Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Homeschool Memoirs #19 – Making a List

hm-19
THEME
This week I want to set our minds on setting some goals for next year, whether personal, for the whole family, or for school.
Ok, this is something I really, REALLY need to do.  Therefore I am very excited about this week’s “assignment”.  There are a LOT of things I want to improve upon or change and the New Year is as good time as any to do so!  Right?  Right!  So off we go…
PERSONAL GOALS for 2009
1. Have a CONSISTENT daily quiet time with the Lord.
2. Read through my Chronological “Bible in a Year” for the first time in the 4 years I have owned it.
3. Be a better wife and mother.
4. Make an effort to smile more, yell less and enjoy my children.
5.  Say what I mean and mean what I say…in all circumstances.
6. Make a more conscious effort to put time into my appearance instead of staying in sweats or PJ’s all day and throwing my hair up in a bun (come on now I know I’m not the only one).
7. Be more conscious of my spending habits.
8. Keep up better on laundry (a constant struggle).
9. Implement and use a system for housework so that certain things will not be neglected.
10. Get organized (not so tough) and STAY organized (ah that’s the clincher).
11. Get into a better routine.  Meaning getting up earlier and using my time more wisely.
12. Be more attentive to my husband’s needs and wants.
13. Attend church services more regularly (we have been slacking in this area).
14. Pray more, worry less.
15. Learn to be more patient, consistent, and cheerful (regardless of circumstances).
FAMILY GOALS for 2009
1. Have daily prayer and devotions as a family.
2. Spend more quality time together.
3. Set up a chore routine for the children and stick to it.  Teach the kids new skills in this area.
4. Establish a working “routine” for our days so that they will go more smoothly.
5. Put more emphasis on child training and spend less time “putting out fires”.
6. Include the children more when doing household duties (laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc).
SCHOOL GOALS for 2009
1.  Get more done!!!!!!
2. Teach the children to do more independently and find ways to make them more responsible for completing their own work.
3. Do more science experiments.
4. Spend more time DOING and less time PLANNING to do.
5. Find a better system for keeping records and stick to it.
6. Get Isaiah reading fluently (we are slowly getting there).
7. Encourage Drew to read more independently.
8. Be more consistent with our school days.
9. Do more creative writing.
10. Improve Drew’s spelling skills.
11. Get more organized (again a constant struggle for me).
12. Encourage diligence, responsibility, neatness, and a good attitude in my children (with school and other things).
I know there are probably a LOT more goals I could list, but this is a good start.  I am looking forward to working on these goals, and others, this coming year and I pray that the Lord will bless me and my family with the ability to achieve as many of them as possible.

Blessings,

Cassie

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Blog Giveaway - Flip Ultra Video Camcorder

 
Want to win this?
Vanessa from I Never Grew Up is hosting a giveaway for this very cool, very chic digital video camera.  You can check it out here and enter yourself to win!  Good luck!
Blessings,
Cassie

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Only boys....

There are many instances throughout my day where I have to chuckle and think to myself, "Only boys (my boys to be exact) would do or say that!"  Want an example?

Today Drew and Isaiah were having PB&J sandwiches with Cheetos for lunch.  I was in and out taking care of Joey and reheating some leftovers for myself.  As I left the kitchen for the last time to sit down and eat, I hear the boys pretending as they usually do with their GI Joes and Star Wars figures.  I turn around to go back in the dining room to remind them that they are not to have toys at the table while they eat and stop in the doorway to observe them...

Isaiah's cheeto says to Drew's cheeto, "Do you have any toys to sell?"
Drew's cheeto answers his, "Yes but you don't have enough cheese money to buy them.  You will have to borrow the cheese money from your mom."

Sigh.  Only boys!

Blessings,
Cassie

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

More Videos of my Famous Joey!

I think the title says it all enjoy!






Needless to say the swing is no longer effective (sniff)!




Blessings,
Cassie

Unto the Lamb - Christ for the Nations

I just had to share this song with everyone...

At our church's Christmas Concert, the drama team performed a human video while the choir sang it and wow was it powerful!  Enjoy!




Unto The Lamb - Christ For The Nations
Blessings,
Cassie

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Another Funny Homeschool Video from YouTube

I will be back later tonight to do some memes and catch up but mean while...

I found this video while reading another HSer's blog and just had to share.... so funny! All about us "weirdo" homeschoolers....



Blessings,
Cassie

Grilling Goodness Meme #10

1. How many Christmas parties have you attended or will you attend?
We will attend our "World's Largest Christmas Party" Service at our church on the 21st. We don't attend other Christmas Parties. We do go to my grandparent's home on Christmas Day to celebrate with them.


