Sona Creidhe Homeschooling

Reading/Spelling List 2009-2010

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:20:00 +0000

This is MB's first year of reading and yes, he is almost 7 years old but it doesn't matter as I feel he is at the perfect age for HIM to start reading. MonkeyBoy is pretty far along (I hate the word "advanced") in other areas such as Science and Math so personally I think his brain has been happier focusing on those things until now. NOW, he is ready for Reading and exploring books on his own so here we are. *smile*.

So far our tools for Reading this year consist of the program Click N Read, beginning reader books, and colored cards that I have made with various words on them.

These are the words that MonkeyBoy is learning to read or knows how to read. The ones he already reads are in BLUE and the ones he will still learn are in RED. Obviously this will keep expanding for the 2009-2010 "school" year.

fin, foe, had, how
is, if, far, fan
goo, go, him, hot
has, his, gel, gap
fed, fat, he, her
gas, gem, gum, get
for, fun, eye,
end, dry, die, dad
did, do, dog, cup
cut, cow, cry, cat
car, are, art, can
cup, by, bye, bee,
be, bat, boy, an
as, am, at, bug
bag, ant, ax, elf
eve, emo, eel, dig
dot, eat, egg, it
in, ick, ice, jar
jet, jam, joy, kit
kite, led, let, lip
leg, lot, log, my
me, man, mom, mud
moo, mad, met, now
no, not, nap, nod
net, or, on, old
ow, one, off, own
our, pet, pig, pat
pan, pup, put, pop
pop, pie, ran, red
run, rat, row, rib
rex, rag, so, six
see, sad, sun, saw
spy, sky, to, toy
tap, ten, two, toe
top, try, up, us
use, uno, vow, van
vet, vex, we, why
wow, who, was, way
wet, web, yes, yet
yay, yak, yam, yap
zoo, zap, zen, zag
zip, arm, add, air
age, ape, bed, beg
big, bow, bad, cot
cop, cub, cab, cob
dry, dip, den, dug
dab, ewe, elm, era
fit, fur, fog, fee
got, god, gag, gut
hop, hat, hen, hid
hit, imp, its, jab
jut, law, lay, lie
lid, map, mug
mat, mop, mix, nod
nag, owe, of, nip
odd, pad, pit, pay
peg, ram, pen, raw
rug, rip, rob, son
sip, sir, say, sat
tax, tag, tie, top
tub, war, wag, wax
wig, won, ink, ill
new, nut, lap, low
king, kin, kiss, kick
key, kid, jog, jug
job, jaw, hiss, miss

Lapbooks: Modern Greece

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:32:00 +0000

This was our very first lapbook and since MB isn't proficient in writing yet he felt I should be the one to write most of the labels in it. Lucky Mommy but I did make him write a few things a s well and do most of the cutting and/or gluing.

We chose Modern Greece because every month we get a Top Secret Adventures pack from Highlights Magazine featuring a different country. Our very first country was Greece and it arrived around the same time we decided to try our hand at Lapbooking so voila! By doing Modern Greece it also means we can make another Lapbook later on Ancient Greece. lol

We started with a regular green three pronged folder and just went from there. I think the pictures are probably better at explaining than I am so check them out and I'll write more after you're finished.

Okay all done? I apologize for the blurry pics one some of them but like a total amateur I didn't use the good camera like I should have.

As you can see, MonkeyBoy learned alot about Greece. He learned about the different foods, animals, ruins, statues, islands, and even a few phrases. His favorite part of it all was of course the paper dolls followed by all the animals found in Greece. He now takes the extra time to ask me to check up on Greece in the news and make sure they are doing alright. THAT is my favorite part of this whole thing.

Obviously this isn't an amazing post about our Lapbook but I figure we're still learning and I AM reading up on how to properly share your lapbook so next time I should have all kinds of fun facts, resources, and pictures but for this time we're just keeping it casual. *smile*

My little guy had fun and doing this Lapbook has led him to want to make many many more so I consider it a huge success.

I plan on adding links in this post to the resources I used so if anything in any of the pictures interested you then please check back soon. If you notice a resources of template of yours in any of the pictures then please feel free to email me so I can give proper credit. Without those who make the awesome pics and templates, mothers like me would be completely out of luck!

Nature Journal 2009-2010

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:24:00 +0000

With it just being MonkeyBoy this year I figure there is no excuses for not sharing the Nature Journal he will be doing.

For MonkeyBoy's Nature Journal this year we started with a square Crayola Sketchbook then using orange colored cardstock paper we covered the front.

Next he put nature and bug stickers on the cover and we wrote "Nature Journal" in print.

I plan on adding a little button and string to the book so it will stay closed even after he adds things to it but for right now here is what it looks like...

Posts and pics of what we put INSIDE the journal coming soon!

Homeschooling Plans

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:55:00 +0000

This year is going to be a little weird for me because I will only be homeschooling my youngest son, MonkeyBoy, instead of all three heathens like usual. Big B has started college and Sis is going to a snazzy new charter school so while I will miss them at home, I really hope they both enjoy their new schools.

So with that, here is what I plan to do with MonkeyBoy but I reserve the right to vary from this list whenever I feel like it. LOL. One never knows what will catch the attention of my little ADHD child so I'm going to go with the flow whenever he wants to.

Plans For 2009-2010

Reading- I purchased a subscription to Click N' Read through Homeschoolbuyers Co-op that we have been using and will continue to use. So far it seems to be working really well and hopefully will continue to. I have also downloaded several File Folder Games that teach reading and we'll also practice during our nightly bedtime stories.

Writing- Since first learning about Copywork I have enjoyed implementing it in our homeschooling. With MonkeyBoy I plan on using several different sources for his Copywork including downloads, Beginning Reader books, his Ranger Rick magazines, and whatever else we find interesting. He will also be starting a Spelling List this year beginning with two letter words and working his way up from there.

Math- Oral addition and subtraction problems as we've been doing (the kid loves to walk around the house doing Math problems for some reason), learning about and counting money, File Folder Games I've downloaded, and a computer program I picked up.

