Progeny Press Helps You Get Into Literature

Progeny Press, a family-owned and operated company, has been producing quality literature study guides since 1992. They have 100 literature guides for your family to choose from, with study titles ranging from beloved children's classics such as Across Five Aprils to timeless literary masterpieces such as Pride and Prejudice.

Progeny Press Study Guides are designed to help your students better understand and enjoy classical literature by helping them understand the process of writing, as well as teaching them the process of literary analysis and its terminology. Students are shown how to thoughtfully consider the ideas and themes presented in each story from a Christian perspective, and encouraged to put their own thoughts and ideas about the stories into writing. Every guide takes care to draw the student back to the Bible by examining how the stories connect to Biblical principles, and by pointing out parallels with Bible events and pertinent verses that clarify these ideas.

Progeny Press Study Guides come in four levels: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School, and each guide includes a variety of elements, depending on the level of the study. You can see a sample of the types of questions and information contained in the guides at their website. The literature guides are also categorized by both genre and grade-level, making it easy for teachers and parents to choose a book that is appropriate for their personalized course of study.

The guides are very user-friendly and are currently available as a print version, on CD in pdf format, and via email as a pdf attachment. Parents and schools can print multiple copies of pages for use with all of their students. All of the study guides are now available in a new interactive format which allows the student to type in the answers directly on their computer screen! Progeny Press Guides cost from $10.99 to $27.99. You can check out their online catalog for more information and individual pricing.

We were given The Bronze Bow and Julius Caesar to review since we are studying Ancient Cultures this year. The Bronze Bow worked well as a read-aloud for our diverse group of ages (2-14), and the guide facilitated some quality discussions, though we did not complete a large part of it since the majority of the children are younger. The Background Information section was very helpful, though, and I did appreciate the Digging Deeper Questions which allowed us to delve into more serious aspects of the story with the younger children.




The Summary Section tested our overall knowledge of the book at the end, and since the Extra Resources section suggested watching Ben Hur as a further resource, I found an animated version the kids all enjoyed, as well as an instant download documentary on Netflix.

If we had had more time, I might have taken this more slowly and had my older student complete each of the definitions and questions using the new interactive format (you can type the answers directly onto the computer screen) since he would have loved that (he likes anything online!), but we had so much else scheduled, that just completing this portion of the study (it has a lot to offer...it is not a quickie study) took up the time we had available.



Tex is just starting Julius Caesar using the interactive format. He has not gotten very far yet, but between listening to it online (Librivox), reading Mary and Charles Lambs' Tales from Shakespeare, and perusing the text on the Kindle Reader (who knew that gathering random good literature and putting it on our Kindle account would make him want to read them voraciously??), he seems to be interested in the story in a way I never was at his age (I purposely begged boredom in a known boring English teacher's class just to avoid Shakespeare...since I made a convincing argument that I wasn't sufficiently challenged, I got to skip 9th grade English into the fun 10th grade teacher's class who had much more interesting (and less intimdating) material to study...bad, huh?? I did finally have to take a full Shakespeare class in college and found I adored his comedies and histories... but I still dislike the tragedies...go figure).

In any case, true confessions aside, I know that with the interactive format, Tex is going to stick with this study until the end and he will get  a lot out of it. There are some excellent recommendations for further study that are for sure on our "to do" list (I do love Kenneth Branaugh in Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing), as well as a video or two I know are available on Netflix about Shakespeare and England in his time that we will view. I believe that due to the structure of this study, Tex will be able to emerge from reading Julius Caesar with much more understanding than I had when I read it for the first time, plus his background knowledge of the time period is better than mine was.

I would highly recommend these studies for any family who has a student who likes to work independently. I think they are also ideal for older students and those who are eager to move ahead, but need some accountability and structure. The study was useful in a read aloud setting with younger students, but not completely necessary. However, the background information and guiding questions did make it possible for us to dig more deeply than I likely would have on my own and I did not have to do one bit of work to prepare for the discussions we had. I believe the studies are a good value for the money and a valuable addition to any homeschool literature curriculum.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: I recieved a copy of two Progeny Press guides (The Bronze Bow and Julius Caesar) in order to use the guides and review them here on my blog. The opinions you read hear reflect our family's experiences with the guides. If you have any questions regarding what I have said here, please feel free to contact me.

