Motivated Monday?

Sigh...it seemed like a good idea: Pick a goal for the week with a few ideas on how to accomplish it and call it "Motivated Monday."  Well, I'm not so motivated today.  My dear hubby called off sick after throwing up half the night :(   My youngest was a bit under the weather yesterday with stomach issues and I'm not feelin' too hot myself.  Oh well.  Life goes on.  I'm on my second cup of coffee and we're wrapping up our a.m. schoolwork.

Things don't have to be in perfect order ( what's that!?) to proceed with my blogging.  I have PLENTY of goals and aspirations to be a better me, soo....

This week I am motivated to tackle this adorable craft from Family Fun magazine.  Fall is without a doubt my favorite season and this creation beautifully captures why I love it.  We're past "peak week" for ooh-ing and aah-ing over the brilliant colors, but there's plenty of fall left and I want to soak up every second!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Birthday Girl

When you're a kid the entire year revolves around two events: Christmas and your birthday.  There was plenty of excitement in our house last week as our only girl turned 8.  Her birthday was on a Thursday, so we had the grandparents over for cake and ice cream.  Of course she wanted a "friends party," too.  We don't usually do this sort of thing, but we had her party at an indoor bounce center.  It was really a "2 for 1" as we celebrated our oldest son's birthday, too.  He'll be 10  in just a few days.  Anyway, leave it to MiMi to get THE gift...

MiMi is my mom by the way.  She couldn't wait to give M.J. her American Girl doll.  These two have been inseparable... so cute!

Incidentally, the matching jammies came from K-Mart!  I know! K-Mart, right.  Who'd a thunk?

Crossing the Border

We're heading south of the border this week to study Mexico!   Don't worry.  We are merely traveling in our imagination.  Our neighbor to the south hasn't sounded very hospitable lately.  So, we'll stay safe in our Ohio home and open our atlas.

This is our first year using MFW and so far I'm loving it!  We're beginning with Exploring Countries and Cultures (ECC) which provides a strong foundation in geography.

These passports created a ton of excitement for the kids!  They couldn't wait to add their photo and have their pages stamped. You can see them proudly posing in front of our map.

Break time is over...back to work!

~Adios!

Motivated Monday!

If there's anyone actually reading this, it's clear to you that I'm a casual blogger.  I don't post consistently and I don't have a single theme to my blog.  We'll, I'm working on changing that and I've been extremely motivated to start today!  I'm not quite sure what's gotten into me...I'm envisioning redecorating projects, cleaning out closets, lesson planning, and making lists.  I may even plan out the menu for the week! 

Maybe "Motivated Monday" is a good place to start!  I see a theme emerging...

What goal are you motivated to accomplish this week?  What task would you love to check off your "to-do" list? 

I think I'll start with that one thing that should be my top priority.  That thing that isn't really a thing at all.  This Monday I'm Motivated to start each day on my knees...in the Word...at His feet.  How else can I even begin to tackle the mountain of tasks that fill my day?  Before I pour that first cup of coffee or take one bite of breakfast, I need to "sink my teeth" into my "daily bread."

Incidentally, our memory verse from My Father's World ( our homeschool curriculum ) is Matthew 4:4 ~Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Have a Great Week!

THE Fair

I've gone as a baby in a stroller, a toddler in a wagon, an excited child, an awkward teen, a girl on her boyfriend's arm, a newlywed, an expecting mom, a nursing mom, a mom with a one-year-old strapped to her back, and a reflecting mom soaking in every minute of her children enjoying the fair that ended all my summers and signaled the start of each fall. It may look like some photos from some 'ole fair, but it's much more precious than that to me.

Latest Artwork

Today I did a painting job for an old high school friend.  We connected through facebook, she saw some work I had done, and hired me for her son's bedroom.  He loves planes and wanted an AC-130 to span the entire wall of the room.  The actual size is much longer than my "wingspan" from fingertip to fingertip.  I wasn't there to get their reaction, but she sent me an email and the room is a hit.  Her son loves the plane and said, "I can't believe this is my room!"  How cute is that!

