"Can I join Classical Conversations with an older child who has never been in the program?"

Challenge A (a first time CC student's experience)

Okay, so! We are "up and running", as they say.  We have officially completed our first two weeks with our new Classical Conversations(CC) community.  Specifically, my oldest child has completed her first two weeks. Her siblings have been "doing school" lightly all summer long, and have completed math, reading, copywork/handwriting, math drills, typing, and some grammar review with me each day since their older sister began her new schooling with CC.

If you are an "on the fence" parent (wanting to try CC but hesitant to jump in with older children who have never been in Foundations and/or Essentials),  here is what I want say to you.  Ready?  Don't miss it.  Here it comes....................I want to encourage you, ENCOURAGE you, E-N-C-O-U-R-A-G-E  YOU that your child can succeed and that you will not feel unsupported in your endeavor. 

Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about our local community and the parents, tutors, and highly committed director who are making this transition as painless as possible for my family and me.  I have   sincere encouragement and support and so does my Challenge A student (who has never had Foundations, never had Essentials, and has had only minimal exposure to Latin prior to our joining CC.)

She loves the familiar layout of her days at home (which, with the exception of one adjustment I had to make to her schedule, follows the order of her full day at CC each week; the continuity at home is great for the students.)   I will say she works hard.  We are up at 7:30am and her schooling starts at 8am sharp.  She works a full hour per strand ("subject"), and must stay on task if she wishes to avoid homework or keep it to a minimum.  She finishes her schooling at 2:30pm, completes chores for 15 minutes, then must address any homework promptly, since she's a competitive swimmer and puts in 90 minutes at the pool 5 days per week.  As I said, she works hard.

But the point here is to encourage you.  Do you want the benefit of an intimate group of Christian peers, iron sharpening iron, for whom the academic bar has been raised while full support is given in teaching them to believe they can reach that bar?  Do you want your child to learn to think critically and analytically, and to learn to express their convictions intelligently and persuasively?  Do you want them to be able to regularly practice (and constantly improve) the skills of oral presentation in front of a group of adults and peers alike?  Do you want them equipped to research and to formally document that research according to college standards? Back in the day, I dreaded "term papers" because they were always a "heavily weighted beast" of a foreign object that I had to somehow navigate successfully to the expectations of a teacher or Prof. (with little training or practice in the "how to" of producing such papers.)  Not so with CC.

With CC, beginning in the Challenges, the students get plenty of practice in research, writing, and speaking.  Oh, the absolute joy it brings me to know my daughter is gaining this advantage in her education.
In two weeks, she has already written FOUR papers.  And she has already orally presented two of them. (Keep in mind, she had not previously had public speaking opportunities, other than National Spelling Bee and end-of-year presentations with another homeschool group we participate in.)  Next week, she will orally present the other two papers (using only notecards and a key word outline for one them.)   Sound like too much?  It's not.  Seriously, it's really not.  The students are given much direction, plenty of encouragement, and PLENTY of grace as they learn.  It's such a huge blessing on them.

If you've thought about Classical Conversations but have reservations about whether your children can succeed when jumping in later rather than earlier, please feel free to ask me any questions you might have about our experience.  I will continue to post as we move forward in the months to come.  But as far as our coming out of the proverbial gate, I do believe we're going to have a great run.  I'm very, very pleased that we stepped out in faith and joined CC and that CC has embraced our family as well.

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Preparing for Classical Conversations Cycle 1

So, the summer continues to fly quickly by (as summers are known to do). We've had dance recitals, visits with family, a few hikes through canyons and creek beds, chances to chase fireflies, fireworks (in spite of the drought), cool-offs at the Splash Pad, swim meets, and more. Oh, the sweet blessings of summer.

At the same time, I often feel like there aren't enough hours in a day to plan for our coming school year. Then again, it seems there is oddly little planning I can actually do because our new Classical Conversations venture must, to some extent, simply unfold. I'm trying not to worry too much (as if I'd have any real clue of what specifically to worry about). It's just that I'm so used to planning out our year, hour by hour, day by day, week by week. But this year must simply unfold a bit first.

So, what have I been able to do to prepare? Well, in late June, I attended the 3-day parent Practicum organized by Classical Conversations. Oh my word, I was so inspired, challenged in my thinking, and enlightened. Inspired that the classical model will be good (no, great!) for my children. We have incorporated classical elements into our homeschool learning for years, but I'm excited to make it our main focus moving forward.(I'd be here all day if I ventured into my convictions.) Challenged by parents who in turn challenge their children to their fullest potential. No backing down or "watering down" the hard work of,...well disciplined, hard work. And oh, the amazing things their students are able to accomplish when the bar is raised. (They in fact demonstrated the result of their year-long CC work for us.) Enlightened to the model and method of Classical Conversations as it relates to a classical education.

My oldest daughter will enter the Challenge program without the benefit of Foundations or Essentials. This summer, she has been listening to the Foundations Latin memory work on her mp3, and has been doing daily drills and some accelerated math as well. She has also read all the books assigned in her Challenge level for the year, so she will have a first-run familiarity with them before she has to officially read and discuss them in class. I know she will have her work cut out for her in adjusting to her new schooling, but I also think she will be motivated and encouraged by the friendships she'll form with her peers at CC.

My two middle children have been writing out the definitions of the eight parts of speech, as well as the list of prepositions used in CC (thankfully, they're coming off a year of heavy work with prepositions and prepositional phrases, so the list is merely a longer version of one they had previously memorized at home.) They are also continuing with math and daily drills.

My 5 year old has begun his Kindergarten math curriculum (we use Math-U-See), and is doing some light phonics and sounding out C-V-C words. All four are reading at least 30 minutes per day, the middle children read a page out loud to me, and the youngest listens to stories and sounds out some words in the text as we go.

