North Point Academy

Human Growth & Development CLEP~Another Pass

2012-02-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

More good news to share today.
My daughter also went to our local University to take the Human Growth & Development CLEP exam and passed. She is very glad to have this exam behind her. She wanted to take this exam while the other Psych exam materials were still fresh in her mind.

She used the same materials that I previously posted about when my son took the exam. Just scroll down to the other post if interested.

It was a very good day.
2 kids, 2 exams & 2 passes with 6 more credits earned total.

I'm very proud of the both of them.

Introduction to Computing DSST~Pass

2012-02-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's taken a little more time that I thought to get around to taking the Computing test. Life gets in the way sometimes, but today my son sat the Introduction to Computing DSST exam at the local University and passed. He used all the links in the previous post to study. He said that one study source really wasn't what helped him, it was the combination of several. Although Jan's Illustrated site was very useful for people that have no prior knowledge, that along with wikipedia for searching up terms to get a better understanding.

He said the exam was not too difficult and he really felt at ease taking it. DSST gives 2 hours for this test although he finished it in 28 minutes with a decent passing score.

Yea, for 3 more credits!

Introduction to Computing DSST

2012-01-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

We are now studying for the Introduction to Computing DSST exam.

My son was originally studying for the Information Systems and Computer Application CLEP but after looking into it further and learning that the DSST exam would be a littler easier we decided to opt for it since his EPC (ending point college) will take either one, but won't take both due to they duplicate.
This is one of the exams that I wouldn't want to take without a lot of studying, mainly because I'm not a computer guru by any means. Sure I know what a mouse, keyboard and screen are, and I know where the on/off button is and how to surf the internet but when you start talking about computer lingo such as CPU, RAM, L1 & L2 Cache, WAN/LAN, Databases, Application & Systems Software, that's where I'm completely lost!

My son on the other hand knows a lot more than I do. He has actually built a computer with his dads help. But he still needs to learn all the termanology that he will encounter on the exam.

Here are the study materials that we will use for this exam.
Computers Are Your Future has plenty to read and mini tests.
Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101 This one is great for learning the basics if you know nothing about computers.
Computing Concepts is another site full of reading and mini tests.
I've also read that InstantCert has flashcards that are great for this exam as well as other exams. My kids don't favor fill-in-the-blank flashcards but I think they will use it for this one. You have to have a subscription to InstantCert to view the flashcards.

I'm hoping that my son will take this exam in the next week or so.
I will up-date then.

Wish us luck!

Human Growth & Development CLEP

2012-01-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Good news to report today. My 17 yr old son passed the Human Growth & Development CLEP and earned 3 more college credits.
We decided for him to take this one since it overlaps with the Intro to Psychology and Sociology exams. Just needed to add more study to the human development, infant learning. This test is considered to be one of the tougher Psychology exams. So don't take this one lightly or without proper studying.

As usual we used the Human Growth & Development REA guide with practice exams. Followed with taking the 3 Peterson's practice exams and also taking the practice test in the Official CLEP Study Guide.
Also here is a website that helps called An Introduction to Lifespan Development that has 19 chapters with lots of practice test for you to take.

Good luck to anyone taking this one.

Another Pass~Introductory Psychology

2011-12-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

Last week was a very busy week around here with my kiddos, but I wanted to report that my 15 yr old daughter passed the Introductory Psychology CLEP exam on 12-7-11. She learned a great deal from studying for this exam. She used the same materials that her brother used when he studied for it. If anyone is interested, just scroll to find the other post about this exam and what they both used.
My daughter is thrilled to have 3 more college credits earned. Now to figure out what her next test will be....maybe Human Growth and Development? Although we will probably wait until after the Holidays to start studying for it.

Let's Talk MATH

2011-12-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Math~It's one of my favorite subjects and also one that is very important for our kiddos to grasp. Like I explained to my kids, it does not matter what they decide to do later in life, it will involve math. Every job requires math in some form or another. Even if one doesn't work outside the home, math is still required. Balancing a check book, cooking, planning a garden, budgeting your bills. There is no end to the list of why you need to understand math skills.

Have you ever gone to a store or restaurant and have the cashier not count out your change. The question should be have you ever had one to count your change back? Now a days that just doesn't happen. Everyone relies on gadgets, i.e. calculators, cash registers and such to tell them the answer. One of the first things dealing with math, was teaching my kids how to count using money.
Start off simple, with pennies, nickles and quarters then move up to dollars (ones, fives, tens and so forth). My kids know if the cashier gives them back to little or to much. Often times, they know exactly how much their items will cost including taxes, I think teaching kids young about tax rates are also important. It helps them to fully budget their money.

As kids get older their math skills will be more difficult than just counting money. Math as a subject should be one that is thoroughly learned. Below are some sites that we use for math.

Khanacademy Super videos! You can even watch them on your Roku box if you have one.

Aleks Monthly subscription required.

Purplemath

SOSMATH

Several years ago, I found Math Relief. My older kids really learned a great deal from Mr. Firebaugh from watching his DVD's and doing their Algebra work. Here is his website Math Relief to read about his products and for ordering. (I'm not affiliated in any way, just love his style of teaching)

I'm happy to say that all my children excel in math. I hope you find some of the sites listed of value when teaching your kiddos about math.

