Our Summer Vacation

Yes, I know...I have again fallen off of the blog wagon, and have lots of catching up to do...hopefully soon.

However...

We just returned from a fun summer vacation to California last week, and I am proud to say that I have already ordered a photo book with our pictures from Snapfish!

Yea for me...that NEVER happens!

Here is the link if you would like to check it out.

Good Reads For Tween/Teen Boys

This post was inspired by a comment that I received about the above picture,
which appeared in this post last week.

The reader wondered why my child was reading a book entitled, "Monk".

Rest assured, I am not encouraging my son to head off to a monastery!

That would be really weird...especially since we are Protestant!  :)

The "Monk" series, by Lee Goldberg
is based on a television show about a quirky, OCD detective,
named Mr. Monk.
Christian has enjoyed watching the show, as well as reading the book series.
The reason that he has the book on his school shelf, is because he chose to use it for a book report that he is doing right now.  Christian has checked the books out from our library.

Another book series that Christian has enjoyed reading is the
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.
The Alex Rider books are about a boy who is a spy...
kind of like a young James Bond.
Christian has read all of the books in this series...
also found at our library.

I am always excited to learn about books that are good for young teen boys.

I would love to hear from some of you who may have middle/ junior high aged boys.

What books have your boys enjoyed reading
just for fun?

Homeschool Mother's Journal

  

In My Life This Week

This was a difficult week.  

It started off with some stuff that kind of kept me

struggling to keep my head above water...
which is not my best mode.

I think that we kept things running along without any big pieces falling through the cracks, but small things, (if you call laundry, and house chores small) took a back seat, and are now

demanding my attention.

I have to keep reminding myself that life happens.  God knows that life presents challenges, and I have to work at not beating myself up when I experience the impact that comes along with these challenging times.

He needs to remain my focus and my comfort, especially in hard times.

I am hopeful that things are going to improve next week.

In our homeschool this week...

Things with school managed to stay afloat this week.  That is always a priority.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Caylie has been super busy with running, play practice, school work and church activities.

Her show opens next week, so they are about to kick into even higher gear this weekend.  

She loves it, but it super intense right now.

Christian had his 2 days of outside classes this week, and he always enjoys those.  In addition to his usual church activities, the youth group went to play paint ball last Saturday.

Corey went with them, and they all had lots of fun...even if they did come home with some bruises!

(Corey said that paint ball is not a kiddie game...it can really hurt!)

Today, the older kids both have guitar lessons.

My favorite thing this week was...

Last Friday, Caylie and I went to a preview day at the
University of Central Arkansas, in Conway.  We both really enjoyed the day, and were impressed with the school.  Right now, I think that her top college picks are
OBU (Ouachita Baptist University...where Corey and I graduated!) and UCA.  She still has some time to weigh things out though!  

I posted here about a day where a we
"made lemonade out of lemons".
That made all of us happy, and gave us something exciting to look forward to!! :)


It made my heart happy to read this post that Caylie wrote on her blog. Caylie's sincere desire to allow God to work in her life, and guide her daily choices is one of my precious blessings.


I'm also thankful that while things were difficult for me this week,
Corey was very supportive and helpful.  

What's working/not working for us...

What's working?  

School.

What's not working?  

When I am feeling down, as I have this week, everything seems like a challenge, and it is hard to motivate myself to do the things that I need to do.  It DOES however, reinforce the need for me to count my blessings in the midst of struggles.  That is something that I have tried to become better and better at over the past few years.

It is absolutely a gift to be able to be thankful in hard times!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

I am in the process of getting Caylie's senior year classes planned.  Most of her classes will be outside classes...at Co-Op, and at the community college, so I am just trying to get those details lined out, and make sure that everything will work well together.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share..

"Thank Me for each blessing along the way; this brings joy to both you and Me.

A grateful heart protects you from negative thinking.

Thankfulness enables you to see the abundance I shower upon you daily."

(Todays devotion in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

Writing the Waves,

Christi

Valentines Day In The Kitchen

Yesterday, Carson and I got busy in the kitchen to make Valentine's treats for everyone.  We made this recipe for Valentine's Confetti.  

Carson knows how to make microwave popcorn, so he got us started by popping our first bag.

After he popped the popcorn, I melted the candy coating.

We poured  it into the popcorn, and added the MnMs.  

