My Ramblings Archives - Page 12 of 24

Year in Review :: Reader’s Favorite Posts in 2014

Dec302014

December 30, 2014 by Jolanthe 1 Comment

This year has been one of quite a few changes as a family, in our homeschool, and also in blogging. In the upcoming weeks I’ll be blogging more about goals and what we’ll be doing in 2015 – but for now, let’s look back a bit!

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’ve been sharing with you all for over seven years now. For those that have been around since the beginning – thanks for the support over the years. To those of you that are newer readers – welcome!

Here’s a look at blog posts from 2014 that were the most shared, read, and commented on by you all (and we won’t talk about all the comments that I lost when I made a blog error). I love having conversations with you all and it frustrated me to no end when I made that mistake – sigh.

Freezer Cooking Recipes and Tips for Busy Moms – A friend and I have worked hard making freezer meals to help us out on busy days, and freezer cooking has been an amazing help to me the last few months. Here’s a peek at recipes we used and tips for your own freezer cooking session.

Bird Nature Study Printables – Our family loves watching the many birds that visit our feeder, so these printables were so much fun to use in digging a little deeper in our science studies.

12 Books to Read in 2014 – These are the twelve books I set out to read this year and stretch my brain and heart. More books ended up on the list, but it was a challenge for me! Can’t wait to share my 2015 pile with you all! Read more….

Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th Grade – A peek at the curriculum that we are using during our 2014-2015 school year for our four kids.

Pocket Chart Calendar Card Set – Calendar time is a great way to get in extra math practice. These patterned and themed pocket chart cards and headers just made it even more fun!

Making a Worm Jar at Home (and a Free Printable) – What kid wouldn’t like the opportunity to bring a bunch of worms into the house? Especially when there is a little bit of science fun tied into it! Watching how worms compost can be so much fun!!

Mapping Out our Homeschool High School Plan – We’ve entered the world of high school credits. Here are some tips and printables for mapping out the homeschool high school plan. It’s not too early to start thinking about it and have a plan in place!

Alphabet Coloring Pages - This set of coloring pages features a fun picture for each letter of the alphabet along with a chunky version of the letter t0 color, cover with playdough, or paint as you practice letter sounds. Each page is 8.5” x 11” and prints out one letter to a page. Read more…

30+ Dr. Seuss Activities for Children – Books by Dr. Seuss are some of the most well-loved and read books for younger children. Here are 30+ activities for children to celebrate Dr. Seuss! Read more…

The BEST Homeschool Spelling Curriculum – Six years ago our family started using a homeschool spelling curriculum that literally changed the way I looked at curriculum overall. All About Spelling helped me realize that I COULD teach a subject with confidence, and there were programs available that would reach a variety of learning styles while still keeping life simple for me as a mom and teacher. Read more…

A Few of MY Favorites

While these posts may not have been the most visited in 2014, they were some of my personal favorites…

My Goals for November

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November 3, 2014 by Jolanthe 1 Comment

Since I’m the type of girl who does well with a list and gets motivated crossing off things that are done, I’ve been working on my November goals. The last few months I’ve been dividing my goals into several different areas: personal, parenting/family, marriage, home, and school.

This month we have a home project in the works: bookcases in our living room, which translates into some rearranging all over the house (translated a big, fat mess and lots to do before hand). I’ll have to show you the after pictures later this month, but here’s a before of the area we’re re-doing.

There’s a lot to do in several rooms as we move things around, but I’m thankful for it because it ultimately means de-cluttering, reorganizing, and making sure the stuff we have is actually stuff we NEED. The process can be a pain, but the end result will give us a central place for the kids to work on the computer and so much more book storage (yay!).

Anyway, here are my goals for the month of November (and if you’d like a cute printable to plan away on, check out this one from Money Saving Mom):

Personal Goals

Finish morning routine (devos, shower, etc…) by 7am (a.k.a. out of bed and ready)
Treadmill total of 1 hour/week
Do better with what I’m eating and drink more water (this has slipped lately)
Read 30 minutes/day (non-fiction) and finish 1-2 books on list a week. See my November list here.

