What are you doing this New Year’s Eve 2007? I am sitting on the couch with my new laptop, watching the kids jump and sing and dance along with their High School Musical game on their new Playstation 2. They are happy, especially since their daddy told them they could stay up until midnight to welcome the New Year. Without asking their mommy. He’s the crazy one - I’ll probably head in to bed, and he’ll be up. And he’s still getting over the flu. He did, however, take a long nap in a quiet house this afternoon while the kids and I were visiting at Michelle’s.
I’m also listening to the song Revival from the CD Revival in Belfast by Robin Marks. We found a new church home this year. It has been nearly two years since we left our old church home. And yet, as soon as this song […]
Original post by carrie
Am I wretched if I write a ranting message to Gamestop… complaining about something that happened to me today… but also mentioning that it’s bad enough that they “practically rape their customers on trades” and other stuff about their “shady business practices”? I’m seriously fed up with them… maybe I shouldn’t have written all that other stuff. But I have to admit… I felt better afterwards. I’ve heard there’s another game store around… I’m going to check it out (I told them that, too!)
Original post by morethanfine
I’d love to share the wonderful pics I took today, but someone stole my camera. We went to the Battleship Texas (they opened a new deck for us to explore) and then we went to the San Jacinto monument. While I was wrestling with Hannah and Bethany’s cup and balls trick my camera in its case fell out of my pocket. We got up to leave and less than 5 minutes later came back inside to see if the bag was still on the bench. Nope. Swiped. Turned in? Nope, the guard said, who’d turn in a brand new 12 mp digital camera? I guess no one. I looked at a few people sideways as they took pics, but the thief never showed my camera in plain sight. So all the pics I took, plus of course the camera, are gone forever. I hope the person who stole it feels […]
Original post by liese4
Wow! 2007 has been a blur for me. So much has happened that has kept me from blogging as faithfully as I did the year before. And now 2008 approaches. I wonder what it holds!? I have hardly had a breath to consider my thoughts, goals, or desires for the new year, so I decided to take the time right now to do so via my blog.
Eric and Abbey, my two young adults (wow!) are off to a New Year’s Eve party; Eli is programming on his new laptop he received for Christmas (so many blessings this year! Thanks go to my Father in Heaven); Adam just requested another orange pop in his bedroom (that he has been sleeping in instead of ours since moving here one month ago, yay!); Alex is watching TV downstairs (is he watching one of his Full House episodes […]
Original post by applestars
I ran across the blog of Sister Mary Martha via Dumb Ox Acadamy. This woman is a far cry from the nuns I grew up with! I particularly enjoyed her take on wishing someone dead:
Question:
Sister, is it a sin to pray for God to kill someone? If so, are there exceptions?
Her answer, in part:
Yes, that would be a sin. I can’t think of any exceptions. You can pray that people are protected by God from the person you think should be killed. You can pray for the person to stop doing whatever it is that makes you think they should be killed. You can pray that God alleviates the suffering of someone who you think ought to be dead, maybe, by calling the person home to heaven [emphasis mine]. Praying that God kills them is just a breath away from killing them yourself, as sin is all about intent.
I also […]
Original post by paradisefound
With just 8 hours to spare, I have baked my 1000th cookie for the year! Woohoo!
I started this project as one of my New Year resolutions last year, with paired goals of baking 1000 cookies and sending $300 to The Fistula Foundation to help a woman in Africa receive life-changing surgery. I raised a third of my financial goal through the kind contributions of friends and family, and we sent the money off before Christmas. Now I’ve reached my cookie goal too! Here are the types of cookies I baked, with links to the recipes I posted:
Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Ginger Fingers
Almond Apricot Sandwiches
Sugar Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Cereal Balls
Toffee Caramel Drop Cookies
Teff Peanut Butter Balls
Pistachio Chocolate
Banana Peanut Butter
Carrot Cake Cookies
Glazed Orange Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Volcanoes
Pumpkin Whoopee Cookies
Apple Oatmeal
Thumbprints
Lebkuchen
Chocolate Caramel Sandwiches
Caramel Chocolate Chip
Gingerbread
Candy Cane Cookies
Peppermint Brownie Drops
Coconut Cherry Chocolate Drops
Chocolate Mint Pinwheels
Muddies
Almond Cherry Drops
Original post by learningumbrella
It has to be something that you’ve taken.
My sister is getting ready to publish her third book about dogs. She’s looking for sharp pictures of dogs playing with other dogs or with people.
I’m not going to publish her email and physical address here, but if you have something you want to submit, leave a comment asking for them, and I’ll send them to you.
Here’s her request:
Want to see your dog in a ****** book?
I am looking for good, sharp photos of dogs playing - all kinds of dogs playing with dogs, as well as all kinds of dogs playing with humans, for my upcoming book on Dog Play.
If you’re interested, you will need to get a photo release form from me, fill it out and sign it, and send it along with your photo(s) on disc.
If your photos are selected, you will receive photo credit […]
Original post by Meg
We started our 2008 school year today. Yes, I know it’s New Year’s Eve, and “normal” people aren’t ending their holiday vacations today. But I was ready to get back to a routine – or what passes for such around here.
