties. Actually, they tried valiantly to help us with technical difficulties -- the real problem was my kids in the next room needed to quiet down. All we had to buy was a headset/mic from Walmart and we were cooking with gas!


6. Dd#1 really liked the video feed on the teacher. Having non-verbal feedback (a smile) to her mistakes made her feel welcome and at ease.


7. A few hours after she attended the class, she could hear the recording of the class (in case her siblings were too loud during that part) or if she had to miss a class, she didn't actually miss any information.


8. Dd#1 submitted all the homework directly to the teacher who graded it. Homeschool Connections doesn't keep records for the kids' grades, but the teacher does assign a grade at the end of the class.


9. It was the cheapest "live" Latin class she could attend that I could find -- but seriously not cheap on quality of education. Of all the classes in town I could drive her to and all the classes online I could sign her up for -- it was really inexpensive.


10. She has also liked the "auditing" feature of classes. In the spring, we took advantage of their 7 days for $1 to survey any of their pre-recorded classes. Dd#1 chose a class she was interested in (Tolkein with Dr. Robert F. Gotcher) and she listened to and did the work of that pre-recorded class for a week while I reduced her school load in other classes. So, she took an 8-week course, submitted the homework to me, and I could give her credit for it. The 7days/$1 deal is a one-time-offer. We'll definately be signing up for their $30/month subscription to get access to all their pre-recorded classes. Dd#1 said it was a little frustrating when she couldn't answer a question she knew, but for the price -- I'm ok with that!

Kolbe High School Combinations

I love how Kolbe entertwines so much together. I really wasn't satisfied with American History as it fit in with World History and not it's own separate subject. This is a possible schedule I came up with.

So we'll be following a modified Kolbe plan for high school.

Quote of the Day

Today, Ds#5 who is potty training, woke up with a dry diaper.
Mama :

Good BOY!! Go potty like a big boy!

I took him to the bathroom and watched him walk in. I didn't stay with him the way I've been insisting the bigger kids do when they take him to the potty.

A few minutes later I heard a blood curdling scream and indistinguishable verbalizations coming from Dd#2.
Mama:

What's wrong?

Dd#2:

He's PEEING in the REFRIGERATOR!!!

Sure enough, he was.

I sent Dd#2 up to her room to compose herself and cleaned up the mess. While I was doing that both the older boys incredulously asked why the 2 year old would do such a thing. I reassured them he wasn't trying to be as naughty as he'd been. I was sure that after walking into the bathroom it occured to him he'd rather spend his time eating just then than going potty. He opened the fridge door and as soon as the cold air hit his naked lower half, his full bladder couldn't be controlled.

I win for having today's oddest quote of the day. When I dreamed of being a wife and a mother, that wasn't one of the phrases I'd anticipated hearing from my children.

"How do you do it all?"

I get this question alllllll the time. Really, I DON'T do it all.


I think what the questioner is really asking is how do I get school done with the normal tasks of running a home. I firmly believe that homeschooling is not more difficult than being a good parent. Homeschooling is an extension of being a good parent and the same life-skills apply.

A friend of mine told me that although I insist I'm not a routine/scheduled person by nature, that with a houseful of kids....a girl has to develop survival techniques. That's what these are--survival techniques. I don't survive gracefully or silently -- I'm barely making it through some days. I am, however, surviving with JOY!

How do I do it all? I go to sleep each night asking forgiveness for my sins and strength for my weak areas and wake up in the morning and WITH GOD'S GRACE do it all over again.

Jenn's Routines (or suvival strategies) We do it together as much as possible. I oversee to make sure things get done and they are the worker bees.


In addition to the kids doing a reasonable amount of the cleaning (since they're doing the majority of the messing up), I have some systems in place for running the house. I do meal planning and here and here especially through the school year. I have a master shopping list and keep lists everywhere (and loose them, too.)

I cut myself slack. Mom's Night Outs are essential, life-giving evenings for me. I make sure that my prayer life and emotional well-being are being attended to. This is a fine line. I've seen moms neglecting the needs of their children to attend to their own needs and this is what our culture encourages. That isn't what I'm saying. I'm also not a door mat. Balance is difficult, but essential. We have breaks through the year that work for our family.

