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Planning, Sorting, Purging, Organizing

It's summertime!  And for our family that means a break from schooling for the kids and lots of planning for the next year for me. Of course, for me, that is something of a domino effect.  Planning means sorting curriculum and books that I already have.  Then I have to purge books we no longer need or want to keep.  And finally comes the organizing of what's being kept ( which is always too much ).   So that's what I've been working on for the past few days.  Cleaning off shelves, making piles of books to sell, piles of books and resources to give away, and since I've put this off for so long ...a piles of my kiddos' used-up books that I need to take samples from for their portfolios then dispose of the rest.   So a lot of piles.   I am trying to be a bit more ruthless this year with the purging.  I have such a tendency to collect lots of great resources, only to put them on a shelf and forget about them all toge...

Our {home}school Curriculum Plans for '15-'16 {5th & 7th grades}

I love this time of year!  Having our curriculum plan for the coming school year ...and reading about others' plans is always exciting to me.  I've gotten some great educational leads by checking out what others are using.  Today I'm sharing our choices for the '15/'16 school year. For The Princess... ...who is now....gasp!...a 7th grader !  That means we've been truly homeschooling now for at least 8 years.  Wow.  That sounds like I'm a veteran, but really I learn new things every year.  And now that we're moving into secondary education I've got a lot more to learn about. Bible Study & Christian Character: ~ The Pilgrim's Progress curriculum ~ Our 24 Family Ways ~ Child Training Bible Math: ~ Teaching Textbooks 7 (primary) ~ Life of Fred (supplemental) ~ Khan Academy (supplemental) Language Arts: ~ Learning Language Arts Through Literature Green (grammar) ~ SchoolhouseTeachers.com (spelling/vocabulary) ~ Total Lang...

Summer Scrapbooking Goals

  Here I go again with my summer school scrapboooking goals!  Last year I failed miserably and got nothing accomplished other than ordering a few photos.  This year I am much more determined ...and I have a plan ! :)  Anyone who knows me knows that I love to have a plan!   My plan is to get one grade for one kiddo done each week this summer.  For instance, the first week of June I was scheduled to do The Princess' K5 pages.  This past I was scheduled to do Mr. B's K5 pages.  This week will be The Princess' 1st grade pages ...and so on, back and forth, until I'm current.   OK.  I admit, I'm a week behind already.   BUT I did get The Princess' K5 pages completed!!  Whoo hoo!!  And I'm planning to make up some time this week and maybe get back on my schedule :)   I think once I get into a good rhythm I'll start moving more quickly.  Can't wait to be totally caught up!!   ...

Thanksgiving Prep & a Little Miscellany

You may have noticed (or not) that I've been a little sporadic around here lately.  I know I haven't been posting like I usually do.  I guess I've been feeling a tad burned-out and also wanting to focus more on home life. So you may see less of me at least for a while, but I'm still here posting when inspiration hits (and I'm sure it will hit often this time of the year!).  I'll be focusing more on my home and family though.  This time of the year is often more busy than others and I want to be present .  Fully present. And right now I'm busy with Thanksgiving preparations~as I'm sure you are, too!  No travel for us this year, thank goodness, but we do have family coming in from out-of-town to visit and there is a fun weekend in the works. I'm already so looking forward to the yummy food, too!  My mom, sister, and I have been busy planning our menu together.  I can't wait!  Although I feel like I'm getting off easy on dinner preparat...

A New Homeschool Planner and a {giveaway}!!

If you've been around me or my blog for long then you know that I love planning.  And I am a paper and pen/pencil kind of girl--haven't quite made it to the digital planner stage much.  A really good homeschool planner is very essential to me and I'm excited to share this brand new downloadable one recently released by one of my in-real-life friends, Jennifer at Godly Glimpses .  She has created a very useful and detailed homeschooling planner ...and it's SO pretty, too (I LOVE functional AND pretty!!).   This lovely planner comes with: a couple of choices for the cover (which Jennifer even offers to personalize with your family name or other title should you so desire)   parent and student info pages (with lots of color options) goal planning sheets year-at-a-glance AND full calendar pages for each month daily schedule spread sheets attendance charts grade sheets curriculum lists weekly planning pages Scripture memory lists...

