Our 2013-2014 Curriculum line up ... no drumroll needed , please , I have two 4yr olds for that .

Starting from the bottom 

Heart of Dakota
Language arts through Literature
Teaching Textbooks Math 
Harcourt Math
Mystery of History 
Pace Language 
Answers in Genesis Bible
Answers in Genesis Science 

School Necessities
Plenty of ink , kinda holdin' out for that laser jet ;)

Computer paper

Lots of binders and folders

Scissors 


Glue ,lots and lots of Glue 

Crayons , we really just need to learn how to make  
                 these at home . 

Contact paper , we contact paper almost all  
                  worksheets for the littles.

And so with that goes , crayola dry erase markers . 

Construction paper , the littles love cutting and
 gluing all their color sheets to construction paper , I guess it's kinda like their own way of framing their masterpieces .  
  
Card stock     we lapbook , that all I'm gonna say for the fellow lapbookers 

File Folders       refer to the above

Colored Sharpies        

Colored pencils 

Markers

Paint a dots  my new discovery !! a preschool must ! hint ..I bought mine at Hobby Lobby and used my 40% discount , those little buggers are expensive !

 Ink Oh wait ...did I already say that ??

And I know that as this year goes on this list will grow increasingly longer and more things will be added..weekly . Well, daily . Probably . But For now this shall do !
Homeschool On !!

Relax , God's got this

What the momma  learned today ? Well , I think it's something we all know but are so darned afraid of it . A relaxed mom = relaxed kiddos . Uptight mom = frustrated kiddos . Now evverybody smile and take a deep breath :)

I was attacked by a bird. Yes , I was , I have now told the world . But this , this is my life , I thinlk I'm quite entertaining to my creator ! It all started when I was loading up my big crew to go to the store early that morning , and after unsuccessfully chasing our new baby hens out of my garage , frizzled and frazzled ( me ) through a tantrum , quick tantrum , I mean just a real quick one about farm life and how it was really starting  to cramp my style . Then out of no where and all out of sudden like my son starts taking off out through the pasture where an  unruly horse resides and that my dog Lola , a Shetland Sheepdog full of heart somehow is completely drawn to this huge animal , so much so that she tears off at it, irritating it to no end with her ear aching barking !!And my son , my darling boy was so compelled at the sight of this horse who was now laying on the ground , he was overcome with wrought , and fear because he thought that Lola had killed the horse by her barking . And in his desperate hour to save this horse , who by the way was NOT dead , used his lungs in no way that a 9 yr old boy at 8:00 in the morning should ! Yes neighbors next door , across the bayou and through thew woods you are so very welcome by that alarm clock. So after calming my son down , reassuring him that this horse was not dead and Lola didnt kill him ," so please stop yelling  , please for the love of God and hearing , stop yelling . " I go to get in my van , and before I could put my  other leg in and shut the door closing out all of the chaos that I was succumbed to , I hear this sweet little voice " momma look , its a baby bird !" And sure enough on the ground right under the tree where we had been watching this beautiful dove making a nest over the past weeks , and we would check on her daily . So taken by her we almost adopted her as a one of our pets ( just in case we didn't have enough ;)) . And now laying in the grass probably from the terrible storm we had the night before lay this sweet scared little baby bird. Okay now at this point in my mind I'm like " really? are you kidding me ?" what is it with animals this morning , okay ...ALL .The. Time. I don't know what it is about me and animals , because they drive me crazy they really do , they have the ability to drive my mind to places I'm afraid to admit. and yet there they are ! all around me , everyday , if there is a stray cat within 20 miles ...they WILL find me , especially the hurt or injured ones .  After our trip back from the store I got everyone seated and fed , and I proceeded out the door . had a washcloth , had a ladder and here I go , just get it done with do my part in saving the wildlife ,and there. Didn't quite go as planned . I had Joshua my cute little handsome helper all of the big boy age of 4 , hold the bird in a washcloth so I could climb on up and check things out . I could't really see in the nest , and then the thought hit me , " man I sure hope this is where this bird belongs " cause that would be weird , right . I mean your a momma all nice and cozy in your nest singing away to your new baby , and then theres this other baby bird that just like all the sudden appears and your all like hmm , I thought I just had one baby ..well, you get the picture .. But I fore went the task and so up , up I go holding this baby bird in the washcloth in ttempt to reunite mother with baby , and then ..I was eye to eye with this dove . The decision to start talking to the bird may not have been the most intelligent I'll admit , but between the talking and the sight of big hands and the colors of Lightning Mcqueen , we both went blind ! This sweet gentle soft delicate vision of  peace became Hell , REAL QUICK LIKE . I couldnt see anything ! My whole head was under attack , I was pecked , flapped and sqawled to death by a Dove ! I couldn't defend myself beacause I was holding with both hands a lightning Mcqueen washcloth which cradled her young , while I was 5 ft off the ground on a ladder ! All I could do was close my eyes and  scream dear God please Don't let me die ! , and if that wasn't the worst experience in my life ,  when the head attack was finally over she flew down to the carport and started having what I thought to be seizures ! And friends , I tell ya THAT scared me even more as my son and I both watched this tantrum mouths wide opened ( I know my precious little boy was already traumatized , i can't even imagine was going through that little head as he watched from below whilst his mum was being attacked by a bird ! )
Later my husband explained to me that they do this to appear injured and easy prey to predators , so that they wouldn't go after their young . That just broke my heart this creature thought that I  was going to hurt her babies and  so not only did she attack me  , she said ,  here come get me instead  !) She was offering her life for babies !  And then I was sad . That life can be so cruel at times and bad things can happen , but God instills a certain instinct in our nature,especially those of parents  , one that paints the most perfect picture of  His own . He paid the sacrifice for us to protect us from the power of all evil and satan . He said " here take ME  instead " That is the story of the cross , " Take me instead " " I'll lay down my life for  theirs "
So days went by and the little bird did just fine in the nest , all was good , but this morning my daughter informed the baby fell out again but this time didn't make it . But I told her we did all we could do , but sometimes these things happen . The mom may not have accepted the baby after it had been handled by human hands  , and thats the difference between nature and God , God will always accept us back no matter how strong  we may smell of sin , He will always love us , and when we cry out to Him He can't help but take us in .

