Smart gnome

Caleb has the Northwest look, beanie and all.

Lime green makes him visible on the slopes.

It also makes him look a little like a gnome....a smart gnome.

 

He passed another CLEP today! 

 

Chocolate milk to celebrate and a night or two off before he begins again.

 

Nice Work, Son.

 

Success

Matt passed another CLEP test!

 

 

12 credits down, only 108 more to go.

 

 

 

The scenic route = different, but not slower

Even though Matthew completed his high school education last spring (2013) there weren't any other peers at church who were also graduating.  (That could be because he finished while still just 16.). There are, however, quite a few graduating this coming spring.  A combined celebration is planned, and he is very excited to be a part of that. 

A sweet friend, who has a terrific eye behind the camera recently took his "senior pictures".  It was fun to tag along.  I took a couple of shots with my phone. 

So what does one do with an early graduate? Matt will spend this school year CLEPping to earn college credit.  He recently took his first exam (Interpretation of literature) and passed, earning him 6 credits. WOOT WOOT!  (only 114 more credits to go for his bachelor's degree.)  Incidentally, we are also looking for a banjo teacher...and not just You Tube.

Parenthood

I was thinking about all the ways parents love and ensure the well-being of their children like rocking a fussy baby, reading their favorite book over and over and over again, offering hot cocoa on a blustery day, making a pot of the best chicken soup (because Mom's chicken soup in the best!) when they don't feel well, kissing boo-boos, working along side them with a project, offering a listening ear.  The list goes on.
 
Parenting requires sacrifice...of time and money, but mostly time.  Children are an investment with HUGE dividends.  If you will take the time to observe your children, you will know them well.  A case of "mother's intuition" is usually a direct result from careful observations she has made.  If you listen carefully to your children, they usually reveal what's in their heart - some times straight out, some times subtly. 

Parents have their children's best interest at heart.  Parents want them to have good friendships, good habits, good health, and good education. 

Don't you think it's part of a parent's job to chose the best means of education for them?  Before you think I'm going all homeschooling on you, hear me out. 

There are several options for education: homeschooling, public school, private school, Montessori school, just to name a few.  What if the choice that you KNEW was the best for your child (because you have their best in mind, because you observe them, because you listen to them...BECAUSE YOU ARE THEIR PARENT) was not allowed because the government thought that no parent has a constitutionally protected individual right to direct the education of their child?

Well, that is the current view of the Obama Administration.  Really?  Really!

I have had many conversations with people about homeschooling over the years.  One of the most common comments I hear is, "I don't know how you do it.  I could never homeschool."  I ask you this?  What if you were forced to?   Against your own reasoning, you are forced to do that which you know is not a good option for your family.
Wouldn't you feel that since you are their parent, you should have the authority to choose the best educational option for your children.  

Then we agree!!

A German family’s right to home education is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the results could drastically impact our freedom to decide where and how our children will be educated.

Please take a moment right now to sign the petition at whitehouse.gov.
Because the appellant in this case is Attorney General Eric Holder’s office on behalf of the Obama Administration, you can plead with the White House to drop the case. To guarantee a response, we must reach 100,000 signatures by April 18.

To sign, you will have to create an account, including your first and last name and an email address. Your name is needed because, well, it’s a petition. And your email address is used to confirm that a real person is completing the form and not a “spam bot.” You will also have the option to give your city and state, but that is not required.

This isn't just about homeschooling rights.  It's about parental rights!  No matter what your educational choice is for your children, the point is we have a choice. 

Because we love our children (and grandchildren)...we can not afford to be apathetic. 

Happy.happy.happy

Here is a happy young man. Can you guess why?

Could it be because he is over his cold? 

Well, yes, but that is not why he is smiling here.

Could it be that he only has one month until he graduates?  

That is something to smile about, but that's not it either.

Give up?

HINT:  It arrived in yesterday's mail. 

We have another driver in this home. 

{And he took his test on a stick-shift!}  NICE!  We are so proud of him.

A Stitch in Time

Hannah has shown great interest in learning how to sew on the machine.  We looked through all my patterns and made a list of projects that we could do together this school year so that I could teach her some of the basics.
She is doing wonderfully.  This is her most recent project - what she calls her "medieval dress".  She wanted to make a special dress for her birthday this year as she will be turning 13, and has a fancy date with her daddy!
This particular project had its challenges.  The fabric was slippery and the weight of the train made the fabric shift around.  This particular fabric also freyed a lot...very frustrating.  She learned several new things with this project.  She learned how to line the bodice, put in gussets under the arms, (Something new that I learned too!) and how to put in eyelets for the lacing. 
I teach best when I can demonstrate how it is done.  For this dress, I would sew one side and then she would sew the other side on her own.  It was very fun to sew side by side with such a sweet and eager student.

Lamplighter Book Show - Come Join the Fun!

Do you know about Lamplighter Books?  We love them and have been collecting them over the years. It's usually our biggest splurge at the homeschooling conventions.  We want to build a family library of quality books that build character.  They are beginning to make some of the stories into audio dramas.  We really enjoy listening on long car rides (like to our friend's farm in Ellensburg.)  Last summer Lamplighter began a whole new program called The Guild where the best of the best in their craft for dramatic and visual arts teach and mentor students for five solid days.  Some of you may already know that Caleb, for many years, has had the desire to become a voice actor.  We think this will be an excellent opportunity for him. This year's Guild meets July 15-20, 2012 and is limited to only 100 students.

