A Beka Biology...

Yes, I do believe I like the A Beka version of biology better for Emily.  I would almost consider the Apologia Biology more of an Honors course.  Just my opinion though.  I will be creating lesson plans based on the A Beka biology book.  There won't be any testing or quizzes.  I believe in a mastery based learning with a lot of hands on work.  This may not be the way you school...but this is how we do it.  I find it hard to grade learning.  You either "get" it or you don't?  Practice makes perfect, right??

Here we go!!!

eta: why make stuff that is already there?  I started making the kids some flashcards but there are a ton out there on Quizlet.   Tons of stuff on there!

Also, found a great comparison between the A Beka version and the Apologia for the Biology.  HomeSchoolReviews .  I agree with a lot on here.  As it is true that the A Beka has WAY more anatomy than Apologia.  And anatomy is second nature to me and for me to teach.  We are going to start at Chapter 3 with plant reproduction.  From being a science major in college I will take things in sections of importance.  

Wow! The whole night?

Yes, I am still up!  Emily and I decided we really didn't like our iPhones so we switched our phones to our older ones that we loved and traded them back to BestBuy.  Best Buy offered us a $700 trade in card.  What great timing though as my laptop just blew up!  I barely made it on there to transfer all my pictures, videos and documents!  Such a tragedy...it gave me 3 good years!  Decided to go with an hp laptop this time.  Not as big which I was grateful for so that I could find a proper case to carry the laptop in and not have it exposed all the time.  Not only do I have the case but I am going to make a quilted sleeve for extra protection!  We were able to add in another Roku box and a few other fun things for the kids.  We left and went to McKay's to trade in some books and were able to buy a TI-84 calculator for the older two kids.  I recognized yesterday when we were working on algebra that this was becoming a necessity!  May need to do a search on the cute calculator skins that you can pop in and out of the top! :) LOL!! While there we also found another biology book.  Emily didn't like sharing a book with Jacob.  Made it too hard for them to study.  I did find the aBeka Biology set too.  I have yet to have looked through the book. I am sure I will tonight before I go to bed though!  I could have bought about 10 more books but didn't :(
The desk is starting to clutter up again...tomorrow may be the day to tackle that project as well as some leftover laundry.  I have a few things I would like to bake tomorrow.  Yes, it may be an organizational/cleaning day tomorrow.  As much as I would like to head up to our favorite junk store I am afraid if we did I would come home with another set of china that I found last week :(  3 sets of china isn't too much, is it??  Its just so beautiful!

Anatomy and long days...with extra plus points!

So today I received some fabulous news about labwork that was taken yesterday.  I totally blew away my A1c and rocked it MY style...I can call it MY style because I haven't seen a good number like this for about 12 years!  At least!!  My healthcare provider has worked her butt off for me and our kids.  She is there for us every step of the way!!  She is up at night when we need her and often throughout the whole night!  So mucho gracias!!  Excited to see if I can keep up the good work!
When I went through high school I had a hard time keeping things straight and had a mentor type person that was there for me through thick and thin.  I have asked someone to do the same thing for me and the kids while on our homeschool journey.  I want to add an extra "accountability".  So I think I am accountable by about 5 layers now!  I'm covered!  She shares the same high educational values as I do and have a great respect for the medical field.  I was pre-med with a 4.0 and probably would have been a dr by now but God had a different plan for me....4 children.  I think I would be a 50 year old med student if I could!  Or a career student.  Science is my forte.  I love science.  I love how it works and sometimes doesn't work.  I like the change that it can bring and the spontaneous reactions that occur.  I want our children to have a very strong science background.  She gave me some books to help out with this and one of them is the Anatomy Coloring Book.  I am considering writing a curriculum around this book!   Another book is a color atlas of human anatomy with cadaver photographs!  Friday my plan is to drive down to McKay Books to look for other resources I can use.

Its already been a long day that seems to have connected itself from yesterday  with only 4 hours of sleep.  We have been on the run all day, groceries are in the house and now it is time to make dinner. Dinner...one of those things that kids demand to have at a particular time of the day.  Yep, I have to be a responsible adult sometimes!

Ramblings, daughters, cross stitching and recipes

I don't think this post should take too long as my insulin pump is driving me bonkers with the alarms blaring.  I am sure you have noticed lately that Emily has written a few things on here.  Not much but she should branch out a little.  We took a 2 week vacation to Texas to visit with a large amount of family that gathered to celebrate my grandparents 68th anniversary!! Amazing...Glory to God!

Link is below under "slice of heaven"...visit their site! Yummy stuff!