I keep a running list of curriculum items I want to explore when I have 10 minutes or an evening. I find this helps tremendously. I organize the list by subject, but you could just as easily organize it by age. Even if the book is something that's far far in the future, I still put it down to explore later. This is one less item to worry about forgetting. I can forget it guilt-free because once a year I go back to my running list and see if anything will apply to the upcomming year and toss it in the hopper of items to consider (and mostly reject.)

I keep a list of our schedule for the year. I did mine in a spreadsheet (it's just the way I think- I started on paper) and this way I can print a schedule for each child or set of children. Our schedule is done in a Manager's of their Homes method with the heart of A Mother's Rule of Life. I found both of these (seeming opposing) methods of scheduling to reside nicely in the dichotomy that is my mind. We only do "book work" 4 days a week and the 5th day we run errands, do many of our "extra curriculuar" activities and have fun.

I combine children in subject areas as much as possible. This serves 2 purposes -- I have less to teach and the kids can bounce off each other when we have crafts/discussions/activities. I also keep us on the same topic even if they're in different books. So, Dd#1 is reading the Odyssey while the younger kids are learning about the Ancient Greeks. The same purposes apply as above. I also have the kids teach each other where appropriate. I taught preschool ONCE. My 1st grader/3rd grader/5th grader / 9th grader are all happy for a little sandbox play to teach preschool. I make sure they have time in their schedule so they're not getting overwhelmed with work, but so far, they all count it joy. No one has offered to take over teaching the kindergardener to read, so I'll do that 5 times (lucky me.)

Toddlers are a force to be reckoned with -- prepare to meet them head on or be bowled over by them. I have a list of Things To Do With Your Toddler While You Homeschool and here. The list works for 3 year olds as well as, if not better than, it did when they were 2 years old. I'm also a fan of school in the bathroom. All my kids love baths and a rowdy 2 year old is contained in the bath. I take 1 other kid and while I sit in the bathroom (trying to stay dry from all the splashing) I work with the older child.

So those are most of my survival tricks.

Menu Plan Mondays

I like the title -- I know, I know, it's Thursday...WhatEVER!

M - Mac & Cheese w/broccoli (lunch)
Salad w/ fixins & cold left-over salmon & Soup & Homemade Buscuits (dinner)

T - Chips, Salsa, refried beans, cheese & apples
Meatball Hoagies & Corn on the cob & mango slices

W - Ham & swiss sandwiches, pretzels & fruit
Ministrone soup (substituting beef broth for the chicken & adding a little thyme) w/ left-over steak chunks & Salad & Homemade rolls

Th - SOS (Creamed Dried Beef on Toast) & fruit
Chicken Gyros

F - Egg Salad Sandwiches & fruit
Cod

S - Hotdogs w/ chili sauce
Stir Fry w/left-over chicken & fried rice

S - Salad w/ left-over ham slices & chkn & rice soup (w/ left-over fried rice)
Chicken Ka-bobs

To Nap or not to Nap -- that is the question.

I will need this advice on tired tots giving up naps in the next school year. So I'm placing this post HERE so I won't forget when I need a nap, and so does Ds#5, but he refuses and we're both cranky and tired.

Our Favorite Toddler Preschool Book

It's a series, but each book can stand on it's own.
The Good Dog Carl series by Alexandra Day is my FAVORITE series for young children. The mom leaves the dog in charge of the baby and they have all sorts of (naughty) fun together. My preschoolers have always loved telling the pictures, "No, no, Carl." while loving Carl so much. There are almost no words, so you have to 'read the pictures,' which young children prefer, anyway. The paintings are so lovely for the illustrations in the book. We have our favorites in the series...what's yours?

Toddler time

As my 2 year old becomes a 3 year old in the fall of the upcoming school year, I'm trying to have a plan for him as well as the big kids on down. In my research I'm loving this post. Despite all the busyness of my life, this is what I really think about young children.

