Our Week at a Glance March 9-15

Monday:Finished up Civil War Unit. Tylor and Breanna were able to delineate The Civil War with ease. If they were unable to give such details in their writing and narratives I would have included one or two more resources. I am finding more and more that they do much better and retain much more with unit studies versus textbook. I still use their textbooks as a resource, just not as a whole.

Tuesday: Nice and Normal school day.

Wednesday: Started out Egyptian Unit. Completed all lessons around 3:00 with a long break for lunch. Ty and Matt had CAP.

Thursday: Another great school day. We went to Church for a healing conference.

Friday: Chiropractor, shopping, library and Gym day. It was nice to sit and chat with Becky (Finally!) in the nursery. Matt and I went out to Red Lobster and watched Frost/Nixon.

Saturday: Cass and Ty went with Josh to visit his family in the country. They played paintball and went four-wheeling. Bre played outside with her friends all day while I happily did some cleaning. Matt gave his commencement speech for the current ITT Grads! He did a great job. I will post the video when I get a chance. (yes, of course I tapped it!)

Sunday: Matt had a CAP class in Rochester so we missed church. Cass took Bre out to lunch and shopping and then dropped her off at her friend's birthday party. Ty and I did some yard work and cleaned off the deck. I let Ty for the first time in his life ride his bike to the gas station for some goodies. This was a big step for me because he has to cross over a Major intersection. See, I am really working on letting go a bit. He is after all 14, almost 15. They grow up SO fast! I am planning Breanna's 10th birthday for next month. Last year she had her party at the Bowling Place. This year she wants it at home. Fine with Me! She wants a horse theme. She is very into Horses and Zebras. Should be Fun!

Our Week at a Glance

Monday: Normal school routine. Bre is getting very good at drawing Zebra's. I will post pictures soon. She flew through her lessons so she could spend time drawing wild life. Monday's are difficult for Ty to get back into routine, however, he completed all of his assignment independently with a few math exceptions.

Tuesday: Normal School Routine, nothing really to blog about. We are almost finished with our Civil War Unit, we should be done by the end of next week. Tylor whizzed through his lessons like he usually does Tues.-Friday. :) Bre put on a talent show and I almost peed my pants it was so funny.

Wednesday:We finished school around 2:30. Ty had Civil Air Patrol.

Thursday: We finished school around 1:30, went shopping and did some errands. Ty had Youth. Played Clue with Bre like 150 times. She loves that game.

Friday: Chiropractor, half day of school (just the basics) Gym: the kids are doing Basketball and Karate right now. I think next week is the end of the 6 week session before they begin Cardio and something else. I will have to look in the program because I cannot remember for the life of me at the moment. We finished our running around with the Library.
There you have it, a very quite and productive week. I remember the days of complete chaos. You know, school in the van while we cart the kids to one activity or sporting practice to the next.
Spring is in the air, so I am anticipating some more busyness. That's ok, as long as we have a season of rest. and we all aren't stressed out. I now know the signs of too much craziness and will put a halt to it immediately if need be. :)

Saturday: I plan on Cleaning and shopping. Bre is having a friend over to watch the new iCarly program. Ty is going to the mall with friends.Matt is doing a radio class with CAP and Cassie will be going to a Birthday Party for Josh's mom.

Sunday: Church and The Pastor and his family are coming over for diner.

I also want to include Cassie in our weekly updates, it is just that she is not here during the day. She is so busy between school work and nannying that we only get to see her a few hours a day. We stayed up late one night just catching up. Josh came over Thursday to hang out and had a nice chat with him also.

This Weeks Library List

• American Story by Jennifer Armstrong
• DK Civil War
• I Have Asthma (Barrons)
• Everything Bird by Cherie Winner

DVD's

• Spanish-Standard Deviants
• Inside Hurricane Katrina
• Signing Time (sign Language) Bre is getting pretty good at this.
• DK Eyewitness Skeleton (In keeping with the health program)

I use Power Media Plus for Tylor regarding educational videos. There are literally hundreds of great videos for every subject. In most cases, there are lesson plans, tests, and worksheets you can print out to go with the video. Bre uses this also, I was mentioning Ty because the library doesn't have many educational titles for his grade level.

Fun DVD's

• The Bucket List
• Nims Island
• Disney's Little House on the Prairie

Bre and Ty both also checked out independent books to read on their own.