Parenting/Family Goals

Watch parenting DVD series w/Rick: based on Loving Our Kids on Purpose
New game of month and play games together 2x/week
Read aloud w/kids and audio books (finish 2 books)
Follow through with chores – be consistent
Prep for the weekend away with McKenna – it’s coming up soon!
Keep our daily ‘quiet time’ with the kids going and consistent

Marriage Goals

Send sweet (and fun) notes/texts to my hubby
Date night with Rick – 2x/month (home or out)
Movie night at home – 2x/month
Work on budget together and be accountable in finances

Home Goals

Have another freezer cooking session
Paint fireplace
Be consistent with 20 Minute Tasks each day: focus areas are living room, dining room, and the books all over the house
Keep counters clean each night
De-clutter and sell stuff on Craigslist (my pile is growing)

Homeschooling Goals

Plan an Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party
Group science experiments with the kids
Start online Spanish with the boys
One fun activity for Kaleb and Zachary each week
Finish reorganizing the schoolroom (touch up paint and banister)

What goals do you have for yourself and your family this month?

Sponsor Thanks for November

We really appreciate the following companies. Many of these have been long time sponsors of Homeschool Creations and we are SO thankful for them – be sure to stop by their sites and check them out!

Homeschool High School Science Tutorials

Teach Them Diligently Conventions are now open for registration! Speakers for 2015 include James Dobson, Barbara Rainey, and many others. Locations include Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Sandusky, OH; and Dallas, TX. Hope to see you at one of them!

Red Wagon Tutorials offers upper level science help for homeschool families worldwide. They specialize in downloadable, online live-feed, and online recorded science classes as well as digital e-Notebooks and Flash Drive presentations. Learn more about their 2014-2015 programs.

Celebrate Advent this year reading the newest book from Anne Voskamp, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. The book includes daily devotions for children of all ages and is beautifully illustrated!

Does your child have a need to fidget or chew? Chewigem has the discreet, FUNky solution to soothe these needs.

Apologia offers a Christian worldview curriculum that kids will love. Featuring engaging stories, creative notebooking, and fun activities, this four-part series is presented in a conversational style that makes the study of God’s Word exciting and memorable.

Educents is a curated deal website that discounts homeschooling curriculum and educational products up to 90% off! Save an additional 10% with code HSCreations10.

Speekee is the most comprehensive online Spanish program for children ever created. Children learn best when they are having fun, and that’s what Speekee is all about!

The Hands-On Bible uses experience-based learning to communicate God’s Word in an active, understandable way for kids. This Christmas, don’t just commit to reading God’s Word as a family; give the Hands-On Bible to your kids, and commit to doing God’s Word together.

Reader’s Favorite Posts from October 2014

Curious to see what others have been reading this past month? Below is a list of the ten most visited posts for the month of October 2014.

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Filed Under: 20 Minutes of Productivity, My Ramblings 1 Comment

When Your Child Hates Writing – Tip for a Reluctant Writer

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October 7, 2014 by Jolanthe 6 Comments

A few weeks ago on Facebook, I shared this writing tip from Kim Kautzer of WriteShop and apparently it struck a cord with many of you, as it did me.

Don’t be afraid to be your child’s scribe. Writing is more about the ideas than about who writes them down. – Kim Kautzer, WriteShop

Both of our boys have a strong dislike for anything that involves them physically writing. The moment a piece of paper comes out, the whining starts and my frustration begins to mount.

For quite some time I personally struggled with this – because weren’t they SUPPOSED to be writing so many sentences and journaling gobs a day? Other moms were sharing their first graders daily journaling, which far surpassed my third grader’s attempts.

I put my kid in a box and expected him to do it just like everyone else did, and it caused months and months of frustrations for both of us. Inside that boy there were creative ideas ready to pour out, but I was squelching it by expecting him to fit into a certain mold and do it a specific way.

