We've survived the first two weeks of school!!!

And all the moms said "amen"!

I'm telling you- it doesn't matter WHERE your child is educated- the first two weeks can be downright EXHAUSTING!!!

While this is our 8th year homeschooling, the fact that we didn't homeschool last year has brought back many of the "new/honeymoon" feelings for me I thoroughly missed being around my kids all day and being the one to teach them. It has been nice for this momma to be back at it.

One of the things I have missed the most was our Bible study time. While we tried to continue coming together even when we were in the Christian school last year, the depth that we strived for dropped drastically. Plus, knowing that they were getting daily Bible lessons and weekly chapel made it easier for us to slack off at home. We started the year by looking briefly at each book of the Bible and then watching the What's in the Bible DVD that went with it. We are each keeping a prayer journal with the option of drawing something that goes with what we discussed. Some draw, others don't.
 

Most mornings I spend working one on one with Isaiah. The girls aren't big morning people (haha!) and this way they have the option to take it easy or work on their own studies. A benefit for Isaiah is that his school work is generally finished by lunch. Coffee is vital for any homeschooling mama. Coffee and Jesus. Just saying.

My middle daughter created a blog. You can check it out at Life with me, Faith. I'm hoping that it will help her with creative thinking, typing, writing, and spelling. Right now, I'm just letting her have fun with it, but eventually I hope to see her posts grow in content. If you stop by, say hi! I know it would bring a smile to her face. Younger sister, AJ, has requested a blog as well, so look for that coming soon!

Speaking of younger sister.... Our church volunteers at the local food pantry during the month of August. We serve there every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. I am thankful to serve, but timing wise it can be a challenge. It made our school week a little harder, as well, but we made it work. Homeschool=flexibility! AJ brought some of her school work several times to work on it during the slow moments! 

A little community service looks great to colleges, but serving the community goes deeper than that- it's about being the hands and feet of Jesus. #momofasophomore

I haven't assigned any reading to my daughters, but my youngest has developed a love for Sherlock Holmes. It all started innocently enough.... by watching America's Got Talent. One of the contestants is like a contemporary Sherlock Holmes. She's been hooked since! Thank goodness for the library!!! 

All in all, the first two weeks of school have gone great! We've had continued success with Mistic using Acellus. So far, we are very pleased with this choice! The lessons are fairly short and I can tell she is being introduced to new concepts and topics. She uses her phone to watch the video and do the lesson. She takes notes and has just done amazing! Bonus points- it is all graded automatically! Yay!!!!!

Isaiah and Aspen are rolling along, as well. Faith's school load was lacking a little, but we have tweaked it. She is also doing the same online spelling as Aspen and Isaiah- just at the grade level that works best for her. She will do the activities using her notebook (that she wrote her spelling words in) and will only be required to actually learn to spell certain words. #homeschoolperk We also added a little unit study (a country) and Family & Consumer Science. She is all about babies and little kids so her first one is child care and development! I'm excited for her and I hope it will light a spark of excitement in learning for her! When school comes hard to you, sometimes you just need a different approach! We have also discussed her doing some baking (breads, muffins, cupcakes) and selling them to earn a little extra cash. Nothing crazy- just a couple loafs of bread here or there. We shall see!

On to week 3!!!

On the first day of school....

 Our new school year officially began today! Truthfully, some of my kids miss being part of the Christian school that they attended last year, mostly due to the sports they were able to be part of. There's a part of me that wishes things had worked out so we could have returned and they could have played.

BUT.... there's a bigger part of me that reminds myself that THIS is the best for our family. THIS is what we need to do NOW. THIS is what God told us to do.

We have options- complain and mope or obey and move on? Sometimes we complain and mope (hey! Just being honest), but most of the time we obey and move on.

With that being said.... first day pictures coming right up!

Not going to lie- this was a total fake smile. She hasn't been feeling 100% lately. And she is one that REALLY misses the sports.

Not twins! Same grade! ;-)

How can he already be in the 4th grade?! Not my baby anymore!!!

 

We really had a good day. Our internet cooperated for spelling, typing, and some of my 10th grader's school. Working with the two younger girls to learn the ASL alphabet, numbers, "hello", and "my name is...." 

