this crazy life

Things have been crazy busy. I really need to keep up with writing and posting. I am planning to get better. I have gotten to spend some great one on one time with the kids lately. Last weekend Mason and I went camping with Cub Scouts. We had so much fun. We put a tent up by ourselves and even helped cook. It was great seeing his creative side making up skits by the campfire. This weekend I got to help Alayna with a PAgeant. She lovesgetting dressed up like a princess. She sang a song acapella. She did great. I know at 7 I never would have stood up on stage and done that... so proud of her. She was so excited that Daddy made it. HE was an hour away at a swim meet with Caleb. Then just Alayna,daddy and mommy went out to eat. Then today I got to take Caleb back to the meet and then we spent some time at a bookstore,then we went out to eat. HE did great at his meet. I did miss Masona and Alayna's soccer games,but they did great... Mason tied( so still undefeated), coming back from 3-0 score at the half. Alayna won there second game of the season. Such a great family weekend... I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mom:)

Busy week

This has been a busy yet fun week. I usually have my mornings, but with storytime and the kids book fair... not so much. Plus Rob's van would not start this morning, hoping just the battery!!! We are getting ready for 2 campouts. Caleb in going on his first Boy Scout campout this weekend. They have been working hard to build a trebuchet to chuck pumpkins. We are going to go watch just that part Sat. afternoon. Mason and I are going on a Cub Scout campout the following weekend. He is excited as well... me too. Rob has a cooking contest that weekend and Caleb is earning a merit badge for Scouts. Then we are planning for Alayna's pagent the next weekend and Caleb's first swim meet. This is all on top of the weekend soccer games and trying to make our popcorn selling goals. We love to keep busy and have fun, but sometimes I wonder how we do it?!?! Soccer is half way done, almost in time for basketball to start :)

Almost settled

OK so we are really getting settled and love Vincennes. We are all so busy, just how we like it. Caleb is on the swim team and in Boy Scouts, Mason is playing soccer and in Cub Scouts, Alayna is playing soccer, taking 3 dance classes and is in the daisy scouts. WE love the scout programs here, very active groups. Lukas and Noah are enjoying storytime at the Library. WE have joined the YMCA and are still looking for a Church we can call home. We have visited a few, but have yet to make a final decision.

All the decorating pieces are bought and hung, but the pictures. WE have put a swing set in the back yard. WE are happy to call this home. Mason and Alayna are going to the school around the corner and loving it. I have gotton to go on one field trip already and will go on another next week. I have gotton involved as well. I am a daisy leader, a scrip coordinator for the school, commitee member for scouts and an asst. cubmaster. Very busy but I love it. Rob is on some boards already and is a soccer coach. It is so great to be really immersed in a community again... YEAH VINCENNES!!!!

settling into Indiana

OK we have moved to Indiana and are getting settled.The kids are so excited. the back yard is huge and Alayna has her own room. The big boys are still sharing, but they have a much larger room and the the little boys are sharing with a good size room. Alayna's couch/bed came in yesterday. Her room is fairly small and we thought a bed would not allow her the space to play so we got her a little fold out couch... she loves it. Rob and I got new bedroom furniture as well... it is beautiful... Merlot they call it, a dark brown. the bedding is green and brown. we are just waiting for the Living room curtains and then we need to pick out a rug for the living room and we are good to go and I will post pictures:)

School started this week, it went OK we did the basics and hope to jump in more next week. We are going to discuss this week about the schools here since we moved, should we put them back in or continue to homeschool. Would like to find a Church and get the involved in their activities first.

Summer

I know been forever since I posted. Summer has begun and we are having a blast. One thing I love about homeschooling is getting to just take off and do things with the kids. this summer we traveled the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock AR. My kids love to hear me say we are going there. We introduced some old friends to the Riverfront in LR. They just moved to the area...neighbors from Illinois from when we were first married. Went to Dallas/Fort Worth, Tx... never been... great place to visit. And other than going to the pool a few times a week we have enjoyed relaxing at home. We are planning and looking forward to our future adventures this summer. We are heading back to Chicago in August and I am bringing my nephew home with us to show him our great natural state. Alayna gets to stay behind and visit with her cousin... all the kids are excited.
We are also in the planning stages for another great adventure. We are planning to go to Disney in January. Rob and I would like to run the 5K and the big boys are planning to run a mile and the little ones either 400 yards or 100 yards. So in preparation I have been working on getting in shape. I have walked between 1-3 miles everyday but Sunday for 2 weeks. Mostly 2 miles...I will keep you posted on how it goes :)

great place to get curriculm and books

Found a great place to get curriculum and books. I found a site that is connected to ebay (half.com) and I purchased tons of books and curriculum today for next year. I was on most of the morning. The kids are still a little sick so we did a light day of school. The prices are great and shipping was not bad. I paid twice as much for shipping than I did for the actual items. Spending $125 I got 30 books total. Came to about $4 per book. Five of them actual Bob Jones books I need for next year. That alone would have been almost that much in the store. But I also got most of the Curriculum I will need for the Coop classes I am teaching next year. It is from My Father's World. Plus a bunch of Library books to go with the topics it covers for extra interest. And I got a few Books to help the kids with their Science Fair Projects in April. I will be checking this site out again. They have not come in yet and as they do I will be letting you know if it was worth it. So this was a great day!!

priorities

Ok Right now with the homeschooling I am struggling with the priorities. I really want learning to be fun for the kids, but I know that there are things that must be covered... How to fit it all in and not overwhelm them and me. This month we did some fun things with Presidents and trying with the Olympics, but the time is not there. With kids in 3 different grades: 6th, 3rd, and 1st it is hard to combine too much. My first grader is just learning to read and the other two are very good readers. I have a hard time finding things to challenge my 6th grader. WE have joined a COOP this semester and it has helped to take off some stress. But sometimes they do not assign homework and that frustrates me...no work for science and history for a week. I think they are missing way too much then. So that is where I added the presidents. I still have so much of the "school" mentality. Not sure if I want to let it go. What if I mess them up and ruin some good chances for them????

The beginning

I want to write about my path of homeschooling as it takes place. I have been homeschooling since last spring, when we moved to Arkansas. Ever since our first born started school we have tried many schools, both public and private. Some we loved some and others I am glad to never set foot in again. WE definitely knew public school was not for us. I do not enjoy the politics in school and like the common Christian bond I shared with my kids teachers in private schools. We like the family feel of a nice small school setting. When we moved to Arkansas those options were not here, so we chose to try homeschooling. I wanted to write about my journey as I go. God's journey for our lives has showed us the priorities we hold dear....our faith, our family and our academic standards. So thus the blog..... Feel free to share encouragement, suggestions, and your journeys no matter what they are.