Moving on...

We're moving back to our family blog so keep reading at These Are The Days (click here)

Preparing for a new school year...

Last year in preparing for my first year of homeschooling, I read one of many books called The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. In it she suggest having a binder system which I loved. Keeping things organized in binders helped us not only stay organized but also helped us see that we were accomplishing more than we thought. Sometimes with homeschool, you start feeling like you're not getting enough done, when really you are. I would often get behind in my filing of their school work and start feeling that way. It also gives them a great sense of accomplishment and serves as a scrapbook/memory book for years to come.

All you need...

- 4 " binders w/ inside pockets

- 1 1/2" binders

- sheet protectors for photos and important stuff

- tabs

I labeled the binders like so...

- Jaxon's 4th Grade Science
- Jaxon's 4th Grade History
- Jaxon's 4th Grade Language
- Jaxon's Math (smaller binder)
- Field Trips '08/'09

Next, I labeled the tabs like so...
Science (human body, plants, weather, animals)
History ( Ancient 5000 B.C.-400 A.D., Medieval/Early Renaissance 400-1600, Late Renaissance/Early M. 1600-1850, Modern 1830-Present)
Language (spelling, grammar, reading, writing, memory)


Pretty basic system, but I hope this helps someone out there. I think when you're new to homeschooling, you just want someone to show you exactly how to do it. We all have to find what works for us, but I liked that in The Well Trained Mind, we're given a well organized starting point.

I think I'm going to do this (on a smaller scale) for my boys school work this year. They are trying out the new charter school nearby, but they always need a place to put the stuff they want to keep. Right now I still have a file cabinet full of things from clear back in preschool.I guess I'll get them organized into scrapbooks. They love getting it out and reminiscing.

Let Freedom Ring 2009

"The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either." Benjamin Franklin.

Kade waiting anxiously for his guests to arrive.

In honor of Independence Day, the kids and I threw a Let Freedom Ring bash. It was great fun, I was exhausted afterward, but it was SO worth it. The boys had several friends come (though it's hard to catch people who aren't away on vacation this time of year). Kade let me know at 5:00 a.m. that it was only 6 more hours until the party.




Each boy was given an assigned person/topic to tell us about. Jaxon discussed the Revolutionary War.
Kade (and Sophia LOL) told us all about George Washington, others were Betsy Ross, Thomas Jefferson, the Statue of Liberty and Benjamin Franklin.

Mother of the year...just kidding but the boys did tell me several times today that I was "The best mom in the entire world".

We barbecued hot dogs, watched a short cartoon DVD about George Washington and the Revolutionary War. Busted open a pinata, and probably their favorite was their reenactment of the Revolutionary War (Nerf gun version).

It was SO hot, next year it will be a water party for sure!!
Craft gone bad! I'm so glad I made one of these first. The 'special glue' I bought for this was the worst stuff ever. It stuck to my hands and everything else, yet didn't hold very well or dry quickly...kids had to take them home to do them.
I thought 3 hours might be too long, but it was such a blast, it flew by. Thanks to everyone who came!

Products of homeschool...

For all of you who think homeschoolers are weird, antisocial freaks, who couldn't possibly know how to function in society...think again! I've mentioned several times that my sister in Texas has homeschooled all 4 of her kids. It started when her husband Jason got accepted to medical school in Philadelphia. They didn't like the idea of sending Anthony to the local public school so they kept him home. Jason was also in the military, so through the years they did a lot of moving, which made homeschooling even more beneficial to them. The two oldest are now 'leaving the nest' so I'd like to introduce you to them. This is her oldest Anthony (19). He is leaving tomorrow to serve a 2 year LDS (Mormon) mission in Birmingham, England. He is honestly one of the nicest boys men I've ever met, and is multi talented. Anthony writes amazing music, lyrics and plays the piano, guitar, and harmonica. He's also the lead singer for the band Glass Classic. Goodbye Anthony, I know you'll be a fabulous missionary, I can't wait to hear all about your adventure!

This is Sydney the second oldest (17). She's been accepted to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and will be heading off to school in August. She's not only beautiful and super sweet but also multi talented. Sydney plays piano, guitar, violin, and sings in 'the band'. She's also great at sports. Have fun at BYU Sydney, I know you'll do awesome!

They both began attending the local community college at a young age and are very hard working, holding several jobs at once. Need I say more?

Way to go Amie and Jason, you did good. I don't know what you'll do without them!?!

6 Month Purge - TJED Style

My family and close friends can tell you there are 5 things that will make me grumpy every time. The one I'm talking about today is clutter. I'm working my way around the house, getting side tracked left and right with my eye on the ball, letting nothing get in my way. Today I worked on the garage and my closet. I cannot believe how much space I found. It turns out I don't need to move Kimball's clothes to the guest room after all.
Oh, if only you'd have seen it before. Just imagine a stick of dynomite exploding in there.

By organizing and labeling my bins (which I had put off for 2 years!) I save loads of time. I also moved related items on the shelf next to them, which keeps me from zig zagging all over the closet and bedroom just to get dressed (brilliant I know). Notice the flip flops next to the swimming suit bin? The running shoes next to the workout bin? I also organized my hanging clothes by color, (which I thought was only for those with O.C.D.) but realized it saves tons of time when deciding what to wear and helps me know what I have. You'll either realize you can get rid of half the stuff or that you really don't need another black pencil skirt.

I didn't bother organizing by color for Kimball because he'd have it undone before I could even take the picture.

I also recommend using hanging shoe racks, they save so much space, unless you have $450 Jimmy Choo's which I don't nor ever will!!

Why am I telling you all this? Doing a purge of our unused & excess items every six months is taught in one of my favorite parenting/homeschooling books Leadership Education by Oliver & Rachel DeMille, also author of A Thomas Jefferson Education. I borrowed the book when I read it or I'd quote it more accurately, but they say purging and organizing helps us simplify, prioritize, and use our time wisely. A cluttered home is no place for learning. By sorting through our clothes, books, toys and misc. belongings every six months, we also model charity and sacrifice. If the kids haven't played with a toy for a while, either box it up (getting it out in a few months, to which they'll feel like it's new all over again), or give it to the Goodwill. This is also important with our books. They say something to the effect that one can have 1,000 popular reads on a shelf, or a shelf with 10 classics and the second is of much greater worth. We should keep only books that are of the highest quality that teach morals and build character and can be read a number of times, always learning something new. Classics aren't just novels, a book on finance, gardening or parenting can be a classic so long as it meets the standards mentioned.

A 6 month purge is like a diet for your brain, you instantly feel thinner!

Land of the free...

With Independence Day approaching, we have been reading a lot of books about America and the key people who founded this nation. The boys are loving it and can't get enough. I'm so glad the library had such a HUGE selection of patriotic books for both young and old. Jaxon and Kade are hosting their First Annual Let Freedom Ring Party this week, we'll post more about that later...they can hardly wait! If you haven't checked your local library for fun books about how our country came to be, check it out. Our library had a wall display that I pretty much wiped out (well kinda, sorta).

Peach jam, it isn't rocket science...

or is it? The other day I canned 6 quarts of peaches & made 18 jars of jam. It was the

l o n g e s t day ever!! It's delicious, and to quote Kade "It's love in a jar", so if you are one of the lucky people who gets a jar of jam and a loaf of hot bread this winter, know that you are loved. I need to get back in the kitchen and make some bread to go with it, but my feet still hurt. Note to self: Never commit to a full day in the kitchen when you have a 2 year old, Dennis the Menace on the loose. Never. Ever. Ever.

Now for the rocket science part...my sister Jackie was in town last week and gave the kids gift cards to Barnes & Noble. Kade bought an astronaut book that came with a rocket. He and Jax were so excited to launch it. They had a blast (no pun intended) and it ignited a spark for Kade, now he wants to learn all about astronomy, so today we went to the library and he checked out some more space books.

No Kade didn't just have his wisdom teeth out, it's food. This wouldn't be the first picture like it.


I'm not sure who had more fun with it...the boys or Kimball.

some good things never last...

like sugar cookies,
long summer days,
and childhood innocence.
time flies.

St. George, Utah

Photo by Sam Pierson

My nephew Max got married in the St. George temple yesterday. We decided last minute to make the 7 1/2 hour trip, and we're so glad we did. It was beautiful and there was such a peaceful, joyful feeling in the temple. Max and Kourtney were so excited and looked so happy together. It was great to see some of my family for a few hours. Our trip was short (one day and night) but sweet. The little boys were SO excited to play see their cousins, even if only for a few hours!

There is the coolest park next to the Mormon tabernacle. It's such a beautiful area. There's a splash pad, little foot bath river and some water falls. They had so much fun getting wet after waiting for us in the hot sun at the temple. This is Sophia with her cousin McKenna. Sophia followed McKenna around, copying everything she did.
When we made the move from Salt Lake City 9 years ago, we contemplated moving to St. George since it's also hot but ultimately we chose Phoenix for the job opportunities. I wish we'd chosen St. George, the red rock mountains are breathtaking and it's so much closer to family. I'm working on convincing Kimball of moving but I doubt it will ever happen. I miss my family SO much, it's worth a try.

Looking back...

First let me start by saying I'm no pro, I still have a lot to learn. For anyone preparing to embark on your first year, you're probably surfing the Internet for any advice you can get your hands on, so here's my 2 cents.

- Give your kids time to detox from the conveyor belt style schooling. Don't jump into workbooks, worksheets and memorization, have several days if not weeks of fun. Go on field trips, take nature walks, do art projects, read great books together, just for the fun of it.

- It's tempting to try and recreate public school at home because it's all most of us know. If kids are excited about being home schooled, only to find out the first week it feels just like public school but without their friends...they'll be very disappointed. Make it a cozy environment and don't forget the hugs.

- Before starting your school year (summer's a great time to start), get a routine going. Teach them to do chores. A chaotic environment is no place for learning, and with all your new responsibilities, you'll need the extra help around the house. Learning to take care of their things is a great lesson, and kids enjoy the sense of accomplishment.

- Don't set your schedule/calendar in stone. Allow room for life to happen. Your kids will be learning so much by being with you all day and having so much one on one help, a few sick days aren't going to hurt. Remember, one of the beauties of home school is flexibility.

- Having said that...It's OK to say "no". Your new priority is your kids education. You aren't Wonder Woman, and people need to know you aren't available for luncheons, babysitting and constant interruptions. Of course service is important, and you don't want to be a hermit, but choose carefully what you put on your plate.

- If possible, borrow curriculum before you buy it. If you're a member of a home school group, ask if anyone has the books you're interested in. After looking at it, you may decide it's not for you. Curriculum isn't cheap and it's easy to get carried away at first.

- Be selective how many sports, music lesson & clubs you allow your kids to join. You want them to build friendships and be well rounded, but kids need to be kids. Over scheduling only leads to burn out and frustration for the whole family. It's much harder to tell them no once they've fallen in love with it and made friends. Choose wisely, especially in the elementary years. There's no need for children to be competitive swimmers, concert pianists AND black belts by the time they're 12!

- Bulk cooking can be a life saver. Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam is queen of how to home school and still feed your family quick, delicious and inexpensive dinners. If you're cooking up a pound of meat, why not cook 5 pounds? Divide it up in zip lock bags, season it (Italian, Taco, or whatever) and freeze it. Then all you have to do is defrost it and you've got the most time consuming part taken care of. If you have a spare freezer you can bulk cook many different things, cookies, french toast, bread, muffins, you name it.

- Take care of yourself! Make workouts and healthy living a priority. Also, don't forget the 'me time'. You're kids need a break from you just as much as you need a break from them. Take a bubble bath, read a book, go running...just do something every day. I learned the hard way and now I'm spending the summer trying to shed my winter weight. Home school can be stressful and exhausting at times, daily exercise helps regulate your weight AND your sanity.

- Homeschooling can be isolating. Make sure you nurture existing friendships and try to make new ones, whether it's a mom's club, book club, home school group, or online friends. Having other people (besides our poor husbands) to bounce ideas and concerns off is a must.

- Brace yourself! Homeschooling is great, but it's a big adjustment at first. Your house will be messier, you'll have less time for your friends, your spouse, and yourself. It may take several months to get into your groove. Starting the day with personal prayer and scripture study helped me have more patience and a clearer vision of my children's needs.

I could keep going but I won't. Good luck on your new and exciting journey!

Wide open spaces...

A view from my morning run.

I love the scenic route

the wide, open spaces

where the corn is tall and green,

swaying in the warm, summer breeze.

What we're up to this week...

Mom School: Finishing The Little House On The Prairie, Scripture Stories - The Final Nephite Battle (Mormon 1-8), Latin Lessons - Prima Latina

Jaxon: Finished The Work & The Glory (vol. 4 ) and started (vol. 5), lots of Saxon math assignments, grammar, spelling, and history channel galore!

Kade: Is finishing up The Magic Tree House books & Young Reader's Bible Stories, Saxon math and finishing up his spelling book, getting a second opinion on his tongue rather than having an MRI just yet.

Sophia: Potty training, canon balls, mischief!

Jessica: Reading The 5,000 Year Leap, Peace Like A River, fulfilling my life long dream of being a lunch lady...(serving lunch in the temple cafeteria for an afternoon), daily 4 mile runs (or walks), reading Bible (book of Luke), Doctrine & Covenants, making jewelry and baking bread.

PE: Swimming, walks, playing at the park, lots of martial arts, and summer parties.

Sophia has been showing signs that's she's ready to ditch the diaper scene. For the last month or so, she tells us when she needs to be changed. The other day she attempted to change her own poopy during her nap time. It wasn't pretty!! So I pulled out the potty and I guess this is what we'll be doing for the next little while. If anyone has any good potty training advice, let's here it. With my boys, I just waited until they were ready and it wasn't too bad. Sophia seems to think this is a toy, so I'll probably disassemble it and attach it to the real toilet, it's easier on me that way too. Wish us luck!

Survivor...

We did it...we survived our first year of homeschool! I'm no longer the "Newbie". I can't believe how fast it went and how much I enjoyed it. Sure there were days (though not too many) when I thought "Gee, it would be nice to have the day to myself." But those thoughts were always replaced with warm hugs, new discoveries, and awesome memories. I am so grateful for this last year, it was a lot of work but so rewarding! The kids aren't the only ones being educated, I've learned so much this year, it's been an incredible journey.

Our favorite subject by far was history. The boys really loved learning about Egypt and Ancient Rome. I cannot wait to travel there someday. Our next favorite was read aloud time each morning. Reading great classics, all snuggled up on the couch...my heart melts just thinking about it. We mastered many poems by Robert Luis Stevenson and some scripture verses. It's amazing how easy memorization is for kids. They improved their reading and writing skills by leaps and bounds and both have a true love for writing stories and poems. We did some fun art projects and science experiments, and went on some great field trips. With math being our least favorite subject, we still have a few weeks before we finish up. I am determined to make math more fun next year, and focus more on service.

Jaxon and Kade have always been close, but this year they bonded even more. It's nice that Kade no longer has to say his favorite part of the school day is the 5 minutes when he sees Jaxon at lunch recess. The boys also had a lot more time to play with friends, and enjoy being kids.

I've heard the first year is always the hardest, so I'm glad to have it under my belt. With Sophia becoming more independent, it's sure to get easier. I'm very anxious to plan for next year, but for a few weeks I'm enjoying the down time, and the kids are having a blast doing canon balls in the pool.

Here are a few pictures from Havasupai Falls. Thankfully Kimball survived the 10 mile hike out of there and had a great time with the young men. We were very glad to have him home.

A flash flood came through not too long ago and wiped out part of the rock, make the waterfall shorter, but also creating a few new ones.

Lucky...

Kimball's a lucky dog this weekend. He's with the young men hiking to Havasupai Falls. It's a breathtaking place near the Grand Canyon.
I worry about Kimball because it's a 9 mile hike each way, and though he's in good shape, his knee is still needing another surgery...bad! He will be helicoptering in since he couldn't go the day they left however, he has to hike out because there are no helicopters on that particular day.

Why do men get to have all the fun?

Lounge lizards...

This week was awesome, we lounged around lazily reading, playing, and whatever the heck we wanted. It felt like a good time to ease up for a few days, and sometimes you just need to go with that feeling.

Kade had fun at his new play group, he also had a doctor appointment for a strange lump on his tongue. The doctor wants an MRI of it, so we'll see how that goes. I read a great book called My Sister's Keeper, and started The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. I also went on peaceful, long walks each morning. I decided summer would be perfect for me to take a little more time out for myself. I love summer mornings in Arizona!

Friday night, Jaxon received his purple belt in mixed martial arts. He was very happy but learned a tough lesson. He had to perform at the graduation and had a really hard time remembering what came next. He was really wanting to impress his best friend who had come to watch. I felt so bad for him, his eyes were teary and he was so mad at himself for not practicing. I remember back in my cheerleading & drill team days, how awful it felt to be unprepared. Kimball and I are hoping next time he'll take our advice and practice. I was holding off on this post because I'm waiting for a guy to send me better pictures of the graduation. I'll just post what I have for now and add the good ones later.

This is Ryan, Jaxon's fellow class mate. He is much bigger than Jaxon and is also on the elite team, meaning he goes 4x a week rather than 2x. Jaxon is always matched up with him because he's the closest in size/ability. It's pretty cool that Jaxon manages to beat him once in a while...he may be small but he's super aggressive!

Sophia is "Little Miss Independent" and has to help in any way she can. It's SO cute. She seriously just goes around looking for ways to help. If you're tying your shoes, she's right their tightening the laces. If you're putting on your socks, she's tugging on them too. She insists on being the one to hold the sippy cup as we fill it with milk, and gets great satisfaction out of it. I just love watching her grow. Unfortunately yesterday, Sophia had some bad luck. She stepped on another bee and got stung, she ran into our patio furniture and got a black eye, and she hit her forehead on our lazy boy and got a purple goose egg. Poor girl. We made it all better by taking her swimming.

As for our summer schedule, we'll just be finishing up math books (for a few more weeks), doing lots of free reading, going on some fun field trips, knocking out scouting, playing with friends and cousins, and a whole bunch of swimming. We'll still be doing devotional each morning, a. because I think it's important to stay on a routine, and #2 because it helps keep the Spirit in our home. I will be attending the local home school conference, preparing for our next school year, I've always wanted to make lots of homemade bread, so I'll be perfecting my bread making skills and learning how to use my sewing machine.