Introductory Psychology Clep

2011-11-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

My son took the Intro Psychology test today at the local University. He passed the exam and earned another 3 college credits. He recently took Intro to Sociology, both test have some over-lapping material, so if you take one test you should go ahead and take the other with some additional studying on the brain, eyes, ears, neurons and neurotransmitters.

Major names and theories that were of interest in studying were those of:
Erikson, Freud, Jung, Kohlberg, Piaget, Rogers, Skinner, Watson, Wundt

We used the REA book for Introductory Psychology for most of our studying along with a couple of internet sites and of course Wikipedia to fill in gaps. Here is a site that we used for studying
Psychology: An Introduction that is very good with self test throughout each chapter. Another good site is AllPsych which both my children really enjoyed studying from.

What an interesting subject to study and learn about, Although, we are not through yet. My daughter will be taking this test in the near future.

Parts of the Brain~A mnemonic device to learn

2011-11-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

At the moment my two older children are studying for Intro to Psychology. One of the things covered are parts of the brain and how it works. I came across a neat little video that shows how to memorize the parts of the brain using a mnemonic device. Even my 12 year old has learned by watching the video.

The video covers~Cerebral Cortex, Corpus Callosum, Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, Amygdala, Pons, Cerebellum, Reticular Formation and Medulla.
Once you watch the video, you won't find it hard to remember each part and what it does.

Click on the link to view:
How To Memorize the Parts of the Brain | The Psych Files Podcast

Hope you enjoy.

School year 2011-2012

2011-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm a bit late on posting plans for the 2011-2012 school year.

This school year I'm down to home schooling three (3) children. I have one that is a senior this year, one that is junior/senior this year and one that is in 7th grade. My son (17) has pretty much completed what is required for high school so he is working more or less on earning college credits this year. Although, he will officially graduate high school in May.

My daughter (15) is working on finishing up high school level courses and is also earning some college credits. At the end of the school year she will take the ACT, so she will be prepping for that as well sometime after the holidays.

My youngest son (12) has been steadily working his way through his studies although he is also enjoying sitting in on some of his older siblings school work. He's not ready for college work yet, but I see it in his future.

It's hard to believe that we are already in the 3rd month of the school year. Time is flying by again, I seem to say that a lot but it's true. Before I know it, I will be only schooling my youngest son. This makes me sad to even think about. My children are growing up~why does it seem like it was just yesterday that they were all so young?

Introductory Sociology CLEP

2011-11-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

Intro to Sociology CLEP test was taken by two of my children at the local University recently. Both children passed and each were awarded with 3 more college credits. YEAH!

We spent several weeks preparing for the test. We purchased the REA CLEP prep book for Sociology. Read through it thoroughly, took the tests in the book/CD, also took 3 Peterson tests and also the test in to CLEP official Study Guide. Also did some online research of the subject and used Wikipedia to get a good understanding of certain terms.

Very interesting subject.

Random thoughts

2010-11-29T06:42:00.001-08:00

So, what's going on with our family? I've not been good about keeping up with blogging have I? I even wonder if anyone reads it.....

There's actually been a lot happening around here the last couple of months. I have taken pictures and hope to put them up soon. I do love looking back and seeing what has happened.

Our weeks have been busy since school started back. My three younger children have been involved in home school activities such as volley ball, String Orchestra and my 16 yr. old has been taking a weekly class on making his own violin since July.

I will try to put photos up sometime this week and write a little tid-bit about each.
Here's hoping anyway~stay tuned!

Tally Marks~Are they working???

2010-08-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

So, we have been schooling a two weeks and I just want to give an update on how the tally marks are working. Out of the three kids, one really likes the marks each day, one says it doesn't matter one way or the other about the marks~this particular child knows what they have to do and just does it~and the last child, well, they just don't see the need to even have them.

My hubby thoughts are, what's the deal with the marks?! I think they serve a purpose. I like to see that we are getting things accomplished. I also like to see where our focus is on some subjects as apposed to others. For instance, are we spending too much time on math or history and not enough on geography only to figure out later in the year that we would need to play catch-up so that we finished all the subjects in a given year.

The question is: Will we continue with the tally marks? I know that I will with the child that really likes them at the end of each day. As for the other two kids, time will tell. I'm going to try it for the next two weeks to see.

Organization

2010-08-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

So what are you doing to get organized this year? Or maybe you are organized already and I'm the only one left to figure all this out.
I've never been truly organized, well maybe years ago but that was YEARS ago..ha,ha.

This year I'm doing something different with the kids. Since my 16 and 14 year old are more independent in their schooling and they really do better with a list, where they know what is expected of them. I've made a list of each of their subjects that they will do for the year and put it into a bi-monthly graph for them to make tally marks beside each item that they get accomplished. They know how many tally marks they should have at the end of every two weeks. Some things I will check daily,e.g. math & grammar, others I will check at the end of each week.

Doing this will allow me to have more time with my youngest. I feel like he only has two more years before things really have to pick up for him schooling wise and I would like to spend more time doing the fun things with him before our time runs out.
Yes, schooling should be fun, but when they hit those all important high school years things change.

Anyway, here's to having a more organized year!