Carson then stirred it up for us.

We spread it out on parchment paper to dry.

Carson sprinkled a few more MnMs, and some peanuts on top!  

He was feeling pretty proud of our little project!  :)

His attention span maxed out when it was time to fill the bags,

so I finished that part up.

We were both really happy with how the treat bags turned out!

When Caylie came home from CoOp, we started handing bags out. 

It was fun to give people a treat that we had worked together to make!

Caylie and Christian each made cards for everyone in the family, and they were 

very special. 

 I love things that are made by my kiddos!

Corey got us gift certificates to some fun stores, and then we all went out to eat at Chip's, one of our favorite casual restaurants. 

 It was a fun and relaxed Valentine's day!

Writing the Waves,

Christi

My 8 Favorite Homeschool Resources

Yes, I know that it is only February, but as a homeschool mom, I am always trying to think ahead, and work to make our courses as interesting and effective as possible...so yes, I'm already thinking ahead to next year!

We have actually had a really great year with our curriculum, and so believe it or not, unless something sweeps in and changes my mind (which I'm always open to), next year we will stick with these 8 resources that have been working well for us.

1) ALEKS online math curriculum-  This year Christian did Pre-Algebra, and we have been very pleased with the program.  Next year, we plan to stick with Aleks for Algebra.  They offer a free trial, which is what we used this summer before making the decision to switch from Teaching Textbooks.

2) Sonlight History- I really like how Sonlight merges resource books with historical fiction books to create a richer, more in depth picture of history.  This year we are doing our 2nd year of World History, and next year we will do US History.

3) Wordly Wise Vocabulary- This was our first year to use Wordly Wise.  It is a great, easy to use, yet challenging vocabulary curriculum. 

4) ABeka Grammar and Composition-  I like how thoroughly the ABeka workbook introduces and explains each new concept.  Last year we used Easy Grammar and Daily Grams, but I have found ABeka to be a little better at presenting the information.  We will continue with ABeka next year.

5) Spelling Power- This is a great spelling book that can be used from age 8 to adult. 

6) Apologia Science- Christian is doing Physical Science this year, and will be moving to Biology for 8th grade.  We will probably supplement the course with Red Wagon Tutorials.

7) IEW Writing- The Institute for Excellence In Writing is a thorough program.  It took me a while to get it all figured out, but once you get rolling, it leads the student step by step through continually advancing writing techniques.

8) Lizardpoint Geography-  I just came across this recently, but both Christian and I really think it is great.  It is a free online geography "game" that allows the student to master each part of the world, one area at a time. Right now, Christian is mastering Africa.  Before I found Lizardpoint, we were using our interactive globe to look up the areas that we were studying in history.

Caylie attends the homeschool high school co-op in our city, and will continue to do so (as well as taking classes at the community college), next year, when she is a...

SENIOR! 

Aagh!  Did I just type that?!?! 

Please excuse me while I take a quick break...sniff, sniff...

Ok...moving on...

The only classes that she is doing at home this year, are history, grammar, and vocabulary.  She is using the same resources as I listed above, only at the high school level, and next year will be the same.

Also, both kids do Christian World View here at home, which I have just put together using monthly memory verses, and daily readings.  The last book that we covered was Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life", which I love, and now Christian is reading "Live Like A Jesus Freak", by DC Talk, while Caylie is reading her Bible.

What homeschool resources do you love?

Writing the Waves,
Christi

OK...So I'm A Little Late Posting Our Fall Pictures....

One day in November, we went to a park to shoot some pictures for our Christmas cards. 

I didn't get my hopes up.

 It was a very last minute kind of thing, and kind of thrown together...in broad daylight...with a less than cooperative four year old! 

Sooo...I bribed him with ice cream if he would cooperate...

...and it worked pretty well!

Christian is old enough now that I don't have to bribe him to cooperate...

...but he thought that he

might as well get some ice cream...

ya know...since Carson was getting some...

Can't believe how much my big guy has

grown up in one short year!

Melt this mommy's heart...

My sweet, precious Caylie.

Beautiful on the outside,

but most importantly...on the inside.

Can't believe that she is 17 now.

 Time flies way too fast...

Oh, how I love these kids...

...and they love each other too

...most of the time anyway!

Counting my blessings.

Loving the little things.

And laughing along the way!