(You’d think that I would know better. I didn’t).

Sometimes it’s really easy to get caught up in all that is around us, what we believe our kids should be doing, and ignore what really needs to be done. Or sometimes we’re scared to talk about our struggles, afraid of what others might think of us or our child.

Last year, in what seemed like a moment of caving (because again – keeping up with what the ‘expectations’ are), I asked him if he could just tell me his story and I would write it for him.

And the words poured out.

Writing as quickly as I could, he dictated and I became that boy’s scribe. The frustration began to leave both of us, even though there were moments that I still struggled with my decision. He began to flourish and look at writing differently. The writing process became easier, and we fell into a good pattern of dictation and copying. Sometimes I would have him finish a sentence or two, but for the most part he talked while I wrote.

Fast forward to this year – he’s a week shy of age 10, and there is a new child in front of me. He suddenly doesn’t mind writing on his own and has even started typing his own stories on the computer. Just last week I found two full typed pages of stories that he wrote (non school related!!) sitting on his desk. My heart may have done a happy dance.

While our youngest (age 8) is still in the same writing dilemma at the moment, he’ll have a little bit more of a jump on his brother because I’m not going to push the writing issue, but rather scribe for him as well. When I’ve done that already this year, the words begin to flow quickly and there is a noticeable change in attitude (for both of us!).

Can I encourage you to think outside the box if you have a child who is struggling with writing (or any other area for that matter)? Let go of the expectations that you feel in that area and look at it a little differently. Do not let yourself get stuck in a comparison of what someone else’s child is doing that yours is not. (Trust me on this).

Yes, there are times that we may need to be concerned with our child’s learning progress, but sometimes a little creativity or bending of the rules may make a huge difference – and turn into a learning experience for both of you!

A Few More Helps for Moms

If you have a child any age that is struggling with writing, here are a few blog posts that I would HIGHLY recommend you take a few minutes to read:

Are YOU struggling with a reluctant writer? Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

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Filed Under: Encouragement for Moms, My Ramblings, Writing 6 Comments

My Goals for October and Life at the Moment

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October 1, 2014 by Jolanthe 2 Comments

Now that school is back in full swing and the craziness has 100% set in, we’re adjusting to the routine of swim team practice almost every night and our updated school routine. Sometimes I think it is going so smoothly that I must be missing something. (Tell me that’s just not me?)

p.s. that freezer meal cooking marathon has been a huge help for busy nights!

homeschool mom relaxing

I may be feeling a wee bit sassy at the moment with a newer haircut and also some new glasses. I know the glasses aren’t that much different from my old ones, but humor me. They’re new to me! We moved one of our bean bag chairs into the school room this week and I managed to sneak a few minutes of relaxing before one of the kids found me.

pilot frixon

This week I also found the Pilot FriXion pens. They ERASE, ladies!! I may be in colored gel pen heaven. The pens come in all of my kid’s colors, so color coding will be easy enough and now I don’t have to go all crazy when I make a mistake in ink. Pencil is nice, but there’s just something about using ink that makes me happy.

Life with Two Co-ops

Two co-ops are definitely keeping us busy. Planning one day for 3 year olds and another for a high school lit class is almost hilarious at times. You moms with a huge age range can definitely relate, right? I’ve been dusting off my literature background (that MLA format is having a good time with me!), putting together grading rubrics, and trying to keep up with the reading lists as well. It may be putting a kink in my regular reading plans too (or maybe I can use that as an excuse, right?).

Life in General & Goals for the Month

With the house empty for a chunk of time at night, I’ve been able to get things done around the house and put a little work time in too, but somehow I never get all that I want done fully accomplished. But the kitchen counters have stayed clean for the most part and the house is getting decluttered, so there’s that.

Here’s a look at a few things I would like to accomplish this month. When I say ‘few’ I mean that likely there are 500 things I will also come up with that just ‘need’ to be done, get highly distracted, and then forget what my original intent was. Having a list helps me REMEMBER what my original goals were.

