Our 2016 - 2017 Curriculum

I really do enjoy teaching our boys but I know it's not for everyone.
It's not perfect, no school is, but it works for us.
This homeschooling mama gets all excited when it's time to start hunting for curriculum.
I get all my catalogs out and start highlighting.
I love it when the books start arriving.
Nice, crisp new books for a new school year.
Just for fun I thought I would share what the boys will be studying this school year.

This is Connor's 7th grade pile o' books.

Penmanship: Patriotic Penmanship for junior high by Mary Ellen Tedrow. This looked like a really cool way to practice writing. It's full of quotes from American patriots and our founding documents. I plan on using this for two years.

Logic: Mind Benders Level 4. We started using these last year and did them together. This year Connor has has his own book. The puzzles help you learn to think things through logically. A good life skill in my opinion!

English: Grammar & Composition I; Of People Literature; and Vocabulary/Spelling/Poetry I by A Beka. After a couple of years with a different grammar curriculum, which we loved, I decided something else was needed. While our previous books did awesome with grammar (typically grades ahead), it lacked in the writing department. So I went with an all inclusive kind of program for Connor. He's not behind, just not where I think he needs to be writing wise.

Writing: Jump In by Sharon Watson. This is a course that solely focuses on writing. Especially for reluctant ones. Something I think Connor will benefit from greatly. Since I'm also using the Grammar & Composition book with A Beka, I'm going to slow this course down and spread it over two years. It's only to supplement, but should be fun.

Math: Saxxon Math Homeschool 7/6. I'm not sure exactly what grade this is intended for but I used it for Nolan when he was in 7th grade. It was a great elementary math review while preparing the student for pre-algebra.

Science: Science: Order & Space by A Beka. This is another curriculum we love. It's solid, easy to comprehend and challenging at the same time.

(For some reason I decided to try something different for science last year. It was a huge failure. It didn't work with the boys' learning styles. It was more of a story/notebooking kind of learning style. We hated it, plain and simple. Both boys prefer to read a textbook and answer questions. Go figure. Now I know for sure what works. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!)

History: World Studies by Bob Jones. I used this with Nolan and liked it, except for the fast pace. Early on I decided to slow it down and use it two years. I'm glad I did. So for this year Connor is studying the first half of world history.

And this is Nolan's 9th grade pile o' books.

Yes, we have a freshman in the house!!!

Eek, when did that happen?

Yes, I started his high school transcript.

Penmanship: Patriotic Penmanship for high school by Mary Ellen Tedrow. I haven't done penmanship with Nolan in a while. I figured he was due for some practice :). This is the high school version of Connor's book. I'm also dividing it into two years.

Logic: Mind Benders Level 5.

Literature: We starting using Progeny Press literature guides last year. They have vocabulary, literary devices/terms, in-depth study of themes, etc. all from a biblical wold view. Nolan did well with these guides. So we chose 4 more for this year: The Call of the Wild; Christmas Carol; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; and The Hiding Place.

Grammar: Grammar & Composition III by A Beka. The previous curriculum we were using didn't really have what we were looking for for a high school class. This fit the bill. Since the literature guides are fairly extensive in content, I decided not to go with the full English "package" for Nolan.

Writing: Writing Fiction (in High School) by Sharon Watson. We're using this as an elective for Nolan. He's passionate about writing and this seemed like a perfect fit. There's two tracks for this book, one includes instructions for those writing a novel. I'm really excited about this class.

Math: Geometry Seeing, Doing, Understanding by Harold Jacobs. It's no secret I'm a math geek. In my years of homeschooling it's become my opinion that some (not all) of homeschool high school math curriculum is watered down. This is where I get picky. I did extensive research last year to find an algebra book I was satisfied with. I'm hoping this geometry book is as good as the algebra book turned out to be. They are different authors but based on critical reviews, it should meet my expectations. I get down right giddy when I teach a math lesson... drives the boys nuts!

