My daughter turned 18 today.  She has grown into a beautiful and talented girl.  She is such a great dancer and performer and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!

Click on the picture above to visit Peggy’s place to see more daybooks or join in on the fun!

FOR TODAY

Outside My Window… the sun is shining brightly after a weekend of rain.  It going to be a really hot day.

I am thinking… doing a deep cleaning on my house today so that I have a really clean house to start the week.

I am thankful for… a job where I can get all my hours in two days per week and therefore I have more time at home, can homeschool and still have health insurance.

From the kitchen…breakfast is done and my oldest daughter is hemming pants for the newest show she is in.  She does theater and her newest musical “Seusical” starts this week.

I am wearing…ummmm…my pajamas.

I am creating…school plans.  It seems to be an endless process.  What are ya’ll doing for school this year?

I am going…to be taking my youngest daughter to another free summer movie this week.  Last week was Charlotte’s Web and this week is Mr. Magoriam’s Magical Emporiam.  We had a great time and is was free, free, free.

I am reading…a lot of various information on marriage, being a Godly wife, a better mother.  I have found some great blogs out there with wonderful information on them.  What blogs do you love to read?

I am hoping…to get a bunch accomplished this week without feeling overwhelmed.   

I am hearing…the cartoons on TV, the sound of sissors cutting as my daughter works next to me on the pants.

Around the house…I see some laundry that needs to be folded.

One of my favorite things…birds.  We have recently gotten a birdfeeder and I love watching the different birds come in.  I enjoy figuring out what type of bird they are. 

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Spending time doing fun things with my youngest and getting my oldest ready for her musical.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

My youngest helping me in the yard.

In celebration of the upcoming online conference, Tamara at Training Hearts is giving away free tickets to attend online.  Please go enter now…it ends today!

In Heart of the Matter Online’s
(http://heartofthematteronline.com/) quest to bring you the absolute best home school resource online, they have listened to your requests and are providing you with a fun filled online adventure! On July 30th through August 3rd, they will be hosting Heart of the Matter Online’s first annual Virtual Homeschool Conference! They will be providing the attendees with motivational speakers, video tutorials, free products, question and answer sessions, and a vendor hall - all ONLINE! Just log on and listen live during that time or log in at your convenience and download the audios.
This conference will be less like a “seminar” and more like a bunch of close friends in a chat room. Just wait till you see what some of your favorite home school personalities (http://www.hotmconference.com/2008/03/2008-speakers.html) have done to educate and entertain you! At the end you will join in to chat with them, ask questions, and they will answer.

{Click on graphic above to get the Early Bird Special!}

To ensure your spot in the conference room and to take advantage of the early bird special. Simply, visit the Heart of the Matter Online Conference (http://www.hotmconference.com) site and click the “pay now” button. At $19.95 these prices won’t last long! This $19.95 includes a fabulous $30 package from Currclick: curriculum in a click! Currclick (formerly HomeschoolEstore) is the largest one-stop shop for electronic lapbooks, affordable curriculum, and homeschooling resources

Click on the picture above to visit Peggy’s place to see more daybooks or join in on the fun!

FOR TODAY

Outside My Window… my marigolds are blooming!

I am thinking… about what I will be fixing for dinner tonight.

I am thankful for… a wonderful husband and three great children.  And when the heat is like it has been here recently, I am thankful for air conditioning.

From the kitchen…breakfast cookies that I am trying for the first time.

I am wearing…scrubs, it is my day to work.

I am creating…a new planner that I read about here.  It is the first time that I have found something that I think will actually work for me.

I am going…home soon to be with my children.  I only have to work half a day and that makes it all worth it!

I am reading…A Rose at the Door by Deborah Bedford.  I have recently run across her and really love her books.

I am hoping…that I can get more organized and keep up with all I need to be doing.  I have failed terribly at this in the past and I am hoping that this time I will be able to do it. 

I am hearing…quiet, nothing but quiet as it is still in the wee hours of the morning.  I love the quiet!

