I have learned a few things over the years. A little bit from my hubby that used to work at a florist’s shop, delivering flowers in high school. But also as a homeschool Mom! WHAT? you ask?

Well, being a homeschool Mom has forced many of us to learn new things with our kids. 2 years ago Ladybug was in a Keepers of the Home group. In earning their badges they needed a lesson on flower arranging.

So, I just happened to have a wedding photographer assistant who also assisted her florist friend for weddings as well. {multi-talented lady!}

I invited her to come and teach the girls about flower care and arranging. She did a fabulous job, the girls and us Mom’s learned a lot. And the best part was I had about 5 BEAUTIFUL, fresh flower arrangements all over my house for a few weeks! The house smelled delicious!

So, using the info I have learned, it has completely changed my home.

BEFORE- my hubby would bring home a bouquet of flowers, or I would get them as a gift from someone or I would buy them on sale myself. I would take them out of the plastic wrapper, fill a vase with water (maybe add the flower food packet that came with them), and PLOP them in. We would enjoy them for as long as they lasted, MAYBE adding more water to them if I noticed it was low. But most of the time they would be drooping before then.

NOW- My flowers last almost 2 weeks! Sometimes a bit longer!

How you ask?

Well, Using these SIMPLE techniques.

#1 Always use the plant food but NOT the whole packet at once!

So, when I get flowers I open the food packet and sprinkle 1/3 of the packet in the cool water.

#2 Cut the stems under running water!

#3 Cut the stems at an angle. This allows the surface area for them to drink to be larger, than if you cut them straight across.

#4 REMOVE any leaves that would be touching the water AT ALL! Only stems go in the water. The leaves will create mold and make the water slimy.

#5 Arrange the flowers in a criss-cross pattern to allow the stems to balance on each other. Make some tall and some short for a more pleasing look. (You can also cut them shorter for the bottom areas)

