Here it is March 6, 2014, and school (homeschooling that is) is halfway over. I am sure I wouldn't call our first year a failure - yet, NO - not a failure, but a learning experience, a work in progress.
I don't know about you, but I think I have changed curriculums at least 3
times. I had a mishmash of curriculum from the homeschool curriculum sale, Ebay, etc. I started using the books, decided I didn't like them, tried something else, decided I didn't like them, and finally I picked up what I originally started with, and maybe not really liking it, but going to stick with it for the rest of the year. Probably more to say that I actually did it. The bad part, is that it is March, and I am only 1/3of the way through history and science. Science I do actually like, Apologia - wish I stuck with it from the beginning. I just thought it was a little over my little 6 year old's head, but .... onward march we go with it. I am in search of a new program for next year, something that is a little more structured. Being new to this, I really need to follow a schedule, or will go off in tangents that really don't end up anywhere. See, I am a book fanatic, and believe becoming what I know a lot of you are too (yes, I read your blogs) curriculum junkies. :) So, I see something, especially through the homeschool sales on FB, or on Ebay, and I just buy. I need to stop because I probably won't use most of it as I haven't quite decided on what to do for next year.
I have decided that I like the Charlotte Mason/Classical approach and many have said My Father's World which is a combination of both. I was hoping to find one program that would work best for both, unfortunately with my daughter going into 1st and my son going into 4th - it really isn't going to work until the following year with many of them the "all-in-one curriculums" I have been looking at. I am sure I can tweak it to fit, but this year I feel most of what I am teaching is over her head, I really want to be at her level next year. It is hard to keep her focused and engaged, and again, just like all of us, we really want to instill the "love" of learning and not just the "learning".
Another issue this year has posed is the eyeballs from people you see from "the school", or from family members. and them all inquisitively asking, "How is it going? - Do you like it?" At first, I would hesitate for a minute and just smile and say yes, trying to find our groove that is all. I guess it was really too early to answer that questions. Well, truth be told, I have not found our groove yet. I know my kids like being homeschooled, and YES - I do like it. We are having our struggles, trying to find that "groove", but overall, yes, I like it. Now to just get my kids to "love" to learn is the next part.
God be with all you new homeschooling moms out there. They say it does get easier. I guess we can say it does, or doesn't after the years go by, but for now - keep on keeping on moms.
Peace Out YO
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Saturday, November 30, 2013
I want to be your guinea pig
Yes, you read that correctly. I want to be your guinea pig - oink - or whatever they say.
I was in the shower just now thinking what I can do that would be fun this year. Not that I need more things to do, but something that would be maybe challenging, fun, but also help others out as well. So I came up with being your own personal guinea pig. I know, how does that sound fun? Well, you help me, I help you.
The part where I help you: Has there ever been something that you wanted to try, but just couldn't bring yourself to try it. Maybe you wanted to know if something was worth the money, or if something really worked. Maybe you have something your trying to sell and want to promote it to a wider audience. Well, that is where I come in. Let me try it for you. If you have something you want promoted, well send me whatever it is and I will give my full review and promote it here. I know I only have 2 followers right now, but I do have many FB followers and I will also promote it to the 300+ FB friends that I do have personally.
The part where it helps me: And what do I want in return you ask? Well, I just want you to like me. Like my FB page and also follow me on my blog itself. That is all I ask in return. I want to broaden my "blog people". So, this is a win win situation. You "follow" me and I will try out whatever you want. So, if your a stay at home mom that is trying to sell her homemade soap, well send me your soap and I will get the information out to everyone I know. If you are trying to sell something way in California but want to broaden your clientele here on the east coast, this is a perfect way to do it (and free). If your an inspiring singing and want an honest review on your music, I will give it and also help promote it.
Again, anything goes, well within reason of course. Another example that I thought about was the no-poo shampoo (I was washing my hair when I thought of this). Maybe it was something you wanted to try but just didn't know if it was something you really wanted to explore. Well then, let me be your guinea pig.
Of course, this is only my opinion. But I promise to give my an honest opinion on whatever it is. I may regret this, but right now it sounds fun and I am so interested to know what you will come up with.
So, let me be your guinea pig. Just let me know what I can test out for you, and you just like/follow my blog.
Ok everyone, what can I test for you - GO!!!!
Peace out YO!!!!