Arguing is an Art

Arguing is an art...and I don't mean the kind of arguing you do when you are angry with someone, full of rage, yelling, and saying hurtful things...I mean the kind of arguing where you are trying to reveal truth and perhaps even hoping to lead to your "oponent" to accepting your opinion as their own (or vice versa). Culturally, or at least where I grew up, these kinds of arguments were known as "discussions," but in a classical sense, they are called "arguments."


"The Goal of arguing is to convince others to accept your ideas of their own free will by presenting to them good reasons for accepting your ideas."

An argument is supposed to be a respectful attempt to rationally convince others of the validity of your belief about a situation or idea, and not an emotional attack against another person. You will see this kind of arguing if you are ever involved in formal debate, or in the courtroom (well, it is supposed to be that way). This kind of argument is commonly connected with classical learning and philosophy. If you are ever in a position where you need to employ persuasion to get what you want, you may find yourself using many of the 28 "fallacies" presented in this book. Fallacies are means of appealing to others using what is termed a "bad argument."

Wouldn't you LOVE to know the best way to keep your arguments (conversations, discussions) reasonable, fair, to the point, and without malice...with the most likely potential for being successful? Wouldn't you like to be prepared the next time someone tries to to "put one over on you" by using an argument you know is inherently wrong, but you just can't pinpoint why and have no idea how to counter it? Well, then perhaps it is time to start your student on a study of The Art of Argument by Classical Academic Press...and learn along with him!

 The Art of Argument Complete set is available for $88.95

Since Tex (age 14) is the one who used this program, I am going to let you hear what he has to say about it. I did watch some of the videos with him, and his father and I had some rousing discussions with him at the dinner table about important topics (and incorporated his new knowledge), and we both felt he grew intellectually and in maturity while working through several chapters of the student manual.

Tex's Opinion About The Art of Argument

• Of all of the "logic" and public speaking programs I have tried before, this one is my favorite because it is so compelling to read, easy to understand, clearly laid out, and user-friendly.
• I liked the fact that if I had to stop working in the book for some reason for a while, it was very simple to pick back up where I left off without losing any understanding or having to review excessively because the way they presented the information makes it really stick with you.
• I thought the video discussions/classes were a useful and interesting way to see an example of real-life people trying to work through the concepts and come to an understanding of them. The discussions were conducted in an informal, small-group, conversational format that I really liked. I wish I could have been there.
• I appreciated how they used real-life examples and situations such as courtroom cases, politics, controversial issues, advertising, propaganda, and even interactions you might have with other individuals you encounter.
• The mock ads used to demonstrate the 28 different fallacies (badly framed or incorrect reasoning) presented in the book were quite often hilarious and had my mom and me laughing...and they all helped me remember the trademark characteristics of that fallacy better. (on page 43 there was a mock ad for an airline named "AppleGate Airlines" and their slogan was "We Crash Less." Apple computers crash less...get it?? Hahahaha! This is an example of a Tu Quoque fallacy. On page 49 the ad states, "Do you really want to buy your fruits and vegetables from the same Monster*Mart that sells underwear? Hahaha! This is an examples of a Genetic Fallacy. )
• It was fascinating to spot different "bad argument" techniques I have seen (or sometimes used...but not too often) when talking to others or watching a program on television or a movie. I feel much more comfortable now that I can recognize when an argument (ahem--discussion) is going down a negative path and will have techniques to use to help get the discussion back on track.
• I will also be able to zero in on false advertising more easily, as well as misleading political ads. Being able to do both of those things is very valuable.
• The dialogues between two students and Socrates were engaging and full of fascinating information. They added a lot to each chapter.
• There are questions you can answer, as well as definitions to complete for each chapter.
• There is a lot of information in this book. It is probably not something you will want to do in just a few weeks, or you might get overwhelmed. Taking the time to really absorb the ideas, finding examples of them, and learning to utilize them is what will help you use this material best.
• It might have been fun to do this with a small group so I could have discussions like the ones in the videos. Having the videos was a decent substitution for the lack of a group, but I enjoyed discussion the ideas at the dinner table.
• A pronunciation guide for the Latin terms would have been useful.
• I give this program two thumbs up. I am going to ask Mom to buy the next video set when I get to that point.
• If you have a student who likes Latin, arguing, investigation, word play, puzzles, law, debate, having intellectal discussions, or plans to go to college, this program would be a wise addition to your high school curriculum (I am in 8th grade and found it was not over my level...I think all high schoolers, and most middle schoolers, would be able to complete this book).

