Back to Basics After a Season of Chaos

 

Hello everyone! Yep, it's been awhile. We had so many things going on the last few months that something had to get pushed aside. A few somethings. Blogging was one of them. Illness, including a couple of big scares that ended up turning out alright; a wedding in which both myself and my Hubby were participants; a new school year with new curriculum; and my first birdie getting ready to fly the nest. It's been a whirlwind, definitely super stressful at times. And I am SO READY for routine. For calm.

That being said, the next month or so will be all about pulling back and getting back to the basics. My oldest will be moving out at the end of this week, so we still have some not normal stuff left. But in order to keep the transition as smooth as possible on both ends, I'm trying to get back into a modified routine this week.

::God::

First order of business. I need to get back into regular, daily Bible study. I have been slacking on this lately, and I gotta say, I can feel it both mentally and physically. This needs to happen in the morning right when I get up. The two that I'm homeschooling will also wake up before chores and breakfast and separately do their own Bible study. My 13-year-old son has an independent study he's doing for school, and my 10-year-old will just read out of his own Bible while myself and his brother are doing ours. He does enjoy journaling while he reads, so he will have those supplies on hand.

::Sleep::

On top of everything else going on, Hubby has had some weird work schedules lately and both my and his sleep have been sorely lacking the last couple of months. I've been relying entirely too much on coffee during the daytime hours to keep me spinning and it is catching up! Getting back into the habit of having a decent bedtime is going to be essential now.

::Food::

Confession time. I have not been eating the best at all lately. In the beginning of all the busyness, I made sure to prep. Toward the end, I started slacking. I have not fallen off the Trim Healthy Mama wagon altogether, but there's been quite a bit of off-plan food slipping through the proverbial cracks around here. It hasn't gotten to the point where the scale or my clothes have been affected. But again, it's catching up with me and I am REALLY feeling it. Between this and my sleep situation, my energy is running on fumes.

So, I'm bringing back the mentality I started a little over a year ago when I was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Eating off plan is simply not an option. As I type, I have my Instant Pot and Crock Pot going, getting on-plan food prepped for the week. I have finished restocking my pantry with THM-friendly foods, and am currently working on my freezer.

::Movement::

This goes right along with the food. My workouts have pretty much stopped these last couple of months. This is another factor in my waning energy and mood swings, feeling bloated, and rising blood pressure. I want that feeling back that I am getting strong! Since the weather is getting colder, I have my stack of preferred DVD workouts. To keep it from getting boring, I'm changing it up every day. On the nice days we still have left, my workout will be bike riding with my boys.

::Basic Daily Routines::

A couple of weeks ago, I had this notion that I was going to do a massive Fall cleaning and decluttering. Well, that fizzled out pretty quickly, as most would understand with everything else. Now? Nope. Taking it way back to basics and just having Flylady tell me what to do! It's so much more simpler than when I try my own perfectionist methods. And ironically, it gets more done!

::Homeschool::

Our homeschool over this busy season certainly hasn't gotten shoved aside completely, but out of necessity it had to be moved down on the priority list a few notches. Starting last week, it got moved back up to one of the top priorities in our home. And we are on an awesome track! It helps that we all absolutely adore our new curriculum. Stay tuned for posts about that in the coming months!

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Hmm, seems like a lot doesn't it? These were all in place before the whirlwind, so believe me it is SO NICE to get back to it! Obviously, I am slowly getting back to blogging as well! I also enjoy YouTube, both making my own and watching the videos of others. I haven't done either one lately. I definitely want to get back to watching and supporting my friends! And I'm sure I'll eventually get back to making videos, but that can't be my priority quite yet.

Thank you all for reading! It's nice to be back. If you would, I would so appreciate your prayers for this mama heart and my family as we navigate this time of transition in our lives.

Have a great week!

Digging Into the Word: Proverbs 3:9-10

 

It's Sunday! I hope you're all having a blessed August so far! Once again, it's time to take a look at the next few verses in Proverbs. If you're new here, this is my Proverbs study. I'm slowly working through the book of Proverbs. I share a few verses at a time, as well as my thoughts. If you're interested in checking out past Proverbs studies, see their links at the end of this post. Let's dig in, shall we?

Honor the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

So your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

~Proverbs 3:9-10

How Do We Handle Possessions?

Everything we own should be used to honor the Lord. After all, everything we own is actually His, is it not? Psalm 24:1, as well as many other verses, tells us this. I could go into a whole separate blog post about decluttering those things that aren't being used for anything honorable. But I won't. I think you see where I'm going with this one.

Also, give to God first of your increase. This means not giving Him what you may have left, after using what you "need" first. Give to God first, and then trust that He will provide for all of your needs. This can be very hard for some people to do. And I get it. My family has seen some pretty tough financial times. Many, many others have seen far worse. So I can't speak for everyone, and no one can speak for me. Ah, but see what happens when we look at others instead of Jesus? What does God say? Just look at the above 2 verses! If we honor Him and trust Him with all we have, "our barns will be filled with plenty, and our vats will overflow with new wine." To me, that says that not only will God provide all of our needs, we will have an abundance! Perhaps this includes not only needs, but some of our desires also.

