Week 7 - Sing & Dance With Them

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…

Do you remember growing up and singing Christmas carols with your family? I unfortunately never got to experience this with my own family but I did get to go caroling with a few friends from church when I was a young teen. I remember having so much fun as we passed out Christmas meals to those in need, and cheered them up with a few Christmas favorites. I will never forget that experience as it was one of pure joy for me. 

The only thing that would've made it even better? Getting to do it with family.

Singing and dancing are very fun (and active) ways to engage your children and make the most of their younger years. My son will be ten next month and we love to sing together. My personal favorite is when we are in the car singing along to KLOVE, or for the past couple months, Colt Slack, who by the way, is an AWESOME Christian rapper! We had the privilege of seeing him in concert recently and purchased one of his cds. My son and I have played that thing so many times I’m surprised it still works!

We also like to dance together at home in the living room. We’ll put in an upbeat cd and just have fun dancing to it. We used to do this ALL the time! To be honest, we haven’t done it as much lately and I miss it! Mental note: add to my to-do list this week. 

For those parents who are thinking “Me? Sing? Dance? Are you serious?!?” The answer, of course, is YES! 

Parents, our children are only young once. What we teach them today will carry on with them into their adult lives, and will be things they teach to their own children. Who cares if you can’t carry a tune to save your life? So what if you have two left feet? Your children will appreciate the quality time together and will have a blast sharing their experiences with others. And if they tell their friends about your singing handicap? Well, you can always LAUGH with them! 

This week:
Find a family-friendly cd and have fun singing and dancing together. Let’s show our kids that we can get crazy and have fun!

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Week 6 - Watch Movies With Them

As Christmas quickly approaches, I want to talk about one of my favorite ways to make memories with our children, and definitely form a greater bond with them.

As I think back on my childhood, I remember one special time that really stands out more than any others: watching Christmas movies with my Grandparents. Sipping on hot cocoa while watching Frosty The Snowman was a great way to spend those crisp winter days. Even though “the weather outside was frightful”, “the hot cocoa and movies were so delightful…”

Today, my favorite channel on television is the Hallmark channel. Not only do they have the classic Christmas cartoons I grew up on, but they also have wholesome movies that are great for the entire family. The best part is, Hallmark is great all year, regardless of the season, making it easy for parents to catch a movie with their kiddos before bedtime.

As Christmas comes and goes this coming week, there will be many memories shared. I hope that all my readers will consider making “movie time” one of them. Your children won’t be disappointed!

This week:

Watch a Christmas movie with your children. Feel free to make some cocoa and cuddle on the couch too! J

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Week 5 - Take Them Shopping With You

Shopping…A simple word, yet it puts fear in the hearts of many. 

The evil, dreaded grocery shopping. 

The men who have to endure clothes shopping. 

The kids who get bored and say “Are we done yet?” 

The Mom who leaves the store crying because her toddler is throwing a tantrum and she just doesn't have the energy to cope.

Most of us have experienced at least one of these scenarios in our lifetime. We have come to know shopping as a chore...something not fun...a task that needs to be completed quickly, and preferably ALONE.

Sadly this is a common thing for many parents today (myself included). We do our shopping before we pick up the kiddos from daycare, or if we take them with us, we go through each aisle absolutely frustrated with the endless questions:

“Mommy, can I have this?”

“Can you buy me that?”

“I want this!”

“PLEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE?????”

I think we are getting frustrated because we aren't looking with the right perspective. Our children need to learn from us, especially when it comes to shopping. 

Does your five-year-old know how to tell when a banana is ripe? 

What about your ten-year-old? Does he or she know how to tell how much sodium is in an item, and what sodium even is?

Which is healthier, whole milk or skim?

These are things that our children need to know, because someday they will have households of their own. Wouldn't you like to rest easy, knowing that your children have a good knowledge of healthy shopping?

If your kids are older, you can give them their own list of items to pick up. They can grab all the canned goods while you shop for the dairy and produce. Of course, they will have questions. They may pick up the wrong item. They may try to sneak a candy bar into the cart. Try not to get frustrated. Use this as a quality teaching moment with your child(ren).

If your kids are younger (still sitting in the shopping cart), you can ask them to help you decide which type of an item to get. Do you need three fruits for the week? Ask your two-year-old which fruit they would like, and then show it to them as you put it in the cart. 

Be sure to let them know that you value their opinion.

No longer do shopping trips need to be stressful.