If Tex has managed to persuade you that your student might enjoy trying this excellent curriculum, please check out the free sample chapter and table of contents.

You may purchase the Art of Argument Basic Bundle which isthe complete package for $88.95 (that's the student manual, teacher's manual, and complete dvd set...this is what we recommend) from Classical Academic Press.

You may also purchase just the student manual for $21.95. The teacher's manual is $24.95, and the complete DVD set (containing 5 DVDs which discuss all 28 fallacies) for $54.95.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: We received a copy of The Art of Argument student manual, the teacher's manual, and the first six video sessions for the purposes of reviewing this curriculum. The opinions you see stated here are our own. We recieved no other compensation for this review.

THREE DVD Giveaways---Ending Soon!

GIVEAWAY for Three Hearts and The Mighty Macs

Ends 3/15 at midnight

GIVEAWAY for The Woodcarver movie 

ends 3/22 at midnight

Click on the links above for more details on the movies and about how to enter.

Blessings,

C is for Christ (and so much more!!)

Blogging Through the Alphabet with Ben and Me

by Akiane

C is for Christ, the Creator and Center of all that we do.


C is for Calling...because homeschooling for us is definitely a calling, a journey not lightly embarked upon. But if you hear the call, please do not hesitate to heed it and embrace it. You and your entire family will surely be blessed beyond your imaging!

by Akiane

C is for Creation Science...because understanding the relevance of completely believing in the Genesis account is so important to complete trust in God's infallible word. One of my favorite Creation Science speakers is Ken Ham and you can check out a few of his sermons on one of my old Sermon Sunday posts.



C is for Character...the Christian character qualities that we try to develop in ourselves and our students. Sometimes our challenges with our students leads to more development of character in ourselves, and we find that when we have fixed our own character issues, theirs more quickly resolve...funny how that works! One of my favorite sermons explains the character qualities of children expected as laid out in the Bible. It is humbling because I know I am still working on a few of those things...listen and be challenged.

C is also for consistency. Children thrive best in a consistent environment with consistent discipline. That doesn't mean you can't be spontaneous from time to time (see C is for Creative below), but for the benefit of our children we need to work on developing consistency in our plans, our reactions, our discipline, and in our praise.

C is for Curriculum and for the "Crew" which has been a big part of our lives for the last two years. We have all loved being part of the TOS Homeschool Crew and have enjoyed and appreciated all of the wonderful curricula we have been blessed with the opportunity to evaluate. After all, I am a curriculum junkie!! You can check out some of our "Homeschool Crew Blog"  where you can find links to posts from experienced homeschoolers who share their thoughts on various homeschooling topics, or where you can read the reviews of the products we have evaluated.

C is for Computers...which have been very important in our homeschooling journey, from our website Homeschool-for-Free, to our own use of online curriculum choices to supplement our learning on a day by day basis, and to help during those times when Mommy is not feeling well. They are a lifesaver!

C is for Christian Literature...because with so many choices of books and media for our kids to choose from these days, we really need to be choosy (also a "C") because there are only so many moments in a lifetime to spend on reading, and we should be selecting the "better" or the "best."

C is for Cooking, which we love to do in our country kitchen. Check out some of our favorite recipes. If you do, you might just find you like one or two...

C is for Challenging...because homeschooling is both challenging to me, as the parent and teacher, and because we need to challenge our children to reach their potential and to develop their God-given gifts, so they can be faithful in their service to the Lord. Some challenges are fun, such as the Read-Aloud Challenge we did over the summer, while others (challenging children, challenging situations, challenging people) are more of a trial. But remember that through trials comes perseverance, so that we may become mature and complete. (James 1:2-4)

C is for Creative thinkers, learners, and doers. Since we homeschool, we have the freedom to allow our students room to process information in a variety of ways. We may have a particular learning pattern, but we can always make room for doing things a little bit differently as the student or situation requires. 

I also love being able to "change it up" when there is a beautiful day going on outside. I can tell the kids to drop all our usual plans (after Bible), get on their shoes, and go outside to work on a project, take a nature walk together. or go on a field trip to pick berries. We learn in everything we do everyday, not just between the hours of 9 and 3. What a blessing!

