Random Ramblings

It has not been the most stellar of weeks. I managed to escape illness the entire winter...which is saying a lot because I generally fight a cold the entire length of the winter. Of course I'm used to much shorter winters, but maybe there is something in the air here--or absent in the air here--which has made me healthier. Or maybe it's all of the vitamins I have been taking since my doc in GA told me he thought I have fibromyalgia and might feel better with a lot of vitamins in my system. At any rate, the crud did hit me this week, albeit not as powerfully as is typical, but I've still felt pretty lousy.

So that means there has been no glitz, glamour, fun, or creativity in school. The kids have done a fabulous job completing their assignments almost entirely independently, but there have been no "extras" thrown in there, so I know it's been boring for them.


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Any of you catch the new TLC show, Extreme Couponing? While I found those highlighted on the show to be, well, extreme, I was motivated again to start couponing. I was a pretty avid couponer in GA, and I kept my supply of coupons stocked mostly by buying the 2-for-1 AJC Sunday paper. Unfortunately, I haven't found that the Hartford paper offers that deal. That kinda took the fun out of it for me; it's impossible to effectively coupon without at least 2 of each coupon. But through this show I came to realize that more and more is done on the web now. In fact, I discovered Shop at Home, which offers a lot of printable coupons, and then there is also Coupons and Things by Dede, which is a coupon clipping service. When I heard them mention this type of service on the show last night, I thought it was ridiculous, but through investigating this site, I see that I can purchase from Dede the same flyers I would get in the AJC and pay her just about the same price as I paid for 2 AJCs. And I don't even have to rush to Super Wal-Mart to get one before they're gone; she'll send it right to me. Haven't given it a try yet, but it looks promising. Of course I do not have time to be an extreme couponer--and I was a bit disgusted with some of the couponer's greedy stockpiles--but it sure doesn't hurt to save a little money!


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Though I never put it in blog writing to do so, at the beginning of the year when I decided to become a better photographer, I vowed to myself that I would not create a post on here without a photo to go along with it. Well, because of my crud, I haven't picked up my camera in a few days. It just so happens, though, that my kids went for a walk this afternoon, and my oldest took her camera. I think she did a great job:

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Alex has been so helpful this week - taking care of me, preparing meals.
She's growing up too fast. Last weekend we went to the Revolve Tour together - a Christian conference-type thing for teenage girls. She fit right in...right down to all the dancing around to the very loud music (do I sound like I'm almost 40??).


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Guess where I'm going this weekend? To the Christian Book Distributor's warehouse sale in MA! If you know me well, you know I will be in heaven! I'm knocking out most of my 2011-12 Curriculum Shopping List. I'll hit the homeschool discount table. And all the other discount tables. AND I'll enjoy a kid-free day with a friend!

Here is that list of curriculum I'm whittling down: H.E.A.R.T.S. Homeschool Curriculum.




Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Weekly Wrap-Up, Powered by S'Mores

I think by far my favorite curriculum choice this year has been R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, Elementary Chemistry. It is easy to follow, easy to plan, and it holds the kids' attention because it's easy to follow, it makes sense, and the hands-on activities are a lot of fun. I knew this week's experiment would be particularly fun because it resulted in a yummy snack.

The great thing about exposing the kids to chemistry in the elementary grades is that their familiarity with the vocabulary and structure of the subject will be half the battle in overcoming the mystery of high school chemistry. We have already learned the structure of the periodic table. We have already learned about atomic numbers and atomic masses, about protons, electrons, and neutrons. The children know that if Carbon has an atomic number of 6, that means there are 6 protons and 6 neutrons. They know that if the atomic mass is 12, that means there are 6 neutrons. They know that only 2 electrons can sit on the first energy level of an atom and only 8 on the second.

And right now they are learning the names and functions of the most common elements on the periodic table. They are learning them by memorizing funny mneumonic phrases. Like today, we learned that it is fun to be Constantly Silly. Carbon and Silicon are now easy to remember.

We learned that Silicon combines with two Oxygen molecules to make sand. And we learned that carbon is present in diamonds, pencil lead, and sugar. We also learned that carbon becomes a darker color when exposed to heat. To illustrate this, we placed a sugary marshmallow on a graham cracker and put it in the oven.

After we did this, we learned that carbon can turn black when exposed to heat for too long. (Note: If you decide to use this curriculum, do NOT leave your S'Mores in the oven for 10 minutes like the directions say to do. 3-4 minutes is sufficient.) Consequently, we got to do the experiment twice.