We switched last minute from Time 4 Learning to Acellus for my sophomore. Same price, but offered more classes. She says she enjoys it more than T4L so we are hopeful it will continue to be a good thing. She is taking French 1, Algebra 1, English II, Medical Terminology, and General Biology.  

Typing practice (and then I let them have some fun with ABCYa.com!)

The view on the left? My favorite! The oldest was in another room, but I am SO thankful to be able to homeschool them. I loved having them home today!

Perk of homeschooling? School on the bed! And not just any bed, but your parent's bed!

How cool was it that there was a solar eclipse on the first day of school? We practiced eye safety and made a pinhole viewer. Everybody thought that was pretty cool!

Youngest daughter made some cupcakes (still needing to ice them) to celebrate the first day of school!

Linked up with: The Modest Mom Blog, Life of Faith

Have you been with Jesus?

The ladies' group that I lead has recently started going through the book of Acts. There is SO much good stuff in it- so much we can learn! It's one of my favorite books in the Bible. I'm amazed at how much boldness, filling of the Holy Spirit, encouragement, and living of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) there is!



We've only just started a few weeks ago and when I read through Acts 4 there was one verse that kept jumping out at me.



'The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13 (New Living Translation)



The backstory is simple. Peter and John were speaking to a group of people- they were confronted by religious leaders and such- thrown in jail (but not before 5,000 men believed)- and here we are the next morning. Peter and John was before the council being questioned about healing a lame man (Acts 3). There is much dialog, but what stands out is verse 13. These men.... the members of the council were AMAZED AT THE BOLDNESS these two men had because they could tell they had no special training and were men who had been with Jesus.



Wow! Just wow!



When people look at me, do they see someone who has been with Jesus?

Ouch! When I respond with a huff, an eye roll, or shortness in my tone, the answer would be no. When I ignore the Spirit's prompt to reach out to someone, the answer would be no. When I fail to extend love, grace, and mercy, the answer would be no. When I serve at church, but not because I want to, but because I feel obligated, the answer would be no. When I give, but not with a cheerful heart, the answer would be no. When I sit and watch TV and neglect my Bible study time, the answer would be no.



The list could go on and on.



Oh, how I want to be recognized as someone who has been with Jesus. There has to be more of Him and less of me. I have to die to self. Pick up my cross and follow Him. Replace my wants with His.


My heart should break for what breaks His.



Look, we know Peter and John weren't perfect. Peter was the one who denied Christ 3 times before He died. Yet, Peter was the one who Christ said He was going to build His Church on! The fact is that Christ sees SO MUCH in us and that to be recognized as someone who has been with Jesus doesn't require perfection. Jesus is the ONLY one who walked this earth that was perfect. People can see Christ in us, though, in how we act and what we strive for.



Are we striving to grow in Christ? Are we striving to be recognized as someone who has been with Jesus?




Linked up with: The Modest Mom Blog

 

$250 for 2 weeks of food for family of 6! Plus THM adaption! Frugal living!

We've been trying to live more frugally lately and while I do not intend to continue a reduced grocery list, it has been nice to shop this way twice. I've LITERALLY cut my monthly grocery expense down from $1000 a month for a family of 6 to $500 a month!

Now, a couple things to note. When I say grocery, I mean anything I would buy at Walmart- toilet paper, shampoo, bandaids, deodorant, whatever.... I live in SE Arkansas and my prices/ability are based upon that. I only shop at Walmart.... because we have no Aldis, Kroger, or Costco around. There are 6 of us... my husband and I.... and the four kids who range in age between 9 1/2 to 14.

