Busy Times

It's been awhile since I've posted anything so here's an update. In Oct. we closed on our new home and moved in Oct. 31st (and we still managed to go trick-or-treating). For Oct. and Nov. we did relaxed homeschooling, nothing formal/planned, but still educational using their workbooks and print outs. Then, in Dec. we welcomed a new addition to our family. Her name is Katylee Kathryn Dodge. She was born Dec. 17th at 6:20 pm, weighing 6lbs. 14oz. She's our smallest baby, so far. Yes, we plan on having more :). I've become "bored" with doing mostly workbooks this year so I'm exploring other avenues. So far, I really like what I'm seeing at time4learning.com. My kids have immensly enjoyed the demo lessons and have begged me every morning for the last three days to do them again. How could I pass up a request like that. They provide a scope and sequence for every grade (pre-K through eighth) and subject (LA, Math, Science, and Social Studies). They keep reports that are printable on the childrens' scores (percentages, not letter grades), time spent on each lesson, and lessons completed allowing the parents to turn the information in to the state if need be. Some lessons also have printable worksheets. They also do quizzes and tests along with assessments to help for placement. You also get access to the grade directly above and below. You can change their grade for any subject at anytime with no additional cost. Mind you, this is totally parent involved, no teacher whatsoever. You can skip lessons too if you want. Having looked at their various scope and sequences I am very pleased with the thoroughness of what they teach. They are from the same company that does Compass Learning with the public schools. They just made it completely home school friendly. They have a monthly cost but if you pay quarterly or yearly you get a discount. I would recommend checking them out. We're going to subscribe as soon as we get our taxes back so we can pay yearly. I'll touch back on this later after we've used them a bit to let you know how it goes. In the mean time, check them out.

http://www.time4learning.com/

Beware

If you are new to homeschooling, a veteran, or just thinking about getting involved in an online program, please read this article and do some research (ie. reading a lot of reviews from other parents) to make sure the company is legit. While your at it, do some research on this lady just so you can be aware. It will be well worth your time.

Although this article is from 2008 she us still out there doing the same thing.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Private-Schools/Jubilee-Academy-Morn/jubilee-academy-morning-star-cb8e2.htm

Here's one from back in 2002

http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2002/04/51489?currentPage=1

Guilt

I just happened to come across a post by another blogger who discusses her feelings about the guilt she has felt in trying to do it all. We've all been there, many times. It's a wonderful post that I think all women should read and she also references Sis. Beck.

Check it out http://diapersanddivinity.com/2009/09/22/guilt-the-motherload/

Raw Sugar

If you haven't read my other blog then let me share with you that I am on a quest to live my life as God intended esp. in regards to food. Natural and wholesome, not man-made from some lab experiment. In my research today on sugar I read on Wikipedia about the process that sugar cane goes through to reach my table as refined sugar. Let me just say, I was totally appalled! Just like everything else chemicals (not surprisingly) are added to get the sugar refined and white. This includes brown sugar (stuff used in cookies). To my amazement though I also read about raw sugar. Here's the basic process. The juices are extracted through pressing from the sugar cane. Lime is added to purify the juice, then the juice is sent through a water evaporation machine (no chemicals needed) and then spun around in another machine (again no chemicals involved). The final product is raw sugar. This sugar looks like light brown crystals (not the cookie kind). There you have it. Sugar with no chemical added. You can read all about the process of sugar here. After a little more research I was again surprised that raw sugar actually has some health benefits that refined sugars don't. You can read about that here. As always, please do further research on your own so you can be sure that you are satisfied with your findings and feel confident to apply them to your life if it be your choosing. I for one, will be switching to raw sugar.

Follow the Leader

I've learned an important lesson this week on being aware of false prophets. We are taught to turn to the scriptures, the prophets and apostles, old and new, and Heavenly Father for guidance and answers to our questions. Not someone who has a really cool blog, or someone we know who seems to know everything, or our neighbor down the street. I ended up getting caught up in someone's blog in a search for answers to fulfill my curiosity. I left that blog feeling lower than dirt and that I would never be good enough. Sadly, I kinda took that to heart and spent a few days feeling super frustrated because of all my weaknesses. Well, last night I was reading an ensign article given by Elder Ballard in 1999 and came across this quote, "Some Latter-day Saints may not be aware of it, but there are “false prophets” rising within and without the Church. They believe they have had revelations, that they know something the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles don’t know. We need to be very careful of such people. Members who are ever approached by anyone claiming special authority or revelation from God outside the sustained priesthood authority should turn and run from them as fast as they can. The Savior said that in the last days even the very elect could be pulled away from the truth by such false prophets." So the part highlighted in red is the trap I got myself into. After reading the article, I realized what had happened. Later on that night I read in the scriptures and a church manual and found the answer to my question. I ended that moment full of hope and eagnerness and wanting to do my best. So I learned my huge lesson on who false prophets are and how easy it is to be led astray. Writing this now I have been able to see how the first experience was of Satan (feeling horrible) and the second was of God (feeling uplifted and full of hope). All good things come from God.

Been Gone

Things have been so crazy this last month. We moved to a new home (well, for us anyway) three weeks ago so I haven't posted anything for awhile. You know, I thought I would take a break from homeschooling for two weeks while I packed and start up again two days after we moved in. Boy, was I kidding myself! Three weeks later and I'm finally starting to work on it again. I've learned the hard way that I'm not immune from the upheavals in life. Oh well, the cool thing though is that all the lessons on packing, unpacking, organizing, cleaning, ect. count towards home school. In those moments I've incorporated math, problem solving, life skills, and creativity. So I guess I was homeschooling all along, just not in the way I imagined it.

Crazy

Here's something you can try that I saw on another blog. I'm curious so let me know if you passed the test or not.

Created by Train Horns