Uniforms!!

Yes, my friends… uniforms! Isaac has to wear uniforms to school this year. I’m talking slacks, an oxford, and a tie. EVERY.DAY! So, yesterday, my friends and I took our kids to the uniform shop to be fitted for their uniforms. On the plus side, they don’t have to wear blazers like the child in the dressing room next door! Anyhow, after seeing Isaac in his full uniform, I realized that I’m going to have to get a really big stick to beat the girls away. He is one handsome young man if I do say so myself! Watch out high school… Here he comes!

I Love My Family!!

Last week, our family was (officially) completed when a judge granted the adoption of Isaac! Matt was Isaac’s step-father until that point, and now he’s NOT!  

This was Isaac’s Facebook post Wednesday night:
"Tomorrow my Dad will legally be my Dad!!! After being there for my whole life I am glad to finally be legally adopted!!! I love him and know he loves me! He is my real father, not biologically, but in my heart!"
And, now it’s done!

{My Health} Taking Control

It’s time to take control of my weight and diet.  I’m not ‘fat’, but I have a bit that I’d like to lose – about 20 pounds to be exact.  I’m not committed enough to do it on my own, however. So, I’ve made a few lifestyle changes in the past month or so that I wanted to share here:
First, I joined a boot camp held at our dance studio. And, holy cow, it is kicking my bootie!! 
Then, I started using My Fitness Pal to track my caloric intake. I don’t obsess about what I eat, but I am diligently trying to track my calories throughout the day.
Since I started at the end of May, I have lost 2 pounds! It’s not much, but it’s a great start!

{Schoolhouse Review} Creation Illustrated Magazine

According to the editors of Creation Illustrated magazine, their purpose is to share the wonders of God’s creation. By revealing fresh insights of His infinite wisdom, gentle touch, undeniable justice, redeeming love, and flawless design, pure truth shall bring renewed peace. Each part of this publication is offered as a reprieve from the daily rigor’s of life so that all can look to the future with unbridled gratitude and hope

Creation Illustrated is published quarterly in the United States, and can be purchased for $4.99.  You can subscribe online for the following lengths/rate:

• 1 year    $ 19.95
• 2 Years  $ 37.95
• 3 Years  $ 53.95

If you pay now with a credit card, you will save another $5.00 per year per subscription.  Canadian Residents will need to add $5.00 for postage, and those living in other foreign countries will need to add $10.00.

Each edition of Creation Illustrated is divided into three sections – Creation Illustrated in Nature, in Scripture, and in Living.

Readers call it “the Christian answer to National Geographic” because of the stunning color photography, outdoor adventures, and animal features. 

There are uplifting spiritual, character-building lessons for readers of all ages. Garden features, activities, and a youth nature photo contest help families unplug from the computer and get out into God’s Creation to build a meaningful relationship with Him and each other.

The Instructional Guide in the back of each edition helps homeschoolers glean facts and spiritual lessons from each story.

My thoughts:  These magazines are absolutely beautiful! The photography is astounding. The stories were uplifting and insightful. I can’t wait to try a few of the recipes found in the issues I reviewed. I highly recommend checking out these publications.
Click here to order your free sample of Creation Illustrated before committing to a subscription.




As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received the above mentioned product in exchange for my opinion. All opinions are my own.

I’m a Gladiator!!!

Saturday, I mostly walked participated in the Gladiator Rock N Run! This was a 6K race with 17 obstacles – most of which included MUD! We had so much fun, and I will definitely do it again.

Pre-Race!

Post –Race!

And a little in between…

My boys and I after the race!

{Summer 2012} Recap Week 2

Well, I took far fewer pictures than I planned to this week, because we went into ‘be a friend’ crisis mode mid-week. 

Monday, my van was in the shop so all plans went out the window. I had to have Logan help me drive kids to/from VBS, and then we decided NOT to do Sno Cones. I couldn’t fit everyone in the car. So, I ran to the store and bought water guns, and let the kids do water play in the back yard.

Tuesday, the van was still in the shop. However, I was going a bit stir crazy with all the kids in the house. Matt worked from home so that I wasn’t stranded without a car. So, I took the kids to the library in shifts. First I took the big kids while the littles got dressed for dance. Then, I picked up the littles, and we headed to the library. From there, we headed to the dance studio with a pit stop for Sno Cones. (Matt took the bigs for Sno Cones after jiu jitsu later that evening.)  Matt took a little break mid-day to ride scooters with the kids.

Wednesday, we had a movie day after VBS. We watched Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer. Then, the girls proceeded to create their own summer thrill points challenge.

Thursday and Friday, we were in ‘be a friend’ crisis mode as a dear friend called needing help. After a serious car accident, my dear friend lost her sweet baby niece. I kept her daughter so she could be with her family at the hospital. Please keep this family in your prayers as they have a long road ahead of them.

Saturday, my boys and I (and several of our friends) ran the Gladiator Rock ‘N Run (a 6K in the mud)! I’ll post pics of that in a separate post. You won’t want to miss them!