After we finished our experimental snack, we completed our lab page as well as the pages provided for our Elements Book and then had a little look-see at a grain of sugar under the microscope.



Like I said, I'm really loving this curriculum. Even though I plan to go more online classes for next year, I think we may stick with Pandia Press's science courses.


Hosted by Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Curriculum Stuff for Sale

Sometimes Most of the time I take the lazy way out. Like right now. I could list all of the homeschool curriculum I wish to sell on ebay, but that would take a lot of time as I would have to list each item individually and take pictures, etc., etc.

So...although I don't usually use my blog to sell my wares, I'm just going to throw out a list here. If you see something you want, let me know. I'm so lazy, I'm not going to even go through and put all of the titles in italics. I know. It bothers me too. Oh well.

Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
$25.00 (ret. $41.20)

A to Z Early Childhood Curriculum by Sherrill B. Flora
for preK-K
$10.00 (ret. $17.24)
Note: a few light pencil marks here and there

The Giant Encyclopedia of Theme Activities for Children 2 to 5
Gryphon House, Inc. publishers
$12.00 (ret. $23.07)

Shurley English Level 4 Teacher’s Manual, CD included
by Brenda Shurley
$30.00 (ret. $43.50)

Lifepac Math, Grade 3
Includes: teacher’s manual and all workbooks EXCEPT #4 and 5
In original box
$30.00 (ret. $49.24 for complete set)
Note: two missing workbooks may be purchased for about $4.00 from publisher.

Math K, Book 2
Mile-Hi Publishers
$5.00 (ret. $13.50)

Alphabet Wheels
from Scholastic
$2.00 (ret. $9.95)
Note: a couple of pages were torn out for easy copying.

Writing Strands Level 2
by National Writing Institute
$10.00 (ret. $19.99)

Writing Strands Level 3
by National Writing Institute
$10.00 (ret. $19.99)

Making Math Meaningful Level 3 Teacher’s Manual
by David Quine
$15.00 (ret. $25.00)

The Prairie Primer
by Margie Gray
$30.00 (ret. $50.00)
Before Five in a Row
by Jane Claire Lambert
$20.00 (ret. $35.00)

Great Science Adventures – SIX titles
The World of Insects & Arachnids
Discovering Earth’s Landforms & Surface Features
The World of Space
Discovering the Human Body & Senses
The World of Light & Sound
The World of Tools & Technology

by Dinah Zike & Susan Simpson

$60.00 for entire set
$12.00 for individual titles (ret. $24.00)

Note: The World of Space has 3 pages torn out for easier copying. In addition, there is a small crease in the book’s cover.

A World of Adventure
Book 1 of Learning Adventure series already in binder
by Dorian Holt
$50.00 (ret. $90.00)

A World of Adventure Game
New in cellophane and original box
$30.00 (ret. $39.00)

I've got the homeschooling blechs

If you're not aware of my teeny, tiny obsession with curriculum and books, you must be new here. Welcome. I was over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers this morning and had to chuckle when Kris noted,"Isn't it funny how the curriculum that we're so excited about now will be the stuff we're tired of looking at by this time next year?" It was a nervous chuckle, though, because I know how true that is.

And it kind of hit me hard because I've been planning lately. For next year. Yes, I know it's only March. Honestly, the reason I've been thinking ahead to next year is because I am so very weary with this year. I'm trying my very hardest not to buy anything--yet--because as I noted in a comment for Kris, I do not want to tire of year 2010-2011 before it even arrives.

Next year will hold an added element of fun and interest that should help keep it alive. You see, I have found my soulmate when it comes to obsessive-too-early-planning-for-the-next-year. We were comparing notes and realized our science choice was identical. "Why don't we get together once a week next year and do science together?" my friend suggested. Let's see...divide up the work, gain an opportunity for some adult interaction...That's a no-brainer. Of course, there is the socialization factor for the kids which is an added benefit, though they are already so socialized that point is moot.

Well, then we got to comparing notes on history. "You know," she said, "our history choices are the same too. Why don't we get together once a week and teach the kids science and history?" Then we started talking art curriculum. Well, I won't go through the conversation again, but now we have all the plans in place to have a day in our very own little academy with science, history and art on the lesson plan book for that day. I think it'll be a lot of fun.

