Teaching For Christ 3rd Annual Cookout @ The Sweetman's

I LOVE my small group, Teaching For Christ! Each year since Bethany and I started this small group we have hosted the FAMILY picnic for Memorial Day! This year we moved the date, in case of rain, to Friday! The weather was perfect, the food was great and the fellowship, as always, was the best! :)
Enjoy pics of super great friends whom we are so blessed to share this homeschooling journey with!
The pool stayed pack, until about 11PM :)

My hubby, Sarah and Brianna...


My "Little Man" happy in Laurie's arms...

My Brinley Gale who would not stay holding onto her noodle...

My Micaela who despite not really liking the pool, enjoyed herself and told me tonight "Mom, I don't cry anymore, I just float around...I like the pool now!"

My Nathan and Camden :) Who Bethany stated really did not like water too long ago, he really ended up having a great time in the pool!

The kids having fun...

Daddy and Brin...

Great friends...

O.K. Friends

Super mom Amy...and Chris reading in the gazebo...

So glad to have Laurie back :)

Bethany and beautiful Lincoln, who loves aunt Leah's sweet tea!

9 minivans, 12ish adults and many many children = a homeschooling cookout :)

Our Schoolroom

When I first started homeschooling I wanted to see other homeschool families schoolrooms, know what a "school day" looked like at their house, etc etc. Dana Britt recently posted schoolroom pics on her blog and got me wanting to show off my creation that we have been working on for the past couple of years! So, here is the
SWEETMAN SCHOOLHOUSE SCHOOLROOM:

You go down the stairs...


Into the kids familyroom...



And there you go...


The little ones have things to do...

Our dry erase board and shelves and we use a table for our work area...

Brianna at times also uses the little desk...

We have a sink area, nice for art...

You can also see our "library" on the shelves in the kids familyroom area!

On the otherside of our fridge I have ABC-123 mat puzzle pieces with magnets for sentences, and hooked on phonics, etc as a center area for the kids to use also.

BOTANY AND ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOKS :)

Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available. You can see samples on the Apologia website here:
These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal.
Each of the notebooking journals include:
A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
Review Questions
Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice
Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.
See the sample pages here:
Botany: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.phpmain_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=128
and
Astronomy: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.phpmain_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=127
Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog to learn more about this contest: www.jeanniesjournal.com

ME? Go to work? Well OK!

I have an interview tomorrow at Days Inn... I am so scared that they might actually hire me. lol
Mark had stated that he was going to go and get a second job, well, I can't have him working two jobs and me being at home, so off I went to put in applications for front desk clerks for 2nd shift. Now I am scared. On one hand I can see having the evenings "off" from motherhood and enjoy some adult conversation, a good book in between guest and have the baby brought in once to feed. Yet on the other hand, I am thinking about all that I will miss. I will be missing dinner with my children, probably weekend time with my family, tucking them in at night...hmmm, I will never be in bed before midnight. How do I do this....
I guess I will have to just think about it as being from 4:30-8:30 without my kids, then they would be in bed either way. That is if they even would hire me for the hours of 5-midnight.
I just pray that my babies will be OK and that this won't cost them anything...
hmmm....me....working, well, OK...We will see...

FIELD DAY 2009

This would be the result of a dream that Nathan and I had... when we pulled Nathan out of 2nd grade in December of the school year, as spring came along we thought "What about Field Day?"
So, my friend Bethany and I said "OK, time to get one together!" We have since held Field Day at Fairdale Christian Church for the past 4 years!!! This past year was different though because Bethany and I had to let Field Day go. We both grew by leaps and bounds family wise this past year, as a matter of fact Bethany was in Africa picking up her two new sons during this event!
A wonderful large homeschooling family, The Clark's, made a choice to plan field day 2009! Our homeschool group Home For His Glory also helped and sponsored the event! Many hands went into the pot to pull it off! God even blessed us with no rain until about 5 minutes after they had cleaned up!
It was so super! We had a blast, although it was quite muddy out that day! The kids really look forward to and enjoy this time with our homeschooling community! It is after moments such as these that I am reminded how God loves us and has given us so much! Some people struggle to belong, fit in and have friends. God has blessed our family with a whole community of people to love and share our homeschooling journey with! Thank you HFHG and especially the Clark family for all of the hard work put into this years Field Day!!


