Of Homeschooling and things

A new year has started. No, really it has. We were supposed to start the last week of July but then sickness and life happened so we moved the start date to August 1st. I had planned a rolling start of a kind so what happened this week was not as frustrating as it could have been.

Since two of the kids weren't back up to normal, we did Free School for the few subjects we were going to tackle each day.

I love Free School. :)

I finally got our schedule done and I think I am satisfied with it. It is the same schedule we have used for a year or two. You know, the one that changes subjects every thirty minutes and maps out our entire day for us. Yeah, the one that makes us like a super homeschooling family that has it all together. That one. I revamped it a little to accomodate the kids and their different subjects but it is essentialy the same.

I really want to stick with it this year. Really. When we followed it, we got so much done and we were all happier. I just don't know if we will follow it all the time. I'm okay with that-mostly. I just really want to focus on school work and getting everything done that we need to.

Can I be totally honest here? I am the one that needs the schedule. I am the one that needs to be kept on track and reminded to keep doing the things that need done. Not that the kids don't but I am the biggest culprit. That is not cool because I am the one in charge!

We homeschool because God called us to it. Did He call us to it for the kids' sake or for mine? I don't know, the jury is still out on that one. I do know that all things work together for good for them that love the Lord so I will trust that He will get us through.

So anyway...this last week was mostly Free School and getting geared up for the year. I have already posted about our churriculum choices and I think we are going to love them all. I would love to find a way to post our schedule but I just don't want to figure that out right now! heehee Next week we are going to start full on school with all the fixings. ;-)

I know that homeschooling isn't for everyone but I can't imagine any other lifestyle. Yes, I said lifestyle. It is truly a way of life that seeps into every part of your life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love seeing them at their highs and lows. I am jealous of their time and want to be involved in the details of their lives. I love the chaos that comes from having all the kids home with me all day.

Life is good when my kiddos are home and we are laughing and learning together.

I probably shouldn't

I probably shouldn't be writing this in my present state of mind but something irritated me and I am letting it out. I just visited a blog that posted a list of "no-no's" for blogs. This was a list of things that the blogger didn't like seeing on someone else's blog. This happened last year too. The person that posted last year visited my blog and told me the things that she didn't like and that I should change bc she wanted it to be a certain way.

Really?

My blog is my blog and I have it the way I like it. If someone doesn't like it, they don't have to read it. kwim? I blog as an outlet and as a way of posting reviews. I don't design my blog and write to please others. I will not change things bc someone else doesn't like them. I don't particularly care for music on blogs but I'm not going to say that they shouldn't be there bc I don't like it. It's their blog and they like it so they can have it.

Ugh it just frustrates me when that kind of thing happens. Because then a blogger that feels insecure about what they are doing thinks they have to change everything they do to please others and their blog is no longer a reflection of who they are.

I'm done with my rant.

Yes, I know that I am in a bad mood right now and my heart is hurting so I probably shouldn't be doing this. But I just had to get it out there.

I will shut up now and sit in a house that is too quiet.

Heartsick

My heart is breaking and a piece is missing. please pray for us.

Well Planned Day Review and GIVE AWAY!!

It's no surprise to anyone that knows me-I am a curriculum junkie.  But what may surprise some is that I am also an organizing junkie.  I don't always-read ever-use what I buy, I just like the looks of them so I buy them!  lol  I would love to be organized.  I'm just a little too lazy. 

I also love planners.  I have spent quite a bit of money on them over the years and they almost always end up on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.  My interest in the wanes or they are just too much to comprehend and I feel guilty for not using them so I hide them.  Anybody know what I mean?  Come on, I can't be the only one out there can I?

Oh, I hope not!

So, my endless pursuit of a planner that I love and that I will actually use is an ongoing yearly search that drives me to the breaking point.  I had all but given up until I happened on a booth at a homeschool convention.  The people in the booth were so nice and helpful and their planners had such pretty covers that I was drawn in.

Thank goodness the covers weren't the only things that these planners offered.  The more I looked at them the more convinced I became that I would actually use them. 

What happened next?  Yup, you guessed it I bought it.  :-)

I looked at it a little bit and was even more convinced that I had found what I was looking for.

