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My husband and I sat in a huge room while we watched this older lady greet tearful mother after tearful mother. She gave hugs and nodded her head understandingly. She doled out advice, and seemed to genuinely empathize with those to whom she spoke. In fact, she was so empathetic to all those who came up to her, that she started the talk we were waiting for about ten minutes late with the apology: “I’m sorry. Sometimes we all just need someone who has been there and done that.” Exactly. I was there because I needed to hear from someone … Continue reading
If you haven’t heard of Sue Patrick’s workbox system, you are seriously missing out on something. The system is essentially an organizational tool to help you get through your day and organize your time and subjects better. So simple is it, that many people who read the book, or see it done think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” How Workboxing Works: The General Idea The idea is that you have clear shoeboxes and you divide your child’s time up into these “workboxes”. The system is very visual, and so the child moves from one workboxing session to the next. … Continue reading
I’ve just recently begun my study of our family’s history. Truthfully, it’s my husband’s family history I’m tracing rather than my own–but it doesn’t matter to me. I find myself fascinated by the stories woven throughout our family timeline and to think that I’m a part of all that. Of course my job is made easier because my husband’s side of the family actually keeps family records of every marriage, birth death and major life event. We have them all the way from the first arrival at Ellis Island. A Little Bit of Amish As it turns out, my mother … Continue reading
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars tracing your family genealogy. Thanks to the handy dandy internet, and of course libraries, you can find out most of what you need for free. Free genealogy sites abound. All you need is a lot of time and some information about your past and you can find out all you need to know about your family history. Here are a few fascinating and free genealogy websites where you can trace your ancestors: Ellis Island Ellis Island has gone digital. I remember a few years ago, visiting Ellis Island and looking for my … Continue reading
This is part of a series. . .if you missed the first two blogs you may want to go back and read part one and part two. Realizing My Skill as THE Homeschool Teacher I’m not a math dummy. I actually feel pretty confident that with the right curriculum I can get my kids through Calculus. I never anticipated having to think about what to do after Calculus. But here I am, teaching a 7 year old, and wondering where to go after Calculus in a few years. I’m not THE ultimate homeschool teacher. . .but I’ve realized that I … Continue reading
A big thanks to Andrea for letting me share our adventures with Alex over the past year or so. In case you’re just joining us. . .Alex is our son and he is a little bit smart. This is part 2 of a series about choosing curriculum for him. I hope you find it helpful if you’re just starting to navigate the road of homeschooling a gifted child. Mom Panics I left our story last by describing the first leg of our journey–where I panicked. Last year, Alex flew through three whole grade levels of curriculum. But it was the … Continue reading
A big thanks to Andrea for inviting me to share in the adventures of homeschooling our kids who have grown a bit since the last time I wrote. The last time I wrote, I had two children that I was homeschooling full time. Now I have three full time and two part time–Lizzy who is in 4th grade, Alex who is in 2nd, Meghan who is in K and the twins who are so insistent that they too be homeschooled that despite my reservations about preschool, they too get some “school time.” (Don’t worry folks, just reading out loud and … Continue reading
The other day Pattie wrote an article asking (or really telling us) that there are Christians on both sides of the fence and being liberal or conservative doesn’t a Christian make. What has ensued is an interesting conversations therein in her comments section. I’m actually going to address her article in two parts. However, the right to life debate is often at the forefront of election debates and it is, arguably one of the first things many conservative Christians want to know when choosing a candidate. Dare I say it? Many of you conservative Christians out there vote based on … Continue reading
I just received word yesterday from Dale’s dear husband, that she has fallen and broken her elbow. She will be spending time recuperating from the surgery she needed and will be off of the computer and keyboard for awhile. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dale and we wish her a speedy recovery!