$10 Off Kids Craft Kits!!!

My friends Hal & Melanie Young over at Raising Real Men are offering up a $10 discount on this awesome kids crafts/activity boxes. 

One bright spot has been Craftsman Crate - our subscription box has been growing like crazy as people try to keep their kids busy at home! If you haven't heard of it, Craftsman Crate is our monthly box that teaches artisanal crafts, from wood-carving to candle-making to scrimshaw. Every box contains everything you need (no trips to the store!) – real tools, complete instructions, and every supply! Use newcrate10 to get $10 off your first box!

This is such a great idea! Kids LOVE getting packages in the mail!

Check them out and share pictures of what your kids create!

Moe

Homeschool Graduation Day...It's Here Already...

This is right where we are, hard to believe that we are done homeschooling. I came across Lee Binz website Lee Binz: TheHomeScholar back around the 7th grade when I was looking into homeschooling high school and thinking it was NOT POSSIBLE!!! Lee has some great ideas and tips and her Webinars are totally incredible and so full of great information that even the Homeschooled Young Man could be caught listening in to them!

Once I catch my breath, maybe life will slow down a bit, it's been a wild ride and busy time with college visits, applications, essays and fun stuff like that! We enjoyed our last homeschool convention and were so blessed to spend that time learning from college guidance counselor talks that were given. It was also a melancholy time of reflecting on the years gone by and a sad, but inexpensive time of shopping the vendor hall. It was sad to look at all the new curriculum's out there, yet have no need to buy anything. Of course I bought myself some goodies...lol.

We are embarking on some exciting uncharted territory for us with some interesting twists and turns along the way. But as the Homeschooled Young Man always tells me "God's got this." or "The Lord always takes care of us, don't worry." Got to love that little guy (well a big guy now!), who is now taller than me. And it's become obvious...lol.

Just turned 16 years old and graduating high school...WOW!

Graduation Day was a wonderful experience. One of our graduation requirements was that a speech had to be presented, no perimeters given, just a speech. I was totally not expecting what our son said during the speech, he left me speechless which is pretty hard to do! The Homeschooled Young Man spoke of many things, including the sacrifice that his Mom and Dad made to live on one income, to sacrifice the years of earning potential that I had, he mentioned some of the shenanigans that he pulled as a homeschooled student and recounted some of this favorite times. All the while his Momma shook and quaked with tears streaming. His first grade teacher was in the audience (now a homeschool Mom of 3 boys) had lost it right about the time that I did, she understood exactly what our son was saying from his heart.

The true blessing was that the Homeschooled Young Man spoke all of this from the heart, with no notes (which drives Homeschool Momma crazy because you must write notes for a speech in a rough draft form and then write the final draft notes on lined index cards!!!). There were not many dry eyes in the room, most of whom knew us from the very beginning before he was even born. They had wondered how this whole homeschooling thing worked and now they were enjoying the fruit of our efforts and the wisdom that the Lord had imparted upon us early on to homeschool.
Wow, what an exciting day, Homeschooled Young Man's birthfamily was with us for the day to celebrate (along with some of their friends), sadly without his birthmother who was killed by a drunk driver over Thanksgiving break in 2006 as she was driving home from grad school. But her memory is still with us and alive. For without her, we would not be parents. God is good, all the time, in the good and in the bad, God is good all the time.

Of course we have to have a graduation cake with our homeschool theme verse Matthew 4:19 "And He Saith unto them...follow me and I will make your fishers of men. And the favorite school subject...Chemistry!

Enjoy these new times and find the blessings while grabbing those last few fleeting hugs along the way.

Moe

FREE Lego Printables

Come check out the free Lego printables over to Tracy's blog Hall of Fame Moms. She has a lot of fun things for Mom's and kids alike!

Take a snow day and drag out those Lego's to get rid of the winter time blah's!!!

What's that smell?

