Homeschool 2010-2011

This past weekend I went to CHEO with my sister Dawn. I'm still not feeling like I want to write about it. I mean, how much can you say about it?? Basically for 2 days I browsed through the vendor hall. We didn't attend any sessions at all. They all looked rather boring. We did see some family since my parents are both from Akron, OH and we did sleep one night in a hotel WITHOUT KIDS but there really isn't a lot to say.

Browsing the vendor hall and purchasing a few books for next year has gotten me excited to start planning. I can't wait to run up to United Art & Education and buy my planner so I can start outlining my year. I am probably getting way ahead of myself since our assessment is TOMORROW but I really can't help it. :) We finished science today which was the last of our work for the 2009-2010 school year and I'm ready to look forward. 

I've put together a chart outlining my intended curriculum for each kid. I'm still not sure what I'll do with Alison. She doesn't turn 5 until November so we may wait until January to start. She's very determined to start tomorrow so we'll see what happens.
(Abigail- grade 5, Ethan- grade 3, Blake- grade 2, Alison- grade K maybe.)

Math- Math U See for almost everyone

• Abigail- Epsilon
• Ethan- Gamma
• Blake- Beta
• Alison- A beka Math Skills K

Writing

• Abigail- Writing Strands
• Ethan- Just Write, book 2
• Blake- Just Write, book 1
• Alison- n/a

Reading (Comprehension)

• Abigail- Ten Times Round (thrift store textbook- I used in elementary school)
• Ethan- Glad to Meet You (thrift store textbook- I used in elementary school)
• Blake- Across the Fence (MAYBE- not sure about this one)
• Alison- Scholastic Phonics Ready Readers

 Spelling

• Abigail- Abeka Spelling, Vocab, & Poetry 5
• Ethan- Abeka Spelling & Poetry 3
• Blake- Abeka Spelling & Poetry 2
• Alison- n/a

Language

• Abigail- Abeka, Language B
• Ethan- Abeka, Language 3
• Blake- Abeka, Language 2 & Letters & Sounds 2
• Alison- Modern Curriculum Press Phonics K

Handwriting

• Abigail- Abeka, Penmanship (continuing this years book)
• Ethan- Abeka, Cursive 1 (continuing this years book)
• Blake- Abeka, Writing with Phonics (continuing this years book)
• Alison- A Reason for Handwriting K

Science- GROUP SUBJECT- Answers in Genesis, God's Design for Life

History- GROUP SUBJECT- The Story of the World, finish book 2, start book 3

Health- GROUP SUBJECT- Abeka, Developing Good Health 4

Music- GROUP SUBJECT- Murphy Handbell Choir, Types of Music & Instrument Families (library resources)

Phys. Ed- 

• Abigail- YMCA, Swim/Gym/Art
• Ethan- YMCA, Swim/Gym/Art, Upwards Basketball
• Blake- YMCA, Swim/Gym/Art, Upwards Basketball
• Alison- YMCA, Swim/Gym/Art, Upwards Basketball

OTHER

• Abigail- Typing Program

There you have it! Two more months of relaxation & we'll get to it. :) First things first- assessment TOMORROW!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Started this last night but was falling asleep so I saved it and went to bed. Finishing now...

Monday, June 28, 2010

Outside my window... a nice cooler evening than lately

I am thinking... of everything I want to get done tomorrow

I am thankful for... my husband. He is such a hard worker and provides for the family. He is a handyman and can do anything around here. He loves me and wants to work on things when we aren't getting along.

From the learning rooms... getting things together for our assessment on Wednesday. Also, getting all of my books together for next school year. :)

From the kitchen... homemade pizzas OR cheese-stuffed meatloaf. Still deciding.

I am wearing... blue pj pants & gray MVNC t-shirt

I am creating... nothing at the moment

I am going... to go to bed after I finish this blog

I am reading... no time for reading this past week

I am hoping... that when I step on the scale tomorrow it will not show any damage from my piggish weekend away.

I am hearing... the dryer in the laundry room

Around the house... VERY quiet

One of my favorite things... Lorna Doone cookies & chocolate covered pretzels

Praying for... John & Marissa, Kendra, Amy, Scott's family, Brooke & Dan, reconciliation, Mr. Brady, Gabe Baker, all of my small group members, Mike, my kids, lots of other stuff.