Geography/History- We'll do Lapbooks about different countries and history, read books including the Magic Tree House series again, the Time Warp Trio books and show, do some map recognition, and the Highlights Top Secret Adventures packs we get.

Science- The local Explora museum is offering 14 weeks worth of classes starting in August so MB will be going to class once a week. I think it's a great opportunity for him to be in a class with other children his age and have another teacher besides Mommy for an hour a week. We will also be doing a Nature Journal, photo journaling our finds, doing Lapbooks on various subjects, and watch shows on National Geographic channel and Animal Planet.

This year we are also buying a microscope so we can study the various ecosystems in our area which should be a lot of fun and I hope to have MB do the homeschool version of Hogwarts School that so many friends have enjoyed with their kids.

Art- We will study several artists ending each lesson with MB doing his own version of their art, he will take a few classes at the local Art Gallery, we'll make several trips to the Albuquerque Art Museum, do a few Lapbooks, and also various crafts (such as a Toad House, stepping stones, pet rocks, etc).

Music- He'll study composers and music by listening, reading, and doing Lapbooks on them. His favorite thing in the world is Phantom of the Opera so we will probably do a Lapbook for that to make him happy. We'll also watch a few musicals and he would like to learn to play the keyboard this year.

Physical Education- He plans on joining Teeball again this fall, we take walks to our community park, exercise in the backyard, and might looking into putting him into another activity in between playing ball.

Extra- I'm going to look into Roots & Shoots for him and find badges he can earn for learning certain skills. As a family we don't agree with groups like Boy Scouts so putting him in that is out of the question. I also hope we can go on tons of Field Trips all over the place this year.

Lapbooks: Planned & Ideas

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:37:00 +0000

This is just a general list of the Lapbooks we either plan on doing or might do this year. Of course, we may end up not doing some and we may end up adding more but at least I can feel a little organized this way. :)

~~Greece~~ (mostly modern) FINISHED
Frogs/Amphibians
Dinosaurs
Japan
Buddha
Bugs
Knights
Castles
Mythology
Pirates
Monkeys
Bees
Gardening
Australia
Weather
My Body
Rain Forest
Solar System
Ocean
Hot Dogs
All About Me
China
Ecosystem
Africa
Money
Egypt
5 Senses
Coral Reef

School News For All Three

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Well as of yesterday Big B is a student at UNM here in New Mexico. I can't believe my boy is a college student already. *sigh* At this point he is going to start towards his degree in Geothermal/Earth Resources Engineering but will have to actually finish that degree at another university since it's not offered here. There are several colleges in the States and overseas that offer the degree so he has some wonderful options. I'm really excited for him and it's nice to see him so excited about something as well.

Sis will be starting high school at a new charter school we have that not only covers basic academics but also focuses on the Arts. She'll be able to work at her own pace on a specialized program designed just for her. I absolutely LOVE that! Sis will also have the option of taking classes like Web Design, Digital Photography, Sculpture, Oil Painting, and so on. I can't wait to see what classes she chooses for herself.

The school is also new with only 125 students in grades 7th-9th so I think it's a good way for her to transition from homeschool to a more public form of schooling. I am just so much happier with this option than the public school one for the coming years. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a pub-school hater but I am definitely a New Mexico public education hater! haha.

MonkeyBoy will be my only homeschooler this year and I'm really excited for this year. MBoy LOVES to learn and soaks up everything like a sponge so it should be an awesome adventure. I can't even say what "grade" he is going into because he's spanned across three grades right now. I love that about homeschooling!

I'm going to do a separate post on our plans for him this year so I don't make this post overly long.

So all three kids are taking their own special paths this fall when it comes to learning and I'm really very happy for them. Even though I will only still be homeschooling MonkeyBoy I plan on posting updates on all three kids on here so keep looking to check on the heathens' edjumakasion. LOL

Big B also recently got his latest 24 hour urine test results back and I posted about it on our medical blog- HERE. Feel free to read as it's pretty good news.

A Bitter Homeschooler's Wishlist

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:52:00 +0000

This was being passed around by some friends and supposedly came from Secular Homeschooling Magazine, Issue #1 (thank you Meg for letting me know there was a link to the actual post/page by Deborah Markus). I'm sure there are lots of fellow homeschoolers who will agree with and appreciate this "list".

1-Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2- Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3- Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

4- Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5- If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.

6- Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.

7- We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.

8- Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.

9- Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.

10- We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.

11- Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.

12- If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

13- Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.

14- Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.

15- Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.

16- Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.

17- Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

18- If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.

19- Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.

20- Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.

21- Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.

22- Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.

23- Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.

24- Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.

25- Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

And Then There Was One

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:10:00 +0000

I know it has been a very long time since I've posted and I guess that's because I never had much to say that I felt was exciting. At the time I stopped posting I was also reading other homeschool blogs that made everything sound so wonderful and fun. It made me feel a little lacking if that makes sense.

Obviously it wasn't the fault of the other blogs but my own problem. Also I was having alot of problems with homeschooling my oldest two kids for quite awhile and it was hard to accept that maybe homeschooling them was a mistake. :(

No matter what I tried I couldn't motivate them to want to learn anything and believe me, I tried just about everything! Finally I had to choose either to keep making myself sick by riding their butts all the time or let go and make them accept some responsibility for whether or not they learn too. Well it ended up that they didn't care either and that left us at an impasse.

In the end I made Big B take over his own schooling and placing whether or not he succeeds on him alone. Now he does the work and pushes himself while my role has become making sure he gets the books and materials he needs, taking him to things, encouraging him, and helping him get ready for college. He has come to realize that he really screwed up by not doing his best over the years and has hopefully pulled his head out now.

Every single day of schoolwork with Sis was a nightmare and it was making me physically sick. I just couldn't do it anymore and even begging, pleading, and crying wasn't working. Finally I told her that she too was on her own for the rest of this year. I would help her when she put forth effort, get the materials she needed, and do whatever I could to help but I wasn't taking the blame anymore. Unfortunately she still refuses to do anything at all and we have made the decision that she will be starting public high school in August. Until then all I can do is keep trying to get her to care more about her education.