The registration is pricey, but they offer a "scholarship" opportunity.  They write, "We realize that the cost of attending this once-in-a-lifetime event may be a bit prohibitive for some families. But we strongly believe that students who are willing to work hard should have the opportunity to attend. Because of this, we are offerring a special affiliate program custom-designed for participants of the Lamplighter Guild. Now, students will have the opportunity to sell Lamplighter books and receive a 30% commission on everything they sell."

He has ordered lots of catalogs and is hosting a "Lamplighter Book Show" - this coming Saturday, November 12.  It's an Open House from 1 - 5 pm at our home.  You can look at the books we own, browse through the catalogs, enjoy hot cider and sweets and help Caleb work towards his goal of raising $2,000.

Building a collection of character-building literture is one way you can make a lasting difference in the lives of your children and your children's children.  The values are timeless, the issues are relevant, and the stories compelling.  All the books are beautifully crafted hardbacks.

They make great gifts and Christmas is just around the corner!

Even if you can't make it to his book show, you can still support Caleb by using his code (GUILD 37) when you place an order directly from Lamplighter.  

Can you imagine hearing Caleb's voice as a character in an audio drama?  How cool that would be!

So tell your friends and come join the fun!!  See you Saturday!

Pears, Apple Cider MIx & Molasses Cookies

So we sort of started schooling again this week.  Last week I bought 80 lbs. of pears.  (At .35/lb it seemed crazy not to!)  They were very green and hard.  Wouldn't you know that Monday morning they were perfectly ripe and wanting my attention.  I couldn't tend to them on Monday.  Hannah is part of a group at our church called, Daughters of the King.  It's part book study and part homemaking skills.  Betcha can't guess the homemaking skill that was covered...yep canning.  They made a wonderful tomato, pepper and onion sauce.  I've done a lot of canning, but never a tomato sauce.  (Can't wait to try it because it smelled divine while cooking!) Tuesday was full of art lessons and piano lessons and a trip to the grocery store, but my pears were calling me!  They would say, " You MUST pay attention to us TODAY!".  So, Tuesday night we had a date those pears and me! (Usually the kids help, but this time it was too late.) I was able to get 21 quarts of quartered pears in a light organic sugar juice canned as well as 7 quarts of pear sauce.  I still have more pear sauce in my Thatsa Bowl to be canned, but I just plum ran out of steam.  I flopped into bed about 2:45 am!  This year I used the attachment for the KitchenAid.  That's the way to go if you are going to make applesauce or pear sauce (and you have a KitchenAid).  As is tradition for these big canning projects.  We set up a little t.v. and a dvd player and pick a season of some old show to watch while cooking, peeling, coring, smashing.  This year it was Perry Mason.  I used to watch these in the days when I only had one child and she was napping in the afternoon.  I really like old, black and white, classic shows.
I found something on another blog hop( The Blessed Hearth. ) She had this cute little idea for an apple cider mix that you add to apple cider to spice it up and make it so yummy.  I'm posting it for you here. 

HOMEMADE CIDER MIX

2 T. turbinado sugar

2 T. dried cranberries

1 tsp. whole allspice

1 tsp. whole cloves

1/2 of a whole nutmeg

1/2 of a long cinnamon stick

Layer the ingredients into a small mason jar with these instructions..

Add contents to 8 cups of cider and keep on low heat for 30 minutes.

And lastly, what would an autumn day be without a fabulous cookie recipe.  These molasses cookies are my favorite cookie!  They are so yummy.

Carol's FAVORITE molasses cookies!

3/4 c. shortening (I use non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening by Spectrum) 

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

Melt shortening in a pot on low heat.  Let cool.  To the pot, add sugar, molasses, and egg.  Beat well.  Mix together flour, baking soda, cloves, and ginger, cinnamon and salt.  Chill 1 hour. Every good cook should taste test the dough!  :-) Once it is chilled, form into 1" balls and roll in sugar.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.   YUM. 
Best enjoyed with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee...and there is only 1 pot to clean up. :-)

Graphic Design, Drawing and Calligraphy



Art Class at our home

How cool is that...our art teacher makes house calls!!  Arden Peters is versed in many areas of art, but graphic design and drawing are his specialties.  Caleb is taking graphic design from him.  He'll be coming up with an entire product package.  Matthew is taking beginning drawing and Hannah is learning calligraphy.  We are keeping him hopping moving from one student to the next each with a different focus, but hey, welcome to my world. 



Hannah learning calligraphy from Mr. Peters

Back to School

Can you feel it? I can! I can even smell it! No really, fall brings a special little something to the air. The weather has finally perked up here in the Pacific Northwest. It actually feels like summer, but now the days are getting shorter. I kind of get a little giddy at the thought of fall. I LOVE FALL! - even though we aren't quite there yet. Seems everyone is busy with back to school activities. They are getting their sports physicals and shots. They are taking care of new eye glasses and buying new backpacks. I have begun our preparations too - planning what the kids will be studying, preparing their lesson plan books and.... taking their school pictures! This year I have a high school senior, a high school sophomore, a first year in junior high, a 3rd grader, a kindergartener, and a kindergartener in training along with Miss Muffet who is learning all the things that babies learn in their first year. It's crazy fun! I am so thankful for the privilege to teach my children at home.

My 3rd grader

My junior high schooler

My sophomore

 

My senior

Preschool...Pur et Simple Homeschool style

Ellie learned 1 letter per week this school year. She decorated these large letters with things that began with that sound. She had tons of fun especially when it needed her to cut and paste!