Clearing off the shelves…

Yup, it’s that time again, and though we have been busy with lots of things the past couple of weeks, I don’t quite have that post ready. SO in the meantime, I thought I would post this list (the same list I have posted on several of my favorite forums) of things I need to get rid of to earn a bit of money for new materials for this year and to make room for them on the shelves!

If you are interested in any of these, I take paypal and mailed money orders. All prices include media mail shipping, but I am happy to upgrade to priority mail if you are willing to pay more shipping. Please contact me by email: homeschoolmommaof4 (at) gmail (dot) com…

AOP Horizons K Phonics and Reading workbooks 2-4 - $8ppd

AOP Horizons 1

• Phonics and Reading Teachers Guide - $5ppd
• workbooks 1&2 (first 16 lessons missing) - $4ppd
• readers (set of 2) - $5ppd
• Spelling and Vocab Teachers Guide - $4ppd
• student dictionary - $2ppd

Abeka Writing and seatwork 1 curr/lesson plans - $3ppd

Abeka Letters & Sounds Test Key - $2ppd

Abeka Phonics & Reading 1 curr/lesson plans - $3ppd

Abeka K5 Phonics, reading & writing curr/lesson plans (in binder) - $5ppd

Abeka Cursive writing tablet - $3ppd

BJU Heritage Studies 3

• Teachers ed - $6ppd
• 2 student texts - $4ppd each
• Test Answer Key - $2ppd

BJU Heritage Studies 1 - 2 sets

• 1 set contains shrink wrapped teachers ed, like new student text, shrink wrapped test key, tests - $20ppd
• 1 set contains teachers ed and like-new student text - $10ppd

BJU Heritage Studies 2 student text (like new) - $4ppd

BJU Science 2 set - contains teacher’s ed and student text (hardback) in like new condition - $10ppd

BJU Spelling 1 teachers edition (like new) - $4ppd

BJU English 2 teacher’s edition - $6ppd

BJU Math 1 teachers ed - $5ppd

BJU English 3 teachers ed - $6ppd

BJU Phonics and English 1 visuals flip chart - $4ppd

Getty-Dubay Italics

• I have unused workbooks C, E, F, & G - $3ppd each
• Instruction Manual (used for all levels) - $3ppd

BJU Bible Truths 1 teacher ed - $8ppd

BJU Bible Truths 2 teacher ed - $8ppd

Usborne Piano Course book 1 - $2ppd

2 AVKO student response books for Seq. Spelling - $2ppd each

HWT 3^rd grade cursive teacher guide - $3ppd

Wordly Wise 3000 book A w/ answer key - $3ppd

Wordly Wise 3000 book 1 w/ answer key - $4ppd

Unit Studies Made Easy by Valerie Bendt - $5ppd

BOB Books sets 1, 2, &3 - $5ppd each or set for $12ppd

Hooked on Phonics - Your Reading Power set complete (c1992) - $10ppd

Travel the World! (Crew Review)

TOS June 2010 Planner Module: Travel the World

That’s right, it’s already time for my first Crew Review! The very first product I was given to try out was this Travel the World planner module. This is a Schoolhouse Planner module, but you DO NOT need to be the owner of a planner to purchase or use it. This module is a reproducible, stand-alone unit study for all ages, meant to help your child discover the world around him. The pages are full-color and this complete study includes:

• an introduction to the continents and the oceans of the world
• reading globes and maps
• latitude and longitude
• 
  
  basic geography terms and facts
• 
  
  lapbooking activities to reinforce what you learn
• what the Bible says about God’s design for our earth
• map activities
• internet games
• a detailed resource list with extra reading options and internet links
• High School expansion suggestions
• 
  
  coloring and copywork pages
• and much more!
  

The best part is that all the research and preparation has already been done for you! Simply choose which activities you would like to do, print, and you’re off! I think that was my favorite aspect of this product. I really love to throw in some fun, unexpected learning activities for my kids throughout the year, but I find the extra time it takes me to research and prepare these things ends up throwing us off track completely. We tested this product out during a normal school week, and I was pleased to see that it didn’t require a lot of extra work from me. Better yet, Isaiah really had a good time with the activities we chose to do and because he enjoyed them, he retained what he learned! (My oldest was away last week visiting grandparents.) I even printed off a few extra coloring pages and gave them to my 2yo so he could color with us!

Depending on if you choose to include extra reading and internet activities, you could easily spend 2-3 weeks doing this unit study. There are, however, enough included activities to last about a week, depending on how much you choose to cover. I would highly recommend this product to refresh basic geographical knowledge at the beginning of the year, to introduce basic geography to a young student, or even for preparing a high-school student for a project or presentation.

If you interested in learning more about or purchasing this digital product, it is available from The Old Schoolhouse Store here, for only $7.95. And while you are there be sure to check out the many other modules available for purchase. If you would like to read the reviews of other crew members that tried this product, simply click the banner below!

DISCLAIMER: This item was provided free for review purposes through the TOS Homeschool Crew.  We received no other compensation, and this review is our honest opinion.  Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner above to read more reviews on this and other products by other Crew members.

It’s Potty Time!