Planning for the Schoolyear

We are thoroughly enjoying summer here!  My parents blessed us with a swimming pool for the kids and we've spent every hot day cooling off in it.  The backyard has taken the place of the kitchen and family room.  Dinner is cooked on the grill, we dine at the patio table, play beach volleyball, card games - you name it!  ALL outside!  Yes, we're soaking up every bit of summer.

BUT, planning for the 2010-2011 schoolyear is a priority.  After attending the CHEO (Christian Home Educators of Ohio) Convention last week, I feel refreshed, edified, and excited about the school year ahead! I listened to encouraging speakers and shopped the exhibition hall for curriculum.  Materials have been purchased and we're ready to go!  So, here's what the materials for 3 kiddos looks like...

Actually this is just SOME of what I purchased for the school year.  Most of it I bought at the CHEO Conference and I'm sharing with you even though I agree with Rev.Voddie that it doesn't matter much to you what I use because I'm not teaching your kids!  There is so much curriculum out there and you have to choose what works for YOU.  Still...I'm a curious person and like to know what other moms are using, too!

So, for the curious mom's- here's what I'll be using this year:

J-Saurus, age 9:
Math U See (finish Beta, start Gamma)
Switched On Schoolhouse Grade 4 Language Arts
Any Child Can Write
Sequential Spelling

M.J., age 7:
Math U See (finish Alpha, start Beta)
A Beka Letters & Sounds 2
A Beka Handbook for Reading
A Beka Language 2
A Beka Writing With Phonics 2
A Beka Spelling 2

Buster Brown, age 5:
Math U See Primer
A Beka Letters and Sounds K
Handwriting Without Tears

J-Saurus & M.J. will also begin "My Father's World."  This curriculum is multi-level teaching that helps parents instill a Christian Worldview in the next generation.  I'm really excited about starting Exploring Countries and Cultures - the first volume in the 5 year cycle of teaching.  Click on the link to learn more!

To all you Mommies (and Daddies) teaching at home, teaching for Him...have a refreshing summer and a great time planning for the year ahead ;)

Signs of Summer

No more coats or jackets on these hooks! Time to hang up the shades.

Workboxes Worked for Us

If you homeschool then it's very likely that you heard of workboxes.  They're all the rage!  I'd guess they peeked in popularity over this past school year and it seemed everywhere I looked for homeschool resources I saw info on workboxes. So of course I had to give them a try and I was really excited with the results!  Our workboxes are an adaptation of the original concept as we were limited by space.  Workboxes are supposed to be just that; boxes filled with the child's assignments.  The original system calls for 12 boxes per child so with 3 children that could take up quite a bit of room.  What I did instead was use folders placed in a plastic basket for each child.  I picked a different color for each one of the kids and labled the folders with their name and the activity numbers that each folder corresponds to. When it's time to begin our school work, each of the kids takes out the first folder from their basket and opens it up.  Each pocket of the folder holds a different worksheet, assignment, or activity.  Attached to the front of the pocket is a laminated number held in place with velcro.  As each pocket of work is completed, the child takes that number card off and attaches it to a velcro strip with their name.  When the strip is full, the work is done!  My oldest son is on the Autism Spectrum and each school day started with questions like..."What's first, Mom?"..."How many worksheets do I have to do?"..."What's after Spelling?"..."How much more work, Mom?"    Worboxes have been wonderful for him!   Now he can see exactly WHAT he has to do, HOW MUCH he has to do, and WHEN his work is finished.  I'm certain workboxes will be a big part of our school day in the upcoming school year!

Latest Artwork

Here is the latest painting I did for a child's bedroom. The sister of an old high school classmate found me on facebook and saw some of my work. She hired me to paint in her 3yo son's bedroom. With baby #2 on the way, she wanted big brother Jeffery to feel special, so we took his love of trains and turned it into a very personal space for him. My client had a bedspread from The Land of Nod that we used as inspiration. I altered the designs & color just a bit and transfered those train cars from the bedspread to the wall. She knew she wanted his name as part of the mural so I came up with this...



The space over the closet was perfect for this phrase my client wanted incorporated into the room... "Always remember... you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." To make it even more whimsical, I added a red plane pulling a banner.








And here's a better look at the plane...















...and the bed put back together complete with bedspread.







and now I have a serious itch to redo my own kid's rooms...stay tuned!