2. What is your favorite dish to take to a party?
My most requested dish for dinners is Old Fashioned Sugar Cream Pie. I also get asked for my hashbrown casserole a lot.


3. When you're at home and your feet are chilled, do you wear socks or houseshoes?
Both usually!


4. What are your plans for this weekend?
Do some holiday dessert baking with the kids.


5. What is the most expensive Christmas gift you are buying for your children this year?
We are not spending nearly what we usually do for Christmas this year, so far the most expensive gift has been our daughter's mp3 player which we got the day after Thanksgiving at Wal-Mart.


6. Do you have a family portrait made each year?
Unfortunately, we do not get professional portraits yearly, though we plan to soon.


7. Do you drive your kids around looking for decorated homes?
There are a few families here in town that do a "Winter Wonderland" every year. it is really neat and we have made a tradition out of driving through every year. The kids love it! (I would hate to see their electric bill!)


8. What is your least favorite thing about cold weather?
I hate being cold. I get out as little as possible. My eczema gets ruthless.....'nuff said.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,
Cassie

Thursday, December 11, 2008

ABC News: Tory Johnson\'s Work-From-Home Tips

I found this article online and wanted to share. I thought that a lot of other SAHMs like me would be interested!

ABC News: Tory Johnson's Work-From-Home Tips

Posted using ShareThis

Blessings,
Cassie

A Bloggy Progressive Dinner Event

Hey! You should really check this out......
(taken from thehappyhousewife.com blog)
Exciting news, everyone…we’re having a party, and you’re all invited! It’s a progressive dinner, blog-style. Here’s how it works:

Please join us at our bloggy homes the week of December 15-19 as we celebrate the season. Stop by for some great holiday recipes. Mr. Linky will be all set up so you can share your own holiday recipes, party ideas and tips, and decorations if you feel so inclined. Link up each night if you’d like, and share a recipe that goes with the evening’s theme. The more the merrier! We hope you can make it!

12/15 Joy serves drinks at Five J’s

12/16 Kate serves appetizers at A Simple Walk

12/17 JessieLeigh serves salad at Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles

12/18 Any’s serves the main course at The Finer Things in Life

12/19 I’m serving dessert at The Happy Housewife

See you next week!

Isn't this a great idea? It sounds like lots of fun and I just LOVE finding new recipes!

Thought some of you might enjoy participating!

Blessings,
Cassie



Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Grilling Goodness Meme #9


1. Do you send out Christmas cards? Have you done it yet?
No, I don't because I know I would end up procrastinating it and they wouldn't get there on time anyway!

2. When you cook chicken, do you cook a whole chicken?
Usually, I just cook chicken tenderloins that I buy individually frozen in a 3 lb. bag.

3. What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Definitely "A Christmas Story".

4. How often do you go to the grocery store?
Once a week for my major trip, then sometimes once or twice more for a few little things here and there.

5. Do you play games online?
I love playing Family Feud online via IWin but don't get to very often as I have better things to do with my free time (like blog)! Many years ago I was addicted to yahoo Pool and was even and tournament director in a league!

6. Do you make your bed everyday?
Ha ha, I wish! It's just not at the top of my list of priorities!

7. What is one of your favorite websites? (Hopefully this is understood, but please share only the G rated sites! lol)
Right now I am babycenter.com a lot. It tends to change from week to week!

8. What gives you the most laughter in life?
My husband and my kiddos. They all have very unique senses of humor and my hubby is very witty.

What we had fun doing today... (Dec. 10, 2008)

Today we had a good time doing our first Christmas craft! I was searching around online the other night when I stumbled upon this craft at ScrapbookScrapbook.com. I was really excited about doing it for 3 reasons: 1) It's a Christmas craft..yay! 2) We had all the materials on hand to complete it and 3) My nativity set was broken last year when it fell off the back of the entertainment center while I was dusting. I definitely recommend checking it out. But be warned, mom may have to jump in and do some cutting and gluing (or in my case taping) when the kiddos get tired, there's quite a bit of cutting and assembly. You may want to split it up over 2 days.

the kids working on thier nativity scenes together
they were having a ball!
the finished product (this one is Drew's)
I bet you are wondering how we manage to complete such a time consuming project without interruptions. What was the little one doing this whole time? I was hoping you would ask....
why...he was having a cookie and juice from his sippy!
and here's a close up....for full effect!
We really enjoyed doing this craft and the kids are really having a good time playing with them! The best part? It was completely free! Thank you to ScrapbookScrapbook.com for providing this craft at no charge! If you decide to try this at your house, leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
Blessings,
Cassie

Friday, December 5, 2008

Homeschool Memoirs #16: Candy

THEME:

This week it’s seriously going to be just fun. This week share your favourite candies. I know from being on the HSBA Post team that Sprittibee and Dawn love gummy-bears, and maybe Bunny too. Have fun with this… and you’re welcome to post a photo of YOU eating your favourite candy. Haha!