No longer do we need to leave our children out of an essential part of life.

No longer do our children have to feel like burdens.

Now we and our children can have quality time together, learning together, and valuing each other, WHILE in the store.

This week:

Take your kids (all of them) to the store with you. Allow them to be part of the shopping process while letting them know their opinion matters to you. Come back to this post at the end of the week and leave a comment on how your trip went. Have a great week! 

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Week 4 – Pray With Them

If you grew up like I did, you probably weren't very familiar with the word “prayer”. In fact, I never heard that word until I got into middle school and was invited to attend church with a friend. My family was anything BUT religious, and I always felt like I was “different”. I never truly fit in with any of my relatives, and I grew up not knowing the value of close relationships.

When a friend invited me to church in middle school, I jumped at the chance. I never truly gave my heart to God at that time, but the seed had been planted. I remember my friend’s mom praying with me each time she dropped me off after church. She would hug me and let me know that God loved me. I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful I felt when she said that. It was hard to fathom God loving me so much that he sent his son to die on the cross for me.

As I entered adulthood, I attended church occasionally, gradually finding my way to God and submitting my heart to him in December 2009 at age 26. By then, my son was five years old. I wanted him to have a relationship with God early on, so I started praying with him each night before bed. Over the past four years, I have taught him to pray in every circumstance (good or bad). 

We’re not perfect by any means, and we don’t always remember to pray. Life often gets in the way and we’re rushing out the door in the mornings to get to school and work on time. Sometimes, the only prayer my son hears is at night before bed. But even that one prayer can have a profound effect on his relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I have noticed our bond getting stronger each year as a result of our prayers. He is slowly opening up to me more about things that bother him, and he's becoming more comfortable talking to me about private issues. He knows he can rely on me to lead him in the right direction and he trusts my opinion.

At nine years old, my sweet boy loves to pray, and he spent a lot of time at the altar this past week at church camp. He loves God, and loves helping others. I couldn't be more proud of him! He is well on his way to becoming a “Kingdom Man”. I know firsthand that the power of prayer is powerful and effective. My hope is that you will come to know this too.

This week:

Set aside a few minutes each day to pray with your children. Do you have spare time in the mornings? Before bed? Make it a special time to acknowledge all that God is doing in your lives, and to bring some of your worries/concerns before him. Keep the prayers short and simple, as most young children will quickly get bored and lose interest. Lastly, don’t get discouraged if you miss a day of prayer this week. God’s mercies are new every morning! :)

Blessed by him,

Adrienne

Week 3 - Play Outside With Them

Do you remember your childhood years? Summer days were spent swimming at the public pool (or your backyard if you were “cool” enough to own your own pool). Bike rides with friends were a great way to dry off afterwards.

Fall brought falling leaves that provided just enough cushion when you fell into them. I remember my grandpa raking the yard and getting all the leaves into one big heap. Then here came little Adrienne, jumping right into that pile and spreading them everywhere. Grandpa shot me a look and then he smiled. He knew I was just a kid…and he was okay with that. 

Winter was a time of attempting to build snowmen. I say “attempt” because no matter how hard I tried, I could never roll a ball of snow. I really do not know how people used to do that, or still do. My snowmen were always lumps of snow piled on top of each other.

Really not a pretty sight.

Finally, spring came, filling our yard with lots of flowers and dandelions. I remember running through them all, pretending that I was a princess. Oh how those days bring back fond memories of my childhood.

If only I could be a kid again.

Oh but I can! You see, now that I am an adult, I have children of my own. My boys are 9 and 6 and VERY active. J They love to run, jump, climb trees, ride bikes, and much more! As their Mom, it is my job to encourage physical activity. With childhood obesity on the rise, being active is not just a preference; it’s a requirement. 

Sadly, a lot of children are being raised to believe that the only way they can “play” is with video games. I have seen children as young as 4 years old have an x-box, playstation, and Nintendo DS. They spent most of their days playing games all day long, only stopping to eat and use the bathroom. Then we as parents wonder why our kids aren’t active, and why they are suddenly gaining more weight than they should. 

Now I know I may offend some readers, and that is not my intention. I merely want to point out that this is a serious problem in America, one that needs dealt with NOW.

