Applications being accepted to the H0MEFree Fan Club

I have a little acceptance speech prepared around here somewhere... now where did I put that?
Oh it doesn't matter... I'll just shoot from the hip here. Can you hear me in the back?

I won the Random Blogger Award this week.
Thanks Tia of HSBCompanyBlog for the hat tipping! Much love to you!

It is probably the only time being random is a good thing!

As we speak, a special song is being written in my honor...

and a statue of my head has already been placed in front of The Old Schoolhouse company building. I preferred it to be made of marble, but I was told it was going to be alabaster instead. Oh well, what can you do?

I'll probably be the top story on the news tonight. Make sure you tape it!

 

Seriously though, thanks HSBCompanyBlog and Tia Linschied, Senior Editor!!

 

Confession of a homeschool mama

 

 

We homeschool all year in my family. Summers are less "intense".
A friend of mine homeschools her two children and takes part of the summer "off" from school. She recently admitted that she was not sure what has happened with her time she should have had during this long awaited hiatus!
The problem: Homeschooling mamas are usually multi-tasking.
They are not sitting down with their children during school. Instead, they are doing dishes, checking email, reading magazines, straightening the house, folding laundry or whatever.
If you drop one one thing on your multi-task list, you just replace it with another.
These are the facts.
Homeschool moms do not like to admit it.
Here I am!! Over here! I am admitting it! I confess I multi-task during school, too!

 

Scientists starting to get a clue

 

"Evolution theory challenged"
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
Wed Aug 8, 5:57 PM ET
 
WASHINGTON - Surprising research based on two African fossils suggests our family tree is more like a wayward bush with stubby branches, challenging what had been common thinking on how early humans evolved.
The discovery by Meave Leakey, a member of a famous family of paleontologists, shows that two species of early human ancestors lived at the same time in Kenya. That pokes holes in the chief theory of man's early evolution — that one of those species evolved from the other.
And it further discredits that iconic illustration of human evolution that begins with a knuckle-dragging ape and ends with a briefcase-carrying man.
...snip...
The paper is based on fossilized bones found in 2000. The complete skull of Homo erectus was found within walking distance of an upper jaw of Homo habilis, and both dated from the same general time period. That makes it unlikely that Homo erectus evolved from Homo habilis, researchers said.
It's the equivalent of finding that your grandmother and great-grandmother were sisters rather than mother-daughter, said study co-author Fred Spoor, a professor of evolutionary anatomy at the University College in London.
The two species lived near each other, but probably didn't interact, each having its own "ecological niche," Spoor said. Homo habilis was likely more vegetarian while Homo erectus ate some meat, he said. Like chimps and apes, "they'd just avoid each other, they don't feel comfortable in each other's company," he said.
...snip...
For the entire article:  Scientists starting to get a clue

 

A good man is hard to find

     

I have been craving cherry pie lately. No, I am not pregnant. Just sometimes I want cookies or something. I know you can relate. I can't have chocolate like everyone else on the planet, so I look elsewhere.  
My amazing husband brought home a Marie Callender cherry pie for me the other day. He is so sweet. Then a couple days later, he brought me flowers and apologized that it had been so long since the last time he got them for me.
He is my dream come true. He makes me want to be a good wife to him. A helpmeet.

17 Children and counting

I love big families. I think they are so wonderful!
I have never met a larger family that was not godly and loving. It is my opinion that members of larger families are better people and better Christians (in general). I believe it is because they have lived in the crucible of the Lord's continual refiner's fire. No one or family is flawless, but it seems they are closer to the mark!
They daily must decide to be a part of their family.
They have learned to honor each other in a thousand ways.
They love and serve on a whole different level.
What better training could you possibly have for life? Or to serve in the Kingdom?

 

A subject of distain, disgust and horror, it seems, is this fabulous family (pictured) that recently had their 17th child. I was so pleased to see articles on them! However, by writing about them reporters have often leaked their disapproval through their choice of words. How regrettable.

This blessed mama said, "We'd love to have more."

To say the least a lot of trash and judging has been thrown at them. Even by Christians who should know better. Here is one comment "In light of the ever depleting resources and crowding in this world, I find THAT many children HIGHLY irresponsible, and VERY egocentric." And another "It's a uterus, not a clown car." You can read more positives and negatives at TheNewsHole.

