A Pile of Papers

I mentioned in an earlier post that we finished up our school work last Friday and that I finished all the paper work ~ school is officially over. Now that it is over, I can't believe how much time I have on my hands for cleaning and sewing ~ even a nap in the afternoons.

I mentioned on Wednesday about my year long process of having everything ready for the final organizing and filing away. Well, here is what I do.  My husband bought this awesome expandable file folder for me a couple of years ago when I was storing all the coupon inserts from the newspapers. It has a new job ~

 This folder is perfect for my monthly cleaning out of my homeschool notebook. Each month, I add the lesson plans, tests/quizzes, worksheets, etc that are completed.

Everything is there, when I need it at the end of the year. This is what it looks like as of today. This file does not get emptied until I began the new year process. Why? I keep this where I can get to it, if I need it for research of a curriculum or a certain subject. It's also there, in case someone from the county/state calls; just in case.

 

Once I'm completely finished with all of this paperwork, I place it in a cheap 3 prong pocket folder like THIS. When everything is hole punched and placed in the file it will look like these. The one on the bottom is for this year, I've been hole punching so I can have that job completed.

I also write what is found in the folder on the outside.  Grade, Year, Sample Work, Grade Sheet, Tests and Quizzes, Yearly Progress Report, Lesson Plans, School Calendar, Copies of Letter of Intent and Attendance Forms if it is a school year where achievement testing is required that is also included. These are stored in a box in a closet. I also have the important files (calendars, letter of intent, progress reports, achievement test scores and grade sheets) saved on a flash drive.

I did not start doing this until Jamie was in fourth grade, so I have all of kindergarten through third grade to work on this summer. Yep, this is the year it is going to be worked on!

Seeing all the little things that were created in kindergarten is going to be hard to go through, I can get sentimental over that kind of stuff. I guess, Jamie is going to have to help me go through it.

Tomorrow is junior rodeo day.  YEEHAW! I'll be working on some knitting while the boring events (barrel racing, pole bending) are going on. :)

I love to hear about other people's organization of their school work and paper work. Leave me a comment on what you do.   I hope you have a great weekend.

Lessons From the Week

 

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I joined a Proverbs 31 Bible study for the summer. I'm really excited about this study because it is for the whole chapter, not just for verses ten through thirty one.  Along with this study, I have been reading Raising Kids with Character That Lasts by John and Susan Yates. This little book... OH.MY. GOODNESS! The Yates have hit the nail on the head when it comes to teaching character to our children.

These are just a few things I have learned this week.

The most important thing going on in my life at this moment is raising my son. If I don't invest the time and effort into training him for the Lord, then I am "throwing away" the gift that God gave to me.  I may have to repeat myself, but if my son does not leave his teachings behind when he is older, then all those times will be worth it.

 Our children see the "real" us when others do not. Kinda nerve-racking when you think about it. "It should be our goal as parents to equip our children with the character necessary to live a life pleasing to God." ~Susan Yates  

While we are teaching our children about sin, we need to be sure we are giving the "why we (not our opinions, but what God says) stay away from it". Sin can be a temporary situation, but the effects will last a lifetime. God has a special plan for our children and sin can hinder that plan.

For whatever reason, people are going to do things (drink, drugs, etc.) to ease the pain of real life. But for a child of God, it is never right to do those things. If the opportunity arises, help those in need. Our children need to be taught to be fair and not judgmental towards others; to be caring and compassionate.

"We have the responsibility and the privilege to help our children learn to be outstanding men and women. We teach them in the ordinary activities of the day-to-day life we share... the influence of family on character cannot be overemphasized." John Yates

It's Not Over Until The Momma Sings!

We finished up our schooling on Friday. It took a little persuasion on my part, to actually get our Spring Break in for the year. It was scheduled for two weeks ago and we were behind in our Math by about 10 days because of my husband's work schedule.

Yes, I'm trying to pass the blame on to something else, when in reality I slacked off a little on Math because I knew we were not going to have enough lessons for the whole year. (Teaching Textbooks doesn't have a full 170 lessons.)