The most important thing is to once a week, redo the WHOLE process!!! Re-cutting the stems allows for a fresh drinking surface. Remove any leaves or flowers that are drooping. Fresh water and food and a new looking arrangement! It really only takes a few minutes and is so worth the extra steps!

~~~

The flowers pictured are 2 weeks OLD, and they are the “cheap” grocery store bunch! I even had a carnation bouquet before this one last for 3 weeks, and a friend commented on them looking like the last ones I had, and when I said they WERE the ones she saw last time…she didn’t believe me!

All three of our school aged children are currently enrolled in a virtual academy called *Georgia Cyber Academy, which we’ve been a part of since 2007.   Prior to that we did a mish-mash of a curriculum never having  found one that I clearly loved.  I was  at a cross-roads when I found out about GCA and actually thought about quitting altogether.

Three years in, I am so thankful that I found this form of homeschooling.  It works so well for our family.  The kids have excelled in their courses, and along the way they still get to nurture the extracurricular activities that they love such as soccer, art, writing, film club, photography, and more.

The Georgia Cyber Academy uses the K¹² curriculum to offer Georgia students in grades K-8 an exceptional learning experience. With individualized learning approaches, the Georgia Cyber Academy and K¹² provide the tools kids need to succeed—in school and beyond.

The Georgia Cyber Academy is one of the fastest-growing schools in Georgia, and here’s why:

• Our experienced, highly qualified Georgia-certified teachers, who are available online and by phone. [We love our assigned teachers. One has especially become a favorite of ours whom we look forward to hearing at our conference times.]
• The exceptional, individualized K¹² curriculum, which covers both the core subject areas and electives. Based on decades of education research, this curriculum packages high-quality lessons with mastery-based assessments that ensure students achieve success at each and every level. [The K12 curriculum was one of the big points for me when I decided to use GCA as our homeschooling method. It's comprehensive, classic, and conservative. A perfect fit for our family.]
• The online planning and assessment tools, resources, and hands-on materials ranging from textbooks to microscopes, from rocks and dirt to beautifully illustrated classic children’s stories, and much more. [This is an absolute God-send to us. To be able to use these tools, resources, materials, textbooks, etc.. is just wonderful.]
• Our supportive school community, which organizes fun and informative monthly activities where GCA parents, students, and staff share their successes, helpful hints, and more.
• The high-quality, tuition-free public education that enables a learning experience that is individualized for each student. [Having three different types of learners, this is something I see first-hand.]

This method of homeschooling works for our family.  

I’d be interested to hear what works for you and yours!

*In 2010 Georgia Virtual Academy became Georgia Cyber Academy due to the request from the Georgia Department of Education during the charter renewal process.

There is a lot to learn about photography. Whether you are an ameteur or a pro, everyone can still learn and get inspired! There are always more little tips and tricks to add to your collection.

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

Darcy

This Is Reverb

MckMama

CoffeeShop

Shutter Sisters

I Heart Faces

Photojojo

*COMING SOON* Pix-O-Sphere, a family-friendly photo sharing site.

Photology

Photography | Blissfully Domestic

MCP Actions

Digital Photography School

Clickin Moms

Work of HeART and Soul

Secret Agent Mama

The Gremlin Wrangler

Hannah Braboy

Sprittibee

My Home Sweet Home

Pages of Our Life

A Familiar Path

Eclectic Whatnot

Other Such Happenings

Living Locurto

Angie Arthur Photography

Boybarian Photo

One Willow Studios

Confessions From the Rubber Room

A Holy Experience

Lightroom Killer Tips

Smash and Peas

Hallie Westcott Photography

Simply Vintage Girl

Mommytography

The Pockets

Always Portraits by Sally

Lizzie Kimball Photography

Elisabeth Carol Photography

Becky Earl

Savor Photography

Hana Lynch Photography

Do you have any favorite photography related sites?

I assume plenty of you hear this phrase, as do I – “I could never homeschool.” Quite honestly, in my own abilities, I could never homeschool, either. Yet I’m in the midst of my fifth year, with two high school boys, no less. My response to those people is that it’s all God’s doing, because I couldn’t do this myself, either. But it saddens me when I hear this from other believers. Not because I think they should be homeschooling – that’s between them and the Lord – but because they’re essentially saying that the awesome and mighty power of God wouldn’t be adequate to equip them for such a task.

As ever, God began to speak to my heart about this issue. Yes, I homeschool through His power, but what other things do I say I could never do? The first one that comes to mind (perhaps because we just went onto Daylight Saving Time) is that I could never get up early in the morning. Why? Because I’ve never been a morning person. Being a late-night person goes all the way back to my childhood. So it’s a tight squeeze sometimes getting quiet time with the Lord before I start my day. Yet if I got up earlier, I would have plenty of time with Him and be better equipped for the day. (I’d also love to be up early enough to catch that golden hour for taking pictures.) But does having Night Owl-itis really mean I can’t adjust my sleep schedule to go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier? Is the resurrection power of God really not enough?

…as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3

There are plenty of other areas in my life in which I subconsciously say, “I could never …” But I think it’s time to pray over these things, surrender them to the Lord, and find out what He thinks about them. Find out which of those He might want to change. After all, what might I be missing out on with my self-restricted thinking?

What things in life do you think you could never do? Seek the Lord in those areas. Perhaps He has something different in mind.

Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14

How many times have you heard these words…

“Just let the kids work it out.” 

Or, “Don’t interfere- let the kids be kids.” 

Recently, I was at a birthday party where my little 5 year old (Avery) was getting bullied by a “friend” of hers.  This “friend” had informed my daughter (in my presence) that they were no longer friends, because she had found new friends when she started Kindergarten.  Avery took a deep breath to help hold back the tears, and said, “It’s OK, I would like your new friends, too.”  I was so proud of her!

But, things got worse.  The little girl yelled, “I SAID go away!!”  I looked at this child and said, “I’m so happy that you have new friends, but remember that Avery has been your friend for years, too!  You guys can all have a great time together!”  To this, the little girl literally flipped her hair in my face, and walked away.  *cringe* 

Was that the end of things?  Nope.  Mere minutes later, after I had tried to convince my daughter to play with different people at the party, I witnessed this same little girl shoving Avery away from the swing set.  I decided to speak to her.  I said, “You don’t have to play with Avery- I can see that you don’t want to.  But it is not OK to hurt people.”  The little girl just looked at me, and then went about her business.  I then decided that the right thing to do was to call the parents, and make them aware of the conversation I just had with their daughter. 

So as not to place blame on either child, I said, “What has happened between our daughters?  They aren’t getting along today.”  Within 3 minutes, the little girl’s father had arrived at the party to pick his child up.  But instead of reprimanding her, he glared at me and yelled, “REALLY, ANNA?  Do you always have to be a mother hen??  What is wrong with letting children work things out on their own??”

We used to be good friends with this family.  So, for quite a while, this incident really bothered me.  No one has ever called to apologize for their entire family’s bad behavior.  Their children act snotty when they pass mine in the neighborhood.  The mother and father have significantly altered the details of what happened at the party (even though there were 20 adults in attendance to witness the events).  It is all a bit disturbing.

