A School Year in Review

 

 

 

 

Our second year of homeschool, is coming to an end, or maybe I should say, I can see the end in sight. This year brought many challenges as we were uprooted shortly after the school year began, and we have been traveling back and forth between Illinois and Wisconsin with my husband, for his job. Our number one priority (besides God) is family, and so this was the obvious choice.

I added a few extras this year, and I am more then happy with them. We did Song School Spanish and Typing Instructor. 4 of my kids, have received a certificate for successfully completing typing instructor and they are doing very well with this skill. Spanish has been very fun, and something I work on, with the younger kids 2-3 times a week. It's from Classical Academy and incorporates music with each lesson, so naturally my kids were drawn to this. I also had each child read as many of the classical books as they could fit in, such as: Charlotte's Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, Little Women, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Farmer Boy. The kids also read Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman.  (Along with a few other books thrown in for fun)  

For my youngest in Kindergarten we are doing Hooked on Phonics.  He will repeat Kindergarten next year as well and we will continue with this.  I really do like the program, but wish he was more interested in it.  We haven't progressed as much as I would like, but I knew I would need to take it slow with him.   He doesn't love school and probably never will, so we will do everything we can to make it fun!

My absolute favorite online site that I use is http://superteacherworksheets.com Last year, this website was free, and this year I had to purchase a subscription for one year, but it was totally worth it. I print extra practice worksheets almost daily for my Kindergartner, 2nd and 3rd grader. I also bought a membership to http://ABCmouse.com and my two youngest use this daily as well. I am finding that these online sites are very educational and very fun for the kids and it introduces them to the computer as well.

Our family loves music. 4 of the kids play the violin, 2 play guitar, 3 play the piano,  most of us sing and we all love to sing and perform in church. Since we travel back and forth it makes music lessons hard right now. Maddie is giving guitar lessons to Menter and Molly has started giving violin lessons to the younger kids.  She has been taking lessons since she was 3 and enjoys it very much.

I still primarily use Bob Jones for my kids. I don't see any need to mess up a good thing, and so I will most likely stick with this curriculum as we have had success with it.

We also do many family projects.  My husband loves to build and the boys especially love to help him.  This year they built a shed, and a dog house.  These are life long skills they are learning at home and precious memories of working along side their dad.

Arts and Crafts are always a part of our day. 

The girls have been learning how to crochet for the past two years, and this year, they were very successful.  They made many scarves and a few hats.

Here is a look at our school room in Wisconsin:

I have to say, the funnest thing about this past year, was the fact that our home in Wisconsin is right across the street, from a ski mountain. We took full advantage of this, and purchased a family season pass. All 5 kids took lessons and learned how to snowboard. It was great fun, and a good way to get exercise.

It's been a great year, and I am so excited that we have (almost) made it through our second year!

♥  Shannon

School Days!

I don't post about school that often, because I'm not that experienced.  We are only in our second year, and I feel there is so much more to learn.  This year we started a few "electives" in our classroom and the kids (and I) have been having so much fun with it. 

I have read some great things about SongSchool Spanish, so I decided to try it.  So far, I LOVE it!  It's very easy to follow (for me, the teacher).  It is by Classical Academic Press, which means, there is a lot of music and singing.  Our family loves music, so this was a great fit.  It comes with a CD and every couple of lessons there is a new song to learn, and workbook pages that go along with the lessons.  I have been teaching this to my K, 2nd, & 3rd grader.  My 6th grader sits in periodically and catches up rather quickly with the lessons.  I can't say enough good about this and how well it's working for us.

I also started the kids on Typing Instructor for Kids.  They are all addicted!  It's become a competition to them. (we don't do video games, so this is as close as it gets :) 

Marykate gets up right away in the morning and comes straight down, to get the computer first!  They are all doing really well, and it's a nice break from book work. 

