The Simcox Family Homeschool

Jul. 16, 2008 -

I had my first weigh in on Monday and PTL I had lost 5lbs ! I was so excited. I went in thinking I hadn't lost anything so I was really surprised. I will weigh in again this Friday and be measured so I'm praying for good results then too.

If anyone is interested in "Homesteading" or getting back to simpler things , Homeschool Freebie of the Day has a great download available today , Homestead Simplicity: A Primer .

If you need a funny pick me up , be sure to check out this blog : Spirited Sons . Today's post is sure to bring a giggle bursting forth .

In the Sparrow's Nest has some great info and pics about taking a Wildflower walk so be sure to check it too.

Well I'm off to work on some of the cleaning "zones" around the house . First I will tackle my desk . Hopefully I won't throw anything important away ...:)

Jul. 10, 2008 - Finally VBS pics and a hello and welcome to my friend !

Hey ! First I would like to say welcome to my friend S****** . She joins us in blog world today and you can visit her here at My Thr33 Sons. Be sure to stop by and say hi. I am posting a slideshow of some of our VBS pics. I didn't get a good pic of one of the classrooms. Don't know where my mind was . (No comment from the peanut gallery S****** ! ) Anyway hold your mouse over each pic and it will tell you a little bit about it.Most of the costumes you see in these pics were made by the aforementioned friend S****** . She is very talented . She did an awesome job on the Roman Soldier costume . He was everyone's favorite this year. I am working on our Science goals for this year . We will be doing units and mostly notebooking . As soon as I get it together I will post it . If your like me you enjoy digging through other peoples links and stuff cause sometimes you find some neat stuff. I have to tell you about the neat stuff I found at the $ Tree this week . Of course I got a couple of the wall calendars so I won't have to put so much time into making them this year. But the great find was the flash cards and workbook from the Planet Earth series.Here is what I got : ( I had to take out the pictures . They were messing up my template but you can check out the stuff I got at Modern Publishing.)

Planet Earth : Animals of the Seas , Animals of the Air , and Geography flashcards. I also got the Animals of the Air Workbook. I wish I could have gotten the other cards in the series , Planet Earth Land Animals, and the other books but they didn't have them but I will check again. I just love the $ Tree ! Another great place to check out if you live in this area is The Teacher's Pet at Governer's Crossing. They have some great stuff , even for church, and the prices are very reasonable.

Also friends I have some prayer requests to leave with you . First my Mom , she has MS and many other health problems and she really needs prayer right now. Second my cousin who is having surgery tomorrow. Pray for calming peace for her and a speedy recovery . Third , my DH Toodles who has problems with his heart and some GI problems too. He is waiting to get scheduled to have an endoscopy. And last but not least please remember me. I have started a program to help me lose A LOT of weight. My goal weight is 150 lbs which I hope to reach by March of 2009. Pray that I hold true to my part cause I know God will hold up His side of the bargain to help me:) Thanks everyone. Also I guess I should apologize to all my friends here at HSB. I have not been doing a lot of commenting lately due to shortage of time these days trying to get all our school stuff done and our house organized before the new school year starts. But I promise I have been lurking on your blogs and keeping up with all the latest . I will be leaving comments again very soon . Thanks ! God Bless ~ Nikki

Jul. 1, 2008 - Hey !

Well , VBS is over and I am tired ! We had a great time though. One was saved , Thank You Jesus! There were a few others who were close to the decision so we will continue to pray for them . We ended with fireworks again this year because the kids really loved it last year.It went over well this year too. I will post a picture of the fireworks . I am in the process of making a video so I am sorting through all our VBS photos and I will post those promised pictures soon. I took several hundred through the week.Now it is time for me to concentrate on school for next year.I believe we will relax this week and enjoy the holiday before I get truly started though :)

I found this great post by Angela on THL this morning . She is having a contest to give away one free copy of TOS Planner .I want to win ! I have checked out the preview and it is packed full of neat stuff. Go here to check out what I am talking about. Well have a great day today everyone ! ~ Nikki

Jun. 25, 2008 - VBS Midweek & Biology 101

Just a quick note to let everyone know VBS is going great ! Everyone is having a great time . I will post some awesome pictures later in the week. Keep praying , we have new kids come every day. Another local Church donated 3 huge boxes of crafts to our Jr Church that they had left over from their VBS. Toodles and I are so excited !