Getting Practical

How can we apply this to our lives? I always say, first you need to pray! Look at verse 9. Is there anything you own that is dishonoring to God? Is there any way that you can use it to honor Him instead? If not, it likely needs to go! How can you honor God with the "firstfruits of your increase?" Again, pray! It is between you and God what you give and who you give it to, in order to serve Him.

Finally, how can we trust God to provide for our needs? I think you know what I'm going to say. If you first need to pray for God to increase your faith and trust in Him, do that. He honors the honest prayers of those truly seeking Him.

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I apologize if it seems like I'm being a bit vague here. I don't really feel like I can give you a specific to-do list for this topic! Since I depend on prayer and communicating with God through His Word, I want to encourage you to do the same! Pray, read God's Word, and pray for answers.

I would love for you to add to the discussion, though, and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope you all have a blessed week!

1-Proverbs 1:1-7
2-Proverbs 1:8-9
3-Proverbs 1:10-19
4-Proverbs 1:20-27
5-Proverbs 1:28-33
6-Proverbs 2:1-9
7-Proverbs 2:10-22
8- Proverbs 3:1-2
9-Proverbs 3:3-4
10-Proverbs 3:5-6
11-Proverbs 3:7-8

Wow, It's August Already?! Update From My Home

 

Is it just me, or has this summer flown by especially fast? I cannot believe it is already almost a week into August! It won't be long until Summer winds down and Autumn will be upon us. Despite some incredibly hot and humid days, I've really enjoyed this summer and I'm a little sad that its end is rushing to meet us so quickly. However, Autumn is my favorite season. And by August, I am definitely ready to start looking forward to the cooler days of September and October!

I've been a little quiet here on the blog lately, but I assure you, that it definitely won't stay that way! While we homeschool through the summer, we've still managed to soak in a lot of that "lazy day" summer goodness! While there is most certainly a time for that, I decided a few weeks ago that I needed to start adding more structure back into our home. Good habits are forming again, but that has left me little time to write. And that's okay! Once our routine settles in again, there will (hopefully!) be more time to add back in the relaxing activities.

So bear with me a little longer and stick around! I have a good list of posts I would like to write in the near future. I also want to hear from you, my readers, if there's anything in particular you would like me to post about. And if you haven't already, I would love for you to subscribe to my blog! Just hit the follow button in the sidebar.

Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next post! Have a great week, everyone!

Digging Into the Word: Proverbs 3:7-8

 

Happy Sunday everyone! It is the Lord's Day, and it's time for another short Proverbs study. If you're just joining me, I've been slooooooooowly working through the book of Proverbs in the Bible a few verses at a time. Sharing the verses, and sharing my thoughts on those verses. At the end of this post, I will share the links to my past posts on this study just in case you want to read those. Let's get started, shall we?

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.

~Proverbs 3:7-8

It is dangerous to live the way we think we ought to live, and to demand that God act the way we think He should act! Sometimes, we may think that we have found a "better" way than what God lays out in His Word. But anything different or opposing to God's Word, is really just us thinking we are wise when we are actually being fools.

On the other hand, accepting and trusting GOD'S way instead of our own, will give us true health and strength. Does this mean that we will have a perfect life? Does this mean we will be perfectly healthy and strong physically? No. God's Word does not promise us a perfect life this side of eternity. However, if we put our full trust in God, He will be faithful and give us His strength to get through whatever life may throw our way.

The waters will not always be nice and calm. In fact, they will be stormy and downright treacherous at times. But we need to remember that God Our Father, Who is bigger than anything else we can imagine, is right there with us. And He asks that we place our trust in Him. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Easier said than done! But if we can start with even earnestly asking Him to increase our faith, He will be faithful to give His children what they need.

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I highly encourage you to study God's Word for yourself. Don't take my word for it! Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you understanding, and then dive in to God's Word!

Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a blessed week!

1-Proverbs 1:1-7
2-Proverbs 1:8-9
3-Proverbs 1:10-19
4-Proverbs 1:20-27
5-Proverbs 1:28-33
6-Proverbs 2:1-9
7-Proverbs 2:10-22
8- Proverbs 3:1-2
9-Proverbs 3:3-4
10-Proverbs 3:5-6

Charlotte Mason Resources: My Favorites

 

Hi everyone! We are working on finishing up our homeschool year, since we are all ready for our brand new year! In previous posts, I have shared how our homeschool will be changing big time in the coming year. In light of that, I have been doing lots and lots of research on the Charlotte Mason method. Today, I want to share with you some of my favorite Charlotte Mason resources that I have come across so far.

These resources cover everything from the CM homeschooling method, curriculum, and Mother Culture (for the homeschooling mother). Now, keep in mind, these are just my personal favorites that I have found in my research. I know there are tons more resources out there that I just haven't stumbled upon yet. If you have any additional Charlotte Mason resources that I don't have here, please share down in the comments!

Books

• Home Education, by Charlotte Mason. This is the first book in the Charlotte Mason series. I did read the modern English version, as Miss Mason's Victorian style was hard for me to read. This was a great book to get acquainted with Charlotte Mason's thoughts on education.

• A Charlotte Mason Companion, by Karen Andreola. I recently did a review on this book. It gave me a good overview of the Charlotte Mason method, as well as tons of ideas to incorporate that method into all the different subjects. Even though I've read it through, I will be referring back to it frequently, especially during our first year.