Old Pictures

Matt scanned some old family pictures, so I thought I would share them. It is fun to look back and remember those times. I still cannot believe how young we were when we got married. Our oldest is older than we were, and we still see her as our baby! I have always desired to be a mom and a teacher. How awesome is God that he gave me the grace to be a Homeschool Mom? I am so happy with my life, my husband and my children that I could not even imagine any other lifestyle. I believe that motherhood is the most important "career" a woman could ever be so blessed to have. Times were not always easy peasy and I remember when Matt had three jobs and went to school while I was being tutored at home because morning(more like 24 hour) sickness made me too ill to go tot school. I remember our little apartment and I remember eating peanut butter out of a jar because we didn't have enough grocery money. God's best plan for us? Maybe not, but he sure did make it our best. Matt joined the Army soon after Cassie was born and has worked hard ever since to provide for our family and I have worked hard making our home a loving, fun and relaxing home. I take my life as a mom and wife seriously. I am not a microwave mom, I do not send my kids to school so someone else can "deal" with them. I am not in any way judging moms that need to work out side of home. It just burns me up when someone says to me..."you could have been... (fill in the blank)" I say that I am exactly as God has designed me to be and I am very happy as well as my husband and children! I couldn't ask for more and count my blessing each and every day. Somehow, my idea of a happy, cheerful, walk down memory lane blog entry turned into a rant so I am going to close here with a few pictures from the past. :)

Sooo...What exactly is CIVIL AIR PATROL anyway?

What is Civil Air Patrol?
Civil Air Patrol is a non-profit volunteer organization for people ages 12 and up. It consists of three primary missions: Cadet Programs, Aerospace Education, and Emergency Services. CAP currently has 64,000 members, over 27,000 of those being cadets. Civil Air Patrol offers hundreds of opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else.
What are the Cadet Programs?
CAPs cadet program has more than 27,000 members, ages 12 to 21. The cadet programs are credited with teaching the importance of personal integrity, accountability, self-discipline, and respect for others to the nation's youth. The cadet programs offer an immense amount of resources and activities for your children. Our goal is to instill integrity, teamwork, self-discipline, respect, initiative, and responsibility while building leadership and self-confidence in the cadets. Some of the activities offered includes the National Flight Academy (your child could solo in two weeks for less than half the price of taking flying lessons anywhere else), Cadet Officer School (the top minds in leadership, strategic/critical/creative thinking, speaking/writing, and many other fields speak and teach here; if the course provided was taken anywhere outside of CAP, it would easily add up into the tens of thousands of dollars), and the International Air Cadet Exchange (cadets 17 years of age or older can apply for this activity and be selected to travel to different countries and act as ambassadors). These are but three of the many activities provided through the CAP cadet programs. The things your child could learn and accomplish in the cadet programs are simply amazing.
Why should my child be a part of the cadet programs?
CAP offers a vast amount of resources for the youth of today. Senior members work alongside the cadets, ensuring that they learning the valuable skills necessary to become a leader in today's world. Experienced cadets who are familiar with the program are there to assist the cadets in anyway they need, building in them the values and skills they learned as younger cadets, while building their own leadership skills through practice. Through CAP's cadet program your child will learn what it takes to be a dynamic and influential leader.
Where can I find a squadron near me?
The CAP National Headquarters website offers a unit locator. Select your state from the list provided or enter your zip code and it will give your the location, meeting time, and contact information. http://cap.gov/join/unitlocator.html
The Civil Air Patrol cadet programs offer resources, activities, and opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else. It's an amazing program for anyone to participate in. I highly recommend that you check out your local unit and see if the program is right for your son or daughter. You might even be interested in joining as a senior member, you never know!

I got this article from www.donnayoung.org You might want to stop by her site because she has TONS of homeschool printables!

Want to Know my Hubby?

I get tagged and emailed a ton of those survey thingys. I usually do not post them because they are about me, I like the following one because it's not. It's about my hubs. How Fun!