BTW, I love getting all your emails with home school questions. It's great to see so many of you are going to take the plunge. It's worth it I promise!!

Color Me Happy!

Today has been the best Memorial Day EVER! For those of you who have been following this blog for a while, you know I love me some John McCain. When John McCain lost the presidential election, I mentioned at least now maybe I'd have a better chance at meeting him. This morning we had the opportunity to hear him speak at the Arizona National Memorial Cemetery in Cave Creek, Arizona.

There was a military fly over, and color guard, among many other tributes.

Above are two Pearl Harbour Survivors...little cuties.

I honestly can't think of anyone I'd rather meet in person as much as him...no, not even Kurt Warner, (though he's a very close second). His speech was fabulous, the weather was gorgeous, the kids behaved awesome, and my sweetie pie basically took one for the team. He drove us there safely and on time, he then stayed behind with the stroller & Sophia while I grabbed the boys by the hands and made our way to the very front row! It wasn't pretty, or fair, but the way I see it, those "older folks" have probably had many chances in their lifetime. If not, that's OK too, we sat on the ground as not to block their view.

The boys sat in the hot sun without any water (my bad, it was with Kimball) for almost 2 hours. Actually, they were almost as excited as me.

There's my little Kade next to McCain. It was hard to take pictures because I was RIGHT in front of him, being pushed and shoved. All the elderly people wanted to reminisce about the old days. It was pretty funny.

Jaxon had hoped he'd get to meet Senator McCain, but I didn't want to get his hopes up (or mine), so I had told him probably not...this was a sweet surprise.

Who wants a signature? I just wanted to shake his hand!! I never dreamed in a million years I'd get to a.) hear him speak, b.) sit close enough to see him (without my glasses), or c.) shake his hand (TWICE) and rub his bicep (have I said too much)?

There was a gun salute, patriotic music and a releasing of the doves.

It was an emotional morning, listening to the speeches, seeing the families who have lost their loved ones, and the graves of those who gave their lives for our our country.

If for some lame reason you haven't read McCain's book Faith Of Our Fathers you really should, it was life changing for me. To read my review, just click on the Goodreads sidebar.

I was amazed by all the vets, and motorcyclists all decked out in their flag gear. There were hundreds of motor cycles lined up all along the roads leading up to and into the cemetery...it was super cool.

As a kid, I didn't like making the rounds to all the cemetery's. My parents would stuff the trunk with flowers, stopping at all the various relatives graves. I'm super tender hearted, and it honestly made me too sad, (though I never told them that). I realize now, that's no excuse. I'm grateful they were good examples to me and I hope to pass it on to my children.

My sister Jackie had the great idea to get a hand print from the boys and frame it, saying "this hand shook John McCain's". It's brilliant considering they didn't want to wash their hands ever again. I am still giddy about all of this. I think I'll stop now. Amen.

Weekend getaway...

Royal Palms Resort

Kimball and I have been needing some alone time, so with the great deals offered at the local resorts, we thought now we be a good time. We've spent the last few days at the Royal Palms Resort in Scottsdale, located up against Camelback Mountain. The first night we brought the kids with, for lack of a baby sitter, then last night our sitter watched them at home just 40 minutes away. We are lucky to live by so many incredible resorts here in Arizona. I love being surrounded by all the lush greenery, exotic plants and the stunning architecture. I absolutely love it's Spanish-Mediterranean style and never want to leave.

I don't know what it is but we seem to have bad luck when it comes to weather and vacations. I can count 5 times we've gone to resorts or on vacations and been rained out. You'd think I'd remember to check the forecast before making plans but living here in Arizona, it's sunny 300 days a year and you forget that it could be anything other than hot. So despite the 109 degree weather we've had already, it managed to rain for the last 2 days. Oh well, it's been kind of nice having the cold weather (88 degrees) for a change.

You can see how wet they are from the rain.

Jaxon and Kade really liked the hot tub.

Sophia was kind of a little "beast". She is trying to be so independent, she hollers at anyone that comes near her, but whines and cries if she wants you. I can't wait until she starts talking better!!

Here's my favorite part of our room...I've always wanted a bath like this.

They had fabulous service, and thought of everything before we realized we even needed it. The only thing I would say is if you have kids, it would be wiser to choose a resort that is better known for their pool and kid friendly atmosphere, like The Buttes or Point at South Mountain. Our kids had a great time and there were a few other kids there, but only a few. It also would have been nice if we didn't have to do the valet parking every time we left and came back. Tipping really ads up and it wasn't a situation where we could have just parked our own car. I guess that should be expected at a 5 star resort, we are just armatures. We tried to save money by not eating at the resort, instead we went to local restaurants (though still not very cheap). The only meal we had there was a Saturday morning brunch at the pool that was really good. Our room had a king size bed and a sitting room with a pull out sofa. The boys slept on the sofa, and we brought a sleeping bag for Sophia to sleep on for the night they were there. It was a little embarrassing when the bell hop gave Kimball a funny look when unloading the car and asked if he was supposed to bring the sleeping bag! We had a few good laughs about that and the fact that our car was pretty dirty. :)

Rain and all, it was a short but totally fun vacation (or staycation as Kade calls it).

Wednesday

Mom School
Prayer, pledge...
Gospel: Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi ch. 15
Read Aloud: Little House On The Prairie ch. 21

Jaxon
Copy work: (cursive) 3 Nephi 13:19-21
Math: Saxon 5/4 lessons 93 & 94
Assigned Read: The Work & The Glory vol. 2
PE: Swim lesson

Kade
Copy Work: 3 Nephi 13:14 & 21
Spelling: Workout B, lesson
PE: Swim lesson
Assigned Read: Young Reader's Bible Stories
Art: Of course he had to draw pictures of the things we learned about in the scriptures and from our read aloud.
Free Read: Come Out Come Out, Dream Hop, and Don't Mention Pirates

Jessica - Ways I'm showing a love of learning in the home...
Gospel: Listened to 2 LDS conference talks, read Bible Luke 7, Doctrine & Covenants section 12
Read: The Secrets of Happily Married Women
Writing: Practiced my cursive by writing a letter to my nephew who just left for a mission in Brazil.
He is such a great guy (19 years old) and I know he'll do an awesome job serving our Heavenly Father for the next 2 years. Love you Jordan!!

I'm fully aware that I haven't worked out since Saturday...I'm feeling like I can again tomorrow. I had pulled a muscle (old injury from February) again and am waiting for it to get better so I don't keep re injuring it.

This morning, in addition to our usual chores, we also cleaned up the back yard, and organized the toy room. I am really impressed with the boys work ethic and the attention they pay to detail. I'm not saying they are perfect, but they are a big help to me. Any mom who doesn't take the time to show kids how to properly clean and do chores (I used to be one of them), is crazy! It's so much easier with some help, AND they really do like the sense of accomplishment.

Tuesday - Is it Friday yet?

Mom School
Prayer, pledge...
Gospel: Book of Mormon 3 Nephi ch. 14
Read Aloud: The Little House On The Prairie

Jaxon
Math: Saxon Inv. 9, Test #17
Assigned Reading: The Work & The Glory vol. 2
Free Reading: Wiley & Grandpa's Creature Features, Sideways Stories From Wayside Schools


Kade
Math: Math manipulative's (1 hour)
Assigned Read: Young Reader's Bible Stories
Free Read: Don't Wake Up The Bear, K Is For Kissing A Kook Kangaroo, Baboon Book
Art: Drawing pictures for Jaxon's book

Jessica
Gospel: Doctrine & Covenants section 11, Bible Luke ch. 7
Audio: Talk by John Taylor Gatto (The Seven-Lesson School Teacher) fabulous!!!
Reading: Water For Elephants, I also just checked out The Centurion's Wife and The Secrets of Happily Married Women.

The kids and I took a trip to the library. Even though we go once or twice per week, I can't seem to keep enough books in the house for them. I guess that's a good problem to have!?! Our requested DVD finally came in My Girl. I've always loved that movie and when we were learning about bees, I thought of it...I know, kind of a strange pick but oh well. I knew they'd enjoy it. It's another sad one. Kade has always been kind of afraid of death, he's always asking questions about it, so it gave us a chance to talk about that as well.

Father & Son Campout

Kimball took the boys to the annual Father/Son Campout w/ our church members this week. They had a great time, and Sophia and I had a relaxing time at home. The highlights of their trip were playing with a snake they found and the canoe rides on the lake. The boys said they were super cold that night, Jaxon said his teeth were chattering and of course I had to ask if Kimball snuggled them to keep them warm...men just don't think like women. It's so dang hot down here, you just don't realize how cold it can still get in the mountains at night. I'm always relieved when they make it back home safely. They are lucky to have a dad who takes them and makes it fun for them each year. We are planning a family camping trip at this very moment. I love being outdoors, but I don't mind lying by the pool with a Pina Colada either, not sure which one to choose. I'm itching for a get away with my husband too, so it may just be the two of us.

The school year is winding down, there's so much I still want to cover/learn/teach this year, but I'm also feeling like a little break would do us all good. We will work through June but with a lighter schedule, then take all of July off. I guess we'll play it by ear.

It's been a fun and pretty relaxing weekend. Jaxon's book group had their second meeting, they discussed the book Holes. They all liked it a lot and seem to be enjoying their club. It's fun to see such a great group of boys get excited about reading. I can't tell you how opposite that is from my childhood. I can't remember ever reading a book...seriously! I can't even name any that I actually read in high school. I know of some I dabbled in, but I doubt I ever finished any. I didn't get into reading until I was about 24. It's pretty sad really, I think that's probably why I'm so eager to learn now, to make up for lost time.

We didn't do much school work today other than a lot of math for both boys, swimming lessons and reading. Jaxon did work on writing his book quite a bit & he read the entire book The Fire Within. I have a pulled muscle that is killing...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Hopefully I'll get off my tush more tomorrow.

Friday - Titanic

Mom School
Devotional: pledge, prayer, read Book of Mormon 3 Nephi ch.13
Read Aloud: The Little House on the Prairie ch. 19
History: Learned about the titanic, also watched a movie about it called A Night To Remember. Science/Nature: Learned about the Rain Forest

Jaxon
Math: Corrected errors on several assignments
Assigned Read: Work & The Glory vol. 2
Free Read: ?? not sure
Writing: Wrote a great poem on the Titanic
PE: Swim lesson

Kade
Math: Played the Allowance Game w/ mom
Assigned Read: Young Reader's Bible Stories
Free Read: Hour of the Olympics
Copy work: Titanic Poem
Spelling: Written spelling test
Art: Pencil drawing of the Titanic sinking
PE: Swim lesson

Today was a hectic day...it was so hard keeping the boys focused (except for when we learned about the Titanic) because they were anxious to go on the Father's & Son's camp out. Each year, our church has a camp out for all the father's and son's. They look forward to it all year. I was sad to get left behind, but the peace and quiet has been a nice break. Sophia seems to have enjoyed the one on one time too. She's been a ball of energy, but content to just play on her own. Learning about the Titanic was very interesting. We enjoyed it very much but we all thought it was extremely sad. The most upsetting thing is that it could have been prevented. There were so many mistakes made!

Thursday - Kade's Book Club

Mom School

Devotional: Pledge, prayer, Book of Mormon 3 Nephi ch.12

Read Aloud: Little House on The Prairie ch. 18

Social: Kade's Book Club (they discussed The Magic Tree House Book #1 and talked about dinosaurs, tried measuring one in the back yard and made their own paper Dino's out of paper plates, then ate lunch).

Jaxon

Math: Saxon Math 5/4 Retake test #16

Grammar:Building With Diligence lesson 13&14

Assigned Read: 4 chapters The Work & the Glory vol. 2

Free Read: Magic Tree House books & Artemus Fowl

Writing: Spent time working on his book Kid Wars (30 min.)

Geography: Quiz on states locations & abbreviations.

Kade

Math: Saxon 1, lesson 116, online math games.

Free Read: Tonight on the Titanic, Vacation Under the Volcano

Copy Work: 3 Nephi 32:3

Assigned Read: Young Reader's Bible Stories, 1 chapter

Spelling: Write list words 3 times each, spelling test

Jessica

Literature: The Well-Trained Mind, The Chosen

Gospel: Read the Bible Luke 6, read Doctrine & Covenants section 10, watched a conference talk by Dallin H. Oaks

Today's sparks: Kade asked if he could learn more about the Titanic, because of his reading The Magic Tree House book. He drew some pictures about it and rattled off the few facts that he read. We will learn more about that tomorrow during Mom School.

Wednesday - Family History

This is a quick lapbook we made. We aren't quite finished with it. Jaxon is still waiting for a few responses from his grandparents before he puts their responses on the back. He asked them things like, date of birth, birth place, # of siblings, what was happening in the world when they were born. He is really excited to read all their answers.

Mom School
Pledge, prayer...
Gospel:Book of Mormon 3 Nephi chapter 11, watched The Testaments DVD
Family History: Finished up the family tree lapbook. Jaxon sent questions to grandparents.
Read Aloud: The Little House On The Prairie

Jaxon
Math: Saxon 5/4 finish lesson
Writing: Journal entry/blog post
Assigned Read: Work & The Glory #2
Life Skills: Made family breakfast
Science: Life Science Unit 2 ch:7&8
PE: Swim lesson

Kade
Math: Saxon 1 lesson 115
Assigned Read: The Young Reader's Bible
Free Read: Afternoon on the Amazon, Dingos Before Dinner, Day of the Dragon King, Earthquake in the Early Morning & finished Buffalo Before Breakfast & Revolutionary War on Wednesday.
Spelling: Write each word in a sentence.
Art: Drew a picture about the destruction after the crucifixion (his idea).
PE: Swim lesson

Jessica
Exercise: Run/walk 3.1 miles 32:15 (slowly but surely)
Read:The Chosen, The Well-Educated Mind
Gospel:Luke 5
Math: Practiced w/ online math games.

Today's Sparks: During our read aloud, the Minnesota massacre was mentioned. Jaxon expressed his interest in learning more about it so he was given some time to learn about it on the Internet. Kade decided he wanted to have a heavy reading day, so for the first time ever, he spent a few solid hours reading The Magic Tree House books. He was SO pleased with himself. It's been fun to see how happy he gets when he hears something and then recognizes it from something he's read. Also, after watching the religious movie, he got very excited to go and draw a picture about it. I had other plans for his art today, but oh well.

The Dunes - May 12, 2009 (Tuesday)

Easter weekend, Kimball and the boys went to the sand dunes for a guys weekend. Kimball's uncle Johnny and Jaxon's best friends family the Freeman's own a bunch of quads and sand rails. They had such a blast, just look at these crazy pictures. I don't think they'll be going again now that I've seen the craziness first hand!! Kade got sick of the sand, and missed me so he broke down crying toward the end. He said, "it seems like we're never going to go home!" Poor guy, it was scary for him riding on these things and he tried to be tough but could only keep it in for so long. I think he needs to wait a few years before he goes again. He did however enjoy being the entertainment. From what I hear, he had them all rolling on the floor laughing their guts out. He was singing, dancing and carrying on...he's a crack up!

Mom School

Devotional: Prayer, pledge, Scripture Stories (Jesus Visits The Nephites)

Read Aloud: A Little House On The Prairie ch. 16

PE: Soccer Day

U.S. History: Ronald Reagan An American Legend - DVD, again I was completely in tears!! Loved that man, the world needs more like him.

Family History: Started a family tree lapbook, and Jaxon is reading our family history binders.

I'll post a picture of the lapbook tomorrow, along w/ a link for some templates.

Jaxon

Math: Saxon 5/4 Lesson 88

Assigned Read: The Work & The Glory vol. 2

Lots of play time with Kade and friends.

Kade

Math: Saxon 1, 2 pages

Spelling: Lesson 14 Book

Assigned Read: Book #1 The Magic Tree House.

Jessica

Read: Bible Luke 4, Doctrine & Covenants section 8, The Chosen,

Audio: Listened to a talk from a TJED conference (It was good, it helped remind me to look at the big picture. What do I want to accomplish? What's my life mission? It also encouraged me to put in the work necessary to accomplish these things.)

Today's Sparks: Kade got an invite to be in a book club with some of his friends today. They will be reading The Magic Tree House books. He was so excited when he heard, he got right on the phone & called Kimball to tell him the good news. Jaxon wants to learn more about the rain forest, I'm not sure why, but we'll go with it.

It was a very busy but fun day. The second DVD on Ronald Reagan was good too, not as good as the day before but still, great. We had a good time discussing family history and look forward going further with it.

I got feeling like we didn't get much accomplished as I had planned, but looking back we did quite a bit and the kids had a LOT of friend/play time. Everyday Jaxon likes to have a "to do" list. This morning he wrote that he wanted to score 2 goals at soccer. I'm happy to say he did! There's now several older, bigger kids who go. I guess his days of being the oldest and the best player on the "team" are gone. I thought he'd be bummed, but he wasn't. Instead, he told me how great one of the big kids was and seemed happy to have the new challenge...another advantage to home school groups.

Monday - Swimming

This is Allison the boys awesome swim teacher. Kade finally got his ear tubes out so for the first summer in forever, he doesn't have to wear plugs and a beautiful head strap. He was SO excited about this. The boys are making great progress in their swimming. Allison's mom Kim used to teach the boys when they were younger but then we moved farther out and I didn't want to make the drive. I decided this year it was worth it. I think they get more out of 3 weeks w/ the Neville's than they did all summer at the city pool. I just don't want to commit so much time to lessons again this year. I just wish I would have had Sophia take too. I thought she'd be too shy/chicken, but she wants to jump in so bad. Poor thing just has to sit on the step...it's torture!

