C is for Cookie

Weekly Report, Week Five

2009-10-03T04:00:00.002-05:00

We read a really neat book this week*. I had to get it on interlibrary loan, but the wait was worth it. The Giraffe that Walked to Paris is one delightful picture book. I can't believe I'd never heard of it before. I love the history presented in the story. I never knew that a giraffe was sent over to France from Egypt! It was very interesting to contemplate the complications involved in sending a Giraffe hundreds of miles away. The artwork is great. The factoid page at the end of the book satisfied my curiosity.

My daughter loved this book. She wanted me to read it every day and have Daddy read it every night for bedtime. After two reads, my son warmed up to the book considerably and started asking for it to be read every day too. He made sure to specifically ask me about the stuffed giraffe pictured on the informational page. (Boys!) My kids even talked me into making giraffe cookies ("Please, Mommy, please, please.")

But in an anti-climax that beats everything, my son did not want to look at the giraffes at the zoo.

[wide-eyed blinking]

You never can tell about that kid.

On another note, I am really sad that I cannot find this book anywhere. It went out of print long ago and the only copies around are used and selling for $80 each [glare]. If I see this book on the shelf at Goodwill I am so snagging a copy - even if it is falling apart! (Duct tape is my friend.)

----------------------------------

My decisions of last week seem to be playing out well. We did four good, full days of school this week, including a crafty art project. I have to tell you about that art project book sometime; I'm lovin' it.

*The book is one used in FIAR Volume 2, which is the only reason I sought it out. I'm using FIAR in our Kindergarten studies.

__________________
Nitty Gritty:

Bible: Grapevine Review #1 and Lesson 7 parts 1-3, Genesis 1:1-2
Reading Instruction: OPGTR Lessons 104-106, L&S Lessons 8-11
Readers: Handbook pgs 16-17, 3 Bob Books, Fun with Pets pgs 3-21
Language: OLE 3.1-3.4, L1 Lessons 8-11
Penmanship: Lessons 12-15
Spelling: Intro
Arithmetic: Lessons 13-19
Read Alouds: Owl Moon, Thanks but No Thanks, The Giraffe that Walked to Paris
Art: Creation Picture Book

I Met Two Very Nice People

2009-10-02T11:00:00.002-05:00

If you think the above cake is bizarre, rest assured you are not alone. I'll explain it in a minute. If you are giggling at the above cake and nodding knowingly, you'll really appreciate this post. Either way, stay tuned to the end, I have a cake wreck of my own to share.

Last night I joined over 100 people in welcoming Jen Yates, creator of the blog CakeWrecks to the Skokie Barnes & Noble. Jen has now compiled never-before-seen wrecks into a book. And it's funny. CakeWrecks, When Professional Cakes go Hilariously Wrong is a page-turner of the side-splitting kind.

A week or so ago the Pioneer Woman introduced her readers to CakeWrecks. I popped on over and spent a long time laughing (and snorting) over the many wrecks - and Jen's witty banter. When I saw that she was going on tour signing books, I knew I wanted to stop by and join in the fun.

I'm so glad I went. Jen, and her husband John, are genuine, funny, nice, friendly, and fun.

They started off the book signing with a little narrated slideshow.

Jen and John play off each other really well. I could hear the humor I read on the blog.

Part of the book signing event was a Wrecklica contest. Participants were supposed to recreate a wreck featured on the blog on a cupcake. Here are some of the entries:

After I took these pictures a few more wrecklicas showed up. My personal favorite above is the Winter cake. I busted a gut when I read that post. I shared it with my hubby (making him read the dialog) and he laughed really hard too. And, though it pains me to tell you so, that football cake is my sad wreck of an entry. I just used a cake layer I had in the freezer (long story) because I have three kids and I did not have time to bake. But it was fun to participate. But it wasn't much fun being the biggest jahonkin cake on the table. I hate standing out. Anyway...

Here are the three finalists: the weeping eye dog, the baseball diamond, and the fireman cake. The fireman cake won by audience applause.

I guess right now would be a good time to let you know that every so often on Cake Wrecks there is an "adult theme". Jen is great about letting you know, right off the bat, and she uses nice black boxes on any nudity. It's never raunchy. In fact, half the point is that such things should never be on a cake. But, if you're like me, you'll appreciate being warned. Said fireman cake fits into the adult theme category.

Moving on.

After that it was time for the book signing and cake. The cake is the iconic Naked Mohawk-Baby Carrot Jockey. I heart Cakes made it. I love the reaction of little kids when they see it. They gasp and say, "a baby!" and see nothing strange about it being on a carrot.

Speaking of carrot jockeys, look what I won!

In a weird twist of fate I had just read the archives yesterday afternoon where Jen talks about her childhood goat. And I remembered the name when the trivia question was asked. And in another weird twist of fate I actually raised my hand to answer. My prize was this carrot jockey necklace - handmade by Jen and John. Woo-Hoo!

Jen and John like talking to their fans, and it shows. Jen and John, thanks for a fun time! It must be very tiring to travel so much in a short amount of time. But, you keep your warm spirits and great humor comin' and we all appreciate that.

------------------------------

And now, my recent cake wreck.

I had this brilliant idea to make my daughter a doll cake for her third birthday. In talking with a friend, I gleaned the necessary steps to create the cake. I made the cake skirt, bought the brunnette doll topper, and found an outfit for it. I fiddled and fussed and managed to make a passable fondant skirt for the cake. I stuck the doll pick in and marvelled at my creation. I am a sad, sorry decorator (see football cake above) but it wasn't bad for a homemade cake.

At least I TRIED, ok?

I wish I had read Come on Barbie, Let's Go Party on Cake Wrecks before attempting this cake. I would not have had to have the following conversation with "Suzie" the doll cake.

Suzie: [smoothing down dress] Katrina, I was wondering...[looking up apologetically]...where you were going to put the candles?

Me: [deer in the headlights look] Umm... I...umm ...hadn't...um ...thought ...about...candles. Wow, that's a really good question. Where in the world am I going to put the candles?

[furiously thinking]

[desperately turning cake around - and around]

[aggravated sigh]

I don't have much choice, I'm just going to have to make you look reeeaally stupid by sticking them out of your skirt.

Suzie: Oh, that's ok. You do whatever you need to do, Sweetie. As long as the birthday girl is happy.

Me: Thanks for understanding, Suzie.

Oh, yeah, man. It was bad.

Thankfully the three-year-old was thrilled with her cake. That's all that matters, right?

Weekly Report, Week Four

2009-10-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

Things are going along swimmingly. I'm afraid that might change. I need to add in spelling at some point. And I need to add in the first grade A Beka readers at the appropriate time, but I have to check the teacher's manual and see when that is.

All of that is the least of my worries, though.

See, way back when I was thinking and planning Kindergarten I came up with a great idea. My great idea was to use Explode the Code as a supplement to OPGTR. I figured I could possibly skip spelling for Kindergarten and pick up the second grade level Rod and Staff spelling for first grade. As much as I liked A Beka's handwriting style, I would go out and find something else that taught cursive first. I knew I had a couple of options. That left arithmetic as the only thing I would be using from A Beka, unless I decided to buy their readers and have my son go through them.

This was a really good plan. But, I never wrote it down, and that was a big mistake.

[pulling out hair]

[giving myself 20 lashes with a wet noodle]

[pause] [deep breath]

When it came time to actually begin purchasing Kindergarten materials I became flustered and lost my bearings. My stepmother offered me her hand-me-downs of first grade A Beka stuff and I kind of lost my head. It seemed like a great deal that would save me a bunch of money. In the end I had a whole lot of A Beka stuff to order because I was using the Kindergarten handwriting program and the First Grade phonics/reading/spelling program.

Oh, vey! did I break the bank. I'm not very proud of myself. But, I'm resolved. I'm pulling myself up by my middle-class bootstraps and I'm going to get what I can out of what I have.

I've diligently looked over the teacher's manual for the first grade phonics/spelling/reading. I have to ditch the whole 'phonics instruction' part. I am not one to advocate not using a teacher's manual, but in this instance it's for the best. I don't need to teach my son phonics, I just need to reinforce and review his phonics. And A Beka teaches phonics in a way that is different enough from OPGTR that I would literally be teaching it all over again. That isn't necessary, and it could be confusing.

The Letters and Sounds worksheets are useable, as are the Language 1 worksheets - at least for now. I haven't looked at more than just the first twenty pages of the workbooks. They might be unusable later on. But, for now, they'll provide the written review I was looking for. The Handbook for Reading and A Beka readers will provide sufficient reinforcement of decoding skills.

The handwriting is fine, and, to be honest, I'm not sure I actually could have gotten a program any cheaper. But, I bought a book I was already having handed down to me. [sigh] I told you I lost my head.

I blame baby brain. Yeah, that's it.

I might be able to salvage the flashcards and posters to use with my daughters as they learn to read. Or I might decide to off-load them to the highest bidder. I've put off making a decision.

Now, I just want to say that A Beka is a wonderful reading curriculum. It produces readers when used as directed (with all the parts and pieces). However, it is intended to be used as a whole language arts curriculum, not divided up. Trying to extract the phonics from it unravels the threads. So, for me, it aintagonna work.

Ah, well. You live and learn, right?

_____________
Nitty Gritty:
Bible: Sunday School Review, Grapevine Lesson 6 parts 3 and 4, Genesis 1:1-2
Reading Instruction: OPGTR Lessons 101-103, L&S/L1 Lessons 6 and 7
Readers: Handbook pgs 10-15, 3 Bob Books
Penmanship: Wipe-off book, Writing Lesson 11
Arithmetic: Lessons 11 and 12
Read Alouds: Library books
Art: none

Roots and Fruits by EDUDPS

2009-09-30T10:06:00.007-05:00

I've read the following advice more than once, especially in regards to homeschooling: If you want to know what to do now, decide where it is you want to end up and work your way backward from there. It's good advice. If you want your child to do Calculus in twelfth grade, you need to know when to begin Algebra so that you can get there. And so it goes for any other subject you teach.

Jill J. Dixon takes this line of thinking and applies it to vocabulary study. Her creation, Roots and Fruits, is an easy-to-implement way of getting your child to an SAT-ready vocabulary by the time he takes those tests. Not that scoring high on the verbal portion of the SAT is the only benefit of vocabulary study. Vocabulary study also enhances independent reading (by increasing decoding skills and as well as known words), prepares a student for better writing, improves spelling, and, in this program, improves dictionary skills.

The heart of Roots and Fruits is the extensive list of vocabulary. It is a compilation of prefixes and roots, arranged in alphabetical order. For each of the 673(!) roots and prefixes, there is a definition and sample vocabulary words. Any vocabulary regularly found on the SAT tests are clearly marked. You, the parent, decide which vocab you want your child to learn. Depending on the age of your student you can work on just one prefix or root, or you can do several at a time. You can simply go down the list, taking as long as it takes to work through the entire list, or you can pick and choose off the list, doing the vocabulary you find most important to learn.

Once you have chosen which vocab to teach for the week Roots and Fruits tells you to put it up on a chart on the wall. This chart will hold the information on the wall for several weeks, adding reinforcement and review. On the first day of lessons you introduce the new root, prefix, or suffix and make a flashcard for it. On subsequent lessons you review the vocbulary using a variety of techniques. Students will spend time finding the meaning of the vocabulary words in the dictionary, writing sentences with the vocabulary words, and doing a few games to review the roots and words. The next week you start with new vocabulary. Bit-by-bit, one block on top of the other, you build your child's vocabulary.

The curriculum is very flexible without losing it's backbone. You can tell that Mrs. Dixon has a Masters in Education and has spent many years teaching. Recommendations abound for adapting each part of the program to younger, middle, and older children. I found the recommendations appropriate - not a stretch of the curriculum beyond its means. You really can improve your child's vocabulary in 15 minutes a day.

If you have a high-schooler that you wish to prepare for upcoming college-entrance tests, this curriculum will work well for you. Your high-schooler would do numerous words per week, and would need active review, and would need to focus on the SAT-specific vocabulary. If you have a middle-schooler and wish to increase their overall vocabulary while preparing them for high-school, this 15 minute a day curriculum would be an excellent choice. If you have an elementary school student this curriculum is an excellent way to slowly, but surely, increase your child's vocabulary for life.

Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services makes this available either as an ebook or in printed form. The security software is not compatible with Macs, and only allows you to print twice. Take the time to read through all the instructions in the beginning, without them you'll lose your place as you begin looking through the list and trying to implement it.

After spending time reading through the thought and philosophy behind the program, I began to use it with my son. Since he's only in Kindergarten (and because I don't have much of a dictionary) I've skipped the dictionary work. The whole concept of root words and prefixes has not quite clicked with him yet. Still, I can see that with just a few minutes of work a day he's already increasing his vocabulary. I can only imagine how much he could absorb by diligently using this over the years.

So here's the lowdown:

Made by a homeschooling mom, for homeschooling moms.

673 roots and prefixes; 1,716 vocabulary words; 15 minutes a day.

Uses activities to teach rather than workbook pages.

Meets the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.

All your children can use the same program - really and truly.

Available in print or in file download.

Roots and Fruits prices:
the ebook is currently on sale for $11.25
the unbound, printed book is $17.48
the bound, printed book is $19.98

Roots and Fruits is an excellent idea and well done. However, I'm not sure of its necessity in my family. I plan on having my children learn Latin, which would cover much of the vocabulary on this list. For those roots and prefixes which are not covered in Latin, I think something less formal might be a better fit for us.

EDUDPS also offers academic diagnostic assessments, Write with the Best writing curriculum, and a career guide.

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Bright Hope for Tomorrow

2009-09-30T08:42:00.004-05:00

This is the pastor of the church I attended when I lived in Florida. It's such a good message; I wanted to share.

Love ya, Pastor Malcolm!

From Pastor Malcolm... from His Productions on Vimeo.

P.S. I have no idea why there is a over a minute of totally blank air time at the end of the video...be assured, there's nothing more to see after that.

You can find this message here: Sound Truth Online

StudyPod by GENIO

2009-09-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

Let's play I spy.

I spy with my little eye something that is handy, well-built, thoughtfully made, and black.

Do you?

It's a tricked out book holder called a StudyPod. Isn't it nifty how it fits right on the bookshelf with all your books? It fits just as well as a book would in a backpack too.

It's made out of lightweight, but sturdy, plastic with a few key metal parts. You pop out the metal bar on the back, click open the StudyPod, slide the metal hinge pin into place, and then place your book under the rubber-tipped tension rods. Let's let my daughter demonstrate.

This thing is so much better than a standard book holder. This holds your book snugly to itself - no pages flapping, sliding, or turning. Brilliant! It has been wonderful to use for my cookbooks and printed recipes.

I wish these had been available when I was hitting the books in high school and college. I spent many a night slumped over my desk trying to see my textbook and write on my paper. I could have used a StudyPod and easily sat upright while I found the answers in the book and transcribed them onto my paper.

Maybe I would have had a higher GPA.

Of course, nowadays older kids are typing most of their homework. The StudyPod is great for that too. It holds anything from a single sheet of paper to a textbook nicely upright on your computer desk while you type away.

Inside the StudyPod is a small mesh pocket perfect for stashing a couple of highlighters, pencils, pens, or a small calculator.

The StudyPod was developed by a teacher with input from his students. Homeschooling moms will like it because you can hold open a book for two children (or more) to see at once. If there is something you are having your children copy or use for inspiration, this handy holder keeps it snugly held it view without taking up valuable table space.

Oh, and it comes in colors other than black. You can also get it in pink or blue. The StudyPod was originally called the BookPod, and was available in beige and grey. There are still a few of these left if you want to try and snag a StudyPod in more adult contemporary colors.