We need to be encouraging our children to go outside, even if that means we have to return the electronics to the store. Yes, you read that right. RETURN them. Sell them, do something! When I was a kid, I had to use my imagination outside in nature, often using sticks, leaves, and rocks to entertain me. And you know what? I WAS OKAY WITH THAT! And here’s a shocker: I’m still alive.  I didn’t die because I didn’t have the newest, most awesomest game that ALL my friends had. I lived through it, played outside, and now I can teach my boys to do the same. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I do buy them little toy swords, and they have a whole collection of legos, but they are very active outside. The legos are mainly for those days where we absolutely cannot get outside, or when we just need some quiet time. 

As parents, it is up to us to raise our kids to know the value of staying active and living a healthy lifestyle. Our children should be active at least one hour a day, but we should strive for more. By teaching them at a young age, they will have a better chance of sticking with it as they get older, and even teaching their own children the value of play.

This week:

Play outside with your children a few days this week. Bundle up and go build a snowman, or fort, or igloo. Go for a walk and talk about the beauty of nature that God created. Make snow angels. Have a snowball fight. It doesn’t matter what you do, just be ACTIVE.  

Blessed By Him, 

Adrienne

Week 2 - Read To Them

Ever since I can remember, reading has been my absolute favorite pastime (besides bowling, of course!) I used to have an endless supply of books that I would read over and over, and I frequently asked my grandparents to take me to the library to get more. I remember one library in particular; it seemed so huge when we walked in. There were aisles upon aisles of books, and I stood in awe as I tried to decide where to begin.

The excitement of knowing that I was one book away from a new adventure gave me goosebumps!

As a full-time working Mom, I don’t get much time to read for pleasure these days. While I used to read a book in a day or two, it now takes a month or more. That’s why I love reading children’s books. I can read TONS of those in a day! And the best part is, 

I get to spend quality time with my kids while doing so.

My boys love to read, and they love hearing me read to them. I try to read them a story each night before bed, and sometimes have them read the story to me. It’s a great way to bond with them AND get some reading time in. Plus, I am fostering their love of reading, which will help them in every aspect of their lives.

This week:

Read a story to your children. It can be anything (Bible stories, Disney, Dr. Seuss, etc). Take your time and enjoy the moment. If your children are old enough, let them participate in the reading. If you really want to make it fun, try using a different voice for each character in the story. My boys LOVE when I do this!

Once you’re done, leave a comment below and let the rest of us know what book you read. Happy Reading! :)

Blessed By Him, 

Adrienne

Week 1 - Play Games With Them

One of the fondest memories I have of my childhood was when my Grandpa and I played Checkers together. He taught me the game at a very young age, and I quickly fell in love with it. When I was bored, having a bad day, or just wanted time with Grandpa, he would get the game out and play it with me. Now that I’m older, I still love Checkers. In fact, it is my favorite game. I have attempted to pass this love down to my own children, but they seem to prefer Skip-Bo and Yahtzee. Fine with me, as long as it’s not video games! J I just want to be able to spend time with them, doing time-honored traditions like playing card or board games.

Where do we find the time???

 With our fast-paced society, I know it can be hard to find time to squeeze in a good game, especially if you work outside the home full-time. By the time you get home for the day, you’re ready to eat dinner and go to bed. Been there, done that! But believe me, it is well worth it if you will make it a priority to set aside thirty to sixty minutes, a couple days a week, to play a game with your children. Luckily I have been off work the past couple weeks for Christmas break, so my husband and I have gotten to play a game with them each day. When I go back to work Monday, though, that will probably dwindle down to two or three days per week. As long as you are consistent (once a week or more), you will see your bond with your children grow stronger. Just make sure to spice it up a little. Playing the same game over and over can quickly become a tedious chore rather than a favorite pastime. Take it from a Momma whose boys have gotten tired of Checkers! L

This week:

Play a game with your children at least one day this week. It can be a board or card game. NO VIDEO GAMES! Then come back to this post and leave a comment with the game you played and any thoughts you have.

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

10 Ways to Form a Greater Bond With Your Kids

I have two sons who live with me, ages 8 and 6. When my oldest was first born, I was a stay-at-home Mom, which allowed me many chances to form a tight bond with him. I am thankful for that because now, even though I now work, I still have that solid foundation to stand on. Unfortunately, my full-time job and school do not allow for much time with my boys. Weekends are about the only chance I really get to have quality time with them, and even then, sometimes our schedules are so full that time is limited. 