LOL...The Homeschooled Young Man asked me the other day "Mom, you need to help me figure out how much cologne to put on." My husband replies "Son, don't ask things like that of your Mother, you know how she is. She will plan a unit study, you will have to get on a plane and travel to Zimbabwe to study some exotic herb that is harvested to make cologne." LOL...Me? A Homeschool Mom, do that?

YES!!! I would do that! What about you?

My reply to my husband was, "How do you even know what a unit study is?" He says "I just know."  That totally threw me for a loop, I thought my husband's only understanding of homeschooling was the following...

1. The house is always messy with books & papers

2. We are always taking a field trip

3. The child will graduate with a diploma

4. The house is always messy with books and papers (oh, wait, already said that one...lol...but it's a biggy.

I guess we are rubbing off on him, hahaha. Got to love those husbands that are faithful in many things and know what is going on, even when we think they don't.

Adoptive Momma Tears Flow

Spring time makes for wonderful fresh and new memories. Like the memory of the very first time our son brought me a Taraxacum officinale, a weed, better known as a Dandelion. I remember that day quite well, he was around 18 months old and we were walking home from an errand. Thinking back to the nine long years that we waited for a child and Spring days of wondering, "Will I ever be brought a bouquet of Dandelions, picked by eager chubby little hands?" The day I got my beautiful yellow weed was a day that will stick out in my heart and mind forever. That day my little man learned the difference in tears, happy tears and sad tears. As a teenager he can discern the difference in them with regards to his Momma pretty well now.

Just yesterday the nearly 15 year old young man brought me a Taraxacum officinale, a weed, better known as a Dandelion. That little yellow weed filled this adoptive momma's heart with love and her eye's with tears, happy tears that is. It made me thankful that he thought of me, stopped during his busy day and took the time to smell the flowers, even if they were just weeds. These are simple little pleasures a Momma gets and uses as teaching moments for her son. I remind him that his wife will enjoy getting a simple bouquet of flowers on a rare occasion, just because he thought of her. 

I treasure these moments as the days are fleeting and soon those Dandelions will be untouched. But I think that somehow I will be getting a bouquet of flowers in the Spring from my little man when he is all grown up, no matter where the Lord plants him.

Moe

 

Taming The Electronics Monster

I thought the blog title Taming The Electronics Monster is pretty telling. Electronics can become a monster in our home and eat up lots of our valuable time. I recently read a blog post by Sports Mom Survival Guide. She has a really cool idea and a printout to make your own printed "Electronics Tickets" for your children. You can print out 15 minute or 30 minute tickets to give to your child.

click here for FREE printable

Up until 7th grade we had implemented no media during the week and then 30 minutes per day on Sat/Sun. After that we have done 30 minutes per day and 60 min on Sat/Sun. For our family media means radio, TV (which we only have FREE TV channels), DVD's, VHS, Internet, Amazon Prime, video games and educational games). An extra 30 min can be earned through extra chores.

There are two areas that I am lenient on, one being in the car I have on talk Christian radio, Dave Ramsey, Medical School HQ podcast or a CD with a homeschool convention speaker.  The other being on Saturday mornings, the Homeschooled Young Man likes to listen to some young adults Christian radio programs. So while he is doing his chores or lounging ni his room he has free rein to listen to those programs.

Now on rare occasions (Mom is ill, Dad is off a day etc) then we will have a media frenzy, but it's very rare! Maybe 3x per year. It's usually either a Bugs Bunny or Deadliest Catch marathon...lol...yes, I know weird picks, but we like them!

I have printed mine out and and laminated them. Pretty cool idea!

How does your family Tame The Electronics Monster?

Moe

FREE Kindle books for boys

G.A. Henty Books are now available through Amazon.com

There are many books by G. A. Henty. Search under G.A. Henty in the Kindle store.
These books are recommend by Vision Forum and we LOVE them!! More great literature for our boys.

Moe

Something fun for your homeschool

I just love these dry erase dots, they make school work so much more fun!!! Math problems are a breeze for boys. I have found them on sale a few times and bought different colors. They are a big hit around here. You can see one of our Magenta colored dot in the bottom picture.
What fun things do you add to your homeschool to spice things up?
Moe