But then, when I had the chance to really sit down and consider the details, I went from hurt, sad and confused… to confident and thankful.

Because, you know what? I am a good mom!!

Don’t read that wrong… I’m not a PERFECT mom; far from it.  But I am protecting some of God’s most precious gifts!

Psalm 127:3 See, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

 I am the guardian of 4 little pieces of evidence of His perfect love!!

It is no small job.  It is a big calling!  It is not easy.  And I will not fall into today’s easy trap of hands-off parenting. 

I will not keep their heads buried in the sand, however.  I will use every opportunity to help them learn. 

Deuteronomy 11:19 ESV You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

From this particular incident, my kids have learned that not every child their age is the perfect friend for them.  They have learned that only God’s love is perfect.  They have learned that man can easily disappoint, but God is there forever.  And sometimes the learning moments He gives us just aren’t fun.  But we can always learn from them!

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

My sweet 5 year old daughter has learned to be strong.  She has learned the politics and biases in this world WAY too early.  But, instead of being angry at the child, or the parents, I am grateful to God.  He has allowed me to walk my kids through a life lesson, using His guidance.  My children know where to lean when times get tough.  And they know that their friends are not their pillars of strength.  God is.

Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

It is never fun to be the victim of name calling, even when you are 30-something.  But if the definition of “mother hen” is:

Mother Hen: (adj.) a mom who protects God’s precious gifts from the ugliness of human nature…

Then I’ll be that mom.

This is our 17th year as a homeschooling family. If all goes as planned and we continue until our youngest graduates high school, I will be a homeschooling mother for 31 consecutive years. That used to make me tired just thinking about it. Honestly, I spent most of the past three years in a state of serious burnout, until this year.

Everything changed when I rediscovered the excitement of educating myself and others.

It’s difficult to be an effective teacher—and if you’re a homeschool mom, you’re a teacher—in an intellectual vacuum. I’m not sure what percentage of perspiration versus inspiration is involved in teaching, but it definitely requires both.

Although I love reading blogs; studying photography both hands-on and from books and websites; and working through computer program tutorials; none of them can replace sitting down with a book of literature, history, or other academic interest. Feeding your own brain can help stave off burnout.

When you get excited about learning and share it with your children, you can challenge and inspire each other.

I’ve thought a lot lately about my favorite teachers from school and what made them special to me. Often, it wasn’t that the subject they taught was my favorite, instead it was the passion and enthusiasm with which they taught it.

You have the opportunity to be that kind of influence on your own children and any others you teach in co-op or other homeschool classes. I encourage you to take the time to educate yourself, too; it will make you a better teacher to them.

[I have been greatly inspired in by Echo in Celebration: A Call to Home-Centered Education by Leigh Bortins; the ebook can be downloaded free here.]

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The birds are tweeting and the buds are popping out all over my trees here in Texas. It won’t be long before we are spending a LOT of time outdoors planting our garden (this weekend) and tending it. In the spring, we do a lot more hands on things – including crafts. I thought I would share a few fun ideas to do with your kids if you have cabin fever while you wait on the warmer weather to stay!

Just click the images below and visit the original author’s blog post to recreate some of these fun and fabulous things to make:

Green Haired Easter People…

Felt birdies and spring-looking stockings…

Newspaper pots…

St. Patty’s cookies…

Resurrection rolls…

Hand-twisted pretzels…

Inexpensive wall art…

Love in Him,

After the whirlwind of Friday and Saturday, I completely forgot that I signed up to bring breakfast for our small group at church. When I was reminded that evening, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the store. So I made this with things we had on hand.

Blueberries and Cream French Toast Casserole

4 cups cubed bread (I used Sister Shubert dinner rolls)

1 to 1.5 cups blueberries (mine were fresh frozen)

4 eggs

3/4 c milk or coffee creamer (the boys had finished off the milk)

1/3 c maple syrup

2 T butter melted

4 oz cream cheese

Cinnamon (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)

Spray a small 9×7 pan and heat oven to 350. Mix eggs, milk or cream, syrup and butter in a bowl. Place half of bread cubes in the bottom of pan. Pour half of egg mixture over the top of bread and give it a little press to help it soak in. Top with blueberries. Give the blueberries a generous sprinkling with cinnamon. Cut cream cheese into small cubes and place on top of blueberries (I like mine pretty small, because I don’t want to bite into a big hunk of cream cheese). Top with remaining bread the pour over remaining egg mixture. Now, I’m pretty sure you could make this the night before and it would be even better, because all that yummy egg mixture would have even more time to soak in. But I don’t really think ahead like that all the time. So I left this on the counter while I took a shower and let it soak in. Then bake it covered in the oven for 30 min. Uncover, and bake an additional 20-30 min.

It has a consistency like bread pudding, and the cream cheese is such a nice complement to the blueberries and balances the sweetness. The folks at church thought this was pretty tasty, and I’m looking forward to polishing it off this morning.
Kathy Rowland, Pharmacist by trade, but Chef by Heart! She blogs about her family, preschool boys, and adventures in life, over at The Rowland Boys.

David turned three on December 28th, 2009.

Sometimes it’s a challenge to keep him occupied while his three siblings complete their schoolwork.  Having gone down the preschool road before (ages ago, it seems) I know what will make the trip less bumpy and more fruitful.

Here are some things that work for us and our preschool at home:

1. Reading- We have a ton of books just having collected them through the years.  We are also part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and monthly we get a new book in the mail.   We’ll receive them until he turns five.
2. Drawing- Sure there’s traditional paper and crayons, but David also loves to draw on his Magnadoodle.  Also, there’s drawing on dry-erase boards, chalk boards, or with chalk on side walks.
3. Play Dough- If you can tolerate the smell (unlike my husband and eldest son) play dough is such a great, interactive way to spend time.   If you are feel creative, too, you can make homemade variations.  [See Recipes]
   David’s favorite thing about playing with play dough is using all the various tools we have accumulated over the years!
4. Puzzles- What better way to help develop fine motor skills than by working on preschool puzzles.  The large knobbed puzzles also help with the mastery of sorting, recognizing colors, and learning numbers, letters, and shapes.
5. Music- We are a sing-song family.  We’re always singing or playing music.   We have drums and maracas, but foremost we have our voices.  Singing is something that has always helped change a toddlers hum-drum mood.  It’s probably the one thing that we do on a constant and daily basis.

I’d love to hear what you do in your Home-school Pre-school!

Raise your hand if you have days when you long for all the academic books to close and have some hands-on fun with your children.

You’re not alone!

As much as I love teaching division of fractions, explaining what a possessive noun adjective is or reading about Tutankhamen, there are times when I want to take my children to the kitchen and create something gratifyingly edible. I love the look of my counters doused in flour and smiles plastered on my children’s faces.

Early last December, I was given Hello, Cupcake! by my sweet, sister-in-law. She could not have given me a better gift! It has provided hours of messy entertainment and I’m confident it will continue to do so.