I heard about this neat giveaway on another blog. There are 3 copies of Biology 101 to be given away. It sounds awesome . I hope I win ! Go on and check it . Biology 101 Giveaway

Jun. 20, 2008 - Our VBS

Gin asked for some details of our VBS . I thought I would post a slide show of some of our decorations. We are doing a HolyLand Adventure from Group publishing. We have used their HLA themes for the last 3 years. We started with Bethlehem Village and last year we did Galilee by the Sea. This year is about the death and resurrection of Christ. The one thing I don't like about it is they don't have their curriculum in KJV which I prefer ( I know others have opinions on it but that is mine and I wont argue about it). That is something that is easy to work around though. The first year we had our Tribes outside in tents but last year we moved inside for Tribe time because of the heat and we will do the same this year.Our Marketplace shops will be outside as will the Gathering which is a time of singing.To decorate the rooms we use brown wrapping paper and an old chipped white board and draw "block' walls with cracks and chips in it . Plus we add a little friendly creature in each room to see if the kids can find it. I don't have pictures yet of the decorated rooms but I will post some later. We are just finishing up with them. Be much in prayer for us that we will see children and parents led to the Lord during VBS. ~ Nikki

Jun. 18, 2008 - Camping

We had a great time camping with our family this weekend. My brother came up too so we were able to have a wonderful weekend as a family.We were camping in Cades Cove so we were able to see lots of wildlife . I will post some pictures on my other blog. I have to encourage everyone who can to go to Cades Cove and watch the lightning bugs (fireflies). It was so beautiful ! Let me tell you about it . We drove around the loop about sundown . As we were getting to the backside of the loop deep twilight was falling and the lighting bugs(fireflies) were flashing over the valley and it was awesome. It looked ,like the twinkling lights of a city from a great distance. There were thousands of them . Everyone was pulling over just to watch them. I of course can't find the words to truly describe it so you have to go for yourself. You will love it I promise ! ~ Nikki

Jun. 13, 2008 - Hello

Just wanted to pop in and let everyone know I added the link to the F.R.O.G. Binder printables to the side bar. I have also updated my Women's Ministry website. Yesterday was Toodles' birthday ~ Happy Birthday DH ! The kids are camping with my parents this week and we are going up today . So have a great weekend everyone and I will "see" you next week. :)

Jun. 5, 2008 - My 100th entry ! Yeah !

Well here it is my 100th entry milestone...and I can't thing of anything to blog about. Sad isn't it? Well actually I do have some things to yap about.First , I changed my template back to 2 columns while BabyGirl works all the kinks out of the other template.She is really good at it so it shouldn't take too long. ThanksPam for the heads up about the viewing problems. Roosie is healing very nicely and Hoopy feels better so thank you for your prayers.I am working on VBS stuff trying to tie up all the loose ends.I created some printables for a FROG Homeschool Binder (Fully Relying On God) for my friend S******. It is going to be a surprise for her .I'm putting all kinds of homeschool stuff in it. This will be her first actual "homeschooling" year.I put the printables on my Yahoo Group plus I will add them to the sidebar and you can download them from Mediafire.com.Here in our are we have been hearing the Cicadas(deafening at times)and I have some neat pictures of them we took at my cousins house. We have pictures of them coming out of their exoskeletons.I have been thinking about putting together a unit about them.Well my thoughts are running dry so I'm gonna go for now .I'll probably be back later and add to this post. I have to ! I mean it is my 100th and I have to say something interesting don't I don't I ?

Jun. 4, 2008 - New Template Design

Good morning everyone! I hope all is well. My DD TnBabyGirl worked really hard on this 3 column template for me.We are just wandering if it if working properly for everyone.Is anyone having trouble viewing the blog?If so please let me know.I appreciate it ! ~ Nikki

Jun. 2, 2008 - Pray for My Kids Please !

Yesterday evening at church my youngest DD Roosie was biten by some breed of shepherd dog. It was the kind police use for drug dogs. She was bitten several times on the right foot and leg and once she was down the dog bit her on her lower back , scalp and several places around her right ear. They had to close the wounds on her ear but else where she just has bruises and scrapes. Her older brother Hoopy jumped on the dog and drug it down to the ground and elbowed it in the head while my cousin grabbed my daughter. She is fine other than some "medium" pain and Hoopy has a sore neck because he had to jerk his head out of the way really hard when the dog snapped at him.Roosie has adamantly decided she no longer wishes to have or see a dog. So pray for her that the fear will go away because she does love animals and that she heals well and pray for Hoopy that he will feel better too . Pray for all of us while your at it because it was a pretty traumatic day . Thank you God for taking care of my blessings , all four of them.