A StudyPod costs just $19.95. If you want to buy two or more, you pay just $16.95 each. Order it here.

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

A Typical Monday

2009-09-21T09:05:00.013-05:00

Today I'll be posting periodic updates to give you a sense of what a 'typical' homeschooling day is like for me.

Typical is definitely not the word. I'm way to spastic for anything to be routine.

2:10am (yes that's am) I stumble into the crying baby's room and I'm taken aback by the time on the clock. This hasn't happened in ages. Apparently my spasticity rubs off on my children. I decide to just give one side and hope for the best.

5:00am (I think) While I'm not thrilled to be up again, this is closer to the normal early morning feed. I still just give one side. I hear my husband leave for work while I sit in the dark drifting in and out of dreaming scenes from North & South.

5:30am I head back to bed wondering if I should just get up. I'm really tired, and the kids went down late last night, so I decide to gamble on them sleeping in.

5:45am I hear my three-year-old. I tell her to be quiet, hoping she puts herself back to sleep. I've lost my gamble; she is up way too early. I'm fairly certain she won't go back to sleep either.

6:45am Fifteen minutes later than our normal waking time, I hear my son get up and 'go to the bathroom'. Not surprisingly, it wakes the baby. I drag myself out of bed.

9:00am I get the kids their morning snack. I come on here to begin posting about our day. Everyone is now dressed, beds are made, teeth are brushed, hair is combed, breakfast and coffee have been consumed, vitamins have been taken. The baby has been fed and nursed. I think the baby is ready for her morning nap. Then we'll begin school.

And we've only just begun...

9:30am My son is reading a book - really reading it - to his sister, so I decide to delay the beginning of school.

9:45am We begin our lessons...

10:50am I decide to take a break. So far we've completed our
Opening
Bible
Phonics and Readers
Language
Penmanship

In about 15 mintues I'll move us along to finish math and read a book.

11:30am School is done, the baby is up. I'll feed her and then we'll have lunch.

1:30pm I have no idea what I've done for the last two hours. I really don't.

2:45pm My three-year-old is up from her nap. The baby is down for her nap. I'm walking in circles all over the house putting stuff away. I feel like a dog chasing its tail. I wanted to vacuum, but the naps interfered. Maybe when the baby wakes up? I'll have four loads of laundry to fold this evening. I wonder how I can creatively avoid that? :)

4:30pm We have dinner.

5:00pm I start vacuuming.

7:30pm All the kids are in bed. They are not asleep, but they are tucked in. I'm going to get ready for tomorrow (or maybe waste all my time in front of the television).

The day is done
They say goodnight
And somebody turns off the light

I'm Gonna Paint My Face Green

2009-09-18T04:00:00.002-05:00

I never followed football much. During a certain decade I cheered for a certain team along with my family. During another decade I cheered on a college team. My cousins were on it.

In other words I've never been very interested in football. I don't even know the rules.

I think that's all gonna change.

Who couldn't go hoarse rooting for that cute face?

Do you think football cookies would be cute for the team? I was thinking about cupcakes too. And where do you get banners made? And where do I get some face paint?

Maybe face paint is overdoing it.

Sleeping Beauty

2009-09-16T04:00:00.003-05:00

Weekly Report - Week Three

2009-09-14T13:21:00.002-05:00

Vacation this week:

Easy Peasy Cheesecake

2009-09-10T04:00:00.002-05:00

Poor people have poor ways. That means that cheesecake was, for me, growing up, an almost unattainable luxury. If ever I passed through the door of a restaurant, and was lucky enough to enjoy dessert there, I always ordered cheesecake. The silky, smooth, fattening goodness melted in my mouth in a most delightful way.

While in college, and spreading my wings, I decided to try making a cheesecake. When it came to cooking I was totally flying blind, but I was feeling my young and invincible age. After looking through some cookbooks (the Internet was still young then) I was a little baffled. For every cheesecake recipe there was a totally different list of ingredients. They were usually a bit long and included at least one thing I didn't actually recognize. At that time, I had no idea what lemon zest was.

I eventually picked one recipe to try, hoping that it would turn out to be tasty. I made a list and drove to the store. The first thing on my list was graham cracker crumbs. I didn't even know you could buy such a thing. I looked up and down the baking aisle for a while before I finally spotted them. I had three choices of brands. I decided against the store brand; sticking with the name brands seemed like a good idea. I chose the Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs. I looked the box over carefully, trying to ensure myself that I had picked out the right thing. On the back I spotted something.

There was a cheesecake recipe titled "Our Best Cheesecake". It was simple and straightforward. Excepting the graham cracker crumbs I was holding, I recognized all of the ingredients. I shoved my list in my pocket and used the back of the box as my shopping list.

The cheesecake turned out great and I've been making it ever since. It's creamy and smooth. It's rich yet it's simple. I still have the cardboard recipe I cut off the box years ago. I make it every year for my husband's birthday. I, who am not a cook and only pretend to be able to bake, get compliments on this cheesecake without fail.

I'm going to share it with you now.

The ingredients: graham cracker crumbs, butter (or margarine; not pictured), sugar, vanilla, eggs, cream cheese, sour cream, and, if you like them, cherries for the top.

First you have to make the crust. You mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and a wee bit of sugar together. Dump it in your springform pan.

Press all over the bottom of the pan. If you're a good girl and you use the right size pan (8"), you'll have plenty to press up the sides of the pan too. If you used a 10" pan, like I did here, you'll just get the bottom of the pan covered. No matter. Press on. Indulgence still awaits.

If you're worried about trying to create this graham cracker crust, don't be. Even getting it up the sides of the pan isn't that difficult. Just remember to move the pan around gently. You don't want to whack it on the counter or bump it with your wayward elbow. If you do, you just have to spend a couple minutes fixing the crust. Then put it in a safe place until you can fill it.

Now get to makin' the fillin'. Plop your three room temperature (aka softened) blocks of cream cheese into a bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla.

Have fun whipping them all together.

Add your eggs, one at a time.

When you're done you'll have a nice smooth filling.

Put your sour cream in now, and fold it into your filling. This means, as I learned, that you gently mix it in, without the aid of an electric mixer, and overall you mix as little as is humanly possible. Really though, with this recipe, it would be hard to overmix if you do it by hand.

And here's where I need to ask a question. Is sour cream a liquid or a solid? When it says to measure one cup of the stuff which measuring cup do I use? I went with a dry measure cup, but I still feel uneasy about that decision.

Anyway, now that you have a nice creamy filling. Pour it into your pan.

I think I overwhitened this photo. Sorry.

Also, looking at this photo makes me sad. I do so prefer my cheesecake to be a nice, tall cheesecake. But, someone has lost the bottoms of my other springform pan. This is the only one left with a bottom.

Now pop that baby in the oven.

If you inadvertantly make your cheesecake look like this, don't panic. You won't have a super smooth, killer-looking cheesecake, but, trust me, people won't notice a difference in the taste either. Ask me how I know.

This happened because I didn't follow my own instructions to lower the temperature in my oven to accomodate the dark coated pan. My bad.

Ok, when the timer goes off, and if the center of the cake is no longer jiggly in the middle, turn off the oven. Leave the door ajar for an hour before you pull out your cheesecake. (I've skipped this step before. Sometimes my cheesecake didn't set all the way through. So skip it at your own peril. This time I was ok.)

See the rim I've created? It actually works really, really well for holding all the cherry topping in. My husband, believe it or not, actually prefers when I mess up the cheesecake in this manner.

Let it cool for a while. Then stick it in the fridge for at least four hours (overnight is best).

Pop off the springform side. Stare at your squat cheesecake in despair (optional). If you have thoroughly cooled your cheesecake, you should be able to transfer it to a separate plate. Just be careful.

Then grab a kid and make their day by letting them pour out the can of cherries.

My husband loved his birthday cheesecake. He never noticed it was short. He loves, loves, loves the cherries on top. Others have recommended blueberries to me. I did that once, but hubby prefers the cherries.

Since I'm not real keen on the cherries, I usually scrape them off my piece. The cheesecake is great plain, although I sometimes get out the Hershey's syrup and really have a party.

I recently have started sprinkling semi-sweet chocolate chips over the crust before pouring in the filling. That is nice too.

___________________________________________________
Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumb's "Our Best Cheesecake"
1 3/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted (the original recipe says margarine, so pick your poison)
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
3 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 21oz can cherry pie filling (optional)

2 mixing bowls, 8" or 9" springform pan

In bowl, combine crumbs, margarine [butter] and 1/4 cup sugar. Press on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of 8 or 9 inch springform pan; set aside.

In bowl, with electric mixer at high speed [or medium], beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in sour cream. Spread in prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 60 to 70 minutes, or until center is set. [325 for dark coated pan] Turn off oven, leaving door slightly ajar; leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour.

Remove from oven; cool completely. Chill 4 hours or overnight. Remove side of pan; top with cherry filling if desired.

Weekly Report, Week Two

2009-09-09T06:30:00.004-05:00

My son is really into the Bible Study material we use. Now that I've slowed the pace down to one picture per lesson, he's putting a lot into that one picture.

I should have started penmanship sooner with him. He is over-ready and it frustrates him that he can't just write whatever he wants. He is sort of fighting me about learning cursive. He really wants to be able to print. I think I'll indulge him and introduce him to the manuscript section of a wipe-off book we have. He's already learned that letters have to be formed a certain way. So I think if I give him some instruction, he'll take off with the rest. The cursive writing is being introduced gently and with lots of practice, so if I don't do this for him, he's going to be frustrated for a long time. Also, since he's doing first grade work with phonics, they expect him to have some penmanship abilities. Right now, I'm writing the letters he dictates.

Speaking of phonics, that's the subject and materials I'm not sure that I made the best decision on. I really still haven't looked over the teacher's guide again. I'm going to do that and decide whether to pitch it, modify it, or follow it verbatim.

And that's another week gone by. Bit-by-bit, step-by-step!

_____________________________
The nitty gritty:

Bible: Lesson 5, part 3 to Lesson 6, part 2; Genesis 1:1-2
Phonics: Handbook pages 2&3; OPGTR Lessons 97-100
Readers: Bob Books: Fun in the Sun; Up, Pup; Pip and Pog; Bow, Wow
Penmanship: K5 Handwriting Lessons 6-9
Language: Oral Language Exercises 1.1-1.4
Arithmetic: Lessons 5-10
Read-Alouds and Art too

This is Embarassing

2009-09-03T07:22:00.003-05:00

So we were driving to church a few weeks ago and as we started down the road I took a moment to breathe. All the children were fed, dressed, and strapped down. I was glad for the moment of silence and inactivity.

Unfortunately it gave me the chance to think. All of sudden I realized in horror that I

1) was wearing dirty jeans
2) hadn't even combed my hair
3) could have used a shower
4) forgot my deoderant
5) hadn't brushed my teeth
6) and my face was also unwashed

I related the information to my husband. Do you know what he had the gall to say? Without a care in the world he said, "You sound like the mom of three young kids."

Hank the Cowdog, Book, CD, and Tornado Game

2009-08-31T07:46:00.003-05:00

Hank the Cowdog has been around for quite a while. John R. Erickson began writing about him 26 years ago. To date he's compiled 54 books on Hank's adventures.

Hank is as self-assured as they come, but really isn't all he dreams himself to be. He frequently finds himself the victim of his own mistakes, though he never sees it that way. His foibles resemble those of Barney Fife, especially since he believes himself to be in charge of security on the ranch where he lives. In The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse, the book I read, Hank goes through a lot of Tom Foolery that his masters don't at all appreciate. In the end he returns to their good graces when he saves the children from a deadly situation.

My guess is that each book in the series is like the one I read: about a hundred pages long, sporting a few key illustrations, and easily read by older elementary students.

Books aren't the only piece of Hank you can own. Included for my review was a CD. Each track of the Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog contained a snippet of the book read by the author and followed by a song sung by the author. The CD had excerpts from ten different books in the series. It was neat to hear the author read his work. Afterward, I could hear the different characters voices later on when I read to myself. Two of the tracks come from The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse. It was nice to hear him sing the songs he penned in the closing chapters.

Also included for my review was a game. TORNADO reminds me of Trouble. It has the same plastic tubes for holding your plastic tube game pieces as they go around the board. Maverick Books made a few key improvements to TORNADO. The unmistakeable sound of the pop-o-matic bubble has been replaced by a quiet spinner. The forlorn plastic game pieces have had characters from the series added to them. The postition of the players and the rules have changed a bit too, in order to make the game flow better. I couldn't quite get my five year old to stick around for a full game, but that's normal for him.

Best of all the game is packaged for traveling. The spinner comes apart, the board folds in half and acts as a carrying case, and all the playing pieces fit inside. TORNADO, "the wildest race and chase game ever!", is based on a Hank the Cowdog book, The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado. Included with the game is 30 minutes of the audio book to help put the game in context.

There is even more to Hank than all that. Hank has a website where kids can find out even more about their beloved canine hero. There is a map of his ranch, information on characters, games, a guestbook to sign, and more. Fans can sign up to receive a quarterly newsletter, The Hank Times. Available in the Hank the Cowdog line are T-shirts, plush toys, audio books, posters, song CDs, paperback, and hardback books.

Although Hank the Cowdog has won a Listen-up Award from Publisher's Weekly as a Best Humor Audio, I wasn't too thrilled with the humor. It crossed the boundaries of what is deemed appropriate in our family. We found the romatic elements bothersome, the language questionable, and the bathroom humor over the top. Chapter eight is subtitled Children Under Twelve Not Allowed to Read this Chapter! Caution!... I think that statement is applicable to the entire series, although I might lower the advisory age to ten. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. Other families have different dynamics; they might find Hank and his compatriots a welcome bit of entertainment.

If you are interested, here's the lowdown:
Paperback books, individual: $4.24
Hardback books, individual: $12.49
Unabridged audio book, CD: $17.99
Paperback book and audio CD set: $19.99
Tornado Game: $12.99

The newest books in the series cost a dollar more. There are several options for bundling books and audio CDs at a discounted rate. Maverick books still offers cassette tapes for the first 49 books in the series. You can also purchase a complete set of the books at a discounted rate.

Hank the Cowdog official website
Hank the Cowdog full product line ordering page

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Quarter Mile Math by Barnum Software

2009-08-27T08:28:00.007-05:00

I believe in learning math facts. There; I've outted myself. I don't mean to offend anyone. Really. But, I believe having basic addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division facts down pat is to a child's advantage. (Is that sentence grammatically correct? I'll look at it again after I've done a couple of years of diagramming sentences with my son.)

I also happen to know that learning math facts can be fun. Truly! I still smile when I recall the math facts game I played in third and fourth grades. Each student competed against all the others in the class. We all had great fun, even if we didn't win. I remember computer games too, where practicing math facts was deemed awesome because, well, we were playing a game.

Barnum Software thinks math facts are important too and they've created a computer game to make practicing them something to look forward to.

Quarter Mile Math has a very basic setup: you race against yourself. You do your best, and as you improve you continue to win. For each race you are on the far left side of the screen. Racing against you, to your right, are your previous five fastest times. What a smart way to do things!

I let my son have a go at the game, even though we're not doing any adding or subtracting yet, because he wanted so badly to try. I had him do the very simplest item on the menu: single-digit numbers. He's not yet familiar with a computer keyboard, so it was a challenge for him. I noticed that he and I made the same fatal mistake with our first race. We tried really hard to be as fast as possible. This meant we were both pushed beyond our normal abilities in subsequent races. My son was very frustrated by this. He did not like being beaten every single time after his first race. So I started him up a new account and told him not to go crazy on his first go around. This worked much better. Sometimes he won and sometimes he lost, but at least he wasn't always losing. (If I had read the directions, I would have known that I could have just erased that first stellar time.)

