My Daybook

Be sure to read more entries over at Peggy's blog. 

FOR TODAY... Monday, February 8, 2010

Outside my window...the sun is setting. However, we've gained over an hour of daylight since December. That makes me happy. 

I am thinking...it's going to be an early day for all of us tomorrow. We are heading to the big city north of us for an orthodontist consult for N8. Our appointment is for 9am. It's a 1-1/2 hour drive. We don't do mornings well here. It will be interesting. We'll also be checking out an art museum in the city so we won't loose a school day with the three to four hours given over to travel and the appointment.

I am thankful for...my boys. Even though the two youngest are racing around the house like mad men. 

From the learning rooms...keeping a good pace right now. I have a new form I'm using that helps me track our "together school" plus what I want to do for the boys work boxes. It saves me lots of writing and redoing each day. Overall it's good but I did have to implement a new rule yesterday. I check all their work box work before they do their last box...playing on the Wii Fit for 30 minutes. Too much work was not getting done correctly and having to redone the next day. Hopefully this will keep their progress moving forward at a good pace.

From the kitchen...I broke down and made chocolate chip cookies yesterday. But thankfully I cooked them too long. Hubby & the boys will eat them but I won't. Blessings in disguise I guess. I need to make something for hubby to take for breakfast - thinking chocolate chip pumpkin nut bread. That will have to wait until later in the week though. I also have realized I need to start becoming a "cook" rather than just a "baker." 
I am wearing...the same as always.

I am remembering...my mom.

I am creating...nothing really. 
I am currently reading...the second book in the Chronicles of the Kings series by Lynn Austin (Song of Redemption), The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell, my daily Bible reading for the Bible in 90 Days challenge, and finishing up the Prentiss Study.  Don't forget, if you'd like to join the Prentiss on-line Bible study (it's wonderful!), then click HERE to go sign up. The new 90 day round will be starting very soon!

I am hoping...we hear good news tomorrow about N8's teeth. I'm not sure what "good news" would be. He has inherited my mouth which means he has large teeth in a small mouth. I remember having some of my adult teeth pulled when I was his age and younger in order to make room in my mouth for the rest. It seemingly worked okay on my top jaw but not my bottom. Now we will be finding out if he faces the same fate or perhaps braces will fix it. We'll hopefully find out tomorrow.

I am hearing...the fan whirring to pull the hot air from the shop around the house, the small TV in the shop playing Mythbusters while N13 watches, and the two little boys playing "Frog Jam" - a game I picked up at the local thrift store for a mere $1 last week.

Around the house...same old - need to declutter. I helped my sister organize some of her house this weekend so now I'm really ready to hit mine hard. I think....
On my mind...winter is weird this year. We have very little snow on the ground for this time of year and the southern parts of the US are getting slammed. NOT that I'm complaining. I'm just worried we'll have another really wet start to spring and summer. I still remember the days and days and DAYS of rain we had last year starting in June and lasting most of July.

Noticing that...I seem to  be running in circles in my life. Hoping to continue to do some soul searching and sort it all out.

Pondering these words...these are from my Prentiss study this past week...

Proverbs 14:13

Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and joy may end in grief.

From the book...page 312...

"There is no wilderness so dreary but that His love can illuminate it,

no desolation so desolate but that He can sweeten it."

I read both on the same day. It seemed to encompass my life and my feelings since I lost my Mom last year. God is faithful to heal.
One of my favorite things...finding eggs in the nesting boxes.

From my picture journal...

I mentioned earlier I had not taken any photos lately so I asked N8 if he'd like to go outside for a quick photo shoot. He whined, "Do I have to?" Hmmmm....typically I would have said "Of course!" but instead I said, "No, that's okay. I just wanted some new photos. I can do it another time." He shortly changed his mind. He's wearing the hat and scarf (and the mittens but you can't see them) that my MIL knitted for him for Christmas. He's such a great kid and cute too!

Review: Kinderbach

Members of the TOS Homeschool Crew were given a free three month access to an on-line video program called Kinderbach that teaches children about rhythm, music, and how to play the piano.

I had both J6 and N8 try this program out. N8 has been begging me for about a year to take piano lessons. Kinderbach is geared for preschoolers to early elementary children (ages 2-7) and this is very obvious in watching the lessons. I think it frustrated N8 a little at the slow pace of the program, but J6 loved it.

The instructions in each video are very concise and clear. Any printables that go along with the lesson are easily printed off for each lesson as you go along. Each week has four sections. A child can move along at their own pace this way. We tended to do an entire week during one session. The lessons are short and once I had the keyboard set up, it just made sense to keep going.

An inexpensive keyboard or piano, a computer, and "rhythm" instruments are all that's needed to use this program. Rhythm instruments can easily be raided from your kitchen cabinets.

Anyone can try out the first two weeks for free in order to see how the program works. There are a few other freebie samples that you can check out at the website (lower right hand corner of the screen). If you'd like to see what the curriculum covers, please click HERE to see the syllabus by level.

