Yes, you make me feel like dancing....

What has me in such a mood?  Well, life at the moment does.  As I look back on our school year I see that we have done a lot even though I thought it was not much.  We have kept up with our nature studies.  We are always on the lookout for a new bird, plant, animal anything nature.  We had some fun nights using the Crayola glow in the dark chalk.  

 

Even though some are camera shy we have fun in our venture of helping those that are deaf. 

 It was a cold day and we are still out helping the deaf. This was a cold, windy day and yes, I have two glasses on my head.  One for the sun and one to read.  No fun getting old.  Oh well....

 

We are learning a new language as a family.  American Sign Language is a beautiful language and it's right up my alley.  Didn't you know I like to act up?  ASL is perfect for acting and performing.   

We also had  "farm boy" out with us one day and I happened to find a wheat field.  So "farm boy" gets out to show my middle son the wheat.  Son and "farm boy" got some left over wheat from the side of the road and got the seeds out.  

So yes I feel like dancing at all we have learned this past year.  There is so much more I haven't posted but this is a sneak peak at some of our fun.  

The Soap Lady

A friend of ours makes soaps as their business.  Homeschool families are so creative.  I love the Almond Oatmeal soap.  My order is in and getting it Sunday since that is the only day we will see each other for some time. 

It's been a while

Yes, it's been a while.  I've been busy working on getting my medications straight.  If you are interested, I'm still working on this one.  I've also been enjoying the cooler weather.  The boys and I got the garden going.  We have some tomatoes almost ready to harvest.  We planted green beans, peas, cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and some zinnias.  I'm still thinking about what else to plant.  I still have space in that garden.  Any suggestions?  

We've embarked on a family learning experience.  We are learning sign language.  We have been learning a lot and can now at least understand what is being said by our deaf friends.  When we decided to do this as a family we went to the big chain book stores and got some ASL dictionaries.  This is great for learning words but our question was how to do you speak in ASL.  It's not like speaking in english.  We searched and found a site for ASL grammar.  I got the books in pdf and we have started to figure out how the grammar for ASL works.      

Here I am at one of our sign language practice classes at a friends house.  I think there were about 25 of us learning that day.  Of course it was fun eating the food too.  That was a lot of fun.  We have been driving to a congregation meeting in sign language out of town.  That has been lots of fun also. 

We took a trip to the Houston zoo and really enjoyed the cool breeze that day.  We have also taken days off of school to accomplish other learning experiences.  Also days off with hubby have been fun even if we just stayed home and just did work around the house.  It's the best time of the year when the cold stops and it's just mild enough to be outside in shorts.  That is when we take time off.  It's not much time we have when the weather is perfect to be outside.  We always say our winter is maybe 3months, spring is about 3 weeks and our hot and humid summer is the rest.  BLAH!  


Now that summer is coming on in South Texas it will be time for finishing up our school year.  I hope to be posting some more now.  Nice to be back.

We Need a Change Soon

We have watched several documentaries lately about food, industry, corn, and the progressive disregard for nature and the natural way of living.  Our earth and our bodies are in desperate need of healing.



I'm glad there are people out there that do these type of documentaries.  These are eye opening dvd's.  A word of warning...although these are documentaries I would not allow small children to watch.  My 12 year old actually left the room because it was too much for him.  So watch with caution around the littles but watch and learn. 

Need Me Some Recharging

I have a few posts saved for posting but I just need to take a break right now.  I'm taking a break from all things that require extra time from me.  I am hoping that when I get back to posting I will be recharged.  

Life can get a bit overwhelming at times........

Yes It Did!!! We have SNOW!

It snowed hard this morning.  Now remember this will be gone tomorrow and in a few days temperatures are supposed to be up in the 70's.  That is Texas weather for you.  

 

My poor hibiscus.  It still had flowers on it.  

 

We were all dressed and ready to go this morning but the boys had to have a snowball fight before leaving.  Public school was still going on.  So we went and got my nephew who is in public school so that he could enjoy a SNOW DAY.  They all had fun. 

We Are Waiting........

We have been very busy this week with some extra volunteer work and we are going out again tomorrow.  Our normal school work is getting done but on a lighter schedule.  For now, we will be waiting, we are waiting tonight.  There is anticipation, there is a sense of hope.  For what?  Well, I've lived in Texas all my life.  Now remember this is South Texas.  We have lots of heat and humidity.  We may have a handful of freezes a year and that is it.  By a handful I mean maybe 5 days here and there.  