• Mother Culture, also by Karen Andreola. I have not read this book all the way through yet. I have flipped through it and started it. I already can tell this is going to be a great resource for me as a homeschooling mother.

Those are the only books I have read so far about the Charlotte Mason method. I do plan to eventually read the rest of Charlotte Mason's series. I want to try and read the original versions as stiff books for my mother culture reading. There are other books out there that will eventually make it to my reading list. I recently ordered Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, by Karen Glass.

Curriculum Resources

Ambleside Online. This was my favorite Charlotte Mason resource for a long time! This is a free CM curriculum site that provides complete booklists, schedules, and resources for each year, grades 0-12. Now, there are some things you will have to gather yourself and purchase (math, language arts, etc.), but many of the books they recommend are public domain and can be opened or downloaded in your favorite reading app. Also, you can always use your library, or just purchase the books if you're trying to build a home library. Even though this wasn't our main curriculum, I have used the booklists and recommendations for nature study, composers, artists, and more for years to supplement our curriculum.

Simply Charlotte Mason. This is the main curriculum I will be using in our next year to help us transition over to the CM method. I came upon this site when searching for a different language arts & writing program. I just fell in love with the resources and suggestions there!

My Father's World. Now, while this curriculum is not fully Charlotte Mason, I have to plug it here. It is what we started out with and used for nearly 12 years. This curriculum incorporates CM, along with the Classical and Unit Study methods. And it's what turned me on to the Charlotte Mason method in the first place. Even though we are switching away from it, I still recognize it as a great curriculum, and I still highly recommend it!

Websites/Blogs

Simply Charlotte Mason. Yes, just like the curriculum site, Sonya Shafer maintains a blog on that site. I do prefer watching her videos, which I will link below, but there's all kinds of good info on the blog as well.

AfterThoughts Blog. Brandy has been using the AmblesideOnline curriculum with her children for years and has tons and TONS of information in her blog posts! This blog contains lots of good CM info, booklists, printables, and so much more!

Sage Parnassus. I just very recently found this blog, and have yet to explore it deeply. But just from what I've read so far, and the content menu, I know I will be referring back to it frequently as a resource in our new school year.

Simply Convivial. Mystie combines Classical and Charlotte Mason. I love her posts not only about homeschooling, but homemaking as well! In my opinion, many different homeschoolers can find something useful on her blog.

Homeschool Solutions with Pam Barnhill. Pam also incorporates some Charlotte Mason into her homeschool. I just love her morning basket, ideas, and encouragement she has for homeschoolers!

Again, I know there are many other websites and blogs out there for Charlotte Mason Homeschooling! With all the perusing I've been doing with the above lately, I just haven't discovered them yet. 😉

Podcasts/YouTube

As of late, I think podcasts and videos are my favorite way to absorb the Charlotte Mason way of life. I have really been enjoying the following.

Scolé Sisters. You will recognize the 3 hosts of this podcast from a few of the blogs above! This is my absolute favorite podcast right now. I've been binge-listening starting with the first episode, trying to make my way to the current one. So much great information and inspiration!

A Delectable Education. Another great podcast that I felt like I had to start at the beginning and catch up.

Simply Charlotte Mason. Now, this is also available as a podcast. But, since I prefer watching on YouTube when I can, that's what I'm linking here. Again, lots of great information, especially if you're using any Simply Charlotte Mason curriculum.

Those are the podcasts I'm currently stalking. Again, I know there are more, including some of the bloggers I listed above that run their own podcasts. But, I like to pick a few and catch up. Then, I will add another. It's just how I roll!

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So, the above are all my current favorite Charlotte Mason resources that I just had to share with you all. The more I absorb and learn, the more I feel that I made the right choice to switch over. And, the more I see that the Charlotte Mason method is not just for that certain part of your day when you're "doing school." It really can become a beautiful way of life. ❤️

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any other resources that would be helpful in the Charlotte Mason journey, please share them in the comments below. Have a great day!

Homeschool Choices for 2019-2020: Electives and Enrichments

 

Woohoo, it is the first Friday in July! I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer so far! It is now time for the fifth and final post in this collaboration series. If this is your first time visiting, this series has been about homeschool curriculum choices for the 2019-2020 school year. I am co-hosting this collaboration with 5 other wonderful homeschoolers. They are YouTubers Ingrid at Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles, Kim at The Homeschooling Grammy, and Corrine of Mama’s Little Lambs; and fellow blogger, Stacy at DyerTyme. Please make sure and check out each of these ladies channels or blogs. They each have excellent content for those of us on this homeschooling journey!

Also, be sure to check out the playlist and blog list at the end of this post, which contain posts from other participants in this collaboration. If you're still looking for curriculum ideas and suggestions, you will find many here. So far, we have shared our choices for History/Geography/Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, and Science & Bible. Today, we will be sharing our choices for electives & enrichments.

I will add, that since we are changing around a lot of our curriculum this year, I am following a lot of the suggestions found in the Year 1 Enrichment Ideas from Simply Charlotte Mason.

These are the subjects I'm most excited about this coming school year, so let's get to it!