There are loads of reasons I love this book, with the foremost being the simplicity of the tools. Every cupcake in this book uses tools that you would readily have on hand: Ziploc bags, tape, a ruler, toothpicks, tweezers, a roller, etc. . . It’s not just the tools that are easy to find either. The candy used for the cupcakes are generally the kind found at any candy store: Starburst, sprinkles, edible glitter, licorice, Jelly Beans, or Gummies.

With the exception of a few cupcakes, every project in Hello, Cupcake! can easily be done by your children with you alongside them. Some prior prep work may be required with some of the projects, but when it comes to actually putting together the cupcakes my children have had a ball looking at the book and trying to get their cupcakes to match.

We’ve made Petit Fours, which were a hit! I can not emphasize enough how easy these were to make. Simple, simple.

We’ve also made Edible Ornaments. They were more time and labor intensive than the Petit Fours, but well worth the effort.

And just recently we made Popcorn cupcakes.

My crew has already made up a list of other cupcakes they would like to make next and it will come as no surprise that their favorite part of this shindig is when it’s time to devour their creation!

For your chance to win a copy of Hello, Cupcake! complete one or all of the following:

For one entry:

~ Simply leave a comment.

For extra entries, please leave a separate comment for each of the following:

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You must leave a separate comment for each of the items listed above.

The giveaway will end Friday, March 5, 2010 at midnight {CST}. The winner will be picked at random and announced on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

Ready, set, go!

*************************

Update! This giveaway is now over. The winner is listed below.

Last week I was looking for something to do with my math co-op class.  It is supposed to be math games but my brain was fried thinking of another new game and I wanted something that could help them when they are at home.  Then I remembered a post I saw on a homeschool blog – mini offices!

Maybe you’ve heard of mini offices.  If you have write in the comments what kinds you’ve made and if you have it posted on your blog – link us up so we can check them out.  For those of you wondering what I’m talking about – read on.

Mini offices are like lapbooks…. but a little easier.  You gather the information you want your child to have easy access too and put it in the book.  Maybe you want to do a writing office with reminders of things to check for, common misspelled words, a list of adjectives and other helpful things or you could do a phonics rule book – the ideas are endless.  Here is what I did.

The group I am working with are first and second graders.  I only have six students and a few of them still struggle with some basic math concepts {including my own daughter}.  So I searched the web for some ideas and things I wanted to include.  I found some great resources, printed out my final choices and did all the cutting for them.  That way during class we would just have to glue them in and then go over each item that was included.

This is a picture of my daughters completed book

To make the book you will need two folders.  I did not do the shutter fold, just glued two pages together to make a three page layout.  {note: I am not a seasoned lapbook maker, so my terms may be off}.  On the front cover I had them write “‘your name’s’ Math Mini Office” and decorated it as they wished.  Some of the links I found had a cover I could print out but I was saving printer ink and wanting them to be creative to make it their own.

Now if you open the folder all the way out {top center picture} on the far left page is the days of the week, months of the year {for both of these are the abbreviations and for months the number}, time words and phrases, problem solving method, and a left hand.  In the middle is money reminders, order words {ordinal numbers}, place value {under each number is the place value – so if they lift 1 they see ‘ones place’}, and the right hand.  On the right page is key words for word problems {like if you see “in all” you would add}, shapes, an addition chart {I made this myself as the one I found online was too big}, and math symbols and words.

Now if you fold in the right end on the back of that is what you see in the bottom center picture – skip counting, ordinal numbers, and a number chart.  The ordinal numbers is different than inside as it has, for example, “3rd” with “third” written under it.  The number chart is similar as it does “3″ “three” and  “III”.

Finally on the back of the folder {if it is all the way closed} is the 100 chart, a clock and time words.  To the clock I added the minutes {next to 1 I put 5 -I did this all the way around} to help her remember to count by fives.  The hundreds chart would be good covered with contact paper or laminated.  Then your child could practice skip counting on it.

Some links I used:

http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/search/label/Mini%20Office%20Lapbook

http://sheilasjourney-sheila.blogspot.com/2008/04/math-lapbook-mini-office.html

http://www.teachingheart.net/minioffice.html

That is the tour of the math mini office we made.  You could certainly cater it to your child’s needs and math level.  Next I’m going to make one that goes with our Alphabet Island book and all the rules she is learning!

During quiet time recently, I was reading through Ephesians 6 and the armor of God. Of particular note to me was the Shield of Faith in verse 16:

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

The first thing I see is that God says, “above all.” That places significance on the shield – it is an additional defense that I must take hold of after putting on the other armor. Most often, a shield would be used to deflect the items being used in the attack (arrows, swords, etc.). However, God says that with the shield “you will be able to quench.” Kind of interesting to think of a shield as quenching something. But if it merely deflected the fiery darts, they would drop to the ground or bounce onto something else. Since they’re burning, they could still cause further damage, or worse, I could step on them. God makes sure that they will be extinguished and no longer able to bring destruction.

He also says, “to quench all the fiery darts.” He doesn’t say I can just put out a few, or some of them, or only specific types. He says all – so that really does mean all of them. God means what He says.

Another significant thing about a shield is that it’s not stationery. I can hold it in various directions and maneuver it into the proper position as needed. But I have to hold onto the shield, keeping it in place. If I set it down to rest or even drop it entirely, allowing a fiery dart to hit me, it doesn’t just stick me in the arm or elsewhere. Once stuck, its fire will spread, consuming my clothes and my flesh. The damage will be much more than just a little prick mark.

Last, He makes it clear exactly who is shooting these fiery darts. It’s “the wicked one.” So often it can be easy to forget that I am engaged in a spiritual battle. But verse 12 states it plainly,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

When I forget this, it’s easy to think maybe my kids are shooting those fiery darts, or the insane driver that flew past me, or even that they’re self-inflicted. But that’s not the case. They come from the “wicked one.” Fortunately, God has provided me with His armor, and just like all of God’s provisions, this armor is designed to handle the battle, protect me, and keep me reliant upon Him for my strength and faith.

Geography isn’t always easy to teach in a hands-on way, but here’s an easy activity that will teach your children (and you!) each continent’s highest peak in no time!

Supplies needed:

• Map (a globe or atlas will work)
• Playdough or other modeling clay
• Toothpicks
• Construction paper (really, any paper will do)

I’m going to help by telling you each continent’s highest peak. The countries (or states) that they are within are listed in parenthesis:

1. North America (Alaska): Mt. McKinley
2. South America (Argentina): Aconcagua
3. Europe (Russia – Caucasus Mountains): Elbrus
4. Africa (Tanzania): Kilimanjaro
5. Asia (Nepal, China – Himalaya Mountains): Everest
6. Australia: Kosciuszko
7. Antarctica: Vinson Massif

Cut out small strips of paper and write the names of the mountains, and then glue or tape them around the toothpicks to make small signs. Shape seven mountains out of playdough.

