Homeschool Mother's Journal ~ Jelly Beans

In my life this week… a trip to western PA to go to the funeral of my husband's Uncle Frank, a 6+ hour trip; sinus headaches; trying to get the boys back to doing school Thurs. and Fri., I actually assigned their work and checked on them; a trip to Shady Maple today, we were going to stop on the way home from western PA but I was not feeling well and Court was tired so we put it off.

In our homeschool this week…  no school Mon. - Wed. I did not want to even try and get the boys to do school while I was at the funeral, especially since my going was last minute. Thurs. and Fri. I assigned them stuff to do by themselves.

I am inspired by… the Bible (reading the book of James) and the spiritual books I am reading.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Church and the dedication service for our new edition at church. The new edition includes a gym, new office space for the church and Pastors, and more Sunday School classrooms. We'll be seeing lots of people at church.

My favorite thing this week was… reading a lot in the car on the way to and from the funeral and seeing family. The reason we were there was sad, but seeing the family was good. I pray we see them more often in the years to come, it was way too long between visits.

Things I’m working on… finding free apps for my NookColor, getting some of my goals for this week accomplished, and lots of reading.

I’m reading… lots of books... see my Goodreads widget in the right hand sidebar for the current list. If you click the link you can get more details for the books.


I’m cooking… I have no idea. I have meals planned but I am not sure what I am cooking. Being away for 3 days and then being so sick and worn out has thrown me off schedule.

I’m praying for… Court's Aunt and family coping with the death of their husband, father, grandfather, uncle; a friend with a 2 week old baby with Spina Bifida, a friend's daughter who is having serious medical problems and praying for her family as well; and our financial situation.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
I drove one hour to Shady Maple today, just for the jelly beans!! my FAVORITE jelly beans!! lol

Not really... 

we went for lunch. 

The Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly's were a bonus!

They are my all time fav and we can't find them around here.

I was thrilled to find 2 packs. 

I will have to limit myself and make them last.

Now you know why I named this post...

Jelly Beans

all content on my blog is ©

This Blog... now on BlogLovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Why would I join another place to follow blogs??? Because I have friends that use blog hosting sites other than Blogger and the Google Friends Connect in my sidebar only works with Blogger now... so in order to follow friends on... say WordPress... they have started using BlogLovin. So... now you too can follow my blog in a number of ways... just check out the right hand sidebar for :
GFC
BlogLovin
RSS feed
e-mail
or choose more than one way to follow if you like.


all content on my blog is ©

Goal Planning Monday ~ Week 52

 Time to write some goals and strive to accomplish them this coming week??

Join us by clicking on the button above...
after you read my goals.

I tried really, really hard to accomplish all my goals this week. I almost made it.

My Goals from last week and how I did:

Spiritual Goals 

1. Read my Bible Daily. Done
2. Read a Godly book, daily, as part of my morning Devotions. I am currently reading Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear or the spiritual/fitness book from my fitness goals below - Reshaping It All. Done
3. Listen to Godly Music Daily, as part of my morning Devotions. Done
4. Write in my Spiritual Journal Daily, as part of my morning Devotions. Done
5. Read chapter 9 of God's Priorities for Today's Woman for Ladies Bible Study, "The Art of Loving Your Children." Done
6. Read Power of a Praying Wife and leave hubby a note for each chapter I read. He needs the extra prayers and encouragement. Done
7. Read as much as possible of the new books I got for our Sunday School study. How People Change and How People Change Study Guide: How Christ Changes Us by His Grace I am behind because I got my book late. I want to keep up with the current chapters and catch up as much as possible when I am able to do extra work. Done

Homeschool Goals

1. Make sure the boys do their essays for Philadelphia story and don't wait until Friday to do it. Done
2. Keep up with logging in the boys work and grading it. Done
3. Get the boys back to doing all 12 workboxes Done

Blog Goals    

1. Post Blast From The Past for tomorrow. Done
2. Work on the Virtual Curriculum Fair post due by January 23rd---Seeking Beauty: the Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World. Partly Done I was working on the post but ran out of time when my husband decided to take me with him to his Uncle's funeral. He had been planning to go alone. I am glad I get to go but will have to wait until Wed. to post this so it won't get added to the links. 
3. Post the Games For Science post I have been working on since it will go along with the Virtual Curriculum Fair topic for this week. Done
4. Join in some favorite memes that I like to do. Done

Fitness Goals    

1. Exercise 3 days for at least 15 min each time. Partly Done I worked out 2 days.
   
2. Make a Weight Watchers Dessert. Done
3. Eat Better, more fruits and veggies and write down what I eat. Done
4. Drink 48-64 oz of water daily and keep track. Done
5. Read some of Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness by Candace Cameron Bure. Done