God’s Word is also like sweetness to our souls. His sweet love, forgiveness, comfort, peace, and more is what makes our lives seem a little more bearable when things get rough. Whenever you eat your sweet piece of goodness remember that God loves you and will always be there when life seems sour.

Share a scripture for this week as well. One that lifts you up when you’re feeling discouraged.

Oh, this week's assignment is right up my alley! I am a serious sweet-a-holic! Here are my top candy choices (depending on what type of sweet I am in the mood for):
  • bit o honey
  • caramello
  • hersheys with almonds
  • lindor truffles (heavenly)
  • starbursts (pink ones are my favorites)
  • wild berry skittles (I always buy the BIG bag)
  • almond joy
  • payday
  • twizzlers
  • reisens
  • pastel/butter mints
  • hershey kisses (any variety)
  • berry gummy savers
  • heath bar
  • cotton candy
  • german roasted pecans (get em at the stand in the mall)
  • sour patch straws (strawberry)
  • gummy peaches
I'm sure I can think of more if I sit here long enough but I really don't want to bore you (or torture myself cause I have NO candy and NO car right now)! And unfortunately I don't have the time right now to look up a Bible verse. And no, I don't have many memorized (I know shame on me).
Blessings,
Cassie

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What We Are Reading Together... Thanksgiving Week '08



We are about halfway through this book right now and we are all hooked! I started reading it Sunday, and so far I have read until my throat was dry and crackly every night.
I have to be honest, when I received this book from Crossway to review, I wasn't very enthusiastic. At first glance it didn't look like it was a read that was up our alley. But after I read the info about it, I decided to dig in and I am really glad I did!
There are soo many parallels in this book with the Christian faith that it's very easy to miss a few here and there. It's a very CS Lewis-Esq novel with plenty of "underlying symbolism" to meander through, which makes it a great family read aloud and really spurs some interesting discussions. Even children who are too young to appreciate the symbolism can appreciate the story, but be warned, there are some creepy parts in this plot! You may have to quell a few fears before you get through the book! We will likely wrap this book up in the next few days, so stay tuned for a complete review to come soon!
(Click on the book above to learn more)
Blessings,
Cassie

I know I know.... It's Been Awhile

I know you are probably tired of all my excuses but I just can't help it. I was without internet for over a week. But have no fear, I am up and running again now!

I plan on posting more later, but I just wanted to tease you a bit....

A little piece of heaven..... sugar cream pie with a glass of milk. Yes, I had this for breakfast this morning ; )
Til later!
Blessings,
Cassie

Thursday, November 13, 2008

FINALLY..... Chicago Trip pictures!!

So this pic was obviously taken as we were entering the tolls to get into Chi-town via the skyway...
And this was after we crossed the skyway.  A nice shot of the skyline as we entered the city at dawn.
Ok.  We didn't manage to do nearly all the things we wanted to.  But we DID end up spending 4+ hours in the Chicago Art Institute where we took lots of pics... the following are just a few. 
This was one of the miniature rooms we were amazed by at the museum.  They had a whole wing of these little, detailed dioramas.  Each one is modeled after a different room, in a different part of the world and in a different era of history.  Don't they look like real rooms?
We were amazed by the attention to detail in these exhibits.
This was one of my favorites.
This one I liked a lot also.  It was a "shaker" living area.
They had a great section of ancient Egyptian artifacts, which I snapped lots of pics of since we are studying that time period now!
Canopic jars........eeewwwww!
An ancient Egyptian sarcophagus..neat!
And then we stumbled upon this very unique sculpture of Jesus on the Cross made entirely from wood.
Well that's all the pictures I have to share with you.  I am sorry there's not more, but when you travel with an infant you don't have a lot of time to snap photos!  Next time we will be sure to plan ahead better and hopefully we will get to do more.
Blessings,
Cassie

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Homeschooler's Lunch with the Missionaries

We had a pretty good day today. Busy but good! Man I'm tired.

Today was our "Homeschooler's Lunch with the Missionaries". It was really neat and I am really glad we were able to attend. Pictures to be posted later this week, i hope!