Children are our inheritance. Children are a blessing. Every time.

For an article on this great family:   17 children just aren't enough

 

Lapbooking resources, free printables

 

I thought I would share a great resource for those of you who are doing the Lap Book type thing.

 

She has a lot more on the site than this, but this should get you started!  :)

 

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.htm

 

Main site:   http://www.homeschoolshare.com/

 

 

Abundant personality? Or not enough socialization? You decide.

Some might say she has been socialized a bit too much.     Others may say the problem is not enough socialization.     But I say, the blue flower in her teeth and obvious flamboyant personality only highlights the fact that she comes from an "interesting" family.

 

Boys. What they're REALLY thinking about...

 

Okay. He's a boy.

And boys will be boys- or so they say.

They are wired very different.

They do things in ways you never thought someone could.

Or would attempt!

Today: You've told him to brush his teeth 12 times and hurry up about it. He's still in there.

Later he appears to be lost- but you find him... in the garage. Apparently a trip to the laundry room was an adventure.

Now, he is staring out the window at nothing- instead of doing his school stuff.

Just WHAT is going on in that head of his?? 

Here's a clue...

 

 

Under the influence

 

I have been homeschooling for several years now “officially”. Every one has a different definition of just when you can claim beginning homeschooling. This is especially true if you have a learning lifestyle- which we always have had.

Lately, I have been reading and skimming through some homeschool method books. Not really sure what motivated me to do this- the Lord has already refined quite a bit of what we do ("we" mostly means "I"). I have tried many different ways of doing things and little by little have come to where I stand now. You could say learning to homeschool is a process or an adventure- if you are willing to take it. If you are willing to grow as the Lord is leading.

Have you read any homeschool method books before and thought “wait a minute… we do that!” or “that’s what I’ve been saying!”

The books that kind of took me by surprise were:

• You can Teach Your Child Successfully  by Ruth Beechick

• Heart Of Wisdom Teaching Approach  by Robin Sampson

• Charlotte Mason Companion  by Karen Andreola

It seems that Charlotte Mason and Ruth Beechick sat in on our home school day and wrote books about it. LOL!
And Robin Sampson hits really strong on Bible first-and-all-day-in-every-subject .
Sampson also is a big promoter of the 4mat method which in a nutshell is: get them excited about the subject, study it, and show what you learned. You show what you learned best by lapbooking (scrapfolder) or notebooking or some other project- maybe a diorama or something.
Well, I am a strong believer in lots of Bible, but I did not teach it all school day. So, in that area, I was really challenged. I have committed to do this now.
If you have not read her book… I cannot recommend it highly enough. No other homeschool book has been more valuable. Worth every penny.

Isn't it funny to see that you didn't make up something- that it was already around- you just did not know?

Rodent Hoochie-Koochy

 

I was visiting my mom out at her farm and we went out outside to the porch where she had a stash of boots to throw on before braving the mud that you so often find out there. She began to put them on and the second boot had something in it!!

She did not get it all the way on when her toes felt something. In a split second- the boot went spinning and flying through the air as she jumped around in a circle screaming- simutaneously BABY MICE went flying through the air- scattering everywhere. I laughed so much I cried and was very glad it was not me.

 

 

Perfect for outdoor schooling!

Live in a warm area?
Perhaps you are into nature journaling or do math outside?

CHECK THIS OUT! A converting bench!

 

"Enjoy this best-seller as a standard garden bench, flip the back to create a bench and desk setup for student journaling, or turn two benches into one picnic table.

 

In just a couple of hours you can create a very sturdy bench, or convert it into a bench and table for outdoor classroom projects."

How groovy is that? 
And cheap, too!       Click here:   Kids Gardening Store 

 

Ode to the Post-It

 

Where would I be without the glorious Post-It?
What words could adequately pay honor to such a humble, yet worthy hero?
A fresh pad represents an infinite stack of possibilties.
Clever scribbles, informative notations, don't-forgets, gee-there's-that-page and other endless multitasking.
Quick in a pinch.
My cup overfloweth.

Where would you, the SuperHomeschoolMom, be without the Post-It?
Lost.
Just lost.