It has begun

2010-08-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

This week we started back to school albeit we only did semi-school for the week. Next week, we will begin our full school days. We were busy tying up loose ends this week, getting back into the groove of things and also my hubby ordered each of the kids a new computer which they didn't arrive until yesterday. So hubby spent several hours after the computers were delivered getting them set up in the school house and ready to go~~So, Monday, we will start our official new school year.

Looking forward to a GREAT year with my three youngest children!

What will we see?~~What will we learn?~~What will we enjoy?~~What will be our magic memory moments that we will have forever?

Stay tuned :0)

Christmas too early??

2010-07-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

So I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday because they were having a sale on lawn and garden decor. I ended up spending between $700.00 & $800.00, if you word it just right to the hubby I saved between $700.00 & $800.00, items were on sale for 1/2 price. I ended up getting 5 bakers racks, some odds and ends and 3 of the tall metal round bird cages. Two of the bird cages are Christmas presents for friends that I'm sticking back until December.

Anyhow, while shopping around Hobby Lobby on a hot~98 degree day, they already have Christmas decorations out. This just blows my mind at how early department stores are advertising Christmas sooooo early. Are you asking yourself, would I'd picked up the bird cages for presents without seeing all the Holiday decorations? Yes, I would have~I know a bargain when I see it and both my friends will enjoy their items, whether it be a brisk day in February or a smoldering hot day in July. I think it is just sad how stores are commercializing the Holiday season so much. No wonder all of us feel like we are always running behind or feeling like~oh my, Christmas is already about here~Maybe these are my own thoughts on the subject but it is time to slow down and enjoy each day as it comes. :0)

Quotes

2010-07-03T19:32:00.001-07:00

Here are a few quotes that I came across that I hope will help us stay the course in our studies and in life.

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan".~Tom Landry

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there".~Will Rogers

Summer break almost over~Planning ahead

2010-07-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, only a few more weeks left before the summer break is over and I've been busy making plans for the new school year. I received my order from Rainbow Resource this week and have made plenty of trips to the bookstore purchasing material that my children will use for school. I think we moms get more excited planning it all out than the kids do. Why is that? :0)

I am really feeling like the pressure is on~I have one son that will start 11th grade this year, so it seems like we have a lot to cover in just two short years. Those two years will pass before I know it as I've already had two graduate before him. Also my youngest daughter would like to graduate at the same time. I understand why she wishes to, she is working on the same subjects/grade level as her older brother. Really though, I ask her what is the rush~It would be an odd feeling for me if she were to finish her high school years at the age of sixteen. I know she is very capable of the work. The plus side as she points out is that she would be able to devote time to receiving college credits ahead of schedule. That is a major plus~it is something that I will monitor throughout the year to make sure she stays the course without having burnout. I want learning to be enjoyable not a race or drudgery.

Anyway, back to the planning! This year I plan to incorporate more hands-on learning for my 11 year old son. He has a fascination with weather and experiments. So I purchased a couple of books on both subjects. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with him on two of the books that I got~Biology for Every Kid and Food & Nutrition For Every Kid by Janice VanCleave. I think we will have a lot of fun with those. Also, I'm excited about our Human Anatomy & Physiology subject. We will be using the note booking with this study from Apologia's Exploring Creation series. Do you every just get giddy over waiting for a book that you've ordered to arrive? That is the feeling I had waiting for this book. :0)

More later on what we will be doing this year. Back to planning!!

High School Electives

2010-03-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what your child should do for electives in their high school years. Home schooling in Texas has some great advantages. We are a private school and as such we can pick what curriculum that we chose. Of course we must teach reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and a study in good citizenship to be legal. Although we have also always taught English, Math, Science and History in the all our years but in high school we get to pick some different subjects, the ones for elective classes.

Each child is different in what their interest are so our electives are based on that. My oldest daughter was very interested in herbs. She loved reading and studying about them. She planted an herb garden. One year she started with plants that we purchased but the next year she wanted to see what she could grow from seeds. She did her research on what herbs grew in our area, which ones that we would probably use in cooking and home remedies then started planting the seeds in the greenhouse. She spent many hours on this project so we decided that it would be one of her electives in high school. It is listed on her transcript as Horticulture/Herbology. She used a lot of her herbs in cooking, for facial scrubs, soothing baths and also one particular concoction for the use of bringing down fever (which I let her try on me). Anyway, she loved this project and learned a great deal from it and I believe her love of growing herbs will last for years to come.
Another elective was Medical Terminology. One of my children really enjoyed their study of Apologia Advanced Biology (Anatomy & Physiology) that she decided that she would like to go another step into learning so we purchased books on Medical Terminology. She filled an entire notebook full of research, took quiz after quiz, she just really enjoyed the subject. When I seen how much time she was putting into studying I decided that it would also be an elective.

If you happen to be in 4-H, there are many subjects that you can do to satisfy electives. Two of the subjects that are listed as electives on my middle son and youngest daughter's transcripts are Forestry and Wildlife. On each of those electives, well over 300 hours were put in each on studying and preparing for contests. They both did very well and learned a wealth of information. From the proper use of woodlands, to develop an awareness and understanding of the value of properly managed woodlands, learning a variety of trees, plants and shrubs. Learning about many different wildlife animals-what they need to survive and how to stock an area with forage for their survival. How to measure the height and circumference of trees so that they would know how many board feet there were, compass and pacing. The list just goes on and on.
My son and daughter made it up to the State level for Wildlife and in Forestry, my son made it to the State level while my daughter made it to Quad-State level. They were competing with students all the way to senior age students in high school, so yes, I am listing these as electives for each of them. They truly learned a lot from these subjects and will remember what they learned for years to come.

