In the meantime, you can follow this link to get there and start taking a look around. That means, if you’re quick, you’ll see my new site before my homeschool readers do since they’ll soon be sent there automatically.

Stop by and let me know what you think!

Do or do not. There is no try.

©. All Rights Reserved. Original text and photos may not be used without permission. 

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I hope you’ll find the new site cleaner and easier to navigate. There may still be a few changes going on over the next few days and there are probably some bugs to be worked out that I haven’t discovered yet, so bear with me. Feel free to let me know if you find anything crazy that I may not have found yet.

In addition to moving to WordPress, we (the incredible husband-wife team behind Honeycomb Design Studio and I) combined Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers with my fitness blog, Eclipsed. So, if you’ve found yourself here from Eclipsed, I’ve got a special spot, just for you.

If you hover over the fitness button up in the menu bar, you’ll see “Finishing Strong.” That’s where all my old posts from Eclipsed are and where you’ll find all fitness-related posts in the future, if you don’t want to read them along with the homeschooling stuff from the main page.

That’s also where you’ll be seeing a few more cosmetic changes over the next few days, so hang in there. I don’t want anyone who has been such a big support to me in my weight-loss efforts to feel like I’ve deserted you. I’m still here to support and encourage you…and I still need you to hold me accountable. I haven’t hit my goal weight yet!

So, everybody take some time to look around and let me know what you think. I’m so glad to have you here! 

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Why is it the summer break weeks go by so fast? It’s been a busy week behind the scenes here as I’ve been working with Honey at Honeycomb Design Studio to get my blog redesigned and moved to WordPress. I’m hoping to get everything moved tonight, but we’ve run into some glitches (like comments that don’t want to move), so I don’t know.

Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping God doesn’t mind prayers about things that are, in the grand scheme of things, really insignificant.

Goodies that came in the mail this week

On the home front, we’ve just been enjoying summer break. Although dance class is going through the summer, Brianna decided to take a break from it until the fall. Did you hear my big sigh of relief just then through your computer screen? I know it’s just once a week, but I love having a break from stuff like that through the summer.

After dance class on Tuesday, I took Brianna to get a hair cut. I think it turned out really cut. She hates it. I give up on dealing with or trying to understand the minds of teenagers. {sigh}

Brianna and I went to see the midnight premiere of Snow White and the Huntsman last night. I was fine with waiting, but she was eager to see it and offered to treat me to the movie if I’d drive her and go see it with her.

It was decent, but a little odd and I didn’t care for the ending. It wasn’t one of those movies that made me feel like I’d wasted two hours of my life (like I Am Legend), but I won’t be buying it when it comes out on video or anything.

Have you seen any good movies lately? I really liked Avengers. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again, but I think Brianna is tired of it. She’s taken Brian; and Brian, Josh and me; and Brian, Josh, and Megan. We have to pay for extra people, but she and a guest can see movies free since she works at the theater. Brian, the movie buff, is loving that.

Yesterday, it wound up that it was just Josh and I for the day. Brian and Brianna had to work and Megan spent the night with my niece. So, Josh and I went out for lunch (which I thought would be cheap for just two of us…I didn’t realize how expensive Zaxby’s can be) and spent some time at the used book store, which is just a used video game store, as far as Josh is concerned.

He found a couple of games and I found a couple of books. We had trade credit, so it only cost us $0.47. You can’t beat that.

Today I’ve just been recuperating from staying up so late last night to watch that movie. I slept shamefully late, which was nice at the time, but has made the day just disappear. I’ve gotten very little done. I guess that’s okay every once in awhile, though. This picture of Gus pretty much describes how I’ve felt today:

The epitome of rottenness

The one thing that I got done that I’m most excited about was getting things set up for Josh to start therapy with Lexercise next month! We reviewed the dyslexia screening service last month and really wanted to get Josh started on treatment. We’ve finally worked out all the details.

I wish Josh was as excited as I am. He just sees it as “more work,” but I keep telling him that this is something that can benefit him for the rest of his life.

Now, I’ve got to run out and get groceries for the week so that I can get back home and be ready to move my blog. I really, really hope that the next time you visit my blog, it will be at my new home on the Internet.