Of course, as we talked and planned, our ideas began to snowball and some of our choices have changed. In fact, in the area of history we are now undecided on what we will teach. So we have a little day outing on tap for Monday wherein we will venture out to a couple of different homeschool curriculum shops in our area to see what's out there. Of course, I'll hate going, but if I have to, I have to. I'm just trying to think of a way to count this as a field trip.

Teacher's Report Card

We're putting the "year-round" in "year-round" schooling this year by going well into June; however, with plans already well underway for the 2009-2010 school year, this is a time of reflection for me. What went well this year? Where is there need for improvement? So I thought it would be a good time for a self-directed report card.

Phonics & Reading: (A)
The boys have really, really improved this year in reading. Jacob went from reading zilch to full-fledged reading, and Michael is still plodding along as well.

Areas for Improvement: Find something and stick to it! I may have found that very thing already in Hooked on Phonics, Master Reader. Both boys are going through that now. Michael is on his first "novel", and Jacob has already finished the novel and is now on the second level of the program. I need to stick with this and then figure out a comparable program to follow up with: perhaps the HOP Reading Success product, although I haven't yet submitted it to my "research-it-to-death" process in order to finalize the decision. The boys are also going to be finishing up their Abeka Phonics books, just the ones they're working on; I won't buy the next level because they are just too tedious for them.

Grammar: (B)
I give myself a B because, while Alex had fantastic grammar instruction this year, the boys did not do much by way of grammar. They are young, however, so I'm not too worried. They did do some activities that came up in their Frank Shaffer reading books. Alex learned a lot this year and is almost finished with her 4th grade Abeka Language book.

Area for Improvement: Be consistent in offering Grammar instruction. Have everyone start and regularly maintain a Grammar Notebook to get all of those rules cemented in their heads.

Literature & Writing: (B)
The kids are young still for a lot of writing, although Alex composed some fantastic pieces of writing throughout the year. We covered some quality literature, but I would like to do more.

Area for Improvement: Next year, I'm sticking to my trusty reading lists (Ambleside and Classical Christian Homeschooling) for independent reading. Learning Adventures, too, provides great suggestions, and I need to stick to their read-aloud suggestions. I want to have Alex complete the writing assignments she will face in Learning Adventures and Shurley English both, and I want to do all I can to get the boys confident in their handwriting and creative ideas so that they can begin to become budding writers.

Math: (A)
I should do a separate report card for the boys and for Alex because the boys are bringing my average down! I give myself an A, not an A+, because I think I've done really well with Alex. She can zip through ALL of her facts now and has learned many, many new concepts this year.

Areas for Improvement: Quiz, quiz, quiz the boys on those facts!

Spelling: (A+)
Spelling went great. I enjoyed using Spelling Workout. If I didn't already have Abeka's Spelling and Poetry 2 for the boys, I'd order the next level of SW. Alex will stick with SW and will be in Book E.

Areas for Improvement: More fun activities with words and learn more new vocabulary.

Handwriting: (A+)
I can't believe how much everyone's handwriting has improved this year! I used a curriculum this year (A Reason For), but I plan to do just copywork next year. I think this will be more meaningful and teach them more about grammar.

Areas for Improvement: Knowing my propensity to plan but not follow-through, I need to be diligent in having the children do copywork daily.

History: (A)
I give myself an A because History is one thing we didn't skip; however, I really jumped around a lot from Prairie Primer to Story of the World.

Areas for Improvement: Stick with one thing (Learning Adventures). Use more living books as resources. Be consistent in keeping on projects like timelines, etc. Consult more maps to build in that geography along with the history. Do more hands-on projects!

Science: (C)
I skipped around a lot from curriculum to curriculum to make-your-own curriculum. Hopefully, I stick to Learning Adventures next year for a deeper year of Science. The kids did, however, have a lot of life experiences--museums, nature, etc.--which enriched their scientific lives. They also all had science of one kind or another at co-op, so that added good depth to their studies.

Areas for Improvement: Stick with one thing (Learning Adventures). Use more living books as resources. Actually FINISH projects that are started. Stop being lazy when it comes to gathering materials, setting up experiments, carrying them through, and cleaning up!

Geography: (B)
I started to give myself a C, but then I remembered that the kids are at least a third of the way through learning the states, their capitals and abbreviations, and their locations. In addition, we always find on the map any country that is mentioned in any other subject. Last year, I did a particularly good job of keeping Geography part of the mix by actually preparing a country study for every chapter of Story of the World. I just wasn't as good at it this year.