So, there ya have it...

another Christmas card to help remember these 

treasured times!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

So, Here's The Plan...

So, for the record, here are our subjects for the year, and how we plan to tackle them...

Caylie...11th Grade

Most of Caylie's classes are going to be done in group settings. She loves "CoOp"! In our city, there are about 100 homeschoolers that attend a wonderful high school CoOp on Mondays and Wednesdays. Caylie's CoOp classes this year are...

*Art
*Algebra 2
*Spanish 2
*Writing

She will be taking Apologia Chemistry from a teacher that holds a few science classes in her home. Caylie will attend this class with 5 other homeschool friends.

Her "at home" subjects will be...

*World History (modified Sonlight)
*World View (selected memory verses and books)
*Grammar (ABeka)
*Vocabulary (Wordly Wise)

Last year, she did not do Grammar and Vocabulary, but we are adding them this year as extra preparation for standardized testing.

In addition to her academic classes, Caylie is excited about remaining active with the youth group at our church, taking guitar lessons, playing volleyball with our homeschool sports organization, and hopes to participate in some local theater.

Christian...7th Grade

Christian's courses this year are...

*Pre-Algebra (Aleks.com)

*Physical Science (Apologia)

*Writing (IEW)

*Grammar (ABeka)

*Vocabulary (Wordly Wise)

*Spelling (Spelling Power)

*World History Part 2 (modified Sonlight)

*World View (selected memory verses and books)

Christian also participates in our Homeschool Academy that meets one day a week. He gets to take Art, as well as several other classes. He really enjoys his days at Academy.

Starting in the winter, Christian will participate in a 4H Science day camp, called SEEK, that meets one day a week for 12 weeks. He did this last year and really enjoyed it. They spend most of the day outdoors, studying science. Last year they dissected fish, and lots of other "fun" stuff that I am happy to NOT be doing at home! :)

Christian will also remain active with our youth group, as well as participating in football, basketball, and guitar lessons.

Whew!

Never a dull moment around here!

Writing the Waves,

Christi

Off To A Good Start!

Well, it appears that I have officially fallen off of the blog wagon!

Caylie has been begging me for months to get back to it, and I have had the best of intentions, but my "to do" list keeps taking over my life.

Another reason that I haven't blogged in FOREVER, is that in my mind, a blog is not really very interesting without pictures. Unfortunately, when I add pictures to my blog, and sometimes, even when I don't, Blogger throws the line spacing all out of whack, and then it takes me WAY to long to get it straightened out. Unless I have a good hour or so, which I never seem to have, I don't even try to blog. Frustrating!

A couple of nights ago, Caylie convinced me that even if I do not include pictures, that I need to be blogging, so that we can keep up with our family memories.

I had to agree.

I'm going to work on doing better. Even if it means that many of my posts will be pictureless.

Ugh.

So...

Today was our first day of school.

Caylie was sooo excited about heading back to CoOp to see all of her friends, and get into the groove of the school year again. She had her backpack loaded with fresh, new supplies, and was ready to roll, with a big smile on her face as I dropped her off this morning. I love that she loves it!

When I got back home, Christian was already sitting at the table, hard at work. We have tweaked our curriculum this year, so we worked through those changes, and had a really good day. We both talked about how much happier we are with homeschooling than we were before.

Sooo glad that we are homeschooling!

So. Glad.

I have been doing preschool activities with Carson most days throughout the summer. Both he and I really enjoy doing these activities, so I will continue to teach Carson this year, even though he is enrolled in a 2 day a week preschool.

Although we always welcome summer vacation, and the break from routine, it is also great to get back into the swing of things in the fall. I enjoy waking up and having a plan for the day!

Tomorrow I will post about what subjects the kids will be studying this year, and how we are going to tackle each one.

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Winding Things Up!

Today we finished Christian's first year of homeschooling! It has been a GREAT year, and we have LOVED it!

Caylie still has a little bit to go (she started a week or so later than Christian did), but it has been a successful year for her as well.

Both kids have participated in homeschool sports, in various co-ops, and have made lots of new friends! It has been such a positive experience for our whole family.

I truly can't even put into words how very thankful I am. We started this venture a lot later in the game than most do, and although I had spent many, many hours in preparation, I was still intimidated. This past year has just been a time of such confirmation to our family that God has been working out His plan in our lives...in many very unexpected ways.