May. 22, 2008 - Blog “Answering Machine”

Click; click (mouse clicks instead of rings, lame I know)

Hi this is Nikki; sorry I can’t come to the blog right now. I’m either in the kitchen cooking, doing dishes or eating , or I’m in the bathroom scrubbing the toilet and/or shower. I might possibly be in the laundry room sorting dirty clothes or sobbing in deep despair (I hate laundry).I may even be trying to claw my way out from under a pile of school books and papers that need to be put away for the summer. Then again I might be a hostage of the dust bunnies living under my furniture ( they are a little testy since I told them I was going to wipe them out (pun intended).More than likely I’m out looking for my mind , silly little thing , I lose it every school year and end up looking for it half the summer. Either way I‘ll be back as soon as possible. Please leave a comment after the post. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Ha ha just trying to bring smiles today! ~ Nikki

May. 19, 2008 - Hello Blog World

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. We have been very busy around here for the last few weeks. We finished school over a week ago. We finished earlier this year than we had planned but we're not complaining. Things finished smoothly. We were in no great rush to get everything done and that was a huge blessing. All that's left for now is to finish planning for next year. I will take things easy though.I would rather do it a little at a time and not be stressed than to try to push, shove and cram it all into my head at once and get a headache:) We have all been fighting the "Spring Cold" though. That has been a big damper on things for us. Everyone has been coughing, sneezing and generally feeling BLAH.VBS is just around the corner for us too. We have been planning and decorating and getting things in order for that. There is still plenty to do although I am bound and determined not to get in a huge rush . It is so much more stressful that way. I want to work diligently and proficiently and I know the Lord will make sure it gets done. We finished work on our puppet house for Jr Church (our Children's Church program). We still have a few minor things to complete but it looks awesome. Toodles made it look like an old log cabin. I will post pictures when the final things are added .We did manage to got to the Library sale this weekend and get some great deals. This is a list of books we bought to use in school. We bought more but those were more for personal reading ( I did get two Jan Karon Mitford books I needed for my collection , yeah !):

Webster’s Elementary Dictionary
Biology For Christian Schools
Teacher Tested Timesavers
Walt Disney’s Worlds Of Nature
Attracting Backyard Wildlife
NatureWatch: Exploring Nature With Your Children
A Guide To Field Identification: Wild Flowers Of North America
Jo’s Boys – Louisa May Alcott
The Audubon Society Field Guide To North American Birds (Eastern Regions)
Picture Reference Atlas
Bird: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World
Reader’s Digest ABC’s Of Nature Family Answer Book
Anne Of Green Gables 3-in-1 volume set
Kidnapped – Robert Louis Stevenson

I have some pictures I will be posting for my other blog , unfortunately it has been neglected too as has my Homeschool Lounge page but fear not ... I'm getting there ... I shall post ... man nor beast nor foul weather shall hinder me ...but unfortuantely laundry and dishes will... so be patient ... I'll be back later this evening . Have a great one ~ Nikki

P.S. Some of you may be wondering what the banner on my side bar is all about . The one one thats says , " It is not this day". Well my kids and I have this game that we play throughout the day called Movie Quotes. We try to see how many movie quotes we can get into the conversations we are having. Ok maybe it's goofy but we enjoy it. Anyway , I always seem to get this one in from LOTR so my DD TnBabyGirl made this little award banner for me and I must say she did a wonderful job. And just so you know BabyGirl , someday you might beat me at this game but ..."It is not this day!" HA , MOVIE QUOTE ! Gotcha !

Apr. 25, 2008 - ATTENTION TN HOMESCHOOLERS

This is a special tax free weekend for school supplies. Check it out here.

Apr. 25, 2008 - Our Visit To Gray , TN ~ Fossil Museum , The Family Field Trip

Last Saturday we got to go see Sue the T Rex. We had been looking forward to it for a long time. It was awesome. Traveling Sue is an exact replica of the real model of Sue found at the Field Museum in Chicago. Awe inspiring is what comes to mind when you look at her. The size of this animal is unbelievable. What an amazing Creator we have. I am posting some of our pics we took. The lighting wasn't the best for picture taking (for me anyway:)) so some of them look a little fuzzy. Sue will be at the Gray Fossil Museum til April 27 . You should go , really , like right now :) Be advised that they don't follow the "Biblical Timeline" but it is a great teaching oppurtunity do delve into Creation Science with your kids. And even if you don't want to go to the museum take a drive through the I40 - 81 corridor , BEAUTIFUL! The redbuds and other flowering trees are in full bloom . That drive was amazing in itself.

This picture does not do justice to her size. I couldn't get all of her to fit into the frame , you can't see the end of her tail

Some of her teeth were a foot long.

Sue's huge feet.

More teeth.

Sue's skull is about 5 feet long.

And this is a picture of what the drive looks like.

Apr. 14, 2008 - Ok , I had To Say Something About This ...