Habits & Personal Development

Laying Down the Rails

I'm really excited to be focusing on habits this year! In Laying Down the Rails, Sonya Shafer has compiled everything Charlotte Mason has written about habits. The book is organized into Decency and Propriety Habits, Mental Habits, Moral Habits, Physical Habits, and Religious Habits. I also have Laying Down the Rails for Children, Books 1 & 2, by Lanaya Gore. These books take each of the habits Charlotte Mason wrote about, and gives you lessons to work with your kids on those habits. Charlotte Mason advocated for instilling one habit at a time, while just keeping an eye on the others already instilled. Each habit should be focused on consistently for 6-8 weeks before moving on to the next habit. 

I picked 3 habits to work on during the next school year: Attention, Obedience, and Truthfulness. According to Charlotte Mason, these are the 3 most important habits to instill before adding in the others. I agree! If children have these 3 locked down, the others will fall into line more smoothly.

Ourselves

In addition to the above, my 13-year-old will be reading, on his own, a book called Ourselves, Book I: Self-Knowledge. This book is part of the series that Charlotte Mason herself wrote. He will be reading the first half of this book this coming year. Ambleside Online has all of Charlotte Mason's volumes for free reading on their website, and that's what we'll be using for this. 

My Own Additions

I also have the following books that I will be adding to our book basket: The Book of Virtues, by William J. Bennet; and A Child's Book of Character Building, Book 1, by Ron & Rebekah Coriell. Both of these books contain short stories, categorized by character traits. We have been reading The Book of Virtues already, but we still have a lot to read in it.

Math Enrichment

I forgot to put these in my Math post, but since they really are an enrichment and not the main math curriculum, I went ahead and added them here!

Both of my boys were interested in this, so I ordered them each a kit from the Your Business Math Series from Simply Charlotte Mason. One child wanted the Pet Store, the other wanted the Book Store. These books show your kids the basics of starting up and running a business.

The start up for the business includes: creating a logo, ordering and recording inventory, setting prices, and starting and keeping a ledger. Then, the book goes through 12 months of scenarios for that business, and includes "chance cards" to draw that will switch things up. The child then needs to figure out how to keep their business running each month.

Each month, they will learn how to write checks, pay bills, figure sales tax, adjust inventory, pay sales tax, advertise, calculate profit/loss, and more!

My sons already have their own lawn mowing business, so I think these books will help them sharpen up their business and customer service skills!

Picture Study

Picture Study, like Music and Poetry Studies, is an area where I could have saved some money and just gathered the resources myself. But since this coming year is going to be such a big change for us, I wanted to really get a feel for how these are done in the Charlotte Mason method. So for this year, I ordered the materials offered by Simply Charlotte Mason.

We will be studying 3 artists this year: Constable, Velazquez, and Rembrandt. I ordered a Picture Study Portfolio for each, put together by Emily Kiser. Each portfolio contains 8 full-color works of the artist. In addition, there is also a book that explains how to do Picture Study, a brief biography of the artist, and a story/description of each of the works contained in the portfolio.

Music & Hymn Study

This year, we will be studying 3 composers: Bach, Chopin, and Beethoven. These music kits, Music Study with the Masters, were done by Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason. Each kit comes with a booklet that tells you how to do music study, as well as a biography of the composer. The kit also contains 2 CD's each full of that composer's music.

We also will be learning some hymns throughout the year, using Then Sings My Soul, by Robert J. Morgan. I love this book, as it gives the story behind each hymn and its writer. We will also be using YouTube to find the tune and sing along.

Poetry

For our Poetry Study, we will be learning about Robert Louis Stevenson and reading his poems throughout the year. We will be using Enjoy the Poems: Robert Louis Stevenson, by Ruth Smith and Sonya Shafer.

Shakespeare

We will be doing a Shakespeare study for one term this year. I chose A Midsummer Night's Dream. We will be using the Shakespeare in Three Steps guide by Sonya Shafer. I also ordered the recommended Ark Angel audio reading of the script. I was able to find this on Thrift Books for a reasonable price, still in the packaging!

Handicrafts

We all discussed what kind of handicrafts should be taught. Handicrafts need to be useful skills. So, after much discussion, we chose CPR/First Aid for one term. Hubby is on our fire department and a certified instructor, so he will be able to both teach and certify each of the boys. For one term, they are to take a firearms and safety class. And for one term, they each chose something different they would like to learn. My 13-year-old wants to learn photography. We have a photographer in the family that we will soon be asking to help us out with that. And my 10-year-old wants to learn woodcarving, especially whittling. We already have the basic tools for this, so this should work out great!

Nature Study

For Nature Study this past year, I purchased each of the boys one of these Nature Journals by The Thinking Tree. We have all kinds of beautiful parks in our area where we can go walking and just observe nature. We have not used these a whole lot, so for this next year, we will continue to use these Nature Journals. When the weather's nice I try to get us out for a nature walk at least once per week.

We also have collected tons of field guides for our state and region to study & reference. Trees, edibles, wildflowers, birds, butterflies, mammals, and also an animal track pocket guide.

