Homeschool Mother's Journal ~ 9/27/13

I've gotten out of the routine of doing this each week and I really need to get back to it. Journaling in the purpose behind this blog. So here it goes....

IN MY LIFE THIS WEEK...

I have been seeking ways to be more mindful of God throughout the day. I am seeking to be closer to God in an intimate way. I don't want to think of Him only during my prayer times. I want to pray without ceasing and have my mind set on Him constantly! I have also been under the weather with my sinuses hurting and swelling. I'm also discovering that I am not Super Woman... I can't do it all.

IN OUR HOMESCHOOL THIS WEEK...

We have had to rearrange our schedule a little due to doctor appointments. Nonetheless, we are marching forward. In Bible, we're discovering the book of Proverbs and are committing Proverbs 9:10 to memory. In phonics, we have reviewed the vowel sounds and are beginning to learn different sounds that letters make. For example, s sometimes sounds like z. In math we're discovering number order. We are continuing to practice handwriting as well. This all sounds exciting, eh?

PLACES WE ARE GOING, PEOPLE WE'RE SEEING...
Tuesday we had a field trip to Krispy Kreme. We all got a free hot donut and a drink. We were supposed to listen to one of the bakers talk about the process of making the donuts, but they were short-staffed and he wasn't able to come talk to us. It's ok. At least we got to spend some time with our fellow homeschool friends. Wednesday the kids got to hang out with our Pastor for a bit while I went to the doctor for some lab work... my annual check-up. Thursday I had a dental cleaning appointment, so Adelle and Jonathan got to spend some time with Grandma. It has been a crazy week!

HELPFUL HOMESCHOOL TIPS/ADVICE...

If you move into a new house at the beginning of the school year, go ahead and focus on getting most of the boxes unpacked and organized. It's ok to start school at a later date. Flexibility is the beauty of homeschooling... a lesson I'm still learning. 

MY KIDDO'S FAVORITE THING WAS...

Adelle really enjoyed cooking dinner with me this week. I need to get better at involving the children more in things like that. Jonathan enjoyed playing aggravation with Grandma and winning!

I AM READING...

A book called Follow Me written by David Platt. The back of the book says, "Is it possible for people to say they believe in Jesus but not truly be born again? Is it possible for people to claim they have accepted Christ into their hearts yet not actually be Christians? Pastor David Platt is convinced that many people in our churches today are misled as to what it truly means to be a follower of Christ." This is a very intriguing book and it says some things that I believe are true. It is thought-provoking indeed!

A QUOTE TO SHARE...
"My word for the day: Purity. I desire for my motives to be pure, in everything I say, in everything I do and even in my thoughts - that they will be captive to the obedience of Christ." ~Me

Loving Our New Curriculum

Last school year was a tremendous struggle for us. Our previous curriculum was very rigorous and left us exhausted. By the time April rolled around, the kids were done learning and I was done teaching. We were left unmotivated to carry on with it.  So I decided to look at the other curriculums for this school year. Choosing a curriculum is quite the task! I finally choose My Father's World.  This year is much more relaxed and fun. Wanna know why I am loving My Father's World?

1. MFW is a scripture-centered curriculum. Children memorize God's word and develop a Biblical world view right along with learning phonics, math and science. While academics are important, raising believers in Jesus Christ and following Him is far more important to me. At the end of the day, and our lives, God isn't going to look at our academic achievements. He is looking at our hearts and whether we love Him or not. 

The children also learn character virtues with MFW. I didn't know that when I first bought it and I had bought Character Concepts for this purpose before purchasing MFW.  It's all good though because having both sets of curriculum gives me a great many ideas to cover the character virtues. They have gone together beautifully.

2. MFW applies the Charlotte Mason Method of learning. I absolutely loved the CM methods when I first ran across it a year and a half ago. I need a lesson plan that someone else made to follow. If I don't have a plan, I'm just lost and developing my own lesson plan was stressful and very overwhelming. Learning that MFW was developed around the CM method pretty much sold me. 

3. MFW takes a hands-on approach to learning. The curriculum packs are loaded with engaging manipulatives and activities for exploring all the subjects. Adelle and Jonathan both are having fun learning this way. 

Sorting and Classifying

4. MFW provides curriculum for preschool through high school. MFW begins with a learning unit for toddlers and preschoolers and advances to kindergarten through high school. Everything I will need for each grade level is provided.  One stop shopping. I like that. 

I think it's safe to say that we will probably stick with this curriculum for a long time.  

Transition Time

Lunch outside

We moved into our house about a month ago. We are lacking, lacking, lacking organization at this point. We don't even have a house phone yet let alone internet access. Therefore, I haven't been able to keep up with blog posts here. I promise that once we get settled, I will start blogging again. Until then, just know that we are moving forward with our home studies and the house is getting in order at turtle pace.  

Enjoy the pictures to highlight what we've been doing behind the scenes. 

Watching a worm in the dirt.

Handwriting, handwriting.
Jonathan actually enjoys his paper work.

Life skills.

Learning to put shirts on the hanger. 

They got to help paint their bedrooms. 

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma

More to come soon!