Areas for Improvement: For each country studied in history, do a thorough geographic study with the kids. In addition, teach more map skills, especially to the boys. Hmmm...what curriculum or book to use for that...

Foreign Language: (F)
I was supposed to teach them a foreign language? I decided this year that I am NOT, nor will I ever be, a foreign language teacher--even if I know the foreign language I am trying to teach. Mark and I said before we had kids that when we did have children, we would speak French in our home so the kids would learn two languages. Right. That didn't happen. So...I've ordered a computer Spanish (rather than French) course since they might actually use Spanish later on.

Areas for Improvement: Be consistent in making time in everyone's schedule (maybe even mine; we'll see) to sit down and learn Spanish!

Music: (F)
I know how to play the piano, so how hard it is, really, to walk upstairs and give a child a lesson?? Apparently as hard as it is the speak French in front of them. The problem is, I forget.

Areas for Improvement: REMEMBER to give piano lessons. AND to make them practice. And be consistent and thorough in covering the classical music that is presented in Learning Adventures.

Art: (D)
Thankfully, the older two got art at co-op because they sure didn't get it here!

Areas for Improvement: Be consistent and thorough in covering the artists that are featured in Learning Adventures. Do more hands-on activities in all areas, which will strengthen their artistic side (which, if they possess it, did NOT come from their mother).

Bible: (B)
Obviously, the kids get a lot of the Bible with church and family devotions. We did no formal study of the Bible, however. I would like to do more formal study as well as do some memorization as a family--not just at AWANA.

Areas for Improvement: Stick with what is presented in Learning Adventures. Be diligent in working on memorization. Use character studies from Contenders for the Faith.

I am also adding some beginning logic/critical thinking by Critical Thinking Co. and Latin from Memoria Press for Alex. Should be a busy year, but I'm excited for it. Now if we can just get through the next few weeks which, I know, will draaaaggg. To see a complete list of the curriculum we're using next year and all pertinent links, there is an Our Curriculum link on my header.

Blog Tagged

I'll admit. I've never done the Tagging Thing before, but my friend Courtney at Life on Courtney Lane tagged me with 7 Random Things About Me, so I'll humor her and likely bore you with my 7 issues that may someday lead me to a therapist's couch:

First, we must put the rules in play:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and put the rules on your blog

2. Share 7 weird or random facts about yourself...

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link to their blog...

4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a note on their blog...

OK, so you know I'm a little quirky because...

1. I'm very particular about how my dishwasher is loaded. Sometimes my dear husband loads it, and I always go behind him and reload it. It's not that I'm ungrateful. And I always do my reorganization on the sly so that he doesn't feel unappreciated. It's just that no one else seems to have any inkling about how to correctly load a dishwasher.

2. My favorite childhood character was Winnie-the-Pooh. What child doesn't love loveable ol' Pooh Bear? Other children, however, probably don't get labeled by their dear parents with the unfortunate nickname of "Pooh". I did. And I'd cringe when Mom and Dad would address me as such. My friends would do a double take and, laughing uproariously and mockingly, ask, "Why did your parents just call you poo?"

3. Even though I grew up in the wilds of Africa, I HATE bugs, especially spiders and cockroaches. Spiders make me break out in a sweat. Literally. Once when Mark was out of town, I discovered a big, hairy, tarantula-like one (I'm NOT kidding) in the baby's room. It took my dear husband at least a half hour on speaker phone to convince me to stop panicking long enough to beat the ugly, nasty critter. Thankfully, my eldest boy who is also the man of the house in Mark's absence rescues me from most killer insects now.

4. I've always wanted to try my hand at waitressing, I mean serving or whatever they call it now. If I was a waitress or server or whatever, I would make sure that if my customer asked to hold the tomatoes, the tomatoes would be held. And if my customer requested a beverage sans lemon, the beverage would be served sans lemon. I would make great tips.

5. Chick-fil-A is my favorite restaurant (fast food at least), and our new one just opened today. We took the kids this morning, and they broke in the playground. I love Chick-fil-A because it appears to be the last remaining establishment in America where service is not dead. I have recently begun a campaign in my home to encourage my little people to respond to "Thank you" with "My pleasure" because, well, it is simply my pleasure to hear such pleasant speech.