Foreign Language & Latin

For Foreign Language, we will continue with Mango Languages. I love this program! I pay $20 monthly, and I can have up to 5 different users on this account, and as many of the languages as they want. We have done some Spanish, and my oldest did German when he was in high school. A couple of months ago, we decided to switch over to French. I took 3 years of it in high school, and we have all been doing it together.

In addition to Mango, my 13-year-old will start a basic Latin study this year. Over the past 2 years, we did a simple vocabulary study of Greek and Latin roots in our English language. This book should take my son a little deeper into Latin, while still being quick and light. I believe learning Latin helps solidify understanding the English language.

Family Read Aloud

And finally, these are the read-alouds from the list I chose this year:
Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan
Bambi, by Felix Salten
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, by E. Nesbit
The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George
I already had Treasure Island, and I believe it is an abridged version. So before we start that book, I am going to see if I can find a non-abridged version. I like reading the original stories. Other than that, I am so looking forward to reading all of these books with my kids! ❤️

That's It!

Whew! Now that is a long list of enrichment & elective goodies! Keep in mind, these will be spread throughout the year, nothing except read-aloud is done every single day (in fact, many are only once per week), and many of them will be short lessons each time we do them. And except for the few things I noted as separate for my 13-year-old, all of these will be done all together. So, yes, looking at it all in one post seems like a lot! But I'm hoping the schedule I am working out for everything will be well-balanced.

Thank you, if you have read this far with me! I would love to see your comments below, if you have any questions, or if you have used any of these items or will be using them. I hope this post gave you some ideas, and don't forget to check out the playlist and blog list below!

Have a great weekend, everyone! And if you're still celebrating the 4th, be safe!

Playlist: Curriculum Choices 2019-2020

2019-2020 Curriculum Review Part 5: Electives and Enrichment-DyerTyme

Digging Into the Word: Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Happy Sunday, everyone! I don't get to it every Sunday, but when I do share a blog post, I like to keep Sundays for scripture. Currently, I am working slowly through the book of Proverbs. I share a short section of scripture, and then share my thoughts. At the end of this post, I will link up my previous posts I've done on the book of Proverbs. Let's dive in!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

~Proverbs 3:5-6

Sometimes, fully trusting in the Lord goes against our human understanding and instincts. We can find ourselves in a situation where it's extremely difficult to wrap our mind around fully trusting and completely giving up control to the Lord. Believe me when I tell you, I am totally preaching to myself here. This passage is telling us that if we completely acknowledge God, acknowledge and trust in Him fully, He will direct our paths.

How do we do this? How do we put our complete trust in the Lord and lay complete control at His feet? This is another one of those things where I have no easy answer, friends. There is no set formula. But, I will say, that I think the best place to start is prayer. Pray for God to show you how to trust Him. I believe that if you truly want to, He will give it to you. Seek Him earnestly in prayer!

Lean not on your own understanding, and certainly lean not on my understanding, either! Seek God in prayer, acknowledge Him, and trust Him. And He will direct your paths. And if you follow those paths that He directs you on, you are not guaranteed the perfect life in this world, but know that He will never steer you wrong!

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As I mentioned above, don't lean on my understanding...read God's Word for yourself, praying that He will give you understanding. I hope I have encouraged you to dig in to God's Word. Have a blessed week, everyone!

1-Proverbs 1:1-7
2-Proverbs 1:8-9
3-Proverbs 1:10-19
4-Proverbs 1:20-27
5-Proverbs 1:28-33
6-Proverbs 2:1-9
7-Proverbs 2:10-22
8- Proverbs 3:1-2
9-Proverbs 3:3-4

Book of Mottoes for June 2019

 

Hey, everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Being that it's just about the end of June, I thought I would start a new monthly share.

This past month, I had my boys each start a Book of Mottoes as a part of their Language Arts. I first read about this from the Simply Charlotte Mason website, as something that Charlotte Mason herself had her students keep. I have also seen this called a Commonplace Book. Basically, it's a notebook where you write down quotes or sayings as you hear or read them, that speak to you. I really love this idea, so I decided to start my own Book of Mottoes!

As I have added to my own book, I realized that you could really get to know a person by looking at what they choose to keep in this book. So, I thought I'd share some of the sayings I collected throughout the month.

Mom's Book of Mottoes-taken throughout June 2019

"Duty makes us do things well;
love makes us do them beautifully."
~Zig Ziglar

"I am. I can. I ought. I will."
~Charlotte Mason

"Never back down! Never gonna quit!"
~Lanco (a country music band, from their song "Rival." Hubby and I love this song!)

"We need to take our mission, but not ourselves, seriously."
~Unknown

"One settles down into a sort of selfish seriousness, but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. Seriousness is not a virtue, seriousness is a vice. It is really a natural trend, or lapse, into taking oneself gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. Solemnity flows out of men naturally, but laughter is a leap. It's easy to be heavy, hard to be light. And Satan fell by the force of gravity."
~G.K. Chesterton

"Cease endlessly striving for what you would like to do, and learn to love what must be done."
~Goethe

Homeschool Choices for 2019-2020: Science & Bible

 

Happy Friday, all! We made it through another week! And now that Friday's here, it's time to share what homeschool curriculum we are using for the 2019-2020 school year. So far, we have shared our choices for History/Geography/Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts. Today, we will be sharing our curriculum choices for Science and Bible

I have the privilege of co-hosting this collaboration with 5 other wonderful ladies this week. They are YouTubers Ingrid at Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles, Kim at The Homeschooling Grammy, Corrine of Mama’s Little Lambs, and Vani at Mrs. Mom's Homeschool; and fellow blogger, Stacy at DyerTyme. Please make sure and check out each of these ladies' channels or blogs. They each have excellent content for those of us on this homeschooling journey! I will also be adding a playlist and blog list at the end of this post. There you will find other homeschoolers participating in this collaboration. If you're still looking for ideas for next year, check those out!