For the Fish Lover in your house

Do you have a fish lover in your house? Dave loves his 55 gallon aquarium. He's always looking for a new place to keep fish. I saw this and thought of him. For only $225 (+ s&h) I can give him the Fish 'n Flush.

Dave's comment :

Let’s not….

But it would make it easier to dispose of them in the end.

Book Review : Faith, Science, and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge

I just bought a copy of Faith, Science, and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge and I'm so glad I did. It's an exceptional work!

I was looking for something a little more Catholic than all the books I could find on the Creationism vs. Evolution debate to supplement our Biology for 9th grade. It looks like there are some great books out there on Creationism, Faith and Dawin, but none of them are quite where we are.

It's not a thick book at 292 pages, fully indexed. You can view the contents pages of the 12 chapters, and a snippet of the first chapter here. Faith, Science, and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge lends a reverence to science as 'love of God through exploration of nature.' It brings faith down to earth by defining it and discussing it as an almost tangible part of our experience -- something readily available rather than ethereal.

It's not cheap at $35, but it's also GEORGOUS!! Many of the pictures have an astronomy/universe look to them (something a Star Trek junkie can appreciate). The paper quality is good, so it feels good in my hands.

This was designed as a 12th grade Theology (philosophy?) course. I think I'll use it all 4 years and just slip chapters in where applicable in her studies.

There's so much here that's applicable to today while always drawing us to the Divine Nature of God. The reading level is closer to 12th grade and while the writing style is accessible, it's not something I can pick up and put down. It's meaty stuff and I have to digest this book. I'm reading Faith, Science, and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge cover to cover *just for fun* and loving it!!

Family Canoeing on a Sunday afternoon

We had a lovely Sunday afternoon canoeing with the kids. (I had the easy kids, so mine was more relaxing. Dave had the rowdy 3 including the 2 yr old in his canoe -- less relaxing for him.)

We went to Trading Post Canoes up in Mongo, Indiana (wherever THAT is? like an hour away) and took the 4 mile trip. It took us around 2 hrs (when it was taking everyone else an hour), but we really enjoyed it. It was all of our kids' first time canoeing and my first time on a canoe trip (that I recall). It was pretty funny what a difficult time we had manoevering the boats until we got the hang of it. We thought it was funniest that the younger boys 8 & 10 (with the exception of the 2 year old) were pretty good at padding and more adept at manovering the canoe straight.

We'll have to do it again! Anyone want to join us next time?

Homeschool moms take the plunge

Two unnamed homeschool moms dangle 100 feet above the ground and risk everything to teach their children "Be Not Afraid!"

There's more than corn in Indiana.

Star Wars Party for a 10 year old boy

Smokey Mountains Vacation

Travel Pictures

The Alamo Steak House had FANTASTIC food! Their steaks were incredible and Dd#1 had a Southwest Chicken Wrap that was FABULOUS! We ate there for lunch and had a 15% discount from a coupon book we got at the Pigeon Forge Walmart. For 6 people, we spent $60 on lunch, not including tip. It was WORTH IT!

We ate breakfasts in the cabin and dinners and ate out for lunches.

The Red Rooster had the BEST breakfasts!! Mad Dog Creamery had the most incredible ice cream!!One thing we had a hard time accomodating was planning our eating times. Leaving enough time on the trails to get back to the car and drive through town, then choose a restaurant and wait for the food -- we were STARVING most of the time. There was almost no place to park in Gatlinburg (for free) and everyone just walked the parkway. That didn't work so well for us. We wanted to save our energy for hiking...not getting from our car and back when we wanted to stop somewhere.

The kids LOVED doing THE TRACK - they had mini golf with zoo statues, go karts, bumper boats, and a kiddie land.
1.3 mile hike up a paved path to Laurel Falls.

The elevation change was 400 ft and we took Ds#5 in a stroller. It was a LOT of work! The falls were cool (figuratively and literally) but not worth the effort in my book. It was REALLY neat that Dave could take the kids for a rock climb down and up the falls. Ds#4 had a REALLY hard time minding and when Ds#3 got ahead of Dave, Ds#4 just followed suit. Dave was not happy!

"Thank you, Sissy, for giving me your sweatshirt to make me warm!"

