Christmas Day Fun...

Merry Christmas 2013 from us to you!!!!!!

December 2013

We've had a rocky start to the month with some type of "stomach flu" infecting most everyone.  Only 3 have avoided it--so far!   We did get to Celebrate Carlina's 20th birthday while she was home and I can see the light at the end of the "birthday season"...one more!  Garrett turns 10 on the 29th!  We always have a real Christmas tree and got ours up on Dec. 1st.  So far we have lost a duck and a chicken in December, hopefully we can make it through the winter without any more losses, but I am not hopeful.  We also lost a kitty about a month back and I think we can attribute that to the mountain lion roaming around.  Jesse saw him in the field across from our house a few weeks back.  Hopefully he has moved on! That is not his actual photo, lol.

Homeschooling..

Are you considering it?  I have never regretted it, although at times I have been tired.  I have really pulled back toward a more "unschooling" type of schooling and we love it.  We read, play, write and do some math.  We do NOT do "public" school at home.  I enjoy spending all day with my children, I really do!  We do make lots of messes and it isn't perfect (we are all sinners) but I believe it is the way that things should be for us.  Here is a good site for those considering homeschooling High School:

LetsHomeschoolHighschool.com

also

hslda.org

This blog has been neglected.....

I plan to catch up one day.  School is going along for everyone and we are very busy with church "goings-ons" as well.  Today is Alicia's 16th birthday and I will try to post updated pictures of everyone soon!!!  Tomorrow headed down to college to see the 2 college students...miss them so much!!!  Hope to write a more lengthy passage soon!!!

What does Home School 2013-2014 look like?

Summer is winding down fast and we will soon be hitting the books again!  This year I will have a 2yo, preschooler, 1st grader, 4th grader, 7th grader, 10th grader and a Senior!  I think this year might be a bit more challenging then last year, due to having a very determined and busy 2 year old little boy.  He does love to color and draw, so that helps  alot.  It seems those art genes run very strong in this family--mostly from dh's side!

My senior will be taking 1 online college class, just to get her feet wet and earn some free credit.  The school doesn't allow her to take anything that they offer, so she is forced to choose from a very small bank..thus Children's Lit it is.  I am also having her take an auto care class...very important if you own and drive a car!  She will be working on German this year, since our Greek teacher left.  Also, reading some good books and doing wordly wise vocab and Easy Grammar.  She is also taking the Economics course that My Father's World has put together.

10th grader is doing MFW American History along with the German, Geometry and Biology.

Continued tomorrow......

College Bound!

Two weeks from today I will be packing the "bus" to make the 5 hour journey down to college with a college junior and one brand new college freshman.  It is so hard to believe that the summer is winding down and we are facing a new school year.  I am really not sure where the time went, but I have the same feeling each year.  Colton is continuing his journey with his Advanced Biblical Studies degree with the hope to go into missions somewhere far away.  Carlina had been taking online classes at a community college but decided to try Bible College for at least a year.   She made this decision about a month ago and we have been scrambling to get everything done.  Today we bought some of the last items she needs...bedding, toiletries, school supplies.  I am so excited for her but I am going to miss her tons!   They really do grow up much too fast.  Carlina will be 20 at the end of the year and it seems like yesterday that she was running around as a little girl, playing with her stuffed animals.  That sounds so cliche but you can't really understand it until you experience it for yourself.  I have gotten used to having Colton gone, now I will have to adjust to one more baby bird exiting the nest!