A Lyric or Two...
Forgiven- Sanctus Real

Well, the past is playing with my head
And failure knocks me down again
I'm reminded of the wrong
That I have said and done
And that devil just won't let me forget

In this life
I know what I've been
But here in Your arms
I know what I am

I'm forgiven
I'm forgiven
And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
'Cause I'm forgiven

And my mistakes are running through my mind
And I relive my days in the middle of the night
And I struggle with my pain
And wrestle with my pride
Sometimes I feel alone and I cry

And in this life
I know what I've been
But here in Your arms
I know what I am

I'm forgiven, yeah
I'm forgiven
And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
'Cause I'm forgiven

When I don't fit in
And I don't feel like I belong anywhere
When I don't measure up to much in this life
Oh, I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ

'Cause I'm forgiven
I'm forgiven
And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
'Cause I'm forgiven

A verse to share: When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24 (NIV) You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. Proverbs 3:24 (NLT)


A few plans for the rest of the week: VBS @ Immanuel Baptist, Assessment for Abigail & Ethan, Prayer Group, a cake, playdate, clean windows inside van, pull weeds in the front flowerbed, laundry.


Here is picture for thought I am sharing... I was laying on the floor watching a movie and Chase wanted to lay down and cuddle with me. :)

Come on now... you know you want to do this too!!!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Feeling Bad

Hi, friends. :) I went away this past weekend with my awesome sister Dawn. :) We had a super time. Maybe I'll blog about it at another time. For now I'm just gonna post about my feelings AFTER the weekend.

I am VERY EASILY guilted. (Firefox says that's not a word but I'm leaving it as it is.) Although I did have a good time I was not totally able to enjoy myself because I was feeling guilty throughout the trip. Here are the 3 reasons I felt, and still feel, guilty.

1. I didn't go to VBS on Friday (Mike went in my place) and I missed the closing program. I thought I would solve this problem by sending along the camera & videocamera with Mike but because Chase wasn't cooperating Mike ended up missing A LOT of the program. :(

2. MONEY!!!! Between eating 7 meals on the road, paying for parking in a garage once, and buying four books I spent about $100. (I still owe Dawn money for the hotel.) That may not seem like a lot of money to some but to us that is a lot. I should have packed food to take along and not bought any books while I was there. I could have ordered them later from Rainbow Resource.

3. Food. I was doing great these past several weeks eating good foods. I had lost 9 pounds. This weekend I ate whatever I want- including 5 sweet teas between my Aunt's house in Akron & McDonalds, chocolate covered pretzels, & Lorna Doone cookies. UGH!!!! I am back on the plan today and not going to keep up the bad eating habits but still feel like the damage was done. Not even gonna weigh myself today. I felt SOOOOOO bloated when I woke up Saturday morning in the hotel. Not feeling so bad today but really ready to be back to normal.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Outside my window... lightening bugs

I am thinking... how easy it has been to get up these past 2 days

I am thankful for... my sisters and any time we spend together

From the learning rooms... almost done. assessment next week.

From the kitchen... chicken noodle soup & tunafish sandwiches. AND Chase sat at the table for the first time tonight. No more high chair. :) I need another chair. :)

I am wearing... capris pants pj set- purple flutter sleeve top, green, blue, purple floral pants.

I am creating... a necklace/earrings made of leopard beads

I am going... to hopefully clean the family room tomorrow evening

I am reading... other than the Bible, e-mails, & FB posts I didn't read much this week. SOOOOO far behind on blog reading. And forget about my books.

I am hoping... that I will know clearly from the Lord what I should do about an issue I'm dealing with.

I am hearing... Park Hyo Shin- Hurricane

Around the house... quiet

One of my favorite things... hearing Blake recite memorized scripture

Praying for... John & Marissa, Kendra, Amy, Scott's family, Brooke & Dan, reconciliation, Mr. Brady, Gabe Baker, lots of other stuff.

A Lyric or Two...
Bebo Norman- I Will Lift My Eyes

God, my God, I cry out:
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near; calm my fear
... And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

A verse to share: When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24 (NIV) You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. Proverbs 3:24 (NLT)


A few plans for the rest of the week: VBS, CHEO in Akron, Abigail's asthma appointment, church, small group.


Here is picture for thought I am sharing... Father's Day shirt for Mike. We made one when Abigail was the only kid. Then we made one when we had four kids but we never made one with Chase on it.