So there were 2 missionaries who were present to speak at today's event, and both minister to closed countries (meaning they do not willingly allow missionaries to enter the country) which are predominantly Islamic. They referred to themselves as "undercover agents for Jesus" to the kids, which they all thought was pretty neat. We learned about the countries they minister to, Pakistan and Turkey, and about Islamic culture. After learning more about their way of life, it is easier for us to understand why it is so difficult for a Muslim person to convert to Christianity. It takes a Muslim an average of 7 years to actually convert! Talk about relationship evangelism! These people, when choosing Christ, make a decision to face many hardships in order to do so. Some of them are ostracized and threatened by their communities and families. Many are disowned and even go into hiding in order to avoid persecution. it is very sad but also very awesome to see that through the Holy Spirit these people can come to know a relationship with the one true God! I am making it a point from this moment forward to keep these countries and their people in my prayers, along with the missionaries that are risking their very lives in order to share the gospel with them.

I did get a photos of my boys with each of the missionaries, but will not be able to post them online as I don't want to put them at risk of being "found out" by their respective governments. They obtained their visas by other means. For example, many missionaries to closed countries go to school there in order to obtain their visas. Some others go there to teach to to establish some sort of social program. Thank the Lord for calling people who are trusting Him in order to go where He calls them.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed fellow-shipping with other HSing families and of course the boys made fast friends and hung out with old friends. We are hoping to make some new connections and continue to meet with other families for other events in the future! thank you to our church for supporting this event and making it possible! We will never forget it!

By the way, the new recipe I tried last night for "So Tender Swiss Steak" was a big hit! Never before have I prepared a round steak and been able to eat it with just a fork! It was very tasty. i know I promised to post the recipe, but i will get it up tomorrow, promise!

Til tomorrow -

Blessings,
Cassie

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Empty Title

So I still have not managed to find my camera usb cable which means no pics yet.  I shopped online for replacements, but found a usb sd card reader at wal-mart for much cheaper than a replacement cable.  I hope to get it by the end of the week and get my pics uploaded to share.

We are not doing school this week.  I am working on some character training issues with the boys and trying to get this house in order.  There is so much that I have slacked on around here in the past few weeks there's no way I can get it all done with our regular schedule by myself.  So I am also working on getting a chore routine made up to help prevent things form getting this out of hand in the future.  It is just way too hard to get caught up!

Tomorrow we are attending our first homeschool event at our church!  This week is missions week, so we are going to a homeschool student's "Lunch with the Missionaries".  I am very excited for the boys to get a chance to really interact with kids who are homeschooled also.  And I always enjoy getting a chance to talk to and fellowship with like-minded families.  I know there are many families in our church who have chosen to home-educate, and we are friends with some of them.  But our church is so big and we have 2 services, so this will be a great opportunity to network and make some new connections!  I'll be sure to blog tomorrow after the event to share how it went.

Tonight hubby is out on a in-state run so he is not home for dinner.  But I will make sure he has a plate waiting on him when he gets home tonight.  I am trying a new recipe for "So-Tender Swiss Steak".  We will have mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans with it.  I would have liked to make homemade bread/rolls with it, but alas, I have no time!  If the recipe is a success, I will post it here later tonight for you to try with your family!

That's really all I have to share for now.  I thought I would take the opportunity to post a bit while my meat is roasting and Joey is napping.

Blessings,
Cassie

Sunday, November 2, 2008

I apologize for my absence.....

Yes I am FINALLY posting a new blog entry!

A million apologies for my lapse in recent posts. My pc had a hard drive crash about a month ago and I have been using my husbands pc periodically for necessities only. His system is hooked up to our living room tv and it is not convenient for me at all to use. In order to see the screen well, i have to sit on the floor in front of the screen and can't do it for very long as it hurts my back. So that is the main reason I have not blogged for a while.

Now I have a new laptop (yay)! It is an Acer Aspire 5135 and so far I love it. It is nice to be completely wireless so I can sit comfortably in my trusty recliner and surf away! And here I sit now blogging! There will not be many pics or vids for a bit though as I am searching high and low for the usb that goes to my Kodak camera. As soon as I find it though look out! We took a field trip to Chicago this past week and we went to the Chicago Museum of Art and took lots of pics and also a few of the Chicago skyline. I am not going to post much about this right now, however, as I want to wait until I can post a separate entry with pics and things, so keep an eye out for that soon.