Check out the mud on Nathan ;)


Toddler Tank :Brinley Gale- Toddler Tank is the BEST!!

Awards! Micaela!

Awards! Brianna!

Ball Game: Micaela

Toss: Nathan

Marble Toes: Brianna

Meeting Maynard's

Today was the DAY!! We met Bronx and Lincoln Maynard as they came off the plane to Kentucky from Ethiopia to be with their FOREVER FAMILY! The kids (mayman's) were so pumped as we drove to the airport to see their new brothers and friends! We just all waited with so much joy and hearts full of "hurry!" When we saw Bethany and Paul walking up we pushed the Maynard children out front and started being the picture people! Nathan and Brianna really enjoyed meeting the boys! Nathan said "Mom, can we go to Africa and get some brothers!" Enjoy the photo's of new forever friends and family member meet one another!

WELCOME HOME MAYNARD FAMILY...WELCOME HOME!

a BIG ole circle of LOVE!

TQ, a bit emotional! :)

I sent Mark to go and get the $8.00 group photo for each girl and he brought me back all of these! The group photo's are on top of sheets of wallets! I THOUGHT by sending in the man, he would stick to the plan. I knew I could not have...well...I learned he could not either! At least this way *I* did not spend the money!! :)






Micaela's beautiful pictures- it was so big the whole thing would not fit ;)

My Brianna is so beautiful inside and out :) I love how she works so hard and enjoys her Dance program! We are so blessed that she is able to be part of this program this year!

Mayman's

Well, we did the park! We seen some drama unfold between a fairdalian and a mexican, the mexican stole the fairdalians fishing pole, entertainment to say the least! The boys fished, the girls fed ducks! We seen mommy ducks with babies, TOO CUTE!
We talked about all of the predators the mommy had to protect her babies from, so we had science class! We came home and the little ones took a nap, the girls went to the church playground. I looked out the window to check on the girls and they were gone! Mark was outside on the roof "watching" them. He drove over to find them as my heart stopped beating and I was screaming their names like a mad woman. Well, I look over and he had them in the parking lot. He said they went inside the church to pee. So, they lost their afternoon snacks for scaring me to death and their park rights have been revoked. I know I am strict! It is next door, but things outside of my yard freak me out! Nathan cooked chicken on the grill. Carson ate corndogs, lol!
Theu boys went down the road to a derby party, the girls stayed home and took baths for hours! Nnow they are watching Bethovan 6 or something! They are all cuddled on the counch! The boys are downstairs watching the same movie in guy land!
Tomorrow we will attempt church with all these kids and then let the family take them to their evening church events, because Sarah wants to bring a boy over for a date! I also really need a chance to put away some laundry! Sarah will get the house cleaned for the boy....woohoo! Till next time...

Mayman update: Day 3

Well, today is Friday and we went to the zoo, actually had great weather and even bumped into another homeschooling family there! We started our day off with homemade pancakes and eggs for breakfast. We arrived at the zoo around 11, the kids had a great time. The water park was open, I sure wish I would have thought to check on that, it was beautiful! Oh, well. We did Mc D's for lunch afterwards. Then we came home and the little ones took a nap, Annie loves naptime at Aunt Leah's :) After nap the outdoors were still calling. We had a few bumps in our road, like bloody feet a couple moments of physical abuse between children. Carson is not happy with my tactics, lol...I said you pick the veggie out that we will be having and then you have to eat at least one spoon full. Well, he agreed and he chose corn after asking "what's green beans?" He took two bites and said "I hate trying new food, it makes me want to puke!" Well, at least the kid got a kernal of corn in him, a greenbean would have been better! Maddee and Annie ate theirs :) Ask me about the milk...lol
Baths done and kids are asleep and tommorrow is another day! If the rain doesnt keep us out we plan to go to the park, let the boys fish and the girls feed ducks..we shall see.
In HIS love
Leah