When picking electives for my children, I wanted to pick subjects that truly interested them, things that they really get excited about, things that I feel like they will remember and when they are grown and look back at their schooling that they won't just remember that they did the normal subjects that you find in the tradition school setting. I want them look back at their schooling years at home with a smile on their faces and a glimmer in their eyes and think~we learned some really interesting and cool stuff!

Some other subjects that we've done for electives are:
Photography
Food & Nutrition
Computer Science
Keyboarding

List of some that we will probably do in the future:
Woodworking
Ceramics
Botany
Sewing

One full year of credits

2010-02-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Today my son earned his 30th college credit. That's the equivalent of 1 year of college. He started taking test and online classes in October of 2009. So, in less than 5 months with some hard work on his part, he has acquired the same amount of credits as a Freshman in College would have done. I am very proud of him for his accomplishments that he has made so far!

For anyone thinking about doing college the non-traditional way with Cleps, Dantes and online classes, I encourage you to read Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller. It is a great book to help you make decisions on which path to take and how to go about it.

The traditional college (where your rear in sitting in a seat) don't really want you to know about College-level Examination Program~Clep testing~. The test save you money and time. Each college is different on how many Clep and Dantes credits they will allow you to transfer in to their college so always check with the college you plan to attend to see how many and what test are accepted beforehand.

Here is the Collegeboard site which explains Clep testing. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html

Learning to read & write ~ Importance of

2010-02-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

Below is a true story. It's a tragic, moving and memorable story of the reminder of the importance to learn to read and write. I read this story a couple of years ago. It has pulled on my heart every since. I can truly imagine this happening to people today. In a time where so many children are more interested in computer games, watching T.V., Ipods ~all the electronic gadgets that get their attention more than reading a book for knowledge or just for pleasure. A study conducted in 1996 reported that 8 million U.S. students in grades 4th -12th struggled to read, write and comprehend adequately.

For some reason I felt the need to share this with others, others that may not have read this story before.

My Father's Hands

by Calvin R. Worthington
Readers' Digest, 1976 May

His hands were rough and exceedingly strong. He could gently prune a fruit tree or firmly wrestle an ornery mule into harness. He could draw and saw a square with quick accuracy. He had been known to peel his knuckles upside a tough jaw. But what I remember most is the special warmth from those hands soaking through my shirt as he would take me by the shoulder and, hunkering down beside my ear, point out the glittering swoop of a blue hawk, or a rabbit asleep in its lair. They were good hands that served him well and failed him in only one thing: they never learned to write.

My father was illiterate. The number of illiterates in our country has steadily declined, but if there were only one I would be saddened, remembering my father and the pain he endured because his hands never learned to write.

He started in the first grade, where the remedy for a wrong answer was ten ruler strokes across a stretched palm. For some reason, shapes, figures, and recitations just didn't fall into the right pattern inside his six-year-old towhead. Maybe he suffered from some type of learning handicap such as dyslexia. His father took him out of school after several months and set him to a man's job on the farm.

Years later, his wife, with her fourth-grade education, would try to teach him to read. And still later I would grasp his big fist between my small hands and awkwardly help him trace the letters of his name. He submitted to the ordeal, but soon grew restless. Flexing his fingers and kneading his palms, he would declare that he had had enough and depart for a long, solitary walk.

Finally, one night when he thought no one saw, he slipped away with his son's second grade reader and labored over the words, until they became too difficult. He pressed his forehead into the pages and wept. "Jesus-Jesus-not even a child's book?" Thereafter, no amount of persuading could bring him to sit with pen and paper.

From the farm to road building and later factory work, his hands served him well. His mind was keen, his will to work unsurpassed. During World War II, he was a pipe fitter in a shipyard and installed the complicated guts of mighty fighting ships. His enthusiasm and efficiency brought an offer to become line boss-until he was handed the qualification test. His fingers could trace a path across the blueprints while his mind imagined the pipes lacing through the heart of the ship, He could recall every twist and turn of the pipes. But he couldn't read or write.

After the shipyard closed, he went into the cotton mill, where he labored at night, and stole from his sleeping hours the time required to run the farm. When the mill shut down, he went out each morning looking for work-only to return night after night and say to Mother as she fixed dinner, "They just don't want anybody who can't take their tests."

It had always been hard for him to take a stand before a man and make an X mark for his name, but the hardest moment of all was when he placed "his mark" by the name someone else had written for him, and saw another man walk away with the deed to his beloved farm. When it was over, he stood before the window and slowly turned the pen he still held in his hands-gazing, unseeing, down the mountainside. I went down to the spring house that afternoon and wept for a long while.

Eventually, he found another cotton-mill job, and we moved into a mill house village with a hundred look-alike houses. He never quite adjusted to town life. The blue of his eyes faded; the skin across his cheekbones became a little slack. But his hands kept their strength, and their warmth still soaked through when he would sit me on his lap and ask that I read to him from the Bible. He took great pride in my reading and would listen for hours as I struggled through the awkward phrases.