Come on now... you know you want to do this too!!!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Super Reader

This morning when I woke up Blake was laying in bed beside me on Mike's pillow. He was not watching cartoons but instead he was READING. Who's kid is he??? Anyway, he was reading a chapter book- Young Stars of NASCAR. He insisted he would finish the entire book and read every single word.


He was so excited to report today that he did indeed finish the entire book. My 6-year-old completed a chapter book meant for 8-12 year olds. My son who was in the PICU at birth, had developmental issues, has hypotonia (low muscle tone), and had to have occupational, physical, & speech therapy is a SUPER READER!

The Mind and Heart of Amy

I haven't blogged for a while. I've been extremely busy with cakes. I have to get up early a lot for PT and then I'm way too tired at night to stay up. I hate it cause I'm such a night owl. Going to bed before 1am seems like such a waste to me. The hours after everyone is asleep is my time to unwind- reading, beading, playing word twist, chatting with friends. I can't sit down uninterrupted during the day to write anything.


Honestly though, my mind is a mess. I hate being unorganized. With a big family and a tiny house it is very important to be organized. Without organization our group cannot function. Unfortunately, my head is crowded with so many different things. To say I'm emotional is an understatement. On the verge of tears often. I can't sort out my thoughts or my feelings.


I'm feeling so thankful about so many things and also annoyed with so many things. WHY am I this way? Why can't I let things go? Why do I get my feelings hurt so much? Why don't I just shrug it off? Why? Why? WHY???? I remind myself over and over again that when I start feeling this way I'm taking the focus off of Christ and putting it onto myself. I know that's wrong.


The first three paragraphs of this blog post are totally jumbled and crazy. This is my mind right now. Unorganized. Going from one thought to another. Perhaps if I list all my thoughts here, no matter how random they are, I'll finally get them all out of my head and be able to look at them and work through them with the Lord. Here it goes. STOP READING RIGHT NOW if you don't want to be frightened.


1. I am thankful for my progress on my shoulder. I see the surgeon on Thursday for a checkup. I probably only have 3 therapies left. :) I will be happy to not have to get up at 6am anymore. Secretly though I'm a little nervous. I still have the same pain as I had before the surgery. Is this because it's still healing OR because the surgery didn't work for me?? Time will tell.


2. I'm getting baptized on Sunday night. I have a BIG fear of water and my head (face) going UNDER the water. Will I be calm and mature and not choke? I've been practicing in the shower. I think I'll be fine. I want to focus on what is being done- obeying the Lord's command to be baptized- and not focus on ME.


3. I keep having the SAME dream. HAUNTING me every now and then. I think I may have blogged about this in the past. It is totally the devil. -May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14- It's not the words of my mouth that I'm struggling with right now but rather the meditation of my heart. I totally internalize things. I let them stew. Until one day it will be the words of my mouth that I'm struggling with.


Today when I woke up having dreamed it AGAIN I immediately prayed Psalm 19:14. In the past this dream has affected my entire day. Feelings of sadness and hopelessness consumed me. Today I am so thankful that the Lord filled me with His love and peace and I was able to have a wonderful day.


4. I am SO SICK of people and their STUFF. Why does everyone want to tell about their new tv, computer, car, house, etc. ALL THE TIME?? Isn't there anything else to say? Seems it's the same people. I don't know why this bothers me. I grew up being taught that we don't talk about that kind of stuff. You don't discuss money.


5. Facebook is a MAJOR DOWNER. Other than my reoccurring dream, all of the negativeness in my life is on Facebook. I have a few friends who are constantly attacking Christianity. I also have a few friends who are always attacking republicans. I have several friends who complain about EVERYTHING. I have started limiting my time on Facebook because it's starting to affect me.


6. Where the Bible is concerned I am NOT smart at all. I have learned at Maranatha that my knowledge is VERY limited. I feel extremely ignorant when I'm in Sunday School or small group. I need to study.


7. Am I ever going to finish this school year? I sure hope we finish by Friday. I'm so burned out.


8. I miss singing.


I can't think anymore. I started this blog a few hours ago and was interrupted several times because I was babysitting my nieces & nephew. They are gone now and everyone in my house is asleep. I also am ready to shut my eyes. My mixed up mind can't think anymore. If anything, this blog post can serve as prayer requests for me... IF you read to the end. :) Goodnight.