MonkeyBoy on the other hand is flourishing and learning so much it's unreal. He loves every subject and enjoys the fun ways I've come up with to teach him. Math is fun, Science is "cool" (with help from Magic School Bus), Social Studies is "awesome" thanks to Time Warp Trio and Magic Tree House, he would rather be read to than read himself but he's catching on, writing seems to be more fun to him lately. He even sat through a documentary Hubby and I were watching today on JFK which shocked me. I kept expecting MonkeyBoy to get bored and go play but instead he asked questions about Lee Harvey Oswald, why he shot JFK, and even "The Grassy Knoll". It was really cute and so like him to do something unexpected like that plus fun to hear what things interested him. :)

So right now where we stand is that Big B is starting at UNM in the Fall, Sis is starting public High School in August, and MonkeyBoy will continue homeschooling as he is thriving at it. In the meantime I will be trying very hard to not blame myself for things not turning out the way I had hoped they would. Wish me luck! lol

A to Z- Some A Me

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:43:00 +0000

I posted this meme at Life With Heathens but I figured I would share it with my homeschooling friends too. Of course, I had to clean up the language some in order to post it here...*snicker*

Enjoy!!

Accent: I honestly don't have one. I moved so often before the age of 18 that I never had enough time to pick one up.

Breakfast or no breakfast: most times I'm a no breakfast gal but some mornings I'm just a hungry witch.

Chore I don’t care for: All of them? I am an equal opportunity chore hater- I hate them all equally. *smile*

Dog or Cat: We've got three cats so I should say cat so I at least look loyal.

Essential Electronics: Computer definitely computer

Favorite Cologne: Don't have one

Gold or Silver: Both. It's all about the bling, color ain't no thang! *snort*

Handbag I carry most often: This bohemoth black leather thing

Insomnia: I gots it

Job Title: Domestic Engineer, Professional Product Reviewer, Toy Expert, anything that makes me sound more important than I really am.

Kids: Well when a man and a woman love each other... oh you mean how many do I have? Three heathens. Do you want me to finish the reproduction lesson still?

Living Arrangements: All I know is that a large hairy guy walks around my house between the hours of 8-11am and 8-10pm so I guess we have a living arrangement of sorts. He pays a large portion of the bills and sometimes I show him a little leg. *wink wink*

Most Admirable Trait: I'd rather laugh than cry?

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Getting drunk for the first time at age 11 probably wasn't a good girl thing was it?

Overnight hospital stays: Thanks to this disorder and cancer, more than I care to remember.

Phobias: heights, deep water, one of my kids dying, claustrophobia

Quote: "Your ass!"

Reason to smile: My kids

Siblings: I refuse to claim them!!! You can't make me!!

Time I wake up: Usually around 8am unless I'm sick and then it's 10am

Unusual Talent or Skill: I'd teach ya but I'd have to charge. *snicker* Okay so I really have no clue.

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Sweet Potatoes

Worst Habit: It's a tie between biting my nails and drinking a 2ltr of soda a day.

X-rays: Yeah, see the "Hospital Stays" answer

Yummy Stuff: Cheesecake. It's the nectar of the Gods I tell you!!

Zoo Animal I Like Most: Hmmmm I'd say the hippo because she knows her butt is big and she's okay with that. She's an inspiration to us all... let your butt expand and you too can spend all day in the pool!

So who else is going to give this a try huh? If you don't you're a big ol' WUSSY! That's right, I said it...WOO-say! Oh geez, now I'm channeling Mrs. Fussypants. ahaha

Return of the Black Thumb

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:29:00 +0000

Despite last year's complete failure as gardeners, the kids and I have decided to give it another shot this year. Mommy has decided to cheat a little this year though by buying a few starter plants. Hopefully that way we'll have a better chance of SOMETHING growing. *laugh* So as not to completely bypass the beginning process, I did however buy a few packets of seeds and we joined the Tomatosphere project again.

~I bought starters of- thyme, Italian parsley, and strawberries
~Seed packets of- eggplant, spinach, zucchini, and grape tomatoes
~I also got an English Ivy plant for inside and then of course we have the Tomatosphere seed packets.

We've had the starter plants for almost two weeks now and they are actually doing well (surprising for us I know!). The Italian parsley is growing really well and MonkeyBoy has been kind of excited to see white flowers show up on the strawberry plants. We haven't started the seed packets yet but that is on our agenda for this week.

I guess to say our foray into gardening last year was a total loss would be a lie. After all, MonkeyBoy's little pot of mixed flowers survived and even continued to bloom in our windowsill throughout the winter. Seriously, one of the flowers grew upwards two feet and then bloomed a pretty yellow flower. We're all waiting to see what it can do when it's the right season! :)

"Mom, Pokemon IS Educational!"

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:07:00 +0000

These are the words muttered to me by MonkeyBoy recently when I informed him that he needs to do something educational for awhile. You see, he received Pokemon Colosseum for Gamecube for Christmas and is completely addicted to it. On one hand, I want to let him play because the poor kid has pretty much been left out of playing the Gamecube for the last three years. On the other hand, I'm not big on kids spending a lot of time playing video games and his constant want to play Pokemon is starting to grate on my nerves.

MonkeyBoy knows exactly what the attacks are for each Pokemon. He can actually read words for the attacks like "metal claw" and "mud shot" so he feels that playing Pokemon IS educational. After all, Jumpstart World and Pajama Sam are games and Mommy says THEY are educational. I think the rotten child has me there.

So I've been trying to figure out how to let him play the game he loves so much (when he earns game time) and not obsess over it when I'm trying to get him to learn other things. Good luck I know. *smile* I thought if I bugged him constantly while he played that he would get tired of it and not want to play. Instead the kid become a living Pokedex and starts telling me everything imaginable about more Pokemon than I ever knew existed! Yeah, that one backfired on me bigtime!

Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm more than happy to listen.

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:05:00 +0000

So far the CSI Unit Study is going slowly but we have been working on it. Big B has been reading the CSI books I got from the Library and I think his favorite thus far is Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollmann. Sis hasn't really started reading the books yet but in order for us to continue with the unit study she at least needs to skim them so we're all "on the same page" so to speak. Then again, I can't talk because I've had my nose in Rosalind Miles books the last few weeks. LOL

As I said, I also bought a Fingerprint Kit for us to use and it's been hell trying to keep everyone out of it until we're ready! Even MonkeyBoy keeps telling his siblings to touch something so he can "lift your fingerprints and steal your DNA". *laughing* I'm afraid of what he might do once we get to the hair sampling part. HAHA.

Since deciding to do a CSI Investigation unit study we have developed an addiction. Yes, the older two kids and myself are hopelessly addicted to watching CSI (the original series). The addiction is so bad that not only do we watch the new episodes but we also watch older ones on Spike TV from 4pm until 7pm Monday through Friday. Every once in awhile we actually watch it the whole three hours while throwing food at MonkeyBoy so he'll leave us alone but usually we catch an hour of it a day. Considering this is the only TV we watch, I'm not going to feel too bad about it.

You should hear the language in this house though! This is some of the things said in my house this week...

*Big B to Sis after she entered his room looking for her pen* "Did you have a warrant giving you permission to enter my room? You do know that anything acquired without a warrant cannot be used in court right?"

Sis- "Tell it to the judge criminal!"

*MonkeyBoy to Sis while charging her with eating his cookie*- "I am going to send these crumbs to Trace and you better HOPE nothing comes back on it! I'll take a Qtip and steal your DNA!"

Sis- "I'll bite you if you come near my mouth!"

MonkeyBoy- "I'll send your spit to the lab!"

*Big B to Sis*- "Don't you think my room would look cool decorated in blood spatters?"

Sis- "Whose blood are we talking about here?"

Big B- "Are you volunteering?"

Sis- "MOMMMMMMMM, Big B wants to use my blood to decorate his room!"

Mom- "Big B, that would leave evidence all over your walls linking you to whatever crime you commit against your sister!"

Big B- "That's true...damn!"

Yes, we're a sick bunch but it's been fun!

MonkeyBoy has been practicing writing his letters alot lately. He likes to have you write a word and then let him copy it and he's getting pretty good at it. He also knows most letters by sight now so since this seems to be the way he likes to learn then we'll do this for awhile. He's also obsessed with counting and money as well so it has been quite interesting around here. I reviewed the Jumpstart World 1st Grade CD-rom last month with MonkeyBoy and that has also been his favorite thing to do. Surprisingly he has mastered alot more of it than I expected and it helps me gauge what he needs help with.

Big B and Sis have both been keeping up on their Copywork, Vocabulary, and Reading with a half-hearted effort on Math and Algebra. We all know we need to pick up the pace in that area it's just something none of us enjoy so we avoid it right now. I think the New Year is going to see us buckling down quite a bit though.

I took the reins on the Copywork and Big B is copying Robert Frost while Sis is copying Maya Angelou. I think both are great examples of prose and while I also need to have them do copywork that will teach them proper puncuation, I think it's important for kids to know Poetry and be able to name the authors when they hear the works.

Vocabulary and Reading have of course been centered around our CSI Unit. Sis hates all the technical words I'm having her learn but Big B has completely embraced this and is even talking about going to college for Criminal Justice in hopes of working CSI some day. Because of that I'm making sure that I don't glamourize the work these people do like they do on TV. The kids are learning the truth about crime scenes and all the gory stuff that goes with them.

My being sick has kept us inside alot lately as has the cold weather (no snow just cold) but I'm hoping to remedy that soon with some field trips to fun places. I have some pictures I need to upload from various homeschool endeavors so keep an eye on the Flickr badge on the left there for some new and exciting pics very soon!

Until then, feel free to visit me on Life With Heathens, LWH Reviews, Our Family Village, and hopefully very soon at GNMParents.

ESRB Blog Tour

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:40:00 +0000

Okay first of all, send the kids out of the room because you do not want them to see this! They will seriously cut off your computer time if they know you are learning things like this.

Are they gone? Well okay, the baby can stay but that's it.

Thanks to the release of game systems such as Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PSP3 most of our kids are putting video games at the top of their wish lists this holiday season right? Once upon a time you could pop just about any game into the console and not worry about whether or not your 5 year old should play it or if it was too violent even for your 15 year old son. The only violence you saw back then was Donkey Kong tossing barrels at Mario and Pitfall Harry falling in a pit. Even then though there was none of the realistic graphics, blood, foul language, or violence that video games today have.

How does a parent keep up with it all though? I mean, it’s not like we as parents have all day to sit around reading reviews on games and making sure that only the suitable ones make it into our house and even if we did, there is always that one neighbor who lets all the kids play the harsher games there. So what can we do?

The answer is so easy that if you’re like me you’re going to feel more embarrassed than the time your 5 year old kicked your butt at Finding Nemo. Seriously. All we have to do is know what tools there are out there to help us do a good job.

ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) ratings are those little boxes you see on the front of every game box. You know the ones- EC (Early Childhood 3+), T (Teen), and all the way up to AO (Adults Only) as well as RP (Rating Pending). I don’t know about you but that last one scares me a little. Just how bad does a game have to be to not be able to be rated? Ugh. Anyway- those little ratings are what tells you what is and isn’t appropriate for your children. Yes, they are right there on the front of the box (and I’ve seen them on the back as well with descriptions of the game content so you get two chances to find the rating and info!). Easy isn’t it?