How was your week? Be sure to post about it and link up. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

**Remember, be sure to link directly to your Weekly Wrap-Up post so that others can find it easily when they visit your blog and be sure to post a link back here so that your readers can find the Wrap-Up and join us.

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I’m talking about books that your kids can make for just about any subject and topic imaginable. Hop over to Simple Homeschool today where I’m sharing a fun idea for ABC books for elementary and beyond.

Come back later today for the Weekly Wrap-Up and don’t forget to subscribe and enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Today is the last day and, if all goes well, tonight is the big move!

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I mean, the American Revolution may be new information to your elementary-aged child, but you could probably teach it in your sleep after having already covered it with your middle-schooler and high-schooler.

The same can be said for almost any topic and subject that you teach, so how do you keep things fresh for you, so that you’re fully engaged in the subject and enjoying learning alongside your kids?

Change up things you don’t absolutely love.

Homeschool parents, as a rule, are a pretty frugal lot. We like to buy something for kid #1 and, if it works, use it for all subsequent children.

While this can be a good idea for something that you really love, it may not always be the best idea for a few reasons:

1. Not all children learn the same. Just because it worked great for one child, doesn’t mean it will work great for all of your children. It’s fine to save things and reuse them, but be willing to let go of things that clearly aren’t a good fit or that you’re obviously bored with as long as you can find a comparable option.

2. Newer editions may offer upgrades and improvements. As an example, we bought Teaching Textbooks Algebra I before it offered the technology to automatically grade student work. You’d better believe I’ll be buying the newer edition for my younger kids when they’re ready for it.

3. It may put you in a deep, boring rut. Using the same thing over and over, unless you just really love it, may become boring and tedious for you as the teaching parent. It may be worth the added expense to keep your enthusiasm for the subject matter strong. Often your attitude toward schoolwork is reflected in your children.

Hang on to the tried-and-true, but be willing to switch things up with your other pieces of curriculum.

Read new books.

Unless there was a read-aloud that was a particular favorite for you and your older child, explore some new books that cover the same topics. You might discover some new favorites. I’ve kind of missed Johnny Tremain as we’ve studied the American Revolution this go around. Brianna and I really enjoyed it.

However, I’ve really enjoyed the books I’ve read with Josh and Megan, too. And, who knows? I may assign Johnny Tremain as a silent reading book when Josh and Megan are older.

Try new projects.

Our paper mache Earth was probably the best project we’ve ever done…but I didn’t try to do it again with Josh and Megan. It was fun, but I wanted to do other things with them when we learned about Earth’s layers. Besides, they helped some with the original.

Now, volcanoes? Everybody has done their own erupting volcano…more than once. That’s a fun, simple project for all ages.

Balance is the key. If there was a project that everyone loved, do it. However, it’s okay that all your kids don’t have the exact same experience in your homeschool. There’s so much to explore. Don’t get bogged down in only going one direction.

Go on different field trips.

Okay, some field trips you have to do again for your upcoming “little kids,” like the fire department, but can get boring going to the same old places. I remember when I was a kid, our Browne troop toured McDonald’s. It was the coolest thing ever!

Then our school group went. Then another group. It wasn’t so fun by that last time.

If you’re considering a repeat trip that will be beneficial to your kids, then, by all means, go. If you’re just going to check off a box, though, skip it and find an alternative.

If you’ve been homeschooling a while, what tips would you add for keeping things fresh?

By the way, don’t miss my post today at In a Nutshell, A Simple Modge Podge Project for Kids. Megan and I had a lot of fun with it.

This post contains affiliate links.

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But, traditional in style? Not so much. So, this past Sunday, we had one of the “worship experiences” that we do two or three times a year. These always make me uncomfortable (at the idea, never during) because they mean that we’re going to leave the worship center, go into the “warehouse” and go through several stations designed to offer the opportunity to worship God in a different way.

Now, lest you think that we’re too far off our rockers, these stations usually involve things like: reflecting on some aspect of God’s character and what He’s done in your life and writing out a message to Him or getting out of your own little bubble of selfishness and realizing how wealthy we, as Americans, are as a people and thinking about how we might serve others. Nothing crazy.

I’m always amazed at how powerful the experience is and this past Sunday was no exception.