Having decided the kids and I need more structure, we are test-driving a new schedule. One of the new things we’re starting is Monday Tea Time, which is a “Writing Club” of sorts. It’s a very exclusive club, mind you. Sarah, James and I are the only members.
I set out a kettle, tea and hot chocolate along with cookies, fresh fruit, and dried apricots. Then I announced that, though I won’t be setting an agenda every week, the topic for our first “meeting” would be descriptive writing. I read the kids four descriptive papers my students had submitted. Each one was about “something beautiful or disgusting.” The “beautiful” topic was a painting by the […]
Original post by tribeofautodidacts
Jenny posted a simple, beautiful solution for adding art to her homeschool.
2008 Art Page-A-Day Calendar
By Workman Publishing
2008 Art Page-A-Day Gallery calendar is an art gallery for your desk. Here are hundreds of masterpieces, each meticulously photographed and reproduced, from the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Full-color throughout
Printed on high-quality paper
Clear plastic box becomes a desktop easel
6 1/4″ x 7 3/8″ x 1 5/8″
This calendar is now on my shopping list. Want to add it to yours? Click on the image above for more information, including additional views. Many different artists and time periods are represented.
Mixing simplicity with art suits me, and just think of all the possibilities for these prints.
Original post by Renae
Our last day of 2007, that is. What a year!
Last night we had a snowfall of about 4 or 5 inches of fluffy snow. We admired it from the windows when we woke, but I wasn’t ready to brave it before breakfast. We read books, ate, and were just starting to play with a pile of construction paper when Gwyn called. I chatted with her for half an hour before BabyGirl hunted me down. She stalked up to me and pressed one of her boots into my hand. When I didn’t respond, she tugged on my pants with both hands. I turned to her and asked, “What should I do with this boot?” and she lifted one foot in the air and waggled it at me, accusatorily. Okay, point taken. Out in the snow we went.
JediBoy snowshoed, and BabyGirl tried both walking and crawling in the snow. This is the biggest accumulation […]
Original post by piseco
MotherCrone brought this challenge to my attention, and I think this is a perfect project for me this coming year. The idea is to pick 8 books in 8 categories, allowing for 8 overlaps between categories, and read them all in 2008. That’s 56 books if you use all your overlaps.
This seems like a good motivation for me to read some of the books I keep meaning to read, but then get distracted. My 2008 reading will include all of the following:
1. Off My Lifetime Reading Plan:
1. Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
2. The Book of Mencius
3. Confessions by Augustine of Hippo
4. The Tale of Genji by Murusaki Shikibu
5. Gargantua and Patagruel by Francois Rabelais
6. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
7. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
8. White Noise by Don Delillo
2. Books of Professional/Parental Interest:
1. Tears and Tantrums by Aletha Solter
2. Above All Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times by […]
Original post by learningumbrella
I have found two interesting things in the past few days that are worth sharing.
2007 had the same calendar year as 1945, the year that a 16-year old named Dorothy kept a diary. Over the past year her son, Dave, has been uploading her diary entries from that year to a weblog. It describes life in Englewood with her family and school friends. Dorothy died when Dave was 14 and he has put his heart into building out her world from her words.
And Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions, a set of classic books with covers done by graphic artists such as Chris Ware and Art Spiegelman. I’m pretty enchanted by Anders Nilsen’s cover for (Hans Christian Andersen’s) Fairy Tales.
Original post by jennifer13
Inspired by Mommy Brain and other booklists I’ve seen here and there, I have spent the good part of today compiling a list of books I plan to attempt to read this coming year.
The books are in no real order. The comments in parentheses are just to note to myself who or what inspired me to put the book on the list.
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor (Mommy Brain)
Austenland by somebody???? (Pemberley; Mommy Brain)
Holiness for Housewives by???? (Can’t remember! Re-reading it off and on over the last couple of weeks)
The Love that Satisfies by Christopher West (started this around Thanksgiving, stalled out about 1/2 through but really want to finish it.)
The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis (Brit Lit)
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (Brit. Lit)
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (re-read for Brit. Lit – loved this book the first time)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (recommended by everybody including my friend Carol)
A Thousand […]
Original post by dumboxacademy
Yes, folks, there really is something in there and it’s letting me know several times a day! For the last week ago I was pretty sure I was feeling movement, but it was still the “is that the baby or not?” type. Now it’s not mistakable. That’s definitely the first little bumps, thumps, and taps of a little growing baby!
Original post by CamianAcademy
Go welcome hubby to the world of blogging. He’s just getting his feet wet, so go easy. Leave him a comment and freak him out, will ya?
http://worldofjgr.blogspot.com/2007/12/cool-automotive-notes-about-hong-kong.html
Original post by mom2rbdl
Well, 2007 certainly ended on a “big” note with an international move. I can’t even imagine what 2008 will hold, but I am excited to find out. There are many changes ahead for me personally, as well as changes for our family, and I’m sure it will be quite an adventure. Hang on for a wild ride….
Happy New Year everyone!
Original post by mom2rbdl
1) Your favorite resource:
2) One field trip they loved and learned on:
3) The game they love so much they don’t realize it is educational: pretend
.