Another big help is that newer video game consoles (Wii, PSP3, and Xbox 360) are beginning to have Parental Control features that will let us configure the system and decide what our kids can and can’t access on video games based on the ESRB ratings. Personally I like this because we can’t always be right there when our children are playing a video game so these Parental Controls are a little piece of mind when we’re not around. You’ll know your 5 year old isn’t playing Halo3 instead of Spiderman and no more of your teen’s ears being filled with cursing, shooting, and carjacking. Of course, if your kids are anything like mine it wouldn’t take them long to figure out how to change the settings. Haha.

As parents it is first and foremost up to us to actually sit down with our kids and explain what we feel is and isn’t appropriate. It also wouldn’t hurt us to play the games with them sometimes so that we can see for ourselves what they are really like. I know I’m not much into video games but if playing one with my children helps make sure they aren’t exposed to excessive shooting, blood, and gore then I have no problem giving it a go.

Check out ESRB's website which is seriously filled with lots of great ideas, advice, and resources. I thought I was pretty up to date on ratings and descriptions until I checked them out and now I see that I only knew about half of what there is.

Okay, you can let the kids back in now but let's keep this just in the "Parent Circle" okay? *wink wink*

Who Are You? I Really Gotta Know...

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:28:00 +0000

Anyone who watches CSI: Las Vegas will know what the title is all about. Either that or just read this whole post. LOL.

I have sorely neglected this blog and I hate that because I have so many things to share and say. Time is not a friend of mine though and so I end up not getting to do half the things I want to.

Learning is going well. Big B and Sis both have finally realized that they need to put forth effort in order to learn. Instead of just blaming me and saying they're not learning because I'm not teaching, they now realize that I've put out many things for them to grab on to and learn from. They just didn't want to put any effort into trying to learn. Hopefully now things will go smoother though and we'll all feel a sense of accomplishment.

To work towards that end, the kids and I sat down the other day and decided to do a Unit Study together. It was hard to get to one they both wanted but finally we weeded through American Hockey, Italian Cooking, Football, and Thomas Edison to get to Crime Scene Investigation. Big B and Sis both enjoy watching the show CSI so I figured I would incorporate something they already enjoy into our learning and see where it takes us.

HOW do we do a unit study on crime scene investigation? Well here is what I have so far;

- I checked out as many books as I could find from the library on reading levels that suit all three children so they will be reading about how investigating is done and what investigators look for.

- I have bookmarked various websites on the internet that deal with crime investigation, evidence, and Science experiments that we can do.

- I have also purchased a Fingerprint Kit that we will use to dust for prints not only around the house but we're also dragging the girl across the street into our search. She's a good sport and thinks the whole thing sounds fun so I might even make her one of our victims. LOL.

- We will also be studying hair samples, do mouth swabs, collect evidence from a "crime scene".

- I plan on contacting the local CSI Unit to see if they would give us a tour/talk telling us about the new crime van they just bought and how they do their jobs.

- The kids talked me into letting them do chalk outlines of each other but I drew the line at chalking me. The last thing I want is to see how wide my hips are on the driveway!

- We will watch CSI (the Las Vegas one) and discuss the show as we watch it. So far we are getting pretty good at solving the cases before they do on the show. The kids are learning to look for clues and are even telling me what tests they will need to run on their evidence.

- We'll always remember to have fun and enjoy ourselves!

I have a feeling that this unit study is going to take a good month at least and I plan on covering all subjects while we do it (obviously...unit study...duh). My hope is that this will just be the first of many unit studies that we all do together. Big B even mentioned doing the Immune System next. Of course, he wants to learn about it so he can laugh at me and my suppressed immune system. Rotten child!

I will try to catch up on here and post more about our homeschooling fun. Also, I changed the name and url of my review blog. It is now LWH Reviews as an extension of my Life With Heathens blog.

Let Them Eat Cake...With Veggies!!

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:59:00 +0000

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not big on the whole cooking thing. I usually cook for one reason alone...because I have to. I’m the mom and it’s part of the job description but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!

Currently I have around ten cookbooks sitting all neat and new on my kitchen counter collecting dust as we speak. They were either bought for me or by me in hopes of sparking that "Betty Crocker" instinct in me. Nope, never happened but I’m still always willing to give it a try.

So when Mother Talk said they were doing a Blog Tour for the cookbook, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and that it's premise is helping you sneak veggies into your family’s food by using purees, I had to see if maybe this was finally the cookbook to get me cooking.

Did it work? Well, it got my five year old to look through the book and actually ask me to make him many of the recipes just because the pictures looked “yummy”.

After I informed him that you put butternut squash, cauliflower, and even carrots in some of the recipes he believe it or not still wanted me to make them! When I told my two teenagers about the recipes they informed me that as long as it didn’t taste or look funny they didn’t care. So with all that in mind I decided it was time for me to try to do some “deliciously deceptive” cooking!

The first recipe we tried were the Rice Balls at my 5 year old’s request. I decided to go with the butternut squash puree since I had just bought a really huge one to try cooking for the first time. I'll be honest and say that much to our surprise, the rice balls tasted really good. My only complaint was that they were a little dry but none of the kids seemed to notice and all three of them ate the whole batch!

Encouraged such a great response to the Rice Balls, I decided to try a Breakfast recipe next. This time I chose the recipe myself and went for the Banana Bread mainly because I have my own personal recipe that I really love and I wanted to see what the difference would be like. The recipe itself was very easy to make and only included a cauliflower puree. The end result was a very nice and moist bread and you could so totally NOT taste the cauliflower in it!! My 16 year old absolutely abhorrs cauliflower and he still ate two more pieces after I told him what was in it!

So I have finally found a cookbook that I can say I will definitely be using more than once and happily too. Every parent wants a child who will eat all their fruits and vegetables. The reality is that most of us are lucky if we can get our kids to eat even one vegetable and a few fruits. With Deceptively Delicious you can make both parents and the kids happy by giving them yummy foods they’ll enjoy and the nutrients we parents know they need.

Make sure you enter the Deceptively Delicious Sweepstakes at Harper Collins for a chance to win your own copy of the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. Cool right?! If you know someone with a picky eater then this might be a great Christmas present for them this year. Just think, a present that everyone thanks you for! Talk about a gift giving first!