The first station that the kids and I went to featured these sloped mazes (think “Plinko”) a container of marbles and buckets of paint.

You were supposed to take the marble, dip it in paint, and release it down the maze. Then, you were to pick the marble up out of the water trough at the end, wipe it off, and go to this table in the center and read the paper there.

I released my marble and it went through the little maze just fine. Megan’s and Josh’s marble got stuck a couple times and we had to give them a boost. Oops, I thought. This isn’t working quit right.

It was, though. Here’s what the paper read:

“As you hold the marble, look back at the table it just traveled through. No two paths are exactly the same. You could start at the exact same spot every time and end up at a different place on the table. Sometimes the marble gets stuck and you have to make sure it keeps moving. Your path will always cross the path another marble took. There will be no isolated paths.

In the same way, our lives are interactions with everyone around us. Our paths are not all the same, but our destination is: Jesus. Some people have grown up hearing about Jesus their whole lives. Some people discovered Him later in their lives, but He is pursuing each of of us to restore the relationship we broke through sin. Some people seem to get stuck and need help moving past whatever obstacle has stalled them out.

The question is, what are you doing with the interaction you have with other people on their paths? Are you trying to “get by” with minimal resistance and accountability? Just like Paul poured into Timothy as a mentor, who are you pouring your life into? Who are you allowing to train you up?

We were to keep the marble as a reminder that:

Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The paper finished by saying:

Just like you cleaned off the marble, Christ has restored you to a blameless, clear state in His eyes. Who are you sharing the freeing relationship with? Who are you purposefully interacting with for the sake of showing them Jesus?

See? Good stuff. Powerful stuff.

Who are you pouring into? Who are you allowing to pour into you? There is always someone a little “behind” us in their walk with Christ who could use someone to mentor them. There is also always someone “ahead” of us whose guidance we could use.

My answer to the question of who I’m pouring into has always been my kids – well, since I’ve had children – but I think that’s a bit of a cop-out. I mean, I think it’s a given that I should pour, spiritually, into my children, but I bet God has someone else in mind in whom He’d like to see me investing.

And, I certainly hope that He has someone in mind whom He’d like to see investing in me. Quite honestly, I’m falling down in both of those relationships right now. I’m very guilty of trying to get by with minimal resistance…and, if I’m honest, minimal accountability.

Will you pray about who God would have you to pour into…or whom you’d allow to pour into you?

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For the rest of you, whose brains are firmly in summer break mode, bookmark this for August and go back to Draw Something or Words with Friends. (I’m Kris_WUHSMom on Draw Something, by the way. You know, if you need someone else to draw with.)

1. Bible. Every school day starts with a Bible lesson. Yes, I know every day should start with a Bible lesson, but our schedule is thrown off on weekends (and, usually, off-days), so I’m not going to lie and make us sound more spiritual than we are.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, I love that we can start every day with a Bible lesson and scripture. I love that we can look at history, science, and character growth through the lens of God’s Word. I am thankful to have the opportunity to hide God’s word in my family’s hearts each day.

2. Scripture memory box. Speaking of hiding God’s word in our hearts, our scripture memory box is probably the most long-standing homeschool item in our house after our chore chart. That’s saying something because I tend to get restless and switch things up pretty frequently. The scripture memory box, however, falls under the category of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

3. White board. We don’t use the dry erase board every single day like we used to, but I do still pull it out several times a week. I’ll write the kids’ vocabulary or spelling words on it, draw something to illustrate a point, write down copywork, or even a to-do list of the kids’ independent work.

I have never, ever used it to write a sentenced like, “I will not bicker with my sibling,” along with the instructions to write the sentence 100 times. {ahem}

4. Mechanical pencils. I am a long-time fan of Ticonderoga pencils and my heavy-duty, $2, garage-sale pencil sharpener. However, mechanical pencils don’t need to be sharpened right in the middle of a read-aloud or explanation. Enough said.

Oh, and, if you buy multiple multi-color packs and give each child several of one color, you don’t have to listen to cries of “He/she took my pencil.”

5. Binders. We have so many binders around our house. Currently, our main use for them is housing the younger two kids’ Trail Guide to Learning student pages. Josh and Megan each have a binder with one of those zippered pencil pouches inside, so they’ve always got all their worksheets, mechanical pencils, colored pencils (see #6), scissors, and glue. Makes my life so much simpler.