For fun the kids have been doing some looming.  My kids love to finger knit, and I was so tired of finding finger knitted pieces of yarn all over the home, that weren't good for really anything.  Even my boys love to do this.  Then one day as I was browsing pinterest, I read about looming with finger knitting.  I had the kids gather up all their pieces from all over the home and we set out to make a small rug, decoration or piece of art. 

This is Max's, and it turned out pretty good.  I think he's going to enter it in the fair.  We used a hula hoop loom and followed the instructions in Family Fun's magazine. 

 

These are the two most recent.  One is finished and now hanging in the newly organized school room and the other is still being worked on.  The actual directions call for cut up pieces of t shirts, but we found finger knitting works great and is so soft. 

 

 

So those are just a few things that have kept us going during this long winter.  I'm looking forward to Spring and getting outside in (hopefully) a few short weeks!

 

♥  Shannon

A little organization goes a long way!

So, as I sit here and type, once again it's snowing!  No signs of spring here just yet.  I think being inside so much has started to get to me, and I'm itching for some spring organization and cleaning. We have been organizing and working on a few projects (my favorite thing to do). 

First we pulled out the kids baby quilts that Brent's aunt made for each child when they were born.  They have been in storage for about 5 years.  In fact my youngest's quilt was never hung up.  It was fun to pull them out and show the kids, who had forgotten about them.  The problem was, we didn't know exactly how we were going to hang them.  We went to the store looking for ideas.  My husband is the one who came up with this great idea!  I love it and think it's genius :) 

We found some clearance curtain rods and wanted to use them, but didn't know how to attach them.  After looking a little further, down a few more isles, we found these little round hangers with clips on the end, designed especially for the curtain rod.  They were perfect.  This way the whole quilt can be displayed and hangs away from the wall as well.

We have a nice long wall off our playroom in our basement, that is finished.  We hung them in birth order.  It's really fun to have them back up again.  I almost can't remember what it was like having that many little ones in the house!

Next up, school room!  We have been living in WI since November, and really everything has been an unorganized mess in that home.  There isn't enough closet space and we have no book shelves.  The dining room became our school room on the first day of moving in and ever since then, things have been piling up.  I had enough and declared a weekend day, full of organizing this space.  My husband agreed to helping me and I was so grateful! 

 

We purchased the cube shelving units at Menards.  It took 4 of them to fill a 12 foot wall.  I loved the curtain rod for the quilts so much, I thought why not use that same idea for art work.  We have so much of that around here, and the fridge just isn't big enough :)  Also a few months ago, each child painted a white canvas and they have just been laying in the corner waiting to be hung.  The two round loomed pieces of art on the end are finger knitted and then loomed.  I love having a place for all the kids stuff.  They each have their own set of 3 cubes.  One for their school books.  One for their level reading books, and one cube for misc, pencils, markers, mini whiteboards, etc.  I love having their artwork all over the room.  I also have all my teacher manuals, tests, and supplies in the cubes.  I function so much better when everything has a place and everything is at my fingertips.  Today was our first day in the newly organized school room and it went great!  We were all very motivated.  It's just what we needed to make it to the end of the school year!

 

 

I have one more fun find to share.  Over the weekend we visited the local antique shop looking for Abraham Lincoln memorabilia.  We did find a few books and a large framed print, but also laying on the front porch of the store, behind a bunch of framed prints, I found this:

 



A large old print of George Washington.  It wasn't priced and the owner of the store saw us looking at it.  He said it came out of a local old school house.  He said since we were purchasing some Lincoln books, he would throw this picture in for free.  I LOVE finding treasures like this, and when they are free, that makes it all the more better :) 

Overall it was a very successful weekend, and I look forward to organizing other rooms of the house as well.

♥  Shannon

Cozy Winter Decorating

I don't know about you, but whenever I take down my Christmas decorations, it makes me a little sad.  I so enjoy the extra lights in the house and the warmth it brings, especially living in the Midwest, where winter can be long and dull.  So I have been leaving up little pieces of "winter" (as I like to call it) all through the house.  I wanted to share a few photos of some of my decorations around my home, that makes it feel extra cozy and not so bare. 