Now fess up, have you ever tricked your kids into eating something because you knew it was for their own good? If so, what?

Card Game Review: Bella Sara

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:34:00 +0000

When it comes to trading cards my kids have been through most of them. Pokemon? Two boys hooked. Yu-Gi-Oh? All three kids are into those even now. Digimon cards? Yep, we’ve done that too. While my daughter goes with the flow and plays the cards with the boys, I’ve never really found any exciting girl's (or neutral gender yet including the girls more) trading card games. That is until now.

Bella Sara trading cards were created for a girl named Sara by her amazingly talented mother. How great is that? From what I’ve read, Sara, is a horse fanatic and this was her mother’s way of giving her something new and wonderful having to do with horses.

What impressed me almost as much though was this sentence from their About page, "Bella Sara is an imaginative, joyful world of horses, where every girl is special and uniquely beautiful"! WOW, that is so nice to hear in this day and age of BRATZ and ads that aren't exactly healthy for our girls.

Each pack of cards comes with 5 cards and 1 game card. Immediately after opening the card packs sent by Bella Sara they were gone. My daughter is that fast? No, actually it was her and my four year old son who came in and out like tornadoes grabbing the cards! Yes, the youngest boy is immensely hooked on the cards as well.

Bella Sara cards feature horses in all forms- regular horses, magical horses, winged, and even horse hybrids. Not only that but they actually learn about horses as they use the cards. Even better still is the fact that Bella Sara has incorporated their cards into their website in a really neat way!

After buying a pack of the cards (easy to find at Wal-Mart, Target, etc) you can go online to register your horse in your very own virtual stable. Each card has it’s very own authentication code at the bottom that you type in giving you access to the horse and it's fantastic stable. After registering the card you can go to your horse’s stable and do so many things like feed, water, groom, give an apple to, and change the hay for your horse which my kids found to be their favorite parts.

Once you have taken care of your horse it will be ready to play games and explore it’s world. You can play games, read the first chapter of the online Storybook, print Coloring Pages, and tons more! We still haven’t made it through everything on the site and every time we think we’re getting close they add something new!

Since receiving the Bella Sara cards to review I have had to buy four more packs for Sis and MonkeyBoy because they just couldn't wait to have more! Considering that the packs sell here for $1.89 per pack, I'm not complaining.

So if you have a little girl or even a little boy, visit Bella Sara's website and also look for their cards in stores. You won't be sorry and the sparkle these cards put in your child's eye is priceless.

*I have not been paid monetarily by Bella Sara to give this review. My only compensation is being allowed to keep the cards*

Why I Love Homeschooling

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:30:00 +0000

My friend Summer over at Mom Is Teaching did a post on 8 Reasons To Love Homeschooling which I thought was pretty great. So I'm doing it here as well and encourage others to do the same. I'm not tagging anyone so don't worry. Just enjoy doing it if you wanna. ;)

8 Reasons I Love Homeschooling

1) When my kids were in public school we didn't get along very well. They were both extremely mouthy and disrespectful. Since we started homeschooling they have become so much more mature and appreciative of things in their lives. It's been amazing watching them actually grow each day. So many things I missed when they were little but now I get to enjoy these teen years.

2) I know my kids aren't being taught the crappy History and Geography lessons that I was in school. So little of actual importance historically is taught in school and by the time most of us graduate we couldn't recite the first line of the Constitution much less the first paragraph! With homeschooling I am able to share my love of history and geography with my kids and know that as adults they'll know where Madagascar is or what "The Plague" was.

3) I get to spend time with my kids. With my health being as yucky as it is most days I enjoy getting to be around the kids and make memories now. No mommy has to go to work or mom can't help right now. Laughing, talking, learning, reading, and enjoying each other's company now fill our days.

4) I really KNOW my kids now. I know what they like and dislike. I know who they have a crush on or who their best friend is. I am ashamed to say I didn't have time for those things as a single working mom so I am very thankful for this second chance.

5) Since my kids spend more time with me they are able to understand our disorder and the affects of it better. They see how it has affected me and the tests I take and know that if it's ever their turn for all this it will all be okay.

6) Not having to do the mad back to school shopping crap! I both loved and hated when it was back to school time. In a way it was fun to take the kids shopping for new stuff but it was never fun dealing with hordes of people or school supply lists. Now I just hit sales when I want to and enjoy the savings all year long.

7) FIELD TRIPS!! I never got to go on field trips with the kids when they were younger and now we can go on one whenever we want to. I love that! During our homeschooling time we've been to an ice cave and dormant volcano, a wolf sanctuary, a wildlife refuge, a pumpkin patch, several museums, the zoo, the botanical gardens, to the movies, hiking, and on and on. We've taken more trips in 2 1/2 years than they ever did in public school.

8) Getting to watch the youngest one start his homeschooling adventure right from the start. The difference in the way he learns and the way the other two were programmed to learn is amazing. No stress, no tears, and he doesn't have to sit still in a desk all day at the age of 4. I just wish I would have known about this when the other two were little so I could have guided them as well.

Those are MY eight things I love about homeschooling. Honestly? I think I probably could have kept listing things so it's probably a good thing this stops you at just eight. LOL.

A Real Post. Shocking I Know

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:51:00 +0000

I'm sorry to post back to back reviews on you. I like sharing with the rest of you great stuff I come across but I'm definately not turning this into a review blog. If you would like to see educational product reviews please keep checking my Sona Creidhe Reviews blog. I have 87 companies I'm doing reviews for and ALOT of great stuff to share with you.

Every review is my honest opinion and if I think something is junk I will tell you so. I'm not going to lie to you and say something is great if it quite frankly sucks. ;)

Our new year of homeschooling is going slowing. I've been so busy (and sick I'm afraid) that we've been piecing it together as we go. I'm happy to say though that Big B and Sis are actually doing work on their own now. Big B took a bunch of textbooks I got for free to his room and started going through them. I loved it when he said "Those are boring and leave out so much!". hehe My evil plan is working!!!! Just kidding. Sis is reading everyday and even doing MATH on her own. It's scary I tell you!