The cost of the program $95.88 for a year or $19.99 a month. Considering the cost of face-to-face lessons, this seems to me to be a good way of perhaps introducing your children to rhythm, reading music, and beginning piano - especially if you live in a rural area like I do. I know that I am now more comfortable investing in piano lessons for N8 and possibly even J6 in another year. If you're still not sure and the two week free lessons aren't enough to answer your questions, you can purchase a daily pass for $5.95. Click here to see the choices for purchasing the in-home program.

Kinderbach now also offers their on-line program in a DVD package as well. Prices for these start at $40.95 and increase in price depending on the package purchased. I know that it can be difficult for some to use the online videos - especially if the computer and the piano are in different areas of the house. I have a portable keyboard that I was able to set up right in front of the computer and this worked well for us.

Overall I thought the program good. Keeping in mind that it is geared towards children ages 2-7, I did feel that it was a bit slow for older children. I know N8 wanted to just learn how to play the piano and it seemed a lot of rhythm activities and counting activities occurred first. All necessary for learning to play but he felt it was a slow start. J6 and even Miss H (who was here for some of the earlier lessons this fall and is 2 - so the younger part of the age spectrum) did enjoy it and had a lot of fun playing. For them, it was fun music, loud "rhythm" making, and having fun. However, it is a good intro to music as well.

Be sure to head over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read more thoughts on Kinderbach.



*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. All opinions shared are my own. TOS Crew Members are given the product free of charge in exchange for our unbiased opinion of the product.

Want to try out for the TOS Homeschool Crew?

Anyone who has read my blog at all this year has noticed the homeschool review products I've posted. At least I hope they have! Last spring I tried out and became a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. It's been a great year & it's only half over! 

Well, it's that time again. Some folks have asked how I got on Crew and how they could try out too. Here's your chance. Click HERE to go to page with more info and make sure to fill out and submit the demographic form to be included. 

If anyone has any questions about how this works, please ask in the comments. I will try to answer questions in a blog post later on this week or next.

Warning....

As of Saturday I had consistently blogged something every day since January 1st. Then I started slacking. Not only here but on my P365 blog as well. Nothing has been posted there since January 30th. It's suppose to be a photo a day. I've taken zilch since January 30th! Yup, I'm slacking.

All this to say...I'm catching up here today. This is for those of you who follow me or have me in a reader somewhere. There may be up to five new posts today. We'll see how tired my fingers get. The rest will follow tomorrow.

Off to catch up & perhaps even take a photo or two....

Review: Homeschool Library Builder

Anyone who has ever stepped foot in my living room knows immediately that we are a family that loves books. LOVES books. They are everywhere. We live in a trailer that is 14x70 (not counting our additions). The living room is about 14x12. In that space resides over 1,000 books. It's nuts. I have two five-shelf book cases and three two-shelf bookcases and one homemade four-shelf bookcase. Like I said, we have a lot of books!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I've been reviewing a lot of various curriculum and other products this year. We were also just asked to review the Homeschool Library Builder website and what this company has to offer homeschoolers and other book lovers.

Homeschool Library Builder is run by homeschooling moms. They sell new and gently used books many of which correspond with literature based programs such as Five in a Row or Sonlight. They also have a book search feature in which they will look for hard-to-find titles for customers.

Some of the other services they offer:

·         Product Marketing.  This helps those who write their own products and want to spread the word on their products. This is a free service offered to our HSLB members.

·         Spotlight on the Season.  Links and ideas for the current season.

·         Helping Hand.   Helping those in need. More on that in a minute.

·         Frequent Buyer Program.  When a customer becomes an HSLB member (free of charge) there is an incentive programs through our book points program.  Fifteen book points equals one dollar for use toward future purchases.  These points never expire. Points can be earned a number of ways:

1. Purchasing Books (one book point is earned for every dollar spent on books)
2. Referring friends to HSLB
3. Linking HSLB’s Website from the Customer’s Website or Blog

Now I need to confess something. I know this company is already familiar to me. I'm pretty sure I have ordered from them in the past...I think. Then it hit me as I started typing this review. Over the past three years I have put on a small (about 30 attending) one-day workshop for homeschoolers. I have taken to contacting vendors for catalogs and giveaways. Homeschool Library Builder generously sent discount codes for all the participants. I found that very generous.

There is a reason I wanted to get the word out tonight about Homeschool Library Builder. For the entire month of February they are offering 20% off your order. They are also asking for your help in helping Haiti. Obviously this has been all over the news lately and Homeschool Library Builder wants to help as well. They are asking for readers to donate to Heartline Ministries - any amount - by Saturday, February 6th at midnight. Then e-mail HSLB and let them know you did. They will send you a code good for an additional 15% off your order good on Super Bowl Sunday which is this Sunday - just in case you didn't realize that. The code is good ONLY for Sunday, February 7th!

The prices at Homeschool Library Builder are already very competitive. I hope this posts gives you all time to enjoy the sale as well. I know I love nothing better than curling up with a good book on a cold winter night.

Feel free to read other Crew members opinions here, here, or here. You can even check them out here or here.



*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. All opinions shared are my own. TOS Crew Members are given the product free of charge in exchange for our unbiased opinion of the product.

Friday's Fave Five

Come over here to link up.