    

Photos courtesy of Google.

 

No Bible, no breakfast?

 

Bible reading is very important.

Okay, yes you knew that already.
But did you stop to figure out how much homeschoolers depend on their curriculum of choice to "get the Bible into" their children? Do you? I did.
I'd venture that 95% of curricula out there does -not- have enough of either Bible reading or Bible study to really impact a child for life.

A few years ago, I began a new routine for us. Summed up as "No bible reading- no breakfast". Each child must read for 15 minutes by timer. If they do not read, they don't eat. They always read- and I only had a couple balking issues at the beginning.
They read wherever they want in the bible but are not allowed to skip around during their 15 minutes. They can change places tomorrow but not during a current session.

 

When we began, my son was 4 at the time and learning phonics. He obviously could not read a regular bible. I had a comic book type bible, "Picture Bible" I think it was called, laying around the house. He "read" that for his time. As he became more proficient at phonics and blending, he would try reading the words that were there. So we moved him up to an NIRV (3rd grade level translation). My daughter was older and read her regular bible.

Because they have read for over three years at 15 minutes a day...they have a LOT of bible in them. Recently I read statistics that only 18% of Christians read their Bible every day and worse- a mere 35% read it once a week (probably during church).

I did the math earlier and reading 15 minutes a day and even skipping two weeks a year...  means they each have read at least 260 hours!
Wow! Imagine what that total will be by the time they leave home!

Consider starting a rigorous plan in your home.

 

 

Good mouse trap

 

If you hate, loathe, and despise mice and all their diseased germy vermin-ocity... then you should enjoy this!
I doubt this is an actual event, never the less, I can dream- can't I?

Photo from all4humor.com

Your homeschool's name and mission

I think it is -not- of great importance to have a school name, although it has helped in different small ways.

BUT--  having a mission statement has been foundational. We are committed to homeschool all of our children, without government help, to the end. A mission statement reminds us of our goal.

 

We chose a mission statement AND a bible verse. From there we decided on a name. We also took into consideration our strong beliefs and any family or area characteristics. We live in Oregon, so it is very green, rainy, flowery, mountainous and has a lot of creeks and rivers. We are also "spirit-filled".

 

Here is what we have posted on our door:

 

Our mission in homeschooling is...

to raise our children to desire a deep relationship with the Lord, to be spiritually wise, knowledgeable and well skilled in areas that will contribute to their personal life mission, and develop vision, godly character and compassion for the lost- in the comfort and protection of their own home.

 

"...like a tree that is planted near water.

It sends out it's roots beside a river.

It is not afraid when heat comes. It's leaves are always green

It does not worry when there is no rain.

It always bears fruit."

Jer 17:8

 

Our homeschool name is Riverside Bible Academy.

 

 

Fold up house

 

 

I love to camp and really want my children to have memories of camping. My goal is to go at least three times a year. However, the hassle of packing all the padding and sleeping bags to stay in a tent and all the other gear takes forever.
(Can you hear me whining?)
Last year we had an infant, but that would not deter me from camping, but all the gear-packing-time kept us from not camping at all. I hated that.

How fantastic it would be if all the pans, mosquito repellant (necessary in Oregon), tablecloths, batteries, salt and herbs, soap and such- was already packed?
What if all you needed was fresh clothes and some food?
Well, I would be able to camp on a whim! How cool would that be! Because of this dream, we have wanted to get a camper trailer, but knew we would have to buy or borrow a truck every time we wanted to go. A minivan just won't pull one. So, this is not a reality.

After some investigating, we have been on a quest for a popup camper trailer. Did you know that a decent sized popup camper weighs 2400 lbs? Our van can take that on! Easy!
We are borrowing a Fleetwood 1998 one that sleeps six for this next week. He offered to sell it to us for a fair price. A private sale means we gotta have the money up front. Hmmmm.
Well, here is what it looks like. Two king beds, one full, fridge, stove, sink, heater, lights, storage and more!

 

Lapbooking & Notebooking

 

 

What is lapbooking or notebooking? Is it more work?

 

Actually, homeschooling comes alive as students make interactive projects -- exploring the fascinating subjects they are learning!

With lapbooking and notebooking, students are engaged in discovery, while creating beautiful mementos for assessment and display.