Another thing to note.... this grocery list isn't what I consider overly healthy. It could use more fruits and veggies, but part of the problem I run into is that the stores around here do not typically keep a beautiful array of fresh fruits or veggies.... and when I do buy the veggies, they don't last long. Since I drive 45 minutes one way to grocery shop, I HATE having to go EVERY week. Maybe it will give you a start and you can adapt for your family. Oh! One more thing.... we are trying really hard to get better at proper portion control. So one bag of fries vs. two... I did add (in red) what you can do to adapt to THM (Trim Healthy Mama) without increasing your expense much. Some are personal choices, but this is MY list, so take it or leave it. ;-)

1. Hamburgers and fries (Great Value buns, pre-shaped patties *splurge*, and Great Value fries)
Hamburger patty and sauteed frozen veggies
2. Chili dogs (basic- store bought chili, cheese, Bar-S hotdogs, and Great Value buns)
No buns and I am ok with the store bought chili even if it isn't 100% on plan
3. Spaghetti (1lb Great Value pasta, 1 can under $1 sauce, 1lb ground meat, and a loaf of "as close to $1" of french bread from the bakery. BONUS if I can find it in the clearance section!)
Zucchini noodles and no bread- again, I'm good with the sauce, but it's a personal choice
4. Red beans and Rice E meal!
5. Crockpot chicken meal with freezer corn (from summer) and canned carrots (again, Great Value)
Skip the corn and carrots and steam some broccoli *none of my kids eat steamed broccoli and a frozen bag is super cheap*
6. *Eating Out* not counted in my grocery expense
7. Sausages and mac-n-cheese
I LOVE steamed broccoli, so I'll eat sausages and steam/saute' some frozen veggies- probably broccoli
8. Crockpot chicken meal with can corn and frozen (already had in freezer) broccoli
Chicken is easy to make either an E or an S.
9. Pinto beans E meal!
10. Chicken alfredo (1lb Great Value pasta, 2 jar Great Value alfredo sauce, canned chicken, and a loaf of "as close to $1" french bread from the bakery or clearance)
I plan on using the sauce (personal choice) with the chicken to top steamed frozen broccoli. I really do love broccoli, but goodness, if you don't just swap it for whatever veggies you do like.
11. Black beans and rice (topped with salsa for added flavor) E meal!
12. Brisket (from freezer) with a bag of fries and some canned veggies
Definitely an S meal since it's brisket (YUM!), so I'll eat whatever veggies and skip the fries.
13. Hotdogs and chips (Bar-S hotdogs, Great value buns, Great value chips)
Could just eat hotdogs and some veggies, or you could easily and rather cheaply find you a small portion of meat to cook to replace the hotdogs.
14. St. Joseph Pizza (flatbread, pizza sauce, cheese, mini pepperonis)
Happy S meal right here! No adaptions needed!
15. Grilled cheese and chips (Great value bread and chips)
Most likely, I'll sub this meal and scramble me some eggs or if I have leftovers or an extra serving of meat and veggies. I don't mind subbing an entire meal ON OCCASION!!!

While this may not be an exciting grocery menu, it IS pretty cool to have been able to cut my grocery expense in HALF! I'm pretty much looking for the cheapest possible option. Dried beans are cheap. Great Value pasta is cheap. Chicken is cheaper than beef. For my two crockpot chicken meals, I might put salsa in one and I may choose to use seasoning salt in my second meal. Drumsticks are cheaper than boneless breasts. These are all things I look for when shopping.

I admit, lunches are super basic- pizza rolls, frozen pizza that's $1 and easily serves two, sandwiches, pancakes, etc... Breakfasts are similar- a huge bag of cereal is cheaper and lasts longer than two regular size boxes. Oatmeal- even the Great Value instant brand- is fairly cost effective. IF you stick to serving sizes.

And YES, I realize if I did a LOT of baking/prepping I could make things cheaper, but I am not in a place to where I'm doing that again.... not yet.

Grab a big bag of potatoes to help expand your meals.... or a piece of bread. Bananas, a bag of oranges, or apples are great snack foods. Even a big container of applesauce. And ALWAYS shop from your pantry, fridge, or freezer first!

I've learned each family is different with different needs and expectations. No bashing! Whatever works! This is what is helping my family get some things taken care of and nobody feels deprived!

*So this actual list of meals plus whatever else I need only comes to about $200. That leaves me with $50 to replace the brisket if I didn't already have it, to put together a meal for the day we are eating out, and adapt anything.*

What do you do to keep your grocery bill down?

2017-2018 Curriculum Choices - 4th, 7th, 10th grade

Have I mentioned that I am so excited to be homeschooling again after our break last year???