Bible

First, I want to talk about what we'll be using for our Bible time. In the curriculum itself, it is done very simply and seems like it's not as much as we're used to. But, we're going to give it a go, and if I feel later that we need to add more, I will do that.

Scripture Memory

Daily, we will work on memorizing scripture using this system from Simply Charlotte Mason. I have never seen this system before looking in to this curriculum. And I love it! The only hiccup, is that my family prefers the NKJV version for reading and memorizing. So, I will be making my own cards from scratch. Print, cut, paste. And, since I can't purchase the tabs separately from a set of memory cards, I will be doing those on my own as well. At least I have the rest of the summer! Once I get the tabs done, it will be pretty easy to maintain. I will be using the memory verses suggested by SCM in their enrichment ideas.

Bible Study

Once per week, there will be an in-depth Bible study. This year, we will be studying the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus. So one day per week, we will read from a portion of scripture and do the study as laid out in the lesson plans.

In addition, my 13-year-old will be working through 2 books in conjunction with our family study. One book is called Discovering Doctrine, by Sonya Shafer. This book is laid out into 10 different doctrines of scripture. After we read our scripture for the day, my son will go over the verses and categorize them into the different doctrines, writing each verse on the appropriate page in his book.

The second book he will use is called Growth in the Word, by Sonya Shafer. I really love this book! Growth in the Word teaches how to study your Bible effectively. This book contains studies for each of the books of the Bible we will be studying this year. I think this will be a really good way for my son to hone in on God's Word.

Now that I have it all typed out, our Bible plans don't seem too light after all! Maybe so for my youngest, who will not start the above 2 books until his next year. However, we also read from The Daily Light on the Daily Path in the morning and evening. So either way, we're getting daily scripture reading in.

Science

This year for the first time, each of my kids will be doing their own separate science. This is one of the many ways I am transitioning them to be more independent with more of their subjects.

13-Year-Old

The main science spine for my 13-year-old will be Exploring Creation with General Science, from Apologia. I used Apologia in the older grades with my oldest, and I do love their curriculum. And their books fall right in line with the "conversational texts" for upper level science recommended by Charlotte Mason. I do remember General Science starting out somewhat "dry" in the first lesson or two, but it does get better from there. We have the companion notebook, so hopefully that will help with the flow. He will be taking the tests, but for the most part, they will be open book. Because that's just how I roll.

Another book I will be integrating with my 13-year-old for science is a living book. It's called A Piece of the Mountain: The Story of Blaise Pascal, by Joyce McPherson. This is a biography about an important scientist during the 1600's, who converted to Christianity as an adult and became a devoted apologist for the faith. My son will be reading this on his own and narrating to me. But, I plan on reading ahead of him, and I can't wait to share this story together.

10-Year-Old

My youngest son will be going through Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology series. I did get all 3 books in the series, although I'm not sure if we will finish all of them in one school year. I have not done these particular Apologia books before, and I'm really looking forward to learning more about God's creatures together with my son! With all of our Apologia science, I always choose to add the accompanying notebooks. I have flipped through them, and they look really fun! I will start out the year reading aloud to him out of the books. But eventually, I want to read ahead of him and have him read and complete the work on his own. 

Extras

The Sciences, by Edward S. Holden. I purchased this as an extra reference book. This book was recommended in the Ambleside Online paraphrased version of Home Education. The Sciences provides conversational information about Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Meteorology, and Physiography. I believe this book was originally published in 1902.

Lives of the Scientists: Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought), by Kathleen Krull & Cathryn Hewitt. I purchased this in brand new condition from a used bookstore. We already have Lives of the Musicians by the same authors and have enjoyed it. So, when I saw the scientist version, I snatched it up. I thought it would be fun to have this book on hand with my 13-year-old learning about various scientists throughout history in General Science.

I haven't purchased anything else yet, but I will be keeping my eye open when I'm at Lakeshore Learning or Dollar Tree, as we go through our year. If I can, I like to purchase kits or activities that have to do with what we're learning in science.

And, as always, there will be trips to the library and lots of library books through the year to go with each subject in our science.

That's All, Folks!

I think I've covered everything! I hope this post was helpful to you if you're looking for your next Bible or Science curriculum. If you have any questions about what we'll be using, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Also, if you have used any of these things in the past, please comment and let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading everyone! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Playlist: Curriculum Choices 2019-2020

2019-2020 Curriculum Review Part 4: Bible and Science-DyerTyme

Homeschool Choices for 2019-2020: Language Arts

 

Happy Friday, everyone! It's time to share what homeschool curriculum we are using for the 2019-2020 school year. So far, we have shared our choices for History/Geography/Social Studies and Math. Today, we will be sharing our curriculum choices for Language Arts!