C is for cookies I just can't resist. Don't some cookies and a glass of milk always brighten up your day?

C is for Church...a place to worship, learn, build friendships, and serve. We are grateful to have found a home church that is a sweet congregation with a vision to reach our community for Christ and can't wait to see what wonderful things are in store.

C is for Country...because we love living in the country. It gives us the opportunity to enjoy God's earth and the peace that comes from living close to nature. We have peace of mind that the children have open spaces to roam and the safety of a small community to grow up in. We love the blessing of owning animals who enrich our lives and find their way into our hearts, as well as helping the children learn responsibility and tenderness.

C is for Children...because they are a blessing from the Lord...like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of our youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! (Psalm 127:3-5)

C is for Conventions and Conferences and Curriculum Fairs...which I absolutely LOVE because they can recharge you and supercharge you when your spirits and motivation are flagging...but watch out for those vendor halls because they can really tempt you (and empty your wallet!). You can read my Tips for Surviving a Curriculum Fair for some ideas on how to prepare for your next foray into the wonderland of booth after booth of marvelous homeschooling products. You can also avoid the issue by staying home and "attending" a virtual convention online, or by ordering the MP3 sets of conference sessions after the fact.

C is for Community Service which we expect each of our children to start doing when they are about thirteen or fourteen (on their own). Before then, they can accompany family members to various service and missions opportunities, but as they enter the teen years, we like them to assess their gifts and find something they can do to be of service to others that will also help them develop their strengths and best utilize their abilities. Tex plans to start his community service this year at the library.

C is for Crafty...I couldn't not say that one! We girls (especially) love to do crafty things, like crocheting (I just taught myself how to do that in January), sewing, quilting, making bracelets, and more. Even the guys get in on it when the craftiness involves wood, glue, scissors, and sometimes even power tools...


C is for commitment to homeschooling even through the tough times. Never faltering, always relying on God, continuing even after those days that have you wanting to scream or run away to somewhere warm (or just a little bit quieter). I have been there. The Lord put on my heart that I am absolutely certain that he called us to homeschool, so until and unless He makes it as clear as He did the call to homeschool that we are to put the children back in school (and I can't imagine that happening ever), then we are to keep them home with us, no matter what...even if our homeschooling looks different from what we consider "normal" for a time. Just continue and He will provide.





C is for Cooperation...like the cooperation it took to build our big blue barn. I love it when geerous people come together and help each other to accomplish amazing things. Just the other day, Cowboy told me that "when people work together they can have a good life." That's pretty wise coming from a six-year old!




C is for Christmas, our favorite holiday. Celebrating Christ's birth is always special when you have an opportunity to immerse your family in understanding the real meaning of the season, and that is so much easier when you are all at home together. Advent activities, decorating, Christmas carols, Christmas Crafts, and other free Christmas activities, along with reading many Christmas stories, keep us busy all season long.


C is for Caring for each other and for others, day in and day out. Homeschooling gives us a unique opportuntiy to get to know our children and to learn what they most need. It gives us the chance to discover ways to care for and serve each other, which prepares us to care for others in "the real world." It also gives us time we can share with others on a more generous basis, as the Lord calls us to do so. We are hoping to show our caring for others through fostering and/or adoption, and are in the process of getting certified to do so. What an exciting journey!

C is for Cowboy who is a huge blessing to us all. He is our encourager, our pal, our huggy bear and the one who always lets us know how much he loves us and loves being with us. You will never lack for a smile or a friendly word when he is around.

C is for Ceremonies...specifically, a Blessing Ceremony. We plan to have a Blessing Ceremony for each of our children as they enter their teen years. You can read about Bubba's Blessing Ceremony to see what it is all about.

C is for Counting our Blessings...because they are so many, and they are so very special.

Remember to count your blessings today...you might try going through the alphabet and naming one for each letter...or see how many you can name that begin with the letter "C." You will be surprised at how many you can think of...I was!

