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 !!