I thought I would only be a couple of days behind and then all I would have to do is double up for those lessons. It doesn't pay to think this way! After doubling up on our math for the last two weeks, we are now enjoying our Spring Break with the "official" ending date for this Friday. I think this was pretty clever on my part ~ Spring Break for the last week of school.

Any way... For me school is not officially over until I have all the paperwork finished up and filed away with used books ready to sell.  I was able to do just that yesterday afternoon and last night. I dislike the idea of this job looming over me for weeks, so I quickly start the job so I can finish it. I'm so happy!  This end of year job is actually a year long process for me that I'll be writing about later this week.

While Jamie and I were outside feeding and watering the chickens, I heard him say "Summer break, here we come!" while he was going back into the house. He knew that I was finished and would be looking forward to my summer. Such a smart kid!

It's official!  I'm singing...Summer break, here I come!...

Making Brown Sugar

I don't know about you, but I like the idea of saving money. There is just something about finding ways to keep from buying a certain item. For several months now I've been doing just that with one item that I use quite often in the kitchen ~ BROWN SUGAR.

I know that a box or a bag of brown sugar is not all that expensive, but why spend that extra dollar on it, when you already have a bag of sugar in the cabinet that you can quickly turn into brown sugar.

 

I posted about this on Facebook once and was asked the question how does it bake? Just like the store bought but it tastes so much better. The good thing about making your own brown sugar, you make it a cup at a time or make several cups like I do.

It is super easy and you only need two ingredients ~ sugar and molasses.

I would recommend making this in your mixer because it will take a few minutes for the sugar to mix.

I usually make about 4 cups at a time. All I do is dump the sugar in and add the molasses 1 tablespoon at a time.  You don't want the molasses to land in the bottom of the bowl and not mix well. But, if this happens just mash the molasses balls into the sugar with a fork and keep mixing. For my sugar I only add about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons, since I like my sugar to be light brown.

Mix, mix, mix until you get brown sugar.

Light and fluffy and oh so yummy!

If you try making your own brown sugar, let me know how it turns out and what you think about it.

~Happy Mother's Day~

My Week: Not All That Ordinary

Each home is different. For many we share an ordinariness. For some, we don't. I'm sharing about my week.


In my life this week…
I've been a wife and a mom. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. But  around the yard we've seen our little family of rabbits hopping about and our beautiful hummingbirds have come back for the season. I've seen the blue birds flying around the feeders.  Hopefully, our little finches will return soon. I did find a nest in my clothes pin bag on the clothes line. That little wren worked like a mad woman within 2 hours to build that nest. Unfortunately, I had to take all out.

In our homeschool this week…
It's finally over! Yippee Skippy! I'm not really all that excited, but we have finished up early and our summertime begins.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Don't give up! It's easy for parents to look at what they are doing for their children's education and get a little discouraged when something has hit a snag. Every year, I encounter a snag whether it is with a curriculum, a moment of rebellion, or just an off day. Once I feel the discouragement start growing, I begin questioning myself and my ability to educate at home. My ability at home is no different from the ability to teach in a classroom setting for 12 years. The good thing about it now is I'm teaching my son the things he needs to become a gentleman, to love the Lord and put others first; all the academics will fall into place.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
I'm going to see my parents tomorrow. We'll be spending time with my Mom tomorrow, since we will be going to North Carolina on Sunday afternoon for a bullriding/steer wrestling competion.

Things I’m working on…
I'm sewing a tote bag. You can see it HERE (the one with the flowers). I found some really cute navy and pink flower fabric at Hancocks on Monday. I'll be using the bag when I shop at Aldi. I have so many of those cheap store bags that were given to me and I just don't like them. So I decided to make me one. Hopefully, I'll like so much that I'll have to make another.

I’m reading…
During my spare time, I've been readying Tracie Peterson's Chasing the Sun. Tracie is my all time favorite author. She has done another fantastic job on a book. I can't wait to write my review for it.