Blessings,

Grow Your Media Library With The Woodcarver---Giveaway and Review

The Woodcarver is available for $10.92 from Christian Cinema

My hubby and I were discussing movies just the other day. Not plots of our favorites, or even reviewing the titles of recently released films, but one of those pretty weighty discussions about which movies we were choosing to allow our family to watch. We discussed the idea of there being acceptable, good, better, and best, in our choices (not to mention unacceptable and waaaaay not going to happen ever!!), and we determined that we should strive for not just acceptable and good, but choose to go for those that are better...eventually leaving only room for the best. It will be a process for us as we sort through years of collecting cute and fun videos and dvds (at bargain prices, of course!), and learn to discern which ones are the truly better ones, and ultimately, the best.

Well, I am here to make it easy for you...at least with one video. The Woodcarver is definitely one of the best. There was not one thing I did not like about it, and many I loved. John Ratzenberger plays a widower named Ernest who is a reclusive woodcarver. A young man named Matthew, who is torn up by his parents' dissolving marriage, takes out his ire on the beautiful carved woodwork in the church he feels betrayed him by promising something he does not see in his own home (love, grace, and forgiveness). In order to avoid criminal charges for vandalism, Matthew must help Ernest repair the church. In doing so, he learns an art (really, this woodcarving is definitely art), learns more about Jesus, and discovers how to forgive his family and move ahead towards healing. The theme of WWJD ("What Would Jesus Do") is emphasized throughout the film, and in the end, Matthew is not the only one who learns to live out that challenge...nearly everyone experiences the power of having faith, experiencing God's grace, and the healing of forgiveness.

Tex (age 14), Ladybug (age 8), Cowboy (age 6), and Firefly (age 4) watched this movie with me. We had a fun pizza picnic in the living room and enjoyed the show. Cowboy and Firefly faded before the movie ended, but Ladybug was entranced...she asked thoughtful questions throughout the movie, and since I was there to explain certain things (like when the bad guys were bad and about divorce), she was not disturbed by anything in the movie. Cowboy made the comment, "When we work together we will have a good life" after viewing much of the movie. That's some good wisdom coming from a six-year-old!

I do not recall any poor language. There was no improper dress. The movie is, in my opinion, appropriate for most ages, though parents may wish to preview it and see if it suits their youngest viewers (there is vandalism and someone deliberately starts a fire). The character of Ernest was very wise and someone you would probably love to have as a neighbor. Even the parents, who started out sort of in the "bad guy" arena at the beginning of the movie, were pretty neat by the end. The young man is completely transformed from a sullen miscreant to a dedicated and determined friend. 

Tex got a lot out of the movie, too, and we had an enlightening conversation about it afterwards. He said he'd sure love to learn to carve like Ernest and wishes there was someone like that that he could apprentice under...what those folks did with wood was amazing, and the way they worked together to make something incredible was inspiring.

I hope you will be intrigued by what I have shared about this movie and make the effort to watch it with your own family. If you'd like to win a copy of it, please enter my giveaway this week and maybe you will win one to be delivered to your very own front door! You can also enter with the idea of donating the DVD to your church library once you have viewed it. I highly encourage folks to buy two of the quality, family-friendly movies that they watch and to give one to their church so that more families will be made aware that there are films being made that promote family values and good morals instead of tearing them down.

In order to enter, please follow me and leave a comment saying you have done so (or leave me a comment saying that you are a follower already. In your comment, I'd love to hear what your favorite family-friendly movie is, but this is not a requirement to win. Leaving me a reliable way to reach you easily, however, is. 

I pray you have a blessed week. This giveaway ends on March 22, my dad's birthday. I will notify the winner the next day. If you'd like an extra entry (just for fun), "like" my facebook page and wish Poppy a happy birthday. Make sure you come back here and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

Blessings,

Science and Snickerdoodles

 Got your attention, didn't I? *smile* What does science have to do with Snickerdoodles? Read to the end of the post and see...

Science Games at 4YOU4FREE

(I just found this site, so I can't guarantee the quality

of every game, but the ones I saw were well done).