 

  

I am learning more and more that as 

mothers it's important to be able to turn     those sour moods in the house around . It's kinda like a job requirement ;) But is so hard to do when your feeling it too . If I have heard it once I have heard it a zillion times , mothers set the mood in the house , and this is true ! I know , I'm living it ! ha! So what are some of the ways YOU turn the mood around in your home when things have gone south ?

Our Schoolroom

After a much needed spring cleaning this
area just outside our schoolroom stays much more neater ,
except for the occasional smooshed snack , shoe (thanks to our lovely furry edition ) or laundry item ,  ( again , thanks to our furry edition )

http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/my-printables
my #1 go to for all my on hand  last minute
worksheets and printables ;) God bless that woman !

That box in the small left corner shelf is bugging me
I must go see whats in there , and then relocate that ..

Twins pre-cool corner in our schoolroom 

One of our doormers is a quiet reading place
Or a place for some much needed self entertainment for the pre- cool twins :) and yes that is pre-cool ,cause pre-school is way cool ;)

So , my last post was about how God comes in cleans things up in our homes and rearranges the structures of our family . Well, Hes still here , in fact He is going to stay here , and as a wife / mother / teacher I am making the commitment to make sure He stays here , and lives among us !!
Now , ever since I received the call to home school God was gracious enough to allow me to be introduced to a style of home schooling that is very popular among homeschooler s now a days ....video teachers !!!!!!
This was the only way I would even agree to home schooling ! See, I'm not a teacher , I don't know how to be , I have a small learning disability , words on pages get all jumbled up in my head and get criss crossed ! But the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me and dealing with me about what my vision to home school was about in the first place !  That's right I , I , had a vision !!
The Holy Spirit started tugging at my heart ( while my children were still  in private school )  a deeper desire for my kids , I wanted them to love to learn , to really get things , and to learn a different way ....a deeper way .
I've been holding onto our current curriculum like a life preserver in an uncharted ocean , in the middle of a raging sea . The Holy Spirit has been impressing on me ...its time to let go . Okay , so I'm not naming any names , because I don't know how all that works , being new to blogging I don't want anyone pressing any charges on me for reasons I would need a lawyer to explain ..so . I'm just going to say  " said video curriculum " I guess I thought just because I was educating my children at home that , that would make a difference , but truth be told , guess what ..it didn't ! I was doing the exact thing that the school system was doing to them . Said video curriculum was written for a school system , not homeschoolers , they just made it available to home schoolers . OH .... ! When I heard this I realized what I had been doing . Video / computer based curriculums are great there are ones I really really like , but God is moving us in a different direction , a direction towards the vision I had in the first place . I don't want to feel like I have to keep up with "said curriculum program , or feel guilty when we've spent too much time on one thing . If we have to take two weeks to learn about the mountain ranges and make lapbooks and notebooks , sitting together , learning together , then I know they will have enjoyed what they have  learned !! This is my vision :)
So now I've exhausted so many resources , but I am announcing I am throwing " said video curriculum ) out and we will now begin a new journey following the vision God gave me in the first place .....Pray for me . This isn't going to be easy !

She said , " wait mommy , let me do my pencil like this , so I look smarta " but she just could't get that pencil to stay ..

 Love love love , these free printable worksheets from education.com!!

Anytime we can cut , color , and paste , we are all happy , happy , happy !!