Mom School
Pledge, pray...
Gospel: Book of Mormon (Helaman ch. 16), story from the Friend magazine.
Read Aloud: The Little House On The Prairie ch. 15
History: Final chapter of Story of the World vol. 1, & learned about Roman gods & Roman inventions.
Memory: First Presidency & Quorum of the 12 Apostles
Art: Pencil sketches of Visigoths invading Rome & colored a picture of a Visigoth warrior.
Science: Learned about Malaria

Jaxon
Math: Saxon 5/4 lesson 87 & 88
Science: ant & fly experiment...the effect cinnamon has on them vs. sugar (his idea).
Assigned Read: Work & The Glory vol. 2 (30 min.)
Free Read: Re-read some of the Magic Tree House books, Beyond The Dragon Portal (1 hour)
Writing: Wrote a blog post about Malaria & the fall of Ancient Rome.
PE: Swim lesson

Kade
Math: Count vacation $(change) and do different equations.
Assigned Read: Young Reader's Bible Stories
Free Read: Buffalo's Before Breakfast 2 chapters
Writing:
PE: Swim lesson

Jessica
Read: The Chosen, The Well-Educated Mind
Exercise: Run/walk 3.1 miles. 33:33 min.
Writing: Chapter Summary (The Chosen), journal & wrote letter to grandma Betty in cursive,
Gospel: Doctrine & Covenants ch. 6 &7, Bible Luke 4, 2 LDS General Conference talks (am I crazy, or were these talks written just for ME?)
Library: Picked up books on the 5 presidents we are studying and other misc. books. I watched a great DVD called Ronald Reagan A Legacy Remembered. It was fabulous, I was sobbing by the end. I really liked him, and think he is the best president our country has had (in my 32 year life), and definitely in the top 4! It's heartbreaking that he had to die of Alzheimer's, what a shame. It's also sad to me that his children had different beliefs and values (from what I gather), that must have tore him up inside. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. Ronald Reagan

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. Ronald Reagan

Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. Ronald Reagan

For more great Reagan quotes click HERE.

Today's sparks: As we were reading in The Little House On The Prairie, Jaxon showed interest in learning more about Malaria, how it's spread, how many die from it etc. We then studied it a bit on Wikipedia and so for part of his writing, he made a blog post about it. It was very interesting (though most of it I already knew), it's crazy to think it infects around 250 million and kills approximately 1 million annually. Jaxon also expressed interest in learning more about genealogy, so I'll try and tackle a little of that tomorrow.

BTW, here's a link to my friend Celeste's blog. It's addresses frequently asked questions we get.

Coming out of retirement...

We've had an awesome spring, the longest I remember. The only thing I can think of that has made the difference is that the kids are home this year so I'm no longer shuffling them back and forth and we have more time to enjoy it. It's the most memorable spring I can think of. We have been focused on school but I've taken a more Thomas Jefferson Education approach and I can't begin to tell you the difference it's made for us. I no longer worry about cramming it all in, getting everything done on my list or forcing them to learn exactly what I have planned. Instead, I have an idea of how I want the day to go, and then if I see them get excited about a particular thing, we go with it. In other words, we take more time on the things they are really interested in and don't worry if it's spilling over into our next subject.

We've quit the t.v. until after 4 and then it's on for only a half hour or so. I am trying much harder to model and inspire the things I'd like to see them do and when they see me getting eager about learning something they jump right on board. Sneaky? Maybe, but it works and to be honest, I AM eager to learn. I've enjoyed these past few months more than any others this year. I am increasing my knowledge and taking advantage of this great opportunity I have to learn right along with them.

I've received several emails and requests for invites to my blog (which was rather surprising to me). Now that I've got things figured out and I have a better sense of what purpose this blog will serve, I have decided to take my blog off of private mode. This way I can share our fun with you and show you just how fun and rewarding home schooling has been for us. To me, if you have something you LOVE and can't imagine life without, you want to share it. That's how we all feel now about home schooling. You may find this blog boring now that I won't be sharing a big variety of things like decorating, recipes etc., but if you are interested in home education or if you want to see updates on what we are doing, feel free to read along. I'll warn you though, this blog is now mostly just a place for record keeping, so it's rather dull.

To read more about the Thomas Jefferson Education method, click HERE or to hear some fabulous talks, click HERE. I'm still a huge fan of Susan Wise Bauer (author of The Well-Educated Mind) and I believe her classical method and Charlotte Mason's method all go hand in hand and I'm just finding my own balance between the three.

Mothers Day and Utah trip

This morning for Mothers Day, Jaxon went on my 5:30 a.m. walk with me. It's always nice having one of the boys come along. I don't mind them by myself too, but they are so cute and they really love the one on one time. When I returned, Kimball had made a delicious french toast and fruit breakfast for all of us. Then, Kade gave me the massage he had promised. Jaxon helped him out and before I knew it so did Sophia. I couldn't help but laugh my head off, they were so cute all pulling and pushing on me in every direction. I was exhausted from my 3 mile run yesterday. I have let myself get out of shape again so my muscles are on FIRE!!

It's so hard to keep a balanced life. I am focusing SO much on home school (and LOVING it) but I haven't left much time for workouts. I know they are necessary for me to feel good, be healthy and prevent me from having to replace my wardrobe. I've seriously gained 10 lbs. since August when I began home schooling. I was unhappy with my weight in August, so you can imagine how I'm feeling about it now. That's OK, I like a challenge and I have a few trips to Utah coming up so at least I have a goal to work toward.

I'm not sure if I mentioned my trip last week. I spent last weekend in Utah for Jeremy and Venessa's wedding. They sure are a cute couple, and they seem so happy. It's obvious he's madly in love with her. The temple ceremony was beautiful. It was my first time in the new Draper, Utah temple.

I grew up in Draper, playing in the very hills it was built on. It was kind of a happy/sad feeling. I still remember sledding, hiking and bird watching in those hills. I'm super happy to see the gorgeous temple against the beautiful mountains but sad because so much has changed there. Stores galore, homes flooding over the mountain into Alpine but one thing hasn't changed...the awesome Bluffdale prison across the freeway. It's always been creepy to drive by, and still is. I guess more sad than anything else. I once went there with our church group and spoke to some female inmates. It's so sad to see how our choices if bad even just once can end us up in a place like that. OK just call me Debbie Downer! Back to my story...

When I arrive at the SLC airport, my cute nieces Samantha and Carly were there along with my 3 nephews Jake, Max and Jordan. It was so great to see them but a little embarrassing because they surprised me and were waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator w/ a hot pink sign and a pirate balloon. You'll have to ask Max for the pirate balloon reasoning. :)

I stayed at Carly and TJ's house. Here are a few pictures of some of us Sunday morning before church.


Here's my super cute and SINGLE nephew Jake. He is playing the field, working his way up the corporate ladder and saving like it's no body's business. He is holding Carly's cute 20 month old Gavin.

This is my adorable niece Samantha. I still remember the day she was born, (kind of sad I'm that old)! Sam is a lacrosse coach at my old high school and makes fabulous bread at an extremely generous bakery.

This is Carly all spiffed up in her frilly new church dress, too bad I didn't get the heels in the shot, they are SO cute. She refinished this old rocking chair BTW, it was her husbands when he was a baby. Gavin is such a cutie, he doesn't come to me much but he sure is full of energy! He LOVES to gab and gab on the phone. I heard him talking to his Grandma Lisa one morning for seriously 20 minutes, just laughing and gabbing...he must have been telling her some jokes.

One of the days I was there, Sam, Carly and I headed up to Park City hoping to ride the Alpine Slide, but it was closed along with everything else. They even had the schools shut down due to the Swine Flu. A few people up there had contracted it and they weren't taking any chances. We had fun any way...looking in a few shops, eating chocolate and driving...a lot!! It was one of those days where nothing was going our way but we still had a blast.

I had been so nervous to leave the kids, I hadn't been without them FOREVER and I thought it would kill me but, it was rather nice not having to feed them, bath them etc. I only had to worry about myself and it was kind of nice for a change. I sure was excited to see them though and they were SO happy to see me too. Sophia kept saying "mom" and smiling at me while reaching her hand out to me the whole ride home.

Just for my every day record keeping, today's studies...
Reading: The Chosen, Doctrine & Covenants ch. 5, Bible Luke:3
Gospel: Listened to 6 LDS General Conference talks, & watched Scripture Stories DVDs with the kids.
Exercise: 2 mile nature walk w/ Jaxon
Genealogy: Family photo archiving/journaling

I just finished watching the finale of Celebrity Apprentice. It's been the one show I watch each week, my latest vice. I am SHOCKED that Joan Rivers won. I think she was a poor sport the entire show. Everybody knows her and Donald are good friends in real life so that's got to be why he did it. Not only was she a poor sport, but she quit half way through. I guess the show isn't about raising money, strategy, brains, dignity, work ethic or any of the things I thought it stood for. I think it's an embarrassment to the Trump name that she won, but what ever!! BTW, Annie if you're reading this, you rocked the game, you should have won! :)

One more thing...if Brett Favre signs w/ the Vikings, can you imagine what an exciting season that would be? Keep your fingers crossed!!!!! See I'm already getting side tracked from the purpose of this blog. I mean well, I really do.

May 9, 2009 (Saturday)

Mom School
Gospel: Book of Mormon Helaman ch 15,
Read Aloud: Two chapters of A Little House on The Prairie ch 13 & 14.
History: The Story of the World vol 1, ch:41 The Attacking Barbarians

Jaxon
Math: Saxon 5/4 lesson 86, 87 and corrections from 85, timed math drills for 86 & 87.
U.S. History: Review 5 U.S. Presidents (Reagan, Truman, Adams, Washington & Wilson Assigned Read: Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 30 min.
Geography: Review 50 states, locations and abreviations.

Kade
Math: Saxon 1, 3 pages
Assinged Read: The Young Reader's Bible Stories (2 chapters).
Writing: Luke 2 vs. 7
Free Read: Buffalo's Before Breakfast (15 min.)
PE: Swimming (1 1/2 hours)

Jessica
Read: 2 chapters The Well-Educated Mind, Doctrine & Covenants ch. 2-4, Bible Luke ch. 2
Writing: Wrote a review on The Chosen, read another chapter of The Chosen.
PE: Swimming, run/walk 3.1 mls. 37 min.
Family History: Archiving family photos

May 8, 2009 (Friday)

Moms School
Gospel: Prayer, Book of Mormon Helaman ch. 14

Jaxon & Kade
PE: Swim lesson
Math: Counted money, figured budget, savings, tithing, spending and made a purchase.

Jessica
Reading/writing: The Chosen (started reading again), vocabulary words, started chapter summary. Read chapter 1 of Doctrine & Covenants.

May 7, 2009 (Thursday)

Mom School
Gospel: Book of Mormon (Helaman finished ch. 13)

Jaxon
History: Studied 5 U.S. President's w/ Mom (Truman, Reagan, Wilson, Washington, Adams)(30 min.) & studied World War I (20 min.)
Math: Saxon 5/4 Test 16
Assigned Read: Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes
Free Read:
Vocabulary: communist
Life Skills: Cooked pancakes & grilled cheese sandwiches

Kade
Literature: Hans Christian Anderson Stories on tape
Math: Lesson 113
Free Read: Buffalo's Before Dark
Art: Pencil drawings
Spelling: written drill

Jessica
Literature: The Chosen (made list of vocab words), Bible (John 1), Doctrine and Covenants ch.1,watched Jane Eyre the movie. It wasn't nearly as good as the book, but it was fun because Kade wanted to watch it with me. :)
Gospel: Listened to a conference talk (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)It was great and I am inspired to make some changes in my life.
Finances: Family budget
Word of the day: transgression
This day in history: The Lucitania (British ship)sank in 1915.
Writing: Wrote a love letter to Jaxon in cursive.

I gave the kids lots of play time this morning after we worked hard together on our chores. They learned how to sort and fold socks and helped w/ several other tasks. Jaxon was rather tired from his busy day yesterday. I purchased a KitchenAid mixer and a sewing machine today so it will be fun to teach the kids how to sew and make bread. I found several Magic Tree House books for Kade today at the Goodwill, he is so excited.

May 6, 2009 (Wednesday)

Mom School
Gospel: Helaman 13 vs. 1-20
Read Aloud: Little House on The Prairie
History: Fun historical facts about Arizona
PE: Swim Lessons

Jaxon
Math: Saxon 5/4 Lesson 85 and made corrections to errors on lesson 84
Geography: Studied locations of 50 states and abbreviations.
History: Learning the past presidents of the U.S.
Science/Nature: Outdoors w/ insects
Reading:
Art: Scouts (clay sculpting and soap carving)
Additional PE: Martial Arts

Kade
Spelling: Spelling Workout B, Lesson 13
Math: Lesson 112 A & B
Handwriting: Auntie's Skirts by Robert Louis Stevenson
Free Reading: The Magic Tree House (Buffalo's Before Breakfast)
Assigned Reading: The Young Reader's Bible Stories (His Name Is John) Luke 1

Jessica
Reading: Finished The Chosen, The Book of Mormon, Bible
Geography: Kicked butt on a test...that's right, 100% on my states locations test and on the abbreviations!!, moving on to the capitals.
History: Study the past presidents of the U.S.

Cinco de Mayo (Tuesday)

Moms School
History: Battle of Cinco de Mayo, the history behind the celebration, bought Sophia a sombreros and ate Mexican food to celebrate.

Jaxon
Free Read: Read the entire book Holes today.
Math: Saxon lesson 84
PE: Oops, I screwed up and took them but it was the wrong day.
Science: Nature, bugs etc. Lots of fun outside collecting and such.
Art: Mythical drawings
Writing: Journaling and writing his book Kid Wars
Logic: Chess w/ Kade

Kade
Free Read: The Magic Tree House (finished Saber tooth one & began Buffalo's Before Dark?)
Math: Two pages
Logic: Chess w/ Jaxon
Nature: bug/insect study
Art: Mythical drawing one vs. another, drawing of the French vs. the Mexicans (Battle of Cinco de Mayo)

Kade was SO happy today, he finished his first chapter book alone.

Jessica
Reading: The Chosen, The Bible (John 3), Eating for Life
Writing: copy work out of Romans and Ephesians, Journaling
Geography: Mapping the 50 U.S. states

Today was a busy day and I was extremely tired this morning...don't know what's up? We had fun with our Cinco de Mayo celebration, took a cute picture of Sophia, will try and retrieve it from my phone.

May 4th 2009 (Monday)

Mom School
Gospel: Scripture Stories (Samuel the Laminate)
Read Aloud: Little House on the Prairie ch. 11
History: Story of the World, vol 1 ch. 40 (Rome Begins to Weaken)

Jaxon
Art: Creative Drawing (mythical)
Free Read:
Logic: Chess
PE: Swim Lessons

Kade
Art: Scripture Stories Drawings
Assigned Read: Young Reader's Bible Stories
Free Read: The Magic Tree House (Sunset of the Saber tooth)
Logic: Chess
PE: Swim Lesson

Sophia
Logic: Puzzles
Music: Singing
PE: Swing Set, Jumping

Jessica
Personal Reading: The Chosen & Eating for Life
Other Modeling for kids: Kimball and I went on a date night & I picked up tons of books from the library.

I was super tired today = lazy day!

April 30th, 2009 (Thursday)

Mom School

Gospel: Prayer, Book of Mormon (Helaman ch. 12)

Read Aloud: The Little House On The Prairie ch. 10

Science: Bee study

Jaxon

Creative Play: Jenga

Copy work: 2 vs. from Helaman

Assinged Read: The Work And The Glory

Music: recorders

Free Read:

Kade

Creative Play: Jenga

Copy work: 2 vs from Helaman

Assigned Read: Young Readers Bible Stories

Music: recorders

Free Read:

Sophia

Creative Play: puzzles

Music: recorder

Reading: Dumbo

Jessica

Reading: The Chosen

Today I went to Utah for my nephew Jeremy's wedding, so we didn't do a ton of schooling but they stayed busy doing mostly creative, learning type stuff.

April 29th, 2009 (Wednesday)

This is our first attempt at Lapbooking. You can tell because we glued the cover to the back by mistake...oops! It went well and it was a lot of fun and in my opinion a great way to learn. I don't think we'll go making a lapbook on everything we study, but it was fun for a change.
I just found a bunch of information and activities/worksheets on the Internet. I didn't note which sites I got them on but there's a ton of information if you just Google: Bee lapbooks or bee notebooking.

Bees are fascinating insects and I thoroughly enjoyed studying them as well.

I hadn't planned for Jaxon to create anything but he got the idea to make a scrapbook page for his nature journal and went to town on it. It was a great day!

Mom School

Gospel: Book of Mormon (Helaman finished ch. 11)

Read Aloud: The Little House On The Prairie (finished ch. 9)

History: The Story Of The World ch. 39(studied Roman Emperor Nero, Christian persecution & Emperor Constantine).

Science: Loved on more science books about insects

Jaxon

Assigned Reading: The Work And The Glory (two chapters) vol. 1, listened to Kade read chapter from Young Reader's Bible Stories.

Science: Made a scrapbook page (insects), played on Discovery Kids Insects web site.

Math: Saxon 5/4 lesson 83

PE: Martial Arts & soccer at park.

Kade

Assigned Read: Chapter in Young Reader's Bible Stories

Art: Pencil drawing of Christians catacomb's in Rome.

Science: Made a lapbook (Bees), played on Discovery Kids Insects web site.

PE: Park Day with friend, soccer w/ friends.

Free Read: Mom read Bug book to him, Kade read The Magic Tree House.

Sophia
Art: Drew on the walls, shutters, & chair in the boys room w/ a blue marker!!

Creative Play: Built castles and giraffes w/ blocks

PE: Played outside

Music: Sang lots of songs with mom

Jessica
Personal Reading: Bible (Prov., Thes), Benjamin Franklin, The Fat Flush

Study: Finished Oliver DeMille's audio, Thomas Jefferson Education...the basics & took notes. I now see just how rediculous it was for me to worry if Kade was ever going to LOVE reading...he's only 6!
Writing: Journaling

I am leaving for Utah tomorrow night for my nephews wedding, I am SO nervous/sad to leave the kids. It is crazy how much we have bonded this past year. I wish I could take them all with me, but I suppose the free time will be good for me.

Last week, Kade lost his first tooth. It was sad for me, but great for him. He left his window open that night so the tooth fairy could get in. He now talks with a lisp, it's adorable!
Last Friday night, the boys had a little party at our house. It was a joke contest/movie night. They invited several friends and had a blast shining the spot light on the boy telling the jokes. They all did a great job, even the shy ones. They had treats, popcorn, prizes and of course a Nerf gun battle before and after. It's so fun to watch them grow and interact with their friends. Jaxon was the host of the joke contest and was hilarious...to my surprise (I'm not sure why), he had a whole routine memorized and was dropping jokes one after the other. The boys all behaved so great, we'll definitely do it again

Little Jerry Seinfeld...