For your race you can choose to be either a car on a track or a wild horse running free across the prarie.

If you're like my son, you'll switch back and forth for every single race.

Although our use of Quarter Mile Math is somewhat limited at the present time, this will stay in our arsenal for years to come. One reason is because QMM goes well beyond simple adding and subtracting. It starts with the alphabet and numbers. It includes place value and counting. It does averages, decimals, fractions, equations and more. It covers math topics from Kindergarten to 9th grade.

Another reason we'll stick with it is because of the option to have 'tournaments'. With the deluxe version family members can race against each other in real time. I know I'll be putting sibling competitiveness to good use with that option (whenever we get a second computer).

You, the homeschool mom, can see your child's progress very easily. The program automatically stores the information from the races. With the deluxe version you get an additional few fancy ways to view the information.

QMM is used nationwide in Sylvan Learning Centers. It has also won several awards from homeschooling magazines.

There are a few ordering options for Quarter Mile Math. You can buy the program the old fashioned way (as in, the way you would have done things two whole years ago) by ordering a CD in a box shipped to you via snail mail. You can order both the standard and the deluxe versions of the game this way. The deluxe version is also available for download.

With the standard version you buy the game, pay one price, and go on. With the deluxe version you are purchasing an ongoing subscription to the full product line.

With the standard version you can choose to purchase just one level, or bundle two levels together, or buy all three levels bundled together.

With the deluxe version (the subscription) you have immediate access to all three levels for every member of your family. You get expanded student tracking options, and student scores are automatically saved to Barnum Software's server. You can install the software on any or all of your computers. For a monthly subscription, you'll pay $2.95 a month. If you prefer to sign up for an entire year, or two years, you'll get the product for even less per month.

Here's the lowdown:
Standard, One level = $39.95
Standard, Two levels = $64.95
Standard, All three levels = $89.95

Deluxe, monthly subscription = $2.95 per month
Deluxe, yearly subscription = $19.95 per year
Deluxe, two year subscription = $34.95 every other year

If you need to put some zip into math facts learning, Quarter Mile Math is a great option at a great price. Their website has a special homeschooling section, testimonials galore, a few videos about the product, and a free demo download.

*Special Offer* use the Referral Code below and you will get $5 off any order:

7V7K7

There is a place to input this code on the order forms. This Referral Code will be good until September 30.

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

We Now Continue

2009-08-24T08:02:00.006-05:00

with regularly scheduled programming...

I'm so sorry about the very untimely lapse in blogging. First we were going on vacation and I had everything planned about when to git-r-done.

Then we weren't going so I decided to do a small project before gettin' to the stuff.

Then, all of a sudden, we were going again- within 12 hours. All I had time to do was pack.

If I had a laptop, or even a cell phone, this would not be an issue. But, I don't. So I'm very, very sorry to everyone who has been waiting for the results of the Curriculum Clean-OUT! giveaways. Let's get to that, shall we?

The winners are:
Preschool Giveaway: denise_22315
Elementary Giveaway: sweetpetunia
Special Needs Giveaway: cgranquist
Middle/High-School Giveaway: Winning Readings

I'll be mailing out the materials shortly.

Thank you to everyone who entered. It was great fun reading all of your entries. I would like to give a special shout-out to the special needs moms. I wish I could send you all a copy of the books! For you the phrase, "Motherhood: the toughest job you'll ever love" is 100 times more true. I would hug you all right now if I could. And I would make you a cup of coffee and do your laundry. You're awesome.

I mentioned that I would share one of my favorite verses with y'all. Here it is:

II Timothy 2:11-13

This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He will also deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

What a comforting Scripture this is to me! I hope it blesses you today.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have post-vacation chaos to deal with.

Peace, blessing, love, and cookies,
Katrina

Grapevine Bible Studies, Beginner Old Testament

2009-08-19T10:20:00.006-05:00

Grapevine Bible Studies has a new website! It's very nice. Check it out: http://www.grapevinestudies.com/
I have a recent update immediately following this review. We still like stick-figuring through the Bible. :)

I had the honor and privilege these past few weeks to use Grapevine Studies Beginner Old Testament Bible study with my Kindergartener.

I really like it.

As a basic Bible study it covers the who, what, where, and when of Bible events. It leaves the why up to the parent's discretion. I like that.

I want the Bible study course I use with my kids to be a springboard for my own Bible study so that we're on the same section of the Bible together, but in my study time I'm going deeper. As we progress through the Bible together, we all grow. Grapevine Studies enables that.

First of all, according to the directions the teacher (me) is supposed to preread the section being studied in the lesson. And pray. And ask for guidance. There is ample space in the teacher's manual for recording what thoughts and observations you'd like to share during the lesson. Unfortunately, up to this point, I haven't gotten that personal study time in. That will change shortly.

At the start of our school time, I would sit down with my Kindergartener, a white board, and the Bible. First up is a review of the previous section. I used his own papers to review. Then I would read the indicated passage for the current lesson and talk about who, what, when, where, and why as appropriate. Next, I would draw the symbolic picture for the section. Sometimes, I had a hard time imagining a stick figure drawing for the passage. Thankfully, simplistically brilliant samples are also included in the teacher's manual.

Does that not perfectly show Adam blaming Eve and Eve blaming the serpent?

Using his student paper, my son would then dig in creating his own pictoral record.

Drawing a picture like this is an excellent way to cement the story into a child's mind. He remembers more because he is involved in the story himself, rather than simply watching someone tell it to him. My son is still talking about the chapters in Genesis that we covered already. Adam and Noah show up in playtime. And he's asked lots of questions about the flood.

A funny thing happened as we went through the drawings. I discovered that I had to teach my son about the stick figures who are turned to the side, looking at something. They're drawn with one eye and their mouth on the side. My son never said anything to me, but I noticed his drawings were quite distorted. Reflecting upon why his stick figure faces suddenly looked so odd, I realized that he didn't understand that what he was looking at when I drew a side-facing stick figure. One short explanation cleared that up.

After the drawing there are comprehension questions. Sometimes I had to help him with these, but that was great too, because it gave me an excellent idea of what he did and did not understand. Memory verses are provided, one for each lesson. Since I prefer to memorize small passages of Scripture rather than isolated verses, I used my own.

The study I used, The Beginner's Old Testament Overview contains fifty lessons divided into seven sections. The lessons were originally designed to be completed by a Sunday school class, so I found I had to modify them. In the end I decided to do one picture per day to allow my son to draw as much as he wanted. Doing the lessons this way, the study will take us the entire school year to complete. I imagine, though, that he will soon be proficient enough to complete two drawings per lesson. That will mean I can move twice as fast.

There are quite a few other studies available designed for Kindergartners up to Adults. Those in Level 1 or higher come with a suggested schedule for homeschooling families, as well as a few other features like character cards and timelines. Grapevine Studies is committed to producing even more books in the near future to help families and Sunday schools 'stick figure through the Bible'.

The studies are available in both printed and e-book format. I chose an e-book format for this review. I liked it just fine for the consumable student workbook, but next time I will use a printed teacher's manual. It will be easier for me to make notes and use.

The Beginner's Old Testament Overview e-book is $19.95 (2010 pricing is a little different.)
The teacher's e-book is $15.95. (2010 prices are different.)
The printed versions cost a little more.

Especially for you, my faithful blog readers, Grapevine studies is offering a limited time special on their studies. If you order by September 15th you get 30% off with this special code: crews.(This offer has expired)

___________________________________________________
FEBRUARY 2010 UPDATE
We are still using and still loving Grapevine Beginner Old Testament (eBook). My son has improved in his drawing abilities (a side benefit of drawing every day) so now we complete two whole lessons in one week.

My son is really learning the characters and events of The Old Testament. Drawing a picture to go with the lesson works wonders for retention. I find it easy to work doctrine into the lesson, most especially during prayer time.

I intend to continue with Grapevine during first grade. I plan to buy the student eBook and a printed teacher's book. The teacher's edition is an exact copy of the student's paper, with helpful notes and suggested pictures to draw. There is space on each section of the lesson to write your own notes when you study the passage before teaching it. It's worth it to me to buy it with the student book.
_______________________________________________________

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Time's Up

2009-08-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

Time is up on the Curriculum Clean-OUT! giveaways. I'll announce the winners as soon as I can.

Peace,
Katrina

"Don't Get Me, Daddy"

2009-08-13T10:36:00.003-05:00

"No, Daddy, don't get me!"

"No, Daddy, I just want to get my ball wet."

"Thank you, Daddy."

________________________

To get these photos I knelt with the sun in my face, in the late afternoon. I happened to be sitting in exactly this orientation when the water play started. I noticed how cool the water looked with the sunlight coming through it. I ran in and got my camera.

I did take a few photos where the sun was more at my back, and you basically can't see the water in them at all.

Here's my question to photoshop gurus: how can I Photoshop these into spectacular pictures? What are they missing? I really can't think of what to do with them. But I know, if they were in the right hands, they could look wicked cool.

Or, perhaps, are they not really good enough photos to bother Photoshopping? (is that a word?)

Any advice is appreicated.

Cookies melt in water,
CookieMonster

First Kindergarten Weekly Report

2009-08-08T07:51:00.002-05:00

We went ahead and started Kindergarten this week, as I had scheduled. I already know there are some things I probably really want to change, and I think I might really regret something I bought, but I don't want to get into all that in our first week. It's time to be positive!

For our first day of school we focused on posterity. I took a keepsake picture, wrote down my son's height and weight, and had my son sign his name on the same paper. It will be neat to compare all the same things at the end of Kindergarten.

Ah, Kindergarten! Such a milestone. I'm all nostalgic and weepy.

After completing our lessons for the first day we all went out to get a milkshake. I wanted to get some cute pictures of the kids getting milkshake all over themselves, but I forgot the camera.

The rest of the week didn't go as smoothly. Tuesday night my son came down with a serious cold. I cancelled school for Wednesday while my son wiped his nose all day. And coughed. And laid around looking pitiful. We went through our lessons on Thursday, but didn't manage them on Friday.

The Grapevine Bible Study has been going well. My son really likes drawing the pictures and I think it's helping him to learn the stories. He comes up with all kinds of questions for me later on in the day. During non-school time, he'll often draw parts of the stories in combination with other things he likes. (That makes for some interesting pictures.)

This summer break was fertile soil for my son's reading abilities. All summer long he's been reading everything around him: cereal boxes, elevator signs, commercials, road signs, etc., etc., etc. On our road trip to see Grandpa, he read the following sign in Denny's: Worst seat in the joint. Sit here and get 50 off your bill. (It said 50% - but he didn't know what to do with the % sign).

All of that reading has cemented my son's skills. He jumped right into Lesson 94 reading better than he did back in April when we had our last attempt at school.

As for the rest, I'm going to give it all another week, another perusual of the teacher's manuals, and another thought before I make any decisions.

I hope you had a great week, even if you haven't started the school year yet. And I hope next week is wonderful for you as well.

Pluggin' along,
Katrina

______________________
nitty gritty:
Bible: Grapevine Beginner's Old Testament Overview, Lessons 3, 4, and half of 5
Memory Verse: Genesis 1:1
Phonics: OPGTR Lessons 94, 95, and 96; A Beka 1st Lessons 1-4
Readers: none
Language: none
Arithmetic: Lessons 1, 2, and 4 (skipped 3)
Read Alouds: ABC Go!, Owl Moon, A is for Adam
Art: none

The Best Nursing Pillow Ever

2009-08-06T20:01:00.005-05:00

Behold the MyBrestFriend nursing pillow.

Now, try hard not to laugh at the name. Name aside, this is one awesome nursing pillow. It literally saved my back. And, cheesy as it sounds, it is a good friend to your sore nursing breasts.

After experiencing stiff necks, sore shoulders, and bad lower back pain with my first, I went looking for a better way to nurse. I was actually looking at getting a Boppy. Somehow I stumbled upon a MyBrestFriend and was intrigued. I was cautiously optimistic about this (then) newfangled thing. It sounded promising, but lots of things in cyberspace sound promising.

Since I discovered I could view one in real life, at Babies-R-Us, I drove on over one cold, windy weekend. Sure enough, they had one on the shelf. It looked even better in person, although I wasn't crazy about the price tag. Since my husband is crazy about me, he forced me to get it. He's wonderful like that.

The best thing about the pillow is the high, firm foam back support. The first time I wrapped it around my post-partum body I almost sang a song. Almost - my baby latched on before I could get to the note I wanted and all that came out was some freakish wail.

It has these very cool built in head-supports for your floppy newborn. I was actually kind of skeptical about these, but they proved me wrong. After wrapping my body with the pillow I could just lay my baby with her head on the bump (sorry, head support) and she was perfectly positioned. Magic!

The latch is wonderful. Boppies don't latch, you know. The MyBrestFriend latch is big enough that it's easy to do and undo even if you're so tired you can't remember your married name. It's also quiet! So when you're newborn finally drifts off to sleep you don't wake her up.

The cover is completely removable and washable. There are replacement covers available. There is even a deluxe model now.

The MyBrestFriend pillow really does live up to it's claims. It's the #1 choice of lactation consultants for many good reasons. Martha Stewart even saw fit to recommend it to her viewers. Don't tell anyone, but with my second, I often strapped on the pillow, positioned her on top, held the pillow with my hands, stood up, and followed my two-year-old around the house while the baby nursed. It's sturdy enough to do that, yet still manages to be incredibly comfortable in the hospital bed.

If you're a mom-to-be or the friend, mother, co-worker, sister, or spouse of one, I highly recommend this pillow to you. It comes in much yummier covers than the one on my simple, inexpensive model, if you shop around.

Look at that cute one! There are dozens more. Some even have super-soft covers.

They're available all over the place now: Target, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Amazon. Just be careful how you spell you search words(!).

Happy Nursing!
CookieMonster

Curriculum Clean Out - Almost There!

2009-08-05T07:03:00.004-05:00

I have one or two things for the Curriculum Clean-Out, but I'm not ready to post them yet. There's this whole process of taking pictures, editing pictures, uploading pictures, yada, yada, yada.

For now, check out a few other giveaways:

Usborne Internet-Link First Encyclopedia of Seas and Oceans

Five in a Row, Volume 1

Sequential Spelling 1

Rod and Staff Grammar - Grade 8 - with teacher's manual, student text, worksheets, and tests

There are more than forty giveaways so far. Pop on over, scroll down, and look at the giveaways linked by Mr. Linky! (The picture below is also a link.)

See you soon,

CookieMonster

Eating My Words - And Taking My Own Advice

2009-07-29T11:30:00.002-05:00

I've always believed honesty is the best policy. In that spirit I've come to confess that my five month old has only been sleeping through the night for one week. I unburden my soul to you for two reasons. One, because I think it's good for moms to admit problems they have: it helps inexperienced mothers feel normal and let go of perfectionism. Two, because I brazenly put the following things on my blog after having my second child:

It is not too much to expect a two month old to sleep 6-8 hours a night.
If my four month old isn't sleeping 10-12 hours a night, he should be.

(From Sane Breastfeeding)

In the end the secret to my success was my confidence that my child could and should sleep through the night. Once I believed that, it changed how I dealt with a crying baby in the night. It was still work. There was still teething and growth spurts to deal with. But overall, I got a whole lot more sleep.

With my first I never really believed he could sleep through the night. With my second I did. And that made all the difference. So believe that they can, expect them to do so, and get some sleep.