I have been adding splashes of pinecone and evergreen wherever I can.  As well as candles.  I also have a small tree I leave up through March, that I love to decorate with candles, pinecones, and any other homemade, or wooden objects I can find.  It adds so much warmth to the room and we all enjoy the lights at night after the sun goes down.

I have an antique ironing board, that I use as a sofa table.  My kids have found antlers in the woods near our home, and I love to decorate with them.  I added some pinecones and evergreen and now I  have the coziness of winter, without the Christmas theme.

This is my winter tree.  There are a few ornaments that may still resemble Christmas, but my youngest daughter was helping me decorate it.  She also crocheted a garland last year when she was 6 and just learning, and she put it on the tree.  I haven't taken it off since.  Sometimes it's not about how perfect it looks, but the thought that counts.

Another small evergreen sits on top of the piano. (As you can see there is also a children's music book and recorder in this picture).  I figure there is no point in trying to hide these things from the camera.  It is just proof that many children fill this home. 

As you can see, I have a deer theme throughout my home. I have added some reindeer over the holidays, and I cannot bring myself to pack them away just yet, as they add just enough whimsy to the room.

 

 

This coat rack is very special to me.  My husband made this for me about 15 years ago, out of an antique mantel.   He refinished it and I have had it in every home we have lived in. 

 

 

Lastly, I love to add a touch of winter through my dishes.  I just purchased these snowman plates 75% off after Christmas.  Again they add just a bit of whimsy and winter cheer to the room.

 

 

So, there are some of the ways I like to brighten and warm up my home, even after the Christmas decorations come down.  There are many cold days still ahead.  In fact right now, we are in the middle of an ice storm.  Even so, I really do enjoy these winter months. 

 

♥  Shannon



First Day of School!

My 2nd & 3rd grader's

Yes, I am doing two posts in one day.  My time these days are limited :)  We started school yesterday and it went very well.  I wanted to share a few pictures and a look into our school room.  Also, we are trying something new this year.  My two oldest are going "part time" to the christian school.  They are taking a math and science class there.  That helps me out a lot, as quite honestly, I'm not great with math.  Being a new home school mom (this is my 2nd year), I also haven't figured out how to fit in science experiments and all, into our already busy schedule, so this is a great fit for us right now.  Also, my girls miss the atmosphere of school.  I think the hardest part of home school is adjusting to a new normal.  It doesn't feel normal or natural to either one of them, because they have always been in school.  This is a good compromise for all of us, and I still have 3 at home full time!

My 8th grader!  Where does the time go!   She is happily studying her history here.  We do mostly, all Bob Jones curriculum and I really love it!

My 6th grader.  She is having quiet reading/history time in her room.  I think one thing the girls do enjoy is the quiet laid back atmosphere that home school provides. 

And my baby, started kindergarten!  I always thought there would be tears the day he stepped foot into school.  How thankful I am, that our time together is being continued at home.  Looks like he found the puppets.

Here is a peek into our school room:

I LOVE my whiteboards!  They are a lifesaver.  The kids like to practice their spelling words, and play with word magnet games on here.  My calendar is from Oriental Trading Company and the kids enjoying switching out the months.  It's such a great fun way to teach the days/months of the year!

This is our library we created right off our school room.  It was an extra large hallway which really had no purpose.  My husband bought all the materials at Menards, and built them himself.  One of my favorite areas of the whole, entire house! 

Another one of my favorites of the school room is our farm table.  I started out with this table and the four chairs it came with.  Then I found this antique church pew at a shop right down the road from our house.  It was the perfect fit for the room and at least 3 kids can sit comfortably on the bench.  It is great for family game nights, and craft projects as well!

The large antique cabinet in the background holds all of our games and puzzles.  And then of course, I have a desk with the computer/printer, and laminator, which I haven't tried out yet.  That's pretty much it, but it's cozy, warm, and the kids enjoy our space.

