Seasons of a Mothers Heart - Chapter 5

I am reading Seasons of a Mothers Heart by Sally Clarkson and linking up over at Home With The Boys. Remember you can also follow tweets about the book by using hashtag #momsheart.

Chapter 5 - Planning to Live
What do I want my children to know? What do I want my children to be? What do I want my children to do? These are three goals we should ALL definitely all be looking at and considering when it comes to our children.

We know that our children will not know or learn EVERYTHING, no one can. But our hope is that they will enjoy learning and know how to find the answers to questions and problems by utilizing the skills we teach them. We want them to be able to think for themselves and not rely on other people. This is one reason we homeschool. We want to be able to encourage their strengths and develop their weaknesses so that they will be able to grow up into self sufficient thinkers.

We want them to be happy and content. We want them to develop great characters that will allow them shine in this world. Sally says, "God has not always given precise instructions in the Bible, so there is no easy formula for how to develop character in children (pg 101)," but boy do I wish there was some days. It is up to us the parents to guide, teach and protect. One of my goals this year is to be a better guide. I know my children follow and learn by the examples I lay before them and lately my examples have not been the greatest. I have a few character issues that I must work on for myself so that they are not passed onto my children.

We want our children to do what makes them happy. We want them to follow their dreams and know that they can obtain anything with hard work and determination. We want them to serve others and know that it doesn't matter how small the act may be it will still make a difference in someones life. I volunteered at a state run nursing home for about 5+ years, our church youth ministry and various school functions when I was a teenager. I loved serving others and seeing the impact that was made on those I served. Over the years though "life" has gotten in the way and I have not been able to volunteer like I used to. This year even though our children are very young we are going to find ways that they can volunteer and serve others. If you have any ideas for us that a 4 and 5 1/2 yr old can do please share them.

Now where did I put that manual??????

My Life:
I love the family application idea. Make a know-Be-Do-Be-Do poster for each child. Choose a verse together that you want each child to "know." Then identify two character qualities you want them to develop ("be"), and have them come up with two ministry things they will "do". Maybe after our move we will create some posters. But I think since my kids are young we will focus on one character quality and one ministry activity for each.

Quotes and Scriptures that really hit my heart:

-I am a guide, a teacher, and a protector to them as they begin their own journey along the path of life. pg 100
-Philippinas 2:3-4 - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." pg 103

 If you have read the book please feel free to share your thoughts!

3 in 30 Challenge - September Progress & October Goals

It was another week filled with stress and curve balls. All in all September was a rough month and I fear October will be the same due to our move. I really only accomplished two of my goals for September.

September Goals:

1. Organize my recipes - Maybe next month when I actually start packing kitchen 

2. Keep up with the Seasons of a Mothers Heart book club - I have joined the Home With The Boys book club and have finished  five chapters so far. I am really enjoying the book. You can read my posts here. I may actually FINISH a book for once. 

3. Find my children's learning styles -Yet another great week of homeschooling! It is so important to figure out how your children learn best and what they are ready to learn. Don't push them if they are not ready to tackle something you are trying to throw at them. Listen to your children and learn what their needs are.

October Goals:

1. Pack, pack, pack - We are allowed to move into our new apartment on October 26th but due to Ben's new work schedule we won't actually be moving in until October 29th. I have only packed up a few things so far so there is a lot of work to be done. At some point later in the month I am going to have to pack up the school supplies and toys so I think we will be taking the week of the 24th off.

2. Clean, clean, clean - Since we live in apartment we need to clean top to bottom and replace things like a broken blind, etc so we don't get charged. So it will be a fun filled month of cleaning and scrubbing.

3. Wake up earlier - I am joining Hello Mornings and am in the #MYM7 group. I have not been able to get up at my goal time which is between 6:30am-7:00am mostly because I am so stressed and haven't been sleeping. I am really hoping to change that in October. If I were able to get up at 6:30am-7:00am I would be able to accomplish some quite reading time and maybe get a few household things done before the kids get up at 8:30 am.

I would also like to add that this is our 7th move in the last 11 yrs so I am sort of a pro at packing, moving and cleaning, but boy to I hate doing it!

View my past goals.

Any encouraging words or suggestions are always appreciated!

Seasons of a Mothers Heart - Chapter 4

I am reading Seasons of a Mothers Heart by Sally Clarkson and linking up over at Home With The Boys. Remember you can also follow tweets about the book by using hashtag #momsheart.

Chapter 4 - Building Your House
I learned that in order to build your house you must first "start building with a good plan." Well I am planner so this should be easy right?