Joey was weighed last week at 17lbs. 4oz. and was 26 3/8 in. long! I can't believe how big he is getting (though my back had a pretty good idea he was getting so heavy)! He will be 6 months on Thursday. He is a very busy boy and is always moving or babbling, especially when he is trying to fight sleep. He is making progress during belly time, scooting and pushing himself in circles. I think he will be rolling over soon as I have been working with him a lot lately. I will set him up about a third of the way and he manages to get himself moved the rest of the way over. He has been intermittently fussy this week with his bottom two middle teeth almost ready to break through the surface. Poor little guy, he's so tough!

Isaiah and I started Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, which I will from here on refer to as 100 EZ Lessons. We have completed the first 10 lessons and he did excellently following my instruction and completing the oral tasks properly. I am very hopeful that this program will be the key to get him reading independently. His inability to read means a lot more one on one work which means less work completed by everyone daily. I am not at all happy with the quantity of work we are getting to daily lately and I am currently working on several things to get us on the right track.

One thing I am working on is getting a schedule made up for the entire family (excluding Daddy of course as he has an unpredictable work schedule) with the help of Managers of Their Homes by Steve and Terri Maxwell. I am starting with Joey. I have been keeping track of his natural routine for 4 days now and I have a pretty good idea of how to make up his schedule. I need to try and keep him awake an extra hour before bed, but I don't know if it's possible until I get his naps straightened out. Yesterday and today he slept 10-11 hours at night and about 3-4 hours a day. This was with half hour naps sprinkled throughout the day with 1-2 hours of alert time in between each. Except for the evening, which is his most alert time. He usually stays up 2-3.5 hours from between his last nap and bedtime, depending on how tired he is. I am thinking if I either keep him up an extra hour before bed (maybe with another small nap to help) or keep him up longer when he first waked in the morning that I can get him to take less frequent, longer naps through the day so that I actually have enough time while he is sleeping to accomplish something. I will keep you updated on how it's going and will get a google docs link up as soon as I have a schedule made up in word.

We have also started using First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind. We are really liking it so far. The boys started memorizing their first poems last week and they are really impressing me with how quickly they are learning them. The lessons are short and sweet and I like that the level one lessons (Isaiah) are mostly oral.

Well, it is 11pm here and I am getting sleepy, so I will be getting myself to bed very soon. I will be making more posts in the coming days to drop in periodically!

Blessings,
Cassie

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Yay for Home Movies!!

Yes, I am still uploading video and as I promised I am posting them here as I get them up.

I really love this video. This was taken the first time my grandma and grandpa saw and held Joey. I really enjoy seeing my grandpa with babies. He is like a big ol' teddy bear! I will treasure this video forever. Joey was about a week old here. Enjoy!



I promise there is more to come!

Blessings,
Cassie

Monday, September 22, 2008

New Video of Joey

Ok, here is another video as promised...

This one is of Joey learning how to play with his rattle and hold onto it really well. Enjoy!




Blessings,
Cassie

Sunday, September 21, 2008

New Home Video of Joey

Well, I managed to get one of several videos uploaded to YouTube today as promised!  This one is a pretty long one of Joey showing off his vocal range.....Enjoy!  By the way, this was the last 5 minutes of him 15 minute tirade!  it's a miracle the lil' guy didn't get hoarse!



More to come soon!

Blessings,
Cassie

Saturday, September 20, 2008

HS Memoirs #5 - My Favourite Things..



THEME:
Since I’ve been making you work really hard on the previous Memoir themes I decided to take a little break, and do something fun! This week I want to invite you to share a few of your favourite things - er - sites. I know the list of favourite things could be never-ending, but I’ve made a list for you to do regarding your favourite homeschool things. Just copy this list and add your favourites underneath the appropriate category. BUT by all means you’re welcome to add your other favourite things on the post as well!

Magazines/Carnivals - in print or online

Freebie sites - any sites that offer freebies or often have giveaways
Homeschool news/informative
Forums/book clubs
Networking, Blog “About” (sites that offer tech-support or tutorials for computer/internet) & Quick Links
Mom site - sites just for moms / Homemaking
Inspirational/encouraging/motivational - (see above list)

Memes - the ones I participate in you can find in my sidebar -->
      Homeschool Method - sites that offer a lot of info on a certain method
Family blog - sites that give you a glimpse into another family’s life, run by a family

  • Just click on the link at the top of my sidebar that says "View my complete profile" and it will bring up a verrry long list of blogs I follow
Businesses, particularly homebased
I apologize but I don't have any bookmarked and can't think of any from the top of my head.
Hope you enjoy the links!
Cassie










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