I have the privilege of co-hosting this collaboration with 4 other wonderful ladies this week. They are YouTubers Ingrid at Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles, Kim at The Homeschooling Grammy, and Corrine of Mama's Little Lambs; and fellow blogger, Stacy at DyerTyme. Please make sure and check out each of these ladies channels or blogs. They each have excellent content for those of us on this homeschooling journey!

Language Arts

Last month, I shared what we were using this past homeschool year in Language Arts. That is all changing. In fact, like Math, this is one subject I switched up before we finished this current school year. Spelling had been fine, but everything else was getting increasingly frustrating. Especially the writing portion. We've been using our new curriculum for a few weeks now in our homeschool, and it is going so well! I have been very pleased with the curriculum from Simply Charlotte Mason.

English and Spelling

With this curriculum, English, Spelling, and Writing are all done together using prepared dictation. One book will last for 2 school years. My 13-year-old technically should have done the last half of Spelling Wisdom Book 2 this past year, and then the first half of Spelling Wisdom Book 3 for the 2019-2020 year. When I got the book, however, and took a look through it, I knew he would be overwhelmed starting where he "should have." So, I started both him and the 10-year-old at the beginning of Book 2. Then, I just have my older son at double the pace of the younger.

Spelling Wisdom is meant to work together with Using Language Well. Each book contains 140 total exercises. Each Spelling Wisdom exercise contains a passage from a living literature source. The corresponding exercise in Using Language Well contains English questions pertaining to that passage, usually identifying parts of speech and the like. When that is finished, the student studies the passage for dictation. They are to observe format, punctuation, and any spelling words they may have trouble with. They are to study until they are confident they can write the passage from dictation without looking at it. Then, I will dictate the passage to them, standing by with my White-Out tape to immediately cover spelling mistakes so they don't have a picture of the error in their mind.

Built-In Writing

With the above method, writing is taught naturally. As they study and write from dictation, passages of good, living literature, they naturally learn writing and composition. They learn how it is formed, and they learn what good writing looks like. I absolutely love this, because I was desperately looking around for writing curriculum. What we were using was just not working. And it seemed like I was going to have to break the bank to find something that would. But this works for them! In just a few weeks, I have noticed that when they're writing on their own, it has very noticeably improved, along with their spelling. With no more tears!

Formal Grammar

Starting in 6th grade, Simply Charlotte Mason recommends an optional program in addition to the above, for those who want a more in-depth grammar study. And I do, as both of my students love to write their own stories and have both expressed interest in writing a book someday. This program is not offered by Simply Charlotte Mason, but recommended by them. It is called Analytical Grammar. I started my 13-year-old on it when we started the other new LA materials. My 10-year-old will start it his next school year. This book is used over the course of 3 years.

Analytical Grammar also uses passages of good, living literature to study and learn grammar. I love this! They start out very simply, learning one concept at a time. The student learns what the part of speech is. Then, they learn to take a section of literature and parse (label) it, with only the parts of speech they have learned so far. They also learn how to paraphrase a passage, and eventually sentence diagramming. I absolutely thought my son would balk at this, but he's been doing amazingly well! I was really surprised! With the gentle way this curriculum introduces diagramming, he's already surpassed me in his knowledge. He often has to explain to me why something goes somewhere. LOL!

How it's broken down

The first year in Analytical Grammar consists of 11 units, with 5 parts to each unit. Each unit can be done in 1 week. The first day, the student learns the concept and does the first exercise. Then, there are 2 more days of similar exercises relating to that concept. On day 4, is a page called "Skills Support." This is when they are given a passage to parse and diagram (when they get to that point). Then, the student is to paraphrase that passage. Finally, on day 5, they have their exam.

Once those units are done, there is a review book. With the review book, you only need to complete one exercise every week, or every other week, depending on how they're retaining what they've learned.

Each year of Analytical Grammar is broken down in the same way. So, the first part of the year is more intense. Then, it's just occasional review to make sure they stay sharp on what they've learned.

That's it!

Wow, writing it out, that seems like a lot! But really, once we got into a routine with this new curriculum, it doesn't take nearly as long as it seems at first glance. Without Analytical Grammar yet, my younger son spends maybe 20 minutes at the most on Language Arts. Since he is going at a faster pace with Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well in addition to Analytical Grammar, my older son is spending 30-40 minutes per day on Language Arts. They may not always be super excited when it comes to doing this subject, but I have not heard any serious complaining since we switched over. And they are showing some serious improvement. And for me, both of those things are huge!

Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't forget to check out the playlist below to see what other mamas are choosing for next year's Language Arts curriculum in their homeschool, as well as blog post links below that. There are all different kinds of curriculum choices presented here. So, if you're new to homeschooling or just looking to make some changes, you will find some great ideas! Have a great weekend!

Playlist: Curriculum Choices 2019-2020

2019-2020 Curriculum Review Part 3: Language Arts-Dyer Tyme

Digging Into the Word: Proverbs 3:3-4

 

Happy Lord's Day, everyone! I am back with another short section from the book of Proverbs to share my thoughts on. Let's dig right in!