(From Getting that Baby to Bed)

I think, since I went and spouted off like some kind of expert, I oughta keep it real by letting you know how things have really gone around here.

I was visiting my in-laws the day my daughter turned three months old. I couldn't believe she was three months old - or that it was even May for that matter. For me time had stopped back in February when my precipitous labor left me delivering without the aid of an epidural. Here I was looking at my daughter, whom the calendar told me was three months old, and realizing the child was still waking me up 2 to 3 times a night. I don't want this to continue; this is not good for her, I told myself. It's not doing any wonders for me, either, I reflected. Doing something about it took a little longer than I expected.

First of all, she's a third child. She has a lot of punches to roll with. Her older brother and sister have just as many needs as they did before she came along. And while the baby comes first, sometimes the baby just has to wait. Also, in her first four months of life we took two out-of-state road trips. Traveling definitely throws babies off.

Second of all, she's a touchy baby. Loud noises startled her more easily than other babies. She had listened to her older brother and sister for nine months while in my womb. I didn't make them quiet down any after she was born. And, still, she reacted very strongly to loud, but normal, noises in everyday life. She also kept her startle reflex much longer than most babies do. No matter how securely she was wrapped or held, she would swear she was falling and scream and cry. Rinse, dry, repeat several times a day - usually when trying to help her go to sleep. Those are just two examples of her touchiness.

Touchy babies also like to be put to bed the same way every time. Variation is a bad thing. Being a third child, she had to endure lots of variety. Sometimes she had to go to sleep in a stroller while her brother took swimming lessons. Sometimes she had to go to sleep in her carseat because Mommy was grocery shopping. Sometimes she went to sleep in her crib. You get the idea.

Third of all, she's a very spirited baby. She is interested in absolutely everything. She wants to be entertained every waking minute. She doesn't want to go to sleep if there's something interesting going on. She gets bored easily and demands more. She only wants to nap when she's nursing - and she wants to nurse for as little time as possible during the day and make up for it at night.

So, all things considered, it's not surprising that I never knew when she would or wouldn't wake me at night to feed her. But, I was resolved to fix that.

My first project was getting her on a routine during the day of eating, being awake, napping, and then waking up for her next feed. This took several weeks. She, naturally, throws herself off of this routine very easily. She also went and had a growth spurt on me. In addition, we took that second out-of-state trip during this time.

So as she turned four months old we had a routine in place that was going pretty well, but only marginally helped her night wakings. I figured she must really be hungry. On a whim I also came to my own blog and read my posts on breastfeeding. I realized I was still single-side nursing. I should have added in the second side about a month earlier. Oops. I started doing that right away. I made sure that we spent the same amount of time on the first side as we had before, and I tried for at least five minutes on the second side. After a few days it was easy for her to go for ten minutes on the second side.

Two weeks after starting double-barrel feedings an interesting thing happened. My daughter still awoke twice a night, but she was not at all hungry when she awoke in the morning. Once, she went two hours after waking before she took her first feed of the day. That, my friends, was proof-positive that she really was getting enough to eat during the day and didn't need to be getting up at night to feed. So I bolstered my resolve, dug in my heels, and ignored her night waking. This is hard for me to do. But, I did it. The first night, she tried to get me up at 1 am - just six hours after her last feed - and I said, "No way, Josè," She went back to sleep after a bit and didn't wake up again until 5:00am. That I can handle.

The next night she stayed asleep until 4am. I fed her and she slept until 8am.

It's now been a week. She has her last feeding of the day about 7pm, goes down shortly after that, then sleeps until at least 4am.

I'm drunk on sleep. So drunk I dusted my living room yesterday.

I never had to work this consciously with my second baby. I had prayed for a calm, easy baby and the Lord had seen fit to give me one. But, with this baby, I guess he wanted me to put my mommy skills to work again. She's worth it.

Let's Talk Statistics

2009-07-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

There were 21 entries for the Web Design for Kids giveaway.

I asked 1 question for the giveaway: What website is most helpful to you in homeschooling?

81% of you said: The Well Trained Mind forums!
I heartily agree. The WTM forums are a great place to ask homeschooling questions of all types. I visit often.

38% suggested other helpful sites:

Free, Literature-Based Unit Studies
Homeschool Share is a on-line cooperative effort of several homeschooling moms to provide free but quality literature-based unit studies and resources. It looks interesting.

Rainbow Resource
I like Rainbow Resource. Here's an excerpt from their website:
In business since 1989, it is our mission to provide the best educational products to homeschoolers, parents, and educators at the lowest prices we can offer. We currently carry over 40,000 quality educational products in all subject areas, for grades PK-12 and beyond! In addition to our great prices, you can count on us for these "perks" as well.
· Always free shipping on paid orders of $150 or more to U.S. addresses*(*some restrictions apply)
· Helpful, experienced homeschool consultants to answer your curriculum questions at no charge
· Our 1300-page print catalog with detailed product reviews, available for FREE by request, or to download from our site

Blogger Blogs!
Search for blogs using keywords: homeschool, Charlotte Mason, Well-Trained Mind, and more to stumble upon another great idea.

Homeschool Reviews
Reviews for homeschoolers by homeschoolers. I've tried this site before and found some helpful reviews.

Articles on Homeschooling
Articles compiled over the last ten years by Practical Homeschooling Magazine

Donna Young
A site I see referenced often by homeschoolers, Donna Young offers free homeschool planners, school calendars, household planners, printables in various subjects, and homeschool planning tips.

School Express
Word searches, worksheets, crosswords and more! Use premade sheets or make your own.

Simply Charlotte Mason
From the website: This site is dedicated to helping you homeschool your children using the Charlotte Mason method and wonderful philosophy of education.

21+1+81%+38%= 2 winners that need to be selected.

I put all the names into a hat. Then I held the camera while my son drew out two names.

And the winners are:

GinnyRae and momtolgd

Congratulations!

Thank you for all the great website recommendations, ladies. I have lots of great resources to look over.

Have a great weekend,
CookieMonster

Web Design for Kids by Click Drag Solutions

2009-07-24T04:02:00.013-05:00

I was sent Web Design for Kids (and Curious Grown-Ups) to review as part of my stint in the TOS Crew. I wasn't really sure what to expect. Computers are not a complete mystery to me, but I'll admit that I barely get by.

I really like this DVD by. I learned a lot watching it. Very little of it was new to me, but I still left understanding more than when I started. By watching the process from start to finish I have a coherent view of how it all works.

Many times, products for rank beginners fail to really reach their audience. The expert simply doesn't remember what it's like to be totally clueless. Not so with this DVD! It obvious to me that Mr. Richardson regularly teaches html (a website design language) to newbies. At every point where someone might feel lost, or have more questions, he steps in with an explanation. He goes deliberately, step-by-step, building one thing on the next. He also reviews regularly - but not annoyingly often.

I was impressed with how well he anticipated what might trip up a beginner. For instance, when he had you type something that wrapped around to a new line, he would stop and say, "Now your text may have gone to the next line. But that's ok. You're fine." I know from working with very computer illiterate people that something as simple as text wrapping around to the next line will throw them off. I love it that he anticipates this and other possible points of panic.

I also love how he has the viewer "mess up on purpose". This is a great way to teach! Messing up on purpose teaches the student what not to do. It teaches what to do; the student now knows where to pay attention. And it also sets the student up for success by giving him a heads-up about what to correct if he has a problem later on.

Well it turns out Mr. Richardson does regularly teach newbies, and that's why his product is so great. He, as a middle school computer literacy teacher, wanted his students to leave his class with skills that would truly benefit them for the rest of their life. He started teaching them html - and they started creating websites. Web Design for Kids was born out of his desire to reach kids outside his classroom.

Web Design for Kids uses two things: Notebook and Internet Explorer. These come standard on most PCs. (Mac users can use TextEdit and Safari, but they need to go to the menu on TextEdit, choose "Format", and choose "Make Plain Text".) Even though most people will not want to stick with Notebook and IE long-term, it's an excellent place to start. There are 7 sections, each about ten minutes long. In about two hours, the viewer can have a basic website started.

I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who wants their child to learn html. I think a child as young as eight would be able to use the DVD. Older children wouldn't find Mr. Richardson talking down to them, and they would probably get pretty excited about creating a webpage themselves. I also recommend it for adults like me who need someone to hold their hand and lead them through the waters. I can hardly wait for the next DVD in the series; it's due to be completed in the fall of this year. It will get into javascript, basic CSS, using free web server space, and more.

The DVD normally sells for $40. Right now, though, it's on sale for $19.99! (Cool thing to note: A portion of all proceeds are donated to charity.)

To order: Web Design for Kids DVD
_______________

And now, a giveaway!

I like Web Design for Kids so much that I'm giving away two brand-spanking-new copies.

All you have to do to enter this contest is leave a comment with an answer to this question:

What website is most helpful to you in homeschooling?

If you don't homeschool but still want to enter, just say so. That's cool with me.

Please include a way for me to contact you (email address, or your blog with email you actually check, or...you get the idea).

One entry per person, please. Contest ends at 8pm Pacific time tonight. I'll put all the entrants names into a hat and draw out two winners. I might let my son help.

I'm looking forward to checking out the helpful homeschool sites you recommend! I'll post the winner of the giveaway Saturday morning.

Lots of html love,
CookieMonster

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.
The giveaway is by and from me. Click Drag Solutions did not sponsor it. At all. Mr. Richardson is selling plenty of DVDs without me, because they're really good.

Bible Study thoughts

2009-07-22T12:26:00.003-05:00

I've been unsure about what exactly to do about Bible Time for the upcoming school year.

Well, I've been using Grapevine Bible Studies for a couple of days now, and I have to say I really, really like it. My son likes it. He's remembering what was taught.

I think this is going to work for the Bible part of my Bible curriculum. I'll use it for a couple more weeks here, before my review for the TOS Crew is due, and then I'll lay down a verdict for you.

It's looking like it's gonna be a good'un.

Do You Have Zucchini Coming Out Your Ears?

2009-07-20T08:09:00.005-05:00

I thought you might. I thought you might like some ideas about what do with all that fresh produce. Here's some of the things I'm making with my plethora of zucchini

Pastor Ryan's Zucchini Cakes (fried goodness)

Zucchini Bread (I recommend adding the nuts)

This Zucchini Pasta Dish from the Pioneer Woman

Plain old fried zucchini:
Chop the zucchini into ½ inch chunks.
Coating the bottom of a skillet with olive oil.
Put zucchini into pan with sizzling oil . Don't move the zucchini until they are brown on that side.
Stir 'em around to brown on other sides.
Coat with Kosher salt to taste.
Serve immediately.

Next up for me to try: Fried Zucchini Strings. (Also from P-Dub.) Help me, Rhonda!

Happy Zucchini!
CookieMonster.

Meet My Stepmother

2009-07-17T04:03:00.008-05:00

Guess what? My stepmother is also a homeschooler. I asked her if she would like sharing a little bit on my blog. She said, "Sure." So I asked her a few questions to introduce her to all of you.
~-~-~-~-~-~-

Hi, Cher! How are you this morning?

I am really good. How are you?

That sounded a little sarcastic.

I'm sorry, let me try that again.
{deep breath}
I'm really good, Katrina. How are you?

So I take it you're not having a great morning?

Oh, it's ok.

(I hear children in background. We get interrupted.)

Ok, I'm back.

Alright, tell me about who you homeschool.

I am currently homeschooling my two sons, David who's 9 and Brandon who is 7 and a half. David is going into fourth grade. Brandon is going into second grade. He's one of those children who has a December birthday.

What made you leap into this crazy thing called homeschooling?

Well, for me, it was something that I was interested in, because of my daughter (I laugh) and other people I knew who homeschooled. But, I guess I believed the lie that I wasn't qualified to homeschool. Then I became aware of the environment my kids were in at the daycare and school when I went to work there. I really believe that God put me there so that I would see it for myself. It was an easy decision to homeschool after that. And with much fear and trepidation and a great deal of prayer and encouragement from my daughter (another laugh from me) I decided to make the leap. This was before Brandon's Kindergarten year.

Am I the best daughter in the world? Nevermind. Don't answer that.

Yes.

Aww, you're too kind.

No, I'm telling the truth. I mean, what would I have done without your help? I would have had no clue about what curriculum to buy or anything. I would have been totally clueless.

Awww. I'm sure you could have gotten help from someone else.

{We are interrupted because I hear thunder. I go move the dog and my son out of the backyard.}

So tell me again, how long have you been homeschooling?

This will be my third year of homeschooling. So, I've homeschooled for two years.

Do you have anything you want to say about homeschooling?

When I began telling people that I was going to be homeschooling for the first time I got some great advice from a dear friend at church. She had taken her children out of a Christian school setting to homeschool them. She told me that when you decide to homeschool you have to commit to at least one year, because when you take your children out of school and homeschool them it can be a very difficult transition.

She told me what to expect: that they would tell me I'm their mom and not their teacher. There's an adjustment period and you have to be ready for it and aware of it. And she also said that it would be worth it. It was such good advice.

Other good advice that I received was that "on any given day of homeschooling you may not get everything done that you wanted to do, but that it's ok. Don't beat yourself up."

That is good advice. What would you say you struggle with in homeschooling?

Organization is my biggest downfall. Organization and preparation. I tend to think I have less to do than I really do. Or to think that it will be easier to accomplish than it really is.

I think my biggest struggle in homeschooling is teaching two children who are very different and have very different needs - and who are very close in age. They have different temperaments, different abilities, different learning styles - and they're very close in age.

What are your plans for the upcoming year?

I'm trying something new with each child. This year I've tried to focus their education on what their needs are. I've chosen A Beka DVD with my younger son, Brandon. He's spent too much time waiting for me to finish with his older brother to get what he needed. Now he'll be able to get instruction even when I'm busy with his brother. So in order to give David the attention he needs and Brandon the teaching he needs David will be doing A Beka with me.

I've also signed up David with Aleks math on the computer. Math takes up the most time in our school day. I think this will make the homeschooling experience more positive for everyone and help make our home run more smoothly. The math taking up so much time has caused everything else to slide.

That sounds exciting. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.

You're welcome. Thank you for asking.

Can I ask back again for another interview sometime?

Certainly. Anytime.

~-~-~-~-~-~-
So there you go, folks. If you have any questions for Cher I'm sure she'd be happy to answer them. Just leave your questions in the comments.

Magic and Mocha Cookie Bars

2009-07-16T14:33:00.010-05:00

Hoo and Ray! I've finally got all my ducks in a row and wrote up instructions for these wonderful cookie bars.

These, my friends, are scrumptious Magic Cookie Bars. My stepmother used to make them all the time. Everyone in the house gobbled them up.

I had a hankerin' for them the other day and realized it had been years since I'd had any. Years? said I. Impossible! So I called my stepmother.

Hey, I need your recipe for those Magic Cookie Bars. Now.

She happily obliged me. I ran out to the store immediately. When I came back I cleared off a section of counter and set to work.

I made a batch of regular Magic Cookie Bars and a batch of Mocha Cookie Bars (a new variation for me). Then I ate them all in two days. They're that yummy. And they're really easy! So let's get started.

The secret ingredients to this culinary concoction are: graham cracker crumbs, butter (not pictured), sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and coconut. If you are making Mocha Cookie Bars add instant coffee and chocolate syrup to your list.

You can use parchment paper if you wish to make the finished bars easier to cut prettily. If you don't, you can just use a bare pan - no grease necessary. My stepmother told me that her latest innovation in Magic Cookie Bars was parchment lining, and she told me to do it. So I did.

Or at least I tried. It turns out that I bought some really big parchment paper. For the first batch that went in the oven, I tried just folding the excess paper to fit the pan. Bad idea. It made it very difficult to get the graham cracker crust right.