So the excitement is building for SNOW!  Our forecast says up to one inch of snow.  I know you northerners will laugh but the first snow I remember was in 1995 and my snowball had dirt and grass in it.  We did get what they call the snow of the century in 2004.  We got over a foot of snow.  I have pictures to prove it.  

I drove in the stuff till around 2 in the morning because I went to pick up a friend at the airport.  What normally is a 2hr drive from Houston to my home took around 8hrs because of this snow.  Go ahead and laugh!  I know, I've lived in New Jersey and have driven in the stuff before but in South Texas there is no need for snow plows or salt.  It never snows, right?  Except on the rare occasion and when that happens everyone stays home and plays in the snow.

 

So the excitement is building.  We will be out for a short time in the morning doing our volunteer work then home to make some chili for dinner.  We are all hoping this snow doesn't turn out to be a dud for us.  If it snows we are taking us a snow day and I will have my camera handy.  Not to worry though, the snow will be gone fast and our temperatures are supposed to be back up to the low 70's in a few days.  That's South Texas for you.     

Schooling and Health Issues

I don't usually talk much about the health issues that I am living with.  I try my best to leave it out and just talk about schooling and what the kids do but I figured there are some out there dealing with health issues.  

Learning from others that are having the same issues has helped me in learning what is normal for my body.  There are a few local friends that I have learned have RA although all are at least 10 years older than myself.  Having rheumatoid arthritis has changed my life in many ways.  

I am the primary teacher at home.  So how does this mother/teacher do it all?  I have no idea. hehehe  Did you think I was going to say something inspiring?  Not coming out of my mouth.   Those of you who know me personally know that I love to laugh.  I think that has helped.  I'm not constantly crying over what I can't do or what I would love to do.  Ok, I do say I would like to do this or that.  I am happy and content to watch others enjoy their experiences and travels.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be hiking or just go out for long walks every day.  I know my limits and I know that is not happening.  So what do I do?  

We take short walks.  I try to do one thing a day.  I take my medication which is not the right cocktail yet.  We have more relaxed days.  Mornings are hard for me.  Getting out of bed takes at least an hour.  So we take advantage of the that time that I spend flexing my feet and hands and enjoy reading a book or two.  I have started taking naps in the afternoons.  I have to now and I do it.  Really!  I have to. It's not just me being lazy.  I do more naps on the days I take most of my medication.  By the way, have you ever had a pill get lodged in your throat and water will not push it down.  OUCH!  I call those my horse pills.  

One more thing that has helped me is my friendships to those few that have never left my side.  It helps to tell someone what is going on and how I'm feeling.  I love to keep up with some blogs which I figure out how to do what they do but my way.  I enjoy seeing you do and where you go.    

Something I have learned is no matter what, my children learn.  They learn to do everything from their school to cleaning house.  Their chores are always done.  They've learned to keep quiet when my headaches are bad.  They've learned that some days are good and some are bad.

So in all, we try out best in all we can do.  I enjoy my kids and enjoy our quiet times.  Thank you to all of you for reading and posting comments.  

Now on to our regularly scheduled programming......        

Another New Thing for ME

I had to get it, really, I did!  I love my sharpie writing pens but I hate the caps.  I knew they would have to come up with the click kind and do away with those caps and they did.  The only thing that I find different is that they are a bit fatter.  I'm not used to a pen this fat but I will get used to it.  I'm loving it so far.....

Trying Out Some Organization

I know everyone and their mothers have heard about workboxes by now.  If you haven't, where have you been hiding?  I've tried different things from having a separate shelf on the bookcase for each child to having a basket with their work in it for the day.  So now I am going to try the workbox thing with the whole set up. 

Why do we need organization or more than before?  Well, having an autoimmune disease makes one see the need for more organization so that things get done around the house.  This year I have kept things simple.  Only working on a few subjects at a time.  I would love to keep up the same schedule as before but my body is not letting me do much.  

Let's just say that I've heard the good things about this system and then those comments from those who think this is worthless.  I appreciate what I've read about this system from everyone but I'm still going to try it. hehehe  I'm just a rebel, I guess.  I guess I've had some influence from a rebel friend.  So I've got our boxes and now I will be getting them ready.  Hey, this will clear a shelf on my book case which if all you who read this are homeschoolers then you all know how precious a shelf on a book case can be.  Yipppeee! 

