The Simple Woman’s Daybook 06/15/2012

The Simple Woman's Daybook
FOR TODAY
Outside my window...Warm, still and clear...
I am thinking...I should have woken up earlier…
I am thankful for...my children and being able to teach them…
From the kitchen...lunch being prepared…
I am wearing...jeans and a gray tank…
I am creating...digital scrapbook layouts…

I am going…to the library later today… 
I am reading…Engaging The Prodigal… 
I am hoping...my oldest son enjoyed his stay at camp this past week…
I am hearing…my middle son reading By the Great Horn Spoon…

Around the house...my daughter’s toys are strewn about…

One of my favorite things...waking up early and feeling awake instead of wanting to crawl right back under the blankets…

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Packing up books from this year and beginning to plan for our new curriculum… 
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Mandy

A New Endeavor

Ever since I was introduced to scrapbooking I have been in love. I even became a Stampin Up consultant and enjoyed it immensely. Storage was a problem and so I began looking at digital scrapbooking but never really felt drawn to it. Now that I have a good digital camera I began looking more seriously.

After seeing a few freebie sets put out by others and asking about what is the easiest and most cost effective product, I decided on Photoshop Elements 10, which I received this past Mother’s Day from my awesome family. I am still learning but have realized designing Digiscrap sets really isn’t all that difficult for me. So, here is my first attempt:

So, what do you think? Four papers with a slight shimmer and great texture. I am thinking after much practice that I may even make sets to sell. I would love comments on improvements, tutorials, pricing suggestions, and how to get started. If enough of you like these papers I’ll post them on here for free.

Mandy

Heritage History~TOS Review

As a homeschool family we own a lot of books both in physical and e-book format. I try to purchase physical books whenever possible but with hubby out of work for a year and a move to a much smaller space that has been cut back this year. Not to mention I am beginning to run out of book shelves. I was so grateful to be chosen to review Heritage History’s Classical Curriculum-Young Reader’s Library.

From the Website:

“The Heritage Classical Curriculum is the easiest, least expensive, and most enjoyable way to learn traditional history. Our "living books" reading program uses narrative histories that were popular with young people of earlier generations and features books of interest to students of all ages.

Write Shop ~ TOS Review

I love to write and so does my husband. I write poetry, short stories, pretty much whatever comes to mind while my dearest writes things of a more technical nature. This has not been the case with our 2 oldest sons.
While the 16 y/o will at least put pencil to paper and write something when required, the 9 y/o will balk and whine. Not a happy school day when that happens let me tell you. To his credit he has dysgraphia which makes writing painful and difficult for him. To combat this we began with minimal writing for him, focusing on penmanship and how to get the letters to flow. Slowly we have increased his workload to include more writing.

Judah Bible Curriculum ~ TOS Review

One of the places we really struggle in our day to day school life and outside of school as well, is remembering to work on and implement Godly character. I think this is probably the most important thing we as homeschoolers should be working on but for some reason it is always the first thing to let slip when things get crazy. We recently decided to cut back and simplify to really focus on this.

Homeschool Library Builder ~ TOS Review

I am so happy to have been introduced to a wonderful homeschool resource recently. Homeschool Library Builder is a company that helps homeschoolers build their libraries at a very affordable price. Run by two homeschool families, HSLB has an amazing free membership that enables you to earn free books with their book rewards program, newsletters with lesson plans and monthly specials, sell your products in their marketplace, and help support Compassion International.

Ring Around The ABC’s…

My daughter turned 3 about a month ago and she is forever asking to do school. However, her idea of school is more organic than mine. She is completely happy to jump around while counting or doing the alphabet but me being me I try to teach her. What? She is having none of that, thank you very much!
In order to try and get her engaged in learning the alphabet in order, which I admit in the grand scheme of things doesn’t really matter, I decided to make it a game. She LOVES games! I took the first 6 letters and wrote them on 6 pieces of construction paper (5 3/4’ X 9”) of assorted colors. I placed 6 chairs in a back to back fashion (think musical chairs) and put one letter on each chair seat. I played music and when it stopped she had to climb on the nearest chair and tell me what letter she landed on. Apparently all letters were the letter “A” today but she got the idea.

Called To A Simpler Life

I recently attended the Midwest Parent Educator’s homeschool conference in Kansas City, MO. I had hoped to turn it into a vacation time for my family along with a refreshing of my momma soul. What actually transpired last weekend was instead an amazingly stress filled wonderful blessing. Yeah that strange! Only God could have imagined this one.

It’s that time again…

To clear some shelf space for new curriculum.

I am only taking PayPal and will ship media mail.

Ultimate Blog Party 2012 & Giveaway

I would like to invite you all to join me at the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom! No need to get a sitter the party comes right to your house.

AIMS Fabulous Fractions~TOS Review

The latest item I have been reviewing is one that many can relate to. Having a child struggle with math and/or science can put us moms in a hard place. That is why I was so glad to get a chance to review Fabulous Fractions from AIMS Hands on Math and Science. Fractions just seem to be a really difficult concept for most people including myself. This activity book is really useful in helping your child “see” the relationships in fractions.

TruthQuest History ~ TOS Review

We love history here at Miskatonic Prep. Well, all right maybe that is a slight exaggeration (or just wishful thinking on my part), but we do thoroughly enjoy learning about history. We use Charlotte Mason’s methodology of living books so much of our studying is done in the context of sitting down with a good book.

Midwest Parent Educators Conference

Mrs. Mandy’s Musings will be attending the MPE Conference in Kansas City, MO April 20-21.

I am very excited to meet some new friends and if any of you will be there please let me know so we can stop by and say Howdy!

Mandy

How do you renew?

When I first began home schooling my children it was just my two boys and I was pregnant with our daughter. That was three years ago. Today we have a teen, preteen, toddler, and another newborn. I never thought I would be pulled in so many different directions. Don’t get me wrong, I love homeschooling our children and look forward to when the Lord blesses us with more.

Somewhere in all I this I realize a need to gather with other like minded mommas. Do you know how hard it is to relate to everyone else?

Amazing Animals by Design ~ TOS Review

Good books that teach my young children about our Lord are always a much needed resource at our home. I am just never sure how over their heads my explanations are, plus I can not convey in words what illustrations can in cute, adorable, and beautiful artwork. Fellow TOS Crew member Debra Haagen, created just such a book when she penned Amazing Animals By Design. You can check out her author site, Debra Haagen, to learn more about her.