Personal/Other Goals

1. Comment on all the other GPM ladies posts. Keep track of their names with links here so I know whose I have done. Not Done I meant  to do this, but forgot.
2. Purge and toss some unneeded items making room for my hubby. He says he cannot be creative with clutter around... so I need to get rid of some stuff to make room for him. Partly Done I worked on this some more but have more to do.
3. Read, Read, Read! I will be linking up my reading this year to I am currently reading a number of things... for personal, fun, fiction reading I am reading  Something Old, Something New (The Tales from Grace Chapel Inn Series #10). I should finish that and will probably start the next book We Have This Moment (The Tales from Grace Chapel Inn Series #11)  Done
4. Keep up with making dinners and doing kitchen chores. I am doing all the cooking until the end of January. Done

For this week that is 19 Done, 3 Partly Done, and only 1 Not Done.  I would say that is a GREAT week.


My goals for this coming week:

Spiritual Goals 

1. Read my Bible Daily.
2. Read a Godly book, daily, as part of my morning Devotions. I am currently reading Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear or the spiritual/fitness book from my fitness goals below - Reshaping It All.
3. Listen to Godly Music Daily, as part of my morning Devotions.
4. Write in my Spiritual Journal Daily, as part of my morning Devotions.
5. Read Power of a Praying Wife and leave hubby a note for each chapter I read. He needs the extra prayers and encouragement.
6. Read as much as possible of the new books I got for our Sunday School study. How People Change and How People Change Study Guide: How Christ Changes Us by His Grace I am behind because I got my book late. I want to keep up with the current chapters and catch up as much as possible when I am able to do extra work. 

Homeschool Goals

1. The boys are taking off while I go to the funeral with my hubby, we will get back to homeschooling when I get back.
2. Keep up with logging in the boys work and grading it.
3. Get the boys back to doing all 12 workboxes

Blog Goals    

1. Work on the Virtual Curriculum Fair post for next week.
2. Join in some favorite memes that I like to do.

Fitness Goals    

1. Exercise 3 days for at least 15 min each time.
2. Eat Better, more fruits and veggies and write down what I eat.
3. Drink 48-64 oz of water daily and keep track.
4. Read some of Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness by Candace Cameron Bure.

Personal/Other Goals

1. Comment on all the other GPM ladies posts. Keep track of their names with links here so I know whose I have done. 
2. Purge and toss some unneeded items making room for my hubby. He says he cannot be creative with clutter around... so I need to get rid of some stuff to make room for him.
3. Read, Read, Read! I will be linking up my reading this year to I am currently reading a number of things... for personal, fun, fiction reading I am reading  Something Old, Something New (The Tales from Grace Chapel Inn Series #10). I should finish that and will probably start the next book We Have This Moment (The Tales from Grace Chapel Inn Series #11) 
4. Keep up with making dinners and doing kitchen chores. I am doing all the cooking until the end of January.

Do you have any goals for the week? Post your goals and link up. The button at the top will take you to the meme and you can join up with us.


all content on my blog is ©

Board Games for School - Science

We have a lot of fun science games. Some of them are still being sold and some are older games that you can only find used. The links, mostly, take you to Amazon. I hope you find something new to add to your game closet. Oh and as a bonus, at the end of the list I have a website with games you can print and use for science. For FREE. My boys, and I love these.

Professor Noggin Games -  We love the Professor Noggin Games. They have question cards in form of trivia, true or false, and multiple choice. Both easy and hard levels of questions keep kids interested, challenged and having fun. Also if the kids get smarter than Mom and Dad the parents can use the easy questions and still challenge their kids with the harder ones. The game includes 30 game cards and a 3 numbered die. For 2 or more players ages 7 and up. So far, for science, we own:

• Earth Science
• Outer Space
• Human Body
• Famous Inventions (sorta science, sorta history)

Who's at Home in the Animal Habitat - A Family Nature Game
also a copy can be found at Dreams Old and New - Who's at Home introduces fascinating facts about how animals adapt to living in eight habitats: desert, polar, prairie, woods, rainforest, mountain and city. What special tools and traits help animals survive? Why do animals look the way they do? How do animals cope with dangers such as drought and extreme cold? As players travel around the board, through each of the habitats, they answer interesting questions about science and nature. The questions are on two levels of play so that families can enjoy the game together.

Photo Trek Exploration Game or a travel version, Travel Photo Trek Exploration Game - Photo Trek is a game where you travel around the board, which is in a figure 8 shape, and "take photos" of animals. Ages 8 & Up, 2-4 Players. Players spin the spinner and move around the board. You answer animal-related questions to earn film cards, then you answer questions to turn the film into photos of the animals. Watch out! You may take a picture of only the feet of the flamingo, a blurry picture, or some other mistake in your "photo" and those don't count toward you winning the game. The first person to make it home with 5 different photo cards is the winner.