Prettiest view in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky & Tennessee!

2010 Summer School & Chore Plan

The kids will be learning tennis through Lifetime Sports Academy this summer for FREE!

Summer school will be June & July

• We'll do Mapping the World with Art with all the kids.
• The 2 school-aged boys will also do Exploring Creation with Botany
• The girls will finish up Ellen McHenry's The Elements : Ingredients of the Univers (Chemistry).
• Dd#1 will also be taking a short online summer camp for Latin through Homeschool Connections.

In addition to summer school, the each of the kids have a few subjects they need to finish up from the school year. Anyone not on grade level, will have to continue that subject through the summer as well.

• Ds#4 puzzle books & math drills
• Ds#3 reading, spelling & math drills
• Dd#2 grammar book & math book
• Dd#1 spelling & math book

We'll also do our annual chore training for May. Summer will continue training in their new chore so they'll be prepared to fly alone by the time school begins in the fall.

• Ds#4(8yrs old) off trash/half bath/kitchen floor - onto emptying the dishwasher
• Ds#3(10) off laundry - onto keeping the kitchen clean
• Dd#2(12) off kitchen cleaning - onto cooking dinner all year
• Dd#1(14) off budgeting, choosing meals, shopping for & cooking all meals - onto....ummmnnnn....uhhhh.....

This is a tough call. My master plan was that they'd know how to do each chore for the family by the time they were 13. She's succeeded.

I don't know how difficult high school will be for her and don't want to rely on her around the house if she'll need the time to study. I don't want her siblings being slaves to her while she lounges around, either. I was hoping to help them learn to juggle multiple responsibilities in their teens, but that's not really a chore. I guess I'll give her Ds#4's responsibilities and expect a MUCH higher quality of work than a 7yr old. Trash/bathrooms & kitchen floor are things EVERYONE but the 2yr old knows how to do, so if she needs let up on some work anyone can jump in AND she should be able to do them easily and quickly. I'm sure I'll continue to ask her to do jobs as she sees they need done and she's getting pretty good at that. I don't think the other kids will understand, though....

Book Review : Great Adventure Kids - Bible study packets for elementary kids

WOW!! I'm so impressed with Great Adventure Kids. This will be our 2nd time through Great Adventure (we did it 4 years ago with our Jr. High girl before T3 or Epic came out) and I was concerned that the adult version would be too boring for my 2nd Jr. High girl. I ordered Great Adventure Kids for the younger boys from All Saints bookstore and it's WONDERFUL! I needed to get an extra coloring book.

The timeline chart is the HEART of the program. I understand the kids chart so much better than I did the adult chart (maybe I'm just better with the pictures). I also love that it gives the important stories. I get so overwhelmed trying to read the kids every story in the Golden Children's Bible. We get behind and I don't know what to do. I can be sure and hit the 4 major stories per time period and any other stories I fit in are just gravy!

We do school 4 days a week and this is my plan:

2 days a week we'll do bible stories. On Tues & Thursdays for the elementary kids we'll :

• start with the prayer on the back of the chart for that period using the prayer beads.
• read over the whole chart up to the period we're in
• review 1 memory verse for the week
• read the bible story and color the picture
• ask the kids if they can recite the memory verse and tell me items on the chart
• have the kids do a narration
• for Wednesday, they can play the card game and do an activity from Old Testament Days

Fridays we'll cover some catechism, big-picture sorts of discussions.

I'll want to do something to cover the 6 covenants -- maybe we'll bake/decorate cookies for each covenant or make a shrinky dink mobile ... I got GREAT ideas from a blog about crafting with the Covenants ... I'm getting so excited about next year!

Book Review : All Things Girl

My girls LOVE this series of Catholic books about gowing up in the dignity of being a daughter of the KING. They are fun, kicky, and they've really enjoyed doing a club with 2 other lovely Catholic girls this past year using the Leader's Guide.

The All Things Girl books are VERY pricey -- but I haven't been one bit sorry for the expense -- WONDERUL resources!

http://atgseries.com/ Just click on the "catalog" button to take a look at the books