I have had the privilege of being off work the past couple weeks for Christmas break. During that time, I came up with a list of ten ways that I can make more time for my children and strengthen our bond. I figured others could benefit from these also, so each Saturday for ten weeks, I will be sharing one way that you can form a greater bond with your kids. I hope you all will enjoy these and take them to heart. Each one holds special meaning for me and my children, and I hope they do the same for you and your kids as well.

Blessed by Him, 

Adrienne

2013 New Year's Commitment

Ahhh, the time of year where we spend countless hours trying to come up with the perfect New Year's Resolution. Do I want to quit smoking? Lose weight? Quit drinking? Be nicer to people? The list goes on...and on...and on...

Once we figure out what we want to work on, we may stay faithful to it for a few days, a month, maybe even a couple months. Then life gets in the way. We smoke that cigarette, eat that candy bar, drink that one beer, snap at that one person. Before we know it, our resolution is forgotten.

That's why, for the second year in a row, I have decided to make a commitment; a faithful decision to live out certain things this year, regardless of situation or circumstance.

Below is my list of six commitments for 2013.

1. I COMMIT to gaining a healthier lifestyle by exercising more, eating healthier foods, and limiting my sweet treats.

2. I COMMIT to being the hands and feet of Jesus on a DAILY basis, and teaching my children to do the same.

3. I COMMIT to being a woman of integrity in everything that I do.

4. I COMMIT to being a Proverbs 31 wife by showing my husband unconditional love each day, and making him proud to call himself my husband.

5. I COMMIT to being a Proverbs 31 mother by making sure my children hear God’s word each morning before school and each night before bed, by praying for them every day, and by teaching them about God's love, mercy, and grace at every opportunity.

6. I COMMIT to making the care and maintenance of my current friendships more of a priority, and to also develop and maintain new friendships.

If you haven’t already, I encourage each of you to make a commitment for 2013. Remember, a commitment is something that you are devoted to, something that you will work on all year long! Leave a comment and let me know what your commitments are. I can’t wait to read them!

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Goodbye 2012!

Fa la la la la, it's time to say goodbye...

Even though 2012 will be gone in just a few hours, the memories of this year will forever remain in my heart. Incase you missed them, here are the highlights of my 2012.

January - I took a shot at homeschooling the boys. It failed, but at least now I won't spend my life wondering "What if?"

May - I turned 29, making this the last year in my 20's. BIG SAD FACE :(

June - I found my brother and sister on Facebook, giving me two sisters, one brother, two nieces, and three nephews!!! :)

July - I started working at The Excel Center. I also got to meet my sister for the first time!!!

September - Robbie started attending Liberty Christian School, the BEST decision I ever made for him! :)

December - Travis and I celebrated our three-year anniversary. I also met my brother and sister-in-law for the first time on the 8th, then went back to spend Christmas with them!!!

  

After such an amazing 2012, how can 2013 ever compare? I guess only time will tell. 

What were the highlights of your 2012? Feel free to comment below!

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Christmas Blessings

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

That's right, I'm talking about Christmas!!! The time where you get together with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

This year was very special because I got to spend it with someone very dear to me: my brother! Some of you know that I just found him and my sister on Facebook a few months ago. The last time I saw him, he was 1, I was 7. That was 22 years ago! My husband and I went to meet him and his wife a few weeks ago and we had a blast! We were able to come back for Christmas, and it was such a blessed experience. Not only did I get to see him, my sister-in-law (I really don't like the word "in-law", but I didn't want to confuse anyone), and their beautiful daughter (my niece), but I also got to see my brother's mom (we are half-siblings), who I remembered as a caring, compassionate woman. Seeing and talking with her on Christmas confirmed that my memory was right. In fact, she was even more awesome than I remember!

I also got to see my brother's other siblings, who I remember from when I was 7. I actually went to school with his sister and we were good friends. It was great to see her again! I really enjoyed the reunion, as well as meeting new people. I am thankful that God brought us together again and allowed us the chance to form a sibling bond. I know there are many who will never get that chance, and my heart aches for them. I have been there, and I know the pain of knowing you have family out there that you may never see. To those who are in this situation, all I can say is PRAY! I prayed for years and years, hoping that one day God would answer my prayer, and he finally did. He IS listening!

Yes, Christmas is a wonderful time. Not only did I get to celebrate Jesus' birth this year, but I got to do it with people who love him as much as I do. And for that, I will rejoice! Here is a pic of my brother, his mom, and me.

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Thanksgiving

Food...Fun...Family...Friends...Did I mention FOOD?