When I returned home my brain went towards what to make, or cook.  I found several things I liked!!  I thought I would start a recipe bucket list on facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/359704420759248/ I will update it tomorrow! I only made 2 things this week from the list just because I ran out of time.  But I have to say if you get the chance to  make the lemon cakes...OMGoodness it is pure slice of heaven!!  I did not use strawberries this time but will next time!!  Such a delight to eat!  I also made the infused water.  Which the girls came in and  put it in the blender to make popsicles with it.  Not sure how that turned out :P

Ah yes, cross stitching.  I have a few things that I am looking for.  If you have it and would like to share, let me know if you have it in your stash!  Only stitchers know what a stash is...I hope!




The first two can be found at The Stitchery but this last one I actually have been watching a lady make it step by step...its been beautiful.  Its called Blooming with Inspiration.  Gorgeous piece!.
I just can't get to all of these stitching blogs tonight...I am getting tired!

But I will say this...the first person that is able to send me the pattern from their stitch will get a nice package in the mail!  Its a Contest...and its Ready, Set, Go time... :)

Summer break

Even though we only did two days worth of school work, we still had a good time!

Summer in Texas

Well our cousins came today. One of them tonight helped clean a game table\tv. It was fun so I had a good time today! Also, we went swimming three times today! It was fun but the pool was a little cold!? Well, good night!

Summer in Texas

We are in Texas, it took us around 8:15 a.m. to 8:00. So far we are having fun we just got back from swimming. I'm looking forward to tomorrow i don't know what we are doing yet. 😃 they have a dog his name is scooter. He is the cutest thing ever! Lol

Are your dinners fancy like mine??

I cook the most lavish dinners for my family.  Just to give you an example...We are having spaghetti (with Ragu sauce, only the best!)  Did I get your attention yet? haha!  A homeschooling mom of 4 I am, what I am not is a mom that cooks lavish dinners!  I like a variety and presently am craving protein.  But with spaghetti tonight I did find a squash/zucchini bake that I would like to try.  But change it up a little.  Instead of basil, since I don't have any on hand, I will use parsley and cilantro.  I have some grated parmesan and I have hot pepper cheese (shredded).  I may try the hot pepper cheese to add a little zing to the bake.

source: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/07/recipe-for-easy-cheesy-zucchini-bake.html

Doesn't this look totally yummy and lavish??

What kind of lavish dinners do you like to make for your family?

Taking a break...

I have not forgotten anyone or anything.  Just a lot going on here in the past almost 2 months.  I am going to have to take a break from doing the 31 days to clean at this time.  My house hasn't gone off the deep end like this picture I just saw on Facebook:


Even though some days feel like this...I promise it never happens!  I may need that coffee she has in her hand though!!
The kids have promoted to their next grade and we are trying to settle into the new books.  But it is taking some time ::sigh::  We are trying to incorporate more word knowledge and vocabulary this year. I really like the Word Building Pace books for this.  Doing a Word of the Day and a Verse of the Day.  This is working well for the older two kids but not the younger two. I really need to find somehow to teach them the books of the bible where they are not struggling to find the verses.  Maybe making a list of the books and omitting some of them for a fill-in-the-blank type of worksheet? Anyone else have any ideas??

My heart cries

Does your heart cry?  Sometimes it cries with joy and sometimes it cries out of sadness.  My heart is crying right now but torn in two different directions.  My spirit found another kindred spirit today...one that I know hoursrs could have been spent saying "Me too!".  It is nice when you can find this kind of bonding with another person...not as only justification but more towards a "I knew I wasn't crazy"...LOL!

Music as I have stated before uplifts me...doesn't seem to matter the type of music but I do prefer praise & worship music.  But even my zumba music gets my toes a-tapping.  Love it!

I listen to some music and it makes my heart pour out for those that I know are going through a rough patch in their family and know that they are claiming only healing and not sickness.  Keeping that positive flow going.  I wish I were that strong to be able to keep that calming feeling instead of the panicky, anxiety my stomach gets riddled with during stressful situations.

I found more blogs to add to my kindle's feed reader! I was so excited when I read one of them.  In this particular blog she found a way to keep cleaning minimal and organized.   A small basket with a sponge, microfiber cloth, spray and cleaning wipes...kept in each bathroom or room that needed it!  Genious, I tell ya! Like I said I added a bunch tonight...when I find the blog I will definitely share it!!!!  Looks like something I could really use.  Just to have a small basket made for each bathroom and the kitchen.  Yep that would work.

After grading papers for the past 8 hours and getting lesson plans done through May 11th (this was just for one child) I think I may be ready to start looking for that pillow soon.  My blood sugar was down to 160 a couple of hours ago.  Low for me right now so I just might take a juice box to bed with me tonight.