It is certainly an effective and FUN way to learn and remember material! All subjects can easily be integrated into a hands-on portfolio type of product. Can be very effective in unit studies, delight-directed and classical methods of home education.

Here are some links to get you started! Have fun! :)

www.geocities.com/gibsevengang/lapbooks.html

www.thenewhomemaker.com/makingbooks

www.tobinslab.com/downloads/Lap%20Book%20Info%20Sheet.pdf

www.canby.com/hockmanchupp/student_folder_websites.html

groups.msn.com/RestRefreshmentHomeschoolingwaSpirit-FilledLife/notebooking.msnw

www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/7380/schoollinks.html#lapbook

 

You can use a manilla folder (cheap alternative to posterboard!) and refold it with the ends meeting in the middle, as shown here. Or make two of these and glue together to make a huge lapbook with lots of possibilities!

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

Lemmings

 

 

Will your children believe in Jesus when they graduate from high school?

 

Homeschooled: 94%
Public Schooled: 15%

 

94% of homeschoolers keep the faith and 93% continue to attend church after the high school years. But a shocking 75% to 85% of Christian children sent to public school drop out of church, and do not hold a Christian worldview after high school graduation.*

*Brian D. Ray, Ph D., Homeschoolers Grown Up, 2004

Makes you think. The blind are leading our future leaders to no where good.

 

 

Free homeschool classes?

 

 

Are you tempted to join government homeschooling (a charter school or public school independent study program) or do you know someone who is?
Reasons to Avoid Government Homeschooling Like the Plague and Why Believers Need to Create Christ-Centered, Private Homeschools.  

Find out the facts…http://tinyurl.com/2krafo

My new outfit

 

I have a High Efficiency front loader for my laundry washer. It is sooooo wonderful- I love it! I feel quite spoiled to have such a fancy-schmancy washer after always having the most terrible awful washers that must have come from the Infamous Lemon Company or something. And of course, I had the bad dryers to match... not in color mind you, but in thorn-in-my-flesh-ness.

Because my washer spins out water at 75 miles an hour (no joke) and sounds like a jet taking off in my garage, the doors must electronically lock before it will operate. Safety safety.
My machine started having "issues" on Saturday, but when I cancelled and restarted everything resumed in good fashion. I thought it was a clog because an error code was flashing at me. In the past I had an error code an looked it up online to find I must have a sock stuck in the clog strainer thingy. My husband has pulled many a baby sock, or booby-pad, out of there since.
Back to the door again. My husband left the state on business Monday morning. Laundry machine decides now would be a good time to really get error-codey. Fine. I have seen my husband do this. I opened it up to pull out any offending item and all I found was water and a lot of it- everywhere. Great. Now what. I try starting up the cycle again. Nope. I decided that maybe the code was different than a clog. I went online and <great fanfare> thank you Google! Door locking problem.

Now, do I wait for husband to come home in three more days (and drown in dirty cloth diapers and nasty socks) or do I attempt this on my own? I say- attempt.
After saying a prayer, I find I must traverse 20 or so screws and several very soaked towels due to a plethora of water water everywhere. Ahha! Door lock entrails located! I pulled the electrical/computery plugs from out of the back of the lock and blew them out as I had seen my husband do to our computers in the past. Put it all back together... and it worked. I got a load going now! Thanks, Lord!

     

(of course, I did not buy that outfit)

 

Help for the weary

 

 

Excellent Worksheets and Teacher Helps

Hundreds of free pages (to download or read from the Internet) to help you bring up your child in the ways of the Lord.

Inner Character

"From our examples, our children must understand that the character traits of endurance, perseverance, and determination leading to great accomplishments cannot bring true fulfillment apart from humility. There is something very appealing about a diligent, skillful worker who is smiling, appreciative, and thankful. Without humility, determination will lead to accomplishments void of relationships. Humility is the recognition that all of my abilities and opportunities are gifts from God. Humility is portrayed in an attitude of thankfulness even for difficulties, with the realization that this, too, is a gift of God.

May the qualities of inner character, skillfulness, and humility unlock the door to a prepared, purposeful, and powerful future."

Mark Hamby
President of Lamplighter Publishing.