Journey to Excellence

I am sure many of you are like we are right now ... ready for some spring temps, getting a little tired of the school routine and ready for the end of the school year, and lack of general motivation. We have been pushing through Spring Fever, working hard on getting Brynne ready for standardized testing, and beginning to wrap up some subjects. When we start to get ho-hum about our studies it usually means we are ready for a little science. Watching "The Wheel" on the Discovery Channel has prompted our studies of biomes. Last week we set up a science experiment to determine which of four biomes would yield the best results in growing impatiens, lima beans, and rye grass. We have the deciduous forest, grasslands, rainforest, and desert. We will be observing the growths in these biomes for the next few weeks. A sweet lady at our church tapped Eli on the shoulder last Sunday and handed him a crinoid stem that she had found on her property. The crinoid

If you are a homeschooler I think you would agree that a big motivating factor in your decision to homeschool is that you have the right (with limits in some states) to teach your children what you want to teach them. At least in Missouri, we do not have to get approval for our curriculum or follow Common Core. Brynne will be reentering public school in the fall for 7th grade. The school will require her to submit assessments to enroll, standardized test results. We do not take standardized tests. Really, we do not even take tests. Our assessments are typically based on discussion and mastery of materials as we compete lessons. The elementary school has agreed to allow Brynne to sit with the other 6th graders to take the MAP test in May. That way she does not have to take a standardized test by herself at the high school sometime this summer, and I want the school to proctor her test so there is no question about its results. The 6th graders do testing in Math and English. Becau

I just plain don't have an answer for today's Tuesday Coffee Chat  question, but I am up early and drinking coffee and in the mood to write so I am going to do a Daybook entry instead. Looking out my window  ... It is dark and chilly. It seems we are having a last blast of cold air before spring temps settle in for the duration. Why is it so dark at 7:07 a.m.? Because of that darned Daylight Savings. I am thinking  ... about how behind I am on my 40 Bags in 40 Days Lent challenge. A super busy weekend and then a cruddy cold zapped my time and energy. I am thankful  ... that I feel much better today after several days in a row of that yucky cold. One of my favorite things  ... is when I am struggling with a particular issue and then God speaks to me directly through scripture. Seek and you will find. I am creating  ... thoughts and ideas for our softball season rapidly approaching. I am coaching this year! I am watching  ... lots of DVR'd shows.

What is one area of your life where you're a perfectionist? Is that a good thing? This is kind of a hard one! I would say that I don't think I am a perfectionist, but I have a feeling my family would object and start hurling examples. I know that I like my day to go a certain way and when it doesn't I get my feathers ruffled. One thing I do obsess about all day every day, though, is my couch pillows. I want them on the couch properly so I reposition them several times a day (and sometimes pick them up off the floor. Really, people?). What's something you find perfectly ridiculous? Oh so much. Mostly it's people and their need to have a cause when it eventually becomes clear that they don't even really know what they are standing up for except just to be making a point (and an ass of themselves, ahem!). i.e. Colin Kaepernick and his National Anthem fiasco, and I could name oh. so. many. others. Enjoy the UK, Miley Cyrus! What's a skill you'

Who is someone you miss? I have a few friends I don't get to see often enough, and I miss them. I miss my mom when she's in Florida for several months at a time. I miss Rick and the kids when one of us is away. But, to be honest, I have not had a lot of real loss of loved ones in my life. There is only one person I think about often and truly miss, and that's my Grandma Alice. I especially miss her in the month of March because her birthday was on St. Patrick's Day. At my Grandma's funeral I shared that she was the only person in my life who had never disappointed me. She was a tough old gal, but there was no question in my mind how much she loved me. She was the grandma who had the family dinners where she served everyone while she stood at the kitchen counter to eat (plus she made the best chicken dinner on the planet). We spent the night with my grandma most Saturday nights. We would play double solitaire, watch The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, wi

Today I am going to combine my Weekly Wrap-up (actually two weeks worth) with a post on what it's like to be in our homeschool in a typical week. Quite honestly, we are in such an "ordinary" groove that I really don't have a very exciting wrap-up post to put up each week. I struggle to find creative ways to share that we did this, this, and this and that was our week. What I have learned about my kids in this middle school stage is that they like routine, they don't care a thing about bells and whistles in their learning, they love me to read to them, and they get the most learning out of educational television shows and videos. We have some daily non-negotiables in reading, writing, and math. I am a language arts freak so we do lots of grammar, spelling, writing (including cursive), copywork, and reading. Other subjects get sprinkled into our day, mostly dictated by someone's personal interest. The only real difference between this year and years pas

'Slow and steady wins the race' ... Tell us about a time this was true in your own life. A healthy lifestyle is definitely something that I believe should be done slowly and steadily so that our ways become life-changing instead of a quick, temporary fix. This is something I am working so hard to teach my children and to work out in my own life. 'As slow as molasses' ... Do you like molasses? How about maple syrup? Caramel? Butterscotch? What's your favorite of the slow moving treats mentioned here, and what's your favorite food made with that sweet treat? Molasses? Yes. Maple syrup? Not really. Caramel? Yes. Butterscotch? Yes. Caramel is a favorite overall, but I absolutely love molasses cookies. Your favorite slow song? Soul Provider by Michael Bolton Your favorite thing to make in a slow cooker or crock pot? Beef stroganoff. 'You may delay, but time will not.' ~ Benjamin Franklin. Are you more a hurrier or a delayer whe