I have learned sooo much this year (and the kids have too!), and while we are all looking forward to our summer break, it brings me such happiness to know that we will also be looking forward to another year of homeschooling in the fall!

I leave in the morning to go to the state homeschool convention. I am excited about selecting new curriculum and also plan to attend some classes.

One of my many goals for the summer is to catch up on my blogging. I had hoped that I would be able to continue blogging regularly during this past year, but I just really didn't seem to have the time. Oh well...that's what summer is for! :)

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Another Fun and Busy Weekend

This weekend, as most of ours are, is a busy, but fun-filled one.

Last night started off with Christian's end of the season basketball party with his homeschool team. The kids all met at a local church and brought drinks and snacks to share. Dads were invited to come and join in a father/son basketball game, and some older brothers also joined in the fun. Corey had a job that he had to do, so he was disappointed about not being able to attend. He would have had so much fun! The kids had a great time playing basketball and hanging out together. At one point, the coaches gave out awards to each of the players. Christian was given the "Phillip" award, which his coach explained was "for bringing the team together in unity...also known as talking!" Funny! Christian really enjoyed the season, and making some new friends. I think that we are all a little sad that it is ending. He is looking forward to playing again next year.

Caylie attended a play last night that one of her friends from church was in. She said that it was really good. I can't remember what the play was called, but she said that the audience was actually seated on the stage, and the play happened right in the midst of them. I can't quite imagine it, but she said that it was really interesting.

Today we woke up bright and early and headed downtown for a volleyball tournament. During a break between games, we took Carson to play at a nearby playground. It was soooo cold! I couldn't believe that only 2 days ago, the kids were breaking out their shorts and flip flops, and today, I had on my coat and gloves...and was still freezing!

After the tournament ended for the day, we all came home and relaxed for a while. I took a nice long nap while Carson was taking his nap! :)

This evening, Caylie got together with some of her good friends, and has plans to spend the night with her friend Gracie. We will all meet up again at church in the morning.

Corey grilled hamburgers (in the cold!), and made some cheese dip for dinner. We ate in the den and watched "Extreme Home Makeover" together! We all love that show!

Now I am washing Caylie's volleyball uniform so that it will be ready to wear again tomorrow. As soon as church is over, we will head back downtown for day two of the tournament. Hopefully it will wind up in time for us all to attend our Sunday night church groups that we really look forward to.

Staying busy, but having fun!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

The Spelling Bee

Yesterday, Christian participated in the local homeschool spelling bee. The winner would get to go to the county spelling bee.

He had been practicing his words regularly, and was well prepared for the day

Before the spelling bee got started, they took the kids out into the hall for a picture.

Christian did very well. He had to spell some words that had not been on the list that he studied, and he pulled it off.

The younger kids were the first ones out and two eighth graders were the finalists. Although Christian did not make it into the final group, as he had hoped he would, we were so proud of how he did, and he said that he enjoyed it.

He decided that he would give it a try again next year!

Way to go Christian!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

What's Been Going On Around Here

Caylie asked me the other day to just be straight with her.

"Mom, just tell me, are you ever going to blog again?"

I assured her that I would.

But here's the thing...

With 3 or 4 months of homeschooling under our belts now, I can say that we are really enjoying it! I love it so much, and have frequently said that I wish we had started earlier! I am so happy that we made the decision to give homeschooling a try, but I've just not quite found the balance between getting all of my responsibilities taken care of, and still having time to do things like...blogging!

It's getting easier as I get the hang of things. I tweak things that need tweaking, and find ways for things to run more smoothly. Hopefully I will find more and more moments to sit down and blog. I really DO want to have a place where our family memories are recorded, and since I have decided to let blogging replace scrapbooking, I DO need to make it a priority...at least more so than I have been! :)

So here's the latest...

Corey has been out of town this week at broker classes, and so I have had my hands pretty full trying to juggle all that goes on around here. Corey is great to help me with shuttling kids around when he is able to, and without him here, I have been in and out of the house a LOT...which makes it even more challenging to get everything done!