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 3:3-4

Those virtues, mercy and truth, are to become a part of us. Both inside and out. Notice, "...around your neck," would be something you put on that shows on the outside. And of course, writing them on the tablet of your heart would be making those virtues a part of who we are on the inside as well.

How do we do that? How do we become not only a person that others see as honest and merciful, but also a person that we know and God knows is that way, even when nobody is looking? I think this loops back to verses 1 and 2 in this chapter. "My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you."

We need to not forget God's law (His Word), and we need write it on our heart as well! The more we soak in God's Word and God's promises to us, the more we will have peace added to us. I think part of this is because as we read about these virtues (mercy and truth) that God has towards us, we will take these virtues on ourselves. And guess what? If we are consistently truthful and merciful towards others (and ourselves!), our conscience will be at peace!

Verse 4 comes into play in that, if we are truly merciful and truthful both inside and out, and we have a general disposition of peace because of that, there is something about those qualities that attract others to us.

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

As always, in sharing my own thoughts on scripture, I hope to inspire you to do the same. Read God's Word for yourself, and pray that the Holy Spirit will show you His truth.

1-Proverbs 1:1-7
2-Proverbs 1:8-9
3-Proverbs 1:10-19
4-Proverbs 1:20-27
5-Proverbs 1:28-33
6-Proverbs 2:1-9
7-Proverbs 2:10-22
8- Proverbs 3:1-2

Thank you for reading, and have a great week, everyone!

Homeschool Choices for 2019-2020: Math

 

It's Friday! And that means it's time for another post about what curriculum we are using for the 2019-2020 school year! This is a collaboration that I am co-hosting with 3 other lovely ladies. They are YouTubers Ingrid at Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles and Kim at The Homeschooling Grammy; and fellow blogger, Stacy at DyerTyme. Please make sure and check out Ingrid’s and Kim’s channels, as well as Stacy’s blog. They each have excellent content for those of us on this homeschooling journey!

In this collaboration, we are sharing what our curriculum choices are for the upcoming 2019-2020 homeschool year. Last week, we shared our choices for History/Social Studies/Geography. Today, we are sharing our choices for Math in our homeschool. And stay tuned, because we have more coming for the next 3 weeks!

Math

As I shared last month, we currently have a mixed bag of homeschool math curriculum. My youngest currently uses Singapore Math, and my middle currently uses Life of Fred, with Khan Academy as a supplement. For our next homeschool year, one child will keep with the same curriculum, the other will change.

13-Year-Old

My middle son is the one who will change. And we will actually not be waiting until we finish out our current homeschool year for this math change. We will be starting next week. As I discussed in my previous math post, he is not naturally a math-minded person. We have switched him around a few times over the years. He did really well with Life of Fred. However, as he gets into the higher levels, he is struggling more. I mentioned in that previous post that I had added Khan Academy as a supplement to try and help him get it more. But, he is still struggling more and more with the Bridges (kind of like open-book tests every 5 chapters).

Enter God's perfect timing! At the time I started to become concerned about his struggles, I was watching the videos of others who were reviewing their math curriculum from their past school year. There were quite a few reviews for Teaching Textbooks. This curriculum was not new to me, in the sense that I had looked at it several times over the years. It was in my mental stash of curriculum I wanted to try if what we were using didn't work out. Well one of the mamas reviewing Teaching Textbooks was also doing a giveaway. For an entire year's subscription! Of course I entered, not thinking that I'd win. I figured we'd plod along with our current set up until the end of our year, then I would look into TT.

We were on our family vacation when I happened to check my email one day and found out that I had, in fact, won! I cannot tell you how absolutely excited I was! For once, I didn't have to buy a new math curriculum to try it out and see if it will be a good fit for my son. We get to try it for an entire year. And if it works out, we will most definitely be going back as paid subscribers! Although, he still wants to continue to read Life of Fred. He loves the story that much! So, I told him he could read it in his free time, as long as he's putting in an honest effort with Teaching Textbooks.

Teaching Textbooks is an accessed online, and you get a PDF file with your subscription so that you can print them out if you want. But there are videos for each lesson, and someone else does the teaching. Which is a huge plus for me, because I'm not a huge math fan, either! Then, the student completes the lesson online. Not only that, but TT keeps track of everything for you! Here is the link to the review by Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles with a walk-through of the curriculum.

10-Year-Old

Singapore Math is working really well for my youngest son, so that's where he'll stay. He loves its structure, and the level of rigor is perfect for him. This one is a naturally math-minded kid, so he's definitely having an easier time of it than his brother. I will say, though, he is still challenged in this curriculum! We switched him from Life of Fred back to Singapore a few months ago, and he's already cruised through Levels 3A and 3B, and has already started Level 4A. I explained placement and a little about the curriculum itself in my previous math post.

Short & Sweet!

This is definitely one of my shorter curriculum posts! One child is sticking with what I already previously reviewed, and one is going into something we've never tried before. Given all the reviews I've been reading and seeing for TT, though, I'm excited and hoping this is "the one" that will help my middle son understand the higher math better.

Don't forget to check the playlist I link below, as well as any blog posts below that! Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great weekend!

Playlist: Curriculum Choices 2019-2020

2019-2020 Curriculum Review Part 2: Arithmetic - DyerTyme