Grilling Goodness 6/12/09 (yes I'm a bit late)

1. What's the heaviest thing in your purse?
Actually I am not carrying a purse right now. I carry everything I need in my diaper bag. The heaviest thing I carry is probably Joey's sippy cups.
2. Do you mostly use cash or debit/credit cards?
Credit/Debit cards definitely.
3. Do you cut your hair shorter in the summer or pull it up a lot?
I had very long hair up until a couple of months ago when I cut it shorter. Weather doesn't usually affect how I wear my hair, it has more to do with how much time I have to do something with it. So yes, I wear it up a lot.
4. Do you like your man scruffy or clean shaven?
Clean shaven. He knows this. He still has a beard. Oh well!
5. What have your children done/said to embarrass you lately?
Talking really REALLY loud in public, It's a constant issue with one boy in particular.
6. Do you use plug-in type air fresheners around the house?
No but we do have some of those timed air fresheners that spray every so often. They are awesome!
7. Do you have any interest in the NBA or NHL finals? (Do you even know who's competing?)
Neither I nor my hubs watch a lot of sports. He likes UFC, but that's about it.
8. What is weighing heavily on your mind lately?
Money, but what else is new?

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Spelling Woes

It seems like no matter what I use to teach Drew-bug how to spell, he struggles through it. So I have been browsing around forums and curriculum review sites trying to find something different. We have tried BJU, Abeka, Sequential Spelling, no spelling (yes I know, I'm a horrible mother) and non of them have accomplished anything other than allowing him to memorize a few words a week in order to spell them correctly on a test then forget it all the next day.
I am and always have been a natural speller. I was also an early reader. It's funny to me how my 2 strongest areas in school are my boys' weakest areas. Isaiah has struggled with reading until just recently and it is still challenging for him. Drew has struggled with spelling from the onset. Things being as they are, it has been even more difficult for me to teach them those skills. I guess it's hard for someone who does something easily to try and teach someone to do that same thing when it is hard for them to understand or grasp.
I knew there had to be something different out there. Something that goes beyond just teaching kids how to memorize words and instead teaches them how to decode those words and their sounds so that they can use what they learn to spell other words in the future.
Then I stumbled upon All About Spelling. The following is from their website:

Poor teaching methods create obstacles for learners and lead to bad spelling habits or even low literacy skills. A child who becomes frustrated and discouraged may end up falling behind.
It doesn't have to be that way. We simply need to teach children to spell properly in a way that makes learning easier.
All About Spelling is a comprehensive spelling program based on proven strategies to teach spelling using the best and easiest method possible. It gives parents, homeschoolers, and teachers strategies that work, including:

• Lessons with crucial concepts explained in easy-to-understand language
• Multisensory methods for different learning opportunities
• Effective techniques to teach both beginner and remedial spelling

Kids learn to think about spelling the right way so they can navigate increasingly complex spelling with confidence-and a smile.
If you're teaching a young child just beginning to learn or helping an older student who struggles with spelling, or if you just want a better teaching method that works, then All About Spelling is for you.

So I browsed around their site and looked at the materials and some sample pages. I was blown away! This is exactly the kind of program I have been searching for! Even better than that, it is affordable. So what did I do? Well of COURSE I ordered Level One!
I am anxiously awaiting my package in the mail so I can get started using it with Drew. Isaiah is going to continue using BJU Spelling 1, along with SpellingTime.com until he is finished with the book. He is doing ok with it for now. When Drew finishes Level 1, I will then take Isaiah through it. Right now I need to keep him focused on reading and phonics skills.
I will be sure to post a follow-up after we get it and start utilizing it to share how it is working for us. I have very high hopes!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Last Week’s Science Experiment (in video)

We just finished a chapter in our Science textbook about forces (gravity, friction, mechanical force). Last week, we did several activities related to these topics. Our favorite, by far, was the magnet activities and the friction activity, which I am sharing with you in the video below. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

I Know I Said He’d be Walking Soon…. But Today?!?

Yes, you heard me correctly, Joey started walking TONIGHT!!
We were all sitting in the living room, I on the couch, Hubs in the recliner across from me… he was looking up videos on YouTube and started watching one with some music. Well, in case you didn’t already know, Joey LOVES music and LOVES dancing to it. So he pulled up on the couch, stood up, turned around and WALKED RIGHT ACROSS THE ROOM to where hubs had the laptop!! It happened so unexpectedly and quickly, that I didn’t get that moment on video, BUT….
I got the camera out right after as hubs and I sat on the floor with JoJo to see what would happen…

And there you have it friends! He is officially a TODDLER!! I am so excited for him and as you can tell by the video, he is really excited to be a walker too!
The next few days will be interesting to say the least. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is speed walking in a few weeks!
Wow, I have nothing more to say, I am still in a state of shock…

Blessings,

Cassie :)

It’s Been Crazy Around Here!

Yes, I have been away from my bloggy home for awhile. I am sorry. Things have been very hectic around here with hubby working a very busy seasonal job with very long hours and the start of summer. We have been spending a lot of time outdoors, playing and swimming. It turns out Joey is a little fish, much like his big brother Drew was from a young age! I have been wanting to write, but I have been so busy that when I get the time, i just don’t have the motivation.
So I am writing to you, my friends, to let you know that yes, we are still here and still doing the normal things – school, work, play!
Joey is not walking yet, but he has been taking a few steps here and there independently, and more frequently. I am definitely not in any hurry and am not pushing him to be upwardly mobile. It’s quite a big milestone for him, and sadly a reminder that he is not such a little baby anymore…sniff. I know he has to grow and change, I just wish I could slow the process down a bit. I am doing my very best to enjoy every moment and treasure every day.
Isaiah is still doing very well with his reading and he is progressing nicely. He has finished all of his readers from his first set of Bob Books and has moved on to the second set. We went to the bookstore and bought the third set the other day so we would have them when he was ready for them.
Both boys are starting their new math books next week, Isaiah Math 2 and Drew Math 3. And Drew has started his 3rd grade Reading. It is a bit more challenging than what he has been doing, but he is doing really well with it thus far.
Something very exciting is happening in our family – hubby has decided to go back to school! We have had such a hard time trying to find him a good job that doesn’t require him to be an absentee husband and father, so we are really hoping this will turn things around for us. He will be attending Lincoln College of Technology to earn an associate’s degree in Diesel Technology. From what the admissions rep told us today, they can’t get enough students enrolled in the program to keep up with the requests they get from employers, so it’s a very secure field right now, and will likely continue to be. Please keep us in your prayers! We really want to make wise decisions and are hoping that this is an opportunity set before us by God. If it is, He will bless our journey, I am sure of that!
I will be posting again very soon, but I am getting sleepy and my spelling is suffering!

Blessings,

Cassie :)