I have been toying with the idea of potty-training lil man now for about a month, but have been hesitant because he hasn’t shown many signs of readiness. Being that Daddy will be leaving in a few months for basic, and he won’t be back until after Baby #5 is born, I have been feeling the need to move things along. I know if it’s left until the baby comes, I will not have the energy to be consistent.

A friend whose two twin boys are one year older than Joey gave me some like-new undies which she had purchased for them but were too small already. So Sunday I decided to keep him in undies all day and make frequent bathroom breaks to see how it went. I figured this was the best way to gauge exactly how ready he was. It took us half the day to figure out that he goes much better on the toilet with a potty seat than in the potty chair. After that we were in business.

Today was our third day with underwear and so far he is doing great! We are taking things very slow being that he is only 26 months old, so right now we are only focusing on peeing into the potty. Once he gets that down we will up the ante and get him to do #2 in the potty. Then once he is staying consistently clean and dry during the day, we will work on naptime and nighttime!

The good news is he is excited to get out of his diaper in the morning and put on his big boy underwear. He is consistently getting excited every time he makes a pee pee in the big potty. He claps and dances, it is so cute! We have not had to bribe him with candy or coax him into going every half hour.

Granted, he has had accidents, but I find that the majority of the time, it’s the result of a few little drips making a small wet spot in his undies, most of the time while he is busy playing and he doesn’t notice until Mommy does. There have only been a few instances of him actually opening the floodgates and letting go while wearing them. So I’m calling this endeavor a success so far!

I will be sure to post some pics soon of lil man in his lil undies – cause to me there’s nothing cuter than a little boy in little underwear!

Blessings,

Loving the New Look?

Those of you following my blog via feed probably haven’t noticed, but you should definitely take the time to pop in at my blog cause we have got a whole new look going! I redesigned the entire blog using a free ready-made background, and I customized the header with my scrapbooking program. I also made all the little buttons on the sidebar.

I have to say, with Blogger’s new point and click template designer, it really wasn’t hard at all, just time consuming. I’m a real pick, so it took me 2 days to get everything exactly just right.

Why the change you might ask? With everything happening in our lives and all the new and exciting changes, I felt it was time for something that reflected those changes. So I chose a patriotic design to support my husband and show others how proud we are to be a military family.

I hope you are all enjoying the new look! I am totally loving it!

Blessings,

Not Me Monday 7.5.2010

I am not allowing my children to stay up past their bedtime, for the second night in a row, do they could go outside with Daddy and set off bottle rockets. Nope, they are all tucked in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.

I did not skip schooling today because I neglected to prepare the boys’ assignment sheets last night. Nope, I am always prepared and ready for the day and we always get our schoolwork done on time.

I also, most definitely, did not spend our usual school hours redesigning my blog and repeatedly telling my children to stop talking to me right now because I am trying to concentrate and cannot hear myself think. Nope, I always listen attentively to everything my children have to say. I would never dream of telling them to stop conversing with me.

Nope, not me!

Homeschool Blog Hop #12

SO this week there is no preset theme for the hop, which means I get to be creative and come up with my own!
This evening, I feel like writing about all the big changes that we are about to embark on. I have posted previously about what kinds of changes we are going through – having another baby in February and becoming an Army family – but I have a lot of thoughts, emotions, and concerns that I haven’t shared.
First of all I am THRILLED to be having another lil one on the way! But I am also really worried. I’m not even going to sugarcoat things – getting through Joey’s first 6 months was really tough. The entire first year or so of his life presented a lot of challenges for me, but those first 6 months were especially tough on me. When I gave birth to Drew, I was 20 years old, full of energy and confidence. I was also alone, but we won’t go there for now, lol. But everything seemed so much easier back then. When Joey came along, I was 28 years old, more mature, and much less energetic, lol. It was so hard to get through everyday before he was sleeping through the night. There were nights that I held him and cried with him out of sheer exhaustion and frustration.
Now I am 30, and I will be 31 when our new little blessing joins our family. Joey will be a few months shy of his 3rd birthday, and the way it’s looking he will also still be in diapers. My husband will be two states away, completing his AIT training, and I am going to be one very exhausted, stressed out Momma!
Another scenario I encountered after Joey was born was homeschool related. I knew it was going to be challenging to homeschool with a baby/toddler, but man was I in for a complete shock! Those first 6-9 months, I fought for every single completed workbook page. I don’t know how to describe our schooling during that period of time other than to say – it was the single most frustrating and challenging era in our homeschooling career. We are STILL playing catch-up from the ground we lost during those months.
Granted, I am now equipped with the experience and knowledge to not allow it to happen again, but every baby is different and our entire family is going to be going through a lot of changes during that time. I would think it’s pretty obvious at this point that without my husband here to help me through, I am going to be relying on the Lord a whole, WHOLE lot to get us through every day.
Now we will address the second part of the coming changes – which is actually a whole lot of little changes, but we will get to that. With hubby joining the Army, we are looking at 4-5 months of training where we will only see him a handful of times, and rarely get to talk to him on the phone. That’s not my main concern though, seeing as how later on down the line, we are going to be looking at much longer periods of time where he is away overseas.
A lot of the changes that are coming as a result of his enlistment I am really excited about. Our finances are going to improve a lot. We are going to have top of the line health, dental, and vision coverage that isn’t costing us a dime. We are going to be able to build up retirement funds (which we have been unable to do up to this point) and provide college funds for our children through the Montgomery GI Bill. We are going to be able to improve our overall quality of life, have job stability, and get to travel to and live in different places all over the world! The only drawback to all of this is that we will be spending considerable amounts of time without my husband around, all while he is off on dangerous missions and such in another part of the world.
We are going to have to adjust to life without him when he is away and I am going to have to hold down the fort and make a lot of decisions without him. I do not doubt our ability to grow together and stay together as a family through all of this. I know we are strong enough. We have been through a lot and are better for it. This situation will be no different. Don’t misunderstand, I know it’s not going to be easy. It will probably be the single hardest thing I have ever done. But we will get through it!
Right now, I am getting through each day by looking forward to all the little blessings that are coming our way and by being thankful for those blessings we have already been given. I am focusing on the good, and we will deal with the bad when it comes. I have taken on the frame of mind that I am determined to sit back and enjoy the ride, regardless of whatever bumps and detours we encounter along the way!
Sorry for the long. rambling post! Blessings,