We are still working on our plan and I am sure that more items will be added over time. But over the past couple of months we have accomplished several steps in our plan. The first step was to for me to quite my job so that I could be home with the kids. The second step was to homeschool our children which we have started (we are about to start our 9th week). The third step was to get a routine in place. Ever since our kids were babies they have always liked and responded better when they are on a routine (especially our daughter). We are still working on some of the routines for my husband and myself, but I think the kids are enjoying their new routines. Our fifth step  is to work on our parenting and disciplining. And our final step is to have our children grow into compassionate, honest, courageous, intelligent, trustworthy, responsible adults. 

After you have a plan you must "build a strong foundation" and "count the cost to build." Well we are finally on our way to building our strong foundation. After 5 yrs of not being able to "really" be the mother I had always dreamed of  being, I am finally home and ready to begin the building of our strong foundation. We know it will take sometime and there is definitely a large cost involved but the rewards that we have reaped so far have made it well worth the cost. It has been a tough few months and I am sure we will have a few more ahead of us but we know we are being watched over and provided for. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you know then that I have had extremely good luck lately. But I firmly believe it is much more than good luck. We were also blessed by a friend with some groceries. And  thanks to the rising gold and silver prices were able to sell some old silver coins and gold and platinum jewelry to get some extra cash (to help with our move and hubby's job change). Our cost to build may be a large one but because of the plan we have in place we will come out strong without any bad debt.

My Life:
What a great personal application. Identify one or two specific character qualities in your life that you need to work on. Determine what the "cost" will be to build that character in your life. Take one step this week toward paying that cost.  So the character quality I will be working on is Patience. I need to work on this with the children, our finances, our move and our plans. The cost will be me letting go and realizing that I am not in control and that everything will work out if I just put faith in him. 

Quotes and Scriptures that really hit my heart:
-Proverbs 14:1 - "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." pg 84
-It's not that difficult to control external behavior. It is much more difficult though, to look beyond the behavior and address the heart issues behind it. pg 88
-A few weeks ago I felt like this so this paragraph really helped me, "Over the years, these costs have occasionally accelerated and come due all at the same time in my life. At those times, I have felt overwhelmed and defeated and I wanted to quite. But because I had counted the cost, I knew I would keep going. One step at a time I would go forward, trusting God all the way, because I knew that my house was worth building." pg 89

 If you have read the book please feel free to share your thoughts!

A week in the life of homeschoolers - Week 8

It was a busy and fun week. The kids and I learned lots of new exciting things.

So here is our week in the life of homeschoolers update week 8!

Monday: We did workoxes in between Rowyns Speech class and Gwyns Tae Kwon Do. We also visited the library for crafternoon where the kids got to make maps of Australia, foam airplanes, crowns and color Chinese calendars. Here is what was in their workboxes: 

Gwyn: Handwriting (letter D), Letter Recognition (letter D), Phonics (D words)
Rowyn: Handwriting (letter D), Puzzle (D is for Dinosaur), Auditory Processing Worksheets, Motor Skills, Patterns

D recognition.

Tuesday:  We started our Fall Unit Study. We will continue working on this study for the next few weeks learning about seasons, leaves, pumpkins, apples and more. After we completed our workboxes we went to the library for Pirate Story Time (Arrggg we be Pirates). Here is what was in their workboxes:

Gwyn: Coloring Scarecrows, Letter and Number Recognition Worksheets, Fall Coloring Pages, Counting Worksheets, Fall Dot to Dot, Spelling (-et- words), Scarecrow Craft, Drawing Picture (for a friends nephew who is in military overseas)
Rowyn: Coloring Scarecrows, Sorting (big, small, short, tall),  Puzzle (D is for Dinosaur), Fall Coloring Pages, Handwriting (letter D), Scarecrow Craft

Coloring scarecrows

Sorting big and small.

Being difficult about putting together his D puzzle.

Someday this boy will decide which hand he wants to use...
or he will continue to just use both.

Letter and number recognition.

Our scarecrow craft.

Playing Vet with the Ferret.

Pirate story time treasure maps.

Wednesday: The kids worked on ABC Mouse which is an children's online learning site that I won a FREE 1 yr subscription to.

Thursday: We had an awesome field trip with a group of about 30+ other homeschoolers at Amicalola Falls State Park. The kids got to do three classes on: Snakes, Rocks and Life Cycles. We learned a lot of really cool facts and even got to pet real live snakes. Did you know there are 6 species of Venomous Snakes in GA?

Check out rock samples.

Great Horned Owl. Did you know all birds of prey are protected in GA?