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
History Channel or Hereos.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Blue Cheese
3. What's one food he doesn't like?
He doesn't care for mushrooms. He HATES boxed dinners like hamburger helper. I made this once when we were first married and promised never to make it again. :)
4. Where did he go to high school?
The same school as me.
5.What size shoe does he wear?
12-13
6. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
He collects Mallory Hats and anything to do with his heritage.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Ham and Swiss Cheese Melt with Waasabi
9. What would he eat every day if he could?
Pineapple pizza. He variety though.
10. What is his favortite cereal?
Cinammon Life
11.What would he never wear?
Flip Flops
12. What is his favorite sports team?
Yankees
14. Who is his best friend?
Me. :)
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Let food spoil in the fridge. Which is funny because he doesn't like leftovers.
16. How many states has he lived in?
Three.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be?
Most any cake
19. Did he play sports in high school?
Wrestling and Baseball
20. What could he spend hours doing? Surfing geeky techy stuff on the web. He now also has his HAM Radio Licence and has a new amaetur radio. So we will see...
21.What's something cool about him?
He is totally smart and outgoing. He can fit in any crowd comfortably. He's also hopelessly devoted to our family. That's pretty cool!

Library List

Books: This is not including the books the kids checked out. Matt says we could open a library with all the books we have. Still, I HAVE to go to the library every week. :) Even thought we have books yet to read here at home.

• American Girl: The Care and keeping of YOU. (Bre)
• How to Draw Wild Animals: Bre is writing a report on Zebras. She has had such a fascination with them since watching Madagascar.
• World Almanac Library of The States: New York: We are going on a great field trip to Albany soon and want to get as much NY info in before then.
• The Civil War by KerryA. Graves
• Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Civil War
• It's ALL in your HEAD A guide to your brilliant brain by Sylvia Funston and Jay Ingram
• DK Rocks and Minerals
• DK Hurricane and Tornado

DVD's

• Harriet Tubman
• Eyewitness:Natural Disasters
• Eyewitness: Human Machine
• Jesus Camp (going to watch it with Matt before we decide if it is good for the kids to watch) It looks like a documentary but I am not quite sure how they stand on praising Jesus. If they are ridiculing it-they will not watch it. )
• Legacy
• Walking the Bible
• Unchained Memories Readings from the Slave Narratives
• Monet
• Library Skill using the dewey Decimal System (old school style)

And for "fun" we got Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (me and Cassie) and LeatherHeads

This week at a glance

I am posting this now because I know I will be way to tired tomorrow night.
Monday: Normal HS day - Bre was sick with a sore throat and cold so she did most of her work on the coach and watched The Harriet Tubman movie
Tuesday-Bre made a very cool shadow box project on Abraham Lincoln. I will post pictures later. Normal HS day.
Wednesday- I started feeling sick with a sore throat and cold and rank my standard cure of 2 tbs 2x a day of apple cider vinegar. Yes it is gross, but it does work. Ty had to study for his CAP test along with his normal school work. He is getting very good at working independently. This is a huge thing for us, trust me. Ty adn Bre went for a walk with some friends and had a mini picnic. Yes, it is cold, but nice enough to not wear gloves and a scarf. Cabin Fever is a terrible thing to have. One must get out even if only for awhile.
Thursday- I was feeling better this morning but had to take Bre to Dr. for follow up for asthma, RiteAid, Office MAx and PetCo/ On the way home I remembered that I had some books to return to the Library. Ended up getting more books and stayed for over an hour. I had to pry the kids out of there. This is a good thing. There was a day when they hated to go to the library-back when we first started homeschooling. Ty finished his first draft on the Civil War. Bre wrote in her journal. Honestly we did not get allot done today as far as the standard book work, but, hey the Library counts for something right? :) I feel very sick and achy Right now. I cannot breathe out of my nose and it hurts to breathe from my mouth because my throat hurts. I was complaining about it (like I am now) when Bre said, "yeah, try having a bad cold when you have asthma." I quickly stopped complaining. Point Taken. Period. Today was another"nice" winter day. The kids took a walk and hung out next door for awhile.
Tomorrow- Chiropractor and Co-0p with an IMAX movie at the end. I am also invited to go to another book club but with the way I am feeling right now, I doubt I will be able to go. I am sure after a full day at co-op I am going to be wornout. I also have to help Ty pack for his weekend trip for bivwack. It's for CAP and he has to sleep outside in a tent with other cadets. I am such a mother, I keep having horrible visions of him freezing to death. My husband who is also going is assuring me that cadets have been going for twenty years with no casualties as of yet. He also told me to stop coddling him. Again, Point Taken, Of course he said it very nicely but I get the drift. Ty is my only boy and I do tend to coddle all my children because I love them so much. Not so much as to suffocate them mind you, I am just what Cassie call a PARENTNOID. When I feel myself going over the edge of paranoia to never return. I pray. It is such a relief to know that God is with them protecting them even when I am not. Trust me I have loosened up ALLOT!
I know it is our duty as parents to TRAIN them up, and let them go. It is just hard sometime, that's all. I love my life and my family so much. I was just wondering what I was going to do when they are all grown and on their own, what I am going to do with myself. I had a moment of nothingness and then I realized I have allot that I am going to do. Matt and I are going to travel together. Also, Cassie said that she wants me to Homeschool her future kids. How sweet. That was such a blessing to hear. Ok, I think the Tylenol Severe Cold has gone to my head-literally because I am carrying on so. I think I will reread this tomorrow and Will have to do some editing. :)