So, what else can I do to prepare? Well, I'm reading Leigh Bortins'The Core, a book I would highly suggest any "homeschooling" parent read. (To be sure, all parents, who take a committed interest in their children's educations, homeschool to some extent, regardless of the schooling option they've chosen.) This book is literally filled with terrific practical suggestions on how to take advantage of the way the brain learns, to challenge our children to their fullest potential in their school work (or after-school work), and on how to make learning a priority in daily life at home.

I'm also tracking down resources to supplement our weekly history and science focus at CC. We already have many on hand (ie. Story of The World volumes and Mystery of History volumes). But we will also fill our book basket with living books from the library so the children can "sample and feast on" a variety of coordinated books each week.

I've already met several wonderful people from our CC community this summer, and have joined a book club based on The Core, to gain insight from others in the group as well. And yet...our new venture must simply begin to unfold.

And so we anticipate as August 20th quickly approaches. Olivia will begin Challenge A on that day. I plan to sit in on her first two weeks, to get a feel for her days so I can better assist her in adjusting at home. After that, my time will be divided to my other children's classrooms as well. Her siblings start 3 weeks later. We've officially made the transition to year-round schooling, so we'll all be busy doing something of educational value in the midst of our waiting.

If you are using Classical Conversations for the coming year, especially if it's your first year, I'd love to hear how your plans are going. Leave me a link in comments and I'll be sure to visit.

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Bringing home the gold.

My Olivia had her first swim meet today. She has been training on the developmental team for a year and finally moved up with "the big dogs" so it was an exciting day for her. Though she likely didn't place, she established her entry times, learned the ropes of knowing when her heat was up, and so on. All in all, a fun day.


I competed in gymnastics when I was her age and it was such a fun time in my childhood. The coach would pick us up in the YMCA van and off we'd go, sometimes a half hour away, sometimes 2 hours away. We'd be gone all day and our parents never knew how we did until we returned home late in the evening (I only placed on 2 events my entire first year, so you can imagine how encouraged I was after the first meet of my second year, when I came home to report that I had placed in every single event and had placed 2nd all-around as well.)

How things have changed. In my day, it was a personal commitment, but not so much a financial commitment. Sure, there was a YMCA junior membership to purchase, and the expense of practice suits (team suits and warm ups were provided).
The coach drove, and we stopped for fast food on the way home. There were very few expenses involved.

Today?

Parents have to volunteer 4 times/year (per family). We had to sign up to bring food items. $5 per person to attend the meet. $5 for a program (A program? We never had programs before). A fully stocked snack bar was open for business (including Subway sandwiches for sale). Really? Because back in the day, I had to hit the candy machine for M&Ms, banging on the glass when the Archimedian screw failed to plop out my chosen treats. But today, apparently it's "all out". They were even selling meet tee shirts for $10. We did have shirts made for our regional meets back in the day, but regular season meets? No way. The whole experience, from a worldly perspective, felt a bit over the top to me.

But not from the perspective of watching my sweet girl compete. She has worked so hard to have her own lane. And she was so very proud of her efforts. A few of the kids came off their events crying because they were unhappy with their times or because they finished last in the heat. And who knows, maybe those days are yet to come for my kids too. But for today, it was simply a wonderful moment in my daughter's childhood; a moment where she gave her all and smiled ear to ear over her efforts. In that regard, I'm happy to say we brought home the gold.

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

MOMMY GUILT

Mommy guilt!
Been there, done that?
I thought so.
Me too.

So I was thinking about it yesterday as dh and I worked on our third batch of cinnamon apple butter together.
(Yes, we make bodaciously marvelous apple butter together; gals, this is what happens when you convince them the stove is a "grill".)

There our four kids were, watching The Wilderness Family on DVD, while we spent about 2½ hours busying ourselves in the kitchen.
[Begin lament]
I should be with them.
They need me.
Why am I sitting here stirring apple butter?
This is lame.
[end lament]

Wait,...just why am I sitting here making apple butter? The obvious answer was that my family likes cinnamon apple butter and I was making it to please them.
So why do us moms have to complicate the issue?
I mean, hubby wasn't having "daddy guilt" (at least not that I could see; has that been invented yet?) And the kids did seem perfectly fine without me.

So I got to thinking. It wasn't so much that I was busy making apple butter that gave me a small dose of mommy guilt. It's just that I was busy.

Busyness.
Time sucked away from the precious moments of our days.
Time is limited and must be stewarded wisely.

So, I slathered a little apple butter on a bite of english muffin (to help me think, of course) and thought some more.

Mommy guilt when I'm washing and folding the bed linens. Sure, we do need clean bed linens, but if one (or all) of my children is feeling particularly mommy-needy that week, why can't I delay that chore and invest in my children instead?
When they are gone, will they recall those clean sheets?
Or the time spent (or not spent) with me?
Which one do I want them to recall with fondness?

Mommy guilt when they want me to go outside to play with them, but I decline because it's "too hot" (seriously, do we ever outgrow that whine?) and I'm feeling right comfy in the air conditioned house.

But,...

Would I melt?

Actually, yes I would.
I have naturally curly hair and it totally frizzles to the max after too much heat and humidity (seriously, I do).
But just because I'll come back inside looking like an English sheepdog doesn't mean I should take my dose of mommy guilt lying down on the sofa.
Time is what they want and it's mine to give.

Or not (gulp!)

Cautious note to self: I cannot buy it back when the fleeting moments of childhood are gone.

As I recently read (and agreed with) elsewhere on the net, I'm certain when my children are grown and gone, I will yearn for these days I'm in midst of now.
I will wish I could do it all over again.
I just don't want to wish I had done it differently.

Throw mommy guilt out the window at some point this week, won't you?
When your child comes and asks you to get stuck in the Molasses Swamp for 47 turns (again), indulge him.
No matter how well intentioned your busyness may be regarding the serving your family, your children will be well served indeed by your willingness to simply be with them.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..."

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Planes, Ships, and Automobiles

Yes, I took this photo as we sailed out of Freeport. It's amazing.

