June is done....

So June is done, here I sit on July 2nd and I wonder who hit fast forward on summer? We did manage to tackle one of our To-Do list items before June got out the door. We went to the South Carolina State Farmers market and grabbed some cantaloupe, watermelon, zucchini, yellow squash,  cucumbers and some WONDERFUL South Carolina peaches. Little known fact South Carolina peaches are MUCH better than Georgia peaches.  We also grabbed some fresh tomatoes seeing as how I was only able to coax my tomato plant into giving me one...

                               

July is here now! The free lunches at the school have started and it's always fun to walk up and let the kids eat. Thatcher gets to eat this year and he walked in like a boss.

       

We have Willow's 6th birthday, 4th of July, and a whole week of leave for Curtis, so I'm sure that we will knock a few more adventures off of our list. So stay tuned;)

While were in the Good Ole Days....

Upon watching the season finale of The Office, Andy made a great quote that has resinated with me more and more as the days go by:

  

                                              

As we prepare to leave South Carolina, a place that has grown to feel like home, this quote makes me think that we need to enjoy the Good Old Days, because although we will move on to another adventure next Spring we haven't left yet. So the gears and I have sat down and made a list of the things we want to do, places we want to see, and places we want to eat before we leave the South. It ought to be quite the ride so stay tuned for some GREAT old days!!

And Done.....

So we are officially DONE our first year of Homeschooling, and it was an amazing year. I would like to share with you some "random things" that I learned, realized, accepted!

1. Homeschooling has been more beneficial to MY family than my Kids.....our family time has become more pure and unadulterated.
2.We manage our Time, our time does not manage us!
3.My kids are Smart!!
4. Having shoes on in school really does make your mind work better!!
5. Chores are important to the sanity of the teacher....enlist the kids to do chores before school starts and your house stays put together!
6.School work outside is the BEST!!
7.Being a good Organizer makes you much more fun!
8. Kids like for things to be organized.
9. Don't get hung up on Grade Levels, although it is important, learning happens at all grade levels for all students.
10. For a successful school year you must master the balance between all school all the time and Free days.

It really has been an enjoying ride, and I look forward to next year and all that it brings.

Geared to Maintain

Geared to Maintain

Week January 14, 2013

• In my life this week… I was down for a day with a bug, and since I rarely get ill this threw my family for a loop, but I was very impressed with how well they adjusted fire and completed mission.
• In our homeschool this week… we have been busy wrapping up our 2^nd quarter. Since all my kids have known prior to homeschooling is public school I decided to stick with quarters and grade cards pretty closely and  have tried this year to keep run parallel with that system, although we are being more lenient on our time schedule the structure is much the same. It has really worked well for the kids as it not only gives them a good grasp on how they are progressing, it helps provide "mile markers" for our year.
• Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…taking the time to create a quarterly lesson plan for all our subjects have been such a blessing.  Yes I will admit it was a daunting task before I began, but has made each week run so smoothly, and once I started it maintaining it has been relatively easy.
• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…We got to start back to PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) this week here on Fort Jackson after the Christmas Break. The kids love going to see their friends in the homeschool room, and I enjoy being able to fellowship with some amazing Christian women. I choose a applicable bible study that uses Proverbs 31 to increase your organization of your home. I think that this will be a great tool to help me turn this “project” of streamlining my life that I have been working on the last few months and into a “lifestyle” change.
• My favorite thing this week was…This sign that I found on our white board from my little gears while I was sick! I am blessed!

                          

• My kiddos favorite thing this week was…Wednesday when I took the gears to the Fort Jackson Main Post Library and had them complete a scavenger hunt that I created for them! It was so fun, even my little Willow got to play. I just Goggled library scavenger hunts for kids and found one on the ALA (American Library Association) website, I did tweak it a bit to fit our learning needs but Great fun and especially for a cold or wet school day!
• Things I’m working on…are being Faithful with sticking with our routine.  It has been such a gift to finally see everything fall into place. I am also working on trying to regulate my blogging as I really enjoy it because it gives my brain a little breathing room after I download my thoughts!
• I’m cooking…Red beans and Rice with Turkey sausage in the Slow cooker, which has fast become my Favorite kitchen appliance (no pun intended). That makes me feel old just saying that, but the truth is the time that my slow cooker saves me allows me the extra time to be Young and do fun things! I even have created a Pinterest board with some great slow cooker meals for those schooldays you can check it out here, and follow me as I am always on the hunt for yummy healthy meals for my Crock pot.
• I’m grateful for… Hands down my family! They really pulled it together this week when I went down. My sweet husband was amazing at taking care of me and our gears, and my oldest for really pulling everyone together. We are geared to Maintain!

Time4Learning Review!

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Here's to a NEW year! ( and 1/2)

And 1/2;) I found this draft that I must have saved from the 1st of the year, and just wanted to share it because it had some good stuff. 

Happy 2013! This year has started out to be an outstanding year! I truly believe that homeschooling is  an art of refinement. This year started out with gusto as we had a clear set plan for our school work, organization has  been one of the working parts of this new refinement movement.  Toward the end of 2012 I begin to put together a home management binder, where I could have a hard copy of the plan. Meal plan, daily schedule, cleaning schedule, it is amazing how much can be accomplished just by having somewhere to look when you get sidetracked, something to help you stay the course.  It has made all the difference.
 The other change we made is to the kids electronics. Not only the usage, but the availiablity as well. We have established a charging station where all electronics are signed in and out on a clipboard. This one thing has amazed me on how much the usage has decreased since the start of this, as time has gone by the kids have begun to realize how much other stuff there is to do.

As an update,

we are 6 months in and we still do the home management notebook and the electronic sign in, and it has been two of the most enlightening  things that I have done for my family, and I would encourage any family who hasn't thought to limit the electronic in their home to try it. It has really had the desired effect on my kids! Happy Home-ing ;)

Better late than never...Flavor of the Week

 

Gear Stew ~Flavor of the Week

 Week of Jan 7-11th.

• In my life this week… I have been busy keeping things in our newly formed routine as I love how it is shaping school, home, health, and relationships this year.
• In our homeschool this week…I discovered the joys of homeschooling as I was able to scratch the fractions unit for my 7th grader, and start over which has made all the difference in her understanding of fractions.
• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Friday was Free Friday at the Zoo, so we went with another Homeschooling family. It was a real treat to be out of the classroom, but still in a excellent learning environment.
• My favorite thing this week was…Having ALL my laundry done (we are a family of 7 this is an exceptional feat in itself).
• My kiddos favorite thing this week was… Being Blessed with beautiful weather in South Carolina, we went on a ABC photo scavenger hunt!

 

• Things I’m working on… I am typically a dreamer and I get caught up in finding a million things I want to do, learn, read, watch....so this year my goal is to live intentionally. So think of a big RED umbrella, that is my relationship with God, and then under it are Husband, Kids, Esterline Center of Excellence (school), Health, Home, and since I still want to devote some time to refine me, there is Blogging, and Photography.  If it doesn't fit into these categories then I need to save it for another time, but God above ALL!
• I’m cooking… A lot of slow cooker meals, and have been on a quest for healthy, low fat, clean crock pot meals.
• I’m grateful for… I have been falling in love with my family all over again! I really have underestimated how much I would love homeschooling.
• I’m praying for… The motivation to keep on this path, as everything seems to run so much smoother when there is some order.
• I rewarded my kids this week by…Movie night with Mom and Dad!
• Something I am ogling or have my eye on…I have been looking at Turbo Jam, I think I may want to invest in it as there are ton of good review out there.