For the second batch I went ahead and cut some of the excess paper. That worked much better. Of course, if I had just bought the right size paper to begin with, I wouldn't have had this problem. Welcome to my kitchen; that's how things go around here.

Now that our 13x9" pan is ready, let's start making some magic.

The recipe says to melt the butter in the pan in your 350 degree oven.

After the butter is melted you're supposed to just pour the graham cracker crumbs right into the hot pan.

It's a nice idea, but it doesn't work. (Sorry for the out-of-focus picture. I got a lot of those this time.) I got clumps of very wet crumbs and large spaces of totally dry crumbs. So I had to get my hands dirty and mix up the crumbs and butter until they were well combined. Then I patted the mixture into the bottom of the pan.

The syrupy-thick deliciousness called sweetened condensed milk gets drizzled on top next. Open it up any way you like.

And here's where I'll interject specific instructions for the mocha version. For the mocha version you add instant coffee and chocolate syrup to the sweetened condensed milk before you add it to the pan.

In order to try and keep from having yet another dish to wash, I opted to add my coffee and chocolate to the milk in the can. First I added in the coffee, about a tablespoon.

Then add 1 Tablespoon of chocolate syrup and stir.

Mixing everything in the can is a little messy. Next time I'll do it in a separate bowl.

Now drizzle the elixir over the graham cracker layer,

trying to get it even.

Oh, mama, look at that.

Now evenly spread out the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

We're almost done! Evenly sprinkle 1 and 1/3 cup coconut.

Now for the secret to my stepmother's Magic Cookie Bars: press down firmly all over.

If you don't press the layers together you get inferior cookie bars. The layers don't combine into delicious goodness; the crust crumbles off, the coconut falls, the chips don't stick to the milk.

Now pop the pan in the oven for 25 minutes or so, until the coconut is lightly browned.

Help me, Rhonda, it smells soooooo good!

Before you dig in, you have to let the bars cool. You can let them sit on your counter all night or pop them in your fridge. Just don't let them get too cold in your fridge; they are hard to cut if they get refrigerator cold.

Once they're sufficiently cooled, lift out the cookie bar using the parchment paper as a handle. Cut into squares and serve.

Ta Da!

I really liked the mocha variation. Yum, yum, yum! My husband, who doesn't drink coffee, prefered the straight up Magic Cookie Bars.

Magic Cookie Bars

½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Line 13x9 pan with parchment paper, if desired.

Melt the butter and mix with the graham cracker crumbs until well combined. Spread crumbs evenly over bottom of pan and press into pan. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the graham cracker crumbs. Top evenly with chocolate chips. Layer coconut on top. Press layers firmly together.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly before cutting.

Mocha Variation: Add a tablespoon each of instant coffee and chocolate syrup to the sweetened condensed milk before you add the milk to the bars. Use more than a tablespoon if you want.

Enjoy,
CookieMonsterKatrina

Can I Just Say

2009-07-15T13:56:00.002-05:00

I love having a girl!

The Joys of Laying Out Plans

2009-07-11T08:52:00.006-05:00

So, I went and laid out my purchasing plans for my son's Kindergarten curriculum a couple of days ago.

And already I've realized I forgot a few things, and need to modify others.

But, see! That's the great thing about putting my thoughts onto paper! I can then step back and see what I've missed or gotten wrong. Until I put it down on paper, all my thoughts, plans, and ideas float around in the soup that is my brain.

Now I know ahead of time that I've missed some stuff. I can rectify the situation now - not when I'm actually trying to launch into the school year.

Now if only I would remember to plan ahead like this more often...

Cookies, Anyone?

2009-07-11T08:49:00.003-05:00

Hey! Did someone around here say they were going to give out the recipe for those scrumptious cookies in the header?

Why, yes, I did. And I will. Soon. I promise.

I hope.

Why I am Doing Cursive First

2009-07-10T04:00:00.001-05:00

Why in the world would I want to teach cursive to my son who is just learning to write?

The short answer is:

1. I want to.

2. It's really not that foreign of an idea.

3. Cursive writing is not obsolete.

The end.

Hello, Grandpa!

2009-07-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

Three tanks of gas: $130

Eating out: $55

Taking an 8 hour road trip with younguns - by myself: cost me my sanity

Grandpa seeing his new granddaughter for the first time ever: priceless

The Cost of Kindergarten

2009-07-09T09:40:00.004-05:00

We've figured out how much we can afford to spend for Kindergarten: $500. Let's see how my planned curriculum fits within that parameter.

Phonics
OPGTR $0 (already own it)
A Beka 1st $20 (hand-me-downs from my stepmother - I pay shipping)
A Beka 1st Readers $0 (included in hand-me-downs)

Spelling
A Beka 1st $0 (included in hand-me-downs)

Speech
Oral Language Exercises $14

Penamanship
Formation cards $15
Writing with phonics K $11
Number Writing Tablet K $8
K5 Teachers Manual $40 (unless I can find it cheaper)

Arithmetic
A Beka K5 Teacher's $20
A Beka K5 Student Book $13
Support Materials $58

General
Five in a Row $24
obscure books for FIAR $30
Pencils, paper, etc ~$49
Grocery Store Workbooks $0 (many hand-me-downs)

Science
Butterfly Kit $20
Ant Farm $20
Themed book/kit $20

Art
Drawing with Children $0 (already have it)
Supplies $40
A Beka Art Projects K $13

Music & Read Alouds: Free from our shelves or the library shelves

That comes to a grand total of $351.

Wow. Really? Hmmm... I'm gonna have to find some more things to spend my money on.

Or maybe I should not do that now, because I might discover something else I need later on in the year.

09-10 School Year Calendar

2009-07-08T14:46:00.004-05:00

I know that some homeschoolers do not need to plan out their year. I do.

I know that some get by just fine by just doing school all the time. I don't.

I have to have a starting date. I need that deadline. It prompts me to get all my ducks in a row.

I need to know when I should be doing school in order to accomplish all my goals. I need to have a plan so that when the unexpected occurs I can see how far off track it takes me and make plans to get back on track.

I also need to know when to stop.

For last school year, I didn't have a plan laid out. That was fine, since I was only doing preschool. This year I'm diving into Kindergarten with a more-than-ready child. I discovered last year that after about nine weeks of consistent schooling we needed a week off. That's how I've scheduled next year. It works out really well in the end. The green weeks above are school weeks. The blank weeks are weeks off. The pink week is the projected starting date for the 2010-11 school year.

Having this schedule done is very comforting to me (it's an excel spreadsheet by the way). Now I can move on to other planning.

If you feel overwhelmed by your homeschooling - like you never know where you are, where you've been, or where you're going - maybe doing a year long schedule like this would be helpful.

Love,
CookieMonster

A Poem

2009-07-05T18:53:00.000-05:00

One of these days
The kids will be gone

And I'll be crying
hard and long

I Done Did Some More

2009-07-02T17:30:00.005-05:00

I made these cupcakes a couple of weeks ago.

I really did like the cupcakes I did before with the roses. I wanted to make fondant decorated cupcakes again, but this time I wanted them to be a bit easier. In the interest of saving time I dreamed up a simple, two-color design that employed only the use of cut-outs.

I did have a two-month-old, you know. I didn't have all the time in the world to fiddle with my new baking hobby.

Speaking of my two-month-old, we were going to have her dedicated, so I used that as an excuse to whip up these cute little cupcakes. I decided on a pink and green theme, something in the pastel family. I found Noah's Ark Mini Cutters at the store and decided to use the animals from it.

I had to do something differently this time with the assembling of the cupcakes. I just don't have a four hour block of time to bake cupcakes, color fondant, roll it out, cool cupcakes, cut out fondant shapes, and assemble it all together.

So, I did a little bit each day, saving the finished fondant cutouts in gallon sized plastic bags.

The day before I needed them, I baked the cupcakes.

The night before I spent 45 minutes slappin' everything together.

I think they turned out pretty cute. Going with just two colors - and pastel at that - did prove to be a timesaver. Using a totally cut out design also saved a lot of time. Doing things piecemeal was sometimes frustrating (I love to finish as soon as I'm inspired) but I had to go with the flow. Saving cut-outs in the plastic bags on a cookie sheet worked well.

If you're interested, here's what I used:
Wilton Fondant
Noah's Ark Mini Metal Cutter Set
Wilton Icing Coloring (pink and kelly green)
foil cupcake liners
and a drinking glass to cut the rounds

Next fondant fiasco: my son's birthday cake!

Coming Soon

2009-07-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

Want the recipe for the cookies shown in my header?

I'll get that up for ya in a couple of days.

Love and kisses,
CookieDevoringMonster Katrina

Three's a Crowd

2009-06-30T20:12:00.001-05:00

The TOS Schoolhouse Planner

2009-06-30T06:53:00.009-05:00

I've seen ads for this planner. I've seen them and thought briefly that the TOS 2009 Schoolhouse Planner sounded like a great idea. I would just as quickly decide that the planner was probably not something I would really use. I guess in the back of my mind I thought it was one of those gimmicky products that sounds so great but isn't truly practical.

I was totally wrong. I had no idea what I was missing.

This planner is everything a homeschooler would ever need for planning. It's 375 pages of this, that, and the other all in one place. Monthly calendars, grade forms, field trip logs, conversion charts, and more. Are you planning for high-school? It can handle it. Are you planning pre-school? No sweat. No, really.

It's an all-in-one go-to resource for homeschoolers by homeschoolers.

It has four large sections:
1 - The Monthly Calendar Section
2 - Charts Galore
3 - Forms, Forms, Forms
4 - More Forms

The best part of all is that the TOS Schoolhouse Planner is a pdf form. That means you can not only print out the handy pages that are useful to you, but you can also fill in the forms on your computer screen before printing them out. You can fill out one form with all the information for one child, save it, then fill out the form again for another child, save it, then fill out the form again for another child. And there are hyperlinks within the planner. That means TOS has put within the planner working links to helpful information. Very cool.

The monthly calendar section is not just a collection of calendars. Following each calendar there is an article of interest to homeschoolers. Following each article is a very helpful chart pertaining to the article. Following each chart is - steady yourself - a page full of pertinent links. Following the links are two recipes each month. It's like you get a mini-magazine with your planner. And, remember, you can fill out each calendar on your screen before printing it out. Being a child of the computer age, I really, really like that feature. A neat and tidy pre-filled calendar makes my heart sing. Oh, and the calendars are two-page calendars designed to fit perfectly in a binder.

Following the monthly section are 20 pages of useful charts: Famous Artists, Timeline of Inventions, US States and Capitals. All handy information to have at your fingertips. The Calendars, articles, and charts make up 141 pages of the planner. That means there are 200 pages of forms and more forms that follow.

At first, all those forms are overwhelming. Anticipating this, TOS started off the section of Homeschooling forms with an explanation of each form and how it might be used. TOS really took the time to be all-inclusive with the forms they offered. Whether you're traditional textbook schooling, classically schooling, or unschooling they've got you covered. They even remembered to include forms you might need for your local authorities: hour logs, attendance logs, report cards. There are several different types of forms for daily and weekly planning. There are book logs, field trip logs, video logs, and more. There are pre-made journal pages to use with your child.

After the 200 or so homeschool-specific forms, comes a section of household forms. Running a home while homeschooling is especially challenging, and I like it that TOS included this section. In it there are the usual grocery lists, weekly cleaning schedules, menu planning pages, and chore charts. There are several different kinds of each so that you can find one to suit your family. There are also home improvement schedules, a car maintenance checklist, a vacation planner, a party planner, a bible reading schedule, a garden planner and checklist, a monthly budget sheet, and more. Having all these forms at the ready inspires me.

I've been using the planner to get ready for Kindergarten with my oldest. The annual goals, twelve-year planning pages, and curriculum planning sheet have been immensely helpful. I'm not sure I would have bothered writing out goals for the year, had I not seen the form. But, since I did I see that there's a lot floating around in my head that I wasn't going to get accomplished if I didn't write it down.

The curriculum planning sheet has been really helpful. I knew in my head what I want to get, but hadn't written anything down yet. Now that it's all written down, I can use my list to make certain I've bought everything I truly need. I can see that if I had not done this, I would have started school with my son in August still lacking several things I really needed.

I like this planner and look forward to using it to finish planning our first official year of homeschooling.

If you're inspired and would like to download your own planner, visit the TOS Store. There's a great discription of the planner and lots of photos of the forms. The TOS Schoolhouse Planner is just $39.00.

If you'd like to read more about the planner, come on over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog. There's over 80 reviews of the planner for your reading pleasure.

Happy Planning!
CookieMonsterKatrina

This review is the first of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated in any way for this review.

So Much to Do, So Little Time

2009-06-29T07:07:00.002-05:00

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! It's just four weeks until I start up Kindergarten with my firstborn.

I haven't bought anything.

Aaaaaahhhhhhh!

Isn't it nice how motivating deadlines are?

Search Me O Lord

2009-06-28T04:00:00.002-05:00

So in my devotional I read:

Are you courageous enough to ask God to put His searchlight on your life? I urge you to ask Him. Let Him show you those things you need to depart from. Then repent and do good! It isn't enough to stop doing evil - we need to start doing good. Like most mothers, mine had all kinds of platitudes and little sayings. One of her favorites was, "Idle hands are the Devil's playground." She was so worried about that, in fact, she kept my days filled with chores and piano practice.

Do whatever God would have you to do. Just ask Him! He is so inventive, there's no end to the things He can come up with. He'll have you say a kind word to one person, or write a note to another. He'll have you make a call to brighten someone's day. He'll have you pray for another, or bake a cake to bring to someone else.

That touched my heart. "Oh, Lord, search me and see if there be any wicked way in me," came to mind immediately. I used to pray that all the time so fervently. I wanted God to show me any way in me that was not His way. I knew that He already knew what I was doing or thinking. I knew I couldn't hide, so I didn't try to. And I knew that in the end God's way is all that matters, so I wanted to make sure I was doing everything His way.

He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He already knows the end of my days. Pleasing Him is what matters most. If I live to please Him - by hating evil and loving good - my soul will be rich in Him.

It's been a while since I thought along those lines, though. I am very thankful for the reminder.

___________
My devotional is Pleasing God by Kay Smith.

We Have a Winner

2009-06-27T23:13:00.004-05:00

Wow! It's been great reading about each of your homeschooling journeys. Some of you, like me, are poised at the starting line. Others have been running the race a long time. And a few of you have crossed the finish line. I look forward to getting to know you better!

Thank you for the compliments on my baby. She is beautiful, if I do say so myself. (I take no credit for that, however.)

And now, onto business.

The randomly chosen winner is Victoria M!

Congratulations, Victoria!

Let's Try This Again

2009-06-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when the shiny new version of The Well-Trained Mind came out that I had a little giveaway here on my blog. It was fun.

I posted a photo. I asked for a title for a cute picture. I laughed, smiled, and got whimsical reading all the entries. I picked a winner. And the winner never picked up her prize.

So, whaddya say we try that again?

This time I'm askin' a question.

How long have you been homeschooling?

I'll accept all answers. Since this is a homeschooling book giveaway, I would assume that excited entrants would be homeschoolers themselves. However, if you don't ever intend to homeschool you can state that in your answer and I won't disqualify you.

Only one entry per person please.

Please leave a way for me to contact you. It would really help me if you include your email address with your comment and subscribe to comments on this post so you know if you win. I'll also post a separate blog entry announcing the winner.

Deadline to enter this contest for a shiny new copy of The Well-Trained Mind is 9pm Pacific Time, June 27th. A winner will be chosen at random using random.org's interger generator.