The kids really enjoyed petting the snakes and so did I.
I hope we can get a pet snake again someday.

Raising hand and answering questions.

A kid even spotted a snake in the wild during our class it was a Worm Snake.

Friday: We took the day off so we could go to a friends house and sell some stuff at her garage sale. The kids had a great time though playing with their friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

I am joining Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Weekly Link Up.

September 3 in 30 Challenge - Week 3

Still only accomplished two goals. But I had a much better week and was a lot less stressed.

1. Organize my recipes - Haven't touched it yet. I liked several of the ideas that were posted in my comments last week but I just haven't made it to the kitchen yet to pack. I have been working on the bathrooms and office.

2. Keep up with the Seasons of a Mothers Heart book club - I have joined the Home With The Boys book club and have finished  four chapters so far. I am really enjoying the book. You can read my posts here. I don't have my chapter 4 post done yet but hope to by tomorrow. I have been so busy I am behind on my blogging (again).

3. Find my children's learning styles -Yet another great week of homeschooling and I am so glad I took the time to really listen and get to know the kids learning styles.

View my past goals.

Any encouraging words are always appreciated!

Dolphin Days Unit Study Review and Giveaway

And the winner is # 3 HOPE! Hope said... I like your fb page September 20, 2011 9:04 AM 

Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

On August 21st the kids and I were able to see a pre-screening of the movie Dolphin Tale 3D which will be released this Friday, September 23rd. You can read my movie review on the HSBA Post here. I also have post on my blog encouraging homeschoolers to attend the Dolphin Tale Homeschool Day which can be viewed here.

After we saw the movie we decided to started our Unit Study on Dolphins called Dolphin Days. We are still working on our Unit Study and should have it finished in the next few days. In the meantime though I wanted to share the review and giveaway since the movie Dolphin Tale is being released this week. 

Our Unit Study binder.

This Unit Study is written by Amanda Bennett and is part of the Download and Go (K-4) curriculum. What is a Unit Study? Well it is a complete immersion into the topic so that the student will see things as a "whole" instead of as disjointed bits and pieces learned throughout his education. Each unit study should take about a week to get through. However I have noticed that with my young kids (ages 4 and 5) it takes more like 2-3 weeks to complete a Unit Study. Each Unit Studies includes history, geography, reading, science, writing, art, and much more. Everything you need is included in the downloadable pdf  hence the name "Download and Go". Once you complete the Unit Study your kids will have a neat lapbook that they can look at over & over again. We choose to print our Unit Study and lapbook in black and white so that the kids can color it the way they choose (plus it saves ink).

Our Dolphin Days lapbook which is not totally completed yet.

My kids also prefer for me to read them books with the subject information rather than read off of the links that are provided in the Unit Studies. So we have been going to the library and finding the suggested books  listed throughout the Unit Studies and finding some of our own that are age appropriate for little ones. Throughout the Unit Study there are also links to various videos which both of my kids really love (okay so do I). Each day I also try to add a craft that goes along with the Unit Study. The various crafts I find I post to Pinintrest so that they are all organized in one area and I don't have to print up the instructions and pictures.

We have learned so much about dolphins. Like what echolocation is, that they have 2 stomachs and that some dolphins can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes. We also learned that there is pink dolphin, did you know that?

Here are some of the books we used for our Dolphin study.

The Dolphin Days Unit Study covers the following & much more:

Day 1: What Is a Dolphin?

Day 2: Getting to Know Dolphins

Day 3: Where Are the Dolphins?

Day 4: The Science of Dolphins

Day 5: Cool Things About Dolphin

We have over 43 Unit Studies, the teacher guide, journal guide and unit studies 101 guide ALL which have been won via giveaways and the Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett Terrific Tuesday on Facebook. To get you started with your Unit Study collection Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett has graciously offered to give one lucky winner their very own copy of Dolphin Days!!! This is a great curriculum to go along with the Dolphin Tale movie which I hope you are planning to see this weekend!

And if you don't happen to win a copy you can purchase your own here for $7.95!

And now for the giveaway!

PLEASE make sure you leave an email address or have your email address listed on your Google profile so I can contact you. You have until 5:00 pm on September 24th to enter! I will post the winner on my blog by 9:00 pm on September 24th so feel free to check back to see if you won! The winner will receive their Dolphin Days downloadable Unit Study file via email.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite thing is about Dolphins. 

