Hey There… Remember Me?

Things have been crazy, crazy around here since my wonderful husband left to start his BCT at Ft. Sill, OK. I am busy getting a lengthy update written, but in the meantime I wanted to share something from our wonderful holiday with you. Bobby was able to come home for two weeks over Christmas and it was such a blessing to be able to spend that time with him, smack dab in the middle of his training. As you can imagine, we had missed him like crazy!! Here is a video of the entire family going to pick him up from the airport… get the kleenex ready and ENJOY!

Blessings,

The Master Ruler (Crew Review)

We recently had to opportunity to review a few products from Master Innovations, thanks to the TOS Homeschool crew. Master Innovations is a company that specializes in making unique and easy-to-use tools to help children learn how to measure the world around them and understand tricky math concepts like time, fractions, mixed numbers, and much more.

We received two Master Rulers (one standard and one metric) and a workbook to try out. When I first learned about the review my first thought was, “Oh Goody, a ruler.” But after I visited the website and watched this video I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to get our products in the mail:

As you can see, the Master Ruler does more than just measure length. With the Master Ruler your students have a visual, tactile tool to use to help learn about fractions and their relationships. I tried out the products with two of my children. For my 8th grader, we used the ruler with the portions of the workbook covering fractions. With my 5th grader, we used the measuring portions of the workbook.

My 8th grader has long struggled with fractions and she found after getting the hang of HOW to use the ruler to help her, understanding fractions was much easier. All she had to do was use the ruler to find the mark that coincided with each fraction she was given and compare them. We both found this to be much easier even than using fraction “pie manipulatives” because it was quicker and there were no little pieces to keep track of.

For my 5th grader, this was his first time measuring anything more detailed than 1/4 inches. The different layers of the rulers for each unit of measurement made it easy to figure out how to measure things to even 1/16 of an inch! I am looking forward to using these rulers in the future with my 2nd grader also.

Along with the Master Ruler, Master Innovations has several other products available including the Master Clock, Master Fractions, and Master Angles. I have yet to try any of these other resources, but after reading the reviews of my fellow Crew members, I have added them to my homeschool “wish list”.

The Master Ruler (U.S.  or Metric) can be purchased for $9.95 each directly from Master Innovations. I think this is a very reasonable price, considering how many uses it has and how sturdy it is. The Student Workbook  is available for $15.95 also, or you can purchase The Master Ruler Starter Set which includes metric, U.S. and a teachers ruler plus the workbook  for $41.25. Make sure to check out the other products that are available, too!

DISCLAIMER: This item was provided free for review purposes through the TOS Homeschool Crew.  I 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.

Weekly Wrap Up – End of Term 1 2010-2011

Weeeeeel last week was a tough week. I think we were all suffering from a bit of burnout and anxious to start our end-of-term break. We didn’t get as much done as I had planned to last week, but we accomplished those things that were really important, so that’s good enough for me!

I spent this past weekend getting started on my long-neglected to-do list. I made some major progress around the house, getting to all those detailed jobs that I just haven’t had time for since we started school. One more very good reason why I decided to shoot for a 6 on 1 off schedule this year. So far I have rented a Rug Dr. and cleaned the downstairs carpet, cleaned and reorganized all my kitchen cabinets, rearranged a few things in the living/dining/school areas, organized and purged Joey’s toys (downstairs and up), reorganized and cleaned the boys’ room, vacuumed the upstairs hall and the stairs, and thrown a  LOT of junk away.

I have one or two more days of intense housework left to do and then I’ll be done (until it gets messy again, which will be about a week). Left on my to-do list is cleaning and organizing my bedroom, putting all laundry away that had managed to pile up over the past few weeks, and cleaning the 2 bathrooms upstairs. Oh yeah, and laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. But I will work on that throughout the week. My goal is to make the biggest dent in it possible and then have everyone pitch in and get it all folded and put away in one night (we will see how that goes).

Sorry, I know I’m boring, but such is my life! Hopefully this video that I have to share will make up for it. A new Joey vid is wayyyy overdue, enjoy!

Blessings,

Why Classical Education?

Being a curriculum junkie and always looking for the next best thing means we have tried lots of different ways to homeschool. When we started out in our journey, I didn’t know anything was out there besides textbooks. Our first few years were filled with textbooks and lifepacks. But man were we bored! Over the years, being the researcher I am, I have learned that there are sooo many more options out there for homeschool families, and I have tried many of them,. But a few years ago, I heard about a book called “The Well-Trained Mind” and went to my local bookstore to purchase it.

TWTM (as it is affectionately called by die-hard fans) opened up a whole new world for me and my children. Through it’s pages, I learned how we can use non-fiction, living books instead of a boring, dry textbook to make learning more interesting and engaging. But more than that, I learned how to do this without neglecting important topics, eliminating the possibility of those much dreaded learning gaps. TWTM not only defines exactly what a classical education looks like, but lays out grade-by-grade, subject-by-subject HOW to cover all the needed material for a complete, rigorous home education!