April 28th 2009 (Tuesday)

Mom School
Gospel: Read The Power of a Prophet from Scripture Stories & Book of Mormon (Helaman) ch. 11:1-19.
Read Aloud: Little House On The Prairie ch. 9
Science: Watched 2 movies All about Bugs and Show Me Science, created poster drawing of a detailed termite mound.

Jaxon
PE: Soccer/Park day, martial arts & 2 mile walk.
Assigned Read: Read 30 min. The Work And The Glory
Free Read: The Tales of Beetle the Bard
Geography: Quizzed on 50 states, small report on Rhode Island
Math: Saxon 5/4 Made corrected errors (Lesson 81), completed Lesson 82
Life Skills: took care of Sophia 1 hour (while mom exercised)

Kade
PE: soccer/running at park 2 hours
Assigned Reading: Young Reader's Bible Stories (one chapter)
Free Reading: Night Science for Kids
Spelling: Book B Lesson Review 7-11
Math: Saxon 1 Lesson 109B
Geography: Learning the 50 states, started small report on California

Sophia
PE: soccer/park day, jumped & played on swing set
Math: counting toys
Reading: looked at books
Art: colored star (her favorite)
Life Skills: watched mom make dinner
Creative Play: blocks, puzzle boards

Jessica
Reading: Bible Proverbs ch. 3, Benjamin Franklin & Fat Flush Plan
Exercise: Ran/walked 4 miles
One on one: Went on a 2 mile walk w/ Jaxon in the evening.
Personal Studies: U.S. geography, cursive hand writing, listened & took notes to 2 talks from the 2008 LDS Home School conference and another talk by Oliver DeMille.

Easter Week

Rachel, her friend Missy, and Samantha Easter morning.

Jaxon (10), Kade (6), Sophia (2)

We had a fun filled Easter weekend with my sister in law Keri here and my nieces Rachel and Sam. The kids were SO happy to see them, they love it when we have visitors. Sophia took an instant liking to Keri and for the 4 days they were here, she just snuggled and kissed her, she was so cute. Sophia's new BFF...Keri (or care care as Sophia would say).

Samantha got a little crazy and wanted to dye her hair w/ the easter egg dye.

Kimball took the boys to the sand dunes during 2 of those days, bringing back with him a nasty stomach virus. He got it on Easter and then by Tuesday, I had it too. It was miserable, I can't remember ever feeling that miserable. Bloating, cramping, nausea, chills, fever, back pain etc. YUCK! I am still bloated and crampy today but better in all other areas. Thank goodness, I couldn't take it any longer. I just kept thinking about how it must have been to get sick like that if I'd have been a pioneer or prisoner of war or a Jew in a concentration camp. I don't know how they did it. I remembered reading how Anne Frank and her sister were so sick, in the camp, walking around naked with a thin blanket is all. It was snowing and cold and no one cared, what monsters! Who could treat other humans like that?!?

On a more positive note...Jaxon and Kimball just hosted their first book club. Jaxon has wanted to have a book club since he was about 6 years old, or as soon as he saw me join one. He is so dang cute! The cutest part about the whole thing is he invited men from our ward too. Men like Brother Cooley, Brother Winsor, our home teacher Brother Carmichael and also our neighbor Brian (who he loves to discuss books with). They had a great time deciding on the books to be read this year and then ending it with brownies and ice cream and of course, a Nerf gun battle. Some of the dad's are going to participate too, so it should be a great mentoring experience for the boys.

This morning we ate brunch at the Lindblom's home with several other families from the ward. Our church didn't start until later for some reason so they thought it would be fun to have brunch...and it was.

Another fun thing we did yesterday, we went to a Gymnasium for Taylor Bevell's birthday party. We all had a lot of fun swinging from ropes and dropping into the pits, jumping on the trampoline's and other fun stuff.

Friday, we met the Bevell's at the county fair. It was a ton of fun, we rode rides, ate food, looked at the animals and Sophia was able to meet her favorite character Sponge Bob Square Pants. It was so hilarious. She was afraid or something so she screamed and cried the whole time we tried to get her picture with him, then when she was leaving she would cry out over and over "bye bye bun bob". Everyone was laughing at how cute and funny she was being.

Today we returned from Dr. Gambino's (Kade's ENT). We have been so worried that Kade would have to have his third procedure for his ear tubes. We have been praying and hoping that his last tube would come out easily without having to pay our 5K insurance deductible, and that his ear drum would heal. Well, the tube was still plugged and hadn't come out on it's own. Normally the doctor would remove it in the hospital and then patch it or put another tube in if necessary. He was kind enough to just do it in office and Kade was BRAVE enough to allow him to. It took some convincing him, but he did it and it hurt a lot but it was over quickly. I am SO relieved that the outcome was good. His ear drum is perfectly healed, there was minimal bleeding and he doesn't need to be seen again unless there is a problem. This will be Kade's first summer in 5 years that he can just swim without plugs and a big ol' strap! He is SO excited about it. He was SO happy and said his ear feels much better already with that tube out. Yay!! As a mom, we worry so much. I feel so incredibly relieved. On another happy note, we finally got our taxes done today and for once in a LONG time, we get $$ back. We were able to use Sophia's adoption credit this year, so that's a good thing. Only problem is we forgot to get her a social security number. OOPS. So until then, no refund. Let's hope it's a pretty quick process.

I guess that's all the updates I have for now, guess I'll end it here.

Spring has sprung...

Weekly Update: This has been the most enjoyable spring I ever remember here in Arizona. Why? Well it took me a while to realize it but I think I figured it out. With the kids at home, we are outside so much and are really taking advantage of the beautiful weather. When they were at school, I was busy carpooling, and sitting in the house, they were busy at school and then came home w/ loads of home work. By the time they were out of school it was smoldering hot. Just one more reason to love home school!

On a side note, Kade's ear is really bothering him, the one that has the tube in it still. I am so worried he will have to have it surgically removed! I am praying hard from now until the 20th (his Dr. apt.) that the Dr. can just pull it out in the office, but it's not likely. Anythings possible with God though, so I'm still praying.

We have a new mama bird living in the same spot on our front porch overhang. She built her nest about a month ago and has been sitting on her eggs the whole time. The eggs finally hatched so we now have baby birds too. Sophia was so excited about it. She LOVES babies! Seeing this cute mama bird loving on her babies, beautiful blossoms all around and countless family members coming to visit, is a sure sign that spring has sprung!

Improvements: We have been so busy just plugging away, and going to home school activities. It's been so fun! To think a month or so ago, I wanted to throw in the towel, everyone feels like that now and then. The improvements I've made that are making all the difference are, putting forth more effort and planning, using time more wisely, not taking phone calls during study hours, blogging for journal purposes only, only watching 1-2 t.v. shows per week, studying the scriptures and praying daily, and reading like a crazy woman each morning and night. I am learning so much and feel so much better. The boys absolutely love it, it's such a great fit for our family. If it weren't for my allergies, I'd most likely conquer the world!

A few of my home school friends and I are creating a co-op. We will get together bi-weekly for now then weekly next year for science, geography and history lessons. It should work out good and force us to be more 'on the ball' w/ science experiments (for me at least).

Kade is about to lose his first tooth...the cute little bottom front tooth. I can hardly bare it...tear!

I'm finally on a food storage kick, stocking up and preparing so we'll be better equipped in an emergency. I'm trying to knock it out quickly rather than a little at a time (in true Jessica fashion I guess).

Reading: Jaxon's assigned book now is Jungle Book among many other 'free reads' he's working on. He has finally started his long anticipated book club. He's invited several of his friend both kids and adults. They are all so supportive of him and are planning on coming, I hope it works out. I know people are busy but I think it would be so great for these kids to have these young dads for mentors. It will really foster their love of learning. We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods together, the boys love it and it gives them such a detailed account of what pioneer life was like. We will finish it today. Now the boys want to read the entire series, which I luckily bought last fall for $20 total at the used book store. I love that place, I just wish it was closer.

Good News: Kade exclaimed to us that he LOVES READING!! I have been waiting to hear those words for a long time and was beginning to wonder if that day would ever come. He's always loved having Jaxon read to him each night but he actually said HE loved reading. Since Jaxon just recently finished reading the entire Harry Potter series to him, I decided to make Kade do his own free reading each night. They still lay in their beds next to each other but read separate books. Now that Kade can read faster, he is doing great. I guess me being 'worried' if my 6 year old would ever LOVE reading was a little silly.

I just finished reading Leadership Education by the DeMille's. It's a great book about the Thomas Jefferson Education method. I am now starting on The Chosen as well as studying the Bible. I am anxious to start a new TJEd book club in the fall. It's a group of home school moms who are working on their 5 Pillar certification. We will be reading classics and writing papers along with what I hope will be awesome discussions. I am really looking forward to it. Until then, I'm going to start on my own and also reread The Well Educated Mind, it will help me learn how to really read and study a classic. I also am going to read The Thomas Jefferson Education Companion, it should help me implement that method more clearly.


Faith: We always start our day with a devotional (prayer, scriptures, & discussion). Sophia is getting better at sitting quiet during that time or as quiet as she can.

I feel like I am growing so much spiritually, it's been awesome to see God working in my life. I am fully aware of his answers to my prayers, it amazes me how he can look out for each one of us and be so loving and merciful.

Kimball is taking a bigger role in seeing that our family is spiritually fed too and I am grateful for it. It's so important for kids to see their dad showing faith and expressing his testimony of Christ. Jaxon and Kade look up to him so much and I remember what it's like to savor every moment you can get with your dad.

History: This week in history, we are focusing on our Savior. It just so happens that we are on that very chapter in Story Of The World so it works out well. Kade drew a picture of Jesus on the cross. I love how excited he gets when he's heard or read a good story. He'll jump up and ask if he can go draw a picture about it right away. Of course I say "yes" and he goes running off, then several minutes later brings me an adorable drawing that he is so proud of. Jaxon also likes to draw, usually Star Wars stuff or Harry Potter pictures. I am giving him more time at night just before bed to do some pencil drawings. He is loving it.

Free writing: Jaxon is writing a book called Kid Wars. He has also been needing more time for that, so I decided to let him use some of his quiet time to work on it. He is really excited about it and is always asking me "Do you really think this could possibly get published someday?" I tell him "Of course it could". He is really a talented writer for a ten year old, really for a 30 year old. I hope that he will always foster that gift whether it's as a hobby or a career. Today I'm going to suggest the boys write a poem of their own. All year they've been memorizing poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. They do an awesome job, it's amazing what young minds can remember. They are always making fun of me for forgetting things because I'm 'getting old'.

Fun: Kimball's taking the boys to the sand dunes this weekend with the Freeman's and probably Uncle Johnny. My sister in law Keri and my nieces Sam and Rachel are coming to visit me or I'd go too. Kade is going this time, I just hope they are safe! There was another death there a few weeks ago. I also knew a family who lost their 13 year old on mothers day due to a four wheel accident. It kind of scares me. Kade is beyond excited. He has never been on a guy's trip (other than the father's and sons).

Another fun thing, last weekend I bought a swing set for the kids. Kimball spent two days assembling it and the kids absolutely love it...especially Sophia. It was so cute there at the end, she went and sat next to Kimball under the hut area just helping him work and anxiously waiting for it to be finished. She was all smiles when she finally got to play on it. It was really made the weening of the t.v. easier. It's amazing how much more we all accomplish without the constant background noise of the t.v.

We had a fun BBQ last weekend w/ 3 other home school families here at our house. It was great for the kids to get together and play with their new friends and for all the dad's to get a chance to visit. We are SO lucky to have such a great group of home school families out here!

Funny Stuff: Kade said a funny thing in sacrament meeting last Sunday. We were taking the bread and water and Sophia was reaching to get a big hand full of bread. He said, "remember that time Sophia tried grabbing 4 pieces of bread? She REALLY must like the taste of Jesus' skin". We thought that was pretty funny. I just love how funny my kids are...they are definitely my favorite people in the whole world! I am so glad I get to spend all day with them. We were also watching a history movie and there was painting of a topless woman showed, I quickly told them to close their eyes. Jaxon asked why and Kade said in a really funny accent..."It was a neeeeple". He is always making references to his nipples and pulling down the collar of his shirt to show us his nipple. Here's a picture of Kade doing some more dance moves (a daily occurrence). There's never a dull moment around here. The boys had a grand time pranking my on April Fool's Day. They schemed and plotted for several weeks in advance. They even checked out several books from the library on jokes and pranks to help them prepare. Here are the things they did...

1. Jaxon sent me an email that morning saying something like this..."this email contains a funny virus".
2. Lotion on the toilet seat.
3. Elastic on the handle of the kitchen sink sprayer.
4. Flour in my hair dryer.
5. Hid the t.v. remote the entire day (good thing we recently quit w/ the t.v. or we'd have gone CRAZY...we didn't notice until that night).

Sophia was recently stung by a bee, ever since, she is deathly afraid of flies. She cries and gets all crazy every time she sees one. It's pretty funny. She likes it when I grab the fly swatter and start killing them, pointing at them and saying "fy mama fy", or sometimes she'll call them bee's. She's so dang cute. It's kind of sad though, I hate for her to be scared of something like that, because they are unavoidable!

More news on the toddler front, Sophia has gotten into the nail polish 3 times now. Last Saturday, I was working on the budget, Kimball was putting together the swing set and the kids were playing in the toy room...or so we thought. Sophia was actually painting her finger nails and toe nails on my bedroom carpet. Someone had forgotten to lock my door and it ended up all over the floor. Just a small hiccup in my busy day! Would someone learn their lesson and just put it up already!?!

The Diary of a Young Girl

Jaxon and I read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, I finished it today. It's so sad and has such a great message. I think she was such an amazing person, I only wish they had survived a few more months...they were so close! I also love that all those people helped in the hiding of Anne's family, they really put themselves in danger. They too were hero's. It's insane that anyone can treat human beings the way the Jews were treated. I am so sensitive to others being mistreated that I don't think I could have survived one day. I think I would have died of a broken heart for sure.

Here is a post Jaxon recently wrote on his blog after reading Anne Frank. With his permission here it is...

A few days ago I read the the book: The Diary of Anne Frank. It is about how the Jewish people were persecuted by the Germans in WWII. It starts out on her birthday and everything is happy. At school she talks too much so her teacher makes her write a story called the incurable chatter box. Her dad Otto Frank receives word that the Germans are coming and also receives this list of things the Jews can no longer do.

1. Jews must wear a yellow six pointed star to distinguish themselves.

2. Jews must hand over their bicycles to the Germans.

3. Jews are banned from trains and forbidden to drive.

4. Jews are only allowed to do their shopping between 3 and 5 0'clock and can only go in the shops that have the placard "Jewish Shop".

5. Jews must be indoors before 8 o'clock and can't even sit in their own garden after that hour.

6. Jews are forbidden to visit theaters, cinemas, and any other place of entertainment.

7. Jews may not take part in public sports, swimming baths, tennis courts, hockey fields and other sports grounds are prohibited to them.

8. Jews may not visit Christians.

9. Jews must go to Jewish schools and many more like that.

The Franks go into hiding with the Van Daans into an abandoned warehouse. They find a secret room that is hidden behind a bookcase and call it the Secret Annexe. Anne's father prepared this living space for them for nearly a year and when he got a notice from the Germans saying Margot (Anne's older sister) was to be sent to a labor camp, they decided it was time to hide. After six months a new person joins them, his name is Dr.Dussel. So he comes and he shares a room with Anne and hogs her desk. Mrs. Van Daan refuses to give up her expensive fur coat so they can have food. Everyone is really annoyed with her selfish behavior. Anne soon falls in love with the Peter Van Daan who is looks and not brains, this gives her someone to share her thoughts with but eventually she is over him. The company building that they hide in is visited by burglars twice and each time they steal some of their food. Every day a girl named Meip gives the Van Daans and the Franks fruit from the market place and a girl named Elli gives them school supplies. After two years of hiding and just one month before liberation, the Germans find them and send them to concentration camps. Anne is separated from everyone but her sister who eventually gets sick and dies. Anne meets up with her old best friend Lies and soon dies of starvation. She refused to eat and had thought her dad had also died, so she hadn't any hope. The only survivor is Anne's father Otto Frank. After trying in vain to find his daughters, he is finally told they died. Meip, the girl who had been taking them supplies while in hiding reveals to him she found Anne's diary. He later had it published and it still is read by many. Anne Frank is probably Hitlers best known victim. I really liked the book and I recommend it to you.

March madness...

Weekly Update: Another week has flown by! Time is really going fast, I'm staying so busy home schooling the kids that there doesn't seem to be much time for anything else. We are having fun and learning a lot. We are still learning about ancient Rome and it's been so fabulous, I am learning SO much. I wish I'd gotten a better education when I was younger, as an adult I absolutely love learning. If only there were more hours in the day.

Kade did an awesome job on his talk in primary. He read the entire thing himself without any mistakes. He had a lot of pictures and was stressed about keeping them in order. It was so funny because at the end of his talk he accidentally dropped them and they scattered everywhere. He yelled this loud UGH!! into the microphone. He's such a loud kid and that was just so classic.

Sophia's first ever knee scrape is finally healing. She has really milked it for all it's worth, crying and whining every time she remembers it or when she's in trouble. LOL She is sure a beautiful girl, I hope someday we can meet her birth mom. I am so blessed to be her mom and can't imagine life without her. I am so grateful for the promptings we can recieve when we pray.
Scouting: Kimball did a super job on Jaxon's Pinewood Derby car, unfortunately he didn't get to go due to his cheating and lying incident. Kimball's best friend Adam Bevell has a son who is also in scouts. Since Adam is blind, Kimball had Colby over and helped him build a car. He used the a secret weapon he found on the Internet for Jaxon's car. Anyway, Colby kicked butt at his race. He won all six times out of 25 kids. He was So happy and so was Kimball and Adam. It really made Jaxon wish he would have been able to race.