Good luck and happy homeschooling!
CookieMonster

The Well-Trained Mind

2009-06-26T04:00:00.001-05:00

I am not a gardener. My thumb is not green. Plants die in my home.

I've picked up a gardening book once or twice because I would really like an English cottage garden. But, I never got very far. You see, every book starts out the same way: take a soil sample. My eyes roll back in my head and I'm done for. C'mon! I just want to plant some things and watch them grow!

The problem is, of course, that I need to pay attention to the maual if I want a healthy garden. Since I don't follow the principles of good gardening lined out in the manual I have a hodged-podge garden of who-knows-what that is usually overrun with weeds. Perfectly good looking plants die unexpectedly. Choas reigns.

The Well-Trained Mind reminds me of those handy garden manuals. It starts at the very beginning (a very good place to start) and takes you through, step-by-step, how to set up a rigorous, thorough, comprehensive education for your children. My eyes don't glaze over as I read; I get excited like a gardener with an encyclopedia of shrubs.

I love The Well-Trained Mind. I really do. I'm so thankful to Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer for writing it. With it in my hands I feel secure. I'm confident I can provide my children with an education without gaps or holes.

I love how it starts out with the why's. Why should I teach my child at home? Why should I teach math? Why should we learn grammar? If I know why, I'm much more willing to stick with it through the hard times. I love how it moves on to the how's. How do you teach reading? How do you make art and music fit? And I love that all of it is tied together by a clear end goal: a classically educated child. All of the advice given is related to achieving this goal.

I'm also thankful for the curriculum mentioned. In a sea of curriculum choices, it's nice to have a pre-approved starting point. Now, I've seen people make a lot out of the suggested curriculum in TWTM. While the curriculum suggestions do end up making a large portion of the pages in the book, I don't think the intent of the book was to be a curriculum hocker. My reading of the authors' intent was to provide great principles to put into practice, and then offer a suggestion for a curriculum that might get you where you want to go.

I have both previous versions of The Well-Trained Mind sitting on my shelf. The newest version will soon join it. This book is definitely my homeschooling Bible, if it's not sacreligious to say so. If you are looking for a one-stop go-to resource for an academically challenging homeschooling journey, I recommend this book to you.

Get it. Love it. Use it. Be confident. Teach your children.

For more information: www.welltrainedmind.com

Get it here:
Peace Hill Press $34.95 (the author's small publishing company)
Amazon.com $26.37

Isn't She Just Adorable!?!

2009-06-25T13:39:00.001-05:00

Homeschool Spaces to Inspire You

2009-06-22T13:30:00.006-05:00

I've shared with you before my simple, small homeschool spot in the corner of my basement. For someone teaching K4, it didn't need to be any bigger.

But, I've been perusing other homeschool rooms lately - spaces that belong to my fellow TOS Crew members - and I thought you might like to visit them. I've picked out three spaces that spoke to me.

Heidi's Schoolroom is the stuff I dream of. It's a separate room in the house, stocked, organized, and decorated.

Kristen shares photos of her great organization and also dishes up some sage advice for becoming organized yourself.

April manages to get all of her homeschooling supplies for her seven children - and four plants - in one dining room. I'm impressed!

It is always a help for me to see how another mom organizes her stuff. I hope you are inspired like I was.

Love,
zuh cookie monster

Look What I Done Did

2009-06-19T07:45:00.004-05:00

I got all inspired and attempted a mess of cupcakes ala Bakerella.

I went off on my own to try and make these, without actually taking the time to read all of the directions. I just read about Bakerella visiting PW and thought, "Hey, wouldn't that be cool?"

It wasn't as hard as you might think.

It wasn't as easy as I was thinking it would be either. I never got perfectly pretty tops to my cupcakes. Powdered sugar stuck to the fondant, discoloring it. My roses left much to be desired - though it was fun to try different methods. Cutting out leaves with a knife was problamatic.

I don't care that they weren't perfect. I had a blast making them!

I need to take the time to go to Bakrella's blog and sift out tips for perfectly formed fondant. And I need to do something about the flavor of the fondant. Everyone loved how the cupcakes looked. Not everyone loved how they tasted.

Have a Great Weekend

2009-05-22T06:36:00.004-05:00

We plan on having fun in the sun this Memorial Day weekend.

There's no better combination than the creek and a cookout and friends and family.

We'll have a rip-roaring good time.

Speaking of fun, what do you have planned?

Here's hoping you enjoy your weekend.

Lotsa love,
Katrina

Blurry Baby

2009-05-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

She's Reaching for Toys Now

2009-05-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

For Grandma

2009-05-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

I Love My Lilacs

2009-05-17T13:38:00.004-05:00

I have several lilac bushes, both white and purple, planted in a corner of my yard.

I've never had lilacs before. And I love them.

They are so pretty when blooming. They smell divine. And they really make nice greenery when they are done blooming. I can't say that about every pretty flower.

The best part is that I didn't plant them. The previous property owner planted them. I also have never tended them; they seem to naturally thrive. That's the best kind of garden for me to have: someone else plants it, nature tends it. I love all-things green, but I manage to kill them without much effort.

I hope I don't kill these when I move them. They're shading my veggie garden.
Cross your fingers for me.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

2009-05-15T07:02:00.007-05:00

heard this morning at the breakfast table:

Josiah: With an I-expect-you-to-fix-this-tone while holding up bottom half of a cut banana, "Mommy, I don't like this part of a banana."

He clearly wants his sister's top half of the banana. There's no real reason except that that's the better part in his mind.

What I wanted to say: Listen you bossy little squirt, you are not going to bully your sister by dictating your whims to the both of us.

What I SAID: In a calm, disinterested voice, "The bottom tastes the same as the top."

Josiah: With a slight whine; pointing to the rough end "But, Mommy, I don't like this end of the banana"

Me: quickly, but as disinterested as possible, "Then don't bite off the very end."

I begin helping his sister, who is still perky and unaware of her brother's malicious intentions, peel the top of the banana in her hands.

Josiah smells defeat.

Thankfully, for everyone, he decides to accept it.

We have yogurt afterward and move on. I breathe a sigh of relief.

While clearing the table, I find a very large piece of uneaten banana. Are those storm clouds on the horizon? I better go get my rain gear.

Because It's Been Awhile

2009-05-13T20:51:00.002-05:00

Deep Pop

2009-05-12T19:36:00.002-05:00

I was elated today when I heard my old friend Lanae' on the radio.

The girl can sing.

Her album is finally out! If you like good Christian music, you'll like Lanae'. I don't really know how to describe it, so I'll let the folks at hearitfirst.com do it for me.

To the list of musical monikers that includes such seemingly contradictory terms as “soft rock” and “rap music,” we can now safely add the genre: deep pop. As a music industry outsider who pursued a nursing degree before coming to Nashville, Centricity Records’ silky-voiced Lanae’ Hale barely had time to adjust to her new surroundings before she found herself with a record deal. In the space of less than a year, Lanae’ emerged as a purveyor of the sort of sophisticated, artful, accessible melodies that cemented the reputations of groups like the Cranberries and Sixpence None The Richer. In Lanae’s case, however, there was also the added vulnerability of her own challenging life story filtered through her singer-songwriter sensibilities.

A 2007 EP hinted at the sort of honest, quirky fare the 24-year-old newlywed and Florida transplant had to offer. Now, her first full-length Centricity album, Back & Forth, makes good on that promise as an engaging collection of highly crafted melodic and lyric expressions. Eschewing standard pop cliches, Lanae’ carves out her own unique and personable creative space on the new project, allowing her songs to unfold unexpectedly and with a strong dose of self-revelation born of her own sense of struggle.

Tag-team produced by Mark Hammond (Nichole Nordeman, Ashley Tisdale) and Allen Salmon (Seabird, This Beautiful Republic) Back & Forth is constructed with an underlying sense of “before and after.” Some songs reflect the psalm-like intensity of a journey through the darker moments of life, while others celebrate the freedom, hope and redemption that ultimately follows.

“The songs on Back & Forth aren’t all autobiographical,” Lanae’ explains, “but they are the result of living through some desperate moments and some years of pain, and of making that journey with Christ to find hope and wholeness again. And there are definitely autobiographical elements in there too.

”Several of Lanae’s new songs, like “Back & Forth” with its wall of sound chorus, and “Here’s My Heart” with its soaring sense of self-abandonment, reflect a tangible humility born of Lanae’s recognition of her own daily dependence on God. Others, like the yearning, string-laced “If I’m Broken,” echo the moment of Lanae’s own surrender to God. Woven through the entire project though, is the sense of a real person expressing real emotion. And for listeners, Lanae’s willingness to be transparent in her art naturally seems to create a string of “me too” moments that beckons them into a place of redemptive honesty where their own struggles can be acknowledged.

(from hearitfirst.com)

The rest of her story, which you can read by following the link, is quite heartbreaking for me to read. I loved Lanae' so much as a good girl friend; I often stood in awe of her easy beauty and musical talent. I was over at her house often, attending Bible study, and even once helping paint. Yet, I never had a clue she was in so much pain.

Lanae' always encouraged me to look to Jesus. And, I was already out of college and working as she entered high school. So I guess it makes sense that I mighta missed it. But, still.

I'm so glad God was doing His work even when I was oblivious.

Teressa, you won...

2009-05-01T13:03:00.001-05:00

I have emailed you, but perhaps gmail thinks I'm junk (tee-hee).

Email me: onemomsjourney@live.com

She Smiles Now!

2009-04-28T12:11:00.001-05:00

This One Will Do

2009-04-26T21:18:00.003-05:00

Wow, you guys are creative! Some of you made me laugh out loud. I loved the references to all things scientific. It was a hard choice. In the end, I thought this name best encapsulated the look on my son's face.

Congratulations, teressa!

Thank you all for participating!

Love,
CMonster

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

2009-04-26T04:00:00.003-05:00

Pleasing God has been so wonderful. The spiritual insights are dead-on and deep. And they always come with really real life examples (not artificial ones) and truly applicable application (not just lofty ideals).

For instance, Kay speaks about her fear of intruders in Chapters 8 and 13.

I used to wake up at night terrified there was a burglar in the house. I really don't know how Chuck endured it. He found a cartoon once that showed a burglar
who had crept into a house and was stealing the silver. Hearing a noise, the husband went downstairs, found the burglar, and took him by the hand. "Would you please come up and meet my wife?" He said. "She's been wanting to meet you for years." Chuck thought that was pretty funny.

I'll tell you, I used to be a woman who could not have stayed home alone. I had the most horrifying nightmares as a child...I still had horrible nightmares even after Chuck and I were married...Finally, I realized through a Scripture just like this that there was fear someplace deep inside me. I knew that God could deliver me, so I asked Him to - and He did. I praise Him for it! "He gives His beloved sleep" (Psalm
127:2).

I've never said a thing to anyone, because I know how silly it is, but I have had trouble sleeping due to the same unfounded fears. I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

It's interesting, but not too long ago I wouldn't have been able to list any fears that I have. I really didn't think I had any. But, God has been using multiple sources to show me that I, indeed, harbor fears in my daily life. These fears are deep-seated responses to past anguish in my life, but ultimately groundless. They don't represent a healthy dose of discernment or mindfulness of avoidable risk. They are gut reactions of fear that fill my mind with what, I have realized, are lies.

Working through them has been humbling and freeing. Kay says,

We need to fill our minds with His Word. When our mind is renewed and we think only upon those things that God wants us to think, we will have peace. Fear will scatter and trust will take its place. And we will begin to joyfully cooperate with the Holy Spirit in all that He desires to do in our lives.

Philipians, the "think upon these things" passage, is a great place to start.

His mercies are new every day,
Katrina

The New Edition of The Well-Trained Mind is Here

2009-04-23T07:01:00.005-05:00

Time's up! I'll announce the winner Sunday.

And I want to celebrate!

The Well-Trained Mind is a staple resource for me. Even after reading and researching a bit about homeschooling, I was terrified of leaving 'holes' in my children's education. When I stumbled upon TWTM I was elated to find a roadmap that got me where I wanted to go - no holes included.

To celebrate its newest edition, I'm giving one away.

I realize that, like, two people read my blog. Maybe. But so what? If one of you two win, I'll be pleased as punch.

Here's the giveaway:

This photo needs a name.

It shows my son and a worm. "Worm Boy" is the only name I can come up with, and it doesn't fly with me. (ps: I left it oversized on purpose)

This is the child who wouldn't touch anything slimy when he was two. Now he wants to make worms his best friend.

I'm looking for a creative photo name - not a caption.

Leave your name in the comments along with a way to contact you (email or website) if you win.

Contest ends in two days: 7:00 PM Pacific Time, Saturday, April 25th

Thanks and Good Luck!

OPGTR Corrections - Lessons 1 to 100

2009-04-21T07:18:00.005-05:00

The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading is an excellent reading program. I have completed Lesson 100 with my son; so far I have been very happy with the program.

I ordered the entire set: spiral bound book, magnetic board with letter tiles, CD, and preprinted cards. With the entire kit in my hands, reading instruction is pick-up-and-go for me, yet very effective for my son. I have invested 20 minutes per lesson (or less), doing review as directed and as needed, and have produced a confident reader.

However I have found multiple editing errors within the text. In many of the lessons that I have taught so far words are used in the sentences which are beyond the current decoding abilities of the child. I, undaunted, just gave my son the word and moved on. I imagine, though, that others would find these inconsistencies unsettling and problematic. I am enthusiastic about the program and I would hate to see others turned away from it due to editing errors.

I have taken the time to list them, so that you can be alerted to them. (Admittedly, some of the errors listed below are more important than others. I have simply listed all the errors I have found.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I made a Googledoc of this list
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lesson 18: The premade card has only Q q on it, not Qu qu as it should be.

Lessons 31-35: The sight word I is introduced in Lesson 31. It is not reviewed at all in the four lessons that follow – either through directing the parent to do so in daily review or through the sentences the child reads in the lesson. I can imagine a child, would be frustrated by suddenly encountering I again in Lesson 35. I recommend daily review of it at the beginning of the interim lessons.

Lesson 33:

The sight word a appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 36.)
There is no Yes index card in the preprinted card set.

Lesson 34: The sight word a appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 36.)

Lesson 36: The sight word a appears in the lesson before the sight word is actually taught to the child.

Lesson 38: The word to appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)

Lesson 44:

The word to appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)
The blend st appears at the beginning of a word. The child has not yet learned this blend. (He will in Lesson 51.)

Lesson 47: The blend st appears at the beginning of a word. The child has not yet learned this blend. (He will in Lesson 51.)

Lesson 49:

The blend st appears at the beginning of a word. The child has not yet learned this blend. (He will in Lesson 51.)
The sight word to appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)
3. The r-controlled vowel pair ur appears in the word fur in the sentences the child reads. This will not be taught to the child until Lesson 170.

Lesson 51: The word do appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 91.)

Lesson 52:

The word that appears in the sentences the child reads. The child has not yet learned to decode this word. (He will in Lesson 59.)
The word he appears in the sentences the child reads. The child has not yet learned to decode this word. (He will in Lesson 68.)
There is a typo in the instructions to given to the Instructor. At the end of page 110, the script to the Instructor reads: “Now you will read a story that contains words beginning in the br blend.” This is incorrect. It should be the “dr” blend.

Lesson 53:

The sh diagraph appears three times in the sentences the child reads. The child has not yet been taught this diagraph. (He will in Lesson 56.)
The sight word to appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)

Lesson 55: The diagraph th appears in the sentences the child reads. The child has not yet learned this diagraph. (He will in Lesson 60.)

