Following the guidebook

I recently ordered another language arts/reading program with guidebook. I was a bit unsure about the guidebook but it was inexpensive so I ordered it. Last year I ordered the Abeka guidebook. We started off the year using it rather diligently. This was new to both my son and I as we didn’t use [...]

It’s gardening time!

The garden season officially starts here in interior Alaska on June 1. Up until then there is still the danger of frost. (Even after then some years!) Well, we took a chance on Sunday and put our pre-plants in the ground. We didn’t have time to plant any seeds or potatoes. Those will likely plant [...]

Box Day #1

Today the first box from WinterPromise arrived! The kids were both excited about getting new books. Unfortunately, only about a quarter of the books for the Animal Worlds were in the box. It looks like they shipped some more books in another box, but most of the books were marked as being shipped soon. I [...]

Switching from Abeka

I’ve decided to switch from Abeka to Christian Light Education (CLE) for language arts/reading. Unfortunatly, not only have I already ordered Abeka, but the order arrived today. How’s that for timing! Anyway, its not all bad. There was a music CD, 2 KJV Bibles, and a numbers workbook for Karen we will be [...]

video based schooling

What is one of the biggest benefits of homeschooling? Family. Getting to spend time with your children. Teaching them about the wonders of the world around them.
Yet there are getting to be a number of internet/CD/DVD/video based school programs out there. I even use one for math and art. However,  they aren’t my full program. [...]

Collecting

I seem to be collecting 2nd grade language arts programs.
I went to the used homeschool sale today. The woman who sells Christian Light Education materials was there. Well, I looked over the scope and sequence for CLE 2nd and 3rd grade language arts. He is somewhere in between them so I decided [...]

80’s TV on YouTube

I just found a bunch of old TV shows and music videos on YouTube. Talk about a trip down memory lane. I started looking at Monkees song videos. Then I found entire episodes from their 60’s tv show. I first fell in love with them from the re-runs on Nickelodeon in the mid-80’s. My friends [...]

Gas and oil prices

Today here in Alaska, we became the first state to average over $4/gallon for gas. Diesel prices are even higher. We had to buy heating oil for one of our apartment buildings yesterday at $4.05/gallon. As such, you’d expect me to be complaining and whining. Yes, it is hard. However, I look at it differently. [...]

Write like you talk

Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are important tools for a writer. Any writer of any age. However, they are just part of what makes a good writer. If we overly stress them, the writing tends to sound stuffy and dull. If we don’t pay enough attention to them it is distracting and makes for a bad [...]

Just us girls

Early this morning my husband, son, and a guy who works for us left for Kodiak. They will be gone 10 days leaving Karen and I here to mind the apartment business with Sarah. This is the first time Richard has gone on a trip without me. This trip was a combination birthday present and [...]