I’m THANKFUL for…
I have so many things to be thankful for; my salvation, my family, a roof over my head, indoor plumbing, a running vehicle ~ with gasoline. I could go on, everywhere I look, I see things that I have, that I take for granted. I am so BLESSED!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Peach Cake with Peachy Cream Cheese Frosting

I LOVE PEACHES! They are my all time favorite fruit. I'm a little partial to Georgia peaches, just because no where else can you find peaches so sweet.  Seriously! I've had peaches from all over and none can compare. Since Georgia is known as the Peach State you can't go wrong when peaches are in season.

After spending years looking for a good yellow cake recipe, I finally found IT. I made two changes to the recipe, I use 4 whole eggs instead of the 8 yolks and I use self rising flour. The first time I baked this cake, I didn't have any cake flour and used the SR flour and had no problems and the cake was superb!

Peach Cake with Peachy Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups self rising flour
1 cup chopped peaches


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pans.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and then vanilla. Beat in the flour alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. ** At this time you will want to add a cup of chopped peaches. If you use canned peaches be sure to let them drain well. Fold in peaches and pour batter into prepared pans. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. In my oven it took closer to 38 minutes until the cake was done.  Cool before turning out onto cooling racks.

Peachy Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter softened
8 oz. cream cheese
4 cups powder sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped peaches

Beat butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add peaches and fold into mixture. Frost cooled cake.

Our Favorite Math Curriculum: Teaching Textbooks

About three years ago I was first introduced to Teaching Textbooks. I was intrigued by what I was being told, so I began to think maybe this is what we needed. At that time, I was using Abeka and we were barely making it through.  I knew there had to be something better for  home education, something created for a home educated child. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Abeka other than it was not created for the home educator and their method of teaching is not for an individual that needs more out of what is being presented.

I remember the first time I looked at the TT website, I fell in love with the program but I was concerned about the price.  Knowing that I had to stay within a budget for our curriculum, I decided to pass on it.  After looking at it for little over a year, I decided that I would spend a little more money on our math and tighten up on something else.  I'm glad I took that plunge because the cost is so worth it when you see your child understand a math concept and not having to spend hours to complete an assignment.

Last school year was the first year for us to use Teaching Textbooks so I bought both the books and the Cd's.  Once my son watched the first lesson, he decided that he did not want to use the book. So we gave the Cd's a go without the book and he did fine without it. I did have him write out any problems that he needed help with in a spiral notebook. From that moment on, he has loved the thought of not having a math book.

Teaching Textbooks was created for the home educated student. Teaching Textbook™ series was designed for independent learners, it introduces proper terminology only after first presenting the underlying concept in plain language. Of course, the series includes all the terms that students need to know for important standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, but our textbooks do not bog the reader down in highly technical language until students are ready to digest it. 

Teaching Textbooks is like having a personal tutor. Each lesson is taught and if a problem in the lesson needs further explanation a reminder or a hint is given to help the student. The explanation can be be replayed for further help. The student is not left to try and figure out how to work a problem.

For the parent, this program keeps up with all the daily and quiz grades. There is no preparation, so they can focus more on other areas of school work. The grade book is laid out where you can see the lesson number, the number of problems worked and missed along with the grade. In this section, the parent can go in and see which problems were missed and clear out the answer so it can be reworked. A very easy step when helping the student rework problems and changing the daily/quiz grades.

A few words from my user ~ "I like the easy use of my math.  All I have to do is put the disc in the computer and sign in and I'm ready to work on the day's lesson. I like the "buddy" characters that helps with my lessons. The teacher is easy to listen to and understand. The lessons are short and I don't have to spend a lot of time on them."

I'm not being paid by Teaching Textbooks for this review. There are many parents who are in the position where I was when trying to decide if this is an option and I want to voice my recommendation for this wonderful program. If there are any questions about this program, I'll be happy to answer any, if I can.