Good Night Ya'll! :)

We will call today

a PE day, animal science day, geography day, health day and literature day.

We called it a PE day and health day because we walked and walked the zoo.  This is how we roll...lol!  I actually rented out a zoo stroller for all of our stuff and so I didn't hear Elizabeth complain too much.  Jesse wanted the task of pushing the stroller and he took on the "diabetic" bag for our emergencies.  This carries our emergency juice boxes, needles, insulin, extra sets, meters and what not... Today was the first day that I had ventured out with the kids beyond just running to Kroger for a few groceries.  This was a big trip for us. And did I have perfect blood sugars?  Absolutely NOT! In fact, I have no clue what happened.  You would think after walking a few miles I would have a lower number but it seems that when my adrenaline is kicking so does my blood sugar.  I still haven't checked yet tonight but we made it home safely and without any shaking or issues. :) Yay!

I only really wanted to see the pink turkeys...I mean the flamingos.  So we didn't walk the whole zoo.  I justified this to the kids as being that we have a yearly membership.  We can come back in a couple of weeks and do the elephants and carousel.  But we can return in a couple of weeks!

Now back to those pink turkeys...they were the most beautiful God given creatures that I have ever laid my eyes upon.

Now this folks, is about animal science.

Oh yes...we saw birds too.  There were other pictures taken but I picked the ones that I liked the best.

The birds were beautiful.  Such a vibrant blue color too!

After the zoo we made our way through our geography lesson of not relying on 2 different GPS program apps on your phone to get you to a bookstore.  Because they both took us to the old location and it felt like forever until we found where we belonged.

But we finally found it!  We had great literature lessons while in this store.  There were so many books that the kids were in overload on what they could buy.  Jacob has chosen to read the Artemis Fowl series after he finishes the book "The Lost Hero".  He bought the first 4 books in this new series for him.  Elizabeth picked out the #1 book for Junie B Jones series...her first chapter book! She is so excited.  Jesse had picked out a component for his Nintendo DS but didn't get it because it I think it was missing a piece.  Emily didn't choose anything today but looked around a lot!

All the way home Jacob read his book...that warms my heart, A LOT!

We accept the challenge....

One of our main challenges that we face while homeschooling is schooling around diabetes.  We don't walk on egg shells but we definitely after to keep our numbers in mind whenever we are getting ready to learn new concepts and or have an outing planned.  We have been on egg shells, however, wondering if we would have supplies at all.  Our supply company called in January with regrets to being able to service our family any longer since our insurance deductible increased for 2012.  I can't see it going down so I guess there is no other place for it to go....up!  We had to find the new supply company and get through establishing new prescriptions for each of the children and myself.  over the next few days we will be transitioning our supplies from being under my bathroom cabinet to a downstairs closet...just need to make the shelving.  Jesse and I have our work cut out for us for the next couple of days.

Our Homeschool Update...

I am proud to say that Elizabeth Anne has finally caught up to grade level in math.  I found a 2nd grade lifepac math set on ebay for pennies and bought these pacs for her to work in.  It looks like it will mostly be a lot of review for her.  She will continue these through the summer and start 3rd grade math in the fall.  We will be using the ABeka 3rd grade curriculum for her.
She and Jesse are starting the Apologia Astronomy book this week once I am able to go through the book and pick it a part to plan the lessons.
Jesse is reading the Wayside School Series he was laughing by the 2nd page.  So reassuring to see him enjoy the gift of reading.  He is also working on his US States geography while Elizabeth is working in her Map Skills book.  I will post amazon links to the books we use at the bottom.  They are both finishing up their 9s in addition and Multiplication.  Elizabeth has started place values and learning how to write the numbers in expanded form and in words.  She has made a remarkable progress this year.  Even with the slow start with a new schedule.  I found some of those large workbooks that have a lot of review sheets of the school year and the younger two have been working in those this week.  A couple of pages for each subject each day.  They range from reading comprehension to phonics to alphabetical order and many  more in between.
Jacob is over the halfway mark for his Algebra I class.  He and Emily started French 1 this past week and so far they are enjoying it.  Jacob has begun his Honors Biology I class through CK12 and Emily is taking the Honors Life Science for middle school on the same site.  Lots of great resources are there including student texts, TEs and workbooks that go along with the curriculum.  The older two have also been including Spelling Power and Composition work from Glencoe.  Its just a lot of printing involved.  I don't mind.