Lesson 56: The word she appears in the sentences the child reads. The child has not yet learned how to decode this word. (He will in Lesson 68.)

Lesson 58: The diagraph th appears again in the word with. The child will not learn this diagraph until Lesson 60.

Lesson 60:

The word her appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 168.)
The sight word to appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)
The word me appears in the sentences the child reads. The child will not learn how to read this word until Lesson 68.

Lesson 62: The word they appears in the sentences the child reads. He cannot decode this word yet. He will learn ey in Lesson 87.

Lesson 69: The sight word to appears in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)

Lesson 70: The word hope appears in the sentences the child reads. The long-o sound is not specifically introduced until the next lesson.

Lesson 71: The sight word to appears three times in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)

Lesson 74:

The sight word to appears two times in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)
The sight word two appears once in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)

Lesson 75: The sight word to appears three times in the sentences the child reads. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 76.)

Lesson 84: The r-controlled vowel word your appears in the last sentence the child is to read. It has not yet been taught to the child. (It will be in Lesson 159.)

Lesson 91:

There is a mix-up in the lesson. The sight word do is not taught until the second half of the lesson, but it appears repeatedly in the practice sentences for the first half of the lesson.
The word you appears in the sentences the child reads. The child does not learn to decode this word until Lesson 107.

Lesson 92:

The word my appears twice in the lesson. The child does not learn to decode this word until Lesson 94.
The word cook appears in the sentences the child reads. The child does not learn to decode this word until Lesson 113.

Lesson 96: The sight word buy appears in the review sentences. It is introduced in the next lesson, Lesson 97.

They Smell Good Too!

2009-04-20T07:46:00.000-05:00

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

Skippin' Class

2009-04-17T07:45:00.000-05:00

This week was a wash for school. But, I'm not sweatin' it. Life happens.

Baby Don't Yike Her Baf, Mommy

2009-04-15T07:35:00.001-05:00

Weekly Report - Week 25

2009-04-13T11:06:00.003-05:00

This week we did three days of official school!

Monday: Bible devotion and reading lesson
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: Bible devotion and reading lesson
Thursday: Bible devotion and reading lesson
Friday: Visited two area parks despite having to wear winter coats to do so. At least it was dry.

Notes:
I can't believe I'm able to get back to schoolwork so soon after popping a bun out of the oven. I think that all of the regular school time beforehand helped set the stage for now. When I pull out the devotion, he totally knows the routine. So if we get interrupted, he knows where we'll start again and how it's all gonna play out to the end. That's very helpful.

Backing up in the reading lessons has been a big help. I like that we are doing review of these sounds after such a long break. I think he would have struggled with remembering these special sounds otherwise.

I have decided that another reason Josiah faltered on the Lesson 100 list of words was because during reading lessons I've been too quick to give him a word if he struggles. A very long time ago I decided that if Josiah got stuck on a word in a reading lesson that wasn't part of the day's new material, that I wouldn't allow him to become frustrated and overwhelmed by it. This meant, often enough, that I just gave him the word. This was great way back when. It worked like a charm for helping him learn new material. It's not working well anymore. It's hindering his reading now, so I'm stopping it. He's not all that pleased. Having Mommy give him a word he didn't get right away was certainly a lot easier.

Onward and forward we go!

Have a great week,
Katrina

Daddy's Little Girl

2009-04-08T06:14:00.000-05:00

"Think, Think, Think," said Pooh

2009-04-07T07:43:00.003-05:00

I'm having quite a time coming up with what exactly it is I want for "Bible" in my curriculum.

I've looked at a bunch of Bible curriculum, but none of them fit the bill. Many are good for what they do, but I want still more to be done.

I guess I'm just gonna hafta pull something together myself.

I know I want Scripture memorization, but not isolated verses. It seems to me that it is a waste of time and effort to memorize isolated verses. First of all the verses chosen are usually those you hear over and over from the pulpit. I have lots of these Scriptures "memorized" just by sitting in church every week, reading Christian literature, and doing devotionals. Secondly, these isolated verses are picked to try to encapsulate the main point of a Bible lesson and I don't think they often hit the mark. I don't need to throw the Bible piecemeal at my kids like that.

I will have my kids learn entire passages over the course of many weeks. But I should compile a list of what passages I would like them to learn - and possibly identify when.

I know I want to include time for learning worship songs, both old and new. There's so much to be gained by really knowing a solid worship song. I need a list of these - or at least a starting point - as well.

I know I want to include Bible reading to familiarize my kids with the major stories, people, and events of the Old and New Testaments. I want this reading to be often enough, and engaging enough, for the kids to really catch these stories. I think about it the same way I think about teaching history: reading lots of books to fill their minds with the names and events, even if they don't have all the details down.

I want to also include study of the details, however. I want to teach how the events and people interrelate, and also foundational doctrine. I think I'll have to separate these into two different parts of the curriculum, and I'm not sure how I'll go about teaching either.

And, most of all, I know that all of this is in vain if I am not daily living out my faith for my children to see. Walking in the Spirit will be the absolute best curriculum of all, but I see how this could easily be neglected.

At least for now I've mapped out my desires. As I figure out how I'm going to tackle these things for my son's Kindergarten year I'll share my conclusions.

Frozen Tulips

2009-04-06T07:02:00.000-05:00

Big Brother

2009-04-06T06:48:00.000-05:00

Pleasing God

2009-04-05T17:43:00.007-05:00

I've been reading through an excellent book that I'd like to recommend: Pleasing God by Kay Smith.

Kay did a series on pleasing God a few years back, and the audio CDs from those talks have been available for a while now. The content of those talks is now in book form. I knew nothing about the CDs, and found out about the book only because it was the one my pastor's wife had chosen for our Women's Bible Study group.

I love Kay Smith. Not that I know her personally, but everything I've ever seen of her shows me that she is genuine - and genuinely nice. I was eager to plunge into the book.

I've not been disappointed. Although little she's said has been much of a revelation for me, it's wonderful to be reminded, especially by such a sweet spirit, of all God has already taught me, and to apply it anew to my life.

Because I've enjoyed it so much I'd like to share it. Here's an excerpt from the forward:

Philosophers through the ages have failed to grasp the very basic purpose of our existence. "Why am I here?" Yet, the Word of God has a ready answer, if they would but listen. It is found in Revelation 4:11:

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor, for Thou has created all things. And for Thy pleasure, they are and were created (KJV).

This Scripture makes it clear that each one of us exists to bring pleasure to God. But many reject this truth and fight against it. They choose instead to live for their own pleasure. And God gives them that choice. He will not force anyone to live to please Him. But since God designed us for that very purpose, we will always have an emptiness until we choose to bring Him pleasure. There will always be that haunting awareness that life must be more than what we have yet experienced...

The life that pleases God is the only life in which you'll find peace, contentment, and fulfillment. It's a life rich with blessing, purpose, and meaning.

Isn't that the truth?! Oh, what a wonderful blessing it's been to use this book as a devotional read! I hope to share more with you in the coming weeks.

Pleasing God by Kay Smith

Aaaah-Choo!

2009-04-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Weekly Report - Lesson 100 Revelations

2009-04-03T04:00:00.001-05:00

Remember back weeks ago when I was getting ready to celebrate doing Lesson 100 in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading?

What? You've slept since then? I understand.

Anyway, I had several small things planned to mark the occasion. After completing the lesson we would paint with 100 bubble dots, read 100 words representative of the lessons covered, and eat some sort of treat (probably cookies!).

We did Lesson 100; Josiah did well. We moved on to painting with bubble wrap - in 100 bubble squares.

Then we sat down to read my 100 word list. I had gone through OPGTR lesson-by-lesson and created a list of 100 words - generally one from each lesson. Confident that Josiah would sail through the list of words, I saw a video opportunity. Right as he was ready to begin reading, I pulled out the camera and set it up. I started recording and he started reading. And he faltered.

And he faltered again.

And he faltered again.

And he positively made a mess out the first ten words - all consonant-vowel-consonant words.

I was aghast. It took him a full five minutes to read the list. I'll spare you the agonizing video.

Immediately, my mind searched for explanations. How could a child who could breeze through Lesson 100 be stumped by consonant-vowel-consonant words?

I think I know.

Take a gander at this photo.

Do you see what he's doing? He's 'reading' to his sister. He's been 'reading' books from his bookshelf a lot for several months now. And I do mean 'reading'. He's not actually reading what's written. He knows the basic story line, remembers some specifics from having had the books read to him, and fills in the blanks by guessing what a word is from what letters he sees.

I've never interfered with his desire to 'read'. I don't have a problem in the world with it; in fact, I find it encouraging. But, I do see how his doing this has hampered his basic decoding. He doesn't want to do the mental work involved in actually reading what is written. He wants to glance at the word and guess what it should be based on meaning.

This is also why lessons haven't been too difficult for him. I introduce a rule, he applies it to about 10 new words, and then he gets to read sentences. In sentences he can quickly glance at a word and guess what it should be from meaning without actually decoding.

It reminds me of a story I heard once from the mouth of a virtuoso violin player. This accomplished musician tried his hand at basic scales one day on a whim and found that he was terrible at them. Upset with himself, he immediately began incorporating scales and other beginning exercises into his daily practice.

Likewise, I will be incorporating single-word decoding back into Josiah's reading lessons. Every lesson I intend to have a list of words he has to read in isolation. I'll be saying, very often, "Read what's written." Also, I am backing up about 20 lessons. There's no reason in the world for me to continue pressing forward and every reason to slow down, back up, and make certain he's really got all these new special sounds figured out.

Sweet, Sweet Baby

2009-04-01T06:08:00.000-05:00

HomeWork, an E-Book from TOS

2009-03-31T06:43:00.001-05:00

Wow.

Just wow.

I thought this was going to be one brutal read. I was expecting it to be tedious and heavy-handed; the kind of thing that leaves you feeling guilty. With a subtitle of "Juggling home, work, and school without losing your balance" I thought I was in for 100 pages of great theory with little practical application.

Instead, what I found was a collection of essays by homeschooling mothers about how they, personally, make running a home business work. Perhaps I've read too many books on organization from habitually organized people, because the last thing I expected to read was, "How do we do it all?...We D-O-N-T!" But, that's how the book begins - and it just gets better from there.

Intimate portraits are naturally interesting to read. Glimpses into other homeschooling mother's lives draw me to the page. I want to know how other people make this stuff work in their lives. When you add into the mix the fact that these homeschooling moms work from home, I'm hooked. I've always been interested in starting a business.

Sometimes personal vignettes disappoint - they're too vague. I leave wondering how the people really handle XYZ behind the scenes. In this book, I got enough information to picture each mother's home, business, and homeschool easily. This is truly the most helpful part of the book.

There are a variety of work-at-home jobs presented: pet care services, writing, accounting, and others. It's very interesting to see how different venues affect family and homeschooling - and to notice the similarities within all of them. As the epilogue says, "Look beyond their personal experience and outline the steps that were taken, the insight learned, the challenges faced, the time it has taken, and the eventual rewards earned. If you begin a home business you will face those very same issues."

The icing on the cake is that this book doesn't just leave you with other people's stories. In the last section I read excellent advice about starting my own home business: universally applicable rules about finances and organization along with links to helpful references. Throughout the book, pertinent links are given. It truly is a valuable resource for the aspiring - or struggling - homeschooling business owner.

I had trouble putting the book down once I started. Each unique story is compelling. If you've ever thought about starting a home business or working from home, but, like me, you've only ever had vague notions of pulling it all together, I recommend HomeWork to you. You may find, like me, that realistically a home business is not an option right now. But, should the Lord ever lead in that direction, you'll be much better prepared for the endeavor.

On a tertiary note, because I always notice these sort of things, I would add that I'm impressed by the layout and look of the book. It's crisp, clean, and pleasant to look at. If you are someone who likes to print out your e-books, I would recommend not printing the section title pages; they are a full page photo (that's a lot of ink!). Oh, and if I'm allowed license to play editor, I would recommend changing the subtitle to more accurately reflect the content of the book. The current subtitle gives the impression that the book is a how-to manual on balance.

HomeWork is available from The Old Schoolhouse for $6.23 (on sale - regular price is $12.45)

Woo-Hoo!

2009-03-30T09:40:00.001-05:00

Wipeout is coming back this summer.

Yipee!

That is all.

TOS WeE-Book Series

2009-03-29T06:49:00.001-05:00

Sound-Byte Advice

You know how you read a question from a struggling homeschooling mom on a message board and you so want to help - but the advice you want to give would take ten pages? There's no easy way to help in a situation like that except to recommend a book or website. Often, this leaves me feeling less than satisfied because I know what it's like to be that overwhelmed mother - and chances are she doesn't have time to pick up a whole book and digest it. She needs specific advice and she needs it now.

Well, guess what I just found out about? The Old Schoolhouse's WeE-Books! They're downloadable booklets containing TOS homeschooling advice. Each booklet answers a particular question about homeschooling. That's specific advice available now! And at $1.95 per WeE-book, cost isn't a barrier.

Targeted Answers

The advice they give in the booklets is what I've read before from TOS, so I wasn't surprised by anything I read. Ruth Beechick, predictably, makes a few appearances among the booklets. I read two of hers, Building Strong Arithmetic Thinking and The Changing History Theories and How to Teach Them. I picked them because I've recently had a homeschooling mom come to me with concerns about math and history. I guessed from the titles of the books, and the ample descriptions given on the website, that those WeE-Books would address her questions. They did! I've already referred her to the booklets so that she can benefit from them herself.

I also checked out The Great Books. I am an avid Classical Style Homeschooler and I was interested in what TOS had to say concerning the Great Books. I found the interview with Fritz Hinrichs to be encouraging. I intend to print it out and put it in my binder.

Room for Improvement

As immediately helpful as I have found the WeE-Books to be, I think they could go a lot farther. The line of WeE-Books could easily expand to include more topics. I think that's what TOS has in mind, and I'm keeping my eye out for new titles. I would like to see more like the ones I reviewed that answer questions those of us in the throes of homeschooling are faced with.

Also, a little editing would be a big boost. As helpful as the WeE-Books were that I reviewed, only one was thoroughly easy to read. The other two appear to suffer from indiscriminate cutting-and-pasting. This makes the reading disjointed. It's sometimes difficult to get the intended point of a particular passage. When I refer someone to advice, I always want to make sure they're going to really get from it what they need; it's not truly helpful if it's not understood. It's easy when your preaching to the choir, but those not familiar with homeschooleze need a little help.

Check 'em Out

There are currently 32 titles available in the WeE-Book line. I encourage you to take a look and see if a few titles might not pique your interest. I'm tempted myself to pop over and download a few more...

Advice I Remember

2009-03-27T06:35:00.005-05:00

A few things that I've heard I've actually used. They include the following gems:

Use a pacifier. There's a reason why pacifiers have been around for thousands of years. Young babies have a need to suck, often beyond the need for food. If you use a pacifier right - only when the baby needs to suck - the need and the pacifier will disappear by three months old. Don't keep popping it back in once the baby is done with it.

If you've bungled it all up you can fix it later. Young babies have a memory about two days long. Dedicate three days to any habit you wish to change (i.e. walking the baby to sleep). Be consistent, endure the tears, and then see change. (I would chant "If I've messed it all up, I can fix it later, " to myself every time I felt overwhelmed or was filled with self-loathing for doing something I knew could become an unwanted habit.)

Babies cry. I repeat: babies cry. A well-fed, clean, warm baby will cry sometimes for no reason. It does not mean you are doing something wrong. I repeat: you are not doing anything wrong.

Can you tell I'm about done in by the latest growth spurt?

Just One Month Ago...

2009-03-25T17:09:00.001-05:00

Whatchoo talkin'bout?