Finish a few printables I’ve had on my list and almost finished!
Work every day on one 20 minute task – oh the list I have is fairly endless, but overall our basement is the area that I want to target this month. Breaking it up into manageable chunks of time is a huge help!
Read for 20 minutes each day (on my own) and finish 3 non-fiction books on my reading list.
Read with the kids for 20 minutes each day (book lists to come!).
Reinstitute a daily ‘quiet time’ with the kids – and follow with cookies. Fresh baked cookies make everything lovely. And quiet time is very, very nice.
Sort the kids clothes for the great winter clothing saga.
Play a family game at least twice a week with the kids.
Get tea time with the girls back in full swing.
Book a weekend to have THE TALK with McKenna – oh yes, it’s that time!
and there’s more…always more.

With THAT said – what are YOU hoping to accomplish in October?

Coupon Codes and Companies to Thank

We really appreciate the following companies. Many of these have been long time sponsors of Homeschool Creations and we are SO thankful for them – be sure to stop by their sites and check them out!

Our family is looking forward to the 2015 Teach Them Diligently Conventions – we so enjoyed the one we attended this past year. Speakers are being lined up now and it is promising to be another great year! The 2015 locations include Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Sandusky, OH; and Dallas, TX. Hope to see you at one of them! Our entire family will be attending the Sandusky, OH event!!

Celebrate Advent this year reading the newest book from Anne Voskamp, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. The book includes daily devotions for children of all ages and is beautifully illustrated!

Home Art Studio teaches children how to express themselves creatively while also learning about art concepts and principles. Your child will love this series of DVD art classes – and so will you!

Educents is a curated deal website that discounts homeschooling curriculum and educational products up to 90% off! Save an additional 10% with code HSCreations10.

Speekee is the most comprehensive online Spanish program for children ever created. Children learn best when they are having fun, and that’s what Speekee is all about!

Under Drake’s Flag is a NEW 2-CD audio adventure that will captivate your child’s imagination and teach strong moral values. This wholesome entertainment will awaken a love of true history in your children!

Reader’s Favorite Posts from September 2014

Curious to see what others have been reading this past month? Below is a list of the ten most visited posts for the month of September 2014. You all were apparently much into learning about the Constitution and stuffing your freezer full of yumminess:

Having trouble downloading or printing this file? Be sure to check out the post on PDF Download Problems for tips and tricks on getting the files to download properly. The solution is usually something simple and quick!

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Filed Under: My Ramblings 2 Comments

Books on My Nightstand – and All Over the House

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September 16, 2014 by Jolanthe 14 Comments

The amount of books that I’ve been piling on my nightstand, stuffing in baskets, and dropping all over the house is just about ridiculous lately. I do believe I have a book problem.

(I suppose there are worse things, right?)

At the beginning of the year I set a goal to read 12 non-fiction books by the end of the year, because typically those are the books that I avoid. I’d much rather read book candy, but my brain really needs some deeper stuff to fill it up and my heart really needs encouragement too.

Technically, I’m a little behind on the original list, although I have finished ten books now (see the full list here). That may have something to do with the fact that I have four books currently in hand that I am reading (sticking to one at a time is apparently boring).

Non-Fiction to Recommend

One of the books added to my list last month, Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, was an accidental order (I was supposed to order the journal). We’ve been working through the series with our homegroup and it has been great – so now I’m reading the book too!

Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey {finished 8/2} REALLY good book!!
Parenting with Love and Logic by Cline and Fay {in process}
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman {in process}

Parenting with Love and Logic goes along with Loving Our Kids on Purpose, a book I read earlier this year. Rick and I are now reading them together. Both books have clicked with how my brain works and have given me some good parenting tips (and I can use all that I can get!).

I’m also looking forward to these few books…

The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith
The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst

Favorite Fiction Reads

Reading before bed is just relaxing. Especially on my Kindle. Here are just a few of the books that I’ve recently enjoyed and recommend.