Growing

Inspired: Inspired is the word that comes to mind when I think of this last week. We've had several homeschool group activities and I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting with all the moms, soaking up all their goodness and being inspired by them. I am so lucky to have found such a great group of women to rub shoulders with, bounce ideas off and learn from. I truly believe if we want to be great people we should hang around with those better than ourselves. I am so much more motivated and excited about homeschooling and happy I have the opportunity to do it. Sure, Jaxon's still giving me a run for my money and throwing some attitude but with consistency and much effort, I know he'll come around. He is such a sweet and smart boy, he is just testing the waters right now to see what he can get away with. I am also grateful for an older sister who has been through all of this before and helps me whenever I call. I don't know how she made it w/ out the huge support system I have!?!

Friends: Today was soccer day and again, the kids all had a blast. It really has been an answer to prayer. I was starting to feel like the boys needed to see the same kids more often in order to develop friendships, and this has really helped. We also attended a play date at Andee's house last week, the boys loved it SO much that Jaxon came straight home and wrote a huge blog post about it. They had a Nerf gun fight w/ tons of other homeschooled boys ages 3-17 or so. I wish you could have heard them on the way home!! I look forward to getting to know those ladies more as well. Andee lives on 3 1/2 acres, and it's all fenced in so it was perfect for that type of group. Sophia was being super shy and very scared I was going to leave her (I think she thought it was a daycare) but by the time we had to go, she too was having a blast.

Improvements: Jaxon was so pleased with himself today when he compared his copy work to some he had done earlier this year. His cursive has improved drastically! He told me last week he didn't think it had, but I knew better and he was so happy to see all that practice is paying off. Kade's reading is fabulous, he's over the 'hump' I guess you could say. He's known how to read for a long time but he's finally getting faster and can go for longer periods. We finished our read aloud Eight Cousins and started reading Little House in The Big Woods and though Jaxon has been hesitant all year with this series, he likes it already. What a great way for them to learn about pioneer life and how easy we have it!

Changes: I'm trying to create a better learning environmentand make an effort to provide them with fun learning tools, ideas and projects. They seem to be liking it. This week we've had very little t.v. (like 1/2 hour a day) and it's making life so much more enjoyable,I can't believe the difference it makes. Since the television's kind of the focal point of our main living space, it's been hard to keep it turned off. I'd LOVE to move it upstairs but w/ the surround sound being downstairs, I can't imagine that would fly with Kimball. That's OK, I will just have to be strict w/ the kids about keeping it off.

Projects: We have been studying Julius Caesar and Ancient Rome. The boys are all over it and last night when Kimball got home, he found some materials and began helping them make their Roman soldier shields. They drew up their designs and we will hopefully cut and paint them in the next day or so. It's so fun to see their eyes light up and the wheels in motion. It's awesome when kids learn because they want to and to find them still studying even during their 'free time', that's what homeschool is all about!

Spring break...sort of

While most kids have been on spring break, we have not...at least not in the vacation, no school sense. As I've mentioned, Jaxon's had some school work to catch up on and we aren't exactly on schedule so I just couldn't feel good about taking a week off. We've still managed to pack a lot of fun in this week as Kade said, "How could it get any better"? St. Patrick's Day was fun, soccer day was a blast, our field trip to the dairy was a success and today we had a fabulous time at our new play date out in Queen Creek. It makes me so happy to see them enjoy these social functions. I feel like this week Heavenly Father has definitely been hearing my prayers. Things are going very well and I am happy to say I'm feeling a lot better about homeschooling or by ability to homeschool than I was last week. I feel a strong desire again to continue on with it and feel it's what I am supposed to be doing right now. It's amazing what recommitting myself to God can do. For the past 3 weeks or so, I've set aside my own quiet time to pray and read scripture. This is something I really need in my life and feel so much better in doing it. It's crazy when we start thinking we can go it alone, like we don't have time because we're busy cooking, cleaning, raising kids and blogging...I mean journaling *wink *wink that we forget to turn to the Lord for our daily strength.

Sophia is a little over 2 now so she's obviously a handful. It's been hard teaching the boys because of all the messes she creates and things she gets into. I've been praying for more patience with her and feel like it's working. Jaxon even told me today that since I've been reading my scriptures and praying each morning, he's noticed a big difference in my behavior. He thinks I'm showing more patience and getting upset less. I am so thankful for a Father in Heaven who knows each one of us and hears and answers our prayers. Sophia is such a blessing and joy in our home, I don't want to take one second for granted.

Kimball is on another scout camp out. He has really been doing great with the boys and enjoying his time with them. I am glad to see him take them under his wing and treat them as his own, he truly cares for each one of them. I'll admit, I get a little jealous and wish I could go on fun camp outs and activities. It's sometime hard to always be left at home but then I remember what a blessing it is to be a mother and how there's a time for everything. For now, I will be completely satisfied and grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mom to 3 wonderful kids. I am so lucky for the chance I have to stay home with them and the ability to homeschool is just icing on the cake. Since it's Friday night (movie night), the boys borrowed Harry Potter The Order of The Phoenix from our neighbor. Jaxon just finished it for the 2nd or 3rd time, only this time he read it aloud to Kade. They are ecstatic to watch the movie!

It's now a few hours later, I just returned from our homeschool planning meeting where we discussed a lot of stuff...it's late, I'm glad I went. There's so many great mom's who I can learn and grow from. We are definitely lucky to have so many great resources and an amazing support system. I don't know how I'd keep motivated otherwise.

Organic Dairy

Today we went on a fun field trip to a local raw/organic diary. The kids had a great time meeting the big cows, small cows and even one giant prego cow. We toured the various fields and buildings, learning the process of how milk is made and sold. They even let us taste test it and we bought a few gallons before leaving. I don't drink milk, never have but the boys (Kimball included) says it delish and it is much healthier than the pasturized stuff they are used to drinking. Too bad the good kind is so expensive. They recently had to raise their prices to $10 a gallon!! Luckily, they gave us two for one. Other than that, we had a productive day here at Riverside Scholars.



Devotional: Ephesians 3:20 for discussion and copywork

Kade: is on spring break but still did a spelling chapter, penmanship, read aloud, exercised and did assigned reading.

Jaxon: Is playing 'catch up' w/ math and did around 4-5 assignments, with much help from me, finished The Wind In The Willows, took a spelling quiz and went to martial arts.

Read Aloud: We finished Eight Cousins today, we were all so glad to finally be done with it. It was a good book but we let it drag on too long. I think we started it in December.

One last hoorah!!

I'm so sad to be going private, I'm already regretting it. I tried going private a while back and then changed my mind, maybe I'll be the 'girl who cried wolf'. I don't know, it's hard because I love all my online friends who I won't keep in touch with otherwise...and it's fun and helpful sharing homeschool ideas. I'm so indecisive. Maybe I'll try it for a while and switch if I don't like it?? Anyway, I just wanted to show you this cute craft we did and give you the link if you want to do it. The day's not over yet and I'm sure you have paper plates and construction paper.

Click HERE for the pattern.

The kids had a lot of fun and I learned I'm not cut out for crafts 'n kids. I'm such a frustrated perfectionist, I don't know how school teachers do it with 30+ kids...bless their hearts!!

Our day has been fun, we started out w/ green lemon muffins and then went to our homeschool soccer day at the park. The kids had a blast and the weather was perfect. Sophia is definitely into soccer, she shadowed the goalie for the longest time and got quite a bit of exercise runnin' the field. The dad who coaches it is very good with kids and makes it totally fun for them.

We had devotional, learned the history of St. Patrick's Day and some fun Irish facts, I'm learning right along with them! We've also been enjoying some beautiful Irish folk music. Jaxon has gotten in a lot of trouble lately, it finally dawned on me that maybe his 'laziness' is actually caused by boredom. I just don't think he's been challenged enough so today he's doing some free online placement tests. Looks like I need to move him up a grade in each subject. Let's hope this does the trick or else he's TOAST! Other than that, we are pretty much taking it easy. Kade is on spring break, Jaxon...notsomuch!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A New Purpose...

Well, it's been 2 weeks since I posted anything. I said I wouldn't until after Easter but with this spring blog break I've been on, I've come to realize some things.

#1 I don't have time for blogging at this point in time. I hoped I'd have tons of free time but even without blogging the last 2 weeks I'm still falling behind on my household duties and homeschooling.

#2 My kids and husband have voted and agree they like it better when I don't blog as much.

#3 This blog will have a new purpose...I have decided to go totally private. I'd like to use this blog as a personal journal and to keep homeschool records. I've been thinking about it for a long time and just feel this would really help me time wise. It's been fun and like I said, I'll still read your blogs as much as I can. Thanks for all the sweet comments and great advice you've all given me. Maybe in a year or two, I'll find a way to fit it all in!?!

Light bulb moments...

Things I've learned this week, nothing earth shattering or life changing...just random thoughts.

1. Never wipe down the counters and clean the kitchen floor right before lunch time. With dark counter tops and espresso maple floors...what's the point? Note to self: never, ever buy dark wood floors again, or dark counter tops...or stainless steel appliances!

2. I'm fed up with all these teenage girls who 'throw away their babies' or try harming them when there are so many wonderful people who want a baby. Not to mention Baby Safe Havens all over the place. Maybe we need to do a better job at getting the word out to these young girls. Do they not know about these Baby Safe Havens? Do they not realize they have options and can remain anonymous? It's time to organize my newborn service project I've been thinking about since we adopted Sophia. That's another post and I'll need volunteers, so hopefully some of your hearts will feel the desire to help.

3. As bad as I want to go to Rocky Point, Mexico this spring...it's sounding too unsafe w/ all the drug wars I keep seeing on the news. I don't dare take my kids anymore. Anyone else feel this way too?

4. When too lazy to return my shopping cart to the designated area...first, make sure it's not in the way of my own car! :)

5. Quiet prayer/scripture time each morning is SO beneficial to me, it's not easy finding a quiet place but I still need to do it.

6. Realized maybe we've got a 'good thing going' after taking the boys back to their old school to put them on next years wait list (gotta keep my options open), only to find out they were having a practice 'lock down'!

7. I can survive with just one reality television show a week.

8. Staying motivated to workout regularly and cook great dinners will always be a constant battle, no matter how good my intentions are.

9. Maybe Kade can do without soccer this season...he is only 6 and has the rest of his life to become a professional athlete. Besides, when we keep asking him if he's read for soccer he answers "NO"!

10. I should probably include my Diet Coke costs into my home school budget...I mean they're definitely home school related.

11. I'm over facebook. It was great to see what everyone from high school looks like but I don't need anything else taking up my free time.

12. If you want Sophia to do something you have to tell her to do the opposite. She's not as innocent as she looks...she's seriously turning into a female version of Dennis The Menace! It's hilarious but very frustrating at times. :)

13. IT'S OFFICIAL...I'm half retarded. Yip, Yesterday's 'field trip' to see Peter and The Wolf actually went down on Tuesday. Seriously, this kind of thing happens to me all the time. I put forth the effort, try to plan and organize, mark it on my calendar, and still...I find a way to screw it up! Like Jaxon said, "Everyone makes mistakes mom, it's OK, that's what life's all about". I swear that kid has the soul of an old man!

14. Making up for my 'mistakes' with Happy Meals and a day at the park actually does work.

15. I'm sick of hearing myself talk and I'm spending too much time blogging. Time to rearrange my priorities and take a SPRING BLOG BREAK! Yip that's right, it's spring here in Arizona and it's the perfect time to be outside. I love you all and will peek at your blogs as much as I can, but I really want to take this time to enjoy my kids, the weather...and my books. See you all after Easter.

My new daily fix...

I've never liked the taste of it but lately I just need it! Today's another classic case of me feeling grumpy, tired and just not so hot, all because I ate the wrong thing last night. Costco pizza apparently doesn't agree with my lactose intolerant stomach. Even though I took half the cheese off, I still got sick. Why do I eat pizza if I'm lactose intolerant...because I LOVE it! The thing is, most times I'm OK but once in a while I get sick, maybe it's the kind of cheese they use. I guess I'll add Costco to my list so I don't go through this again. It also didn't help that Kimball woke early only to find Sophia sitting on the stairs. She then got in bed with me but of course that was a lost cause, she was ready to start her day. I'm hoping the field trip we're going on will get me out of this rut.

Glamin' up candles

Here's a few inexpensive ways I've been glamin' up the candles in my home. It's easy with paper, ribbon, tassels, jewelry, buttons, and crystals.

The one above and below are just a necklace piece I bought at Michael's for $5.
I've seen candles similar to this in high end boutiques anywhere between $40 and $50. GIVE ME A BREAK!!
Two dollar tassels add to these.
Layering 3 different ribbons...
Scrapbook paper, and miscellaneous ribbons I had, jewels in a pack of 25 or so, $3.
Scrapbook paper and more ribbon on hand.
I've been liking the monogram candles but I don't care to pay $30, instead I used some stickers I had and you honestly can't tell they are stickers.

Here's a little idea I had to add a little 'sumpin' to the framed quote and scripture I have.

I just burned the pretty paper around the edges, framed it and glued some bows and a crystal button (you could use a broach or jewelry) to it.


All right, that's all I've got. No more decorating of any kind for a while, or until I get a chance to revamp my spring wreath. Now time for some serious homeschooling. We're off to see Peter and The Wolf. Our homeschool group is joining us...it should be fun and the best part is it's free!

BTW, It's almost impossible to have a clean house, dinner made and look decent when your homeschooling...especially when the hubby pops in randomly. Note to Kimball: give me a head's up, like even a 5 minute notice would be great. :) As for the working out, well I've not done so hot this last week, I've spent my spare time reading and decorating. Why can't there be 30 hours in the day? Must do better!!

* I'm closing the comments on this for the simple fact that this is one of my least favorite posts ever!

In good company

I have always been shy, especially when in a big group or public speaking setting. It seems the older I've gotten the more fear stricken I've become. I am praying for help in this area, as I don't want to miss opportunities of growth and I realize the importance of sharing with others. Like it says in this scripture...

"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
-Matthew 5:15-16

I am fully aware of my weaknesses and my lack of sharing my light to it's brightest. We are all different and not everyone is on the same spiritual level, or has the same gifts. My brother Jeff hears the phone ring and actually hopes it's someone asking him to speak in church...that's not me nor will it ever be me. I'm no longer going to get down on myself for not being like my brother. Instead I'll keep trying my best to use the talents and attributes that I have been given, to serve my neighbors and share in ways that I can. It's not something others should judge, and yet that's exactly what I use to do. I would look at those who had this same struggle, and get so bothered with being told 'no they couldn't say the prayer', or 'no they didn't get their visiting teaching done' (or whatever) and judge it as laziness or an unwillingness to serve. I now realize just how wrong that was!

After having this 'epiphany' am I still judgemental of others? Um...YES! I wish I could say I wasn't but I have always liked having a good laugh and often times, it's at another persons expense. Far too often I find myself being quick to criticize or judge. I am going to try and be more aware of my tongue. This is something that has annoyed me about myself for a long time. It's been one of those repeated 'resolutions' every January, and yet I continue to fail. Last New Year's Eve, when I was telling my family of this resolution, I broke it with the very next sentence that came from my mouth. Sure we all had a big laugh, but I really do want to do better. After all, wouldn't we rather be in good company, surrounding ourselves with those who are positive and uplifting?

Here's another scripture I came across...

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth...And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"

- Colossians 3:8,10

In this scripture we are told to rid ourselves completely of ill speaking and negative feelings and behave more Christlike. I've decided with His help I know I can do better, maybe asking daily for strength will make the difference. Why didn't I think of that before? :)

Guest Room Take 2

OK so I'm sorta embarrassed that I even showed you the guest room before it was finished. Well, since last week I've added barn stars, and switched up the night table, it now looks much better. I also made some mistreated bed skirts, or in other words bought some el cheapo fabric from Walkmart and used my staple gun to create pleats, just stapling away. The fabric doesn't go all the way around the beds since they are up against the walls. Thanks again Edie for the mistreatment idea. LOVE IT!!! Total cost of two XL bed skirts...$14, stars bought at Hobby Lobby and spray painted ivory, already had the lamp and frame, Micheals for the hydrengeas and pitcher, Marshalls for the acorn or artichoke thingy a $3 find and it's nice and heavy.






Anyone coming to Arizona? I know where you can stay!!

Check back in a day or two for some quick and easy ways to glam up your candles and frames, but after that I'm feeling a decorating dry spell coming on.

Back up break down!

That's right, my back up camera has died too. Unfortunately you won't get to see Jaxon get his green belt the other night, just picture him in all his glory...he was beaming! You'll also be missing Kimball's big scout camp out, animal skins, coyote heads and all, he was all rugged like that. Looks like I'll be camera shoppin' tomorrow. Until then you'll have to wait to see the cute stuff I've been working on. I'm excited to share...hope you'll stay tuned.

I'm hoping to find $1000 along the side of the road...what do you think my chances are?

So much more than a paycheck!

I'm on to another Dr. Laura book, this one is The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage. I also read The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands which I also recommend, oh and don't forget the movie Fireproof, that's great too.

In my opinion, this is another book that should be highlighted, and within reach at all times. It's like going to church, we keep learning the same stuff because we need that bonk on the head, that reminder to get us back on track.

I truly believe that men are simple creatures and they only need a few things to be happy. In fact at dinner the other night, Kimball said almost that exact thing to me and yet I so often forget and start with the whining, complaining, and acting pouty or I start taking him for granted and not giving him the praise he deserves.

I look back to a time when Kimball was getting our business going, working like a DOG in the 110 degree Arizona sun, six days a week, 12-15 hour days and yet I did more criticizing and complaining than you can imagine. Sure I was working equally as hard with the kids, house and book keeping, it was an extremely stressful time...but I wasn't showing him how much I appreciated all he was doing. That's the number one thing I believe men need is to be shown appreciation for their hard work, to know that they are your hero so when they walk out that front door every morning, they feel loved, supported, and needed. Of course on top of that they also need affection, a warm meal, and to know their kids are being well taken care of. It's pretty simple really.

Kimball and I have had our share of ups and downs (oh my have we), but I am SO grateful we continue to work out our differences and try to make the other one happy. I know when I'm doing the above mentioned things, Kimball is one happy man and in return he'll treat me like a QUEEN.