Please note: If you dare to read this post, grab a cup of coffee and something to keep your blood sugar up. It's loooong (mainly because I need to document the trip for our family.) Next, I hesitate to post details of our vacation, as I realize many families do not have the means to take a trip like this one. If you know me personally, then you know that one thing I am NOT is a "material girl" (whatever, Madonna). I'm not impressed by "stuff" and I don't covet it. I am a girl who loves nature, wide open spaces, and minimal "stuff". The only reason we are able to take advantage of traveling as we do is because we are blessed through my husband's airline job with the privilege of doing so. I recognize that this is a blessing straight from the hand of my God and Father and for that, I am nothing but grateful.
Just wanted to make that clear before I begin.

************************

Just got back from our family vacation. My husband and I have taken many cruises over there years, but never with our children,....until this past week. They have been counting down the days since late July, eager to take in this new-to-them experience. In a nutshell, we all had a most blessed and wonderful time away. But let's step out of the nutshell for a moment, because outside the nutshell, our trip was, well, an "adventure" within an adventure.

Our children posing with one of the cabin steward's many towel creations we would discover in our stateroom on the ship.

We began with standby challenges. Our family always flies standby, as my husband works for a major airline and we are able to board flights when there are available ("open") seats. When we cruise, we always fly the day before our ship's departure, to guarentee that we don't encounter any standby problems. With our ship sailing on Monday, we had planned to fly Sunday.

"Honey, Sunday's flights are full. We're now traveling on Saturday night."

Okay then, we were now leaving TWO days early. There was a non-stop flight on Saturday evening at 6:30pm with 15 open seats (we need plenty of those with a family of six). Dh and I sparred a bit about what time we should head to the airport. He wanted to go early (3:15pm), while I didn't want to sit in the airport that long, rallying for 4:30pm. He won when he suggested we eat dinner there so I wouldn't have to cook.
Deal!
Good thing too because right after we finished our airport dining, we learned that the aircraft we were waiting for had to return to Miami after take-off and thus our outbound flight was now indefinitely delayed. Joy! We hustled to the gate to see what our plan B options were, only to realize we had to make a split second decision. Stay and wait for the now delayed non-stop flight or hop on the Dallas flight that was leaving in several minutes and hope our connection in Dallas ran smoothly. We chose that option and a dear co-worker of dh's quickly rerouted our bags so they would arrive in Miami that night as well. We arrived in Miami at 11:00pm and had to wait until about 11:45pm for our bags. Travel disaster averted.

Next, dh went to check in at our hotel, only to learn they couldn't find one of our reservations (we booked two, adding an additional night when we realized we had to leave another day earlier due to the full flights menioned above). The desk clerk could not locate our reservation, even though dh had a confirmation number, so he just booked us. Whatever. Just get us to bed, thank you for your help.

Our "littles" in one of the hot tubs on board.

The next morning, we walked to a McDonald's for breakfast, then inquired about the bus schedule to Bayside Mall. We had told the kids what fun it is to hang out there before cruising. It's very artsy and gives one a little taste of local Miami culture.
"Ooooooh, good luck with that. Today is Sunday and the bus schedule is seriously reduced. You can wait for it to come along, but it might be 90 minutes before you see it."

Swell!

Dh hailed a cab. $25 later, we were at Bayside and had a great time. The kids got to see Carnival Cruiseline set sail, and to imagine their departure from port the next day. We walked a few blocks down from Bayside and sat in adirondack chairs in the sand along the bay. And what did we see?

Porpoises!

Oh yes we did too. We saw about 5 or 6 of them feeding on schools of fish that were frantically leaping out of the water, trying to get away. And the feeding show continued for a good 10 minutes. They came as close as perhaps 50 yards away. What a treat to spot them while resting in such a beautiful spot. We also saw some type of shark at Bayside (again, tipped off by schools of fish leaping out of hte water to get away). We hailed another taxi back to our hotel after "negotiating" a single cab ("Sir, we only took one cab here. Yes, we know we have six people. Four are children." Oy vey!) And the cab driver's daughter is presently enjoying her sparkly bling evening bag, courtesy of my 8 year old, who accidentally left hers in the cab when we got back to the hotel. :(

We let the kids swim in the hotel pool before tucking them in for a night's rest prior to the big day (they were exhausted from our trip to Miami by way of Dallas).
We usually make our boys wear shirts into the water so they won't sunburn, but this time we let them go in without them. Brandon, our 4 year old, was beside himself with joy. "Oh, this is soooo es-siting swimming without my shirt on." You just have to love that boy's take on what is worthy of being dubbed "exciting", lol.

Monday morning finally arrived and we boarded our bus for the port of Miami. A short 15 minute drive and we were there. Four enormous ships were in port; 2 Carnival, 1 Royal Carribbean, and ours, the Norwegian Sky. It was last in line to leave port, so the kids would get to see three ships sail before their own gave the long departure blasts and headed out to sea. We always head to port early so we were checked in and on board by about noon. We knew to keep our bathing suits with us in a carry on, as the kids would want to swim and the porters take your luggage from you and deliver it to your stateroom later in the day. We all enjoyed a lunch in one of the formal dining rooms together, where the children loved being able to order appetizers, an entree, and a dessert without regard to price. It made me smile when they asked the very same question a dear friend asked me when they took their first cruise with us a few years ago; "You just get up and leave when you're done eating?" Yes, you do.

The kids then swam the rest of the afternoon until it was time to set sail. There are millionaire homes along the channel at the port of Miami so it's fun to look at them as you leave. I'm so not a materialistic person, not at all impressed by "stuff", but it's still fun to catch a glimpse of such pricey real estate as the ship leaves port.

Our oldest son playing on Junkanoo Beach in Nassau

Our first port was Freeport in the Bahamas and oh, let me tell you, it's a tropical,...er,..it's,...there are palms and sunshine and,.....okay, so there's nothing to do there. Nope, nada. We walked around at the portside shops and passed on our chance to take a taxi 11 miles into town to shop some more. It was fine though. The kids wanted to spend some time in the ship's Kids Club, which gave dh and I time to walk 2 miles on the ship's jogging deck. Ah, mighty nice.

