Busy bee... That's me! I am trying to do way too many things at once, right now. Getting ready for a yard sale. Sorting through and reorganizing our homeschool books and records. Researching, purchasing, and planning for our upcoming homeschool year for four boys. I'll have one son finishing school and another one beginning this year!

Surprisingly, I'm very excited about our school this year. We are going to be using Galloping the Globe for Isaac (3rd) and Levi (K), while adding in some unit studies and Five in a Row. Thankfully, Jolanthe, at Homeschool Creations, has shared her plans and printables from their world geography study and made life planning a little easier for me. Of course, we have several Usborne Books to supplement our studies, like Usborne's IL Encyclopedia of World Geography, Usborne Book of Peoples of the World, and Usborne Flags Sticker Book.

The other curriculum we are looking forward to is Exploring Creation with Astronomy. We are going to have a mini co-op class in our home with a couple of other families with boys close in age to Isaac. To say Isaac is excited would be an understatement. He keeps asking when we will be starting. Hopefully, his enthusiasm won't fade before August.

We are also going to try Singapore Math for Isaac, after using JUMP Math last semester. JUMP Math is great for children who are not strong in math or get stuck and need a step-by-step break down of math concepts. It was very helpful in getting Noah past his math road-block.

Speaking of Noah, I am still unsure of what all we're doing for his 8th grade year, other than Easy Grammar and Apologia General Science. So, I'll post about that another time.

Mason will have a fairly heavy senior year, as he needs to fill in a few gaps and catch up on his reading list. His courses will include Lifepac Civics, Art History & Appreciation {unit study}, Around the World in 180 Days {world geography}, Jensen's Format Writing, and maybe Jacobs' Geometry. He will also be using Chemistry 101 since he is not planning on attending a four-year college. He is leaning very heavily toward a technical school for auto mechanics. Mason has spent more than enough hours earning a credit for an elective auto mechanics course. Papa Bear and I are so proud of how much he has learned on his own through reading, researching online, talking to local experts, and his own blood, sweat and tears poured into his car.

How is your planning going? What are you using in your homeschool in the fall?




Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through any of them, I will receive compensation. 

Free eBooks

 6/7/12 - Sorry, they are back to regular price now! 


Here are a couple of free eBooks for you or as a Father's Day gift. 

That's My Teenage Son by Rick Johnson

What a Son Needs From His Dad by Michael A. O'Donnell

Menu Plan 5/21/12

The weather has been getting consistently hotter, so I need to avoid heating up the kitchen with the oven or long-simmering dishes. While I was trying to put my menu plan together, I realized that I need more crockpot recipes. My first stop was Stephanie O'Dea's A Year of Slow Cooking where I found a several recipes I'm going to try this week.

Do you have any tried & true slow cooker recipes?

Monday: Chicken & rice soup, salad

Tuesday: Slow-cooker Italian chicken & veggies, oatmeal bread

Wednesday: Spaghetti, salad, garlic toast

Thursday: Rustic cabbage soup, sourdough bread

Friday: Crockpot falafels on pita w/yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato

Saturday: Sweet & spicy salmon, Basmati rice, garlic-butter green beans

Sunday: Honey garlic chicken, Basmati rice, steamed broccoli

Leverage

My two oldest sons may try to hack my blog when they see these photos. For some reason, at least one of them does not like for me to share with the world just how adorable they were when they were younger. While I'm changing my password, here is an example of leverage for you.

National Police Week 2012

As many of my regular readers know, Papa Bear is a police officer and this week has a special meaning for us that most people don't recognize. May 15 was the official Peace Officers' Memorial Day, but we are joining in a local remembrance tonight. I especially look forward to getting to hear my amazing husband sing during the ceremony. My boys' favorite part is at the end when the Scottish bagpipes play and then we move outside for a moment of silence filled with dozens of flashing red and blue lights, followed by a 21-gun salute. It is very heart-stirring.

If you have the opportunity to attend one of these events in your community, I highly recommend it. It is a great way to teach your children to respect and honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty and those who continue to put their lives at risk to protect your family and other local citizens.

Even if you are unable to participate in a memorial service near you, here are some ways that you and your children can still observe National Police Week and learn more about police officers:

• Read Officer Buckle and Gloria.
• Watch Courageous. Great movie!!
• Take homemade thank-you cards to your local police department or personally thank them. While baked goods may be well-received, it would be a good idea to call and ask first. I'm sure you can understand why they may not accept them.
• Pray for your local law enforcement officers and department personnel.
• Teach little ones more with these police coloring pages and crafts for kids or preschool activities. Make a police lapbook or these cute little paper police dolls.
• For elementary age kids, use these free police learning printables or do a police K-9 unit study.
• Get to know more about those who have sacrificed their lives at the Officer Down Memorial Page.
• Check out current LEO prayer requests at The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry blog.
• Find out more about National Police Week and view a slideshow from last year's event at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 5:9