What's For Dinner {July 15th}

What's for dinner ??  Well, this week it looks like I'm hardly even in the kitchen, let alone cooking dinner!! We have something going on every night this week--and most of those activities include dinner, thus the "no cooking" part. Even though Tuesday night is my summer Bible study night and I generally don't make dinner on those nights, I think I will this week because it will be our only week to have dinner together at home all week long. We'll be having a simple, delicious meal of bruschetta and spaghetti with meat sauce. So ....this week is looking pretty easy dinner-wise, huh? The kiddos are also attending a local vacation Bible school each morning this week, so I have several hours all to myself each day--highly unusual!!  Today I barely even had a chance to catch my breath though since I tried to get all of my errands packed into this morning.  It feels good to have accomplished all of those things so early in the week! I've got lo...

The Weekly Plan {Jan 7th}

It's that time--time to get back into a good routine and schedule.  The holidays sort of blow routine out of the water, don't they?  And I am truly a schedule-oriented person and so are my kiddos.  We all do so much better when we have a regular schedule. I'm sure this week will have its challenges though because going from no routine to back-to-school routine is always a transition:)  Having our meals planned out will help make that transition go a little more smoothly.  I am even getting a game plan ready for our lunches (since I'm not so great at planning lunches and all). The kiddos have had some sickness this past week/weekend.  It's still hanging on with Mr. B.  But hopefully he'll be back to normal soon and sickness won't hamper any of the fun we've got planned this week. Lunch List: -{leftover} chili w/grilled cheeses -{leftover} white beans & ham -pigs in blankets -cheese roll-ups -Totino's pizza (yes, this is fast and eas...

The Weekly Plan {Nov 26th}

So who else is busy planning their menus around the leftover turkey? ;)  All day long, in between homeschooling, making lunches, and catching up on my pile of ironing, I kept thinking to myself, "what am I making for dinner with the leftover turkey?"  Then my hubby texted me and said he was taking me OUT!  What a wonderful man I am married to:)  We went out for Italian food and it was SO yummy. Now I'm back to finish my menu plans for the week though ....and leftover turkey will be involved. Confession: I am also eating way too much leftover dessert.  Please tell me I am not the only one! Monday: -Getting back into the homeschool groove after a week off for Thanksgiving -Laundry/ironing -Help the kiddos put up their Christmas trees -Dinner: impromptu night out  Tuesday: -Homeschool -Field trip to local museum -Continue working on Christmas decor -Dinner: Turkey Crepes , Green Beans, Potato Cakes Wednesday: -Homeschool -Continue with the...

The Weekly Plan {Nov 12th}

(It's our dog Holly's first birthday today!) You may (or may not have) noticed that I never got around to posting a weekly plan for last week~and it's a good thing I didn't!  I would have blown it for sure.  It was quite a week! It began with a stomach bug~those are always fun, right?  Thankfully this mama didn't get sick even though everyone else did.  Obviously, everyone wasn't up to the usual meals~which was good since I hadn't planned them..ha!  But there was lots of chicken noodle cup-o-soup and homemade potato soup involved.   What was left of the week was very busy with schoolwork, co-op and our church family.  It turned out to be a good week.  Especially the early Thanksgiving dinner we had at church yesterday .... mmmmm ! Now this week is going to have to be much more organized~I've got lots to do to prepare for our family's Thanksgiving while also wrapping up schoolwork so that we can take next week off.  ...

The Weekly Plan {Oct 29th}

Ah, the plan.  While I may not always follow it to the letter, this little thing sure does help keep my week on track. How about you?  Do you menu plan each week?  Sometimes I look back and think of how I ever did the whole it's-4 o'clock-what-are-we-having-for-dinner thing.  I did that for years, but after menu-planning for nearly 5 years I can't even begin to tell you how much stress I have avoided--and how much $$ I've saved by planning. Last week's plan went very well, but I have a couple of roll-over meals due to schedule changes.  Just makes this week's plan even easier! Monday: -Homeschool -Laundry -Change sheets -Dinner: Chicken Crepes with green beans Tuesday: -Homeschool -Clean bathrooms -Dinner: Individual Chicken Pot Pies Wednesday: -Homeschool -Some early trick-or-treating -Bible study -Dinner: Hawaiian Baked Ham & Swiss Sammies (my hubby has been just dying to try these since seeing them on Pinterest) Thursday: -...