Caylie has been preparing for a play with our local homeschool drama group. She is playing the role of Mrs. Bradley in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". The performance will be on Saurday morning, so this last week or so has been pretty focused on getting everything for the play taken care of. All of the actors are responsible for getting their own clothing together for the show, so that was on our "to do" list, and I am on the committee that organizes food and decorations for the reception, and that has needed some of my attention as well. Today she has dress rehearsal all afternoon. I am really looking forward to the play, and will try to post some pictures soon!

Christian recently started his basketball season with the homeschool team here. He has made new friends, and is enjoying it. He's been having some problems with his heel though. Whenever he plays basketball, he says his heel hurts, but then the pain goes away after some rest. We have an appointment this afternoon for him to get it checked out with an orthopedic doctor. Hopefully, whatever is causing the pain, can be quickly treated, so that he can play basketball without having pain!

Yesterday, Christian and Carson both had appointments for check-ups. The doctor said that both boys were just fine. Christian did have to get 2 immunizations, but he didn't mind too much. Carson, we were told, is in the 92% in both height and weight! We were kind of surprised to hear that. Caylie and Christian were always high on the charts as well, but we had always thought of Carson as smaller than they were at that age. Caylie is 5'7 now, and Christian is VERY close behind.

Well, that's the scoop on what is going on at our house!

Hopefully, I will check back in soon!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Clinton Museum Space Exhibit

Today Christian and I headed out to see the temporary space exhibit at the Clinton Museum.

Part of our curriculum this semester, is the Apologia study on space, so we thought that this would be an interesting field trip.

The first stop that we made was the simulator shown below. The concept was that the "chair" Christian was strapped into hovered slightly above the floor, and after directing it over to the wall (with some help from the assistant), he was to perform a set of tasks...similar to some that an astronaut might do. Christian said that this activity was just "okay".

Next, we went into the exhibit room to see the display of various items that have actually been used by astronauts on space missions. This area was pretty interesting.

There were many fascinating displays that we read about and learned new things from.

Our last stop before leaving, was the MAT (Multi-Axis Trainer) simulator. It was a wild ride, for sure! It spun in every direction, with totally random timing. I tried to load a video, but my computer didn't cooperate, so you will just have to use your imagination!

I couldn't believe that Christian had the stomach to do it two times!

He LOVED it!

It was both a fun AND educational day! I am so happy that we are homeschooling! :)

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Christian's Week At Brookhill

Last week was Christian's annual Brookhill week.

Brookhill is a wonderful Christian camp not too far from where we live. This was his third summer to attend. The first year he went, he came home saying that it had been the best week of his life! He came home so spiritually energized! Each year since, he says it has been even better...if that's not a good review for a camp, I don't know what is!

It was SOOO hot on the day that we dropped Christian off! The cabins are not air conditioned, so we were melting as we got Christian settled in. Carson said, "Brookhill makes me hot!" Here he is saying goodbye to Christian.

Christian was assigned to the Hackneys cabin this year. Here he is with one of his counselors. This counselor has battled cancer, and has such an inspirational story that has really made a strong impression on Christian.

This is the beautiful place that Christian got to enjoy for the week!

And enjoy...he did!

When we arrived at the end of the week to pick Christian up, we got to watch the campers sing praise songs (always makes me cry!) and cheer as they recalled all of the fun they had throughout the week! It is such a neat time!

One of Christian's cousins attended during the same week. Here, he and Katlynne pose together.

After the final ceremony, we headed back to the cabin to load up Christian's things.

Here are a couple of the great counselors that make Brookhill the awesome camp that it is!

As I have come to expect, Christian LOVED his Brookhill experience. I am so thankful that he has such a neat place to go each summer to grow in his relationship with Christ!

Writing the Waves,

Christi

The Boy's Room

Since we live in a 3 bedroom house, and have 3 kids, our two guys share a room. Hopefully one of these days we will have an extra bedroom, but for now, we are making do.

Until recently, Carson only slept in this room, but never really played in here much. Lately however, he has started hanging out in here more.

Here is how I found him the other day...

He has also discovered Lego's and Lincoln Logs!

Christian has always been great at building really cool Lego and Lincoln Log creations, so now Carson loves seeing what BB (Big Brother) can put together!

Although Christian hasn't played with this stuff very much on his own, in quite a long time, he is great about playing with Carson.

Below, Christian "helped" Carson build a really cool building.

They let me get a picture of them beside their project...

And then they both laughed as Carson kicked it into 100 pieces!

Boys!

Writing the Waves,

Christi