Once he had heard "a radio preacher" relate that the Bible said, "The man that doesn't provide for his family is worse than a thief and an infidel and will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Often he would ask me to read that part but I was never able to find it. Other times, he would sit at the kitchen table leafing through the pages as though by a miracle he might be able to read the passage should he turn to the right page. Then he would sit staring at the Bible, and I knew he was wondering if God was going to refuse him entry into heaven because his hands couldn't write.

When Mother left once for a weekend to visit her sister, Dad went to the store and returned with food for dinner while I was busy building my latest homemade wagon. After the meal he said he had a surprise for dessert, and went out to the kitchen, where I could hear him opening a can. Then everything went quiet. I went to the doorway, and saw him standing before the sink with an open can in his hand. "The picture looked just like pears," he mumbled. He walked out and sat on the back steps, and I knew he had been embarrassed before his son. The can read "Whole White Potatoes," but the picture on the label did look a great deal like pears.

I went and sat beside him, and asked if he would point out the stars. He knew where the Big Dipper and all the other stars were located, and we talked about how they got there in the first place. He kept that can on a shelf in the woodshed for a long while, and a few times I saw him turning it in his hands as if the touch of the words would teach his hands to write.

Years later, when Mom died, I tried to get him to come live with my family, but he insisted on staying in his small frame house on the edge of town with a few farm animals and a garden plot. His health was failing, and he was in and out of the hospital with several mild heart attacks. Old Doc Green saw him weekly and gave him medication, including nitroglycerin tablets to put under his tongue should he feel an attack coming on.

My last fond memory of Dad was watching as he walked across the brow of a hillside meadow, with those big, warm hands - now gnarled with age - resting on the shoulders of my two children. He stopped to point out, confidentially, a pond where he and I had swum and fished years before. That night, my family and I flew to a new job and a new home, overseas. Three weeks later, he was dead of a heart attack.

I returned alone for the funeral. Doc Green told me how sorry he was. In fact, he was bothered a bit, because he had just written Dad a new nitroglycerin prescription, and the druggist had filled it. Yet the bottle of pills had not been found on Dad's person. Doc Green felt that a pill might have kept him alive long enough to summon help.

An hour before the chapel service, I found myself standing near the edge of Dad's garden, where a neighbor had found him. In grief, I stopped to trace my fingers in the earth where a great man had reached the end of life. My hand came to rest on a half-buried brick, which I aimlessly lifted and tossed aside, before noticing underneath it the twisted and battered, yet unbroken, soft plastic bottle that had been beaten into the soft earth.

As I held the bottle of nitroglycerin pills, the scene of Dad struggling to remove the cap and in desperation trying to break the bottle with the brick flashed painfully before my eyes. With deep anguish I knew why those big, warm hands had lost in their struggle with death. For there, imprinted on the bottle cap, were the words, "Child Proof Cap - Push Down and Twist to Unlock." The druggist later confirmed that he had just started using the new safety bottle.

I knew it was not a purely rational act, but I went right downtown and bought a leather-bound pocket dictionary and a gold pen set. I bade Dad good-bye by placing them in those big old hands, once so warm, which had lived so well, but had never learned to write.

Let it Snow

2010-02-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

What an image for mid February in Texas. Snow on freshly budding out Red Maple trees. Yesterday we awoke to about 3" of snow on the ground. My daughter said "It looked like a blanket of Heaven over our yard". It was a beautiful site to see although very unusual for this part of Texas. As beautiful as it is, I am so looking forward to the Springtime. Until then, I will just enjoy the view from inside the windowpanes.

Meet Wilson! This is the snowman that the kids built. He is just too cute!

College Trigonometry

2010-01-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

My 17 yr old son started College Trigonometry this week. I am so glad that he enjoys math so much. It has always been one of his favorite subjects which is great since as of now his plans are to go into an engineering field, so the more math that he has is all the better. When he finishes Trig he will have 3 more college credits, 12 that will be math credits.

Here is a great Trigonometry site for anyone interested. http://www.clarku.edu/~djoyce/trig/

A little tid-bit of info to help in Trig. Remember SOH CAH TOA.

Sine sin =opposite/hypotenuse (SOH)
Cosine cos=adjacent/hypotenuse (CAH)
Tangent tan=opposite/adjacent (TOA)
Just remembering that will help so much :0)

I am enjoying the fact that he is able to complete subjects for college at home. It is saving time because he can finish a subject in less time and is also a huge money saver. Which is a big plus!

Happy New Year & Reflections on the past year

2010-01-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year--2010

As the year has come to a close, I thought it would be nice to reflect on some of 2009 high-lights.
Some of the majors things that happened in the past year were:

My oldest graduating from home school high school.
My three youngest children, ages 10,12,14, making State Competition in Forestry in 4-H.
Two of my children making State Competition in Wildlife, the 12 & 14 yr. old. Traveling to Sinton, Tx.
My 12 year old daughter making Quad-State Competition in Forestry. Traveling to Beavers Bend State Park, OK. for competition.
My 17 yr. old acquiring 22 college credits while still in high school.
My oldest joining the service, she left on December 29th to travel out of state for basic training.