Over the years, Thanksgiving has slowly become one of my favorite holidays. Growing up, it was viewed as just a day where you get together with other people and eat until your stomach hurts. We never prayed, never thought about WHY we were celebrating. I grew up not really understanding the true meaning of this special day. It wasn't until 2009 (when I got with my husband), that I really began to see why Thanksgiving is a day to truly celebrate. 

Travis and I made a small feast in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, we attended a community feast in our neighborhood. Even though those events were fun, they can never compare to this year. Travis and I (and our boys) worked together to make a nice big dinner. Oh, and by the way, this was the first time I've made pumpkin pie. Granted, the pie came from a can, but still, I had to mix it with other ingredients and pour it into the crust myself! That can be considered "from scratch", right? ;) 

Travis had a "first" this year too. He made some delicious deviled eggs (not in the picture), and they were amazing! I think I had maybe one or two (or ten). I love cooking with my husband, and I love when we do "firsts" together. It makes for a wonderful bonding experience. 

We invited a couple friends over and had a great time. We asked God to bless the food, and enjoyed the company of friends (including Jesus). All in all, it was a great day, and one that I will remember for a lifetime. Here is a picture of our wonderful feast! Maybe next year, YOU can join us! :)

Blessed by Him,

Adrienne

Robbie at Liberty Christian

Robbie got accepted into Liberty Christian School. He starts Tuesday. I'm so excited! I really feel that this will be a good fit for him. I can never seem to find enough time throughout the week to teach him about God, so now I can feel better knowing that while I'm at work he'll be learning in a Christian environment. Right now, it seems as though he's nervous to talk about God in public school, and when I tried to pray with him outside his classroom, he tried to hurry me up. It was almost as if he was embarrassed, which made me really sad. I don't want him to be ashamed to pray. At Liberty, the students and staff pray together every morning before class starts. It's a school-wide prayer. I love it! Maybe now he'll actually like praying and won't feel embarrassed. 

Also, when the Principal did his placement test Saturday morning, he scored at the 3rd grade level for Math, but a beginning 5th grade level for Reading! It was actually stated as "a 4th grader in the 9th month of school", but if you think about that, there's only nine months of school. So basically he's reading the same as a 4th grader who just finished the 4th grade and is getting ready to go into 5th (after summer break). He just started 3rd grade so I'm super proud of him for being such a great reader! My little man is growing up to be such a wonderful person, and I couldn't be happier.

Robbie's 8th Birthday!!! :)

Today is Robbie's birthday. I can't believe he's already 8! Where did the time go? He got to go with me to work today as a special treat. It was fun! I told him he no longer needs to sit in his booster seat, but he's still in it, LOL. I think he's gotten so used to it that he doesn't want to give it up. Maybe tomorrow!

Happy New Year!!! :)

Well, I don't know about you, but for me, last night was AWESOME!!! We rang in the new year at church and it was so much fun! The evening started off with food and a movie (Facing The Giants was our choice for the evening). We ate chips, chicken, mushrooms, cupcakes, brownies, pizza, macaroni salad, potato salad, and my favorite....fried pickles! Pam always makes them sooooo delicious. She also made the fried chicken and fried mushrooms. If this sounds as good to you as it does to me, you should contact her and ask her to make you a bowl...or two...or fifty. I don't think she'd mind. Really, she would LOVE it! *Notice the sarcasm?*

So after filling up on this food (I was already full at Pam's house before we left!), I decided to relax for a bit. We played a card game while I had a few more bites of brownie. Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking, but it was begging me to eat it! It kept looking at me and whispering my name. You would've heard it if you had been there...at CHURCH...where you SHOULD'VE been!

So, after the card game (which lasted more than an hour, for ONE game) *Still loved it though!*, we put our stuff away and headed upstairs to count down the seconds to midnight. I have always watched the ball drop on television, but we don't have cable at our church. Pastor felt bad for me *more sarcasm*, so he wadded up a sheet of paper and threw it up in the air to welcome the New Year. Can you imagine people's expressions in New York if their ball suddenly got thrown into the air? HAPPY NEW...AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

Okay, back to reality. After our ball "dropped", we listened to a quick sermon, sang a couple songs, and went home. It was so exciting celebrating the new year with God and family. Maybe next year, we can use a bowling ball...or not.