Science: Science: Matter & Energy, by A Beka. Not much to comment here except that this should meet my expectations of what a science book should be.

P.E.: umm... My plan is for Nolan to continue his weight lifting (we may make a formal plan for it), while I add some additional things.


That is the basics of our studies for this year. It looks like a lot but they won't do everything everyday. I'll also try to throw in some art lessons from a website that we subscribe to. Plus I assign books from the library :). I'm so glad our boys are prolific readers. There's never a more quiet van ride than when we leave the library!

For the first time in our eight years of homeschooling, I'm not making extensive lesson plans this year (gasp). That's a huge leap for me. I liked to plan out a month at a time. However, most of the curriculum I've picked for this year had lessons planned for you (woo hoo). What I've decided to do is print a basic planner-type sheet for each boy per week. It will have a list of their classes with how many lessons I expect them to do each week. They are to plan when to do the lessons and fill out their schedule for the week. My goal is to teach them to manage their workload. I'm there as a guide... and to crack the whip when necessary!

Last year was a challenging school year for so many reasons. So here's to a new and hopefully good school year!

The Map

This is really a post about the one year mark of my dad's murder. It's been quite a year. A tough year. I wasn't sure if I'd make a post or not. I decided it was more for me than anyone else. Sharing my thoughts and feelings as I process them. Originally I had other ideas for this post but this is what came out when I actually sat down to write.

At first some of the days leading up to this one were filled with tears as I looked back a year. I looked back and cried realizing that last year I was unknowingly talking with my dad for the last times. I have no regrets. I enjoyed our talks. All that was needed to be said was said. It does hurt less and the scar remains. Just like my brain surgery scar, I carry it with me though no one can see it. I can still feel both. Only those who know me know the tragedy that took place. It's something you see in the news and move on. But it became my reality. It's a harsh reality to just blurt to someone. Only in the right circumstances do I choose to tell. I don't share it for attention. That's not me. I don't usually share it unless the story and how God worked me through it can help someone.

For years I wanted to track my dad's travels. He was in every one of the 48 contiguous states. He had stories from the East Coast, West Coast, Montana, Florida, and all the states between. I tried using a notebook and writing down where he was and when. I would always forget after a while. I really wanted to get a good map and follow his travels that way but I didn't want to spend money on a map. However, last year for our homeschool we were going to be studying U.S. geography. The perfect excuse to buy a good map. So I did.

Unfortunately, because we weren't starting school for a couple of weeks, I didn't put it up right away.

I only have five spots marked.

They are the blue ones.

The pink tags are from our studies during the year.

Basically, I got six days worth of my dad's travelling.

As you can see, most of it was in Texas that week.

Colorado

It's not just the day he died that has me in tears.

It's this day too.

This was the last time I spoke with my dad.

He was in Laredo, Texas.

Thursday, August 27th was a normal day for us. We went for a walk down the road and played in the yard. We went to bed as usual that evening. Sometime after midnight we awoke to red and blue flashing lights filling our bedroom with their obnoxiously bright colors. The dog was barking like crazy. We went out to the porch to see what was going on. The officer asked for me by name and then asked if I knew my dad. In that split second before the officer spoke again, I thought my dad had been in a horrific accident. We always knew that was a hazard of driving long haul. Even though my dad had a great driving record, the possibility was still there. But the next words out of the officer's mouth were surreal. He basically said something happened and my dad didn't make it. (I'm not sharing exactly what he said due to the impending trial.) He gave me a piece of paper and some instructions. Even after the officer left, I asked Dwayne if that really just happened. I was in complete shock. Then I had to make phone calls that no one should ever have to make. To my family and a detective. So unbelievable.

The blank tag. While I was on the phone with the detective, he described to me where it happened. That's the mark. South of Belton, Texas. It's so near where I once lived when I was a little girl. My dad was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen.