Optional Extra Entries: (leave 1 comment per entry) 
1. Follow Kathy’s Cluttered Mind with Google Friend Connect (on left side of my blog)  
2. Like my Facebook Page Kathy’s Cluttered Mind 
3. Follow me on Twitter @kbalman 
4. Retweet about the giveaway or if your not on Twitter share on Facebook - something like this or make up your own:
"Enter to WIN Dolphin Days Unit Study http://www.kathysclutteredmind.com/2011/09/dolphin-days-unit-study-review-and.html Compliments Dolphin Tale Movie nicely @kbalman @unitstudies @HMSCLMovieClub" 
5. Visit the Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett Facebook Page and leave a comment saying I sent you 

 
This giveaway ends on September 24, 2011 at 5:00 pm EST Random.org will be used to determine a winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Open to US residents only. Good luck!

 *Disclaimer - Unit Studies has graciously offered this giveaway no compensation of any kind was received. Many of the links found on my my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

The Homeschool Expo Experience

I know I am a little behind. like 2 months behind. This blogging thing is still new to me. I wanted to share my first homeschool expo experience so new homeschoolers could get a feel for what it is like. So here it is....

On July 28th, 29th and 30th I attended my first Homeschool Expo! I purchased my tickets for the Southeast Homeschool Expo in April as soon as online registration was opened. I was so excited and began counting down the days. I put my blog name on my expo badge so any online friends I bumped into would know who I was. I made business cards so that I could hand out my information to all the wonderful people I  knew I was going to meet.

On the 28th I attended the Homeschooling for Excellence 101 workshops, a must for any new homeschooling family. I was so nervous because I was by myself and I didn't know anyone. But if there's one thing I have learned about the homeschooling community it is that they are the most outgoing, compassionate, incredible people ever. During the first workshop I sat down to a very nice woman who was going to be homeschooling her children for the first time this year. We talked several times throughout the day. While waiting in the Subway line for lunch I was behind a husband and wife who were also going to be homeschooling for the first time. I had the opportunity to eat lunch with them and found out that we had a lot in common (I hope to meet up with them soon to do some geocaching). I sat in the next two workshops with my new friend.

Here are the workshops that I attended:
-Beginning Homeschooling: Most Asked Questions - Randi St. Denis 
-Beginning Right: Developing a lifestyle that promotes homeschooling togetherness and a family team for success and load-sharing – Rebecca Powell
-Gems for Beginners – Rebecca Powell
Both speakers were amazing and I learned a lot of wonderful information.

On the 29th I attended the expo and I had plans to attend several more workshops. But that didn't happen because I met up with some wonderful virtual friends. I wasn't one bit upset that I missed the workshops I had planned on attending and had decided on months before the expo. Why? Because I realized that what I really needed more than anything else was friends that would provide me with support on our homeschooling journey.  Here are some of the amazing women who I only had the privileged of speaking with online previously.

Left to right….
Me
Stephanie:  Aka – @brunettefoodie A super nice, funny, energetic woman. She will be homeschooling her camera shy little tike.  She blogs at The Brunette Foodie
Rebecca: Aka - @momsmustardseed A caring, devoted and supportive woman. She taught me to relax and to trust that things will work out. She blogs at: Mom's Mustard Seeds
Alicia:  Aka - @alfecia A sensitive, compassionate woman full of wisdom. She taught me to be content and helped me realize that I am not alone on the journey of life or homeschooling.  She blogs at:  Confessions Of a Snowflake

Workshops I attended:
-Planning for the Preschooler in Your Life - Kathy Lee - where I discovered an amazing book called Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge
-Overcoming Learning Difficulties Together - Debbie Strayer/Ashley Wiggers - where I picked up some great information about working together with your child especially if they have learning difficulties.

After the workshops I walked around the exhibit hall with my new friends. There were so many wonderful vendors. Some say it is very overwhelming attending an expo and seeing ALL of the curriculum choices. But I personally don't think it was. It was amazing to see all of the resources that there are for homeschoolers and to actually look at and touch them in real life. I already knew that we would be using an eclectic style the first year so that I could gain an understanding of how the kids best learn before purchasing set curriculum. So for me attending the expo was a way to learn more about all of the styles and gather resources and ideas. I found lots of wonderful field trip ideas and realized that there were some things I could create on my own, like a kid friendly science kit.

After the expo I went out to dinner with my new friends. Girls night out is NOT something I get to do often. It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, sharing, fellowship and food!I cannot wait to get together with them again soon.
 
On the 30th my wonderful supportive husband was able to attend the expo with me. We also drug two sick kids along with us. The kids did an amazing job and were so well behaved. I think they really enjoyed being at the expo and seeing all of the wonderful fabulous things that homeschooling offered. I think Gwyn even learned a few things in the workshops, lol.