So here is our boxes.  I still am in the process of getting them organized and putting things in them.  I'm not one to follow things exactly as others are doing them so I will have to figure out my way.  Hope it works for us.  I'll post more on how and what we do as time goes on and I figure out how we will do this.   

Update and nature

It has been almost two weeks since I last posted.  I never do this but I've had personal issues to deal with and school and house and getting ready for a little vacation.  We have still been busy with out math and reading.  We have added science in and geography.  I love having nature studies when something comes across our path.  This time what came across our path was a baby.  A baby what?  A baby snake.  Yep, I said snake.  You can be sure that I will post a picture.  

Let me explain...my youngest has always had a hard time getting to bed.  He is one of those that gets up and has to explain this or that.  I send him to bed then he comes back and tells me something else.  Comes back for a hug and an extra prayer.  Well, this one time he was heading to his bed again and I heard him scream and run and yell, "snake" in the loudest voice I've ever heard come out of him.  Ok, so I'm thinking a snake.  Big snake.  Mean snake.  Nope it was a baby.  I guess to him a snake is a snake.  It is no more than 12 inches.  Although I didn't even try to measure this one.  He is a ferocious little booger.  He kept on striking at me so in he went into our alway ready and trusty little pet carrier.

So now we have a pet for a while.  We checked our Texas Snake ID guide to see if we could figure out what he is and we have come up with a Texas Rat Snake.  It is non venomous but is mean.  They climb up trees and look for baby birds for a snack.  By the way, I let the first one out yesterday.  Yes, I said first!  We have number 2 hold up in our glass aquarium.  I wonder how many more will show up for a visit and a scare.


     

Sick Days!

Hope this is a 24hr thing going on but with me and my low immunity you just never know.   Be back as soon as this blows over and out.  

10 Things I Wish I Knew When....

....I first started homeschooling.....

1. Just read. Read anything and everything you can. It can be a bit overwhelming but after reading you will have time to think, ponder and let it slowly sink in.

2. Books that are must reads...The Well Trained Mind, 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculums and the series of What you __ needs to know.

3. You don't have to school like public school. You don't have to school all day. Your children will learn from going to the zoo, to the museum and on nature walks which can be in the back yard.

4. Having others my childrens ages to hang out with is nice but not necessary on a constant basis. As long as I fill the day with fun and interesting things to do for school like reading, crafts and games to play together they will be ok. One important thing is that they can hang out with older ones too not just kids their ages.

5. Boxed curriculums...they are good for one purpose....the first year but after that we never used them again. I hate to buy a full curriculum and not using everything because it just seems a waste of time and money.

6. It's ok to take time off when public school kids are in school. That's the best time to go and avoid the crowds.

7. You don't have to defend your position to homeschool to every Dick and Jane that asks. Learn to give short answers to those that just want to debate and for those that want to really learn you can sit and talk to.

8. You can school in your pajamas or do reading in bed. It's fun and wonderful especially when the littles are not so little anymore and don't give hugs freely anymore because they think they are too big for that sort of thing. *sigh* Tickle sessions are a must too.

9. Not every child is the same or learns in the same way or uses to same books. So you might have to buy different things for each child. This brings me to number 10.

10. When you homeschool there is something that happens to the homeschool mom. She goes silly in the head and wants to buy books and more books.

To CM or Not to CM, that is the question!

Jimmie over on her blog talked about some things that she does not agree with CM. Finally, someone spoke out about some of those things she does not do or does not agree on. I've always wondered about some who say they follow CM and wondered if they do it all as CM wrote.

I am not one to follow any person or any one idea. I like this and that. I've done lapbooking, notebooking and curriculums galore. I'm all for what your child learns with then go with it.

I've always wanted to participate in the CM carnival and started to but I find it all way to CMie for me. Does that make sense? I've been following some blogs and I can tell when they are doing a post just for CM even though their schooling is always in a CM style. I love to read how others school and appreciate the ideas from others. I guess I'm the type that likes to learn from others by example and not by seeing quotes of what Charlotte Mason wrote.

My blog is a collection of what we do and I take ideas, crafts or curriculum reviews from other bloggers who share and I hope some find something to take from our school blog. I like classical in some things. CM is good on other things. Unit Studies serve a purpose too in our house. So does that make us eclectic?