I was in the shower just now thinking what I can do that would be fun this year. Not that I need more things to do, but something that would be maybe challenging, fun, but also help others out as well. So I came up with being your own personal guinea pig. I know, how does that sound fun? Well, you help me, I help you.
The part where I help you: Has there ever been something that you wanted to try, but just couldn't bring yourself to try it. Maybe you wanted to know if something was worth the money, or if something really worked. Maybe you have something your trying to sell and want to promote it to a wider audience. Well, that is where I come in. Let me try it for you. If you have something you want promoted, well send me whatever it is and I will give my full review and promote it here. I know I only have 2 followers right now, but I do have many FB followers and I will also promote it to the 300+ FB friends that I do have personally.
The part where it helps me: And what do I want in return you ask? Well, I just want you to like me. Like my FB page and also follow me on my blog itself. That is all I ask in return. I want to broaden my "blog people". So, this is a win win situation. You "follow" me and I will try out whatever you want. So, if your a stay at home mom that is trying to sell her homemade soap, well send me your soap and I will get the information out to everyone I know. If you are trying to sell something way in California but want to broaden your clientele here on the east coast, this is a perfect way to do it (and free). If your an inspiring singing and want an honest review on your music, I will give it and also help promote it.
Again, anything goes, well within reason of course. Another example that I thought about was the no-poo shampoo (I was washing my hair when I thought of this). Maybe it was something you wanted to try but just didn't know if it was something you really wanted to explore. Well then, let me be your guinea pig.
Of course, this is only my opinion. But I promise to give my an honest opinion on whatever it is. I may regret this, but right now it sounds fun and I am so interested to know what you will come up with.
So, let me be your guinea pig. Just let me know what I can test out for you, and you just like/follow my blog.
Ok everyone, what can I test for you - GO!!!!
Peace out YO!!!!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Year of Wonders
Year of Wonder - A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks
I have been in the habit lately of reading my high schooler's books that she has to read for school. I have read The Great Gatsby which I did read in high school but read again, and A Fault With The Stars, and now Year of Wonder. I love reading, I just wish I had more time on my hands as it does take me a while to get through a book. Now some of the books I wouldn't really find suitable for high schoolers, like why would we want to teach our kids about infidelity and what I find to be a very unhealthy attraction to someone as you will find in The Great Gatsby. A Fault with the Stars was great.
I just finished Year of Wonder. Of course, I did not like the ending. I like the perfect, happy ever after endings, but I guess this book was more compatible to reality, but definitely an eye opener to one who didn't know much about the plague. I mean, everyone knows that a lot of people lost their lives, but this book really put you in the situation. I couldn't even imagine, and I hope to never have to go through something like this.
Overview: This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the “Plague Village,” tucked in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, when an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to the isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna’s eyes the reader follows the story of the plague year, as her fellow villagers make an extraordinary choice: convinced by a visionary young minister they elect to quarantine themselves within the village boundaries to arrest the spread of the disease. As the death toll rises and people turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna must confront the deaths of family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of illicit love.
The book I was reading from the library did not have the picture on the front, and when I saw this print, it definitely did not look what I had imagined Anna Frith to look like.
I found it amazing that this was spread first from fleas. Really. I guess just like now with the EEE from misquotes.
Facts on the plague (I love facts):
The Black Death
In the year 1665 death came calling on the city of London. Death in the form of plague. People called it the Black Death, black for the colour of the tell-tale lumps that foretold its presence in a victim's body, and death for the inevitable result. The plague germs were carried by fleas which lived as parasites on rats. Although it had first appeared in Britain in 1348, the islands were never totally free of plague, but it was like an unpleasant possibility that people just learned to live with while they got on with their business. This time it was different.
In 1663 plague ravaged Holland. Charles II forbade any trade with the Dutch, partly out of wise concern, and partly because his realm was engaged in a fierce trade war with Holland which eventually erupted into armed conflict. Despite the precautions, the early spring of 1665 brought a sudden rise in the death rate in the poorer sections of London. The authorities ignored it. As spring turned into one of the hottest summers in memory, the number of deaths escalated and panic set in.