I've actually been thinking a lot this week about what I would post on Friday. I'm really enjoying thinking all of the blessings from my week.

1. My oldest son. As he is maturing in to a young adult (he's now 13), I'm beginning to see some nice character qualities. Each morning he gets up, hangs out for about 30 minutes and has his breakfast. Breakfast is a "help yourself" thing in this house since I'm not much of a morning person or breakfast eater. We do better on weekends. Anyway, after that he gets dressed and does his "morning routine" that I have set for each boy - without prompting. Then he does his animal chores which, in the winter, includes bringing up the water (we bring it in at night so it doesn't freeze solid), feeding them and gathering eggs. He then grabs his box of school work and gets going on it. All without prompting from me. I told him this week how happy this makes me. He really is a great kid. Typically he's also a great role model for his younger brothers. He is 4-1/2 years older than N8 and 7-1/2 years old than J6. This morning I witnessed N8 following B13's example. Typically I have to tell him to get busy on his morning routine and school work. This morning he did it all on his own. I love it.

2. Our chickens are paying for themselves - finally! This past May my FIL surprised us with six baby chicks. I was thrilled! Then in September we were gifted six more by friends from church. My hubby was eagerly waiting for them to start laying. It was a slow start, but we are now averaging about eight eggs a day. I think once it warms up and it's lighter longer, we'll begin getting a full dozen a day. Our top number is eleven in one day. We started selling the eggs to family, friends, and hubby's co-workers about a month ago. Just this week I went to buy a bag of pellets for them and used cash from the egg-money. My hubby is absolutely thrilled and the chickens won't be turned in to stew - yet.

3. Sunlight - We've gained almost thirty minutes of sunlight since December 21st. I miss the sun in the winter months.

4. Teaching my six year old - This child is a riot. We sat down together yesterday to work on school together. We're working through late kindergarten/early first grade materials and math is sometimes still a mystery to him. Anyway, as we were working on his math paper, he was just making the funniest faces as he was getting it. I wish I had thought to snag a photo. He was so excited to be understanding this. I am chuckling a day later just remembering it all. I love this kid.

5. My middle son - It seems like I should add in a line just for N8 since I've mentioned his two brothers. I love this child too. He is my sensitive one. He's also such a hard worker. He loves it when it snows - which thankfully it hasn't done for a bit - and he runs out without being asked to shovel. Seriously. His work ethic for one so young is just amazing. I'm truly blessed by my children.

And I'm reminded I really need to update photos of these kiddos. ;-)

Random Dozen - 2/4

Join in the fun over at 2nd Cup of Coffee.

1. Do you use the labels various charities send you as “free gifts?”
Yup. Totally use them.

2. What is your favorite time of day (or night) for skywatching?
I love the sky at all times of the day. I'm very much a night owl and I love checking out stars, but since I have trouble finding the milky way - I love the day time sky more. I love the different cloud shapes and the different colors. I find it all totally amazing.

3. What is the most adventurous you've ever been with trying a new food? (Keep it G-rated please) New food? Um, I don't really do new food. Just ask hubby. Although, at one of his office Christmas parties they had heart of palms so I tried one. I was trying to be healthy in my eating and everyone was raving over them. Oh.my.gosh. Nasty things! Blah!

4. Have you ever heard a rock sing? (Trust me, there's a reason for this one!)
Um.....no......

5. If you could learn a language you don't presently speak, what would it be?
French and/or Spanish. I live in Maine. I live three hours from Canada. I live on a major route from Quebec Province. That should explain the French. I took four years in high school but I'm far - FAR - from fluent - really far. Spanish - simply because it's growing fast and THAT'S the language the boys want to learn. Go figure.

6. Al Capone's tombstone read, “My Jesus, Mercy.” If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
Rejoice with me. I'm singing with Jesus. I'll see you soon. ~Mom

7. If you were a famous musician who was known by one name, like “Cher,” “Sting,” or “Jewel,” what would it be? It doesn’t have to be your first name, but it can be, if you’d like.  "Drew" - long story.....okay short version...nope. Changed my mind. Any guesses?

8. Have you ever been inordinately “into” a television show?
Oh my yes - unfortunately. Sometimes I am so caught up I'm yelling at the TV. 

9. When you sneeze, do you go big, or do you do that weird “heenh!” sound that makes people think you’re going to blow your brains out? Any other variation we should know about? 
Totally depends on where I am. If I'm home, I can go loud. If need be, I hold it in and risk popping a capillary or something. And sometimes it's in the middle. But you should hear hubby....WOW!

10. Do you still read an actual newspaper that you hold in your hands, or do you get your news elsewhere?
The real thing. I buy them occasionally - always the Sunday one - need those coupons. I like the funnies. They just aren't the same on-line.

11. Are you a good speller?
Yup - I love words. Sometimes I have to write them down first, but 99.98% of the time, I get it write, um, right!

12. At what time each day do you start thinking about Lost lunch?
"Lost", well, lost it's appeal to me after the second season. Just too weird and too hard to follow. For moi of course (see - there's a bit of French right there). Lunch though - THAT I start thinking about at around 7:31am and I don't get UP until 7:30am.