♥  Shannon

Just another weekend project...

My daughter once said "I always wondered when dad would finally finish up all his projects, and then I realized they never end".   It's true, projects are his hobby.  He works in management, so his "down time", isn't really down time at all.  He loves to build, create, dream up and create.  My 8 yr. old son loves to help.  Between the two of them, I never know what they are going to come up with next.  I sometimes wish, he could just make a business of it, and do what he loves, but life isn't that simple... or is it??!!   Anyway, this weekend, he finished up, yet another one of his projects.  We had a lot of leftover wood from our shed project, and so he came up with this great idea for our Farmers Market stand.  Usually I help with the design, or even come up with the plan and then he builds it.  But not this time.  I had no idea what he was building or how it was going to turn out.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It's great, and I love it!  We are hoping to have a Farmers Market stand every Friday evening and this should attract some attention and hopefully get the kids some customers. 

Like I said, we used all leftover wood from other projects.  He built the boxes out of cedar and used metal sheets for the roof.  We stained the rest of the wood, varnished the cedar boxes and used stencils to paint the sign.  I am very  excited to try it. 

♥  Shannon

Building our garden shed

We were in desperate need of a garden shed.  We wanted to clean out our garage, so we could comfortably fit our cars in there, between the bikes, balls, skateboards, and boxes, that still need to be unpacked.  It just wasn't in the budget right now to start from scratch on a big shed or, what we would really like, a small barn.  So we compromised. 

 

We have this bottom patio, under our deck, off our family room.  It was the perfect fit.  There were cement walls already there, and the deck is 10 ft high, so the shed would have plenty of room, if we decided to add a loft for extra storage.  But first, we had some cleaning to do.  We had a wood pile to move, and the cats house was here before.  The boys helped spray off the patio.  We had a nice, clean slate to start with. 

We started  by adding a metal roof under the entire deck.  So in the end we would have a small shed, and also a covered porch.  We then started framing it up.

We were  going for a "country" look, and we designed the door to look like a barn door.  We used cedar deck boards, the rough sides facing out. 

Construction zone.  You can see here the whole picture.  The metal roof turned out beautifully, especially since we have never done anything like this before.

Finished!  It is my absolute favorite spot in the yard now, as it over looks the backyard, and I have a great view of the kids playing.



The door turned out great.  We were afraid it would be too heavy, but it actually isn't at all.  I love the look, and love having a covered porch for my swing! 

My husband on this Father's Day, enjoying the swing and drinks on this very hot summer day, with 3 of the kids.  This was a really fun, lost cost project for us.  Turning an unexpected area, into useful space, it's one of my favorite things. 

♥  Shannon



Storing spices and stocking up

I made my first trip to the Country Store today.  We have only lived here a year, and so I'm still trying to find all the best places to shop.  Someone from church mentioned to me, about a Mennonite store that sold bulk food items.  I was getting dangerously low on my spices and also was in need of some flour. 

I purchased two 10 pound bags of unbleached flour and lots of different spices.  I was also happy to find a larger box of yeast, then I am able to find in the regular grocery store.  I also like to support the local small town shops.

 I like to make all my own seasoning mixes, such as taco, chili, onion soup, ranch, etc.  So I keep well stocked on spices and mix enough to fill a quart mason jar at a time.  Once again, my handy husband has made it very convenient for me to keep my spices and seasoning mixes all organized.

These white wire pantry shelves, can be purchased at Lowes.  Mason jars are the perfect size for these shelves, and I am able to keep all my homemade seasonings and nuts all stored right inside my pantry door, for easy, convenient access.  As you can see, I was getting pretty low on my seasonings.

I have enough room for all my store bought spices, and all my homemade seasonings.  Here I have two of the shelving units.  One on top and one of the bottom.  In fact, I love these shelves so much, I purchased two more, and put them in my laundry room closet for all my extra items, that I don't use every day, such as jello, puddings, baking supplies, etc.   They are so easy to install, as long as you don't mind screwing them into your pantry door.  It takes about 5 minutes! 