6. I am addicted to curriculum and all educational materials.

7. I bungee jumped on spring break in Panama City in 19 90 something. Someday I want to sky dive, but I'll probably wait until the kids are self-sufficient.

So now comes the tagging part. And I know this will be painful for some of you; don't feel obligated! At least check out some of my friends' blogs, though:

Mama Knucker Hatch at Our Golden Apples

TeacherMommy at Diapers and Dragons

Mare at Mare's Musings

Mitzi at The Road Less Traveled

My wonderful sister-in-law at Phoenicie Konnection

Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy

and...although I think she's already done this: Crossview at Crossview Academy

HCAA

Homeschool Curriculum Addicts Anonymous. Yes, it's time, time for my annual This is the Curriculum I'm Using Next Year post. And, as fair warning for you non-homeschoolers, I won't be offended if you don't read on as your eyes will likely glaze over before you even make it through my Language Arts choices.

I have to admit, I'm very fickle with homeschool curriculum; it's a problem I'm trying to grow out of, although I have a feeling it's not a phase, but rather, an addiction to curriculum and the necessity to try it all. At any rate, back in April I purchased Tapestry of Grace, which I considered at the time to be the end-all, be-all in classical curriculum. I also made a small promise to my better half that, if I made my purchase so early in the year, I would NOT change my mind. But then I received my Story of the World Vol. 1 back from a friend who had borrowed it for the year. I had forgotten how wonderful Story of the World is! And it's fairly cheap. Why did I spend all that money on TOG when I already have SOW? So I sold my TOG and am back to the Middle Ages with SOW. Looks like fun. Since it's been a year since we did SOW and Ancient Times, we are rushing through it this summer as review. So SOW is the spine of my next school year since we Classicals start with History and branch out from there. I am, however, "stealing" the recommended reading lists from TOG--great literature!

For Phonics with the boys, I'm sticking with good ol' reliable A Beka. It tends to be tedious for them, though, so I'll put my own twist to it. And for reading for them, it'll be Frank Schaffer books and whatever else I can get my hands on that is of interest to them. I want to focus a lot more this year on writing. Alex has been working through a McGraw-Hill book called "Building Writing Skills", and I really like it. I tweak it as well, and it works out great. We'll do a lot more literature this year and literature that ties in with the Middle Ages...beginning with "Beowulf" (Kingfisher Epics has a great kids' version). We'll end the year with Shakespeare.

As for spelling, I decided to give Spelling Power a whirl this year. I've started it with Alex and am not completely sold on it; however, I have made a commitment to at least give it more than a week! In addition, to Spelling Power, Alex and I will go through English from the Roots Up. I had considered teaching her Latin but then quickly reconsidered. Like I'll stick to teaching her Latin! I know my weaknesses and limits!

One of my weaknesses and limits has always been math. In fact, now that we're up to 3rd grade math, I almost bought the Teacher's Manual this year for our ABeka Math, but after reviewing the curriculum, I think I still have a handle on the world of mathematics at this level; I'll probably have to go for the TM next year, however. I have found ABeka to be the most straightforward and interesting curriculum for math, and the kids seem to enjoy it. I try not to let my, um, unappreciation for the subject of math show through in any way through my teaching, so hopefully they will all be much stronger in it than I ever was.

Because I'm going to be doing so much planning this year, I decided to go with a standard textbook for Science. We're doing "Exploring God's World" from ABeka. I'll supplement, though, with lapbooks from Hands of a Child. In addition, we're going to do the ABeka Health program.

Geography will be in conjunction with History, although I'll be doing some one-on-one work on map skills using a Frank Schaffer book. I also intend to continue our trip around the world using the CMA Kids' Site. I love to do country units where the kids get to stamp their passport, place a new country on the map, do crafts, cooking, whatever has to do with that country.

And speaking of countries, I've agonized over whether we should do Spain or France for language. I know, at least in this country, Spanish will be much more useful for the kids, but quite honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Spanish (no offense). ¿I mean, what kind of language puts upside down punctuation at the beginning of a sentence anyway? So...I finally decided on French. One of the main reasons for my decision, is that I plan to talk my better half into making a concerted effort to converse with me in French at home...you know, to accomplish the whole immersion thing. Anyway, I found a GREAT curriculum (which, incidentally, also comes in Spanish should I change my mind). Easy French is based on the educational philosophies of both Charlotte Mason and Benjamin Bloom, two of my educational heroes, so what more could I ask for? Well, there is more: The creators of Easy French are very mission-minded, so the kids will memorize Scripture in French, and the company also has a rebate program where, if you send your used curriculum to Wycliffe for use with its missionaries, you receive a credit on your next purchase. So I admire their ideals, I love the samples I've viewed of the curriculum, and I impatiently await the arrival of my order!