The Weekly Plan {Oct 15th}

Well, it's Tuesday already, but here's my plan for the week.  Just the bare bones, mind you.  I haven't had a chance to get really organized with all of the other stuff I need to do yet ...but I will!  I promise! Monday: -Homeschool -Dinner: Meeting family and friends at the Rainforest Cafe in Nashville Tuesday: -Homeschool -Dinner: Marinated Baked Pork Chops , Mashed Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli Wednesday: -Homeschool -Bible Study -Dinner: Spicy Roasted Chicken Legs with Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes Thursday: -Homeschool -Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup with Salad and Crusty Bread Friday: -Homeschool Co-op -Dinner: Individual Chicken Pot Pies Saturday: -Dinner: Tomato Tortellini Soup with Bruschetta Sunday: -Church -Lunch: Fellowship Potluck at church

The Weekly Plan {Oct 1}

Happy October!   It's time for soups and comfort foods!  I LOVE this time of the year:) We only made it through part of last week's menu plans~life happens, right?  So I'm bumping a couple of things to this week. My favorite meal from last week was Friday's homemade pizza night!  My sister came with brownies (& Cool Whip!) and we made the pizzas together (I tried it with gluten-free flour & it turned out really good!).  Then we all watched National Treasure together--it was a fun family night!  I love having my sister so nearby:) Monday: -Homeschool -Laundry -Grocery shopping -Start switching out the closets for the season -Dinner: Talapia Po' Boys with Roasted Potatoes Tuesday:  -Homeschool -Clean bathrooms -Continue switching out the closets -Lego store free build -Dinner: something cheap & fast Wednesday: -Homeschool -Dust & vacuum -Bible Study -Dinner: Tostadas Thursday: -Homeschool -Dinner: Cheese...

The Weekly Plan {Sept 17th}

(dontcha love my espadrille tan?) This past week was a lovely little break from regular life.  We took our family on vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and I got to wiggle my toes in the sand all week long!  I adore the beach and it was such a beautiful week weather-wise with perfect temps and a great breeze.  Sitting on the beach, watching my children play in the sand and jump in the waves (they get along so well there), soaking in the sun with a good book ....well, that's my own little paradise:) I also got to enjoy a week of eating out ...mmmmm!  We had yummy home-style food at Lambert's , delicious fresh seafood at our Gulf fave: The Shrimp Basket , some of our fave pizza at the Mellow Mushroom , and we tried out two new-to-us places: LuLu's and Bahama Bob's --both very good!!  I think I could almost eat fresh Gulf shrimp every day!  I have to admit it, when The Princess asked what my favorite part of vacation was I had to say not cooking ...

The Weekly Plan {Sept 3}

Yea!  It's September!  My favorite month of the year:)  That means Fall is almost here--my fave season! It also means that it's time for homeschool to officially start back up at our house, too.  We always begin the day after Labor Day.  I almost feel ready.  I plan to spend most of Labor Day finishing lesson plans and readying our Learning Room. I don't know how much housework will get done this week.  I'm going to do my best to begin our school year with a good routine though. Monday: {Labor Day} -Wrap up lesson plans for this week -Laundry, laundry, laundry! -Maybe do some fall/winter clothes shopping for the kiddos -Dinner:  ( clean out the fridge ) Tuesday: {First Day of Homeschool!} -Special surprise breakfast with Daddy -(Free!) Lego Build at all Lego Stores -Dinner:   Spaghetti & Meatballs Wednesday: -Homeschool -Bible Study -Dinner:   Philly-style Roast Beef Sandwiches Thursday: -Homeschool ...

Gearing Up For the New {home}School Year

As I sit here at my desk this morning with a stuffy head and a scratchy throat, I am a bit overwhelmed at the planning I need to be doing.  We officially start back to school next Tuesday (the day after Labor Day) and I have not yet taken my usual whole day to do some serious lesson planning! Where has the summer gone?!  And August ?!  It has just been a blur!! I am really excited about this year though!  Even though we haven't made many curriculum changes, we do have a few new things coming up.  Although the reason we're sticking with some of the same curriculum is that we love it so much. Our " old faves " are Singapore Math, Total Language Plus, First Language Lessons, Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting, Story of the World, and Apologia science .  Our new choices and subjects include God's Great Covenant , Spanish, and piano.  You can read more about our choices for this year here . Now to just figure out how to fit it all in! I love how ...