One of the many things I like about Kindergarten

When God cleans house

A month and a half ago God came over , and  gently placed me to the side and got busy at work . After Thanksgiving last year I got sick. and then I stayed sick. Then 4 weeks ago I had a hysterectomy (yes!! I said the big "H" word..shh) . So now I'm finally getting back into the swing of things,just a little bit slower. But I think that was God had intended the whole time!Man! We get so tied up and tangled up into the stresses and pressures of homeschooling and our children that our joy just gets robbed!!And I knew it was happening,I was well aware,but just like being on a fast train,you can't always just jump right off,that train is moving waaay too fast;until,God comes in and stops it for you.
So what have I fought learned ? hmm,not to yell at my kids if they aren't exactly the way I think they should be,and not to yell at my house if it's not exactly the way it should be either! I mean I love Pinterest,but my house should not look like one of those rooms on there...all the time.. I mean,I have kids!! Five of them !! And a dog,and a cat,and chickens..Yes,I tend to work better in a clean, neat environment but Better Homes and Gardens is NOT coming over at any minute to take a cover photo of my house.
I have learned to slow down with my kids,to sit down with book with them,to enjoy them. I used to start out in the mornings like a drill sergeant ,you know " Get up!!!make your bed!!!brush your teeth!!brush your hair!!unload dishes!!hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry !!!" Now I'm trying not to be ran by the little numbers on that clock,I do believe children should learn to be up by a certain time,that teaches them responsibility for when they are ready to leave home. But by the time I was done spitting out orders and we would all sit down at our desks or tables I was so worn out from all the hollering ;I came to the table empty,wore out,stressed out and joy'd out! This was not God's plan for us,or me.But on those days I was too sick to get out of bed ,too sick to fix meals,clean the house,and to to be able to take care of my children I realized that it was a blessing to be able to do those things and I had taken them for granted . When I wake up each morning I'm still a little slow,so there's no hurrying around here,it gives me time to remember the joy of having my children here with me,and in return they have joy of being with their momma again,and they too are grateful for all the things I did for them that they took for granted as well.They have been more helpful,which is always an automatic "A" in my gradebook :)
When God comes in and cleans house,it's not always a cup of tea,but in the end,theres nothing sweeter !

When all else ' fails ' ..believe..

I would have loved to have seen the look on some peoples faces when they heard I was becoming a homeschooling mamma  I admit..I was NOT an 'a' student, or a 'b' student,okay I never made the honor roll....EVER. I was that disheveled student.Yep! That was me!So many times my homework would be left at home with the company of my lunch....on the bar in my kitchen.The two of them saw more of each other than I of them in all of my 12 years of school. There is one teacher I remember ,one teacher of whom I thought at the time had allowed me to graduate only out of pity.You know ,sort of 'helped ' me to graduation. I really thought that he just didn't want to see me end up back in class the following year,sitting in a desk..in his classroom.....again. Just because I ..for the life of me,just could not get ,adjectives,adverbs,sentence dissection and so on and so forth..Looking back in retrospect ,you know,I think it was because he believed in me,beyond simple phrases,and verbs,beyond a grade,he saw me.

There are many homeschooling parents that have this belief that homeschooling is the  preferred method of education in Gods eyes .I however,do not believe this.I believe that there are some really really great God fearing teachers out there.And while our public schools and sadly even private schools may be morally corrupt ,I do not believe this to be so in the hearts of every teacher.Today who I am as a homeschooling mom/teacher has been greatly impacted by some of my teachers,whether it was my all so helpful English teacher of my senior year,or that elementary Librarian ... ooh boy was she something!!! Of whom almost 25 years later she still keeps in touch with her students!! Love that !! Every time I pick up a book to have story time with my children I somehow channel this great story teller that when she read...you LISTENED!! Crossed legs,heads up ,mouths opened ,and eyes set a gaze a group of children sat ,half circle. I do not think there ever was a time she had to stop in the middle of a story to fuss at wrestles children no,we were part of an exciting escape that she so eloquently ushered us into,known as story time! When she read,she made Goldilocks and the Three Bears sound like the greatest adventure ever told! She,believed in her students.She,was involved with her students.She,cared. She looked beyond our grades or our struggles whether or not we were a 'a' student or not,but she saw our capabilities!

So,teachers,whether homeschooling parent,or school teacher,believe in your children. Chances are if your frustrated with them they are too. Be patient,look beyond the grade,and see the struggle that they are having.There are so many pressures on a homeschooling parent,and there are so many times I see the opportunity to get frustrated .But when I see my child struggling I remember not so long ago I was in their spot,and so I take the opportunity to encourage them.  Encourage your children,they are so much more than a grade,and what they mean to us and God far exceeds any grade that they can receive. Let us not label our kids by an 'a' or 'b' student. Because believe it or not children hate to disappoint anyone, especially, especially,their parents..

I am so glad my Heavenly Father believed in me,He believes in me even when I don't believe in myself. He loves me,He died for me,and because of that I can walk through failure with confidence! Because I fail. I fail every day,Im not an 'A' Christian. I'm a failing student with a whole lot of Grace that has graduated me to Glory!So now I'm a forgiven,loved and confident child of God!