The view from a porthole on the ship's walking deck, in Freeport.

The next day was sure to be our favorite; introducing the kids to one of our favorite spots in the Caribbean, Norwegian's private island, Great Stirrup Cay. I was hoping it wasn't too torn up as it is currently under rennovation and I wanted the kids to see it for the tropical paradise we have come to love. A day of snorkeling and swimming, dancing on the white sand beaches, enjoying an island barbecue, reading in a hammock while an island breeze dares to turn your page, hiking to the "airport" and lighthouse. Oh, what fun they were in for.

Were.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I am most sorry to have to make this announcement but do to current water conditions, we have been unable to safely bring the tenders shipside to take you over to the island. Multiple attempts have been made and at this time, it is my decision that we must cancel our scheduled day at Great Stirrup Cay." And we were literally heading out our cabin door to board the tenders when we heard this announcement. Sad, sad, sad! (Tenders, btw, are smaller boats that transport passengers from a cruise ship to dry land when the ship does not physically dock in a port). We were most disappointed but quickly decided not to let it ruin our vacation and got on with swimming, an afternoon craft class, a magic tricks class, a story read to our children in the library by moi, and an afternoon gameshow where guests played the ship's version of A Minute to Win It. We also watched Voyage of the Dawn Treader together as a family.

Our "littles" watching the Dawn Treader."

The next day was spent in Nassau. We walked to Fort Fincastle and the Queen's Staircase, then went back to the ship for lunch before walking to Junkanoo Beach so the kids could make up for not having the chance to swim in the Caribbean waters. What a great time they had, diving down and bringing up shells and coral remnants.
Ironically, the hotel directly across the street was one of three that we stayed in on our honeymoon (we went to Kennebunkeport, ME, the Bahamas, and Tampa, FL). We chose the hotel through an airline travel guide, pre-internet era, only to discover it was a dive. We were so uncomfortable being there that we promptly left Nassau the next morning for Tampa to finish out our honeymoon.



Sailing out of Nassau was a bit unnerving, as we were experiencing very high winds (higher than the conditions that caused our captain to cancel the private island the day before). As we left the harbor, we experienced quite a bit of rocking. Not comforting, seeing as we weren't even in open water yet and could see breaking WAVES (not caps) on the ocean. As we entered the open waters, the ship listed toward the starboard side and basically just stayed that way for a good 90 minutes. I did not enjoy that, as we've never experienced it quite like that while sailing. But I had to keep my concerns to myself since I didn't want to frighten our children. Eventually, the ship uprighted again and we didn't have much to contend with after that. A good final evening was had by all. We went to dinner, took in a show, viewed the many pictures taken of us by the ship's photographer throughout the cruise, danced by the pool, and finally settled into in our staterooms after I packed our bags for home.

Home.

Home is very far away when you travel standby, especially if you're leaving out of a busy city like Miami. Especially if you need 6 seats. Especially if flights are full. And they were. Usually, it's the "get out of Miami" part that is challenging for us. Not this time. We boarded a 10:30am flight to Dallas, no problem. But ALL the flights from Dallas to Indy were full for the day. Our options were A) spend the night in Dallas and fly out in the morning (and hope there are no weather or cancellation issues) or B) fly to Cincinnati and rent a car for the 1 hour 40 minute drive home. We chose B, arriving in Cincy about 10:15pm, then drove to the Indianapolis Airport, arriving after midnight to claim our van and our bags. Only, our bags were locked up in baggage service and hubby didn't have his work keys with him. Oh well, we'd drive back and pick them up the next day.

AND contend with the over-charge for our hotel stay.

Hey Mon, is this the cutest little Jamaican dude ever or what?!

At 1:00am, our children were finally tucked into their own beds at home after beginning their day on the ship with a 6:30am wake-up call. They're troopers, every last one of them. They know how to roll with the punches of stand-by travel and how to deal with long lay-overs when we can't get on a flight. They had a wonderful time and for my part, I loved seeing the experience through their eyes. They're already "planning" their next cruise. Brandon has put in his request for "Royal Caribbean." Did I mention he's 4? How the heck is that boy learning the lingo already? :D
Pictures to come!

End note: If you've never sailed before, don't let my description of the ship's rocking scare you out of going one day. The fact is, I have periods of vertigo that have plagued me for many years. ALL rocking bothers me but even I don't get sea-sick on board, not even in rough seas. I just don't like it. Today's vessels have wonderful stabilizers in them that reduce rocking tremendously. In fact, if you feel it at all, it's more of a comforting sensation that makes you sleep like a baby. ;) If vertigo was not a constant challenge for me, I doubt I'd give it much of a thought at all. Cruising rocks! (no pun intended)

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

False Starts

Oh my word, there are cobwebs on the blog. I apologize if you got one strung up in your hair just now. Thank you, if you've stopped by, for taking the time to visit.

We've had a bit of a false start to our schooling this year. If you don't already know, we've homeschooled for 7 years so far. My husband and I had decided that this would be the year we gave virtual homeschooling a shot. It's actually public school online. There were a few draws for us, things we had hoped would be to our children's benefit. What we discovered rather quickly, however, is the allure did not line up with the reality of implementing virtual learning for 3 students on 3 different grade levels. It was a good program, really (but for the absence of a Christian world view, which we highly value). Just not a good fit.

We withdrew our children and immediately ordered our long time favorite curricula: My Father's World, Math-U-See, Apologia Science, Daily Grams and Easy Grammar, Writing Strands, Spelling Power, and God and the History of Art. Ah, it feels good to be "home" in our homeschool again. This past week was our first full week (ending today; we homeschool Tuesday through Saturday) and we all enjoyed a return to the natural fit and flow of our days together. I'm so thankful that God redirected us.
How comforting to find Him, the Creator, mentioned in science. How wonderful to encourage my children to write to President Obama, to let him know that we are praying for his safety and the integrity of his leadership.