Traces of Mercy by Michael Landon – just know that it’s the first in a series, and the rest of the books aren’t available yet. Boo.
As You Are by Sarah M. Eden – cannot say enough how much I love her books!
The Lady Emily Mystery series by Tasha Alexander – I happened to pick one up at the library and immediately went back to read all EIGHT of the books in the series. Good, clean, and well written (and I like that).

If you’re interested in seeing all of the books that I’ve read so far this year, visit my 2014 Pinterest Reading Board.

What are YOU reading right now?

Amazon.com Widgets

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Filed Under: My Ramblings, Reading 14 Comments

Four Weeks of School Down…

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September 9, 2014 by Jolanthe 9 Comments

For the last four weeks we’ve slowly been adding in subjects as the weeks go along and our fifth week will mean we’ll have a full schedule. The phasing in of subjects helps me figure out the overall rhythm of our days and start tweaking things early on so we don’t get too overwhelmed with what needs to be done.

The first week we focused on the basics: math, language, reading, handwriting, and Bible. Week two we added science, writing, and art. Week three added spelling and starting our fourth week we started with LEGO Education and Snap Circuits (although the boys have been sneaking them out the last two weeks – wink).

This week we add in our final subject: history. I am so excited to start the fourth year of Mystery of History. The kids have been asking about it, so you know they are ready! Also our last piece of curriculum, All About Reading 4, is on it’s way here (woot!).

So far, I have to say that we are loving Learning Language Arts Through Literature. It was a big switch for my brain, but it has been a great fit for both of the boys and for that I am so happy. It was one of those decisions that I was so nervous about, so the fact that it has fit in so seamlessly is a a huge relief.

Adding in Co-op

During our fourth week of school we also added two different co-ops to our schedule (you are free to call me crazy at any time). Both of them offer different opportunities for the kids – one offers two high school classes for Laurianna, and the other involves fun ‘extra’ classes that often get put to the side (PE, music, etc…) for all four.

For the fall semester I’ll be teaching two classes: high school lit and the 3-year-old class. (Can you guess what we talked about in the 3 year old class this past week?) My brain may be having a bit of trouble jumping back and forth on lesson plans for those.

A Peek at High School

Laurianna has been the one with the most changes this year in her work load. While she is (almost always) handling the changes well, she is fully understanding the intensity of high school level classes, but doing it with much dedication. Definitely proud of that girl!

A certain mom realized that said daughter could work on every other Algebra problem and still do what was necessary (it only took 13 lessons before I remembered we did that very same thing in high school). One of her favorite subjects though this year has been North Star Geography. Maybe it shouldn’t make me giggle, but I love hearing the little factoids that she is learning about different countries.

That pretty much wraps up the first four weeks of our homeschool time. How has school been going for you?

Linking up this week with Collage Friday and Weekly Wrap-up!

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Filed Under: Collage Friday, My Ramblings, Weekly Wrap Up 9 Comments

Year in Review :: Reader’s Favorite Posts in 2014

A Few of MY Favorites

Top Posts of ALL Time

My Goals for November

Personal Goals

Parenting/Family Goals

Marriage Goals

Home Goals

Homeschooling Goals

Sponsor Thanks for November

Reader’s Favorite Posts from October 2014

When Your Child Hates Writing – Tip for a Reluctant Writer

A Few More Helps for Moms

My Goals for October and Life at the Moment

Life with Two Co-ops

Life in General & Goals for the Month

Coupon Codes and Companies to Thank

Reader’s Favorite Posts from September 2014

Books on My Nightstand – and All Over the House

Non-Fiction to Recommend

Favorite Fiction Reads

Four Weeks of School Down…

Adding in Co-op

A Peek at High School

Looking for Something?

A Little About Me

All About Spelling Review

All About Reading Review

Nancy Larson Science

Teaching Textbooks Review

Check the Archives