We've been focusing on a more simple, frugal mindset with a lot of things in life and we've tried to continue this thinking even into our school year. This year, we will be doing a 6 weeks on, 1 week off rotation. We will continue our mostly 4 day school week- keeping the 5th day open for catch-up or the basics.

The Boy... 4th Grade

 Math: We love Christian Light Publications! There are 10 LifeUnits per grade and it is very encouraging when you finish one! Less daunting than a big math book.

Language Arts/Reading: I was gifted the teacher's books for Abeka's L.A. and Reading so we will be using that during the time I work individually with him. I'm thankful that this is one way I can keep the cost of schooling down, even if it means a little extra work for me.We will just follow the guide and write what we need in a notebook. In addition to the Abeka Readers, he will be encouraged to continue reading outside of time with mom.

Bible: Oh how I love our Bible time together. When the kids were little, it was a challenge, but now that they're older it's way better! We will be going through each book of the Bible to begin with. The first 6 weeks of school we will cover Genesis thru 2nd Samuel. We'll wrap each week up with the What's in the Bible DVD. We will also check out some of YouTube's The Bible Project! Pinterest has been great in helping me keep things interesting as we pick out different chapters to look through each day! *We ALL will be doing this TOGETHER*

History/Science: Again, I was gifted with the teacher's guides which have the actual texts in them. I'm hoping to get Daddy involved and letting him read these with Isaiah. Two days a week will be History, two days a week will be Science.

P.E. My kids sometimes like being lazy. TOO lazy, so yep, P.E. is written in the actual lesson. I'll be happy if they go outside- so nothing is organized! Just get up and MOVE!!!

Spelling: Again, in effort to keep costs down, I found this free spelling program online. He will be doing 3rd grade as this was one area he wasn't able get completely up to grade level in! I really like the fact that there are several games or activities on the website. It makes my planning SO much easier when he knows to just go to whatever week and work there!

Computer: Typing Club, Dance Mat, and  Coding with Scratch are some of the free programs we will be using. There are so many great resources out there for typing and coding, and just general computer usage. 

Handwriting: Have I mentioned how thankful I am for the books that I was gifted? The student book for 4th grade handwriting was gifted and it was PRACTICALLY new! I think only the first 10 or so pages were used! So he'll be able to practice his handwriting with that. Yes, since it's Abeka, it's in cursive. 

Chemistry: Older sister, Aspen, requested specifically to learn about chemistry, so that's what we're going to do. We will include Faith in our lessons, too. We'll do something chemistry related about twice a week. Pinterest has a TON of cool projects (one week, we are doing root beer floats!), but I'm combining lessons from Easy Peasy, Science Year 4 and Middle School Chemistry!

4H: Robotics, Foodology

4th Grade Cost: About $55- includes the full math curriculum and a few notebooks. Everything else was either gifted or free. Whoop! Whoop!!!

The 7th Grade Girls

Yep, we have TWO 7th graders! When we went to the private school last year, the administration and ourselves made the decision to allow Faith to basically repeat 6th grade- putting her in the same class as Aspen. It was PERFECT in so many ways! I have one super young 7th grader (Aspen turns 12 at the end of October) and one who turned 13 in April. Because Faith has intellectual disabilities (I suspect dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, or something, but they weren't able to "label"her like this due to the way her testing went), she will be doing school on her level- whatever that may be. :-)

Math: Aspen will be using Christian Light Publications, just like her brother. Faith will start the year out using programs like Khan Academy, Xtra Math, IXL Math, and such.

Bible: Same as the whole family

History: I told you keeping the cost down was important, so I found a (very) used student text online of Abeka's History of the World that they both will use. They'll be able to read the text together, answer the questions, and research further if needed.

Reading: Both Aspen and Faith will be encouraged to keep reading books throughout the school year. While some will be of their choice, I am making a list especially for Aspen that include A Day No Pigs Would Die, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Bridge to Terabethia, and Anne of Green Gables. Pinterest has been great looking for grade-level literature. 