Weekly Wrap Up – Pregnancy Update Week 7- Hello Blog Walkers!

What a title huh? I haven’t been blogging very regularly, and I have a few things to cover, but fortst of all I would like to say HELLO! to all who are visiting my blog through the TOS Blog Walk! This is the 4th week of the walk and I am thrilled to be a part of it. I have been visiting my fellow crew member’s blog every week and have been adding you all to my subscriptions as I go. You can check out the other TOS crew members’ blogs here:

1. King Alfred Academy
2. Confessions of An Organized Homeschool Mom
3. Curriculum Reviews from Oak Creek Farmhouse
4. I Can't Decide
5. My Life on A Taffy Pull
6. Losing My Tale
7. Made in His Image
8. Serenades and Solace
9. Our Village is a Little Different
10. SisterTipster's Tell'n It!

Well this week was pretty slow as far as school goes (it is the summer after all), but we have still had a very busy week. Last Saturday we went to our local fireworks display and I got to try out the fireworks setting on my new Canon Powershot…

As you can see, it’s a tricky thing to take good fireworks shots. I had to hold the camera very still, and being that I neglected to bring my tripod along, the photos came out a bit blurry. Oh well! I am sure I’ll get better shots next time.

Also this week, my hubby made a trip to MEPS to sign his Army contract and take his oath. So the kids and I, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law and her kids were all there to watch the swearing in ceremony and take pictures.

We are all very proud of him! It has been a long process for him to get to this point (because of needing a dependent waiver for such a big family) but now he is officially a member of the US Army! Actually, his official status is US Army Reserves, until he reports to basic training in November. It’s a relief to have this part of the process finished and know when and where his training is going to be. Unfortunately because of his delayed entry status, he is going to be in training over Thanksgiving, but will get a few days leave for Christmas. When the baby comes, he will be in AIT, so he won’t be able to be here for the birth. But that’s ok, I have a lot of family and friends who will be there, and though his presence will be missed, that’s the sacrifice you make sometimes to be a military family.

Speaking of pregnancy, my spotting has really decreased this past week, and I even have has a few days where I have had no spotting at all. No more bright red bleeding, so that’s been a huge relief. As far as we know, baby #5 is still doing fine and hanging in there. My next OB appointment is at the end of July, so we will know more than and I am hoping to have another u/s scheduled then so we can see what’s going on with the hemorrhage and that second sac they spotted. Until then, I am taking it easy and taking good care of myself.

The last major event of this past week was not a pleasant one. Drew, once again, got poison oak from climbing trees. Uuugh! Will this child ever learn?! The worst part of it is, we didn’t realize it until one whole side of his face was covered with a red, swollen rash. It was pretty bad for a few days, but then we started him on Zyrtec, and it seems to be helping him a lot. We are also cleansing the rashy areas with Tecnu soap daily and applying Caladryl as needed to help with the itch. He’s looking pretty good today and hasn’t complained a bit, so I think it’s in the process of drying up and healing, THANK GOD! I really hate dealing with poison oak/ivy. I have already told him now multiple times NO MORE CLIMBING TREES!! LOL Luckily it didn’t spread to much and it hasn’t been contracted by anyone else in the house, so I am counting my blessings.

Next week is the last week of our summer term, then we are taking 2 weeks off before the “official” start of our school year. Drew will be spending those 2 weeks with his grandmother (on his Father’s side) on the east coast, having fun in the sun and swimming in the ocean. The rest of us will be here. Boo hoo! Just kidding, he really looks forward to these summer visits and has been counting down the days. This will be his first time flying as an unaccompanied minor, so I’m a little nervous. But I know he will be well taken care of and he has flown several times before, so it’s not a new thing for him. Please be praying for his safe arrival next Saturday afternoon!

SO that’s about it for our week! I hope you had a great one and are spending this holiday weekend with people you love! Have a blessed week!