Here's the 3 main tips she gives:

1. Treat your spouse as if you loved them with your last breath-no matter how contrary to that you might feel at any one moment.

2. Think hard every day about how you can make their life worth living.

3. Be the kind of person you would want to love, hug, come home to, and sacrifice for.

They are all great points, but #3 stands out to me because I think it's so important to try and have the house picked up, look presentable, and hopefully have dinner on the table or close to it. I don't always succeed and I'm working on serving my man more meat (since we all know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach). I'm also noticing my actions more when he walks in the door. Do I instantly bombard him with whining or complaints? Or do I just glance over from my lap top and say "hey"?

I'm also working on not being a drama queen when it comes to problems or mistakes. This isn't always easy for me because I'm the worrying type, but if our spouses can't come to us without us acting like an over powering parent, then how will they ever feel safe to share? We should be the one person they can come to with anything.

BTW, I'm speaking to myself because I have a lot of room for improvement in this area. OK so I'm off to do more reading, get more advice and hopefully build a stronger marriage. Hope you'll read these books if you haven't already.

Ten minutes to a room you'll love...

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It's no secret for the last year I've been loving the Nester and soakin' up her knowledge like a porous sponge. Well tomorrow she's having another linky party, a place we can all share our 10 minute room make-overs...or in my case many long hours of indecisiveness...I get it from my mother!!
Thanks to the Nester's recent tutorials, I was able to get some great ideas on how to decorate my entry table. Until yesterday it's been a barren eye sore...at least to me. I don't love this table by any means, so her tips made all the difference. I LOVE IT!!

I'm not usually a peacock feathers kind of girl, but my friend Edie is rubbing off on me. I love her decorating style, fun and bold. I'm slowly getting a little more daring and trying not to toss everything that I would have before thought of as clutter.
The goal was to 'shop the house' but since I've been doing that for a while, there wasn't much to choose from. The mirror, candle, bird, books, and dried floral items and basket were all mine, the rest was purchased for a smokin' deal at Hobby Lobby. The basket is full of all my favorite decorating magazines.
Here I printed one of my favorite scriptures on pretty paper and framed it. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John3:16

Another easy addition to my piano...pine cones, shells, nuts etc. I already had this stuff minus the star fish...which by the way Sophia is totally afraid of.

Decorating Amidst this Darn Economy

10 minutes to a room you love continued... (only a few of these took only ten minutes)!

Here are a few ways I've managed to still decorate around the house while on a budget.

The Guest Room - I finally made use of all those mismatched frames I had sitting and cabinets. In the past I would have donated them but now that I met Kimba, I know that any thing is possible with spray paint. I bought some white spray paint and went to town on these babies. Then I used my computer to print black and white pictures of our family who stay in our guest room when visiting. The white frames really brightened the room up. I still have to make some XL twin bed skirts to finish it off, I could buy them on the Internet (since XL is hard to find) but they want like $60 and I know I can find fabric on clearance and just do a little 'mistreatment' on them.

I've added a few more frames but don't want to take the time to redo the pics...you get the look.

Master Bed and Bath - I did this last summer but hadn't posted it yet... I was waiting for hubby to install the knobs and I guess I was hoping to get a new dresser and chair to finish it off but I've still got the elliptical taking up that area. I wanted to change the cabinet color and after seeing the painter do all my downstairs cabinets, I knew it was something I could handle. I lightly sanded, primed and then painted two coats of black.

Before:


Picking what color I was going to use was difficult, I delayed it for two years because I hate commitment, until I found this wooden plaque. Every decorating project begins with some kind of inspiration and this was mine. I liked the greenish beige and the black. I then painted this nightstand I found at the Goodwill to match it. You can read about how I did it HERE.

After:

I still need to find an inexpensive bench that I can fix up for the vanity.

I bought some pretty towels and some little beady strings to dress them up, a clock for the wall (my mom was right...every bathroom needs a clock). I will eventually make some mistreatment's for the windows but until I find some fabric I love, this is how they'll stay.

To dress up this inexpensive memory board, I just added some bling buttons and some fringe. All at Hobby Lobby using their coupons of course. I hung some favorite photos (trying not to make it all about my kids) and pictures of places I want to travel. This is also a great place to hang some necklaces.
I originally had all white bedding etc. but with a new lamp, some spray paint, throw pillows and some frames from Goodwill here's the new look in the bedroom. I LOVE this animal print lamp from Marshall's.

I already had this big chunky mirror but it was all dark and brown so I went to town on it. Note to self: Never, ever, under ANY circumstances, spray paint in the master bathroom. There's this thing called over spray and it isn't your friend!! Just be patient and wait for your man to carry it outside for you.


I found these frames at the Goodwill for $3. The were dreary and cream in color so again, I used the spray paint on them. I found some pretty flower pictures on the Internet and now they look great.

I already had these black frames in storage so I printed some of my favorite picture of my kids and bought the plates at Ross for a few bucks.



Now for the Big 'W', I found it at Hobby Lobby for 5 bucks in gold but like I said I knew a little spray paint would fix that. I then used ribbon since we all know ribbon makes everything better and tada!

I think I'll get a round table with a glass top and cover it with fabric for Kimball's night stand, just haven't come across the right fabric yet! What I'm not showing you is the ugly corner of the room that's junked up with a t.v. workout stuff, and a big beast otherwise known as the Elliptical.

Boys Bed Room/School Room - A few weekends ago I did a little switcharoo with the boys room and the school room. It is now so much more functional, and inviting and much more spacious. I feel like I finally reclaimed about 1000 sq. ft. of my house.
This used to be the boys bed room, it's called the bonus room because it's this huge room over the garage. Letting the boys use it for their bed room was a mistake because they never wanted to let Sophia in it and seriously, why should they get such a huge room when it could be better used as a school room/play room and there's space for my tread mill and my elliptical. Now if only I could convince my husband to move the monstrous elliptical for the 3rd time!?!



Here's the boys new room...they love it.




I mistreated these curtains a while back...just glued colorful ribbon to what would otherwise be pretty boring blue curtains.

The Real Deal...

Homeschooling is not always nursery rhymes and nature walks, but rather two year old's crumbling deodorant all over your bedroom, sneaky six year old's dumping their entire lunch down the kitchen sink, ten year old's who'd rather free read all day than do a single math problem and a mom who's left wondering "Why did I want to do this again?"

Here are a few good quotes I've come across this week:

"Pretending is acting a certain way and hoping that someday you will feel that way. Hypocrisy is acting a certain way and never intending to feel that way."
- C.S. Lewis

"No man can for any considerable time wear one face to himself and another to the multitude with out finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one."
- Nathaniel Hawthorn

I love blogging, it's been a great outlet for me and a fun way to connect with other women in my same situation, not to mention a great way to journal our happenings that would have otherwise fallen by the wayside. I do not however, wish to portray that I 'have it all together' or that I'm a 'pro at homeschooling' because that would just be pure hypocrisy. This is my first year, I'm learning as I go and praying for guidance AND patience through this journey, taking it one day at a time.

Hypocrisy = The intent to deceive others for the sake of appearing better than you know yourself to be.

When someone looks at my home school blog and tells me "I don't know how you do it , you are amazing," I not only laugh but I always let them know that cyberspace makes it easy to look like we've got all our ducks in a row. Not that I'm trying to deceive anyone, because I'm not but if I posted all the drama and chaos...I'd be bloggin' 24/7, so if you're thinking of homeschooling, let me tell you it's not for everyone. There are many pros but there's also cons that should be seriously considered.

I am going to make sure I'm 'keeping it real' on my blog but also, make sure my actions match my words. I am far from perfect, and know that I have a long way to go, but I'm trying and I truly desire to be the best example I can be to my kids, my husband and anyone I come in contact with. No one wants to be 'called out' by their facebook friend, or their ten year old for not practicing what they preach, so I'm going to commit to do better. I know I'll fall but I'll keep on trying. I love this quote too...

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you want them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."

- Thomas a Kempis

Oh and let's make one thing clear...that gorgeous, ginormous English Manor at the top of my blog...that's not our real home!

Am I a hypocrit? Of course I am...sometimes, I'm only human. Here's to staying true to ourselves, and using our blogs to support, uplift, and enlighten one another. Peace out, and blog on!!

I did not go tanning and get so burned I couldn't leave the house, wear a bra, or put my arms down. No way, not me!

I did not wrestle a mountain lion off of my 6 year old, (woke up exhausted by the way). No way, not me!

I did not eat almost an entire plate of homemade oreos before sharing them with the family. No way, not me! Thanks Jess, they were delish.

I did not watch Coal Miner's Daughter and miss my deddy so much I could cry. No way not me!

I am not still in my pj's at 4:00 in the afternoon...NO WAY NOT ME!

Love Diaries and Jessica's True Love Tortilla Soup

Are you ready for the most amazing tortilla soup recipe ever? I came up with this all on my own for the Love Day celebration we're having tonight. To quote Kimball "I'd pay good money for this".

True Love Tortilla Soup
2 large grilled and seasoned chicken breasts (cubed)
1/2 chopped onion (browned)
1 can white beans (undrained)
1 can corn (drained)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth
1 can Ro Tel tomatoes (I used mild)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. black pepper
few dashes salt

Bring all to a boil stirring often, simmer for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better).

Garnish with chopped cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, tortilla chips/strips and sour cream. Makes approx. 6 large servings.

Warning: this is pretty spicy


Kade being sweet to his little sister by reading her a cute love book. For the last 4 years, Jaxon has been kind enough to read to Kade a full hour each night. Kade has LOVED their reading time and has always rejected my offers. Now that he's a great reader and is more confident with his skills, he gets to pay it forward.

So much for 'not wearing my heart on my sleeve', yesterday I did some window painting as a little P.D.A for Kimball...let's just say between this and the soup he's like a love sick puppy!



Have a fabulous weekend, I hope you all have a big pink fuzzy Heart Day!

May I pick your brain?

First of all thanks for your comments and input on the 'Can't Buy Me Love' post. I guess I tend to over think things, I'm planning a nice homemade seafood meal for Kimball and the boys (they LOVE seafood), a hand written Valentine and a saucy email...or two. But Shhh...don't tell!

There are a few things I've been in search of lately and a few I'm just curious about. Please humor me by taking a second to answer these 5 questions. You know your bloggy wisdom is always appreciated and makes me oh so happy!

#1 What is the one beauty product you can't live without (you've considered stocking up on and putting in your emergency storage closet) in fear of a natural disaster?

#2 What is your current favorite television show? (not counting Arrested Development of course since it got axed).

#3 What is the best moisturizer you've found? Living in the desert has it's drawbacks (duh), my face is in serious need of a good moisturizer that doesn't leave my face feeling dry 2 minutes later. Seriously, can you help a sista out?

#4 What is the one house chore you dislike the most? ...you know, the task you sometimes put off for days when you know full well it's not going away on it's own.

#5 Last but certainly not least, what kind of razor or hair removal method do you use? You may think this question is silly but I hate waxing, I'm too cheap and lazy for laser hair removal and can't find a good razor for the life of me (or maybe Kimball's just borrowing that too). :) Oh and that armpit hair I thought was going away, well apparently it was just hibernating because it's back with a vengeance! Yay, just in time for swim suit season!

Here are my answers...to #1, #2 and #4

#1 Bobbi Brown's Bronze Shimmer Brick (if I could pick 2, which I can't but if I could...it would be a box of hair dye. I wouldn't want my grays to rear their ugly head if heaven forbid there were a disaster. If I could pic 3, (which would be so against the rules...only a big fat cheater would do that), I'd say Diorshow Mascara. It's definitely the 'real deal' of mascaras. It runs about $24 a tube and I know my mom did not teach me to spend a lot on make-up and in most cases I agree, but this stuff lasts a long time and sometimes you get what you pay for. No need for false lashes with this...try it! I wouldn't dare bother you with a #4 (but if I did it would be Sally Hansen's Lip Plumper Gloss).

#2 The Bachelor (shallow I know but oh so entertaining), besides I'm a sucker for romance.

#4 Crap, picking just one is hard but I guess it's cooking dinners every night, I hate meat. I was a total vegetarian for over six years, if it were just me to cook for I'd still be one. If I were to win the lottery, I'd hire a chef for sure.

Anyhow, hope you'll participate and help a scaly faced, hairy, sun worshiping mom of 3 out!

Can't Buy Me Love

OK so let's flash back to 1994...I had a boyfriend (who shall remain anonymous), we had been dating for a month and a half. V - Day came around and I was sure he'd get me something...I mean at this point in my life, this was the longest relationship I'd had. I love, love, love giving people gifts so without hesitation, I took my measly, hard earned, paycheck and bought him something I knew he'd reeeeally been wanting...a $100 Polo sweatshirt. Seriously, I didn't even own an article of clothing that expensive! I was so anxious for my gift, wondering what it would be. Where would he take me? I was so happy that I had a steady boyfriend for Valentine's Day (this was also a first). Well, you can probably guess what happened. No gift, no romantic date, no handmade card or flowers...he dumped me! Yip, of course only after I'd given him his gift!!

Well, I eventually recovered and I learned a valuable lesson...don't be such a giving, needy, wear your heart on your sleeve kind of girlfriend! Now that I've been married 11 years, I've definitely toned it down a bit, but I'm always left wondering if I should get Kimball something and chance he's going to get me nothing or should I get him something 'just in case'.

Here's my 2 questions for you...

#1 What do you usually do for your significant other?

#2 Do you do anything for your kids for Valentine's Day? (mine are asking for a newly released DVD).

Please leave some input. Thanks!

The 4-1-1

I haven't really had much to blog about for a few days. Here's a run down of what we've been up to.

1. Kimball was able to attend his Grandma's funeral in Georgia this past weekend. We missed him too much and the weekend dragged on and on...guess absence does make the heart grow fonder. He was very happy to see so many distant relatives and hang out with his crazy uncle Johnny. It seems Johnny's snoring rubbed off on him!

2. Sophia's doing much better with her sleeping. We just had to be consistent with her and even though she was still crying and wigging out when it was nap or bed time, we let her know she needed to sleep in her own room. Our new routine is to do a prayer and 3 songs (even at nap time) and though at first she was still throwing fits, it's become something she looks forward to. Now when I tell her it's time for bed, her first response is to make a panicked face, then she remembers it's prayer and song time and immediately folds her arms. We have to keep the door open about an inch and then she's fine. Thanks for all your advice, I knew I could count on my blogging friends.

3. The boys had been attending Eagleridge Enrichment program one day a week but we've decided not to keep that up. If we lived closer, it would be perfect but we don't and since they get out at different times, we're not only putting in a lot of driving time but we're also waiting an extra hour while Jaxon has his last class. I've also felt like it throws our schedule off too much. We like having Friday be a shorter fun day and it just hasn't felt possible when they are gone a full day each week.

4. I'm still sore as heck from my workouts, but loving them and I'm still motivated to reshape my body. I'm seeing results and feeling good. I wish the scale would show them quicker but slow and steady is OK.

5. My nephew Max returns from his 2 year LDS (Mormon) mission on Wednesday. I have several nieces and nephews who will be getting married this spring/summer so I'll have to wait until May to see him. I'm so proud of him for working hard and staying focused on his mission.

6. I'm having spring fever big time...I could really use a vacation somewhere. I'm working on some sort of get-a-way.

I'm off to spend a chilly but quiet afternoon reading good books while wrapped in my green blankie (which by the way I still wish was a Snuggie). Have a fabulous Monday!

February fade out...no way!

This morning I was walking toward the gym and noticed several women around me 'booking it'. It hit me that there must be a great class about to start, so naturally I picked up the pace. I'm weaving in and out of people trying to get there first, wondering what it could be. Hoping it was a fun step or kick boxing class, maybe yoga or Pilate's, but no...it was a SPIN CLASS!

I hesitated because I was already extremely sore. Like, wake up in the middle of the night and moan sore. There wasn't much time to think since only a few bikes were left. Snooze you loose, so I decided to JUST DO IT (sorry Edie I'm borrowing your new motto). The seats are so uncomfortable that it actually motivates you to stand when going up those 'pretend hills'. Oh man did it burn!! I am so proud of myself for staying the ENTIRE time. I had only planned on staying the first half, but pushed through it.

In December I rejoined the gym and started working out 6 days a week. I was loving it but once Sophia started with the night terrors, my energy level got super low. For the last 2 weeks I haven't done a ton of working out and my eating hasn't been the best either. It sucks when you are all gung ho and then you 'fall off the wagon'. In January, I started with the Body for Life diet and after 2 weeks didn't want to look at any form of protein ever again. Since then I've decided, slow and steady wins the race. My new strategy is to eat less (which has been easier for me) and do fun workouts that I can mix up and not get bored of. I love to work out, I just need to remind myself (constantly) that I deserve that window of time for myself each day. To heck with all the millions of other things on my list, if I'm not exercising regularly...I start behaving badly!! There's just something about working out. If I don't do it, it doesn't matter what else I accomplish the entire day, I'll be down on myself.

So my question is...how are you all doing with your 'resolutions' and what are you doing to stay motivated about healthy living?

BTW - I can hardly walk, my thighs are BURNING but I feel great!! Those spin classes kick your butt, but you work up an amazing sweat!

Ummm, did I mention Aressted Development is hands down the.funniest.show.ever??

Senorita's Second

I can hardly believe Sophia is 2 years old. She was all smiles when it came time for presents. What a difference a year makes. Last year I had to help her, this year she ripped one open before it was even time.



I got her some Pretty Pony's because those are a classic from my childhood. I'm slowly getting her all my favorite toys. She has a Cabbage Patch Doll, I still need to get her a Strawberry Shortcake Doll, Rainbow Bright and a Care Bear...I'm trying to pace myself but it's hard. I just LOVE having a little girl!!
Last year she was afraid of the candle, this year she couldn't wait to blow it out.
She kept puffing but it took a little help from her dad.

We just had a low key night, we figured this was the last year we could get away with it and we were still trying to recoup from the Super Bowl bash.

We love you Sophia, you are a big bright star in our family and we can't imagine it without you.

Super Bowl Sunday

These photos are brought to you by Jaxon Washburn Photography

Jason and Wyatt Winsor

We brought our front room furniture in to create a giant "U" sofa...worked great.