Here’s hoping next week is a better one!

{Schoolhouse Review} Pearson 4th Grade enVision Math

I was recently offered the opportunity to review enVision Math by Pearson Homeschool. This curriculum is available for grades K-6. It is organized by topic, and it uses daily lessons that teach math concepts step-by-step. Pearson offers many options for grades PK-12 in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

 

The homeschool bundle I received contained a hardcover student book, student game CD, and a teacher CD.

The student text is divided into 20 units. You can view a copy of the Table of Contents here. Each unit is further divided into individual lessons. The Teacher’s CD includes the necessary planning materials to use this program. You can print worksheets and tests for each lesson as well as vocabulary cards, center activity games and more. The MindPoint Quiz Show CD is a game that assesses your child’s understanding and tracks their performance.

For my homeschool, I prefer a spiral approach to math. Pearson does not fit that bill for us, but it may be just what you are looking for. Be sure to read what my fellow crewmates had to say about enVision Math.

To see what my fellow Crew Mates thought about enVision Math, visit the Schoolhouse Review Blog here.

Disclaimer:  As a part of the TOS Review Crew, I was sent this free product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Spring Recital 2012

Whew! Another recital weekend is under our belts. Emma took more classes this term than she ever has so she had a record number of costume changes (although there were plenty of girls who danced more than her)! Here are some pics of my sweet girl doing what she loves!!

Besties ready to kick off the weekend…

This was my favorite costume and my favorite routine (and as soon as I can find my converter, I’ll upload the video from my phone):

Dressed and ready for her lyrical number:

Day 1 of the ballet (they perform the ballet both days of recital):

Competitive dancers in the opening number:

Dressed and ready for tap (my second favorite routine from this weekend which I will post soon):

What you can’t see in the picture below (but will see in the video) is that she lost her tap shoe at the very beginning of the routine, and she never missed a beat! I was so proud of her!

Ballet Day 2 (her was was the cobblers in the Cinderella ballet):

She received her four-year medal!

Her team performed their Austin Powers routine for the last time.

Ready for some more jazz…

And she did her solo…

Then, it was time for our last costume change and the finale!

I know this one is blurry, but she really wanted me to get that shot. She’s working hard to get those legs straight in hopes of having that move put in next year’s solo.

10+ hours of recital + 11 costume changes = one exhausted but oh-so-happy momma!! I <3 every minute of watching her dance!

Books, books, books!

Ahh… books! I love books! I love to read them. I love discussing them! I love everything about them. I grew up with my nose stuck in a book. I can remember road trips where I would lay in the back of the station wagon (before seat belt laws) and read by the headlights of the cars behind us. I had it bad! And, I still do – though as a mom of 3 busy kids I find my ‘free time’ a bit lacking!

This summer, I am babysitting several kiddos (in addition to having 2 of my nieces here for a month or so). And, we will be reading all summer long! Each Monday, we will head to the library to restock our book baskets. We will be keeping track of how many books we read (cumulatively) and earning prizes as we go. We will earn a prize/outing for each 100 books we read. Some of them will read way more than others so I wanted to make it a cumulative prize.

I am using this form that fellow Crew Mate, Ami (Walking By the Way), created. I used a variety of booklists (Ambleside, Sonlight, Veritas Press) to assign books to each of the kids.  I did not assign the same book to any two children hoping that as one read and loved a book, they would encourage their age-mates to read it.

Here are a few books on each of the kids’ lists.  I am still working on my personal reading list. 

My first graders:

• Madeline
• Caps for Sale
• Dolphin Adventure
• Beezus and Ramona
• Billy and Blaze

My third/fourth graders:

• Boxcar Children
• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
• Ballet Shoes
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• Great Illustrated Classics

My seventh/eighth graders:

• The Hobbit
• Anne of Green Gables
• Summer of the Swans
• Animal Farm

My senior:

• All Creatures Great and Small
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Death of a Salesman

What are you reading this summer? Do you offer incentives to keep your kiddos reading through the summer months? See what my fellow Crew Mates are reading this summer by cruising through the posts on our Review Crew blog.

{TOS Review} Rainbow Sentences

Mobile Education tools has created a fun app, Rainbow Sentences, to help students learn to build sentences. According to their website,
"Rainbow Sentences is designed to help students improve their ability to construct grammatically correct sentences by using color coded visual cues. The who, what, where, and why parts of sentences are color coded to help students recognize and understand how combinations of these parts create basic sentence structure."
 
Students drag groups of words to corresponding lines at the top of the screen. At the easiest level, the groups of words and lines are color coded. The most difficult level contains single, black words and black word lines.

When the student finishes putting the sentence together, it is read back to him. As they progress, they earn puzzle pieces.
At $7.99, this app is recommended for ages 3-10.
You can read more reviews from my fellow Crewmates on the TOS Review Crew Blog.


Disclaimer: I received the above mentioned product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.