By using the Trivium, I have gained more insights into how my children learn at different stages of their development and how to encourage and challenge them each and every day. I have learned how to eliminate the needless busywork and incorporate methods that make every teaching moment valuable. I have discovered ways that turn dry facts into adventures my boys can’t wait to begin! Not to mention we have added some wonderful projects and books to our repertoire.

I find it important to note at this time that I do NOT follow the recommendations in TWTM word for word. I do not feel the need to do everything suggested, rather, I use it as a resource to guide my curriculum choices and chosen topics of study. For instance, I combine the suggestions in TWTM with Tapestry of Grace’s curriculum. Especially in the grammar stage, TOG is a huge help by laying everything out for you. I find as my kids get older, I take more from TWTM’s suggestions and mesh it together with what we are doing in TOG. So far, this is working out beautifully and we are really enjoying all of the books, projects, and discussions that have resulted.

In certain subject areas, I have strayed at times very far away from the suggestions in TWTM. Some of these ventures have worked out just fine. But in other areas, I continually find myself cracking open the book again to re-evaluate, and many times going back alongside it’s suggestions and methods.

Many people, especially new homeschoolers, think a classical education requires a parent to have been college educated, or at the very least to have read many of the books from TWTM’s Great Books List. And while it is true that having experienced some of these great works yourself will give you an advantage in discussing them with your own child, there are many resources out there that will help you do this without having read the entire work on your own (TWTM talks about this very topic in-depth). The truth of the matter is simply that any parent who is willing to do their homework can give their child the awesome gift of a classical education at home!

I am aware that there are many books out there that claim to provide the same guidance for parents, and I have not read them. Nevertheless, TWTM so thoroughly covers every aspect of a classical home education that I have never felt the need to read these other books. It just works for us! In addition to the wealth of information and guidance found within the pages of TWTM, there is a blog (written by Susan Wise Bauer herself) and a forum available for those who desire a bit more. You can also find a wealth of information by visiting Peace Hill Press’s YouTube channel and watching some of the very informative videos listed there.

Please do not misunderstand, I am not writing this in order to try and convince you that a classical education is superior or even that you should run out and buy this book. My purpose is merely to introduce the concept and encourage those considering homeschooling classically that YOU CAN DO IT! And whether you find your confidence to do so through reading TWTM or another source, you will be so glad you took the time to do so!

Blessings,

Homeschool Printing Expenses (and how to save money)

I am all about getting the most out of my money however I can and as a homeschooler, expenses can add up quickly. I have always made use of the internet for various games and printables. Up until the last year or so, I have always had Lexmark printers. They are inexpensive and easy to use. But I have found as my kids get older and our needs have changed, I have had more and more ink expenses. About 6 months ago, i finally got fed up with my Lexmark all-in-one, and decided to purchase a new printer from a different manufacturer.

I decided to go with an HP all-in-one. I was happy with my purchase for about a month til it was time to refill my ink. I found that no one refilled the cartridges so I tried to figure out how to refill them myself. I didn’t have very good luck with the process. That was ok, I figured the cartridges were cheaper than the Lexmark cartridges had been, so no big. But I soon realized I was going through these cartridges even quicker than I had with my Lexmarks. So, I decided I needed to do more research and buy a different printer.

In this process, I discovered Continuous Ink Systems, refillable cartridges and auto reset chips. Wow, how did I not stumble across all of this information sooner?

I settled on an Epson model that happened to be on sale at a local office supply. I paid a bit more for it than I was used to, but I figured since I had previously had so much trouble with my cheap printers, maybe a little more money would give me a printer that would last longer and perform better. The best part of this purchase is that it was a wifi printer!

My next step was to buy an ink refill system. I originally was looking to purchase an CIS, but decided that after having just purchased a printer, I need to keep my costs down (so as not to cause my husband to have a cow). So I instead decided to purchase a refillable cartridge kit.

I paid about $50 for my kit and it has already paid for itself! My kit came with 4 full, refillable cartridges (designed for use with my printer model), and 4 large bottles of ink to refill them with. I would have paid about the same to purchase 1 set of OEM cartridges from Epson.

There is enough ink in the cartridges and the bottles to equal about 12 regular cartridges of each color (and possibly more). When my printer registers the cartridges as empty, I simply take out the “empty” cartridge (which is actually about 3/4 full still), place it back into the printer, and reinstall it. Then it shows up as full and I’m off and printing again! AWESOME!!

This is the best way I have found in my 6 years of homeschooling to have worry-free printing. I can now print whatever I want without worrying if it’s going to use up all of my ink, and that my friends, is an awesome power for a homeschooling momma to have (evil grin).