I have been in the habit lately of reading my high schooler's books that she has to read for school. I have read The Great Gatsby which I did read in high school but read again, and A Fault With The Stars, and now Year of Wonder. I love reading, I just wish I had more time on my hands as it does take me a while to get through a book. Now some of the books I wouldn't really find suitable for high schoolers, like why would we want to teach our kids about infidelity and what I find to be a very unhealthy attraction to someone as you will find in The Great Gatsby. A Fault with the Stars was great.
I just finished Year of Wonder. Of course, I did not like the ending. I like the perfect, happy ever after endings, but I guess this book was more compatible to reality, but definitely an eye opener to one who didn't know much about the plague. I mean, everyone knows that a lot of people lost their lives, but this book really put you in the situation. I couldn't even imagine, and I hope to never have to go through something like this.
Overview: This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the “Plague Village,” tucked in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, when an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to the isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna’s eyes the reader follows the story of the plague year, as her fellow villagers make an extraordinary choice: convinced by a visionary young minister they elect to quarantine themselves within the village boundaries to arrest the spread of the disease. As the death toll rises and people turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna must confront the deaths of family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of illicit love.
The book I was reading from the library did not have the picture on the front, and when I saw this print, it definitely did not look what I had imagined Anna Frith to look like.
I found it amazing that this was spread first from fleas. Really. I guess just like now with the EEE from misquotes.
Facts on the plague (I love facts):
The Black Death
In the year 1665 death came calling on the city of London. Death in the form of plague. People called it the Black Death, black for the colour of the tell-tale lumps that foretold its presence in a victim's body, and death for the inevitable result. The plague germs were carried by fleas which lived as parasites on rats. Although it had first appeared in Britain in 1348, the islands were never totally free of plague, but it was like an unpleasant possibility that people just learned to live with while they got on with their business. This time it was different.
In 1663 plague ravaged Holland. Charles II forbade any trade with the Dutch, partly out of wise concern, and partly because his realm was engaged in a fierce trade war with Holland which eventually erupted into armed conflict. Despite the precautions, the early spring of 1665 brought a sudden rise in the death rate in the poorer sections of London. The authorities ignored it. As spring turned into one of the hottest summers in memory, the number of deaths escalated and panic set in.
Heroism in the midst of horror
One footnote to this tale of horror. The plague broke out in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire, brought on a shipment of old clothes sent from London. The villagers, led by their courageous clergyman, realized that the only way to stop the spread of the plague to surrounding villages was to voluntarily quarantine the village, refusing to leave until the plague had run its course. This they did, though the cost was 259 dead out of a total of 292 inhabitants. Each year this heroic event is commemorated by the Plague Sunday Service in Eyam.
One footnote to this tale of horror. The plague broke out in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire, brought on a shipment of old clothes sent from London. The villagers, led by their courageous clergyman, realized that the only way to stop the spread of the plague to surrounding villages was to voluntarily quarantine the village, refusing to leave until the plague had run its course. This they did, though the cost was 259 dead out of a total of 292 inhabitants. Each year this heroic event is commemorated by the Plague Sunday Service in Eyam.
And it was this heroism in the town of Eyam that brought us the book, Year of Wonder. A remarkable story told by author Geraldine Brooks, in whom in the Afterward in the book explained how she stumbled by chance upon this story when visiting Eyam in the summer of 1990 as a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
I definitely would recommend this and it will certainly bring you back to what I think of as a historical tragedy. The author really puts you in the midst of the situation in which you can really feel the pain and suffering, the questions and concerns of a town, and the bazaar things that can happen to oneself and one's community when such a tragedy does occur.
A good way to honor the lost, and the ones who survived.
Happy reading my friends.
Peace out - Yo!!!!! God Bless
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Breaking Bad
As you know by now, I am an avid movie watcher. I feel I can live my life vicariously through the characters of movies and TV shows. I have to get excitement from somewhere. I am not really an interesting person, kind of boring if you ask me. Your probably falling asleep by the boredom as you read this and feeling really bad for me. Really - how much excitement can I get from being a homeschooling mom who also works at home. The only excitement I get is going to scout meetings and soccer games (Love being a soccer mom - Yeah!!!!!) Can you feel the excitement yet.
No really. I do love my kids and they definitely keep my life going, or should I say they keep my head spinning.