As for me, I'm in the last few weeks of a Beth Moore Study with some of the ladies from my church. I am so encouraged by Beth's teaching and have appreciated her biblical insight into my inheritance in Jesus. I will also be starting a study of 1 John with some dear online friends this fall, led by Courtney and Angela at Good Morning Girls. I read my bible first thing in the morning (6:45am to be exact), then use the S.O.A.P. written method of studying it (scripture writing, observation, application, prayer). Oh, how it encourages me when I start my days in the quiet moments of early morning, immersed in God's word.

Finally, we will be taking a family cruise soon and we're all looking forward to it. It will be the first time for our children and I can't wait to share so many of the experiences we've had with them. Let's just hope hurricane season is long gone. It's been pretty active out there and I'm sad for the folks whose lives have been directly impacted. I wanted to tell you a funny story about Hubby and his charlie horse at Goodwill last night, but that will have to wait for another post. It's dinner time and I hear Bob Evans calling. ;)

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Grocery budget overhaul

About 3 months ago, I purposed to improve our family's grocery budget by learning how to coupon. I spent a solid month pouring over websites and videos while simultaneously applying the principles. Immediately, I was able to take our average weekly grocery expenses from $107 down to around $75.
I was thrilled.
And hooked!

Currently, our stockpile of pantry items has grown to the point that we are able to spend about $55/week. I will tell you there is much more to it than clip-and-go. But with a proper understanding of sale cycles, coupon terms, store policies, and meal planning, there is also significant money to be saved.

Tonight's trip to Kroger was mainly a stockpile trip as we do not have need for a full week's shopping trip this week. Here is a breakdown of what we purchased and what we paid...

• (3)Silk Almond Milk @$2.49 - (3)$1 coupons = $1.49 ea ($4.47 ttl)


• (1)Almond Breeze @$2.50 - $1 coupon = $1.50


• (4)Classico Alfredo Sauce @ $1.79 - (2) $1/2 coupons = $1.29 ea ($5.16 ttl)


• (1)Hostess Twinkies @$2.50 - 50¢ coupon, doubled = $1.50 ttl


• (4)Crayola 24pk Crayons @ 25¢ ea = $1.00 ttl


• (1)Carefree Pantyliners @$1.09 - 50¢ coupon, doubled = 9¢ ttl


• (1)Kroger cheese 16 oz @$2.99 =$2.99 ttl


• (1)Danimals Yogurt tubes @$1.88 - $1 coupon = 88¢ ttl


• (2)Ronzoni Garden Delight fettucini @$1.00 ea - (2) $1.00 coupons = FREE


• (2)Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes @$1.49 ea - (2)$1.00 coupons = 49¢ ea (98¢ ttl)


• (3)Kellogg's Apple Jacks cereal @$1.99ea - $1/3 coupon = $1.66 ea ($4.97 ttl)


• produce, red cherries $2.48/lb, almost 1lb@$2.36 - $1 coupon = $1.36 ttl


• (4)Single size Peanut M&M @50¢ each - (2)75¢/2 coupons = 50¢ ttl


• Colgate Whitening 6.4oz @99¢ - 50¢ coupon, doubled = FREE


• (2)Oikos Greek Organic Yogurt 5.3oz @$1.25 ea - 50¢/2 coupon, doubled = $1.50 ttl

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Total with taxes: $27.19, 67% saved.

Yes, some items were free.
Yes, $1.36 for nearly a pound of fresh cherries is an amazingly good price.
Yes, $1.49 for a half gallon of almond milk is also an amazingly good price.
The frozen pancakes, with all natural ingredients at just 49¢/box, are for my hubby when he wants a quick hot breakfast at 3:30am, the time he's up for work each day (and the time I'm oh-so-NOT-up to cook it for him).
Yes, I realize Twinkies and M&Ms can be contested as "food" items. ;) Kid treats!

And best of all, the Kellogg's cereals are part of a promotion I've been chasing for some time now. When I buy 4 participating cereals, I earn a $5 gas card from Kellogg's. I've earned three so far, and plan to earn a total of 7 before I max out of that particular promotion.

So, if you need to shave some money in the family budget, be encouraged. It definitely can be done if you're committed to learning and working at it.

She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
Proverbs 31:18

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

FLASH TRIP

The kids and I have been studying the American Revolution these past few weeks. Multiple historical figures were part of that study, including Thomas Jefferson, author of much of the Declaration of Independence. My husband and I have often talked about the benefits of his job, -the privilege that we, as a family, have in being able to board a flight any time we want (as long as seats are available). We've said that we would use that privilege to our advantage to show the kids some of the history they're studying "in real time." In reality, life usually gets in the way and we have only done it once, when they were studying Jamestown and Williamsburg and we flew there.

So last week on Thursday, I was sitting there telling my husband all the historical facts we had studied, that particularly interested me. I reminded him that he and I had visited Monticello, Jefferson's plantation home, back in 1992, and how vivid that made the history we were studying. His response?

"Why don't we take the kids to see it then?"

He meant that we should take a "flash trip", a brief, one-night trip to a place of our choosing, in this case Monticello, to enjoy a single focus and come home.
The excuses immediately rushed in to my mind. The hassle. The reservations. The kennel boarding. The fatigue of a quick trip. The......

"Okay. Before I talk us both out of this, okay. Let's just do it."

And so we did. We quickly booked a hotel and rental car, checked hours of operation and cost for touring Monticello, and packed a very light overnight bag for all. My husband got off work last Saturday at 1:30pm, came home and picked us up, and we headed right back to the airport for our afternoon flight. By 11pm that night, we were all tucked in to our beds at the Richmond, VA Wyndham for a night's rest and an elegant complimentary continental breakfast the next morning. Linen tablecloths and napkins, china, beverage service by the staff. Not your average continental breakfast. It was lovely.

We drove the near 1½ drive to Charlottesville, arriving at Monticello around 11am. We were able to join an immediate tour and spent the next four hours exploring the house and grounds of Thomas Jefferson. I was so thankful for the privilege of giving our children that "real time" experience.