This is cute little Palmer Lindblom sporting his jersey.

Lauren and Allison...most likely drooling over Kurt Warner.

Kimball took care of all the grillin', thanks babe.

It was a great time with the Winsor's, Cooley's, Bevell's, Lindblom's and Millers over.

Kade was our 'half time show', he had been working on his 'Go Cardinal's' song and dance all week. It was pretty funny, but better when he takes his shirt off...which he did not do.

A crucial play there in the 4th quarter.

Sophia was all 'hopped up' on other people's soda!

Some of the women chatting...about football I'm sure.

Paige, Riley and Palmer, watching games on the computer.

Jaxon was in charge of the photography and did a great job capturing Kate's pearly whites.

The Cardinal's did an amazing job. The game was very exciting and left us on the edge of our seats right up to the very end. The mood was a little somber afterward but we still love the Cardinals and think they did us proud. Thanks everyone for coming!

The good news...

This morning Kimball's sweet Grandma Smith passed away. She has always lived far away so The boys and I have only met her once. When I told them the news they were sad. They remembered meeting her last year at our house when she came through town. You can read more about that HERE.

After I told them, Jaxon said "Well, the good news is now she can meet Grandpa James in heaven...again and again and again." I assured him the good news is now she has a perfect memory and she is free from any pain. They were very glad to know that, but being Washburn's they couldn't help but chuckle at his comment.

Kade had a great idea, "Maybe we should make cupcakes for our good news." So we made these sweet, little cupcakes and thought of our sweet, little Grandma Smith.

And the winner is...

First of all thanks everyone for the awesome response, it was so fun hearing all your stories.

This morning Kade helped me out by drawing the winner from a hat. He wasn't happy about it since he hadn't eaten breakfast yet! Then Jaxon also wanted a turn and since I snagged another cute little find the other day (because I'm a giver like that and I LOVE surprises), we drew a second name. The first winner of the movies is...

TARA MCLAY from Pleasant Grove, Utah. If you've never been there, you should go, it's beautiful. I met Tara through Kimball after his mission. They were good friends, *wink, wink. She was one of the other girls sending him packages while he was away for 2 years. :) She's super sweet and totally gorgeous. She even loaned me her bra once when I got ready at her parents house but realized my black bra wasn't going to work with my light yellow blouse. Her mom is the sweetest lady around, her parents let Kimball live with them for 4 months before we got married. I'm sure they seemed like 4 very long months! :) Funny thing is, last night I told Kimball I was glad because Tara had entered the contest twice. He told me to just pick her and then tell her "Now she can't say he never gave her anything". He's such a goof ball!! Of course I told him that I wasn't rigging it, it was going down fair and square (despite everyones pleading and begging).

The second winner is...

AMANDA !! Amanda's from Mississippi, I don't know Amanda, but I'm already loving her blog. Right now she's got some great Valentine craft ideas, you must check it out. I'm sending her some cute silicone heart shaped cupcake molds, a sprinkle pack and a heart cookie cutter. Hope you like it and that you'll post the pics of your delicious cookies and cupcakes.

Thanks for playing along, I'll have your packages out today. Amanda I'll need your address first.

Hope you all have a fabulous day!!

Give Away

I am doing my first ever give away. If your name is drawn, you will win the just released DVD Fireproof and the movie Flywheel. I just saw Fireproof and I absolutely LOVED it. Everyone should see this movie. I've heard SO many others rant and rave about it too. It's from the creators of Facing the Giants and Flywheel! Starring Kirk Cameron, Fireproof is an inspiring love film about a firefighter, his wife, and a marriage that needs rescuing. You can read more about it HERE.


The rules are simple, just leave a comment with the story of how you and your spouse met. If you'd like to enter twice then leave a second comment telling an example of what you do to strengthen your marriage. The winner will be announced on Thursday morning. I keep changing it becuase I'm not good at waiting,!! Good Luck!

You don't need a blogger account to leave a comment, just leave me your email address so I have a way to contact you if you win. If you'd rather not post your email address, just email me at gojessica@yahoo.com.

A some what typical day...

One of the many beauties of homeschooling is having the ability to mix things up if needed. Since I love to read others schedules, here is a pretty good idea of how most days are around here.

7:30 Boys wake up

7:30 Eat breakfast

8:00 Piano practice and chores

9:00 Devotional (prayer, pledge, scripture stories)

9:30 Read Aloud (currently reading Eight Cousins)

10:00 Math - Jaxon, Math/Handwriting/Spanish - Kade,

10:30 Snack - Jaxon & Kade

10:45 Resume

11:15 - 1:30 *History/Geography/Science/Language Arts - Jaxon

11:15 Assigned Read - Kade

11:30 Reading Comprehension (this includes nature study) - Kade

11:45 Kade's done and playing

12:30 Lunch - All

12:45 Resume - Jaxon

1:30 - 2:30 Quiet Time/Personal Studies (Jaxon reads 2 chapters of his assigned book, memorizes poems and journals. Kade colors, studies flash cards or draws).

2:30 - 4:30 Free time (they play outside, play on computer and watch t.v., Jaxon also uses some of this time to write his book).

3:00 - Snack

4:30 - P.E. (martial arts, soccer, swimming, tramp, treadmill, ride bikes and scooters, varies depending on time of year).

6:00 - Dinner

7:00 - 8:00 Free Reading in bed - Jaxon and Kade

8:00 - Lights Out

*Note: Though I love the Charlotte Mason & Classical method's, Jaxon had a hard time being independent and keeping on task, and I had a hard time keeping it all corrected, organized and tracked the way I'd like. We are now trying Switched On School House for the subjects noted. In addition to S.O.S' history, he also reads a chapter a week of The Story of the World.

The boys also study poetry, handicrafts, nature, art, and music on a weekly/biweekly basis. We have bagged the Latin with Jaxon for now, we'll add it a little later. Possibly just get it in during summer. He's also getting spanish weekly at the enrichment program.

Friday's were meant to be 'Fun Friday's' but with the enrichment program taking up a whole day, I make them go 5 days a week. Since they are pretty short days, they don't seem to mind it. We do however go to parks, the library and have movie night on Friday's.

After typing up many different fancy schedules, this is the way it has ended up. Now it's second nature and we don't have to look at a schedule to keep us in line.

Sleepless in Arizona

Poor Sophia had a few night terrors last week and has had a heck of a time getting over them. She has been playing musical beds for a week and a half now. It started with her waking at about 3:30 am screaming bloody murder, shaking, sweating and screaming for Mommy. Ever since then her room is the devil and she wants nothing to do with it. We've purchased night lights, played soothing music, replaced her lost bunny for a look a like, bought her a Glow Worm, and put more toys and books in her room. We've tried letting her cry it out which only produces an exhausted, sad, swollen eyed girl who doesn't care how many hours you make her cry she's not giving in. Kimball switched her crib into a toddler bed, we moved the boys bed room across the hall from her. Last Sunday I even took her to the mini clinic to see if she had an ear infection or something, within just 2 minutes the doctor said it was obviously just night terrors and was kind enough to not make me pay. An ear infection would have been easier to treat!

Now I've always prided myself on training good sleepers. You know, babies that sleep in their crib the very first night, who sleep through the night at 8 weeks, and take really good naps. The kind of kids that go to bed when they're told and don't throw fits and don't get up asking for water every 5 minutes, but as always pride is the kiss of death.

All she wants to do is sleep downstairs in the guest room. NO one sleeps downstairs and she can't just be down there all by herself. I've slept in their with her and so has Jaxon, but we want to sleep in our own beds. Oh what to do? My new blog friend over at The Long Road to China is having similar problems and is trying the monster spray (water in a bottle), but I think Sophia is too young for that. The last thing I can think of is to move one of the guest beds up to her room and see if she'll go for it. I don't think she will since she's obviously scared of her room not her bed (even in the day), but it's worth a try. If anyone can think of something I haven't, please let me know.

loosin' it

i could very well be on my way to the nut house, here's why:

1. our 3 pound, sweet and gentle malteepoohuahua. Abby is still having occasional accidents, after 2 1/2 years. I can.not.stand.it. when dogs pee on carpet. With her own doggy door you'd think she'd make it outside. The problem is, if someone forgets to leave the laundry room door open, she can't get to it. When the boys are watching her, they don't always notice when she needs to get out. I ban her from the house about every other week, then I see how lonely she is and I cave. She's so dang sweet, how could I possibly have thoughts of dumping her in the desert and telling the kids they must have left the gate open?

2. not having my own tooth brush. You'd think a 32 year old woman would have the luxury of her own tooth brush...not the case. Thanks Carly for sending Kimball a stash of them but you forgot to send a stash for Sophia too, and really what you should have sent was a lock and key, then I coul lock it up along with my deodorant and towel. OUCH!

3. my 'highly addictive' personality. I wish I was better at doing things in moderation. I find something I'm interested in, or I enjoy doing and I go crazy with it...that is until the next thing comes along. I usually have 3 or so 'obsessions' going at a time, and while it's fun and I enjoy it I eventually get burned out and then want nothing to do with it for awhile. I love learning, researching and trying new things but the kids have got to eat and unfortunately I'm in charge of the meals around here.

4. people who don't pay their bills. Much of the masonry work Kimball does is a luxury not a necessity, so when someone has him build a nice paver patio, a pizza oven, BBQ and a fireplace and then "runs out of money" or files bankruptcy, I get a little fired up. That's all I'm going to say about that!

5. teresa pelleti. Whoever she is, apparently she's one of those people I mentioned above because for the last 1 1/2 years I've been getting her collection calls on my cell phone...daily! I'd love to run into her in a dark alley, but with my luck I'd use my Tae Bo on her and she'd end up having a black belt in CRAZY!

Now so I don't sound like a total whiner, I'll end on a high note.

things that keep me from being institutionalized:

1. jaxon's help. He's like a 39 year old man, trapped in a 7 year olds body (he's actually 10). This little guy helps me with the kids, he keeps me laughing all day and he probably teaches me more than I teach him. (I know that's what you're all thinking so I'll just go ahead and say it.) :)

2. arrested development. Why this got cancelled I'll never understand. I dare say this is the funniest show EVER! I love every.single.character. This show has me rolling on the floor every time.

3. facebook and blogger. Being able to laugh and joke around with out of state friends and family on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, is very therapeutic for this homeschooling mom out here in the Sonoran Desert.

4. my ipod. Workout's with my ipod are just.plain.heavenly.

5. arizona sunshine. It's the best! I don't know how I used to make it through those cold, long, Utah winters. Come July I may be cursing it, but for now I'm singing praises.

Now don't go judgin' me cuz I'm sure you have weeks where you're teetering on the edge too. BTW - I'm not loving my new background so until I find something else free or super cheap, this is what you get. Have a great weekend!

Book Club - The Scarlet Letter

I recently hosted book club at my house. We read the classic The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. This book got me thinking and wondering if it's better to suffer for a sin in silence, letting the guilt be your punishment or is it worse to have it out in the open for all to judge and mock you?

We are now reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, it should be good...I'm looking forward to February's book club night. It's fun to get together with the ladies and have some adult time. Taking time out for myself is a must now that I'm a homeschooling mom. Some days I want to move to a remote island where no one can find me but doing things like book club and daily exercise are making all the difference.

Thanks to Alli for taking a picture of this beautiful red velvet cake with her phone. I didn't have my camera on me and hadn't thought of it. It was pretty yummy, and no I didn't make it...I wish.

Public Transportation, Football and Curls

Saturday we took the kids on a field trip. We boarded the new Tram in Mesa and rode it to downtown Phoenix, where we stopped at The Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch followed by another stop at a Tram Station where Kimball had done a bunch of neat masonry work. Kade has been learning about different forms of transportation so this was great fun for him.

It was super crowded on the way back. Poor Kimball had to stand and hold Sophia for about 30 minutes before getting a seat. We were packed in like sardines. I had to stand for the full 45 minutes but I was smart for once and wore my walking shoes. This was the weekend for the PF Chang's Rock n' Roll marathon and the Cardinals playoff game (which I'll discuss more later), and a huge expo. Needless to say, it was the wrong weekend to take the Tram downtown. We still had a great day.

Kimball was excited to show us his this neat masonry job he did. He worked for several months with some artists out of California (they should have hired Arizona artists but WHATEVER) and the project turned out really nice. It runs up and down a long stretch on Central Ave. It' cooler in person, with some neat glass pieces and metal cutouts as well.

This was an inexpensive field trip and the kids loved it. The tram is only $2.50 for an all day pass and some guy gave us 3 free, of course when we were done with ours we paid it forward too.

Sophia in her first curlers. Kade thinks she looks like a little old lady.

Now for a man who doesn't just talk the talk but who walk's the walk...Kurt Warner. How awesome is it that the Cardinals have made it to the Super Bowl??? Pretty awesome especially because Kurt Warner is such a deserving man. Click HERE to view some of the charitable things he's up to, he is a family man and a true Christian. Love this guy, he rocked at the 2000 Super Bowl and he's going to do it again!


Now if I play my cards right, I may get a signed jersey from this guy. Larry Fitzgerald did amazing yesterday. Kimball is currently doing a big masonry project at his new home here in Arizona. He hasn't been to the job site yet but maybe after the big day's over, he'll come around...hopefully!

Back to basics...

Does homeschooling have to be expensive? No! Though I spent more than I probably should have on books and curriculum, it was mostly out of excitement which I hear is not uncommon your first year. There are many ways to home school without it busting your budget. With the Internet, resources are endless. Just type in free home school or free learning tools and many, many come up. I have shared the spellingcity.com and we all know there is the library which is fabulous for books, books on cd and movies. The library apparently has Rosetta Stone Foreign Language resources for free. Don't forget about ProjectGutenberg.org where you can read or print classic books for all ages at no cost. I have a few links on my side bar as well. Used book stores are also great. Here in Arizona there is Bookman's which is a huge used book store, I was able to find a ton of books on my (Well Trained Mind reading list) for super cheap and in great condition. Ambelside Online.org is a great web site offering curriculum based on the Charlotte Mason method. There is Simply Charlotte Mason.com that has a lot of free resources as well.

The big two I know of here in Arizona are Connections Academy and Eagleridge Enrichment Program. These two have online programs or traditional (books/packets) programs that you can do at home. They are funded by the state so I think Aims Testing is required each spring but everything is free and I know with Connections Academy they provide the computer, Internet service etc. all free. Eagleridge also has the enrichment program for homeschoolers where the children go to the school a day or two a week depending on your preference. I know this is not too orderly but I'm in a hurry, I just want to make sure anyone interested in homeschooling knows that it can be done at little or no cost. I'm affraid I may have given the impression that it has to be expensive. A lot of it depends on what method you choose, but I'm sure with any method, if you try to be frugile you can. Buying stuff used on Amazon, Craigslist etc, is a great way to go.

Do you need a school room? No! It's not necessary. We have one, but again I got excited and wanted to make it fun. It really only gets used once in a while and mainly is a great place to keep all our school stuff. We spend most of the time lounging on our couches or at the kitchen table. I figured we would but if you know me, I get 'gung ho' about things and tend to go overboard.

If you are a home school family and think of any I've left out (which there's probably a lot) please leave a comment as to what it is or what works for you.

Christmas Song

You're still the one...

This is my favorite picture known as 'the kiss'.

WARNING: Long, sappy, smoopy, whoopy post...read at your own risk!


Kimball and I met in June of 1995, just 10 days before he left on a 2 year LDS (Mormon) mission. I was working for my dad in Salt Lake City, Utah and he made deliveries to us twice a week. Kimball saw me sitting in the parking lot on my lunch hour reading a book. He came up to me and we talked for a bit. He got my number and said he'd call that weekend, well he didn't and I'll admit I was disappointed but don't worry, he came back to my work on Monday and said he'd lost my number (now that I know him I'm sure it was true). He definitely looked like a 'bad boy' which was not what I needed at that point in time. I had already sent a brother and many 'friends' on missions so I definitely didn't want to fall in love with another guy leaving for 2 years. I decided to just go out with him, what could it hurt? We completely hit it off, we were inseparable for that 10 days. He convinced me to fly out to Washington for his mission farewell. I thought he was crazy and I was sure my parents would think the same thing, but for some reason they were all for it. I went and we had a great time, until we overslept and I missed my plane. I guess being in la la land will do that to a girl. I was so worried, I didn't know what I'd do. Kimball and I were still over an hour away from the airport when I looked at the ticket and saw the departure time, so we pulled over to a phone booth and called my mom. I remember my older sister Amie laughing her head off. She thought it was so funny that I was crying. Luckily they arranged for me to take a later flight and it was all good, or so I thought.

Aunt flow came to visit and I was in white shorts! SO...we pulled over again and stopped at a gas station. I WAS NOT about to buy tampons because I just didn't do that kind of thing. I asked Kimball if he'd do it and he said yes! Seriously!?! Oh the things we'll do for love. I think that's when I knew he was a keeper. OK so we got that all taken care of and headed off for the airport again. Kimball asked if he should forget the mission and we could just go to Vegas...kidding of course, but 2 years seemed like a lllooonnngg time. Here I am in said white shorts, just lally gaggin', taking pictures with no cares in the world...if I'd only known I was late for my plane!


We said our goodbyes, lots of tears and kisses. We wrote pretty much the entire two years. I had boyfriends during that time and apparently he had other chicks sending him packages (smart guy). This is the picture I kept near by as motivation to wait for him. I never said I was "waiting", but for some reason I always felt like I wanted to see what happened.



December 22, 1997 was a beautiful winter morning. The snow began falling as we all made our way to Heritage Gardens in Sandy Utah. Kimball and I had a lovely ceremony with a small and intimate group of 100 family and friends, followed by a delicious lunch.

We spent our wedding night at a The Armstrong Mansion in downtown Salt Lake City. As we pulled into the small little parking lot, I noticed a truck that looked very familiar. The next morning we went down to the cozy little dining room for brunch. There we sat completely alone when my old boyfriend (who had proposed to me...long long crazy story) walked in and sat down with his new wife. It was beyond awkward or ironic! We said "hello" and tried to hurry and eat and get out of there. As we caught the elevator to go back upstairs so did they, now it got even more awkward. I introduced him to Kimball since they both new of each other and held my breath as we slowly made our way to our floor. I can't even tell you how crazy and weird that was...if you only knew the whole story!