Science/Chemistry: Like I shared in Isaiah's school, we will be doing some chemistry work, but in addition to that, the girls will choose a book on different Science topics (utilizing books we have or find at the library), and then write a mini-report/summary. 

Computer: Using the same programs as Isaiah, Aspen will only work on it twice a week, whereas Faith needs extra typing practice so she'll do it three times a week.

P.E. Same as Isaiah- JUST MOVE!!!!

English/Grammar: I found a (very) used student text from Abeka's 7th grade and while I will have to erase it in order for Aspen to use it, I will. It is just another way I could keep the cost down. Faith will be doing Daily Grammar with me.

Spelling: Aspen will be doing the same free spelling program as Isaiah, using the 7th grade spelling list. While Faith will not have formal spelling, we will be working on spelling words throughout the year.

Handwriting: Neither one of them will be using a formal handwriting program, but when they write assignments in their notebooks, or write anything in general for school, they will be graded on it. I expect nice, neat handwriting, at all times. 

4H: They will also participate in 4H once or twice a month.

Life Skills: We work on life skills with all of our kids in general, but this is to particularly help Faith. Our life skills will range from properly applying makeup (an important life skill if you are female!) to what to do in case of emergencies to cooking!

Total cost for 2 7th graders: $70ish. This includes the full year math curriculum for Aspen, the two used books, and notebooks.

The Sophomore

Don't ask me... I'm not sure how we got here. She's a young sophomore having turned 14 in April, but she handles it well.

English II, Biology, and Algebra 1: She took Algebra 1 last year, but we want her to take it again. For these three subjects, she will be using Time4Learning. It is an online based program that we pay monthly and can cancel at anytime. It's new to us, we've never checked it out before, but I'm hoping that it works! It would be wonderful if it did! For these three subjects, it costs $35 a month.

4H, P.E., Bible, Reading: All like I've mentioned earlier.

World History: I bought the student text for Abeka's World History book for $2! Whoop! Whoop!

French: Pronounce it Perfectly in French with the audio CDs is what we have chosen to try. It was her choice to learn French and I definitely want to encourage it. YouTube is also a great source. I spent about $18 for this book.

Home Ec and Music Appreciation: Since we are doing credits, she will also receive credits in these two subjects. Home Ec is pretty given and it what we do every day! She is always baking, doing laundry, sewing something so I feel confident she will have earned that credit for sure. We are also taking a different approach to earning music appreciation, but I'm excited! In short, we will be discussing her favorite songs- learning about the artist- and researching about the song in general!

10th grade cost: I could definitely have done 10th grade cheaper, BUT I am NOT good at Algebra and honestly, 10th grade English/Biology seemed overwhelming to me! If Time4Learning works, we will have spent $350 for a full year of Algebra 1, English II, and Biology. If it doesn't, we can cancel at any time and reconfigure. I like the monthly payment plan. I would say the total year cost: $375ish- including the French book, World History book, and notebook. The beginning cost only cost about $57, though.

What about you? What are you using this year?

Disclaimer: All these opinions are my own and I was not paid to say anything. I was not compensated in any way, shape, or form. The links are not affiliated and are there just for your convenience.

 

Two Year Update

I'm baaack! lol

I know, I know, I've said that before, but maybe I can keep it going this time. Some bloggers are serious- they're serious about their content, their followers, their impact. I've realized that I'm not one of them. Now, don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean what I blog about isn't important or valuable, but a big part of my blog over the years (since 2008!!!!) has been just me being me. I've documented our life, our homeschool journey, and what we've been into.

And I'm okay with that!

Check back next week to read about our new homeschool year as well as how I've been shopping for a family of 6 for about $500 a month.For now, though, let me update you on what's been going on these last two years.

We homeschooled for the 2015/2016 school year, but last year- the 2016/2017 school year- we ALL went to a small, private Christian school! It was a very good year, lots of changes, of course! Isaiah went to 3rd grade and had the furthest to go. He was not an active reader, struggled with even some of the alphabet sounds, wasn't spelling, etc... BECAUSE in our school we typically didn't start heavy book work UNTIL the 3rd grade. He worked SUPER hard though and by the end of the year he was practically up to grade level! BOOM!!!