We even had enough time left to visit the grounds of James Monroe's home as well, but we did not tour the inside. Still, it was nice to at least show the kids where another president had lived as well. After a full day of touring and exploring, we stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel before heading to the airport for an evening flight back home. Stand-by travel being what it is, one of us almost had to stay behind in Chicago on the final leg home, as there weren't enough seats to accomodate our family of six. Thankfully, someone no-showed and we were able to take the last 6 seats just before departure. Good thing, because the blizzard of 2011 moved into Chicago the very next day.

One incident did make us laugh (and "cry") while at Monticello. We were touring the vast produce garden area on Mulberry row, and decided to make our way through to the other side of the garden to visit a small glass enclosed structure similar to a gazebo (not sure of its function, but perhaps it is used for civic events). Anyway, as we went to step inside of it, me following the children and husband following me, I cracked my head against an overhead structure. It was the thick wooden frame of an enormous window sash that can be lifted up to make an entrance into the structure. Because of the glass, it was not very noticeable and thus the major thump of my head. It hurt! Everyone fussed over me while I rubbed my head in disbelief, pain, and okay, embarrassment.

So what happended next? As we were stepping back out, I heard another THUD. This time, it was husband's biscuit that got whacked. Of course, kids being kids, the silence was interrupted with laughter mixed with, "Daddy are you okay? Hahahahaha. Are you hurt? Hee hee hee. Is it bleeding? Bahahahaha!" What else could we do? Within seconds, we joined them in laughter.

And to top it all off, we were standing on an upper deck sometime later, looking out over Mulberry row and the garden, when hubby suddenly urged, "Uh oh! Come here, quick!" I got there just in time to see the glass structure in the garden, and the well dressed man with coiffed hair, polished shoes (turned red from the wet Virginia mud) and a formal overcoat. It happened in less than a second, but ran like a slow-motion picture in my mind as I thought, "Ooooh nooooo, he's going to whack his biscuit toooooo."

BAMM!

"Owww!"

(silence, and then.....)
"BAHAHAHAHA! Our family ducked away from the deck, faces a bit smurked, feeling both bad for the guy and redeemed for ourselves, as we now knew we weren't the only ones who couldn't see the glass obstacle looming overhead. We didn't laugh loudly, but we couldn't contain it either. It just stuck us all as funny after both myself and my husband had done the very same thing.

I realize that everyone does not have the time or resources to do what we did, so please know that I realize this. Without the flying benefits that are SUCH a blessing through my husband's job, we might not be able to do this ourselves. But I encourage you to consider ways that you might create your own "flash trips", especially if you homeschool. Perhaps a visit to a local living history farm that covers your time period. A tour of a period home or the grave of a historical figure from that time. Even a trip to the library to read a historically significant picture book to your children in a quiet corner (and then icecream afterwards) can be a wonderful "fieldtrip" experience for all.

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Let's laugh with Tim Hawkins

If you're not familiar with Tim Hawkins, he is a Christian comedian and homeschool dad who was homeschooled himself. He is also, imho, hilarious! Enjoy.

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

NUMBER RECOGNITION

Teaching your little ones how to identify and write their numbers?
These little tricks have worked well in our homeschool, so for what it's worth, I thought I'd share them.

0.
"Around we go, it's not an "o", but zero is my hero."
(we shorten this to, "Zero is my hero," as soon as my kids learn that zero is round.)
1.
"A straight line down and one is done."
2.
"Around, down, and back on the choo-choo track. Two! Two! Two!"
3.
"Around the tree, around the tree. That is how we make the 3."
(a few of mine learned it better with, "One belly, two bellies, just like B. That is how we make the 3.")
4.
"Down, across, and down some more. That is how we make a 4."
5.
"Here's a back. Here's a tummy. Put on a hat and 5 looks funny."
6.
"Down, around, and in like this. That is how we make a 6."
7.
"Walk across and down from heaven. That is how we make the 7."
8.
"Make an "S" but do not wait. Come back up to make the 8."
(If your child does not yet know the letter "S", you might show them how "S" looks like a snake, as seen HERE. Once they get the "S" snake association, you can draw a large "S" as you teach number 8.)
9.
"A balloon and a line make number 9."
10.
"One stands next to circle friend. That is how we make a 10."

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

The flavors of fall

I absolutely love the sights, scents, and flavors of fall. Give me apple, pumpkin, or cinnamon anything and I'm a very happy camper. So when Food.com sent its regular e-newsletter to me a few days ago, I was delighted to find 10 (ten!) apple recipes.

Yesterday, being our "Sunday", I decided to indulge my sweet husband in some apple fritter/pancakes. I have to say, I was inspired by step 4 of the recipe instructions. I had everything on hand, so it was just a matter of whipping them up. And YUM, I'm so glad I did. They had the moist heaviness of a potato pancake and the most wonderful texture and delightful flavor too.

I used egg whites instead of whole egg, adding 1/2 tsp baking powder. And I opted for light vanilla soy milk instead of cow's milk. Didn't have any whole wheat flour on hand so I just used white. However, next time I think I'll use soy or rice flour instead. Just my personal preference for making them even more healthy.

I topped ours with a few shakes of powdered sugar, which was a wonderful touch. We ate them with warm maple syrup but I was disappointed to remember, after the fact, that we had homemade pumpkin butter we could have slathered over them instead. Oh well, maybe next time. Because based on my husband's reaction (and mine too), there most definitely WILL be a "next time."

Apple Fritter/pancakes

Servings:
4-6 pancakes
Ingredients:
1 red apple, cut, deseeded, and grated
1 eggs or 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup wholemeal flour (for hearty cakes or can use regular flour)
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar (I used organic)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cumin (makes cakes warm, but I chose to leave it out)

Directions:
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
1 Mix all ingredients together well.
2 Use a 1/4 cup to scoop up mix and fry in butter, soy butter, oil, non-stick spray, etc., just like you would a pancake.
3 Keep finished cakes warm in oven on low till all mix is used.
4 Top with whatever you want. Eat.
They go down best when you eat them with someone you love.