The Way Things Work, also see this Link - Have you read The Way Things Work by David Macaulay? We love that book... and this game based on that book. This game is a great game for learning about or practicing Physics. There are 3 levels of play:
Level 1: Jump Right In!
Level 2: Kick It Up!
Level 3: Fly On Your Own! The ultimate challenge

Choose you level according to your time constraints and the ages of your players. Players will answer questions and use tools to "build" their toolbox and construct simple machines. There are also experiments to do for level 3. Learn about the Simple Machines of Physics, how they function and the things they can do for us. How do machines move heavy loads? What is a fulcrum and what is it for? Why does a car move faster when the incline is steeper? For 2-4 Players Ages 10+ As a Bonus I found a PDF of complete rules here. That should help you decide if the game is for you.

Rocky Bingo - 4 games in 1 that teach about rocks and minerals. This fun and educational game teaches you about 35 colorful rocks and minerals. The game cards include geological information and interesting facts about each rock, along with a pronunciation guide. To make the game more educational choose a game card with a rock on it, look for the rock on your game board and then read the information about the rock on the back of the card. It would also be fun to try and collect a real rock for each of the cards. Also included are: 1 master board, 4 individual game boards, 35 rock/mineral cards, 1 drawstring bag, 100 plastic markers and 4 genuine rocks or minerals. For 2-5 players, ages 8 years and up, playing time approximately 20 minutes.

Somebody Board Game (human body game) or try one of these links - Somebody, Somebody  Recommended for ages 6 to 10, 2 to 4 Players. Somebody is a game our family played many times and is very popular. Young children play it as a puzzle, carefully placing body parts on the body boards and taking them off again and again. Older kids learn names, functions and locations as they play. Includes everything needed to play 5 games including 4 game boards, stick on vinyl body parts, and 100 color coded questions cards with multiple skill level.

Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego
or try this link Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego?

I love studying astronomy. It is one of the subjects we will be covering this year. This game was made in 1995 when Pluto was still a named planet. Lots of fun for the Carmen Sandiego fan, and we are fans. We have many Carmen games, on the computer and board games. Explore space and join Carmen Sandiego in her pursuit of the greatest treasures of all: the planets. Players race through the Solar System, visiting the planets and answering questions about them. If you answer correctly, you capture a planet, but be careful -- the other players are answering and collecting too. The winner of the game is the first person to collect 3 planets and reach Carmen Sandiego. Contents: Solar System Game Board with glow in the dark planets, 9 Planet Pieces, 20 Astronaut Question Cards, 20 Planet Question Cards, 9 Planet Answer Cards, 9 Stars, 4 Playing Pieces, and Complete Instructions.

Here is the link to the site with free printables, some of these are games.

Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop

We especially like:

• The Circulation Game (this is the game from the pictures just above these links)
• The Periodic Table Game
• "Quick Six"

****************************************************************************************
This was posted this week because I have been working on this series

• Board Games for School - Language Arts
• Board Games for School - History
• Board Games for School - Math 
  

and because it goes along with the Virtual Curriculum Fair topic for this week. Here is my post for that in case you missed it... History Chronologically and with Living Books the topic for the week covered both History and Science. I talked about out History.

all content on my blog is ©

By Wagon and Flatboat ~ Read-Aloud Thursday

I am submitting this for Read-Aloud Thursday as you see. I have not done this meme for a while. I am excited to start this up again with this great book.

By Wagon and Flatboat by Enid La Monte Meadowcroft

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

By Wagon and Flatboat is an interesting book. We read it for school. We greatly enjoyed the story of 2 families moving from Gray's Ferry, now part of Philadelphia, PA to Ohio. First they travel by Conestoga Wagon to Pittsburgh, PA then change over to a Flatboat to travel down the Ohio river to Losantiville. Have you ever heard of the town named Losantiville, OH? Me neither. That is because they changed the name. On the last page of the book. What did they change it to... you'll have to look it up or read the book to find out.

There are so many adventures the family has during their travels. I don't want to spoil the book but there is a tooth pulling, rain and mud, mountains and water, children, a dog and farm animals... and Indians. Suspense and trouble and taking apart a boat to make a door and the floor of their new house. I found it to be a great story and I love that a couple times in the story the family refers to God, they go to church, and they pray. This is a good, clean, interesting historical fiction covering the early pioneer days after the Revolutionary War. Lots of people started moving west.

I like the author and the way she writes. We have a few of her books and I will be on the lookout for others. I hope that you will consider reading this book, especially if you include it as part of your homeschooling as I did.

View all my reviews


all content on my blog is ©