Homeschool Convention

This weekend was a fun weekend for me. We (hubby and I) decided to go to a homeschool convention at The Woodlands which is in the Houston, Tx area. Did I like it? Not really. I didn't find any workshops that were interesting. The vendors were ok too. The Arlington convention was a lot better in my opinion. I didn't even buy anything. Wow, now that is amazing.

What I did like was spending the weekend just hubby and I and going out where ever we wanted to, eat what we wanted to and watch what we wanted to on the tv in the hotel room.

One thing I do recommend anyone coming to Houston, Tx is to go to The Homeschool Store. That is my favorite store. They have an awesome used book room in the back. I take all my homeschool friends there. I did buy from there. I always do. I got a few CM books that I wanted to read. I'll start on that soon.

That is what I've been up to this weekend. Stay tuned for what we will be doing for school starting next week. Yes a revision already.

Sunset to Moon

I've been playing around with the settings on my camera and the one thing I try to capture is the sun and moon.

Night time is the hardest to figure out but I think I did a pretty good job of the moon. Hope you enjoy my pictures of a Texas sunset and our part of the moon.

My School Room

Don't forget to click on pictures to enlarge.

Well, I have been promising some friends that I would post some pictures of my school room and I finally got around to it. Yes, that's right I have 8 bookshelves and they are all packed. Now you have to remember that I love books and I also have three children in all levels of school. So there, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

If you notice the basket on the floor it has some puzzles in baggies for us to use. Really those puzzles are just about ready to be given away. We will use them this year but that's it for them. Yes I have a ladder. I need one. Can you tell?
This is my table. I have lots of books on it right now. I am in the process of figuring out what books we will use and working on our schedule. If you notice on the floor under the table there are some dinosaur counters and a few odds and ends. Well, my baby loves to sit under there and play with them. I also have some stacks of things that are ready to be given away. The things in the black rolling carrier is full of things we no longer need. That is all going to be given away.

The stack on the floor is getting ready to be sold. I'll probably put them all on my blog next time. I've done some major cleaning and decluttering. It may not look like it but I have gotten rid of lots of paper. How is it that we homeschoolers accumulate so much paper? That blue lid tub is for someone that let me borrow her things a while back and I need to return them. I just need to find her.



Here is a close up view of my bookshelves. This one has the baskets that we will be using for all their books. At the moment they are packed with everything I would like to do between now and Monday I have to get it all in order and only have in there what they will be doing.








Here are the bookshelves from top to bottom. Top of all bookshelves have games that we will be using.

Do you see that stack of books on the floor? Gotta get rid of those too.



On the right corner you can see the books of the bible game I made with clothes pins last year. It also has the calendar on the other side. It's homemade. It's amazing what you can do with pvc pipe.









I made my own schedule pages because I just can not, I said can not, do Homeschool Tracker. I have to have things written down. So I'm in the process of working out our plans for geography only because I am looking forward to doing that.



So there you go. That is a glimpse of my school room and my many bookshelves. Many, many bookshelves. Next year I will be getting rid of my little babies readers. I'm so not looking forward to that. I can hear him now, "I'm to old for those books." *sigh*

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

It's my February in July

A Baby Milestone

My baby with his first missing tooth. Ok, so the adult tooth had already come in behind the baby one but this morning he got up and pulled that baby tooth out. He was so excited like this one missing tooth made him into a big boy now. How fun to be able to share in his excitement.

Learning to Live With Life

I haven't posted much lately and I don't post much about myself much either. Having said that life has finally got to me. Some of you already know but for those that don't I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I've had this for a long time but I had not been able to get anyone to diagnose me. Now that I have been diagnosed I am on some interesting medication that is supposed to help. Well, good thing we are at the end of our school year. Seems like it will take a while to figure out what medication will work for me. At the moment I take 6 pills on Wed. and by Thurs. I am sleeping most of the day. I don't come out of my medication induced sleep till the following week which is almost time for my next date with those little pills again.

Hubby does most of the driving and I do most of the sleeping. I love looking out the windows and seeing the sights but now with these new meds I seem to be very tired most of the time.

We will be adjusting our schedule as I adjust mine. I will be going for regular blood work because of these meds. I also have some more tests to do on my knee which I fell on while vacationing in Colorado and it is still giving me trouble. No broken bones but the doctor thinks I might have torn something. LOVELY!!!

So if I don't post much for a while you will know why. It's not that I don't want to do school but rather that I can't because I'm probably sleeping. hehehe Not a good thing but it's what I have to do for now.