Okay Homeschool Moms...

Could you help a friend out? I am looking for some girlfriend council!
As most of you know, we're going to start down the homeschool road this fall, which we're very excited about! I did a lot of reading and research years ago when I thought I was going to be homeschooling for Kindergarten and up. But...life has its detours and here we are. I will be schooling a second grader and third grader next year.
I see the providence in God's plan to bring us to TCA. Wow, so many reasons, but one in particular is that an expert taught my children how to read and gave them a phonics foundation that I'm very happy about (mainly because I came form the whole language era where we learned NO phonics and now the product of that is that I can't spell! Seriously! You might have noticed that here on my blog. Thank you Lord for spell check!!!)

So, here's what I'm asking you...

1) What curricula do you love? What are you using that is WORKING!!? What are you using that is user friendly and not one workbook sheet after another? I need a good place to start here.

2) What tips to do have for me about logistics of your day? What have you learned or gleaned or been the recipient of wise council about? How can you council me on how to order my day? I THINK I know how it's all going to go down, BUT...I could be wrong! I'm looking for practical thoughts here as well as your philosophies!

3) What tips do you have for me on ordering my home while homeschooling? ie. Don't attempt to do laundry daily, have your kids help you with chores, clean your house all in one day or spread it out over each day, get up at least 4 hours before everyone else, etc. :-)

I read the comments for a woman's blog post the other day that so inspired me! She asked her friends about managing her home without losing the quality time with her kids. The comments were so helpful and practical and I knew that coming from my own friends it would be ever so much MORE helpful and specific to where I am.

So, give me whatever you have time to give me! I will appreciate it all...and maybe you will too if you read the comments as well!

Thanks guys!

We're Praying for You

We completely stole another family's idea. We decided to keep out the Christmas cards we received this year a little longer and make a new tradition. Each night during our family devotion time we let the kids take turns picking one of the Christmas cards out of a bowl. That night we focus on praying for that family by name. The kids enjoy praying for the kids especially. We talk about what we know we should pray for for that family and then we think ahead to what we could pray for them in the future.

Tonight we prayed for the McWhorter family. It just so happened to be Ashley's birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday, Ashley! I don't know this because I am amazing at remembering birthdays of people everywhere. No, I saw it on facebook. Love facebook! Aaaaaanyway, we prayed for this sweet little family. Cait prayed for Lily and Maggie. Benjamin prayed for Cash, Paul for Conn and I for Ashley. I couldn't help but smile when the kids prayed. Cait prayed for the girls that they would have a good day tomorrow. Okay, she's still growing inher little prayers. B prayed that Cash would grow up to "fear the Lord and walk in His ways." Where do you think he got that from? I think he's heard that prayed over him enough times to turn around and pray it for someone else.

So sweet. We do pray this for you sweet little Conn. We pray it also for your big sisters.

So, if you sent us a Christmas card, or for some a New Year's card, we're gonna be praying for you!

Feel free to send requests. :-)

More Christmas

Christmas with Granny Johnson and my mom's side of the family happened weeks before Christmas. Almost everyone was able to come this year, which made it so very special! All the grandkids are grown now and have kids of their own. Here are few of them...cuties!







Mom and Dad's Christmas card picture this year.



To celebrate with Granny, we rented a little civic center and decorated some little trees to make it more festive. The kids LOVED this part. Trees just their size! All the ladies cooked and mom made the chicken with dressing. She's just about perfected it to be like Granny's. GOOD food, y'all!! Danyel brought her record player and played lots of good old Christmas music. The kids opened gifts and the adults visited. Good times were had by all!



The girls in their matching ice cream cone outfits GiGi bought for them.



RyRy and Eli



I caught Cait singing and performing over in the corner when she thought no one was watching. Get ready world, here comes a serious drama queen! She's a sweet one though, so I guess that makes it okay. God did give her a beautiful voice!



Sisters...no we didn't plan to wear matching scarves! I LOVE my sister though! She is my dear friend and I only wish we lived closer so we could do LIFE together! Not a day goes by that I don't pray for Ryan to get called to preach in Fort Worth!



Me and my honey



Mom and Dad look like reindeer here



Cute, aren't they? Seriously...they are great looking people and so precious too!