It is very easy to find these kits, though the prices vary greatly depending on your printer/cartridge model and the place you purchase it from. You can find lots of them on Amazon, or you can just do a Google search on “continuous ink systems” or “refillable cartridges” and get lots of results. I happened to purchase mine from SuperToBuy, but if I end up repurchasing any in the future I will order them from this Amazon seller. They include more ink with your kit AND they offer a one year replacement guarantee on their cartridges.

All in all, I have been extremely satisfied with my purchase. If you do a lot of printing, like me, it is definitely worth the initial investment to purchase one of these systems or kits.

Happy Printing!

: ) Cassie

An AWESOME Video You Gotta See!

I was doing my normal before bed activity of reading blogs and I came across this gem. I just had to share it!

All I can say is WOW!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

Funny Video – 10 Reasons to Homeschool

A fellow blogger posted this on her blog and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it!

 

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

Joey Growing – A Slideshow

I recently downloaded Windows Movie Maker so my boys could make a LEGO movie (look for it posted here soon). I decided I wanted to tinker with it and ended up making a slideshow with music of how much Joey has grown in the past year. Unfortunately, YouTube made me replace the audio (I had originally chose I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack) with a Creed song. It’s not my first choice, but I couldn’t find anything else that I thought was fitting. Enjoy!

Blessings,

: ) Cassie

My Babies Have Rhythm!!

Check out this great video of Joey (and Isaiah for a moment) dancing to MC Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This”… There *might* be a short scene of me doing the “Hammer Dance” but please close your eyes on that part, LOL!

Joey dancing to MC Hammer @ Yahoo! Video

Blessings,

: )  Cassie

The Toddler Baker (12-17-09)

It has been a while since I posted any new videos. I have not slowed down in taping the kids, I just have not been uploading any to YouTube recently. I went through a majority of all my video on my hard drive this evening and picked a few things out to share. Here is a video from a few nights ago, enjoy!

He really had a good time playing with the dough! Maybe I should think about digging the playdough out for him again. I believe he may just be ready to play with it (instead of eating it)!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Looks like as fun place to work...

A fellow blogger had this video posted on her site and I just couldn't resist sharing it with you! I'm not a big fan of the backstreet boys, but thought this was fun to watch anyway!

Blessings,

:) Cassie

Who says kids can't enjoy Mozart?

Because I definitely have proof to the contrary! We read about Mozart today in Drew's reading, so we decided to listen to a few selections while he completed a worksheet. This is what happened next...

Blessings!

:) Cassie

Attention All Moms - You MUST Watch This Video!

Kinda puts it all in glorious perspective, doesn't it?

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Wedding Fun!

Man have we been busy! My sister's wedding was this past Saturday and Joey was her ring-bearer. I had tons of family come in to be there that I had not seen in years! It was a beautiful ceremony and we all had a ball at the reception. I hope to get some pictures posted soon of the actual wedding, but for now, here is a video of my little man gettin down on the dance floor! Enjoy!

Blessings!

Cassie :)

Workbox Update - Week 1

So here we are, finished with our first full week using the Workbox System! It has been an exciting, pleasantly surprising, awesome week!  Everyone is happy, all of our work is getting done in record time, and I am getting more done than ever before!

I am slowly finding my routine in planning and filling the boxes and I am becoming more proficient at it. The boys are getting better at not relying on me so much for every little thing. They are learning and exercising their problem solving skills and at times even doing things on their own that I had planned on doing with them!

On the downside of things, MY schedule has gotten worse. I have been trying for 2 weeks now to get to bed earlier and get up earlier, but it just hasn't been happening. I think that that's mostly because I dont HAVE to get up until Joey does. I am thinking about putting him on a bit earlier schedule so it forces me to adapt accordingly.  I'll let you know how that goes...

I apologize, but I don't have and pictures to share this week, but I did recently upload a video to YouTube of Joey wandering around the house, so I will share that with you! A word of warning - it's long, Sorry ;)

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 :)

A Video Link to Share

You must see this video! It is from a sermon series my church is doing right now called overcomers. Make sure you have a tissue handy!!
Overcomers - Grace Assembly of God - Cardboard Testimonies

Blessings,

Cassie

Isaiah’s Baptism!

I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago, but I have been very busy and distracted. I hope you can forgive my tardiness.

This was a really exciting day for our family! He has been talking about being baptized for a while now, but we wanted to take our time and make sure he was ready.  He was SOOOO nervous about the pastor asking him questions in front of the whole church! LOL! I think he did a GREAT job!

Blessings,

Cassie

Joey is on the move!!

Yes, you heard it here first!  My baby boy is getting so big, and now he is learning to crawl.  We were playing with him last night when we decided to get the camera out .  take a look at what we captured…

  
I am continually amazed by my youngest son.  He is babbling, saying mamama and dadada, feeding himself finger foods, drinking from a sippy, and now he is CRAWLING!!!  I am so very proud yet at the same time it makes me sad that time is whizzing by.
I am thankful we were fortunate enough to get a permanent memory of this huge milestone!

Blessings,

Cassie