I get the binders with the clear pocket on the front and the kids decorate their own cover. I think I may spring for binders with locking rings since Megan has been frustrated a lot this year because, when her binder gets full, sometimes the rings pop apart, letting the papers spill out.

I might also spring for pretty binders if the kids want them this year. I know mine just makes me happy looking at it because it’s so cheerful-looking. Or maybe I’m just weird.

6. Colored pencils. The younger two kids use their colored pencils every day. At their request, I buy the more expensive 24-pack because they like the variety of colors. Since we use them every day, I figure it’s worth it.

7. Computer. We use the computer every single day, too – math (Teaching Textbooks), reading practice (Reading Horizons), or just looking stuff up. The computer also provides my socialization (Facebook or Twitter, anyone?).

8. Our support groups. I’m so thankful for support groups both online and off. They provide friendships for me and the kids, as well as a listening ear on a bad day, field trips, group classes, and so much more.

9. Library card. Now that we’re using an all-inclusive curriculum, we’re not visiting the library as often as we used to, but I’d still be lost without my library card.

10. Sweet tea. Yes, this one is totally for me, but I don’t think I’d survive a day without my sweet tea.

What’s on your list of homeschool must-haves?

This post is part of iHomeschool Network’s 10 in 10 series and is linked to Top Ten Tuesday.

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However, in honor of what most people consider to be the official start of summer, I thought I’d tell you why we take summer break. And, the title sounded catchy. Oh, and just for the record, May 26, on whichever day it happens to fall, is the official start of summer at our house – it’s Brianna’s birthday and we always make sure we’re through with school by then.

1. We need a break. This year has been a really good school year. We weren’t feeling burned out. We weren’t counting down the days till we could quit. The last several weeks actually flew by.

Still, we enjoy a long break. We’re night owls. We enjoy several weeks of being able to stay up late and sleep in (yes, more than we already do). It’s refreshing to us. Summer just has a different feel to it – more relaxed, more free.

2. I need a chance to catch up. I don’t care how well I attempt (or not) to stick to my cleaning schedule, by the time the end of May rolls around, my laundry is most likely going to be piled up and the house is going to be a mess. That’s because May tends to be a very busy time of year.

Spring sports, play dates, field trips, year-end this and year-end that fill up the calendar quickly. I always – seriously, always – spend the first week of summer break catching up laundry, cleaning house, running errands, and planning a birthday party.

3. I like the down time. I love having extra time for reading, swimming,  drawing, blogging…all those relaxing hobbies that we never seem to have enough time to enjoy.

4. We’re programmed for it. Like most of you, I went to public school. We got summers off. Brianna went to public school for two years. She got summers off. We’re programmed to take the summer off. It’s just the way it is.

Okay, I’m kidding. Mostly. However, the fact is: I like summer break. I want to take summer break.

That being said, we are going to try year round schooling this year. Because Trail Guide is set up in six week units, it will be so easy to do six weeks on/one week off. Even scheduling for Brianna won’t be a problem – she’ll just stop and pick up after our week off, if nothing else.

Here’s the ironic thing: When I was a kid, school started back about the third week of August. Our local public schools have been starting back earlier and earlier. We’ve pretty much had the same summer schedule they have for the last few years – done by Memorial Day and starting back around the first or second week of August.

This year, however, – you know, the year we’re trying year round schooling – most of the area schools have gone back to a more traditional summer – Memorial Day till Labor Day. Don’t think I haven’t already heard rumblings of “that’s not fair” even though everyone agreed to give year round schooling a try.

Of course, right now “that’s not fair” is pretty quickly followed by, “Yeah, but we get breaks all year and a long Christmas break.” I may have to tattoo that to their foreheads when the second week of July rolls around and I’m pulling out the school books.

If you take summer break, what’s your favorite thing about it? If you’re a year round schooler, what’s your favorite thing about your schedule?

Happy Memorial Day!

(Don’t forget to enter to win a $25 Amazon card just for subscribing. Oh, and the A Journey Through Learning lapbook giveaway ends today.)

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Can you believe we’re right here at the end of May? Where has the time gone? Since I came by from the 2:1 Conference, time has just flown by. That’s okay by me, though, because that means summer break is here!