You can play the game multiple ways, just make it a game – learning and fun all rolled into one! You can place the mountains on the map in the correct spots, stick the toothpick signs in the mountains, remove and repeat; or stick the toothpick signs in the mountains and then place the mountains in the correct location, remove and repeat.

The second is more difficult because you have to actually find the mountains on the map, and remember which mountain goes on which continent.

We have played this game a few times, improving noticeably with practice. I just keep the signs and pieces of playdough in a baggie, easy to whip out when we need a fun, hands-on activity.

Do you have an easy, hands-on geography activity to share?

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Let me start with a funny. I’m a graphic designer as well as a homeschool mommy, and you know that saying, “Never judge a book by its cover?” Yeah, well, I almost didn’t buy this curriculum. And it was totally because of the hokey-looking graphics. I sit firmly in the camp that believes that if you have great content, you give it a house worthy of that content.

Let me tell you, Growing with Grammar is the Susan Boyle of curriculum!

Looks aside, this is one of the most successful programs I have used, to date, in our home. The book comes coil-bound with the rings on top. This matters to us! I have two left-handed sons. For many of our books, I have to pay Kinkos to cut off the binding and 3-hole punch the pages, so the binding doesn’t interfere with my sons’ writing. While GWG may not be the most aesthetic package on the shelves, I do appreciate the consideration for my lefties.

Now that we’ve covered the books’ exteriors, now comes the true shining star: Content. Tamela Davis has this part all right. The lessons are single page, front and back. They take about 15 – 20 minutes. And the pace is gentle, but persistent. My guys rarely get answers wrong – this is a great confidence builder. And I promise it’s not because they are natural grammaristas or natural spellers. It just that Ms. Davis manages to provide great examples in the Student Manual, and enough repetition in the Student Workbook to cement the concepts without drilling endlessly.

And this is the important part; my third grader can diagram sentences. Yeah, I know. For reals.

It’s not hard. And something about mapping out the English language visually like that makes them really understand it. I remember learning to diagram sentences in the seventh grade. It seemed so complicated. I was very reluctant to believe it would go over seamlessly with my 8- and 9-year-old boys. But they haven’t batted an eyelash, and I credit that completely to Ms. Davis and her clear, concise, gradually-building methodology.

And it gets better, if you follow me on twitter, you saw this tweet:

In a world where photographers still write, “photo’s” and people tweet, “hey mom’s!” it is so refreshing to know that a 9-year-old can figure it out easily enough. After that tweet, I got about a dozen direct messages or emails begging me to share the resource that helped him conquer what seems to mystify half the English-speaking world.

Currently, Growing with Grammar offers grades 1-7. Grade 8 will be available Spring 2010. We elected not to start until the third-grade workbook. It’s not necessary to have completed grades one and two to be successful with grade 3. And, to keep life simple, I opted to move both boys through Grade 3, even though one was 7 years old and one had just turned 9 years old when we started. They are officially second and fourth graders, and Grade 3 was a perfect introduction for them both. Now that we’ve nearly completed the first book, I can’t wait to see what Ms. Davis has in store for us for levels four and beyond.

If you have more than one student at the same grade level, it isn’t necessary to buy two Student Manuals. This is a non-consumable “text”. It is necessary for each child to have his own Student Workbook. Those can be purchased independently, or packaged. I will say the books are quite hefty and right now they look quite well-loved – dog earred and a bit jumbled. But admittedly, my boys aren’t called The Boybarians for nothin’. They are hard on stuff, and these books have taken quite a beating and somehow survived.

All in all, when it comes time to order the next year’s books, this is one choice that will remain steadfast. And all teasing aside, hey Growing with Grammar folks – I know a decent graphic designer.

Darcy is a homeschool mom of 3 boybarians from Iowa. She is a boy-wranglin’, coffee-drinkin’, picture-takin’, photoshoppin’, designin’ mom & trophy wife who messes up just as often as she gets it right, but wouldn’t change it for the world. She blogs at Life with my 3 Boybarians.

Last year was an eventful one for our family. We had our lives turned totally upside down, with my husband’s running out of work, which led to our having to sell our home last summer, and then, while leaving most of our stuff in storage, we relocated to a new city for another job opportunity which has so far mostly dissolved into disillusion and disappointment…

Meanwhile as Chris applies to job after job (over 60! so far, the last of which he found out had over 1900 applicants, and he was doing good just to have been in the top 5% who got an interview!), we are living in limbo, this faith-engaging transitional season with no known end yet in sight, and though we are thankful for our temporary month-to-month rental, I am so ready to be settled again, to feel at home.

According to Mirriam-Webster, the word limbo is derived from the Medieval Latin word limbus, which means border:

2 a : a place or state of restraint or confinement b : a place or state of neglect or oblivion <proposals kept in limbo> c : an intermediate or transitional place or state d : a state of uncertainty

And though it may sure feel like a sort of purgatory, as any bona fide Believer who’s spent much time walking with our Lord will tell you, times like these are simply a part of growing, a time meant for teaching us to trust Him, a time to receive strength in our weakness… We are His Church, His Beloved Bride whom He loves, His children whom He disciplines, and teaches. In this knowledge, I do rejoice and take heart, knowing that this time has great potential!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

~ James 1.2-5

In many regards, it feels like our lives are somewhat on hold, as we’re still living off of dwindling equity money, praying for an income as we’re waiting on Adonai to multiply our efforts, and bless Chris with a job, wandering in a wilderness of sorts, wondering where Adonai Yir’eh (The LORD who sees; Gen. 22:14; Adonai sees and knows all of our needs intimately -rendered in the KJV & transliterated as Jehovah Jireh) will lead us. However, we are finding unexpected blessings along this way as well…

For instance, we’ve been enjoying all of the extra *home-time* we’ve had together this year, since we’ve been uprooted, and transplanted, hesitant to become too involved locally, knowing we may be moving, yet again, at any time. Without such busy days, and all of the extra-curricular activities that we’ve had going on throughout our weeks in years past, the kids and I have found so much more time for creating, reading more books aloud together again and just for playing together as a family, etc. Chris and I have been drawn into studying the Word together more, and we’ve been so much more consistent with our family Bible times again too. This whole school year has seemed like a sabbatical of sorts for all of us, a special, hidden, safe time… a time to re-group and re-calibrate, check our bearings and prepare for the journey that lies ahead (homeschooling highschool?! next year, for one), whatever that may be.

In the midst of all of this change and uncertainty, I think that we have found extra comfort in just being *home* (together) more, and the extra down-time that it’s afforded us to homeschool- here, at home… not having to rush here or there, and not having encroaching schedules and deadlines from lots of extra-curricular/outside activities limiting nor interrupting what we’d otherwise like to be pursuing has been nice for a change. Of course, those times we’ve had so much going on have been wonderful  too, and it will sure be nice to get involved in a lot more again, all in due time, as there’s a lot of activities that I/we have been a part of that we miss and would like to get involved in once we get settled again. However, I was somewhat surprised last month when my kids declined my offer for us to get involved in a local homeschool co-op here this semester, saying that they’d rather not, “because we’re liking just being home more and having more time to do stuff here”. Interesting, I thought, as the weight of some (apparently needless) self-imposed guilt over all that we’d left behind lifted.