What Women Fear

I attended the "Women of Faith" conference in Indianapolis this past August. For those that don't know what that is, it's an event for Christian women to come and spend a couple days in fellowship with other women, and listening to various speakers about important issues. All the speakers did an amazing job, but the one I felt the most connection with was Angie Smith. She lost her daughter just a few short hours after birth, and as most of you know, I lost my daughter two weeks before my due-date. Angie grew up with a lot of fears that consumed her, and so did I. 

I bought her book "What Women Fear" at the conference. I have been reading a little bit here and there, and finally finished it tonight. It normally doesn't take me four months to read a book, but I have been swamped with life, and often don't have time for reading. That reminds me, I need to add that to my list of 2012 "commitments": Make more time for reading!

Okay, anyway, this book was very amazing. She mentioned fear of storms, public speaking, fearing God and many others. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it, so I'll stop there. I encourage all women to read this book if you haven't already. Angie is a wonderful person with a great personality. She's funny, kind, and just an awesome person to listen to. You will be amazed at how great of a job she did with writing this book. You won't want to put it down! 

She also has a blog if you're interested in taking a look. Bring The Rain

Thankfulness

Have you ever stopped to think what you're truly thankful for (besides on Thanksgiving)?
I know most of us thank God for the big things, but what about little things? I want to encourage anyone who reads this, to come up with 20 things that you are thankful to God for TODAY. Not yesterday, not last week or last month. TODAY. Here is my list.

1. eyes
2. feet
3. arms
4. Zach's affection
5. clothes
6. food
7. pets
8. winter
9. having 2 weeks off from work
10. dishes to eat on
11. christmas tree
12. good friends to talk to throughout the day
13. God!
14. Joyce Meyer's Confident Woman Devotionals
15. air
16. car
17. laptop
18. water
19. church family
20. washer/dryer

Some of these may seem unworthy of mentioning in your opinion, but when you thank God for each one of these, and you acknowledge him for blessing you with each item on your list, he smiles! He also sees that since you thank him for the small things, you can be well trusted with the big things.

Christmas Clean-Up

Christmas went well. We all enjoyed our gifts, but the most special gift of all was being able to be with family and celebrate Christ's love for us. We went to church, and then afterwards, went to Pastor Thomas and Lynna's house for Christmas dinner. I know that a lot of people like to be with just their own families for Christmas, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I enjoyed being around Christian friends while celebrating the true reason for the season. To me, it was a very special day. 

Now it's time for clean-up. Fun, fun! We have boxes galore in our living room for the tree and other miscellaneous decorations. We also have a box full of trash that needs taken to the curb (wrapping paper,  bows, etc. that the kids tore off their presents). After the decorations come off, it's time to take down the tree. I think we're going to throw this one away since we've had it for a while, and get a real one next year. I've never had a real tree, so this should be fun!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Next up: New Year's!!!

Day 1 of Homeschooling: SUCCESS!

Yesterday was our 1st day of homeschooling and it went well! The boys enjoyed being at home. We read a book that had a lot of "pointillist" artwork in it. (The artist uses dots to make a picture, rather than brush strokes. All of the dots together form a picture). We got out some paint and made our own pointillist paintings, which are now beautifully displayed in our living room. I also had them practice their math skills. Bible time is a part of each of our lessons, and the boys really enjoy it. I'm glad I get to teach them at home because they get to learn at their own pace, instead of being forced to learn many things in one day. Homeschool rocks! :)
 

Five In A Row

So last Sunday, I posted about getting the kids enrolled with K12. Well, after talking with a couple other Homeschooling Moms, and doing a LOT of research, I decided to go with Five In A Row instead. I love reading, and I believe books are SUPER important! Five In A Row bases all lessons on books. You read one book every day for a week. Each day, after reading the story, you pick a lesson or two. So Monday, you may choose Art and Science. You can do an Art activity and Science activity based on the book. Tuesday, you may opt for Geography and Math, and so on.

The books are selected by the Five In A Row creators, and they choose stories which deal with strong family relationships, perseverance under trial, and other important values that children SHOULD be learning, but don't seem to be being taught in public school. They are only focused on the actual academics, but seem to not care less about other important values. Yes, I know this is the parent's job to teach, but I believe schools should reinforce these core areas.

I think Five In A Row will be awesome for the boys because they already love to read. Well, Robbie does. Zach doesn't know how to read yet, but I know he'll love it once he grasps it. I'm really glad I found Five In A Row, and am anxious to get started. I went to the school today and withdrew the boys, and tomorrow starts day 1 of homeschooling. Yay! :)