I am not a big TV fan. I find them just not that interesting. Since Friends and Lost went off the air, I really don't watch primetime TV, and definitely not daytime TV. Soap operas are long gone for me. I think the sad part is, is that I can start watching General Hospital again and I will know exactly what is going on even though I haven't watched it in over 10 years. Now that is sad. Ok I just really depressed myself, because when I run into people I haven't seen for 10 years and they ask that questions "what have you been up to?" - and you reply same ole thing. HA. So I guess I am as bad as General Hospital. Just throw in a few more kids and a new husband. Now that is excitement.
I do though love showtime and HBO series. They are great. I had finished up Weeds a couple of weeks ago. Not a big fan at how it ends. Sorry. I won't give anything away, but NOPE. Kill joy. Now I am in the process of waiting for the next season of Dexter to come along, as well as The Big C - two more great series. However, I am too stingy to go buy them that I wait for them to come through the library.
So, Yo - Bitch - in the meantime, I finally brought home Breaking Bad season 1. I had picked that series up more than once and just kept putting it back down. Didn't look like something I would be interested in, but as I heard they are finishing up the show, and I had nothing else to watch, I brought it home. Well let me tell you something - I AM HOOKED. I am in season 3 and I look forward to watching it. It is one of those shows I actually yell at the TV as if they can hear me. So YO!!!! Bitch!!!!! My 9 year old son is picking up on the sayings - and I don't let him watch.
No really. I do love my kids and they definitely keep my life going, or should I say they keep my head spinning.
I am not a big TV fan. I find them just not that interesting. Since Friends and Lost went off the air, I really don't watch primetime TV, and definitely not daytime TV. Soap operas are long gone for me. I think the sad part is, is that I can start watching General Hospital again and I will know exactly what is going on even though I haven't watched it in over 10 years. Now that is sad. Ok I just really depressed myself, because when I run into people I haven't seen for 10 years and they ask that questions "what have you been up to?" - and you reply same ole thing. HA. So I guess I am as bad as General Hospital. Just throw in a few more kids and a new husband. Now that is excitement.
I do though love showtime and HBO series. They are great. I had finished up Weeds a couple of weeks ago. Not a big fan at how it ends. Sorry. I won't give anything away, but NOPE. Kill joy. Now I am in the process of waiting for the next season of Dexter to come along, as well as The Big C - two more great series. However, I am too stingy to go buy them that I wait for them to come through the library.
So, Yo - Bitch - in the meantime, I finally brought home Breaking Bad season 1. I had picked that series up more than once and just kept putting it back down. Didn't look like something I would be interested in, but as I heard they are finishing up the show, and I had nothing else to watch, I brought it home. Well let me tell you something - I AM HOOKED. I am in season 3 and I look forward to watching it. It is one of those shows I actually yell at the TV as if they can hear me. So YO!!!! Bitch!!!!! My 9 year old son is picking up on the sayings - and I don't let him watch.
Love them. I can't wait to see what is going to happen.
I am trying to get you all hooked as well. Love this show. Definitely worth your viewing time. So, in between teaching my kids to read and how to count to 20, and work, I watch shows like this.
Happy Viewing Everyone. Definitely a 5 star in my book - but that is only by my standings. You may not all agree, and that is fine. I won't be hurt if we don't see eye to eye.
Peace out - YO
I am trying to get you all hooked as well. Love this show. Definitely worth your viewing time. So, in between teaching my kids to read and how to count to 20, and work, I watch shows like this.
Happy Viewing Everyone. Definitely a 5 star in my book - but that is only by my standings. You may not all agree, and that is fine. I won't be hurt if we don't see eye to eye.
Peace out - YO
Overview: Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) stars in this drama focused on a mid-life crisis gone bad for an underachieving high school chemistry teacher who becomes a drug dealer after discovering he has lung cancer. With a new sense of fearlessness based on his medical prognosis, and a desire to gain financial security for his family, Walter White joins forces with an old student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), in a quest that follows their entry into a dangerous world of drugs and crime. Breaking Bad is produced by High Bridge Productions, Inc. and Gran Via Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television for AMC Television. Filming takes place in New Mexico.
Breaking Bad has won 8 major category Primetime Emmys from 2008-2012, despite not qualifying for awards in 2011. Most notably, Bryan Cranston has won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama three times in a row from 2008 to 2010. Aaron Paul won for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama in 2010 and again in 2012, where he beat fan favorite Giancarlo Esposito. The show has 42 critical wins and 96 nominations in total.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)