In between the workshops we had lunch with our friends and visited the exhibit hall. One exhibitor really got the kids attention. Dolphin Tale was there promoting the movie that is being released September 23rd. They got a beach ball, poster, balloon dolphin and got to touch the dolphins prosthetic tale. The movie looks very neat and guess what there is even homeschool curriculum to go along with it. You can read more details about the movie on the Homeschool Movie Clubs website. You can also check out my Dolphin Tale movie review over at The Homeschool Post.
Workshops we attended:
-Early Learners: 7 Secrets - Randi St. Denis
-Children Who Struggle to Learn - Randi St. Denis
-The Difficult Resistant Child - Randi St. Denis - where my little boy fell asleep in my lap (that doesn't happen often) We picked up some great tips and tricks. Ben took lots of notes for me since Rowyn was in my lap.

We also made a few purchases. Since we are having to watch our budget we didn't get as much stuff as we would have liked but here is what we splurged on:
-Do A Dot Markers
-Pattern Blocks
-Geo Matters Reversible Maps
-Back to the Roots Mushroom in a Box - I have a review and hopefully giveaway coming soon

And there you have it our first homeschool expo experience! It was totally worth the registration fee and I will be going again next year if for no other reason than to meet up with other homeschool moms (and dads).

Seasons of a Mothers Heart - Chapter 3

I am reading Seasons of a Mothers Heart by Sally Clarkson and linking up over at Home With The Boys. Remember you can also follow tweets about the book by using hashtag #momsheart.

Chapter 3 - Beside Still Waters
Wow after finishing this chapter I have come to the conclusion that my husband is right (wow I don't say that too often, lol) I do really need some "me time" and quality time with friends. He has been getting on me for years now that I need "me time", time with friends and an outlet (which blogging is one of). He says that if I don't get "me time" and time with friends that I will get burned out and start to resent being a stay at home/homeschooling mom. I am beginning to think he is right. And what better time to start than now! Thank you Sally Clarkson for opening my eyes to what my husband was trying to tell me for so long.

After reading several blog posts this week and joining the Maximize Your Mornings Challenge Update it seems like the morning is a GREAT time to get some alone time in. But lately I just cannot seem to get out of bed at a decent time. Normally I get up right when the kids do, I get out of bed and stagger to the kitchen to make breakfast. So I am going to try very hard to start getting up at 7:00 am. That will give me at least 1-2 hrs of some "me time" in the morning, to read, scrapbook or just sit and relax.

And well quality time with friends has never happened much since moving to GA 10 yrs ago. It wasn't until recently that I actually started making friends and now I just seem to broke to actually go anywhere for a girl night out. I know some of you are thinking, "what on earth do you mean you've had a hard time making friends?" Well when we first moved to GA I tried to make friends and it seemed hard because I was married and all of the  women my age (which was early 20's) were not. So they just weren't too interested in hanging out with a married (and in my opinion more mature) woman. And then I had kids and all of the women my age (mid 20's) really did not want to hang out. It wasn't until recently that I figured out the problem. I was trying to find women my age when instead I needed to find women who had common interests and understood what married life and parenthood was all about. It was when Gwyn started PreK last year that I started finding women to hang out with. And then I decided to homeschool......well that has opened the doors to a plethora of friends both in real life and in the virtual world. I have met the most compassionate women who are willing to lend a hand or prayer when I'm in need. However many of them live in other states so a girls night out is impossible (even though I do enjoy the twitter and facebook parties we have together.) So my goal after reading this chapter is to try to arrange a girls night out at least every other month or so with some of my GA friends.  Even if just means hanging out at the park or window shopping somewhere. Oh and most of my new friends are older than me, almost non of them are my age!

My Life:
I loved this personal application idea and over the next few weeks I am going to try to apply it despite the apartment being in shambles because of getting ready to move. The personal application is to ask God to show you a verse that will be especially refreshing. Then set aside a time when you can go shopping alone. Look for something beautiful or lovely that will be a visual reminder to you of that verse. Well I don't really have much spare change right now so I am going to look for something outdoors that I can perhaps find on a walk alone.

Quotes and Scriptures that really hit my heart:
-To say it more simply, I cannot keep giving out without taking in. pg 58
-The "easiest" way I have found to make time is to follow the advice of Ben Franklin: early to bed and early to rise. pg 60 WORDS I am going to try to follow in the coming weeks.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, the Teacher says. "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up" (NASB) pg 64

 If you have read the book please feel free to share your thoughts!