Thanks to doing reviews I have everything I need to teach MonkeyBoy this year. I still don't believe in organized school for kids his age so he is just enjoying playing with stuff as it comes in and he is learning so much. We received a Leapster from one company along with some other things and he is just learning in leaps and bounds with them all. He even showed me the other night that he knows numbers by sight now. *tear* I was so excited and it hit me so hard. Here I have been worrying over how to teach him these things in a fun way and he already knows!

So my little family is doing well. I hope to get on the ball with HSing very soon and I'm actually trying to do this thing called "ORGANIZING" this year. It's an amazing concept. hehe

Game Review: Pegs In The Park

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:30:00 +0000

*previously posted at Sona Creidhe Reviews but I wanted to make sure I share it with the homeschool community*

Recently JAX Games (also known as Jax LTD Inc) sent my family not one but TEN of their games to have fun with and then give our honest opinions on. Considering the games they sent, they made my job really easy.As soon as the games arrived, Lil Man went through them and his very first choice was Pegs In The Park.

The rules of this game are really simple- everyone chooses a Peg game piece, each player draws one of 44 cards with a positive or negative number on it during their turn, and then everyone moves their Peg the number the card shows either forward or back on their own path to be the first one to get to the Ice Cream truck in the middle.

Lil Man loved reading the numbers on the cards (which is something new for him) and he really liked competing against the rest of us.

Anyone who knows my youngest by now knows the kid won more times than anyone else on this game as well.

Pros Of This Game-

*Teaches number recognition and counting

*No reading to make it hard on younger kids

*No small game pieces for siblings to swallow (including dice)

*Competitive yet fun

*No name brand characters making you feel like a sell out

*Fun for some kids to even play alone (yes mine did that)

*A great addition for teachers or homeschoolers to a Unit Study on Counting, Number Recognition, or even Ice Cream. You could even intigrate it as part of a LapBook or NoteBook (homeschooling lingo)

Cons Of This Game-

*The pieces are a little hard at times for kids to put in the holes due to the fact that the holes are small and spaced close together.MY Advice? Maybe the company could make bigger bottoms on the game pieces and thus slightly bigger (maybe fewer) holes to put them in. This would make it easier for little hands to find the holes and fit in the pegs.

My honest opinion of this game is that it was fun and definitely educational as well. Jax Games has done well with this game- good price, being educational, and entertainment value.

Pegs In The Park is available at Amazon and most online board game stores. For more information about this and other games please visit their website.

MotherTalk Blog Tour: Maximum Ride 3

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:40:00 +0000

For my first Blog Tour with MotherTalk I was given the chance to review James Patterson's Maximum Ride 3: Saving The World and Other Extreme Sports. My biggest worry when I received the book was that since I'm not a big Sci-Fi Fantasy fan, I would end up hating the book and spend two weeks trying to figure out how to nicely say it stunk. Thankfully that was not even remotely the case.

Maximum Ride 3 is the third installment in James Patterson's series (with rumor of a fourth coming out next year) featuring the winged teenage hero, Max and her "Flock". After reading this book I can say my only regrets are that I had never heard of the Maximum Ride book series before and that I didn't read the first two books first. Since finding the books at the local library was next to impossible I was relieved that Mr. Patterson recaps the first two books throughout the story so you understand what's going on now.

Knowing that there is a Maximum Ride website complete with forums, Fang's blog really does exist, and that Max even has her own MySpace made it even more fun as my kids and I read through each site. Having the characters as part of the "blogosphere" gives them a new dimension that young readers are usually not able to see with their favorite book characters.

My oldest son who is sixteen read the book before I could grab it so I decided to not only give my opinion on the book but his as well. My son loves to read and is very hard to please so I felt his thoughts on this were important. Here are some questions we both answered...

1- What was your favorite thing about the book?

**Jolene**- The story had great imagery, showed teens in a positive light (smart, responsible, and brave), and whenever I read the parts about flying it was almost like you were there yourself. I also really enjoyed Max because her sarcasm and attitude reminded me of myself at her age.

**Big B**- Whenever Max tries to balance the roles of leader, mother, and friend for the whole Flock. Also when Fang, Iggy, and Gasman battle the robot Erasers.

2- What did you dislike about the book?

**Jolene**- One of the deaths was a little sad and it got confusing at times trying to figure out if it was Max talking, one of the Flock, or if it was like Max was writing in her diary. I also thought the ending was kind of flat after all the build up and excitement throughout the book. It just lacked "umph" at the end.

**Big B**- When Max finds out who her biological father is. It was just disappointing who it was.

3- What kind of person or group would you recommend this book to?

**Jolene**- I would recommend it to youth ages 10-15, to teachers for use in the classroom as maybe a Unit Study or project, and to people who are interested in mythical winged creatures already (gargoyles, vampires, angels, etc).

**Big B**- I would recommend it to people younger than 15 mostly but I would still tell my friends about it. After reading this book I put the first two on hold at the library so I can read them as well. It was definitely interesting and a nice change from just Harry Potter books all the time.

4- How was the book different than what you expected, or surprising?

**Jolene**- Since the book is actually for kids I figured the story would be nice but not enough to actually draw me in. Surprisingly, I was just as eager to finish the book and find out what happened to the Flock as my son was!!

**Big B**- It wasn't a little kids book. It actually dealt with the problems that face teenagers such as love, identifying yourself, and wanting to fit in, which was cool.

So all in all we both enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the first two as well. I personally enjoyed having yet another book that I could read and discuss with one of my kids. Hopefully my thirteen year old daughter will take an interest in the book soon and we can all three have a discussion on it. I greatly appreciate being given the chance to read and review this book. The experience was alot of fun.

This review is part of a MotherTalk blog tour.

Finally, A Field Trip!!