Yes, I have just simply been so blessed as I’m rediscovering that indispensable resource that we as busy mothers and homeschoolers so often find ourselves short on… time. This continuity of uninterrupted time at home has been invaluable, allowing us to re-discover and pursue some interests, to fine-tune our  homeschooling rhythms and to just find that thinking spot again. I’ve gotten more organized (which granted, is easier to do with less stuff!), and have been pleasantly surprised to hear our two oldest children exclaim to me numerous times that this has been our “best homeschool year yet”! Wow, really?!

The Lord has been answering a prayer that’s resonated within my soul for years… Regarding time and money, I am choosing to listen to the Master, who gives faith, by which I am trusting my Messiah. He is teaching me an invaluable lesson.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

~ Psalm 90.12

Our greatest homeschool resource is not money- to buy all of the books on our wish-list, or season passes to all of the museums we can visit, it’s not music lessons, nor the latest, greatest co-op or curriculum… it’s simply TIME. We all have it. Time to spend together, to apply ourselves to learning, reading, laughing, creating, listening, sharing, time for choosing when we should be putting the world aside to spend these preciously short days together with our children, as well as time for knowing when we should be jumping into our extended community with both feet!

I’ve been reminded that our kids really do value time spent with us, their parents, more than anything else right now… even as a tween and a teen. Imagine that?! I’ve also been reminded that our LORD is ever-faithful, and He knows what is ultimately best for us, and is always working on our behalf (if we’re truly seeking to make Him LORD of our lives, our time and all of our other resources). I’m learning that no matter what life brings our way, we always. have. time… so long as we’re breathing. While I sometimes find myself grieving over wasted time, I’m relieved and thankful for time anew this morning, today… hopefully tomorrow. Time together with those I love, such a boundless gift.

I’m finding myself praying for wisdom regarding my/our use of this invaluable resource on a daily basis… that I would choose wisely how we spend our time, because it is so fleeting. One thing I’ve seen over the years, is that the Lord’s BEST for someone, for a family, can sure be circumvented by a whole lot of otherwise GOOD things. And naturally what is time best spent for each and every family will be different. There’s no cookie-cutter formula/answer on this one. Nope, it’s something we must each carry to God in prayer, individually. I’d venture to say that this task of time management is also one of the most important lessons we’ll teach our children… One of those lessons they’ll learn by way of habit, and are more likely to catch from watching and being with us, rather than from anything we say. Sometimes, that’s a scary thought, huh?

One HUGE area in my own life where the Lord has been dealing with me regarding my own personal time-management issues (’cause I’ve got issues! lol), which is also fatally tied in with my own personal biggest hurdle/regret as a parent, has been my idolatry selfishness over-indulgence with time spent on the computer. There. I said it. What started out so innocently years ago, soon morphed into an addiction for this often overwhelmed, self-indulgent, non-disciplined, obsessive-compulsive stay-at-home mama chicky. It was subtle, and confusing too, since so much that was redeeming, necessary and good was tangled up in what was not.

My own addiction was particularly bad during a time of depression that I went through a few years ago (though I didn’t recognize it as such at the time)… however, I can now see that part of it was good too, since I was writing and sorting through things in a way that I wouldn’t have, had I not been blogging… So you see, I’ve personally found that there are no easy answers here, but rather a need to be prayerfully guarding how I spend my time, each. and every. day.

Balance is key, and your family is probably a pretty reliable gauge. Pay attention to them and what they think or say about how you’re spending your time, both individually and together as a family. Pray about what is healthy and most profitable, rather than simply permittable… That’s a hard one, it’s where I’ve been here recently.

For me, this computer issue is a love/hate thing. Honestly, realizing how much it’s robbed me of precious time with my family already, time that I gave away, not appreciating its real value and fleeting nature for what it was/is has made me consider nixing it altogether, killing the blog, dumping facebook, etc. Instead, I’ve opted to just be more vigilant, resisting the urge to feel obligated to anything else before my family. I’m more careful now, more disciplined and really just more over it. I’ve come to love computer sabbaticals, and am consciously guarding my commitments made very carefully, both online and “in real life”.

And it is with this in mind that I thought to share the following with you, which really struck a chord with me, from Spunky, over at SpunkyHomeschool:

Mom’s on the Computer (or not) …a song I recently rewrote (with apologies to Harry Chapin) as an intro to my upcoming workshop, iHelp for the eHome – learning to stay focused and use electronics and the Internet responsibly in an era that makes it all too easy to twitter our time away.

Mom’s on the Computer (to the tune of Cat’s in the Cradle.)

My computer arrived just the other day,
It came on the porch in the usual way
So many blogs to read and games to play
My child learned to walk, while I twittered away
And he was talkin’ for I knew it, as my friends list grew
He’d say I’m gonna be like you mom
You know I’m gonna be like you

And mom’s lost on the computer, lettin’ dinner burn
Little boy wanders, he just wants to learn
When you getting off mom?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then
we’re gonna have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said “thanks for the wii, mom, come on let’s play”
“Can you teach me how it works?” I said “Not today”
“I got a blog to write” he said “that’s okay”
And he walked away while the computer never dimmed
He said, “I’m gonna be like them, yeah”
You know I’m gonna be like them

And mom’s lost on the computer lettin’ dinner burn
Little boy wanders, he just wants to learn
When you getting off mom?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then
We’re gonna have a good time then

Well my son came home just the other day
iPod in his ears, while he texted away
“Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?”
He shook his head and he said with a smile
“I’d really like to Mom, but talkins’ not my thing”
“Check my status, for what’s happening”

And mom’s lost on the computer lettin’ dinner burn
Little boy wanders, he just wants to learn
When you getting off mom?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then

Well my blog’s retired and my Facebook out-of-date
My son texted, “Hey mom, I just can’t relate”
I said, “I’d like to see you if you have some time.”
He said, “I’d love to mom but skype if you don’t mind.”
“You see my website’s down and my workload just grew.”
“but it’s sure nice texting with you, mom”
It’s been sure nice texting with you.”

And as I typed “c u later” it occurred to me
He’d grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

Embracing the adventure,

Does your homeschool have ups and downs?

We have so many ups and downs in our homeschool, it can give you motion sickness.

Two weeks ago, we decided to take a short break from doing full school days so we could pack for the first family vacation we have had in 2.5 years!  We were so excited to go to the Baltimore Harbor and play in the area museums, sight see, and be tourists!  Would you like to guess when we went to Baltimore???  It was during their record-breaking snow, of course.  We were there for one and a half nights, before we awoke the kids at 3 A.M. to drive home and avoid the second barrage of snow!  Failed vacation. 

When we arrived back home, I thought we had better make up for our homeschooling “vacation” days.   I decided I would take a bit of a break from my real estate business so that I could focus 100% of my energies on homeschooling.  Instantly, 3 buyers came running to me, asking for my help in finding their dream homes, saying they wouldn’t work with any other agents.  I’m thankful for the business of course, but it didn’t exactly enhance my homeschooling schedule!  Failed focus.