We have had a wonderful year and were blessed many times over. I look forward to what 2010 has in store for us. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!

One of my own is joining the Military

2009-11-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

Something that I never thought about while my children were babies or even while they were growing up, was one of them joining the military. My oldest daughter, Sophia, after much thought has decided that this is the path that she wants to take. My husband and I are behind her 100%!!
So far she has taken her entrance exam and passed with flying colors, has taken her physical and is now in PT (physical training) for the next couple of weeks to get her accustomed to sit-ups, push-ups and running. She is in very good shape so I believe that she will do just great on that. Her Sergent has been bragging about how well she is doing, which is a good sign.

Sophia will be leaving us to go to Basic Training on December, 29th for 9 weeks and 4 days. This is the longest that I will have ever been away from one of my babies, I realize she is 19 yrs. old, but she is still my baby!

When she graduates from Basic Training, we will all get to see her at graduation in Oklahoma. After that she will leave straight away for AIT in South Carolina for another 10 weeks and 3 days to receive her training in the field that she has chosen, which is Paralegal Specialist.

We are very proud of the decision that she has made and I see great things for her in the future. Please pray for her safety during training and beyond.

I am one proud mama!!

Walk Across Texas results

2009-11-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

Well, after eight weeks of walking, the totals are in. Our home school group logged a total of 2,765 miles, which is the equivalent of traversing Texas more than three times. My kids and I had a total of 476 miles with my 15 year old son, Carlin racking up 144 miles on his own.

We enjoyed Walk Across Texas and plan to participate again next year. It was nice spending time as a family project and also having an exercise routine. So if you haven't started an exercise routine, start one now. It will make you feel healthier and more energetic!!

Walk Across Texas 2009

2009-09-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Today begins the annual Walk Across Texas program, It is an eight week program to help people of all ages support one another to establish the habit of regular physical activity. Walk Across Texas! is recognized as a Best Practice Physical Activity Program by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

For eight weeks, teams of eight people, school classes, or individuals walk 830 miles across a map of Texas.

Today, me and 4 of my kiddos will record all of our walking and bicycling each day for the next eight weeks.

Stay tuned!!

Jake's new hair cut

2009-09-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

It was past time for Jake to get a new look. He had been thinking about getting a crew cut for the last month and finally took the plunge yesterday. He really likes his new "do" and so do I. I think it makes him look much older, what do you think?

BEFORE

AFTER

09~09~09

2009-09-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

9-09-09 ~This date will only come along once in my life. In fact it won't happen again until 3009. Quite a long time from now, the next millennium.

Have you noticed that there are 9 letters in the word September?

Also 9 letters in the word Wednesday (which is today's date).

Also today's date represents the 252nd day of the year. 2+5+2=9.

I wanted to capture a picture of my kiddos on this date, so I called them all from whatever they were busy doing at the time to gather around and savor the moment of this special date.

New school year 2009~Thinking about college

2009-09-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my, where does time go and why does it go by so quickly?

We started easing back into the school routine about four weeks ago although this year we are doing things a bit differently. Some of my children will start to acquire some college credits through the process of online classes and College-Level Examination Program also know as CLEP and DANTES test.
None of my children have a definite plan as to what they would like to major in at the moment so what we will be working on is getting some of their general education credits knocked out first and then we will re-evaluate to see what needs to be done.

When your children start getting older as mine are, I as a parent, start to worry about college, where will they go, what will they study and how will we PAY for it. College is EXPENSIVE. So in my hours of reading I ran across College-Level testing, the sound of it intrigued me. It is the best of both worlds-the kids learn, test and then get college credit (if a passing grade is made) and it does not break the bank. My children can acquire a degree in a much shorter time period and the cost is no where near as expensive as a four year college/university.

A very good book that I am reading is titled "Accelerated Distance Learning" by Brad Voeller. I highly recommend this book for any parent or student wishing to jump start their higher education at a faster rate of speed and for much less $$.

Learning to Sew

2009-01-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

My little girl is going to learn how to sew. Oh, sure she has sewn things like pillow cases, little purses, small stuffed dolls out of felt. She has even hand-sewn a beautiful throw pillow for my bed from maroon and gold satin material complete with tassels as a gift for me this past Christmas. But now she will be learning how to sew clothing.
Molly (12) is in the Clothing & Textiles project in 4H and one of the things that she is to do is sew some form of clothing for the fashion show. I took her to town the other day where she spent about an hour or so picking out a pattern and material for her project. The project is under-way as she has started cutting out the paper pattern in the photo. I will up-date more photos as she works on her project. This is so exciting for me!! I hope that she will learn to love to sew and it will become a new hobby for her.

A New Year Begins

2009-01-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

2009 is here-a new year-a fresh new start to things and boy do I feel the need for. I have big plans for this year (this is nothing new, I have big plans every year). Although, it is my hope to follow through on more of my plans this time around.
I want to be more organized, don't we all? So the plan is to take baby steps to getting our home, our schooling, my thoughts more organized.

We shall begin our schooling on this up coming Monday and boy do I have some new things that I will be implementing this year. I will write about them more as the year continues.

