You Know that you are a Homeschooler When...

your mother and best friend give you curriculum for your birthday presents - and you are thrilled! I just had to share what they gave me because I am always looking for a good recommendation.

The Core Knowledge Series - E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
Magic Tree House readers - Mary Pope Osborne
Leap Frog Alphabet Go Fish and Math Rummy

Note: My children are ages 5 1/2 and younger, so these things are for that age group.

Lessons found when you get your hands dirty...

Here are so many wonderful lessons that naturally occur when you grow a vegetable garden. Today, with the help of my husband turning the soil, I was able to plant my spring seeds! Yeah! It felt so good to get down and get my hands really dirty and plant some seeds. I can't wait for fresh produce right out of my own garden again. We planted peas, radishes, onion sets, carrots, spinach and 3 kinds of lettuce!

This summer we are planning on pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons, tomatoes, beans, and corn. I know I am squishing a lot into my little raised beds, but I can't help it. I am addicted! Plus, I have learned a trick of training the vining plants to grow up strong supports. So I can squish more in...I call it vertical gardening!

Besides eating great produce, I know that my children will be learning about seasons, how plants grow, nutrition, and the joy of being patient!

Playing Checkers

Lately, my 5 1/2 year old son has become obsessed with playing checkers with me. I love board games and am very competitive myself.

I decided when I first introduced my son to any board game, that I would not just "let him win." Every other aspect of being his mother is helping him along this way...from assisting with reading to buttoning up his pants. I believe that being a good looser as well as a winner are needed skills to learn. I also know that life can be tough, and you are not given free hand outs all the time.

When we fist began playing checkers months ago and Isaac lost, he would cry and become very angry. I would comfort him and put the game away. Please note that every time we play, it was his idea in the first place...

Lately he wants to play non-stop. He is starting to understand that there is strategy involved and has began asking for insight. He has never beat me yet, but he is starting to get close. Isaac even tripled jumped me and got a king before I even noticed it.

The best part of playing checkers, are the thinking skills involved. He not only has to watch his moves, but anticipate mine. I have watched his academic skills skyrocket at the same time. So the ironic part is, the more me play games and I don't teach academic skills, the better his academic skills are becoming...

And A Child Shall Lead Them...

A few weeks ago on a early Sunday morning I was quickly losing patience with my children as we hurried to get ready for church. No one was listening and instead had their own ideas of how to best use the time. Suddenly - out of nowhere - my son Nate started belting out the chorus to a favorite Primary song - "follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; don't go astray" his little lungs belted out quite loudly. As I tried to hush him - I realized I was being foolish - what a perfect song to sing a we got ready for church & I joined in.

Our home allows for learning to happen in the most suprising ways but most wonderful thing of all is that the usual roles are reversed quite frequently & I become the"student".

TV Stands for "The Vampire" - Kill It

by Don Milne, an Editorial found in Deseret News

On Feb. 17, the "Vampire" in your home will be dead. The Vampire has sucked your life away day and night for decades. Years ago, your home maybe had one Vampire, but chances are now there are two or three or more stalking you. No matter where you go — living room, kitchen, even your bedroom — the Vampire is there. And because the Vampire has bitten you, you are a docile servant to his desires. He can say things and show you things that you would not put up with from your family or neighbors.

The Vampire spends more time with your child than your child spends in school. Report after report tells us of the harm he has done to your child. The more time your child spends with the Vampire, the more promiscuous he or she becomes. The Vampire makes your kid fat. The Vampire causes behavior problems.