How does one grasp the reality of something horrific like this? It all boils down to sin. How does one move forward? This, to me, is a conscious effort. You have to choose your attitude. You have to choose to take one step at a time. And you can't do it alone. It will eat you up. I know, I got about six hours of sleep the first four days after my dad's murder. But I learned. I learned so much while pouring over the Scriptures at 2 A.M. Looking back, I wouldn't trade the sleep for that time with my awesome God. I learned many lessons that early morning.

During this year I have continued to learn so much. (I knew these things but now they are more concrete than ever.) I learned that God is there. Without fail. All the time. Every time. The loathsomeness of sin. The loathsomeness of my own sin. The depth of God's love. He is the only one who knows my thoughts and my heart. And He still chose to die for me paying the penalty for my sin. He knows my deepest hurts and my greatest joys. There is nothing He can't handle. After all, He created everything so how could there ever be anything to surprise Him? King David was one of the greatest examples of someone who told God everything. Even in the midst of the shame of his own sin he humbled himself and spilled his guts to the God above. He also rejoiced greatly before God without caring what anyone else thought. That same God is still there. I  am the one who has changed. I have learned so much in this last year. About my relationship with my God, my spouse, my family. I have learned that I need to be in God's word far more than I am now. His Word is precious to me. It speaks of life. It speaks of an eternal future without sin. Without sickness. Without death. Without murder. A future with the Light and not darkness. No pain. No suffering. Just God Almighty. Amen.

Beach Bums

Earlier this week we made a trek to the Indiana Dunes State Park.

It's actually the second trip this summer.

I got lazy behind and never posted pics from the first trip.

Like last trip, we went with some great friends.

We got sun burned but had a blast in the process!

Beautiful day at the beach.

Chillin.

This wasn't a hole digging contest.

Diligently digging away.

There was some method to their madness.

Sand recliners!

Kids can be so creative sometimes.

The unlimited sand resource does help some.

And then you have to get buried, of course!

Buried from head...

to toes!

The kids just had to climb the dunes.

We made them wait until the sand was below the foot frying temperature.

Nolan survived his monumental face plant.

All smiles, all is good.

Playing with my camera attempting to get the clouds reflected in the sunglasses.

It was a really cool reflection...

The camera didn't cooperate.

My dad was always telling me to read the manual...

I guess I can't blame the camera for taking a fuzzy pic.

Operator error.

Rats.

Eventually, I played around long enough to get a selfie.

Proof that I was at the beach.

(Besides the tender-pink skin!)

Nolan seems to be getting good at photobombing.

Bekah the little mermaid. 

There's a story behind this giant hole.

Our beach neighbors from earlier in the day started this hole.

It was a dad's attempt at keeping his kids entertained.

Our group joined in the fun (as well as several others).

Jen and I both agree that this dad earned bonus points for his creation.

It worked so well it was expanded even after they left.

It ended up with tunnels that the kids would pour water through to make waterfalls.

It was a very popular spot.

Even Jen and I joined.

(Mr. Photobomb was at it again.)

And again...

The face of orneriness.

Some of the kids were water carriers.

Which turned into a water fight.

This was the precursor to the epic water battle that ensued later.

No pictures.

I was in the battle too!

Lots of water splashing.

Lots of laughter.

Lots of soaked people.

So we had this brilliant idea of heading to the top of the big dune to watch the sunset.

So all of us climbed the mountain of sand.

That means Jen and I climbed up too.

Just not as fast as the kids :).

Beautiful view.

My obsession with shadows.

The little tent in the middle was our place on the beach.

So thankful Jen had that canopy!

So our plan of watching the sunset at the top kind of fizzled out.

We climbed too early and got bored waiting.

And waiting.

So we did the only natural thing left to do.

Let the kids run down the hill (again).

I'm happy to report that Nolan stayed vertical this time.

This is my favorite.

Another masterpiece by the great I AM.

These last two are from the parking lot.

We were packing up as the sun set.

We were pretty pooped.

We'd been there most of the day.