4) What you’ve “strewn”lately: absolutely necessary during winter
5) Every day task where they pick up lots of info:
6) A resource you have always wanted to purchase for the children but keep putting off: wouldnt this be grand?
7) What your kids think school is really like :
8)Best place to unschool: outside of the box
remember to link back! I want to see yours too! this is by way of kim
Original post by happychildhood
The Principle Approach uses a notebook methodology. As a student reasons through lessons, her thoughts are recorded in various, creative ways. Notebooks are a tool for preserving scholarship, but they can, also, be used outside of school.
Years ago, I typed and printed the recipes in constant use and placed them in a plain, black binder. My intention was to make a crafty cover to transform this workhorse, but, instead, our waffle recipe is protected by clear plastic. This humble notebook is used almost every day. Pages are easily added, and recipes can be stuffed in the front pockets until we try them.
A post about a Homemaking Binder reminded me of another notebook I made. It was going to organize my plethora of responsibilities. At the beginning of August, I placed my lesson plans, calendar, co-op information, and schedule into a 3 ring binder. The idea was noble, but I haven’t […]
Original post by Renae
I really really want this!!
I love pogo, I love pink and I love travel mugs. Bling is good too. It’s the perfect mug for me. I want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Original post by pwsmommy
Kim encourages us to continue, and thus I shall.
Favorite Resource:
Field trip they loved and learned from: Gettysburg
game we love and learn from: Blokus
What I’ve strewn lately:
everyday task where they pick up lots of info
resource I’ve always wanted to purchase but have put off:
what my kids think school is really like:
four:
Eight:
twelve:
best place to unschool
Original post by chicagolo
My boys decided to go in together with their Target gift cards on a Wii. Problem is, no Target has them, pretty much no one has them. I spent a lot of time yesterday researching/searching/calling looking for one. Late in the night, I found a nifty “back door” to check Wal Mart in-store inventory online. I drove over to a store that showed in stock but they were out - the inventory is only updated once a day in the early hours of the morning, so that info was pretty old by then. This morning I looked at it again and a store about 30 minutes away showed in stock. I called. They said they had them. So 2 of the boys and I hopped in the car to try it. Amazingly enough, we got one. Now this means […]
Original post by morethanfine
From a recent service at the Unitarian Universalist church we are currently attending came the inspiration and motivation I have been grasping for as I struggle to get us organized for another semester of learning.
Let us bring up our children. It is not the place of some official to hand them their heritage. If others impart to our children our knowledge and ideals, they will lose all of us that is wordless and full of wonder. Let us build memories in our children, lest they drag out joyless lives, lest they allow treasures to be lost because they have not been given the keys. We live not by things, but by the meanings of things. ~Antoine de St. Exupery~
Four hours at a nearby coffee shop while the Triad logged some serious Big Daddy bonding time and I have a great plan for the second half of Kindergarten that I am […]
Original post by Crunchy Mama
I left this cat to protect my homestead, beware thieves, he can stink up a litterbox in record time!
The natives were tired. So tired that they missed the hotel breakfast. No matter. I herded them into the car and we resumed our trip.
They were dirty and desperately needed a hair brushing, but I needed to get to Houston.
So we popped in our 2nd Artemis Fowl book on tape and headed out. I missed a turn and ended up going to Dallas before catching 45 south. I think I made us late by an hour, not too bad, but when the kids are on the second day in a car……we stopped in Huntsville to see the Sam Houston statue.
We have lived in Houston all our lives and passed this statue many, many times; but this was the first time we stopped. So here is the statue and the […]
Original post by liese4
Brenda,
Since I know you are reading, since I know you are stalking, and since I know you will tattle, I will say it all here. Especially since I am banned and cannot contact Leigh Ann properly. I also know that you are saying some horrible things about TM members on your private little board. Things that you run back and tell LA other people said. If anyone thinks I am two faced, they’ve obviously not spoken to you lately. Your little games ARE being noticed.
Leigh Ann,
One last time. Read, carefully, everything on this blog. Read the comments yourself instead of cowardly trusting Brenda at her word. No one said anything rotten about anyone on your board except of Brenda. We all said to you that we tried to get you to see what was really happening and you refused. Now I find out that you want to act […]
Original post by electricbarbarella
Ok, I may get totally flamed for this post, but as I putter around the big wide blogosphere, I just get so sick of seeing the same, tired old assumptions trotted out every time there is any kind of conflict between Christian and secular homeschoolers.
So, in the interest of homeschool “unity,” lets get a few things straight:
Not all Christians are anti-evolution. Some of them even understand science enough to see the flaws in “creation science.”
Not all atheists understand evolutionary processes well enough to defend it. They still don’t have to buy the creation angle if they don’t want to.
Not all Christians are ultra-conservative, gay-bashing, hate-spewing war-mongers. Those that are give all Christians a bad rep.
Not all atheists are pro-abortion, communist-leaning, hate-spewing nut-jobs. Those that are give all atheists a bad rep.
Not all Christians are mindless automatons, ignorant, or blind. In fact, some of the most intelligent folks to ever […]
Original post by lapazfarm
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