If you are average, once the Vampire is gone on Feb. 17, you will have restored 28 hours of your life every week. In one year's time that's almost 40 full workweeks. What could you do with this extra 1,500 hours? You could get a lot of exercise. You could increase your job skills. You could spend more time engaged with your family. You could develop a talent like playing a musical instrument. You could get a part-time job and increase your savings. You could even read something more uplifting than the Vampire listings. I know. You mock me. You disparage me. This is an impossible dream. The Vampire is too strong and too alluring. Letting the Vampire die will cause you too much pain. Only outcasts and misfits can live without the Vampire. So you will not let your beloved, foul-mouthed, violent, sex-crazed Vampire die. You will give him new life with a converter box if you haven't done so already. Perhaps your Analog Vampire has already been replaced by an even more dangerous Digital Vampire. He will continue to dominate your life. Perhaps you already have a shrine dedicated to him in your home.

I killed the Vampire in my home in 2003. At first it was hard. The Vampire's poison was in my blood. I was drawn to raise him from the dead, but with time the desire left, and so did the ill effects. Shocked at my actions and shrouded in guilt, people I know would defend the Vampire. The Vampire brings news and even wholesome entertainment.
They don't understand.
The Vampire sucks life — hours, weeks, months, years. I can get news and entertainment without him and not cede away my control.
They say that less than 1 percent of Americans live without the Vampire.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
Won't you join us?

In January 2003 Don and Aneladee Milne of Bountiful promised to take their children to Disneyland if they went a whole year without watching television programs. A year later, when they got back from Disneyland, they turned the TV back. They liked things better without it. They've remained "TV free" ever since.

Help Fight Freedom of Choice Act

As most of you know, last night Obama made a public announcement that he is going to sign the Freedom Of Choice Act, which will allow all types of abortions including partial birth abortions, also allowing babies who are born alive due to botched up late term abortions, to be set aside without any medical care or nourishment and left to die (most of these babies have no medical problems and most of the ones that do, have things like cleft palates, club feet, things that are correctable, still they are murdered in the most cruel and inhuman way. They feel everything that is happening to them. There is more mercy for dogs that are put to sleep) This Bill also will make it mandatory for doctors and nurses to perform this murderous act even if they do not want to do so. This act also allows under age teens to have an abortion, even partial birth abortions, without parental consent.

Catholic Bishops have pleaded with Obama not to go ahead with this horrible murder of innocent babies. They have also told Obama that if he persists in signing this Bill which would require even Catholic Hospitals to perform these acts of murder, they will have no choice but to close all Catholic Hospitals. Please let us join with these courageous Bishops who will go to any length to change Obama's mind. Please take a minute to sign this statement and let our voices be heard.

This is a great, informative website. You can click on the video of Obama's speech to the Planned Parenthood group where he promised that the first thing he would do if elected President would be to sign the Freedom Of Choice Act. He isn't even in the White House yet and he made a statement last night that he will go forward with his plans to sign this outrageous bill. He still can change his mind because the Bill cannot be signed until he is actually the President.

Please let your family and friends know about this Bill and ask them to also sign this petition. Even those who voted for Obama would not want him to sign this Bill. May God have mercy on our country for the sake of the millions who would never agree with this Bill if they fully understood all that it encompasses. Please click on the web site below. It will take less than a minute of your time, doesn't cost anything and God will bless you for standing up for Him and His teachings.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing"
http://www.fightfoca.com/

For more information on what a partial-birth abortion click on NPR Partial-birth Abortion

TJEd Annual Form for 2009

Mark your Calendars, it's time for the TJEd Annual Forum for 2009. It will be held on March 7th, in Salt Lake City.
If you are interested, the web site is found on http://www.tjedmarketplace.com/.

Early birds must register by Feb 7th, 2009.
Prices at a glance:

Early Bird Adult $52.00
Early Bird Couple: $72.00

Regular Price Adult: $72.00
Regular Price Couple: $92.00

There are special events the day before that cost more if you would like to go earlier. I am personally only attending, on March 7th myself. I think that you can order lunch through the conference or leave to get lunch. What a wonderful time to have a get-away!

Beaker's "Ode To Joy"

We are having a blast studying classical musicians with our kids. Whoever said classical music couldn't be fun? Ode To Joy is my 13-month-old's favorite song. She dances around to it every time I play it on the piano. Enjoy!