What planner has me so enamored you ask?  Let me tell you.

The Well Planned Day.  I just love this planner!  There is so much more in it than just planning pages.  Let me list a few of the items you get when you buy this planner. 

Isn't it beautiful?!

From their website:

Spiral Bound with Three Hole Drilled to Fit into Binders-Love this!

Over 230 Full Color Pages-Beautiful colors

Full Year Planner: July 2011 - June 2012-how awesome is this?  we school year round and this is so helpful for us that we don't have to fill in for the 'other months' other planners don't cover

Home Management with weekly cleaning schedule, monthly projects, greeting card registry, and monthly budgeting.-don't we all need help in these areas? lol

NEW in 2011, Holiday Organization Section: Greeting card registry, activities and event schedules, gift giving, around town shopping, and internet shopping. -seriously cool!

Organize and plan for up to 4 children in one convenient book.-love that it is for FOUR kids!!

Four Student Class Plans: Schedule each student's class assignments.-yeah, love it!

Four Student Time Schedules: Track each day by the hour.-oh yeah!

Weekly Schedule: Organize your week with class assignments, weekly priorities, prayer requests, dinner menu, and notes.-love that the family can look at this and get a view of the week.

Month at a Glance: Plan field trips, enrichment activities and books to read-uber helpful

Semester Attendance & Progress Reports-these help this unorganized momma keep track!

Perforated Report Cards-love that these are handy to where the grades are, no hunting around for them and forgetting what I was doing bc something else distracted me.  ;-)

Menu Planning: Plan weekly meals and conveniently shop with perforated shopping lists.

Family Worship: Read through the Bible in a year.

Insightful homeschool articles and tips to inspire you throughout the year.

and much more....

When they say more, they really mean more.  I particularly love the Class Plan page for each student.  This page has a place for a photo of the child and spaces to fill in things like height, weight, age, strengths, challenges, and goals.  On the same page is a listing of the subjects they will be using for each semester and an option for putting the price down for budgeting.  You can also keep track of the expenses for curriculum for each child on the same page.  Awesome!


I know that there are so many ways to use this planner but the way we have chosen to use it is this way.  I bought the two older girls The Well Planned Day planners for Middle/Junior High.  They plan using those planners on Sunday afternoon and then I take their planners and use them to fill in my planner.  I tried to plan out the subjects for them for the year but it always went badly.  So now I use my planner as more of a tracking planner.  I write down their plan for the week and then on Friday I check off each subject to see if they completed their scheduled work for the week.  It works famously. 

Something else that helps lighten my heart are the articles.  Each month there is another article for encouragement.  They are relevant and well written articles that help to lighten the load of mommas everywhere.  What a nice break to pick up my planner and have an article just for me.

This is such a well thought out and executed planner.  It is easy to use and frankly it makes me smile every time I pick it up.  It is just so pretty! 

You should really check one out for yourself.  Really. Head over to this page and click on the button that says Preview Planner to see what I mean about this planner.  And while you are there, check out the other planners they have like the ones my girls use for Middle School/Junior High.  I can't wait until they are ready to use the High School Planners.  Oh and they also offer a PDF version of the planner that is worth checking out as well.  Don't forget the On The Go Planners that would easily fit into your purse.  Sweet!

I almost forgot the binders.  Oh my goodness talk about pretty!  You just have to go look at those.  While you are there check out the Bundle Packages they have for the binders and planners.  They are pretty good deal!  

Read on for the GIVE AWAY INFORMATION!

I just love this planner so much that I am giving one away.  Yup, you read that right.  I bought one at convention and then the wonderful people at Home Educating Family Publishing sent me a planner to review so I am giving mine away.  It is brand spanking new and waiting to make someone else happy.  All you have to do is leave a comment telling me whether you are a planner or not.  That's it! 

I will draw the name of one lucky winner on August 10th.  Make sure I have a way of contacting you, though.  :) 

**I was given a copy of The Well Planned Day in exchange for my honest opinion.

Who Is Simon Miller? Movie Review

It's probably no surprise that I love movies.  I do.  Seriously love them.  My family loves them as well.  But it has been increasingly hard to find movies that we can all watch that aren't animated.  Now, I don't mind animated films, love quite a few in fact, but they can get old sometimes.  That and my wonderful dh doesn't appreciate them as much as I do!