Well, this week I really put my foot down.  I actually made the declaration, “This week, we will do nothing but school, so we can all feel caught up again.”  Lo and behold, Georgia got more snow in one day than we’ve gotten in the past 3 years.  Public school kids were stoked about being out of school, and many of them spent 3 days in my house and yard.  That’s not the best environment for completing a homeschool day!  Failed resolution.

Yesterday evening, I took a deep breath.  I really don’t like to fail.

Me:  “God, I have no idea how to get over this very large bump in the road.”

Psalm 32:8
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

Well, I definitely need instruction and counsel.  I’ve proven that I can’t figure it all out by myself.

Me:  “But Lord, are we totally helpless at this point?  Will we ever be caught up?”

Proverbs 15:22
Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.

Ok, I see that counselors are becoming a big part of this conversation.

Me:  “I will do everything I can to try to catch up God, and if Googling ‘homeschool schedules’ counts as counsel, then I’m golden.  But you KNOW I will seriously need Your help, too!”

Isaiah 58:11
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

So, I sought out some counselors.  After an hour of searching Google, and doing some serious planning this morning, I devised my very own “morning calendar” for the family to follow, and a customized homeschool schedule to reference daily.  If you are interested in seeing my homeschool calendars, please feel free to visit my homeschool blog at http://4KiddosAtHome.blogspot.com. 

I gave each child a small amount of chores to complete each morning upon awakening, listed a showering schedule, and listed what time everyone should meet at the table for breakfast on our morning calendar.

On the homeschool calendar, I gave an allotted amount of time to each subject, alternating some subjects on different days.  We tried the schedule for the first time today, and I was THRILLED with our success.  We finished exactly on time, and we all felt great.  Thank you, God.

Sometimes our plans for life don’t go the way we had hoped.  But a little preparation never hurt anyone.

Proverbs 16:9

The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.

Let’s  take a little tour today to some great sites to keep us occupied while its so cold! Best way to spend these winter days is with food and fun and easy crafts to keep us busy while we wait for it to warm up outside.

So let’s start with some fun crafts we can do…

A Magical Childhood has a really neat idea to make Giant Ice Suncatchers!.

Or if suncatchers aren’t your thing, you can always try Raising Olive’s Yo-Yo Curtains: Tutorial.

Now those are some fun curtains! Then there is this really wonderful craft you can do with your old sweaters, so Girl, Put Your Sweater On… Sometimes we just can’t give up that favorite sweater… now you don’t have to!

We all have leftover pop bottles… why not make them into decorations? Happy Together has a super cute Anthropologie Flowers Tutorial that shows us what to do with those empty bottles.

Time for some food… Scribbit has a delicious Upside Down Apple Pie. Perfect for those cold days.

Salads are such a filling thing to eat and  Training Daughters, Teaching Wives shares what to do to keep from having Soggy Lettuce.

As we end our tour, Robin Sampson has 10 Super Index Card Ideas for Homeschool. She has some great ideas and helps!

Also, Gleaning The Harvest has a *NEW* Home School Curriculum Swap so make sure to check that out too!

And that concludes our tour. Any stops we missed that you particularly liked through your blog browsing? Share with us!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! How many of you wrote a love note to your Valentine today? Did anyone get to be the recipient of a love note? Well, in my family, we’re not real into the Valentine’s Day holiday. But, I do LOVE to write and receive love notes. Lucky for me, love notes aren’t reserved only for February 14th! Whether it be a five page long expression of sentiments from the bottom of my heart, or a simple sticky-note with an “I love you” scribbled on it and stuck somewhere to be found, love notes are a simple and fun way to share your love with your spouse and your children.

A few years ago, I came across an idea (although I cannot remember where I found it) for writing notes to my kids. I purchased a few small notebooks, each one with a different cover, to be assigned to each of my children. Then, on the first page of the notebook, I wrote a short note inviting the child to be my “pen pal”, by writing little notes back and forth in the notebook and leaving it on each other’s beds.

For example, this is what I wrote to my (then) 8 year old daughter:

“Dear M,

Would you like to be pen pals? I thought it would be fun to be pen pals, but instead of sending letters through the mail, we’ll keep them in this notebook. I will write to you, and leave the notebook on your bed. Then, when you want to write me back, you write on the next page and leave the notebook on my bed.

You can write anything you like. It can be funny or serious or anything you want to write. Sound like fun?

Love,

Mom

P.S. Write back soon! XOXOX!”

A little while later, I found the notebook on my pillow with this written inside:

“Dear Pin Pal,

Why is it that people or should I say KIDS come in my room when I’m not here? I meen it is not their room. I don’t no about you but to me that is plane rood.

Love,

M.”

(Evidently, her little brother had gone in her room and made a mess.)

Here was my reply:

“Dear M,

I can understand how you feel. It is rude when people mess with things that don’t belong to them. I don’t like it when it happens to me, either. I’m sorry, but I did give your brother permission to use your tent. I didn’t think you would mind. Sorry.

Love,

Mom”

Then came this:

“No Mom, I’m sorry becous I don’t yous my tent eney more. I should say that I’m sorry for making such a big deal about a tint. I’m realy, realy sorry.

Love, M”

It was hard at that point to keep from cringing and criticizing the spelling, but I wanted to keep the lines of communication flowing and not let them be hindered by fear of misspelling a word. So, I kept my mouth shut. For the most part. Plus, I could easily identify trouble spots with her spelling and use those misspelled words for spelling words for school.

A few months down the road… she went from printing to cursive, and her spelling also began to improve. Here is a note she wrote just after we began our 2nd year of homeschooling:

“Mom,

I love the thing we are learning about because it is fun! Oh, and I LOVE YOU MOM. Did you hear me? I LOVE YOU MOM!

P.S. I love home schooling, mom!”

How is that for a love note?

I have so enjoyed keeping these notebooks going with my kids. It has given me an insight into their minds that I don’t know that I would have had otherwise.   I highly recommend trying this and seeing what happens with your own kids!  You might be surprised! 

Happy writing!

I couldn’t decide what to write about that would possibly benefit the homeschool community and their families. So, I put it off time after time saying to myself… “I have nothing to contribute, I have no answers or advice to give.”

I am not saying I am the best homeschool teacher in the whole wide world, I wake up every morning and learn as my children learn. I learn about my children and their personalities, what type of learner they are, and about life in general. Working each and everyday trying to become a better mother, a better teacher, and a better person in general. These are my battles each and every day. Trying to be the best I can be for my family and to be the best in life. Am I successful everyday? NO, honestly I am not. Some days are terrible days, some days are OK days, and some days are great days. I take one step and one day at time.

During this homeschool year at the beginning I was totally stressed out about my children learning the material they needed for the time frame that was given in the curriculum. It was too much for my nine year old. He does not work at a very fast pace neither is he a great independent worker. If I am not there just about holding his hand to do his work, it won’t get done. Then I have a five year old that likes to really talk, but he does get his work done in a timely matter. My two boys are night and day. I am sure someone can relate.