2009-03-25T11:21:00.001-05:00

Miss Ellie is a Lazy Eater

2009-03-21T15:32:00.003-05:00

With my first I was scared to death that he wasn't getting enough to eat. Always. Despite the fact that he was growing exceedingly well, I crawled out of bed five times a night to feed him - because if he made a noise he must be hungry.

The kid was a champion eater with a nervous nellie for a mom. Mr. Champion Eater could gulp down a very large meal of breastmilk in ten minutes flat. His Nervous Nellie mom would wail and gnash her teeth in the certain knowledge he hadn't been at the breast long enough. The poor baby. I was such a mess.

What a difference a little experience makes. This time around I've got a lazy eater. She pops off after ten minutes because she's ready to go back to her nap, thankyouverymuch. It's a good thing I have a little experience under my belt. When she started trying to pull of a routine of "eat for ten minutes and then ask for a feeding again in 1.5 hours" I nipped that right in the bud. After she popped off I changed her diaper and/or took her clothes off and popped her back on again, even if it took fifteen minutes to wake her. This usually resulted in five more minutes of feeding - sometimes more. And it resutled in a regular routine of 2.5 to 3 hours between feeds. (Excepting growth spurts, of course.)

2009-03-20T12:41:00.001-05:00

2009-03-16T13:29:00.003-05:00

Dearest Blog,

I am unashamedly neglecting you, and will continue to do so for some time. You are so far down on my list right now, you hardly count.

I have her now. You'll just have to live with it.

So long,
CookieMonster

STILL Waiting

2009-02-27T06:23:00.000-06:00

Nada.

But things are beginning to happen.

Still Waiting

2009-02-21T07:15:00.000-06:00

No baby yet...

Weekly Report - Week 24

2009-02-13T06:48:00.003-06:00

Here are some of the crafts he's done at storytime at the library. The group read about monkeys and then made a monkey puppet. One week they read stories featuring an owl. Another week, snakes.

He's finished with this round of storytime at the library, I'm sad to say. He was spontaneously narrating to me everytime he came out of storytime. And, except for one encounter with an overly-serious librarian, it's been a great experience.

This week, once again, I've been getting ready for baby. (Only 12 days to go!) School has been limited to devotions, reviewing the Sunday School lesson and memory verse, and reading lesssons. We've done Lessons 95-99. We're having a small celebration on Monday for Lesson 100.

Oh, and we did make paper valentine hearts yesterday with buttons and foam hearts and glitter glue.

I'm not sure how to handle reading during post-baby time. I can't imagine trying to move forward with lessons. But, I don't think he should be without reading practice for six weeks (or longer). I'm not sure if I should just back up in the book and review in order to keep it all fresh and well-practiced or just read readers. Readers that correpsond well to a phonics program are difficult to find.

My "Plan" Book

2009-02-12T11:47:00.011-06:00

When I decided to start some sort of formal schooling with my firstborn, I made sure to make plans. I had long-term goals spelled out and planned six weeks in advance what I was going to do.

Two weeks into the process I decided I had wasted a lot of paper. Teaching a four-year-old, especially at home, is not the same as teaching a roomful of third-grade students. For one, if I decided not to do the prep-work for a particular project, the project didn't get done. There was no one looking over my shoulder.

And, getting into the routine of homeschooling was not as simple as setting a schedule - at least not for me. While setting a date and deciding to begin is good, it didn't get me as far as I thought it would. It was very important to me that my son find "school time" enjoyable at the tender age of four. After all, we've got over a decade more of school time coming at us and I saw no reason to start off on the wrong foot. Nothing dreadful would happen if we didn't do 100 reading lessons in 100 days. It would be dreadful, however, to have a burned-out preschooler by lesson 100. In the interets of long-term homeschooling success, I laid aside my best plans.

I learned to plan very loosely - something that doesn't translate well to a paper schedule. I pared down my goals from lesson-specific objectives to general course objectives. My plan book morphed into a record book.

Consistency, I knew, was important. School time was set for first thing in the morning, but only four days out of the week. Which four days those were was completely up in the air. Some weeks we only hit three days of school. Other weeks we did five.

I decided that the only absolutely necessary subjects were our devotion and a reading lesson. Other subjects were nice, and I wanted them done regularly, but I wasn't going to push them. And then, I was prepared to back up and review whenever necessary. I never knew which lessons would give him trouble ahead of time, so backing up and redoing lessons as needed was not something I could write into a six-week plan.

So my plan book looks like this.

I fill it in as I go. My curriculum is all pick-up-and-go, so I pick them up and begin where I last left off. Then I record what we did. It works really well.

I'm glad I have the record of what we have done. It would be easy with pick-up-and-go curriculum to not keep records. But knowing when we did school, when I sloughed off, what we got accomplished, and how long it's taken us to get where we are is valuable information.

It's good for accountability. I can count the number of days we've actually done school in a set number of weeks and see if I'm being consistent enough. It's easy to fool myself into thinking I've done a lot, when in fact I've not. The numbers don't lie.

It's a great motivator to keep on keeping-on. I like being able to see how far we've come. It's definitely positive reinforcement to see that I've been sticking with regular school time for 23 weeks. It's rewarding to note how far along we've come because of it.

Since I will most likely always be a pick-up-and-go curriculum person, I will continue to keep records this way. After all, the curriculum has already done all the planning; there's no need to reinvent the wheel. My job will be to pick good curriculum that will take my kids on the course I want them to go. Then I will just record how and when we take that course.

Pregnancy Staple: Cereal

2009-02-10T16:00:00.000-06:00

Yum. I love me some cereal.

I eat quite a bit of cereal while pregnant. And why not? It's stocked with all kinds of vitamins and minerals I need - at least the kind I eat is. I suppose if one decided to pig out on sugary, junk cereal the benefits would be significantly less. When I was puking my guts out in the first trimester, plain Cheerios was about the only thing I could stomach. I was so queasy that I would eat it without my customary sugar on top. It was a soothing balm.

Now, I just plain pig out on it. Cheerios, Corn Flakes, Life, Chex, Lucky Charms, Kix, Alpha Bits, mmmmmmmm...

Weekly Report - Week Twenty Three

2009-02-10T04:00:00.000-06:00

Nitty Gritty

Bible: Five Devotions; Reviewed SS Lesson; Memory Verse
Reading: Lessons 90- 94
Language: 10 sections of Brainquest
Math: Calendar daily; two dot-to-dots on own; added marbles once
Penmanship: 3 cursive pages; one straight line practice page
Read Alouds: 6

Notes to Self

Nothing really to report on the academics, except that I managed to do a five day week this week. One day was a short day: Bible, Reading, and Language only.

Keeping track of my days, I have 94 days of school in 23 weeks of school, which comes to an average of four days a week. I am meeting my goal in this area.

Getting back into a full schedule after taking a full week off was rough. Monday and Tuesday were more difficult than school days usually are. I had to field a major tantrum on Monday.

Pregnancy Must-Have: Nasal Spray

2009-02-09T11:51:00.000-06:00

Please put your lunch down before you read this.

Most pregnant women experience morning sickness. Morning sickness can hit morning, noon, or night. It can be pervasive naseau. It can be naseau leading to vomitting. Or it can be continual vomitting.

All that puke has some unpleasant side effects.

One of them is a burning nose. Oh yes, that stomach acid doesn't just spill into the toilet from your mouth. It comes shooting out your nose, too.

And how exactly do you clean the inside of your nose? With saline nasal spray.

Get some and get relief.

A Different Angle - for grins

2009-02-05T14:55:00.002-06:00

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts --helps me keep track of them.
W2: (Smiles) I'm Patty. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot?
W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.
W2: Wow! Where do you find the time?
W1: We homeschool, so we do it during the day most of the time.
W2: Some of my neighbors homeschool, but I send my kids to public school.
W1: How do you do it?
W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the kids every day after school and stay real involved.
W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the opportunity for natural relationships?
W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who're homeschooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every month.
W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're so isolated from real life -- how will they know what the world is like -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?
W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we're having a woman from Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.
W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.
W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom on Multicultural Day.
W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.
W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit that day. It's a system wide thing we're doing.
W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in the grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for dinner.
W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store --certainly not people who might not even speak my language. What if that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?
W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. Before I even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.
W2: Your child talks to strangers?
W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with me, he can talk to anyone he wishes.
W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk to strangers.
W1: Not even when they're with you?
W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a big no-no.
W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.
W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health courses.
W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my number--if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meet you.

Author Unknown

Weekly Report - Week Twenty Two

2009-01-31T14:05:00.000-06:00

I really, really needed a week off. The baby is fast approaching. I am panicking about not being ready. The house was upside down on Monday. Going to our scheduled classes at the Y and library is tiring for me now. Etc., etc.

I still did do a reading lesson every day. It took 15 whole minutes to do each day and I managed to fit it in. I'll count that as a week of school for K4.

So this week we did Lesson 86-88 in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. He's doing just fine with all these different ways to spell the long-vowel sound of A. He's still eager about readers brought home from the library. I don't make a fuss about his misreading words he doesn't even know how to decode yet when he picks the books up on his own. When he is reading them to me I give him these words. He usually says them correctly every time he reads the book after that.

I am very happy with his progress. And I was glad for the week off. Not that I did all that I should have with my time...

(And with this post I am caught up to real time with my weekly reports. When I post this coming Friday it will be about the real-live week we've all just experienced.)

Weekly Report - Week Twenty One

2009-01-31T04:00:00.000-06:00

Nitty Gritty Itty Bitty Big City I'm a Twitty

Bible: Four Devotions; Reviewed SS; Memory Verse
Reading: Lesson 82-85
Penmanship: Name, a, e, and i
Math: one little matching game

Notes to Self

Mathematics: Apparently math instruction has fallen off the face of the Earth.

Penmanship: We did more this week, and I think I'll continue doing more. He can certainly handle it. And he's still chompin' at the bit. He wants to be able to write whatever comes into his head.

Reading: Lessons are going swimmingly. I have told him that I would like to have a "100 Lesson" party when we reach lesson 100. He really loves the number 100. And I wanted to give a smallish incentive to stick with reading lessons. But, now I'm wondering if we'll be there before the baby comes. Tsk, tsk, Momma! I guess I really have to make sure we keep chugging along.

Weekly Report - Week Twenty

2009-01-30T04:00:00.004-06:00

Nitty Gritty

Bible: 3 Devotions; Reviewed Sunday School lesson
Reading: Lessons 79-81
Language: 4 sections of Brainquest
Penmanship: a, i, and e

Notes to Self

Reading: Storytime at the library has done wonders for me. I have checked out books both times! The kids are enjoying having fresh books read to them. And my son is chomping at the bit to get to the readers I bring home. I about fell over when he, of his own initiative, picked up Go! Dog, Go! and started decoding away.

Reading lessons themselves are going well.

Penmanship: Man, I wish I had a real penmanship curriculum.

Those Vowel Sounds

2009-01-29T13:00:00.000-06:00

I have never said anything here. But, for a good while I was working with my son to get those vowel sounds down.

We had gone through the first section of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and he could do the individual letter sounds - fairly consistently. We had taken a break of a couple of months while we waited for him to be ready to blend consonant-vowel-consonant words. And we had finally jumped into CVC words. We were coming right along with CVC words - except that he didn't always get the vowel sound right.

It wasn't anything major. It wasn't as if he hadn't a clue. Short a he had down. Short e and i he regularly interchanged. Short o was mostly consistent. Short u sometimes stumped him. I kept tabs on the situation in the back of my head. After a while, I decided to do something more to help him out.

1. I started reviewing all five vowel sounds at the beginning of each lesson, whether instructed to or not. It really helped to cement the sounds in his mind. Something about saying them all together while looking at the index cards made the sounds stick.

2. Whenever we encountered a snag while reading, I would cheerfully give the correct vowel sound - and watch him run with it.

3. Adding in Bob Books on a regular basis helped too, because it gave him more reason to read correctly.

4. Pointing out and practicing CVC words we encountered in our environment worked very well as outside reinforcement.

It took a little while, but eventually he didn't need to be reminded anymore. By the time we were moving on to special sounds he had sufficiently nailed his short vowel sounds.

(But, this experience did make me dread the leap to long vowel sounds once we got there. I even did extra review time before moving into long-vowel territory. I needn't have worried. He's doing well.)

Getting Ready For Baby

2009-01-29T04:18:00.000-06:00

The countdown has begun...

Because My Mom Told Me To

2009-01-28T08:00:00.004-06:00

Here's a piccie of my big ol pregger belly.

It is so not my thing to post these sort of pictures. It's not even my thing to take these sort of pictures. Well, except with my first, when I took about six of these kind of pictures over the course of nine months. But, back then, I had a cute, flat belly. It was fun to watch it grow.

Nowadays, I dream of that belly. Will it ever be mine again? Ever?

Anyway, my momma told me that I should take a picture of my big belly because one day I would treasure it. I don't know what day that will be, but you should always do what your momma says. She's been around.

Man, alive! that's a big belly. And I don't have any names picked out yet...

Weekly Report - Week Nineteen

2009-01-28T04:20:00.001-06:00

Nitty Gritty:

Bible: Four Devotions; Reviewed SS
Reading: Lessons 75-78; Peg and Ted; Pip and Pog; Storytime at the library began this week
Math: 100 Chart
Penmanship: 3 letter e pages
Language: 1 section of BrainQuest

Notes to Self:
Reading: We repeated Lesson 75 for reinforcement. It's been a while since we cracked open a Bob Book, so I threw some of those into the lessons. We got library books this week - and read them!

Math: So we only counted one day; big deal. He's doing really, really well with recognizing the pattern with double digit numbers. And he loves getting to 100.

Penmanship: He's really wanting to learn how to write his letters. My small, but consistent, investment in writing implement-to-paper activities has boosted both his interest and confidence. He's wanting desperately to be able to write the words he can read - to label pictures, to create sentences of his own. I am pleased. But, I wish I had purchased a proper penmanship instruction curriculum. At the moment all I have is a slow-moving introductory workbook for which I did not purchase the teacher's manual or teaching aids. My plan to wait until I started Kindergarten itself to formally instruct him in penmanship is going to have to change. But, I still need to wait a month or two to be able to afford (and have time to implement) a real program of instruction. For now I must continue to wing it.

Language: About a year ago I purchased BrainQuest for 2-3 year olds. I wanted to see what it was about and possibly use it casually with my son. Well....his verbal language skills were not up to the task and he found it more frustrating and boring than interesting. No problem. I put it aside. And then it got shoved aside. And somehow it ended up behind a storage cabinet. It was rescued recently by my short two-year-old and has since been the source of many battles between brother and sister. I decided to start using it in school time. It's fast because it's a bit below his level. It's an easy way to do picture study and vocalization and vocabulary. And he likes it. I don't stick to the script; I let him tell me all kinds of extra things about the pictures.

Storytime: I cannot believe the progress my son has made socially. I am still somewhat in shock that he was able to separate from me, participate fully in a class, not throw any tantrums, interact with the teacher, enjoy the experience, and get something out of it. It's been a long road to get here. Preschool, of course, helped with this. So did my decision to continue to attempt outings despite how difficult my son made them. There were many, many times we had to leave early (sometimes very early) because of unacceptable behavior. But, then we would go again another week or month.

Rinse. Repeat. Sigh wondering why. Try again.

And now, finally, he's getting it. It's very satisfying.

Many thanks to the Mom's Group participants who put up with his hitting, crying, tantrums, toy throwing, and our early departures from activities. Each time we came to playdates was a step toward his developing socially acceptable behavior. I appreciate your understanding and patience.