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

A quick deal or two

As a single income family, we're all for saving money when possible. With that in mind, check out this deal before it expires.

Gander Mountain wrinkle-resistant twill pants, $5 and free shipping (HERE)

Better yet, for those of you who are participating in Women Living Well's MAKING YOUR HOME A HAVEN fall challenge, get on over to your Yankee candle retailer. The small jar candles are on sale, 3/$15 for Columbus Day. Other sales too, like the large 22oz candles for $15 (normally $25). The sale is online as well (HERE).

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Enjoying our Father's world

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.
Job 37:14

Goodness, did you midwestern folks experience the late September heat wave yesterday? Smoking hot here in Indy. 94º degrees, to be precise. The entire summer has been "super scorching hot" for that matter, and I've got the stubble-brush straw grass to prove it (we don't dare walk around on the lawn without shoes, since the experience can best be likened to walking on kindling. Ouch!)

I had a bit of a nagging headache on board for the day, but I wasn't about to let it stop me from enjoying what was, in all liklihood, the final "super scorching hot" day of the year. So after we picked my 3 year old up from his preschool, we headed to McCormick's Creek state park for an afternoon of hiking.

It was wonderful to spend our day together in our Father's world. The forest trees have lost enough of their leaves (even though they've just begun) to give us that wonderful crunch-crunch cadence as we walked along the winding paths. And the paths at McCormick's are so nice. All lined with stone and quite wide in most places. Just right for a tag-along 3 year old who did his best to keep up on the 2 mile hike.

We stopped when we got to Wolf cave (see next photo), enjoyed a drink of water, then got out our clipboards, paper and pencils and sat down to sketch together. There were benches along the side of the path, so we were quite comfortable as we rested in the shade, taking in the wonderful sounds and fall scent of the woods as we all studied our chosen subjects and penciled them in. I chose to draw a forest fern surrounded by dead leaves. Several others chose to sketch the cave and its wooded surroundings.


Gotta LOVE my 3 year old.
He asked me to sketch a spider web for him, then he enthusiastically took his clipboard and sat down, feverishly working his supplies as he swung his little leg back and forth in rhythm to an unheard melody that he was clearly enjoying in his head. When he finally stood up to talk about his drawing (our kids love to do that), he was so very proud of the chubby spider he had carefully sketched in place over the web. Of course, he added a bat and a rain cloud too, but hey, still not bad for our youngest nature participant, eh? ;)

After finishing our 2 mile hike to the Wolf cave and back, we decided to add an excursion, descending the steep steps down the cliff to the base of the waterfall in another area of the park. Normally, the river is much higher there, but due to the long dry summer, the kids were able to explore over the rocks and creek bed to their heart's content. Our boys even felt bad for the fish who were trapped in pools of water that were once a flowing creek, so they decided to pray for them right there.
3 year old: "Dear Lord, Fank you for da fishes. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
8 year old: "Dear Lord, please help it rain so the fish can get away. Amen."
Short and to the point, they were, lol.


My husband works in the airline industry, where schedules change constantly, as do days off. Currently, he has mid-week days off. While we miss him terribly on Sundays at church, we LOVE that we can get out and enjoy our favorite places without crowds. The state park was nearly empty today. All that beauty and warmth was ours for the taking. And take, we did. Praising God for the unique blessings that homeschooling and my husband's ever changing schedule have brought into to our lives. Today was that kind of blessed day for sure.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

A glimpse of our home season

I remember the B.C. days (before children). In those earlier years of our marriage, dh and I were free from commitments. We had time and freedom and didn't feel the need for schedules and routine. We were free birds who flew by the seat of our pants. We both worked for airlines (he still does) and had air travel at our fingertips. Nothing kept us from jaunting off whenever we decided to.

"Honey, want to check out furniture deals down South? I hear that the prices are great since the manufacturers are there."
Why not?
Off we went to Hickory, NC on our days off, just to look at furniture.

We took cruises pretty frequently as well. I believe I had been on nine ships (B.C.), while dh was one behind (I took my first cruise with a friend and co-worker from my airline as a "girls' trip" after dh took a guys' trip to an airline basketball tournament.)

It isn't that we had tons of cash.
We didn't.
But we did have tons of time and the resources to make the trips affordable (flying benefits, hotel, car rental, and cruise discounts for the travel industry).
We took advantage of those days.

Fast forward 20 years. No more jaunting off whenever we please. No spur-of-the-moment decisions to take a weekend trip to a B&B in the Blue Ridge mountains.
Life dictates the need for routine and scheduling now.
There needs to be an anticipated flow.
Homeschooling dictates this need. Parenting four children demands it. And frankly, I'm not the young jet-setter who can thrive in "freestyle" mode any more. The fact is, I, too, need routine.

Without it, we would all drown in a sea of unscheduledness.

• Mon/Wed/Thur, take two oldest to swim lessons from 530p to 630p


• Tues/Thurs, take 3yo to preschool at 9am, pick up at 12:15pm.


• Every other Wed, bible study at 6:30pm (but first, pick up kids from swimming and drop them off back home with the sitter)


• Thurs, take youngest dd to dance lessons at 6:45pm (which means dh must pick other two children up from swimming)


• Wed through Sun, homeschool my three oldest (which requires me to attend church with them on Sunday, then come home and hit the books. It also requires me to plan activities and partnering of available students with my 3yo so he is contructively engaged)


• Grocery list prep and grocery shopping on Sunday evenings


• work out five days/week (plus walking 3x/week or more)


• Extras: assisting in my 3yo's preschool class for an hour on Tuesdays, attending highschool football games on Friday nights while the weather is still warm enough, nature journaling as a family once a week (goal), homeschool group activities, etc.