The aunties...Aunt Jeannie, Aunt Jeanette, Mom and Aunt Bonnie



All the girls, plus Granny (she NEVER looks at the camera, ever)



Sean and B working on some legos (doesn't this look like it could be a coke commercial for Christmas time?)



Now, the boys...Uncle Billy, Granny, Sean and B (front row), Uncle Ronnie, Ryan, Eli, Dad, cousins Kyle and Shane, then Paul (back row)



Our little trees

They are stars!

At Trinity, where the kids go to school and I work, each class recognizes a student in that class for one special week in the year. It's your week. You bring the snack, you make a special poster. Your family comes to see you recognized and they share embarrassing stories about you...it's a blast!

B and C both have been the Star Student in their class already this year (well Cait calls it the VIP, which we all know means Very Important Princess). We learned some really interesting things about Cait in her interview in front of the class. Like, did you know that her favorite color is gold? Neither did we. We thought all this time it was pink. Also, did you know that Cait's favorite sport is soccer? Neither did we!!! Not that she's ever played soccer or anything...we just assumed it was ballet because she has been taking it for 3 years or maybe football because we watch a lot of that at our house...but nope, we were wrong. Also, she shared that her favorite movie was...oh, I don't know. I can't remember, because it was a movie I'D NEVER SEEN!!!!! Paul and I sat there laughing because all this time we thought we knew our daughter and....well, we were wrong! She's a hoot!

Here's Cait sitting int he seat of honor while she is interviewed



Sharing her pictures of people in her life and of her when she was little.























Her teacher Miss Wyatt leading hte class in writing sweet things about Cait.







Now B on the other hand...totally predictable. His stories were just as we predicted they would be. Mrs. Cook made the share time very special. She talked about how she'd known him since he was 2 years old. I think the other kids actually thought that was cool. She led the class in blessing Benjamin, meaning they talked about lots of different character qualities that he had. Some of them were: He never gives up, he is a fast runner, he is always kind to me, he is energetic, he is a hard worker. He was beaming as they shared. To top it all off we have the blessing of Mrs. Cook being B's teacher. She is wonderful and what a blessing it has been to have her as B's teacher and my friend!











Sharing his poster with the class



Benjamin's family there to celebrate the class star for the week!



So there ya go...our children are stars!! :-)

More Christmas...with the Fam

This post is so late...couldn't ever seem to get it done! I'm posting, you can't stop me...even if it is February!!

Christmas afternoon we spent with Paul's family. It was a Mexican style Christmas with tamales, tacos, salsas, etc. It was yummy!! No pictures from that night...bummer! Christmas night we drove to Tomball to be with my family and celebrate. Fun times as usual awaited us. We actually got to see all the relatives on both sides of my family this year. That was a treat.

Oh the excitement before that first gift is opened!!!



Dad opening one of many Academy gift cards



Danyel was REALLY excited about this gift!! This so gives you a REAL picture of our family!



Okay, now more serious



Mia is a present opening expert this year! Excited!



We gave her clothes to start ballet and the cutest little bun holder I've ever seen!



Benjamin got lots of cool stuff for his future Star Wars room! A pillow that says, "In a galaxy far, far, away....."



Paul got a Nuvi (navigation system) and oh, was he excited! I call it the "other woman" in his life because this woman's voice is always talking to him now when we're driving and telling him what to do. I made him change it to a squirrel's voice. The kids like it better too!



Eli Bryce



I screamed over this gift because it was a movie I used to love growing up, called "What's up Doc?" with Barbara Streisand. Mom did good!






Mom had these sketches done of Danyels' kids. Aren't they beautiful? Mom had these done for my kids years ago.



We gave mom and dad canvas prints of our families






The girls hiding their eyes while Gigi and Poppa bring out their last gift



Baby buggies!



She had made little blankets and baby diaper bags that matched, filled with all kinds of baby goodies. By far the highlight for our girlie girl!






B excited about stocking time!















Oh the things you can find...with a metal detector!!



Gigi makes all her grandbabies quilts and Eli got his this Christmas! Cute, huh?



It truly was a very merry Christmas!