Here are the links to the curriculum we are using through the end of summer:

Hear Our Praises

I was/still am, when I think about it, on a message board when it was once a big drama to post song lyrics.  As much as music has been a part of my life I can find solice in music and take the deeper meaning into my life.  I can hear songs now that will bring back specific memories as to what was going on in my life at the time when I was listening to a particular song. Ok that didn't make sense...but that's ok.  You understand.  Same thing with smells.  I can smell something and it will bring back a memory.

I like to make new memories and good ones.  This song has been playing just about every evening on either youtube, spotify, pandora or slacker.  With the book series that I am blogging about I can find several similarities.
Hear Our Praises



"may our homes be filled with dancing
may our streets be filled with joy.
may injustice bow to Jesus
as the people turn to pray.


from the mountains to the valleys
hear our praises rise to You,
from the heavens to the nations
hear our singing fill the air.


may Your light shine in the darkness
as we walk before the cross
may Your glory fill the whole earth
as the water o'er seas.


from the mountains to the valleys
hear our praises rise to You,
from the heavens to the nations
hear our singing fill the air.


hallelujah.hallelujah
hallelujah,hallelujah...
hallelujah,hallelujah
hallelujah,hallelujah.......(x3)


from the mountains to the valleys
hear our praises rise to You,
from the heavens to the nations
hear our singing fill the air." 

Day 10...31 Days to Clean

Do you realize today should have been Day 26?  I am catching up slowly and am determined to finish this project.  Hoping my hospital visits will be few and good days are ahead.

Feeling Overwhelmed.

I feel like we covered this in Day 9.  But I see there is more to it.

• When the house is a mess, only work on one room at a time.   * I can see this working but I would have to say that the kitchen would be chosen first over any of the other rooms.  I couldn't handle cooking or eating in a room that is a mess.  Thankfully, I have 4 capable children that know how to straighten up and get things done.  So I could easily just give all of us 1 room to clean if it gets that bad.

•  Be generous to your trash can.  *I love my trash can and would tip it money if I could get it to grab stuff by itself.  Getting a big black lawn trash bag is one of the best motivators for the kids.  If I have that bag out then they are usually scattering around picking up all of the things they want to keep so it won't end up at the landfill.

• Get rid of half the toys.  * Like I said earlier...the big black trash bag gets the job done!  If you are a frequent visitor to McDonalds (we are not) get rid of all those cheap plastic happy meal toys.  We had some kind of toy years ago in the van and every time I went down hill or used my brakes it would say something.  It took me forever to find that dumb toy!

• Do the 15 minute thing.  * Ever heard of FlyLady...yeah, that's her!  She has a strategy of turning on the timer for 15 minutes and see what you can accomplish in that timeframe.  Would this challenge you or hinder your progress?  I can see it from both point of views.  I would take the challenge but if I am getting in a good cleaning groove I don't want to be distracted by a timer.  But putting my shoes on early in the morning and shining my sink works wonders on getting my endorphins going!

• Just get moving.   * "Action is the antidote to despair." Joan Baez.   My husband always says to make a complaint you should be part of the solution and not the problem.  If you have the complaint find a way to fix it instead of dwelling on the problem and letting it consume you.

• Envision the big picture.  * The example that the book gives is about the feeling you get when walking into a well kept home where things are put in place, warm and inviting.  I don't think my feeling and their feeling would be the same.  I would probably walk in and start drooling.  HA HA...that may give me a big picture but this would be my issue to work out on my own 

• Get off the computer.  *Shut the computer done friends.  Limit your time online with socially addicting websites.  When I first started using a smartphone I thought how wonderful it was that now I would be able to keep up with everyone on my facebook no matter where I was.  Every email would come instantly to my phone, every text, every calendar date...oh the list goes on and on.  It finally came to the point when I had to change my notifications on the phone.  It was making me anxious every time I would hear it "ding" which became way too frequent!  So my friends, its not just the computer...it can be your phone too.

• Keep you eyes on the goal  * Do you have any goal setting experience?  I know that I try and set goals for the children.  But in the mornings I know that I can reflect on how my day should go and hope that everything runs as smoothly as my intentions.  My goals are daily and small....I can work up to the bigger ones but for now I choose not to have high expectiations right now.

• get Something new for your home that brings a smile to your face.  *  They are thinking of small things like a new picture, knick knack, pillow or a great yard sale find.  To me if I just buy a new sponge/cloth and a cleaning spray I am a happy camper!!!!

Mary's Challenge.  Light a candle and find a cozy spot to be able to reflect and see your big picture.  Think of your home and how you hope it will bring you to a place of refuge.

Martha's Challenge.  Clean window treatments and the inside of the windows.  I found this to be rewarding as it is like instant gratification.  We use blinds and have never been a big fan of curtains so I am able to just put the feather duster to the slats.