So what's a family to do?

Family Movie Night, that's what.

A while back I reviewed another movie from Family Movie Night that we loved and we have actually bought another movie from Family Movie Night on DVD.  I think we will continually buy them as they come out on DVD.  You can't have too many family movies, right?  ;-)

But I digress.

On to the most recent installment of Family Movie Night.

Who is Simon Miller?  is the latest in families movies that I think you will love.  I know I did.  I was actually fortunate enough to watch a private screening with actress Robyn Lively!  How cool is that?  We watched the movie and chatted with Robyn Lively while she answered our questions.  It was pretty neat to watch the movie with extra little insights.  Robyn Lively was a gracious host and is a dedicated mother and actress.

So what about the movie?  Here is a synopsis of it from the website:

When unassuming geoligist Simon Miller mysteriously disappears one night, the Miller family is thrown into a desperate search to find him. Simon's wife Meredith and their two kids, Sarah, 18 and Kevin, 15 frantically search Simon's office for information. When they find a stash of passports, all with Simon's picture but each with a different alias, they realize that their father has been keeping more than a few secrets. Who is Simon Miller? And what has he gotten himself - and his family - into? Not sure they can even trust the dad they thought they knew, the Millers embark on an international mission to get him back. It's a heart-pounding adventure that tests the limits to which families will fight for each other.

Now for my opinion.  I loved it.  I really did.  For several reasons one of which was there was no romance type stuff.  Not that I'm opposed to romantic movies but I don't want my daughters focusing on that all the time.  Life is not like a romantic movie, kwim?  Who is Simon Miller? was a great peak into a fairly normal family and showed us what it looks like to stick by one another in hard times.  It showed a family coming together to fight for one another and to trust and believe in one another.  It has a great husband and wife relationship and parent child relationships.  Are they perfect?  Nope.  Just real.

I can't wait for the rest of the family to watch this movie on August 6th at 7pm Central Time.  We will record it and watch it over and over until it comes out on DVD!

If you want to check it out for yourself, which you really should, here are some links to help:

Website: http://familymovienight.com/who-is-simon-miller/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/fmnib

I highly suggest you check out Family Movie Night and lend your support for this movement of family entertainment.  We can always use more family friendly movies. 

Don't forget to watch Who is Simon Miller?  on Saturday, August 6th at 8/7c on NBC.

**I was given a link to review this movie in exchange for my honest opinion

I am so way done

Peanut was the one in the hospital last week.  She had the massive infection. 

Here is what she looked like.

We thought that after the time in the hospital with the high powered meds in the I.V. and the mega dose the set her up with here at home that she would be on the mend. 

We were wrong.

She started complaining of her ear hurting on Saturday.  When I looked at it I saw that the ear canal was almost swollen shut and every time I touched anywhere near her ear she cried.  ugh

We kept up on the ibuprofen until today when I called the doctor/nurse to find out what we should do.  She called back and said that we would need to be seen.  Nice.  We did get to see the same doc that admitted her to the hospital last week so he knew the history. 

He was surprised that she had an ear infection with all the meds she was on.  But she did/does.  Her ear is infected as well as the lymph glands around her ear.  It is so infected that she couldn't even bear the doctor looking in it.  He decided to put an ear wick into it so that we could medicated ear drops down into it.  But in order to do that he had to pull on her ear and push the wick down into a canal that was swollen and raw. 

It was not pretty.  We had to hold her down while the doctor hurt her in order to make her better.  Even better.

After that we got to hold her down while they gave her a shot of antibiotics.  The nurse told us that the medicine usually hurts quite a bit so she put an anesthetic in the syringe to help with the pain.  It didn't really work. She bawled and is still crying from the pain her leg. 

So now she is in her bed crying from her ear hurting and her leg feeling like it is on fire.  It has been a great day. 

Next week we get to go back to our regular doctor for a follow up and to get referred to an ENT as well as have her root canal process started.  She has been pretty traumatized with all of this and is pretty done with all of it herself.

I can't blame her.  We are praying that if we can get her sinuses fixed then she will stop having so many problems.  We'll see.