Menu Plan Monday 2/22-2/28

I love this site: http://orgjunkie.com/menu-plan-monday

I have been menu planning for years. Now, there have been a few weeks now and then that I did not plan weekly menus in advance. Those times were stressful and chaotic and I do not like to wonder what I am making for dinner, and wonder if I have enough ingredients. I usually write out my shopping list on Thursday's for the following week. I do not like to shop on Saturdays (too crowded and noisy) However, we are down a vehicle and I go when I can, which has been Saturdays. I like to go on Thursday afternoons because it is less crowded and I can take my time. I like to comparison shop and get the best deals. Before I started menu planning our grocery bill was HUGE. Now I spend a reasonable and comfortable amount that even my husband is pleased with. I have a magnetic Meal Planner on the fridge with a tear off shopping list. This makes life much easier because I used to type it out and print it out every week. Now all I do is fill in the blanks and take my shopping list to the store. I decided that like other homeschool/homemaker bloggers I am going to post my weekly meals every Monday. If you would like help meal planning, go to the website above. The writer has alot of helpful hints and tricks to get you started.

Monday:

Breakfast: Cereal of choice and OJ

Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup and Sandwiches

Dinner: Manwiches, Fries and pineapple slices

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Eggs, toast and OJ

Lunch: Mac and Cheese, applesauce and corn

Dinner: Venison Steak, Baked Potatoes, Peaches and Italian Bread

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Cereal, Toast and OJ

Lunch: Sandwiches and Fresh Fruit

Dinner: Chicken Cesear Salad, mandarin Oranges and Italian bread

Thursday:

Breakfast: Bagels, fresh fruit and OJ

Lunch: Chicken Fingers and applesauce

Dinner: Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread

Friday:

Breakfast: Pancakes, milk and fruit

Lunch: bagged lunch for co-op

Dinner: Homemade Pizza and garlic bread

Saturday:

Breakfast: Cereal and oj

Lunch: whatever you want

Dinner: Crockpot Chili

Sunday:

Breakfast: Pancakes and milk

Lunch: Sandwiches and veggie sticks

Dinner: BBQ Chicken, garlic mashed potatoes and dinner rolls

Snacks:

Apples

Bananas

Nuts

yogurt

crackers

popcorn

granola

sunchips

cheese

fruit snacks (gummies)

I found this neat little chart on the net...

Here is a comparison of homeschool vs. public school:
Academics
Homeschool vs. Public School
One on one / 30 to 1 student-teacher ratio
Parent directed and monitored/Limited parental involvement
Tailored to student learning style/Caters to visual and auditory learners
Students progress at their own pace/Adheres to arbitrary scope and sequence
Encourages discovery and love of learning/Encourages memorization
Two-way dialogue/Lecture
Balances academics with life skills/Removes student from day to day life
Decisions motivated by concern for student/Decisions tainted by financial and professional incentives
Environment
Cooperative/Competitive
Real life, multi-age/Segregated by age, race and income
Physically and emotionally safe/Danger of bullying, physical and verbal assault
Flexible, suits learner/Rigid, inhibits kinesthetic learners
Consistent, secure/Changes from year to year
Encourages students to do their best/Negative peer pressure
Allows time to pursue hobbies and interests/Wastes time on classroom management and busywork
Values
Independence/Dependence on teacher, government
Self-motivation/External rewards and consequences
Discipline focuses on building character/Discipline focuses on classroom management