Actually, today's TOS Homeschool Blog Cruise topic is "Share your favorite homeschool science resource." Well, I have a LOT to say about homeschool science, and many resources to share, but rather than write a post a mile long, I am just (mostly) going to re-direct you to my Homeschool-for-Free website's science page. There you will find over 100 links to all things FREE and scienc-y on the Worldwide Web. The resources are organized according to science discipline. Covering Biology to Physics,  using entire online curricula (like Biology4Kids and Biology at Pronto Lessons) and unit studies (check out the one on anatomy from Guest Hollow), you can teach science to your homeschoolers without spending a cent. You will also find plenty to supplement your existing studies, from challenging games (I love Poke-a-Muscle), to virtual dissections of owl pellets and pigs (eeyeuw...don't try this one unless you have a strong stomach), and many useful printables. There is likely something to interest everyone in your family, so please go check out Homeschool-for-Free! (I will throw in a quick disclaimer, though. It has been a while since I went through and checked links, so if you find any that don't work, I apologize. Please feel free to leave me a message here and I will fix it asap. I found one inactive link this morning, and wound up finding the item again just by Googling the keywords, so if something looked really good to you, don't despair! Just try, try again!)


That said, I do want to share my all-time favorite science resource with you here, just in case you are strapped for time and don't want to get sucked in by all 100+ resources on my other site (I counted them this morning). Years ago we discovered a site called AE Mystery Spot. It is a collection of interactive mysteries, written to teach your students about the scientific method and investigative science. Each one focuses on a different topic, which include things like infectious disease, a plague of frogs, and killer bees. If you check out AE Mystery Spot, the mysteries you will want to try are on the left (with button images) with names like Venom, Angry Red Planet, Arctica, and Sneeze.

I didn't see our all-time favorite mystery CROAK there anymore, but I found it by Googling the name, so you can still try it. Yay! These mysteries are geared towards a middle school aged student, but are appealing to all ages, as long as there is an older reader to assist with longer passages. High School students will enjoy doing them for a fun change of pace (after all, I loved doing them!). In Croak! you have to solve the mystery of why all of the frogs are disappearing from a town by interviewing certain people within a given time frame. You only have enough time to interview a few people, so you have to make good decisions on what you choose to do with your time. It's a great exercise on planning and decision making. If you think you solved the mystery, you email Access Excellence your answer, and they email you back. Just plain learning fun!

Another just-for-fun favorite is a collection of six old LPs from the 1950's with science songs on them. There are a few interesting facts about these songs. First, the man who produced them also wrote The Unchained Melody, and secondly, the man who sings three of the albums wrote "On Top of Spaghetti." If that combination doesn't make you want to check them out, I don't know what will! Topics covered include: weather, the seasons, astronomy, magnetism, animals, the ocean, flowers, and more. There may be some evolutionary references in a few of them (it's been a while since we listened to them all), but you can filter those out. You can download the songs by clicking on either the 32 or 160 next to the song, then save as into a file. Your computer will then open the file in Media Player (or whatever your default player is), and you can add it to a play list. Download the ones your little ones will find useful. It's a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. You can let your kids work on some animal notebooking pages from Homeschool Share while you listen, or complete one of their many  animal lapbooks.

I am going to try this recipe from Andrea's Recipes next.

It looks similar to my old favorite.

That brings us to the Snickerdoodles. Other than starting with the same letter of the alphabet ("S") and the fact that cooking does involve a little bit of science (measuring, experimentation, changing states, chemical reactions), Snickerdoodles really have nothing to do with my favorite science resource. We did, however, make them last night using a recipe from a cookie book I thought I'd really like...and it was a huge fail (in my picky opinion...my kids loved them).

 I can't find my old favorite recipe anywhere, so I was wondering if any of you folks who might stop by to swap science resources might consider swapping Snickerdoodle recipes, too? If so, leave me a comment with a link to your favorite, tried-and-true recipe, or just leave the recipe. I am hoping to make some yummy ones to share with others in my family, so we will just employ that excellent advice (good for both science and kitchen experimentation) and try, try again (never say the kids minded eating up the "failed" experiments!).

Blessings,

One last idea: If your weather is on the edge of Spring like ours is, you can still send the kids outside with this "winter" scavenger hunt and I am pretty sure that they will be able to find everything. Mine are heading out right now to seek and find what they can...I think yours might enjoy the break, too.

Check out what other homeschoolers say are their favorite science resources at the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog Cruise!

Happy Homemaking---Menu Plan, To Do's, and a Good Read Aloud

Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The Weather: We are expecting weather in the 70s all week, with perhaps a trip to 80* over the weekend. We may have some showers tonight, but mostly the weather is clear. The Amigos stayed outside for over 7 hours today playing...the did a scavenger hunt, played in the trees, and had a hike pretending they were lost waifs in the woods who needed to find food (they eventually shot a deer--PBJ sandwiches---and "found an apple tree"). What fun!