After enjoying Christmas and New Years, we headed to Mazatlan Mexico for our honeymoon. It was such a fun time. The weather was perfect and the beaches were to die for. We had a blast para sailing and kayaking, both resulting in crash landings (entirely my fault).
We hated to return to 'reality' but we were anxious to start our new life as newlyweds. Just 4 weeks later, I went in for outpatient surgery to treat my endometriosis, only to find out there would be no surgery...I was a few weeks pregnant. The only words to describe my feelings that day was shock and fear, Kimball would probably say excitement and surprise. Things don't always go as planned but we were so blessed to have our sweet little Jaxon. It's crazy to think it's been 11 years. Kimball and I are very different, he's way too silly at times and I'm way too uptight and the list goes on but what matters is we're doing our best, we're committed and we love each other. We've been blessed with 3 amazing children and we have a good life together. Happy Anniversary Babe! Thanks for all you do for me and for hanging in there through it all. Here's to 11 more years!

All is calm, all is bright...

Sophia's been sick with a cold since Sunday night...this candy cane brought her some much needed JOY.

Some parents put away $ for a college fund, we're putting away money for laser hair removal...and I thought I was hairy!!

Jaxon's been playing Christmas songs all month, we are loving it Jax, keep 'em coming!

Kade is such a sweetie, he finally disclosed he's not loving martial arts. We wish we'd discovered this before buying all his grappling gear but since martial arts is so expensive we are OK with his choice to play soccer instead. Maybe he'll change his mind in a few years but I doubt it, he's a lover not a fighter!

Life as a home school family during the month of December has been fun. It's hard getting all my 'extra stuff' done with 3 kids around 24/7 but it's also nice feeling the Christmas spirit on a daily basis, and creating fun memories as a family, in the comfort of our cozy home. I am grateful. And the best part is, the kids are too.

Pears and Caramel Sauce

OK I'll admit we aren't getting a lot of formal schooling done this week but hey, the kids are finding their way around the kitchen and we are having a lot of fun together. I guess we'll call this home economics week.

Here's another quick but delicious treat for your friends and neighbors. It's perfect for the holidays because it only has four ingredients and heavens knows we don't have a lot of spare time.
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup light corn syrup, 2/3 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup butter.

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Boil 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool. Makes about 1 1/2 pints.

Pour into small mason jars, use some festive scraps of fabric and ribbon to 'pretty them up'.

Place in a cute basket or gift bag along with some fancy pears and or apples and your done. Super easy and SO delicious. Enjoy!

Holiday fun

Sugar Cone Christmas Trees

Here's another fun and quick activity for the kids. Take a sugar cone and frost the outside of it and then decorate with Christmas candy. It would look better with green frosting but I was in a hurry so I used only what I had on hand.


Unfortunately every one's been snacking on the gum drops so we ran short. Oh well, who sees the back anyway. Which reminds me of a funny story about my niece Samantha. She was about 14 years old and she had this beautiful head of long hair. Every time she straightened it she'd leave the back all wavy. When asked why she said "it's not like anyone sees it." She's too funny, she still probably doesn't bother with the back because she is just that kind of person, totally easy going. Thank goodness there's all types in this world, some one's got to mellow us spastic people out.

BTW - this morning I just colored my own hair (that's right, had to get rid of the gray and knew I could do it myself since I was just going all dark) or at least I thought I could do it myself. The problem is there's a small stripe in the back...I resemble a skunk if you look close but since it's in the back no one will see it right?

Now to give credit where credit is due, I got this idea from my friend Tricia's blog.

Christmas Treats

I may not have our tree decorated yet, or the lights up, or my shopping complete but I am finished making treats for friends and neighbors. Here is a delicious recipe for homemade Chocolate Truffles. I got this recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Jenson.

Chocolate Truffles

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chopped nuts

Combine heavy cream, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; immediately add chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted; add vanilla. Pour into bowl. Cool, stirring occasionally, until chocolate begins to set. Cover and chill in refrigerator several hours. Form mixture into balls of desired size, working quickly to prevent melting. Roll in chopped nuts. Store in refrigerator or freezer until serving time.

So what yummy treats are you making for your friends and neighbors??? Do share.

For fun Christmas crafts/recipes/ideas go on over to Kimba's party by clicking here.

Go Vikings Go!!

What a great weekend. The Bevell's were in town for the Vikings/Cardinals game so we started out Friday with a girls only shopping trip followed by dinner and a movie. This is when I got my highly anticipated signed, Adrian Peterson jersey, thanks Tammy and Darrell...you're the bomb!
Kimball and Adam took the oldest boys to the Suns game Friday night, thanks to "Mayor Saleem" for giving them the tickets. Jaxon and Colby had a blast and Kade and Sophia had a great time with their friends at home. Jaxon didn't understand why they couldn't just watch it at home but once he got there, he was SO glad he went. We had never taken them to an NBA game before...shame on us!

Saturday morning I took the kids to the church for donuts with Santa which they loved. I don't have the pics from that yet. I had a nice snugly day with the boys, watching movies and eating popcorn and brownies. Is it sad that just because I had a little 'me time' on Friday, by Saturday I was missing my kids...kinda like I had neglected them or something? I guess this whole homeschooling thing is growing on me.

Saturday night we went shopping again and to dinner at the Brio Tuscan Grill which is a fabulous new restaurant close by. We ran into our old friends the Fuller's which was a nice surprise. Now for the really good part...game day. We showed up in our purple everything, thinking we'd be shunned, but that was not the case at all. There were tons of Viking's fans, I was shocked. Maybe it's all the Minnesota snowbirds, but I didn't notice an influx of elderly people? Now I love me some Kurt Warner...but when it comes down to the Cardinals vs. Vikings of course we're going to root for the Vikes. It was such a great game, the Vikings did awesome and got way ahead right at the get go so we were able to enjoy the game without stressing. Darrell called some great plays and did Arizona proud (since he's from AZ). I'm hooked, I think we need season tickets; either that or Kimball needs to find NFL employment because it's quite THE LIFE.

You can read my first Vikings post by clicking here.

BTW - This morning we woke to overcast and cold weather. Kade thought with the light sprinkle of rain his enrichment program would be cancelled. I guess in his eyes that's equivelant to a major snow storm!

Spelling Online

OK so this is totally stolen from a post on The Pioneer Woman

There is a website that's free and easy to use that gives us one more way to teach spelling. It's called Spellingcity.com I love it. You just enter their spelling words at the beginning of the week, they are taught, play games, and then later on in the week they can test. It's super easy and fun and helps 'change it up' a bit. Check it out or go to Pioneer Woman's site for a much more detailed explanation.

Girl Crazy!!

who else applauds when I flush?

high fives when I shut the garage door?

insists on sharing a tooth brush?

snuggles me non-stop?

is my personal assistant?

begs for lip gloss and nail polish?

bops her head to the beat?

gives kisses freely?

cleans right along with me?

was so brave at nursery this week?

...these are just some of the reasons I'm crazy about Sophia. Who would have ever thought having a girl would be so fun? I'll be honest, when I had two boys and no girls and I found out I wouldn't be able to have anymore, I thought maybe being the queen of the house wouldn't be so bad. Looking back I know I was just trying to make myself feel better. I love my boys but there's something about having a sweet little girl in the house that is SO great. I wish I could just bottle her up and make time stand still.


Speaking of girl crazy, I'm not the only one. Jaxon got a love letter from a few girls at his enrichment class last Monday. Apparently they and I quote, "can't quit starring at his deep dark eyes." He and I went on our walk tonight and he told me he has a girlfriend,she's one of the girls who sent him the letter. At dinner tonight he pulled out a comb and started combing his hair so he'd "look good for the chicks". Are you kidding me? He's only 10! I know, I know, I was totally boy crazy at that age, but it's gone too fast. I am just glad he'll only see his "girlfriend" on Mondays. I think I'll just keep him home FOREVER! Tonight I told him he couldn't date until he was 21 and he didn't argue so I'm sticking with it for as long as I can. I know that worrying about being popular and liked is just part of the 'coming of age' but I hope by homeschooling, we'll eliminate some of that. I hope he'll gain a solid foundation where he'll know his self worth and potential without measuring it by who's wearing braces or who's sitting by the cool kids at lunch.

Today is Kimball's birthday, he's 33. I am so lucky to have a husband who takes care of us. He works 5-6 days a week with very little vacation to make sure we have a comfortable life. We are going to the Cardinals/Vikings game this week to celebrate...can't wait!

Thanksgiving 2008

The 'Adults Only' Table

Lachlan and Jaxon eating at the 'Over Flow' bar. This is about the only day of the year I wish we hadn't turned our dining room into a home office.
My oldest brother Clark and his wife Anna
The Kids Table

Lots of food and even more of this...

Pure laziness I tell you (not including Anna).

Still being tormented by my brother at age 32! Some things will never change. I looked totally hammered I know, but I had just put the finishing touches on our dinner and I was a sweat ball.

I couldn't find a small table cloth so I took an old sheet and painted the turkey's using each kids hand print. It's simple but cute.

The kids table...with two very immature men in the back.

Thanksgiving is a ton of work but for some reason it's one of my favorite holidays. Thanks to Kaycee and Anna for helping me in the kitchen! It was great having 2 of my brothers in town for the week. Hopefully they had a good time too.

Gold Belt Ceremony

Tonight was the boys gold belt advancement. They tested the other night and after a lot of trial and error they got it. Kade was pretty pooped, it took about 2 1/2 hours to pass. Eventually we'll get with the program so we're aware of what they'll be tested on ahead of time. I missed the last one but I don't think that will ever happen again. It is SO fun to see these cuties yell, fight and roll around on the mat. Jaxon is begging us to let him do the elite Storm Team but we are going to make him hold off. It's a huge commitment (financially and time wise) and although it's a great way for them to learn leadership skills and community involvement, it's a bigger commitment then we need right now. I am just so happy they love it so much. Getting good pictures was an impossible task, my camera's seriously on it's last leg (hint hint K - man) so please be patient. I've been a very good girl this year so I'm pretty confident Big Santa will get me a good one for Christmas.

Here's Kade coming up from the old 'duck & roll'

Kade accidentally hit this boy in the face when demonstrating a defense move...oops!


Yay! I was so worried Jaxon would advance without Kade, there's just so much they have to learn. I'm sure it will happen eventually but not only will it be sad for Kade but then they'll have different practice times too...ugh! The good thing is, it's only 5 minutes from our house.
Jaxon escaping a two arm grip.
Just taking care of bidness! Whoo Hoo! Jaxon's taking this all so seriously, he has never been much of a sports fan besides swimming so we're all loving this!!

A big thanks to Jaron Carmichael for supporting the boys by coming tonight. He is our home teacher (from church) and is so great with them. Jaxon emails him on a regular basis. It takes a village right?

One super tired Mama. My kids are always taking extremely close up pictures of me at the computer, please forgive the crows feet and sun spots. Oh yeah and facial hair. What stopped growing on my pits seems to be coming in ever so softly on my jaw. :) I'm just keeping it real people!
We're anxious for our Thanksgiving guests who will be arriving tomorrow night & Tuesday night. Two of my brothers are coming, it should be fun. I've been busy cooking, cleaning, decorating and meal planning. No homeschooling today but we'll make up for it tomorrow...that's right Saturday!

Side note: I'm actually sick just remembering it but tonight I was in a rush to grab dinner before running out the door and I accidentally ate a hot dog. I thought it was a Jennie O turkey one (Kimball had grilled them) and it WASN'T!! Can you say dry heave? I'm not being dramatic, I haven't eaten something like this for I don't know 15 years!?! I think I'll just go back to the no animals of any sort diet...much safer. BTW - If I knew how to make myself vomit I would have. I guess it serves me right for going cheap and buying the 69 cent ones.

A Womans Work

A womans work is never done

no time to have a little fun.

Dishes to wash

clothes to mend

bills to pay

there is no end.

One of these days

if I don't feel right

I'll close this kitchen

and go on strike!

This poem hung in my Mom's laundry room when I was growing up. For some strange reason I can't get it out of my mind lately! Do you ever feel like this or is it just me?

Thankful

This first part is an update for my Dad. I think he's having Sophie with drawls! Sophia's hair is getting super long, she doesn't like when I blow dry and curl it but it looks so cute when I do. Here she is looking all grown up, too bad she still won't go to nursery. Kimball and I both teach so we really can't stay in there, she ends up sobbing and they bring her to us every week. When asked where grandpa is she holds her hands up like this and whines, "I don't know." She also constantly reminds us to brush her teeth. I think she just likes eating toothpaste. Communication is getting much easier thanks to baby sign language.


There's nothing like coming home from church (freezing of course) and curling up in my green blanket, with my red fuzzy slippers, plopping down on the couch for a nap and some great football. Way to go VIKINGS!

Like many people, we are doing a 'thankful tree'. Each day we write something we're thankful for on a leaf and add it to the tree. It's been good for us to stop and recognize our blessings. Here is the link for the leaves if you'd like them. The actual tree, I painted from looking at a pottery barn picture and a little free hand (bird and apples). No, I still haven't finished painting Sophia's play area under the stairs, it's still on my 'to do' list. Anyway, back to the 'thankful tree'. Besides being thankful for the Vikings awesome win yesterday, I'm thankful that someone found bunny at Target Saturday and turned her in, and I'm thankful for the enrichment program the boys started this morning. It's every Monday and they're there all day. It's for homeschooler's who want to take elective classes, like...Spanish, acting, P.E., band, science. It will be fun for them to get out and be with other kids, it will also help fill any gaps...AND let's face it, I'm pretty excited to have one on one time with Sophia and some ME time. Other benefits include: state funded so it's free (or paid for with my taxes), they have a library with homeschool curriculum that's available to us, so if we want to try something new, we can for free. We'll see how it goes, they were pretty excited about it but Kade warned me he'd be a little shy at first. I have been waiting for them to get some availability for Monday's and they finally did. Yay!!

UPDATE: OK so they are back now and they loved it. I'm so glad we have this option!

The Little Entrepreneur

Jaxon has recently become a small business owner. That's right, he has a dog walking business (name still undecided). He's starting with one client but as he gets older he looks forward to expanding. We sat down to eat dinner the other night and before I could ask how his first day went he said, "Well my first day went pretty good, I'm hoping it turns into a career." He's been wanting to start a lawn service, but since he's never mowed a lawn and he only weighs about 60 lbs, it's not likely.
Look at him, all responsible with his doo doo bag and everything.

She only asks that he take him once a day, but he enjoys it so much he does it in the morning too. Oh yeah, he also got payment in advance...he's smart like that!

Seventy five and sunny

After some math, music, Spanish, poetry, spelling, reading and copy work, it was time to take Charlotte Mason's advice and get outside. The weather is beautiful today, seventy five degrees and sunny.

It's been too long since we've had it this cool, so we grabbed some food from Chick-fil-A and headed to the park for a picnic. I know, I know, not too healthy, but they do have the fruit cup and juice option AND they gave us some great science trivia in the kid's meals. The kids were excited when we chose Chick-fil-A, knowing they'd get something cool like a book or Spanish flash cards rather than another junky toy. One time we even scored a children's book by Dave Ramsey. It teaches about money and how to save, spend and give. I think the outdoors did my soul good, especially after my McCain lost big last night. I'm staying positive so the bright side is, I now have a better chance of meeting him!?!

Home of the brave...

" Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war." - Thucydides

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stewart Mill

" We make war that we may live in peace." - Aristotle

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson

“If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves” - Thomas Sowell

“Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.”

- William E. Simon

Tuesday, November 4th is our chance to stand for what we believe to be true. To make a difference in the direction this country is going. Will you take control of the power you have and get in line, or will you be too engaged in everyday life to be bothered? I hope we will all do whatever it takes to get in that voting booth. If it means pay a sitter, do it. If it means trade off with a friend, do it. If it means drive a friend who cannot make it otherwise, do it. If it means take time off work, do it. If it means wake up early, do it. If it means miss your ball game, do it. You get my point. The duty is ours, there are no excuses.

I found some great voting themed activities for kids that may make your voting day go smoother. The kids can do them in line or at home. Click here for the link.

Love Letters

Here is what Kade created during quiet time yesterday. Last year he was blessed with an amazing kindergarten teacher who was pretty, fun and so caring. He has mentioned to me several times (like as soon as school was out last year), that he missed her and wanted to email her. I never got around to helping him because I couldn't find her email address. I guess he's still not 'over her' because he wrote her this sweet letter yesterday. I just might feel a little jealous if I didn't know how sensitive and tender hearted Kade is. He's just one big teddy bear! BTW, now I know what words will be on his spelling list next week. :)

Planet Earth

For home educators who haven't gone out and purchased the DVD series Planet Earth , you're missing out! It's a must in my opinion. My boys love it and watch it whenever they get the chance. I purchased these back in the spring at Costco for about $50...money well spent. If they feel like watching T.V. and I haven't had a chance to do a lot with science and geography that week, it's a great filler. Planet Earth, is a rare look at intimate moments cought on film with some of the world's most elusive creatures. It will take you to places you've never been to experience God's beautiful creations. These DVD's are absolutely amazing, you're kids will soak them up like sponges

Life Skills Week

I was reading from a great blog today. They are a home school family as well. Instead of taking a fall break, (in a true Charlotte Mason kind of way) they spent the week learning life skills. They got their house ready for winter. Check it out here for great ideas and inspiration. One of the things I love about blogging is the support I get from great women. Just when I start running out of ideas or getting too comfortable, I read a great post that gets me excited and teaches me something new. With this being my first year to home school, I'm still trying to figure out how to get it all done. I've been noticing things I'm not getting around to like, changing air filters, washing down the a/c units, planting pretty winter flowers, washing windows and dusting hard to reach places. If I teach my kids to help out, it not only makes the home run smoother, it prepares them for adulthood. It's been a rough week being sick and trying to teach. I'll admit this week I've had memories of quiet afternoons reading in a clean house, while Sophia napped, pass through my mind. It's OK because I still wouldn't trade this time for anything. I feel so lucky to have 3 side kicks home with me each day. I am anxious to kick this Bronchitis, so I can feel 100% again. Stay tuned for our post on what we've accomplished!