The Weekly Plan {Aug 27th}

Ahh...it was so good to have my plan to refer back to and keep myself accountable throughout last week!  I felt like I was back in my groove:) It was a very productive week, too!  Got lots of housecleaning done, got almost caught up on my filing/paperwork (one of my least fave things!), started my lesson plans for the beginning of school which is coming up very quickly), Vince finished up several yard projects ....see, I just needed a plan to keep me on track. I also tried a couple of new recipes last week that we really liked.  The Prairieland Pot Roast  was very flavorful and good.  I was curious how it would taste being cooked in Catalina dressing, but we liked it a lot. The Balsamic Honey Chicken was very good, too, although mine didn't get that delicious-looking outer skin that it showed in pics on the blog that I found it (could have had something to do with my using boneless/skinless breasts instead of legs).  It tasted great though and was th...

The Weekly Plan {Aug 20}

Well, I thought that some of you regular readers may be getting tired of my posting weekly menus--plus I was so crazy-busy through July and the first part of August that I just slacked off--so I have not been posting my dinner plans on here for a few weeks.  Although I told myself that I would still make them out on paper ...but apparently I need this accountability to keep me on track because our dinners have been more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants or too much going out to eat.  So, back to the planning and posting! And it looks to be a yummy week: Monday: -Run errands -Start lesson plans (hopefully) -Dinner: Prairieland Pot Roast with Carrots & Potatoes Tuesday: -Weed front flower bed (do I really want to do that?) -Continue working on lesson plans -Dinner: Balsamic Honey Chicken Breasts and Red, White & Blue Salad Wednesday: -Cleaning and organizing at the church -Bible Study at church -Dinner: {out} Thursday: -Housecleaning in preparation for ...

Road Trippin' With the Kiddos

While summer sort of feels like it's winding down a little, it's definitely not over for us.  In fact, we have several road trips coming up before we settle completely into our Fall routine. And you know what road trips mean, right?  Having plenty of activities for the kiddos! Before going on any road trip with my family we do the following: Pack them each their own snack bag .  I use insulated lunch-style bags and fill them with all sorts of things in individual servings: crackers, fruit, cookies, veggies, etc.  Don't forget the napkins and plasticware if needed. Allow each child to pack their own toy bag for the trip.  Mine like to use either a small backpack or a tote bag.  I do allow them to choose their own toys, but make sure they include things like the toy they want to sleep with (if I don't do this, I'll regret it later when the fave one is forgotten), a few books to read, a notebook/pad, coloring book and colored pencils or crayons. ...

The Weekly Plan {July 15th}

It's that time of the week again!  And our last couple of weeks have been so non-regular-schedule that I am "recycling" some of my menus that I haven't actually made yet (or recently). Monday: -grocery shopping -laundry -Dinner: Cuban Black Beans & Rice with Stuffed Banana Peppers -Moms Night Out with my homeschool peeps at Starbucks Tuesday: -house cleaning -Dinner: Grilled Fish Tacos with Grilled Squash Wednesday: -Dinner: Fish Stick Po' Boys  -Bible Study Thursday: -Dinner:  Ranch Mac & Cheese (gluten free) with Veggies Friday: Dinner: TBD Saturday: Dinner: TBD Sunday: Lunch: BBQ Chicken (crockpot) with Salad and Potatoes This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie .

The Weekly Plan {July 8th}

Just a little note: I have recently created  a Facebook page for my blog   and I would so appreciate it if you would   click over  using  this link   or the box to your top right and *like* my page!  Thank you so much! ***** lovelies from my sweet neighbors' garden This week has the potential to be a whirlwind so I definitely need to be organized!  Besides my regular dinner plans, I have a few other recipes that I'd like to make this week, too.   Things like Gazpacho and Hummus are on the agenda.  Also I plan to make some new things with banana peppers since I have had quite a few given to me.  I'd love to hear what you like to do with banana peppers! Oh--and, of course, I'll be trying out some more gluten-free recipes also!  I am totally in learning mode with regard to that, but I'll get there.  Last night I tried gluten-free baking for the very first time and it was a success!  I'll tell you m...