Seriously? The dog, cat, and guinea pig (Edgar, the cutest little guy) would probably be begging for their meals if we didn't schedule our days. Yep, they too are on the schedule. And dinner prep and meal time are definitely on the schedule.
We eat between 4:30pm and 4:45pm every day. We have to, or my kids would get a cramp and sink to the bottom of the pool in swim class (at least that's what my dad told me when I was a kid, lol).

We eat mainly whole foods vegetarian meals, which require greater prep time (but are so much healthier too).
I usually chop raw veggies in little blocks of time that I manage during our homeschool day, then place them in the fridge for cooking later.
I always check my schedule the night before, so I can match the right meal to the workload of the coming day. Busy day, easy meal prep. Easy day, more demanding meal prep.
I enlist the help of my children too. They shuck corn, wash and tear romaine lettuce, snap green beans, etc.
It all comes together.
Usually.

It's a crazy busy season of life in our home, but I really do treasure it, knowing that it will pass all too quickly (and already is).
How about you and the home season you're in?

Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

Spicing up the season

Before I post today, I want to give a shout to my new friend, Brandi, over at THE WELL BLESSED WOMAN. She recently posted a recipe for pumpkin muffins that I'm dying to try. You can find it HERE. I mentioned to her that my recipe only has 2 ingredients, and she asked what they were. She is thus the inspiration for today's post. So let's go retro today, shall we?

I'm going to bring over a post from my former blog, as it's the perfect lead-in to the changes we're beginning to see in the seasons here in the midwest. The leaves are just now beginning to hint of their pending brilliant fall color show. And while it has been the most humid summer of my life here in the midwest as well, cooler nights and lower temps are now creeping in.

So what could be better than to surprise your family with one of the most beloved of all fall flavors, pumpkin! I am about to provide you with the easiest recipe you'll ever encounter for making pumpkin muffins. And you're going to be addicted to them once you've tried them, because you'll know, like I know, that it will take you all of 5 minutes' effort to unleash spicey scented lovliness all through your house. And you'll be able to please your family with warm pumpkin muffins, fresh from the oven, in a snap.

There is just one little catch, however. There hasn't been any pumpkin on store shelves since the holidays last year.
That's right. There has been a pumpkin shortage.
We normally make these muffins at least once a month. We haven't made them since, oh, January???,....due to the pumpkin shortage.

But it's my hope that you might tuck this recipe away and keep an eye out for pumpkin to return to the shelves soon, due to the approaching Thanksgiving holiday. When you find it, you just might want to buy extra cans.
Because I'm fairly sure you'll be making these again once you try them. ;)
Without further ado, my retro post about pumpkin muffins. Enjoy!
**********

*EASIEST PUMPKIN MUFFINS EVER*
1 box spice cake mix
1 regular sized can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling).

Mix above ingredients together to make a very thick "batter." After well mixed, allow batter to sit for about 5 minutes to ensure that dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Fill greased or Pam-sprayed muffin tins 2/3 full using two spoons and bake according to the muffin baking time on the cake mix box. It really is that simple and....YUM!
Yield: 15

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~

ON SCHEDULE!

Ah, the first day of homeschool 2010! The kids awakened at 7:20am to the delicious scent of strawberries & cream oatmeal and freshly peeled bananas.
Their daddy surprised them with some silly bands (the childhood craze of 2010, not unlike our mood rings of the 70's.) He also got them each a roll of bubble gum (uh hem,...no comment from teacher-mom on that one, lol.)

My rough draft schedule has been implemented and I'm sure some fine tuning will soon be needed, but I'm happy to say we're off to a decent start, having just completed our first week today.

Our school day is full. We start promptly at 8am, and finish anywhere between 1:30pm and 3:00pm (the latter being a padded time for completion of science experiments, working on Polished Cornerstones or Plants Grown Up with the children, or catching up on incomplete work from earlier in our day (a.k.a. as homework for traditional schoolers).

Among other subjects and foci, this year's studies will include;

• Exploration to the 1850's (I'm really amazed at the incredible drive and courage of men like Christopher Columbus and Hernando de Soto)
  
• Plants and animals from a creation perspective, along with nature journaling
  
• read alouds that emphasize Godly character, such as Almost Home, Amos Fortune, Free Man, Bound for Oregon, Madeleine Takes Command, Mary Jones and Her Bible, and William Carey
  
• Art appreciation (we're studying Michaelangelo for the first quarter, along with the Picture America picture study series)
  
• Classical music (Mozart is our first quarter focus)
  
• Poetry study (we're enjoying Robert Louis Stevenson as our first quarter poet)

In addition, our family is working through a family study called Searching For Treasure: A Guide to Wisdom and Character Development. What I like about this study is that it's not a "fluffy" study for children. Rather, the word of God, the reading and memorizing of scripture, is the main focus. There are several conversation prompts (in question form) that follow each day's reading. Just enough to inspire our children to share or inquire after reading the scriptures together before practicing our verses. It can be done in 15 minutes, perfect for the shorter attention spans of young children. Main sections include: Understanding Wisdom, Developing Right Relationships (specifically addresses choosing friends), Controlling Yourself (anger, pride, temptation), Controlling What You Say (arguing and complaining, gossiping, lying) Avoiding the Way of the Wicked and Following the Way of the Righteous.

We've been studying Proverbs 9:10 this past week. I have to say, it warms my heart to hear my 3 year old recite (without help!), "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." No, he doesn't yet understand the meaning of scripture. But he is capable of memory work, as he proved to us today. We will welcome his enthusiasm in family devotions to come.

I'll leave you with a glimpse of our daily schedule. It's actually just page 1 of a two page schedule, but you'll see how I work all subjects and all four children into the ebb and flow of a homeschool day, while performing my home duties as well. (Note: If you click on "fullscreen" at the top of the document, my schedule will pop up in a window. At the bottom, you can enlarge it for viewing.)

So,...how about you? Are you more of a scheduler in your daily life? Or do you prefer to freestyle? Do tell.

Document 1

Toni

Live wise in Him!~Toni~