Until then--Happy New Year everyone!! May it be a wonderful year for us all! :0)

Last post of the year

2008-12-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

It has been sad how little I've kept up with this blog this year, although I wanted to add one last post before the new year that starts in just a couple of hours. 2008 is almost over and I must say that it has been a very good year for us.
I didn't get near as much accomplished as I had hoped throughout the year but like the saying goes-There's always next year!!
So see you all next year and I will keep up with this blog better--I promise!

4-H ~Going to State!! ~Whoo hoo!

2008-11-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I updated anything but a whole lot has been going on here. To start with, this is the first year that some of my kids have decided to be involved with 4-H. The 3 younger ones, Carlin (14yrs.), Molly (12 yrs.) and Jake (9 yrs.) decided that they would like to join Wildlife. It has been such a wonderful experience for us. My children have learned such much and studied their little hearts out. I must say that I've learned a great deal also.
The District contest was on October 22nd. All 3 of my kiddos scored high enough to go to Regionals. Molly scored over-all high pointer for our 4-H group. I must say that I'm a very proud mama!! I'm very proud of all 3 of my children for working so hard to make their goals.

After District contest they had to prepare for the Regional contest that took place a week later on Oct. 29th. Let me say, there was a lot of studying was going on in this house and it really paid off. Molly and Carlin will be going to the State Contest in May, which will be held close to Corpus Christi, Texas. Only 4 kids from our District will go, and 2 of them are from my house. If that doesn't make a mama proud!

This is their first year in 4-H Wildlife, all 3 of my kids have done remarkable well for just starting out. Molly had one goal when she started and that was to make it to State. Carlin is excited as well, they make great study buddies. :0) Jake was a little disappointed--but I'm not in the least. That little guy worked so hard and he made it to Regionals which is a great accomplishment when most of the kids he was competing with are all high-school age children. Oh, another thing worth mentioning--none of the kids were to talk to any of the other students while doing the contest. Not one word--now that is a feat in itself.

Oh, I guess I should say that our county placed 2nd in the Regionals. Way to Go!!

Molly and Jake are on the left in the photo. Molly is the tall girl with a jacket tied around her waist and Jake is in a Red and Black checkered shirt.

Molly out in the field doing Tree Identification.

The little guy on the log is Jake, isn't he a tiny one to be out doing this. Anyway, he is also doing Tree Identification.

Carlin is very hard to get a picture of, anyway he is the blond boy in the background. Molly is to the left and Jake is in the cap.

School is back in session

2008-09-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

The summer just seemed to fly by this year. Really to be honest, everyday is going by just way to fast for me. We started back to school about 3 weeks ago, adding a little in each day so not to overwhelm anyone. It's hard to believe that we are now in our 8th year of home schooling our 5 children. My oldest will graduate this year and my youngest starts 4th grade. The three in the middle are starting 11th, 9th and 7th grade. My hands are full with a variety of ages/grades, curriculum and learning styles.
We are doing a few things differently this year and also keeping some things the same. We will be branching off into more history than usual. History is not a subject that I really cared for as a child so it has been one of the more difficult ones for me to teach. I have my order placed and should be receiving our new history read-alouds in the next week. Until then we have plenty to keep us busy.

My daughter has started blogging!!

2008-08-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

As part of a school project that I've asked my daughter Molly to complete this year is starting a blog. You can see the link at the side of this page entitled Molly's Place. I like to refer to it as her "On Line Journal" of her day to day happenings relating to school. She will be posting about different curriculum that she will be using, maybe some about what she learning, cooking, gardening, book reviews and photos. Pretty much you name it, hopefully she will be writing about it.

I've asked her to do this project in hopes that it will help in her writing abilities, conveying her thoughts and sentence structure. Plus, I think it will be a great way to look at what she will have accomplished in this school year.

I've made an outline of things that I want her to accomplish this year. I won't tell you about it, I'll let you take a look at her blog to see what she's up to.

I hope you enjoy my daughter's new blog--Whoo hoo!! :0)

Where have the last 5 months gone

2008-08-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted an entry in such a long time. Things have been so very busy!! We, as a family, have started gardening. It has been a fun and rewarding experience. Lots of work, but oh the feeling of walking out and picking your own vegetables. It's a GREAT thing and yummy too!!! I took tons of photos that I might post at a later time.

Some of the veggies that we planted and harvested were: Tomatoes, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, hot peppers, banana peppers, peas, corn, okra, cucumbers, muskmelons and watermelons. It has been a learned experience for us all. One thing that we learned is that we don't need 200 watermelon plants. Although with having so many delicious watermelons that my two older sons planted and cared for we found ourselves with too many melons to eat. So my girls and I ventured out and made watermelon jelly this year. I have heard about it in the past but had never eaten any. It was fun to make and yummy to eat. Though next spring, I think we will plant fewer plants. :0)

Busy as a Bee--It's the little things

2008-03-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day for being outside especially after the cold snap that we had for the last couple of days. While being busy as a bee myself working away I looked up and these little beauties are what was next to me just being busy as a bee themselves.

It really does feel like Spring is in the air. I just love this time of year when everything is fresh and green, new life in springing up all around us, the bees are at work doing their thing and all the folks that love to garden are out doing their thing too.