So, aside from artist and composer studies which I'll put together myself, that's going to be our year next year here at the School of the Gifted and Quirky. Should be a fun ride. In the meantime, I made a promise to my better half last year that I would NOT attend the Homeschool Expo this year (are we sensing a trend here of hasty promises?). However, a dear friend of mine has decided to homeschool. She certainly needs a friend to attend the conference with her for the first time, doesn't she? So I've already forewarned my husband that this may be one a second promise I have to break. I'm quite sure I won't be armed with any type of budget or allowance. It will be a test of self-control. I think at HCAA, step #10 is: Go to a homeschool conference and do not spend any money. I'm not sure I've made it through the first 9 steps, so I am sadly unprepared. I may fall off the wagon, or the shopping cart as it were.

Week 1 on Day 61

Day 61 of our school year, and I crammed the first week of our new curriclum in! It was a very condensed version of the lessons provided, but since it was the introductory week, it was light anyway, so we accomplished much. I really do like this new curriculum--it sparks more conversations than we've had before, and the fact that it's all there laid out for me and done is such a blessing.

My Father's World provides Bible lessons too, which is a wonderful addition as I was wanting to incorporate a Bible study but just didn't have time. This year in the "Adventures" series, we focus on the different names of God and getting to know Him through the meanings of each of these names. Today we introduced the significance of names by focusing on the meanings of the kids' names. I had some prep: I had to write a letter to each of the children in which I gave the meaning of each name and the significance of why Mark and I chose each name. They seemed to enjoy receiving these letters, and it was fun for me to do as well.

We're plugging right along and keeping the same pace as before with our core subjects (the 3 Rs). Alex always amazes me with how quickly she picks up things. She has just recently begun doing a lot of her math mentally. When I look over it, I find myself marking her problems by carrying and borrowing to check her accuracy; she's generally always right! I'm not going to be the teacher who requires the student to "show her work" if that's not how she works best, so I guess I'll just "show the work" to check the work!

I do have to admit that I drew the afternoon out a bit too long. The kids' ability for academia pretty much expires at 2:00. If I school after the witching hour, it becomes a battle of wills and bad attitudes. But today I plodded on anyway. We did a science experiment, which the kids enjoyed (I think this occurred about 1:45, so we were safe). Then it was on to history. In this curriculum, we're studying American history, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. We had just finished studying Leif Ericsson and the Vikings in Story of the World, and the first week of MFW provided some much needed review. My little students did comply with listening fairly well and completing a couple of notebook pages; however, they kept asking, "Are we done now?"

Part of the afternoon was also an introduction to the US State Notebooks they will be creating. We talked about the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. After a discussion about the significance of the stars and the stripes, we finally finished our school day by decorating a very special dessert for after our leftover spaghetti dinner:

Forget posing for a picture...I'm taking my chances and going for the good stuff!

Sanity Over Pride

Well, I did it. Eleven weeks into the school year I'm changing curriculum. And it's a bit of a blow to my pride. I have always enjoyed planning  and creating my own lessons surrounding an eclectic choice of curriculum and literature. However, somehow my plans which look like perfection on the Master Schedule never completely come to fruition because I just don't have the time to put into them. So...I've ordered a "curriculum in a box." I've heard great things about My Father's World, and I love what I have read about it online. As of tonight, the order's in, and I hope to receive everything this week.

As soon as that box arrives, I'll have to figure out how to jump in mid-year. I could skip to the correct point in the MFW schedule, which goes against my "not-wanting-to-miss-out-on-anything" personality. Or I could just start at the beginning, which means we'll be studying the pilgrims in January. But really, WHY do we only study the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving time? I know it's symbolic and all, but there was so much more to the story. How about studying them during the coldest  month of  the year and thus understanding a bit more of the struggles they went through as they settled this great nation?

So I guess after all of this rambling, it's obvious that I'll just start at the beginning. And so what if my pride is a little trampled. As I told a friend tonight, sanity is so much more valuable than a little pride. Right?