• Aug. 25, 2008
First Day of School 2008
Well, we started today. Even though it's our sixth year of homeschooling, I sometimes feel like a beginner. We had a great morning and then a few "meltdowns" in the afternoon. It feels good to be moving toward a good family schedule, though. I am also looking forward to our World History with "Story of the World" and our Total Language Plus study. Of course, these are my favorite subjects, so I hope my girls will enjoy them too!
My mother always took a "first day of school" picture on the front steps of our house. So I snapped one of the girls as we were going to piano lessons. It just reminded me of my mom's traditional photo every year.
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• Aug. 19, 2008
Gearing Up!
I've spent the last two weeks trying to get ready for school. I have two years of stuff to go through and clean out. My mother passed away on March 24 from a brain tumor. We spent close to six months of the past year living in Billings, MT to be with her. We were extremely blessed to be able to spend that precious time with her. My husband was able to work from there and we kept up with school the best we could. The LIFE lessons that the girls learned, however, are priceless. So, it's been a journey. If you are interested in reading about the journey, I have linked our family website on my blog. (www.crispycross.com)
Needless to say, filing papers was not high on my list last year. We were in survival mode. Now that I have everything cleaned out and new curriculum in place, I'm excited to start. I am looking forward to getting into a routine again and setting out on this learning adventure. Here are some samples of what we are planning to study:
WORLD HISTORY: The Story of the World (Also use Mystery of History, and History Scribe worksheets)
LANGUAGE ARTS: Total Language Plus (the two older girls will do an in-depth study of Charlotte's Web and The Courage of Sarah Noble)
Kensley will go through Explode the Code and Learning Language Arts Through Literature
SCIENCE: Great Science Adventures--Earth's Landforms and Surface Features
MATH: Math-U-See (I love this program!)
HANDWRITING: A Reason for Handwriting and lots of copywork
GRAMMAR: Daily Grams
SPELLING: Spelling Power
BIBLE/CHARACTER STUDIES: I'm still working on this one. Any suggestions are welcome
MUSIC/ART: All girls are taking piano, Kensley is singing in the CHEA choirs, and the two older girls will be taking an 8-week sewing class.
Sounds like a full year!
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• Aug. 7, 2008
My Baby is Turning Seven!
Yes, my little one will be seven tomorrow! She was born on August 8. We are celebrating with a special birthday breakfast, sub sandwiches from Harris Teeter (the best!). H.T. makes them fresh to order, and on Fridays, a foot-long sub is $3.99!
Then we are going rollerskating or to see Space Chimps Movie (she hasn't given us the final word yet) and then dinner at the Olive Garden. Kent usually takes a vacation day off from work and if we are in school, then we take that day off too! I think that another year of life is a thing to celebrate, don't you?
The summer is winding down quickly. Last night at 6:30 pm, it was 99 degrees outside. UGH! Kailee loves to spend time imagining new games and ideas to act out with her sisters. Lately it's been "Pioneers on the Oregon Trail". Most of the day they walk around the house looking like girls from the 1800's and "camp" in various places around the house. We are planning to study Ancient History this year, so we'll see lots of Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans around the house.
I have challenged Karina to memorize the Book of James with me. She has a quick memory and we test each other most mornings. We've got over half of the first chapter done. We are going to go out for a crab dinner when we both complete it. Of course, that's nothing compared to the value of having so much of the Word in her at such a young age. Not to mention the good it does for Mommy as well! 
Tonight we watched the interview with Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family. They recently lost their five year old daughter. What a powerful testimony! Treasure each day.
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• Jul. 21, 2008
My girls in their July outfits
Hi,
We are learning how to insert pictures on our blog. I have a very patient husband (who also happens to be a computer programmer for a living). The Lord knew what I needed!! Of course, there are many more qualities that he has, but there isn't enough space on my blog for that. (I hope you are reading this, honey
)
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• Jul. 19, 2008
At the Beach, July 2008
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• Jul. 17, 2008
Blogger Newbie!
Woo-hoo! This is my first attempt at blogging, so please bear with me (as if anyone is reading this at this point). My husband gave me a new laptop for my 40th birthday and so I've decided to journal all my "deep thoughts" via cyberspace.
I will be starting my 6th year of homeschooling in the Fall, so right now we are taking a bit of a break. I desperately need one. I'll share more about what has happend in my life this past year.
When setting up my profile, I had to pause and think about how to describe myself in a few sentences. I guess one description would be "friend of God", an idea that I find astounding. Psalm 25:14 says, "Friendship with the LORD is reserved for those who fear him. With them he shares the secrets of his covenant." I know that my deepest friends are ones for whom I reserve my deepest secrets. That's so cool that God wants to do that with us!
I'll share more about my homeschooling journey and my life this past year. I think it will be good therapy.
blessings,
Kendra