Just for a few minutes... I stopped to really enjoy the little things today-these little bees made me happy, I stopped and watched my youngest child play in the dirt, that made me happy, I enjoyed my girls helping me to replant tomato plants today, that made me happy also. It's the little things that I often miss because I always seem to be in a hurry, however I was reminded this week by something someone said about taking time to enjoy the little things in life. Life is short--enjoy it!! What simple but at the same time magical moment made you happy today??

Get Those Hands Dirty

2008-03-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

Turnips
Who doesn't just love them?!

This weekend we harvested at least 100 lbs of turnips. It is one of the easiest vegetables on earth I think there is to grow. And pulling those little jewels up from the earth is just too much fun.
I'm not one to like turnips greens, which is a shame, as I threw all of them into the compost pile but the turnips themselves have such a great flavor to them. A little bitterness and a little sweetness at the same time. They just melt in your mouth. There are so many ways to prepare them--Turnip fries, cubes with butter salt & pepper, or boiled and mashed like mashed potatoes. They are all yummy! My kids love to just grab the turnip, put a little salt on that baby and eat it as is.
If you've never ate a turnip, you should...you might be pleasantly surprised. :0)

New Puppy--Rose

2008-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Look what my sweet hubby surprised us with the other day! A tiny little Basset Hound!! Isn't she just the cutest?? She is 5 weeks 1 day in the photo. Don't you just love those loooonnnng ears?
Meet Rose---The newest member of our home.

Time Passes

2008-01-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well, so much time has passed since I last updated anything into this blog. It doesn't mean that there has been nothing going on, on the contrary--Life has been very busy. With 5 kids how could it not be. The holiday season has passed and life goes on. I will be updating more of what is going on with us soon.
Take care all!

Delicious Cake!!

2007-09-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this cake look yummy?? All 4 layers have a different taste, though when the flavors mix together,Oh my!
My daughter M (11) has been on a cooking frenzy recently when it comes to baking cakes. She started with boxed cake mixes and moved on into homemade cakes complete with home made icing. She has prepared a cake everyday for the last week, she is my little Betty Crocker! She really enjoys her time in the kitchen and I am so proud of her for the fact that she does this on her own. This, in my book, is another great reason to home school for us. My kiddos can explore and see where their interest/talents are, what they enjoy doing and delve into it. Right now my daughters interest are in cooking and that's all right with me.

The Great Money Tree

2007-08-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever owned a money tree? Well, we have or should I just say that (J), my son has. It was about a year or so ago that my hubby brought home a money tree, so green and beautiful. Well, my youngest son, who was 6 at the time, seen it and thought it was so cool to own a money tree so he inherited it although I kept it in my bedroom so that it would get plenty of light and just the correct amount of watering so it would flourish.. ~~What was I thinking~~

First thing every single morning, (J) would come to my room to check on his money tree and collect whatever it had grown during the night. He would excitedly take all his loot to his room for safe keeping. This went on for months & months!! First the tree grew $5.00 bills, then $2.00 bills, then slowly it would only put on 1 or 2 $1.00 bills during the night with some change added in here and there. (J) loved it! Who wouldn't???

As time went on, the same thing happened every morning. (J) came in my room, collected his loot & left to go stash it. Well, my hubby and I found out that (J) loved the quarters that the wondrous tree would some how create during the night. He acted as if he had found gold. (See, His older brothers have a collection of all the State quarters and (J) liked knowing that he had some of them too). Well, what exciting news for us, the parents, the guardians and care takers of said tree. :0)

So, the little Money Tree kept churning out lots of quarters and dimes for a period of time. Then the tree started looking a little frazzled, finally (J) decided that he would really like it if the tree were kept in his room. ~~Whoo-hoo, mom thinks to self!~~ After a little more time the poor tree just dried up and whithered away although not after lots of $$$$.

Now every time (J) and I are in town shopping and I happen to see one of these glorious trees out of the corner of my eye, I grab (J) by the hand and find something, anything to distract his attention away from the Great Money Tree. I don't think I can afford another one. :0)

Density in Nature experiment C & M

2007-08-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

August 16, 2007

Today the kids and I did an experiment in science, we use Apologia General Science for the two middle kids. They are studying the history of science, the different scientists and what they are known for. Today their experiment was on Density in nature (Atoms). First they did the experiment and then had to draw what they had seen occur in their science notebooks and write why certain things happened. Very neat experiment, although I wished we'd used dark corn syrup instead of the light, it would have showed the layers a lot differently to the kids. Oh well, I am sure there will be a next time.

First Day of School

2007-08-16T16:01:00.002-07:00

Today started a fresh new year for us. I'm excited and I sure hope the kids are too. I have a wonderful year planned with lots of adventure. Here's a few photos of "Back to School-2007"

J (8)

M-(11)

C1 (15)
C2-(13)
S-(16)

School house photos

2007-07-31T19:28:00.002-07:00

This is our one room school house where we spend a lot of our time. I have 5 children and each one needs their space to do their school work. Can you really have enough space...I don't think so, especially when you home school. There is just too many great books, computer software programs, hands on items for learning. The list just goes on and on.
Anyway, this is our learning area. I love our little school house. The children can really concentrate on what they are doing without a lot of interruptions that we used to have when we did our schooling in our home. (Our little school house is only a hop-skip-and jump from our house, we walk down our little 50 ft. walkway every morning to school)