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:36:00 +0000

Last week we finally went on our first field trip in a long time. Unfortunately, my health puts quite a damper on things pretty regularly but when we were offered the chance to attend with our new homeschool group I didn't care how I felt, we were going!

The group down here is small but very nice. I met several really nice women and my kids even made a few friends as well. Sis made lots of friends actually and they've all been calling each other ever since. Big B was the only person his age there but luckily we had a teen girl for a tour guide so they at least had music they could talk about. Lil Man made a new little girlfriend and all of us thought it was so cute watching them walk around holding hands. Yes, at the age of almost 5 he is already a ladie's man. I'm in trouble!

Our field trip was to a place called Wildlife West in Edgewood. Wildlife West is a wildlife preserve and "enhanced zoo," that is nonprofit and run completely by volunteers. The best part is that most of their volunteers are kids under the age of 18! It's great to see all that these kids have built and done with their own two hands.

Our tour guide, Karrie, was very good and did a wonderful job telling everyone about the animals. The kids got to see mountain lions, a black bear, birds of prey, and lots more. After we ate lunch in the pavillion the kids were taken on a tractor ride around the property and then it was time to go.

All in all we were there for about three hours and between the intense heat of the day and all the walking I was one wiped out mama by the time we were finished. I was quite proud of my older two kids because thanks to their time at the Wildlife Sanctuary they were able to help the tour guide with even more info on the birds.

The lady who leads the homeschool group and I have been talking and I think we're probably going to be able to come up with alot of future plans for this group like a Teen Group, field trips, tours, swimming dates, and all kinds of good stuff. I look forward to helping Theresa make this a great group and with all the great moms I met last week, I think that will be very easy.

Yes, No, Maybe?

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 21:56:00 +0000

Over the last few weeks the kids and myself have been considering whether or not we want to continue with homeschooling for another year. So many ideas and plans for last year that just never came to fruitation. Can I really give these kids what they need when I'm the only parent in the house who is for homeschooling? Am I helping or hurting these kids by having them learn at home? Should someone like me even be doing this?

So many questions with so many answers but of course, never the right one.

Big B wants to continue homeschooling so he can do the Dual Program at the college and still have his freedom. The only problem is that Big B wants to play football and that isn't going to happen unless he is in public school. :( As he put it "So I can go play football and get a crappy education or I can not play football and get a good one?" and he is pretty much right. Playing football is his dream though and I don't want to see him lose that. I'm a perfect example of what happens to a person when they give up on dreams and life in general. I want more for my kids.

Sis still just can't understand that if she goes back to public school she most likely won't be in the 7th grade. She fiddled around all year and truly learned next to nothing (even on an unschooling level she picked nothing up) so now if she wants to start junior high next month she's going to have to work for it. Over a year's worth of learning in less than a month. Of course, the only reason she wants to go to public school is because all her "friends" (I put that in quotes because they're actually spoiled, rude, and bitchy) on our block are PS kids. What she's not getting is that she won't be in class with any of them and going back just to hang out really isn't going to work.

I feel like my daughter has just already given up and if I try to help her she fights me and then all we do is fight. Definately not the relationship I wanted to have.

MonkeyBoy is excited to be starting "Kindergarten" this year. If he was in public school he would still be a preschooler because his birthday is in November but I printed up several "What Your Preschooler Should Know" type lists and he has covered everything on them so there's no sense in doing it for another year. He's the only one of the three that I feel like I won't screw up if I homeschool him. I guess it's just because I can start from the beginning with him whereas the other two were in 4th and 9th grade when we started.

So that's it for us right now. Just trying to decide what we're doing and figuring out the new "year". I do know that if we homeschool again this year we will do better and have more fun than in the past. Me being sick is no excuse and I really need to learn to adapt.

Wooden Thomas The Tank Engine Recall

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:47:00 +0000

List Of Engines And Accessories Recalled

I just wanted to post this real quick because I know many of us have children who own many of the trains listed. Luckily for us, we only had the Day Out With Thomas one.

See, even Thomas and his friends have it out for your kids!!! I always knew those trains were evil just look at Diesel 10. You can tell he's a real meany in the morning!

Never trust something that can talk without moving it's lips. *wink*

By the way, there are pictures of the recalled trains if you scroll to the bottom of the page.

The Black Thumb Of Death Strikes Again!!!

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 01:03:00 +0000

I told you everyone in this family has a black thumb didn't I? All the seeds we planted started out nicely and really would have done fine but we put off planting them. Then it started to rain here. Then it started to rain ALOT here. Our backyard is nothing but sand. Believe it or not sand likes to be blown around by the wind. Said sand smothered our seedlings.

What did we do? Not go outside to touch them for two days after that. LOL. We are such lazy gardeners!

So no Eggplant, Blue Boys, Marigolds, or Spinach for us this year. Also, NEVER buy one of those strawberry kits for $9.98 from Walmart because they are junk. So no Strawberries for us this year either. THAT one makes me sad. :(

The Tomato plants from the Tomatosphere experiment are doing very well though. They are growing strong and healthy! YAY!! I am also happy to report that MonkeyBoy's mixed flower seeds are doing very well also. His first flower bloomed a few days ago and the look on his face was absolutely priceless! I will have to take pictures to include in this post soon so be sure to check back soon.

Definately Having Doubts

jocoiner@gmail.com (Jo) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 05:22:00 +0000

As we're finishing up our second year of homeschooling I can't help but wonder if there should even be a third year. I had a long post all typed up but deleted it because I just don't feel right talking about the horror that is our homeschooling experience.

It seems the only one I should even consider homeschooling is MonkeyBoy and even that is questionable.

Who knew that children could sit on their ass and do nothing, treat their mom like crap, think they know it all, and still believe they are somehow ahead of everyone else their age! Wow, what am I even doing here? This isn't worth me getting physically ill all the time. This isn't worth watching them enjoy me getting physically ill all the time from this crap.

I think they've finally won. I can't do this for another year. Maybe they really are better off being put back a grade (or two in Sis' case) in public school. :(