I knew I couldn’t make it through the homeschool year being all stressed out. I prayed about it, I wanted to leave it in God’s hands. I’m teaching my boys everyday, but not as fussy as I was before such as…. learn this, learn that, get this, get that. I try to make them feel comfortable with me as the teacher and as their mother. Nobody teaches us how to become homeschool teachers, or be good parents for that matter but I have learned to pray and leave it in God’s hands knowing that he is going to use my boys as a positive instrument to benefit somebody else’s life one day.

I believe we (William and I ) as parents are raising productive citizens, and children that will benefit this world in more ways than one.

I have learned to take one step at a time. I have also learned it is not the end of the world if my child or children didn’t get what I was trying to teach them in a certain lesson that day. I have learned not to get all bent out of shape when my children do not make straight A’s on every assignment, quiz, or test. I am learning everyday.

I wake up and my learning journey begins. I have learned more about myself, and my boys by homeschooling. My desire is to continue to want to learn as long as I live. I want my boys to be the best in everything they do in life, but I thought to myself, it needs to start with me, so I want to make sure I am doing the best I can do for my boys and anyone else around me. Is this happening overnight? NO, it takes time, effort and patience. It is a full time job just making sure you as the homeschool teacher is on top of your game, because if you are not your students (your children) may or may not notice. A lot of times your children may see a little of what you are going through, but children can be so forgiving, so as a mother and homeschool teacher I try to show forgiveness to them as well.

Learning is a gift, and learning is priceless!

Jania Bullock, used to teach second grade in the public school system, before deciding to stay at home and raise their two sons.  Nothing has given her greater joy.  She believes it is such a blessing to have staying at home as an option for their family.

It is inevitable that “what can go wrong, will”. At least, that’s what my mama always told me.

It’s painful to wake up one day and discover that your ‘baby’ – the project you have poured yourself in to for so many years – is gone. That’s exactly what happened to the Post on one December morning in late 2009. We were thankful that the Blog Awards had ended by the time this ‘crash’ happened, but it is never a good time to find out your data and photos for over 4 years are possibly gone forever.

It took quite a while to get through to our web host, to find a good backup of our data, to find someone who was capable of the delicate work of extracting it, and to transfer to our new ‘digs’. All of our authors were busy with Christmas, New Years, family events, birthdays, blog-designing, traveling, and conferences. The ones who weren’t were unable to help with the back-end work, so they offered moral support… and poignant reminders of the pending doom that awaited if we didn’t get busy working on the ‘remodel’ and ‘recovery’.

And then BlogHer closed down our ads on the sidebar.

And the site sat silently as a reminder of our dismal digital failure.

And the days passed while half our team prepared for travel to Tennessee to attend the Blissdom conference.

But now we are back.

And we’re hoping that YOU haven’t given up on all of us, or the Post.

Just to let you know how much we love you all – and our SPONSORS that donated such wonderful prizes for the awards last fall – we’re going to be working very hard at purdifying this site and making sure that everyone (readers, authors, and sponsors alike) gets some TLC.

Be watching… things are going to get snazzy. New faces are going to pop up. Surprises await.

Thanks for sticking the silence out, friends.

Yours truly,

Thank you for your interest in advertising with The Homeschool Post,
home of The Homeschool Blog Awards.

Since 2005, “The Post” has been home to the popular Homeschool Blog
Awards – a way to honor the hard work, creativity, ingenuity and
perseverance of the bloggers in the homeschool community. The rest of
the year, The Homeschool Post offers great content, hosts carnivals,
inspires parents, and helps our community find resources and
inspiration in our common journey.

An important part of our mission is to help connect homeschool parents
with the products and services that will benefit them in their
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If your company needs a graphic designer, please let us know. We have
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As we get the children all nestled all snug in their beds, let us, exhausted as we may be remember that it changed the world.

May peace  fill your heart, your household and your homeschool in the New Year.

May peace be yours and those you love.

Hello, everybody! Christmas is almost here, and that means our homeschooling life gets turned upside down. We bake, we shop (when the mall is relatively quiet!), we wrap presents, we rest.

It’s a bit of a slower month for us. So I thought I’d share some homeschooling thoughts and links that you can explore in your more leisurely time, as you get geared up for January.

Are you like that, by the way? I’ve excused a whole lot in the last few weeks by saying, “It’s okay! In January we’ll start full swing again and really get stuff done!” January has a lot of hype to live up to.

Anyway, here’s something neat. A new Canadian study found that homeschoolers (surprise!) do better in the long term than the general population. They studied a bunch of homeschoolers back in 1994, and then they went back and resurveyed them this year, fifteen years later. And what they found was surprising (in part). Read it here, but a few highlights: those who were homeschooled were far more likely to read a book than the general population. They were more likely to be university educated. They were more likely to be involved in their community, to have attended a concert or visited a museum, and to have volunteered. In short, they were more likely to be socially responsible and happy, which is exactly the criticism we get of homeschooling (they’ll end up socially pathetic). Not true. Go read it!

Want some reassurance that public schooling is NOT the right thing? Here’s an article on pressure cooker kindergarten. And here’s something I just wrote this morning on how schools favor girls, and often give boys ridiculous assignments. By the way, while homeschooling, if you come across an assignment you know your kids will hate, you don’t have to do it! That’s the beauty of homeschooling. So don’t be afraid to say no!

Speaking of the benefits of homeschooling, here’s a really sad, but inspiring story. Did you know that Jaycee Dugard effectively homeschooled her two daughters? She’s the one who was kidnapped at 11 and found this year after being held captive for 18 years. She gave birth when she was 14 and 18, and her daughters, who are now 11 and 15, never went to school. She herself never went beyond grade 5. But tutors say the oldest is functioning at the level of a high school senior. Jaycee did the best she could, under such awful circumstances, that are just heartbreaking. Good for her. How inspiring to know that she didn’t give up. She may not have had much education herself, but she did have wisdom, and that seems to be what counts. Read about her here.

Now that we’ve looked at homeschooling in general, ready for some Christmas links?

Wondering what to get your children for Christmas? Awesome blogger The Thinking Mother is pondering video games. She doesn’t like them; her sons want them. Any of you ever been there? Walk through the decision with her here!

I want to highlight some of our Homeschool Blog Award winners, so here’s a post from Beauty and Bedlam about how to decorate for Christmas. I love her ideas! I’ve tried the ornaments in a bowl thing, though, and mine never look that good!

Hanukkah’s almost over, but if your regular homeschooling is a slog because of Christmas, and you want to try something new, Robin from Heart of Wisdom has an awesome lesson plan, with printables, for the eight days of Hanukkah. You can start it late and still make it work!

Raising Olives has a neat post on how to turn dominoes into ornaments, which she does with her kids between bouts of morning sickness!

And then, if you want to gain weight just by looking at your computer, head on over to the Pioneer Woman Cooks and see what she’s cooking! I love the photos!

That’s all I’ve got for you today, but I’ll have more on my next Tuesday Tour! And in the meantime, please stop by my blog, To Love, Honor and Vacuum! I’m talking marriage, motherhood, the insanity of our culture, and more!