On My Reading Pile: I will admit it. This week I have been reading a collection of four Christian romance stories by Lauraine Snelling called Dakota. The ladies in it are from Denmark (we are Danish on my father's side) and it is neat to learn about some of the customs. I have also been reading The Essential 55 by Ron Clark (I watched the movie about him on YouTube last week and it was excellent!) and Your Child's Strengths by Jenifer Fox.

Our Read Aloud: A Tree in Sprocket's Pocket by Paulette Nehemias. Environmental awareness from a Christian perspective. We found her other book, Wiggler's Worms, years ago and the boys loved it. I came across this one for just a quarter at the library and it is already a winner. What a find!

On My TV: Not a whole bunch. We watched The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (narrated by Pierce Brosnan) tonight and it was fascinating. We've been listening to A Peep Behind the Scenes by Lamplighter Ministries (available for free right now at Oneplace.com) during breakfast, and the first book in the Mistmantle Chronicles when in the car (another amazing find at the library for $1). I will probably watch a few NUMB3RS episodes while folding laundry before our trip this weekend. Folding laundry is so much less boring when accompanied by an entertaining show. ;-)

Menu Plan Monday at organizingjunkie

Our Menu Plan:

Monday: Pizza and a movie night early since Mommy and Daddy will be gone this weekend (at the Teach Them Diligently Conference in SC). 

Tuesday: French Dip sandwiches (made by covering a London Broil in the crockpot with 4-6 cups of water, adding 4 beef bouillon cubes, and cooking for 6 hours, then shredding with forks, and serving on hoagies with melted swiss cheese...easy and delicious), pasta salad, nacho chips.

Wednesday: Leftover Buffet to clean out the fridge before we go, OR eat at church (pork chop night) before Awana.

Thursday-Saturday: We will be traveling. The kids will be staying with Nanny and Poppy. I am sure they will be appropriately spoiled. I am glad.

Sunday: Probably the Stouffers I keep in my fridge for emergencies. We can add a quick salad and have a nice meal with little effort. It is worth it to pick up a few of their family-sized ones on sale from time to time.

     Goal Planning at mamamanuscripts.com

Goals for the Week:

1. Work on cleaning our front porch while the weather is good in preparation for the wonderful spring months when we get the most use out of it...it's an enclosed porch and tends to collect junk over the winter when nobody wants to trek to the garage.
2. Install baby gates on both sets of stairs for the deck to keep the chickens off of it (can't stand stepping in chicken poo).
3. Several blog posts---another giveaway to be posted Tuesday (the other movie giveaway ends the 15th), a review of The Art of Argument, and a review of Progeny Press. Also, the blog cruise topic is favorite science resource and my favorite resource is my other site's Science Freebies page with over 100 free and educational science resources!!
4. Finishing all the laundry and getting it put away, so I can pack. Pack.
5. Church Wednesday. Clean the car on the way.
6. Plant some more daffodils. They grow wild in the woods and we are going to go on a hike to get some more. Tex wants to do this for me. So sweet.
7. We are going to the Teach Them Diligently Conference in SC on Thursday. I can't wait to hear Ken Ham, Voddie Baucham, and Doug Phillips. Hubby is looking forward to hearing Stephen Kendrick speak at the Men's Breakfast. I am hoping to meet a former Crewbie for lunch or breakfast one day.

Homeschooling Goals for the Week: Character training. Practice Awana verses. Let the kids play outside a lot. Creative play is very educational. More nature studies and art during the warm weather. Reading aloud. Tex wants to get his work done by Wednesday night so he can have an extended weekend off. I hope he manages it. 

What I am Sewing: This should be what I am supposed to be sewing...my yo-yo quilt top. Um, nope. I plan to take it with me to the conference, though, so I will have something to keep my hands busy when there are no kids to keep me busy!

Looking Around the House and Yard: It has been gorgeous outside today. The house is pretty clean and organized (as long as you don't look in my closet or at my laundry. I am feeling like we are "getting there." The kids are happy. That's the best part.

On My Prayer List (and a picture to share): My SIL has been having some worries about her pregnancy (8 weeks along...I got to go see the baby last Thursday!), so please pray for her and the baby.

Have a blessed week, friends.

Blessings,