I don’t know about you, but the first week of summer break is always a busy one for us. We always finish school just before Brianna’s birthday, so there’s usually a party in there somewhere, plus catching up housework and appointments that have fallen by the wayside in that busyness of the last few weeks of school.

That means Monday was housework and laundry day. I felt so accomplished by all I got done.

Tuesday was dance class, get Brianna to work by 4:00, and help with a Facebook party at 8:00. Because my Internet service had been so incredibly slow for two days, I was forced (yes, it was horrible) to go to Chick-Fil-A and sip on a sweet tea during said party.

I was going to just hang out there and wait on Brianna since she got off work at 10:00…but she called and said she had to work until midnight. So, I had to drive all the way back home, then, all the way back out to get her. (She works right beside the Chick-Fil-A…very convenient.)

Wednesday was a pretty relaxed day for the most part, but Brianna had her birthday party that evening. There were supposed to be about 13 teenagers coming, so we got 7 pizzas (six for them and one special one for me and Brian to keep all to ourselves because we’re nice like that – you notice it’s not in the photo).

Only about 7 kids showed up…and they didn’t even finish off two pizzas! What’s up with that? I thought teenagers were supposed to be human garbage disposals. So, guess what my kids have had for lunch the last two days?

Thursday was a morning run, an afternoon doctor’s appointment, getting Brianna to work, making dessert (with Megan’s help) and getting to my sister’s for dinner.

Today, I am making great progress on my personal goal of letting my behind become adhered to my chair as I sit here and enjoy the first day of not having much of anything that I really have to do. (Although I do need to vacuum again…aggravating shedding dog.)

On the blogging front, I have an article up at About One, sharing some fun ideas to combat summer boredom. I’m also currently conducting two giveaways: one for a lapbook from A Journey Through Learning (and a coupon code if you want to buy some stuff) and one for a $25 gift card just for subscribing to my blog so that I don’t lose you when I move to WordPress! (That’s going to include some spiffy new Weekly Wrap-Up buttons.)

How was your week? Be sure to post about it and link up. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

**Remember, be sure to link directly to your Weekly Wrap-Up post so that others can find it easily when they visit your blog and be sure to post a link back here so that your readers can find the Wrap-Up and join us.

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Well, if you’re a subscriber – or if you become one – you’ve got a chance to win!

See, for the most part, the move should be pretty seamless for you and, other than seeing my shiny new blog, you won’t notice much difference. You’ll still find me at same address and I’ll still be doing things like The Weekly Wrap-Up and the Homeschool Showcase (with spiffy new buttons), reviews, and giveaways.

I’ll still be sharing homeschooling ideas, offering tips and resources and, generally, trying to encourage homeschooling families. You’ll still get all the wit (or sarcasm, depending on the way you look at it) that you’ve always gotten.

Plus, I’ll be merging my weight-loss blog, Eclipsed, with my homeschool blog since fitness is just a part of who I am now. It made sense to separate the two when I first started my weight-loss journey because it was such a deeply personal thing that I felt like it needed its own space.

Now, though, it seems silly (not to mention time-consuming) to maintain two blogs when they’re both just a part of who I am.

So, how can you win? Well, one thing that will be changing is Google Friend Connect. It’s going away for Word Press users. If this is how you follow Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers:

…you won’t be able to continue to follow me when I move to Word Press.

And, I don’t want to lose you. So, I’m hoping, if you’re currently following WUHS through Google Friend Connect, that you’ll sign up to follow through email or RSS feed.

As a thank you, I’ll be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one subscriber. This includes existing subscribers, too. So, if you already read WUHS in a reader or through email, you can enter, too.

Once you’ve subscribed, the next email or RSS feed post will contain a giveaway code at the bottom of the post, under my signature. (If you’re already a subscriber, it should be there now.) You’ll need this code to enter the giveaway. Just enter the info requested and the giveaway code in the Raffle Copter box below. If you’re reading in a reader or by email, you’ll need to click over to the blog to enter.  That it’s!

If all goes as planned, the changes should take place late next Friday night, June 1. I’ll draw a winner at that time and notify the winner by email. Official rules apply.

I look forward to seeing you at my new digs soon!

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