Around the house…as I look around, I see barbi’s, barbi’s barbi’s.  I think that just perhaps I am being invaded by barbi!

One of my favorite things…Sonic Route 44 coke with extra ice.  This is such a treat for me!  I love to get this in the mornings and it will last me all day long.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: A little spring cleaning in the closet areas.  I will be taking my youngest to the zoo and then later in the week to a free summer movie day at a local theater.  My flower beds need tended to and my bird feeders need attention.  I love yard work, so this will be fun!  I will begin planning for the new school year soon.  My year will consist mainly of FIAR and homeschool share.  I need to plan these out and then also see what I will be adding to this!

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

We went to the lake camping a couple of weeks ago and there was a castle there that they had converted into a nature museum.  This was looking out onto the lake from the first level.

We added to our family this last week. Please meet Sammy. He is 1/2 long haired dacshand and 1/2 westland terrier. I love him but I must say that he is one of those dogs that is so ugly, it is cute. Below are some Sammy pictures. He is laying in my backyard flowerbed in my flowers for goodness sake! All of that work for smashed flowers! Gotta love em’.

Homeschool share has a great new theme unit that fits right in with the month of July being ice cream month!

You can go HERE to see this unit. 

It looks like a bunch of fun with some great ice cream activities.   Mmmmmm do I LOVE ice cream.  There is even a recipe to make ice cream in a Ziploc baggie!    You know what the best part is???  It is totally FREE.  Yes, you heard me right…FREE.  They have a bunch of great lapbooks and so many great activities to go along with many, many books.  Go check it out.

We will be doing this one for sure.

Other than going to the nature center(see post below) we hung out, went swimming, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  It was a fun time!

We went camping last weekend with my BIL his wife and their three kids.  We camped with them last year and it is always a bunch of fun!  The lake we went to had a really neat nature museum with various local items.  It was in a stone castle.  The history behind this castle is that a previous Mayor built this for a summer home and never completed it.  The city then bought it much later and is making it into a local nature museum.

Walking up to castle

Daddy and Reagan

View from first level

Our new found friend

Climbing to the second level

Looking down to the grande room

This very narrow winding staircase leads to the tower

These pictures were taken looking down from the tower (taken by my husband as I am laying down clinging to the ground)

More on the camping trip tomorrow.

I came across a really great Little House study made just for the younger crowd.  It is made to be used with the picture books and covers every letter of the alphabet.  Below is the authors description of this curriculum:

The My Little Primer provides a fun lesson for each letter of the alphabet. Learning about a character in the Little House books, or a place the Ingalls’ traveled to. Lessons added will sometime be for … Math, Science, History, Language Arts, Art and Bible. This study guide is geared for children ages 2 ~ 8 (but I find a lot of older girls doing it as well). With the First book being “Making a Friend” there is a Rag Doll that is made with this study to accompany your student along the journey. This Study Guide consists of teaching the child to read, recognize and write their alphabet, while learning of all the people Laura Ingalls wrote about in her books. Starting with the plain body of a Rag Doll as we do the alphabet your student will name and dress the doll, learn how to cook for her/him and much much more!!!
I currently have two forms of the curriculum available. I have a BINDER READY copy that is just punched and ready for a three ring binder that you provide yourself. This copy is $15.00.
Then there is the LAMINATED COMB BOUND copy that has a laminated colored cover and is comb bound for easy use. This copy is $20.00. I do have pre-made Doll bodies for an easy start and they are $10.00 each. The pattern for the doll comes with the curriculum as well as a 20″ X 20″ map of the US so that you can follow where the Ingalls traveled.
I accept Paypal at brownstead@embarqmail.com or check or money order sent to …
High Hopes Academy
attn Cindy Brown
2265 Porterfield Rd
Woodlawn, Va. 24381
please make all checks and money orders out to Cindy Brown.

I included all of her information just in case anyone is interested.  I have already ordered it to do with my daughter (6) this summer.  I will post as I am going through this study.