Aspen was in 6th grade and excelled pretty much with all As. She was on the A/B Merit Roll all year with one 9 weeks being an Honor Roll. When I say she had a B, it was barely... and only in one class.

I was most concerned with Faith as she has always been my student who struggles, but it was a REALLY good year for her! She was tested and we were given the official diagnosis of "intellectual disability". Our school was awesome though, and believed in integrating everyone in the classroom so she stayed in with her peers for most of the day. She gained so much confidence and I was given permission (weird, I know, but still) to let her be her, to embrace her, and to modify her work! I am really looking forward to having her home this year!

Mistic skipped 8th grade and was placed in the 9th grade where she had the option of basically calling it 8th Grade Honors or 9th grade. We decided, based on her grades, that she would call this 9th grade, so we've already got a highschooler! She did amazing, despite all my fears and concerns.

Actually, ALL the kids did amazing! I was SO worried that there would be obvious gaps (and there were some), but nothing that hindered them and nothing that wasn't overcame quickly!

YAY us!

I said we ALL went to school- I was the librarian and elementary pull-out teacher and the hubby taught high school Bible. The kids were all active in sports- Mistic played volleyball, basketball, and softball; Faith played soccer, basketball, and ran track; Aspen was a cheerleader, played basketball, and softball; and Isaiah played basketball.

As good as all of that was, there is truly no place like home for us..... So that's what we've been up to! Stay tuned for what we're doing now!

The Mothering Truth

Mothering guilt.

All mothers have felt it.... at one time or another.

But if you are on social media, you probably don't see it from others...

I mean, we all have seen the wonderful Pinterest-inspired birthday parties, the beautiful family portraits, the happy children working on their schoolwork...

We all have done it. At least I have.

And to a certain degree, I think that's appropriate. Social media is NOT a place to air the dirty laundry of our family.

But we're missing something big here.

The truth.

The mothering truth....

I have been to the dentist 7 times in the past two months. The first two visits were dental checkups for the four children. The other 5 visits were dental work for these four children. Talk about guilt.... For different reasons, my children hadn't been to see a dentist in YEARS. I grew up going to the dentist every 6 months, so I KNOW what they're SUPPOSE to do. And it definitely wasn't that our children and their teeth lacked importance to us. It was just.... crazy. We moved. A lot. Things were always up in the air. And we just didn't get around to it. So fast-forward to a couple months ago and suddenly I had one child who had four cavities (and three teeth needing to be pulled unrelated to cavities), one child with two cavities, one child with one cavity, and one child who we almost missed our opportunity to fix some teeth (ortho) before they did damage to others! Yep, guilt.

But this post isn't just about dental visits- or the lack thereof... I'm happy to say that now my kids are all caught up- cavities have been filled and we are proceeding on the ortho work.

However, there's other truth that needs to be uncovered.

I don't usually read to my children each evening. I KNOW, I KNOW.... reading to your child is GOOD and you're SUPPOSE to do that. But.... I don't. Sure, if they bring me a book I'll read it, and we do some read alouds for school, but nope. We don't sit down and read together each evening.

We don't always have Bible time. Yep. Pastor's wife here.... Total honesty. Do we do it more often than not? YES!!! But some days.... despite my best laid plans.... the day just flies by and then everyone is in bed and I'm kicking myself for missing it.

My three oldest children are behind in math.... by quite a bit.

I sometimes lose my temper.... and find myself having to apologize.... yet again.

My house is never clean. Not really. And more often than not, my "style" of housekeeping is frustrating to my husband. Thankfully, he helps keep things in line, order, and uncluttered or the house would probably overtake everyone! What can I say? Keeping things neat and tidy has never been a strength of mine. Ask my parents!!!

Look.... I could go on and on, but the thing is... people sometimes look at me and think I have it all together. But I don't. Far, far from it!

Keep that in mind the next time you see a "perfectly" put together mama or read about a great homeschooling day! Changes are.... they are a lot like mine. Good days, but never perfect.

Here's to the truth!!! I may not have it all together, but God is gracious and loves me anyway. I count my blessings daily and pray for strength to conquer the rest of life!