3rd times a charm?

 

On Saturday I bravely sucked up my last bit of pride and signed up for WW...again.  This time I have joined a group that includes 3 friends from church and 3 ladies from my friend's work.  I believe this will prove to be a great motivation to go and help me to stay accountable. 

I have also had an epiphany of sorts as well.  I don't think WW will work this time because I follow the plan or call this a diet.  It will work this time because I will go to the meetings like other addicts go to AA.  I believe I have finally come to terms with food being a true addiction - one I readily run to for celebration, boredom, depression, etc.  Just like drugs or alcohol, food is a fickle friend; one moment it makes you feel wonderful, full, and satisfied but the next you are clearly reminded why you should spend less time with it.

It comes down to learning why those of us who use food as our drug of choice do that.  I believe I can find that and the encouragement do stop at WW.  I will also be praying my way through it, giving myself the forgiveness needed for the likely blunders I will make along the way and the ability to celebrate without food.

Onward!

Vampire Grocery Shopping....

When you live in Arizona you have to get creative with a few things to avoid the 115 degree afternoon temps. 

One of those is grocery shopping before the sun comes up or after it sets...my brother-in-law has coined it "Vampire Grocery Shopping".   This morning I was at the store, coffee in hand, at 5:30 am.  But now I'm done and ready for the day...well maybe a little more coffee first.

<---- I think I saw this guy in isle 12, just FYI.



How about another mini menu?

	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY
LUNCH	Club Sandwiches Watermelon Slices	Ham & Cheese Sliders Blueberries & Strawberries	Fish Sticks Tator Tots Apple Slices
DINNER	*Crockpot Beef Stroganoff Egg Noodles Sautéed Green Beans	Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad French Bread	*Crockpot Fiesta Chicken on Brown Rice Salad

3 Days Menu

Perhaps you need some menu inspiration like I did.  Enjoy!

	Lunch	Dinner
Friday	Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad	Taco Cup Cakes with fresh guacamole and Mexican Salad
Saturday	Pizza	Grilled Orange Chipotle Chicken Sautéed Green Beans Brown Rice
Sunday	OUT	Crockpot Roast Baked Potatoes Wilted Spinach with Olive Oil

DIY: Dryer Sheets

I just discovered a great site today, full of ideas - Curbly.  You never know what you'll find on Pinterest.

But for today I had to share the DIY Dryer Sheets (several recipes) and the Alternative Uses for Dryer Sheets.

If you fan their page on Facebook you can find a lot of downloadable tips.

Enjoy!

A New Year - well a new school year

 

Ok, let me be clear - I do not believe in a zombie apocalypse, this is called humor.  ;)

I can't believe I am about to start my 15th year of homeschooling.  I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs about my "calling" into my homeschool ministry, the good/bad/ugly of my experiences and defend the choice our family has made...but seriously that is so yesterday.  However feel free to e-mail or comment - if you are nice I might respond and if you aren't....

So this year I have 2 students:  Jorie who will be a freshman and Tabitha who is starting kindergarten.  It is an extreme but I think it will be fun and exciting!  I figure just when I am exhausted from discussing ancient times, literature and algebra, I can paste and paint with Tabitha!

So here are the logistics:

Jorie's Curriculum (Freshman)

1.  Tapestry of Grace, Year 1, a study of ancient times from Creation to the Fall of Rome.  This curriculum covers history/geography, english (literature & writing), philosophy, fine arts and government.

2.  Teaching Text Books, Pre-Algebra - it is like have a algebra teacher in the computer. I *heart* Teaching Text Books.

3.  Apologia General Science - a fantastic, Christian/Creation based science curriculum that is written to the students.  We are pretty free-form with science until high school.

4.  Visual Latin - This is new to us.  I actually found them on Facebook.  I will let you know how it works for us after a couple of weeks.

5.  Drama (Elective) - *draws in deep breath*  Yes my children are not always in the house as some would like to believe.  Jorie has been part of a homeschool theater company for years and will continue this year.  Sorry no link for safety issues.

6.  Photography/Yearbook (elective) - for the first time one of my kids will be taking a photography class from me and documenting their year.  Then we will put this together in a hard back book and have it printed.  I haven't decided if this will be an actual credit course or not - we'll have to see how much work and study goes into it.

Freshman Year - 7.75 credits

Tabitha's Curriculum (Kindergarten)

1.  Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - So easy it is scary. 

2.  Abeka Kindergarten Math

3.  Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 - Tabitha will only participate in the lower grammar read-alouds and art projects.

4.  Usborne Science Activies V.2 - plants & air experiments that are fun for the 5-6 year old

5.  I am also putting together a Calendar Board like this one I found on Mama Jenn's blog.

6.  Lots of pasting, painting, coloring, clay, etc.

7.  Time4Learning - an online teaching tool that will supplement when I am working with Jorie and Tabitha needs "busy work".

We start August 1st - can't wait for the new year!



Broader Focus for Blog

I had originally created this blog to share some of my repurposed projects.  I will still be doing that, when it is cool enough in AZ to get outside and work on said projects.  But I have many other "projects" in my life to share and memorialize.

When you visit you may find my latest photography session with the kids, or me waxing poetic about our school day; it will just depend on the day and the amount of time I am aloud to sit on my posterior. ;)

So I hope there might be a few still interested in reading my ramblings and you'll return as well.

1 Month of Time4Learning

Well I posted a month ago that we had signed up for a trial with Time4Learning.com.  I am happy to report that this has been a positive experience all the way around.

Not only did Tabitha like it so much that she completed much more than expected, it was so easy to use as the parent/educator.  I simply helped her sign on in the morning and she completed lessons with very little assistance.  She was always excited to show me what she completed and usually requested to do more (not something you hear a lot with school work).

As the parent/teacher, I love that this can be the base of our curriculum or a supplement.  There is so much information on the site for the adults, to help us help the kids.  It is extremely user friendly.

All in all Time4Learning gets 2 thumbs up from us - that is why we are signing on as a regular user today!

Time 4 Learning

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. Time4Learning can be used for homeschool, afterschool and summer skill sharpening. Be sure to come back and read about my experience.

New Curriculum in the House!

We just signed on with Time4Learning today.  As a mom, who has been homeschooling for 16 years, I am not easily impressed.  But after doing several demos with Tabitha today on the website we were ready to sign on.

I love the ease of use, the fun/interactive learning; but most of all I love watching Tabitha work on the lessons!  She had fun in every section and then as a reward she was able to access the "playground" for some fun time too.

I know we'll be using this as a summer bridge program but I see us using it all year long.  It takes a little off my shoulders, she is continuing to learn and the whole time she thinks she is playing a video game. ;) 

TWO THUMBS UP!  Go check them out for yourself - www.Time4Learning.com