2013-2014 Homeschool Line-Up

Here's what we are using this year, I'm so excited to have started two weeks ago.  We are easing back into curriculum and know we will be breaking once Baby #4 arrives!

MAIZIE:
My Father's World: our base curriculum to include Bible, History, Geography, Science, Art
Phonics: Hooked on Phonics
Language Arts: Rod & Staff and Primary Language Lessons
Art: I Can Do All Things
Science: MFW lessons with the addition Magic Schoolbus supplements
Math: Horizons with a little Pinterest fun

This Hobby Lobby ClipBoard houses our We Choose Virtue Card for the week! Morning devotions usually include the Jesus Calling for Kids!

Magnet Board, also from HB, right now has our schoolroom rules!  So far Jackson knows them better from memory than Maizie!

JACKSON:
Raising Rockstars: which uses My ABC Bible Verses
Blocks, legos, and anything that is hands-on!
He's been doing great with letter writing and I'm shocked at his interest in school this year already!

My philosophy last semester was that school was all around.  Especially all around the house, curled up on the couch, spread out on the kitchen table, experimenting at the counter, and going on adventures.  So I'm keeping up with that mentality.

And thanks to Megan, the binder system I started last semester, is now even cooler 

with the pbTeen Study Binders.

"Kids grab your binders and let's do school on the couch!"

"Kids grab your binders we are heading to Pops and Nini's!"

"Kids grab your binders school is on the quilt at the park today!"

Baby Prepping aka NESTING

Poor James, I've been crazy in nesting mode prior to this week.  I knew we'd be starting school early, which made "nesting-mode" come on a little strong since our trip to Utah.  Furniture moving, cloth diaper prepping, newborn laundry washing, hospital bag preparations, bench building, curriculum buying, carb eating, and new pillow buying are some of the things I've been working on.

I have to be honest and say that I also knew beginning 5 weeks out from delivery, I start to feel very pregnant so my nesting is probably in overdrive.  Here it is 2 weeks away, though I could list all the reasons I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks, my heart is overwhelmed with another blessing.  God has truly revealed Himself this pregnancy.  But for now just enjoy these pics as I have simplified, organized, and settled a little more into my home!

I have added the baby swing to the left of the couch, other than that...I'm loving this simple living!

I can't wait to hang my newborn & kid photos coming in September!

A LARGE shipment from Amazon, James thought I was kidding!  Nope, it filled the whole cupboard! And thanks to Mom and the Sam's Club visit, my kid snacks are well supplied on a shelf in the basement!

Filling this basket has made it so much more real!

Thanks to Pinterest for the bucket assignment for kid shoes!  If they're not in your bucket, not my problem.  Boy, Oh Boy, was I battling this!

Hexi

Wow I've enjoyed this project.  Two weeks ago, I had a down day.  AKA the kids were playing well together, the cleaning was caught up, no activities were planned. I started this and slowly made 38 hexagons come together.  I say slowly because I did it by hand.  I loved it.

Then I challenged myself to sew the whole thing by hand.  I may be a little crazy! It may take quite awhile to actually finish this table square runner thing.

But since I've now moved onto the hand-quilting phase, I am still enjoying the process, though it does go slow.

It reminds me of how sometimes the simple things bring joy. I'm savoring this project!

2013-2014 Homeschool

In March I attended the INCH Conference with a couple girlfriends! What a great experience to be surrounded by other homeschool families!  I walked away feeling more confident in my role as a homeschooling mom.  I started thinking about the upcoming school year with my kids.  I was picking curriculum for each child, deciding what to buy, and getting excited about writing up my own lesson plans.

I was sharing with James the depth of my lesson planning.  I was struggling with what to do for science. I was excited to include Jackson more this year.  I was ready to begin the Bible curriculum from Firmly Planted, written by Heidi St. John & her husband.

But recently, my reality hit. And hit hard.

I realized I didn't want to be consumed by lesson planning.  It takes a lot of time and a lot of prep.  James, being the amazing man he is said, "Why not give Maizie a solid year and just order a boxed curriculum? AND enjoy our new baby!" 

There he said it!  I didn't know I what I was expecting him to say when I mentioned buying a whole set of curriculum versus just using what I had already purchased and buying a couple things.  What I do know is that feeling of relief. That he understood and that he supported me!

I'm looking forward to this year with a new perspective.  Savoring the sweet cuddles of a new baby, opening a Teacher's Manual and just reading through the daily lesson, reading stories on the couch, and helping Jackson learn his letters.  I know Colton will be there rolling all over us! I am blessed to have this vision in my head and look forward to posting pictures.

God Revealed

Everything has the hands of God in it! I truly believe that, I just know that life gets so busy and I'm easily distracted to not see Him everywhere.

"God lives in my home, but sometimes I ignore Him and don't hear the music He is playing just for me.  This journey of mothering is a challenging marathon of moments, hours, days, months, years, and decades. And yet, in each moment, God has sprinkled across our paths beauty, love, and joy.  We have only to cultivate eyes in our hearts to observe this Artist's work of life." (Sally Clarkson, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, Chapter 12).

But I claim "God Himself Revealed" for this pregnancy, I stand in awe of the way He has blessed us! Life threw some curves in regards to friendships last year.  Some were blessings and others were life-draining. After being stressed with some of these friendships, overwhelmed with visions not being met with MOPS, restlessness about James' job, and curriculum not working, I realized in the midst of November and beginning of December my joy was stolen.

Here I was planning a MOPS Christmas meeting with the focus on the Names of Jesus.  I had Bible lessons printed and was reading all these Names of Jesus to the kids. Though God was near, I knew I was not putting my whole heart out there for Him being the Reason of the Season. I knew these outside circumstances were disrupting my focus on Jesus.

So one day in the beginning of December, I remember standing in my closet hanging up clothes.  Frustrated with where I wanted to be in my level of joy in celebrating Christ's birth with my family, I threw up a short prayer.

I remember the words exactly.

"Lord, Restore my joy. And let it be in the form of a baby."

It was raw, it was short, it was honest, and it was the truest thing I've ever prayed. I don't think I counted then that God would hear my heart. Or that I had revealed so honestly my heart.

Imagine my surprise two days after celebrating Christ's birth, when the test revealed the + sign! The first thing I thought was, "God are you serious? God, You heard me!"

Spring

I'm working on some new embroidery, which flour sack towels are my favorite for drying dishes.

However, do you see all the black labels, those are new colors I just bought today. Now do you see all the matches from my stash? Cleary Spring-tones are speaking to me.

Next up is using that green & yellow pile for a really cute March pattern I found on Pinterest!

Stolen

I stole a few minutes last week and whipped up a modern update for my knitting basket!

 With a super cute zipper pleated pouch!

 A small bird bag for my embroidery!

A dainty ruffle for my Bible Study notebook! 

Don't worry, I included a little something for my girl too!