And since we are on the subject of stocking up (sort of)... when I was at the Farmers Market last week, I purchased a bag of extra large 30 pound potatoes.  I wanted to use some for seed and the rest to eat.  Well, the nice older gentlemen, decided that since "I had a lot of kids", he would give me an extra 30 pound bag of the smaller potatoes for free. 

We have already eaten a few, and planted a few.  We still have a lot left, so for the first time, I am freezing diced potatoes.  We will see how they turn out.

 I am thankful for this blessing, because there have been times, when we didn't have an over abundance of food for our family, and so I don't want to take any of this for granted.  God has been so good to our family and even a extra bag of potatoes, is considered a blessing! 

From my kitchen to yours...

♥ Shannon

30 day laundry challenge

For Mother's Day, my husband made me a clothesline.  Not just like any other clothesline you might see.  Well actually we have seen these before.  The Amish have them, and it is where he got his inspiration.  One day when we were traveling through Wisconsin, I snapped a few pictures and pointed out how fun a giant clothesline might be. 



The Amish Clothesline

This got the wheels spinning, and he did some investigating, until he found exactly what we were looking for.  He ordered all the parts from Do it Best.  We purchased the 100 foot clothesline for our family of 7.  It is a pulley system and stands about 12 to 16 ft above ground. 







My 100 ft. clothesline

The kids were all so enthusiastic about it, they have been arguing over who gets to hang the clothes and take them down, so we just did one load right after another.   Today, I don't even have one load of laundry left to do.  I can't tell you the last time that happened!  I'm sure the excitement of "helping" mom will wear off and then I will get to enjoy it myself.

My husband built a post a few feet into our deck and placed another post at the end of our property line.  I can hang all the clothes, right there from the deck.  It's very convenient.



So, to get back to the 30 day laundry challenge.  For 30 days, I will not be using my dryer, unless I absolutely have to, if it's raining all day.  I am trying this for 2 reasons:  #1  I want to see how this will effect my electric bill.  When I got to thinking about it, I run the dryer 3-4 hours a day and most of the time, an extra load at night.    #2  It will be better on our clothes and who doesn't love the smell of fresh laundry from the line.   I figure after 30 days, I will have formed a habit, and it won't feel so time consuming.  Besides, there is something therapeutic about it.  I do enjoy going out in the morning with a fresh load of laundry and listening to the birds sing and feeling the crisp morning air... it's a beautiful start to the day!  So if you have a clothesline and never use it, try it out again.  If you don't have one, think about investing in one.  I think you'll enjoy it! 

From my laundry room to yours....

♥  Shannon

Friday Favorites

Before I start with my favorites, I wanted to share this pic... aren't they pretty?  Radish's picked fresh just a while ago.  I have more then enough, still in the garden, so I will pick more and take them to the farmers market next week.  I added some to my coleslaw last week and it added a delicious punch to the salad. 

Moving on... I would like to share some of my favorite things every Friday.  Items I use around my home, that are helpful, functional and make everything just a little more fun!  Today I'm going to share my favorite canisters from Target. 

I love these large glass canisters.  They hold a nice, large amount, so I am not running out every other day.  I buy most of my baking items in bulk, either from Sam's Club or Costco.  I just keep refilling the canisters as I need to.  I keep four, out on my counter top at all times.  Two of my girls like to cook, so this makes it a lot more convenient.   My husband likes to be in the kitchen on the weekends, and this way, he can find everything, without asking "are we out of brown sugar?"

I keep flour, brown sugar, sugar, and oatmeal in the canisters.  Looks like I could use a couple refills! 

I have found that cooking is a lot more fun, when everything has a place in the kitchen and is easily accessible for the younger kids as well.  From my kitchen to yours....

♥  Shannon