Of course when I read this article I had to just shake my head and sigh (big sigh).It is highly irritating to constantly have to defend our choice to homeschool our children and the methods we use to do it. I may not be the most intelligent person in the world but I am no dummy either. I know that my children need to know about evolution. They will face it at some point in their life as so many people have been wrongly led to believe it. But I will teach them the truth about evolution. That it is indeed a theory, someone’s idea of how things happened, that cannot be proven. I mean really, we came from some microscopic amoeba that one day decided it didn’t like the water anymore and wanted to come ashore? Yet, once on land it realized it couldn’t survive as an amoeba and so started a process of metamorphosis to one day become a man? After how long did it reach the monkey stage? Why did some decide to become a man and others decide to stay monkeys? Wouldn’t you (as an amoeba, monkey) have wanted to have become a man if you could? What was their deciding factor I wonder? Now doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Can science prove any of this? No, they can just give us more of their “theories” about how things might have happened, they have no hard physical proof. My Bible tells me (yes I know, this is my beliefs not everyone else’s) that God is my Creator and the Creator of the Universe. Not only is He its Creator but He is its caretaker.

Psalm 104 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

I believe that my God is who He says He is and He did what He says He did. That is my proven belief. What proof do I have that I am God’s creation … not only Genesis but this…

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

My heart knows it for truth and that is all the proof I need. Parents have a right to teach their children what they want. If they desire to teach Darwin’s theory then that is their prerogative. But I have not only the right but a God given commandment to teach my children the truth …

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

I know what my children would learn in public school, I went there. I have no desire to have my children learn a warped and one-sided view of the world (i.e. a worldly view). They have a well rounded and informed education right here at home from a Christian viewpoint. Just because they are Christian homeschoolers doesn’t mean they don’t know what’s going on in the world today, they do. They just know and understand both points of view and they know which one is morally right. So here is what my kids won’t learn in school : Alternative Lifestyles Are Ok 101, Teacher / Student Relationships (AHEM!), Bullying and Rundown of Fellow Man, etc. They will learn of the greatest Science Teacher –God, how to love others as Christ loved them and the “3 Rs).So go ahead Mr.Shives, you and yours teach your children what you want but allow us to do the same and for it to count. We don't force our views down your throat so don't expect us to allow you to shove yours down ours. Our textbook's (God's Word , you know , the Bible) "theories" are being fulfilled and proven every day . How about yours?

Apr. 14, 2008 - Such Wonderful News to Share

I just want to thank God for all the wonderful blessings He has given me. Yesterday I was feeling so down.I've been so busy with school , youth ministry and preparing for VBS and you know what it's like when you feel like a spinning wheel thats not moving , you work and work and it seems like nothing is happening, so I prayed last night at church for God to give me some of His joy back into my heart. I wanted to be uplifted and encouraged . We had such a wonderful sweet service and I was feeling better but guess what? Better wasn't the best God had to give...He gave me the greatest joy a momma could have...my daughter went to the altar and accepted Jesus as her Savior . PRAISE HIM! My children have all been saved , what greater joy could a Momma have. I thought my heart would burst. God answered 2 prayers for me last night.Every time one of my Blessings accepted Jesus I rejoiced and was amazed at how good God is to us as parents.Now they are not just my children but brothers and sisters in Christ , joint heirs to the Promise. I just had to share that wonderful news with everyone. I'm so proud of my Blessings. They are the most awesome kids.They love to help others and to serve the Lord.Our youth at our church amaze me. I wish at their age I had the desire to worship and serve God the way they do.I know many of you Mommas know how I feel . I know you have children who love to serve the Lord ...tell them I said THANK YOU !

Apr. 14, 2008 - Honeybee Lapbook

Good morning everyone! I wanted to share a lapbook with you that I made for our homeschool. I had such a fit with my file host removing my files all the time that I finally started a Yahoo group to put them on. The lapbook I uploaded this morning is about honeybees. I even added a page of online resources. I hope you find it useful.Feel free to upload your printables to the group also.

Here is the link: Christian Homeschool Printables

Apr. 11, 2008 -

TnBabyGirl tagged me:

1. Favorite Color - purples and greens
2. Least Favorite Color - um, I don't think i have one
3. Color Of Pants - pink
4. Color Of Shirt - blue
5. Color Of Favorite CD - blue
6. Color Of Dream Car - red
7. Color That You Want Your Mom To Dye Her Hair - can't think of one,
8. Color Of Computer - black/silver, white/faded purple (family computer)
9. Color Of Best Friend's Brother's Eyes - don't know
10. Color Of Dream Pet - white
11. Color Of Phone/Ipod - black/silver (phone)
12. Color Of Last Thing You Ate - tan - multigrain chip
13. Find The Color You Answered With Most - blue
14. Tag As Many People As There Are Letters In The Color -

I tag everyone who reads this post ! Go on ...have a little fun ! This is the day the Lord hath made , we will rejoice and be glad in it!