tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53116184329251199402024-03-13T03:37:44.336-05:00Windy HillHomeschooling adventures with my only son. I host exchange students and run a living books library!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-6043074217443523922018-04-19T16:17:00.002-05:002018-04-19T16:17:19.838-05:00Why Host an Exchange StudentFor me, the real question is "Why not?!" But since everyone isn't quite as adventurous in opening their home to complete strangers as this former foster family is, I'll attempt to convince you that this is a good idea!
If you homeschool, you know that Education is a Life, and an Atmosphere. Who and what comes into your home can rock your world! Think of how much you and your Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-47726032085331171302017-04-12T21:49:00.001-05:002017-04-12T21:49:53.389-05:00Clash of Kingdoms by Dyer and TobeyClash of Kingdoms: What the Bible Says About Russia, ISIS, Iran and the End Times was written by Charles Dyer and Mark Tobey, has a foreword by Dr. David Jeremiah and was just published this year (2017). It is an "essential guide to what scripture foretells about current events in the middle east", a good presentation of the basics of what is to come.
I found Clash of Kingdoms Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-47152623513292354982017-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:002017-01-10T07:00:41.322-06:00Too Much NoiseI am sensitive to noise, especially high-pitched continuous noises (some vacuums), or very repetitive noises (typing, mouse clicking, pencil tapping). I seem unable to tune them out. Fluorescent lights have always bothered me, things that beep bother me, and television commercials (why are they so annoying? and louder than the show itself??). Then there is the sound of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-28308469478190787452016-12-21T19:58:00.002-06:002016-12-21T19:58:18.588-06:00The Cherished Quilt by Amy Clipston
The Cherished Quilt is "An Amish Heirloom Novel" by Amy Clipston. This book easily stood alone, so don't feel like you need to read the others in the series first (or after).
Sweet Emily Fisher is the star of the story, a pretty young Amish woman with a caring heart and a life that's an open book. Chris quickly become her romantic interests, as he moves in nearby and works for her Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-21732330355747721902016-12-11T13:05:00.000-06:002016-12-11T13:05:08.304-06:00Reading Challenge 2017I recently posted about how my 2016 reading challenges went. With what I learned in mind, here is what I will attempt in 2017!
The Back to Classics Challenge
(All books must have been written at least 50 years ago; therefore, books must have been written by 1967 to qualify for this challenge. See all the rules at Books and Chocolate, and sign up!)
1. A 19th Century Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-17633172241358000932016-12-09T16:00:00.000-06:002016-12-09T16:00:04.166-06:00The Peterkin PapersThe Peterkin Papers {affiliate} by Lucretia Hale is a collection of short stories about the Peterkin family. It is scheduled in Ambleside Online year 4 as a "free read". I'm listening to it via Librivox.org, and they are 4 to 24 minutes long.
The names of the children strike me as funny - Elizabeth Eliza, Agammemnon, and Solomon John and two "little boys" are the siblings.  Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-8459672043858888712016-12-07T07:00:00.000-06:002016-12-07T07:00:24.543-06:00The BetrothedI realized that I did read this for the Back to classics challenge, but forgot to post a little review. I'll do that below. (Also, reading to The Peterkin papers now to get to the 6 required for an entry into the prize drawing!)
The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) by Alessandro Manzoni
I loved this book. Its easily my favorite read for the year. I read along with the AO Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-39330352084979444992016-12-05T19:50:00.000-06:002016-12-21T19:32:21.573-06:00My Reading Challenge Success (or not) In January of 2016, I challenged myself this year to not only read 50 books (the GoodReads reading challenge) but to read a variety of categories and difficulties. Scroll on to see my #bookstagram #shelfies for the year, and to see how the challenge turned out.
What to read first...never mind, I'm still reading Middlemarch on the Kindle! #snowday #readtheclassics #kindlepaperwhite
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-50372711145325867622016-11-20T21:31:00.003-06:002016-11-20T21:35:56.665-06:00A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay
I haven't read a light Christian romance in quite some time, and felt like I'm quite "over" the romance genre in general, but I'm glad I had the chance to review this one. It isn't too heavy on the romance and is extremely light on the Christian aspect, although being from a Christian publisher does ensure no awkward surprises and decent cover art. A Portrait of Emily Price is Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-49915332698894970842016-11-08T06:30:00.000-06:002016-11-08T12:22:10.248-06:00Growing Up with AspergersHomeschooling my son, who has Aspergers Syndrome (officially now called Autism Spectrum Disorder), has been a challenge for 5 years now. As he nears twelve years old, my thoughts turn from the daily challenges of holding his attention, keeping him calm and getting through some school subjects to thoughts of the future. I wonder how he will be as an independent adult, and how long it Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-41694182941891185612016-10-23T16:56:00.000-05:002016-10-23T16:58:32.270-05:00The Lord's Prayer, commentary by Rick Warren
Each page of this beautiful picture book has a small portion of the Lord's Prayer with a brief commentary by Rick Warren and a short, one sentence prayer. Its full title is "The Lord's Prayer Words of Hope and Happiness". It was illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson.
Book's description:
This iconic prayer is paired with flowing illustrations by award-winning artist Richard Jesse Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-80894081588530207022016-10-15T21:05:00.000-05:002016-10-15T21:08:24.720-05:00Say & Pray Devotions by Diane Stortz
Say & Pray Devotions - First Words, Devotions, and Prayers features short devotions and lots of labeled illustrations so your little one can practice identifying objects and words on their own! This book is a great tool to start a devotional time with little ones, as it will help you teach them about God, and the labeled pictures will help start a life of faith. Amazon's Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-33858702227967903732016-10-11T06:30:00.000-05:002016-10-11T06:30:14.697-05:00Still ChewingMy first post on this oral fixation, The Need to Chew is Real, covers some of the 'whys' of the issue. You may want to read it first.
We have tried so many things to keep it under control in a socially acceptable way! It is not an easy task, but with diagnoses figure out, we have more in our "tool box".
He still chews the gum when stressed or bored, and especially when he needs to Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-91409393344065317162016-10-09T12:39:00.004-05:002016-10-09T12:39:59.467-05:00Brave Girls DevotionalAre you ready to be a Brave Girl? The hardback book of 365 devotionals is written for ordinary girls who desire to be closer to God. Five fictional girls, Hope, Glory, Faith, Honor and Gracie, take turns presenting gospel truths throughout this fun, pink volume. Each day of the year starts with a title, a Bible verse, a short modern bit about how to apply the verse, and end withAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-76012552873073819872016-09-11T12:19:00.002-05:002016-09-11T12:21:54.661-05:00Bonhoeffer Student Edition by Eric Metaxas
Bonhoeffer Student Edition is about the life of a German pastor before and during World War II. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a courageous Christian pastor, who objected to Hitler and his reign and turned spy and eventually became a martyr. This book, "abridged and adapted in student-friendly language," follows Dietrich through childhood and adulthood, highlighting his faith and the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-7723984535391491902016-08-29T10:07:00.003-05:002016-08-29T10:15:35.094-05:00Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst
Uninvited - Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely is the newest book by Lysa TerKeurst.
Uninvited is about overcoming rejection with the power of God's love. The author shares very personal stories from childhood and adulthood, showing that she has been there - rejected time and again. She shares the lows and how God brought her through it, and includesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-18775650289536946782016-08-09T07:00:00.000-05:002016-08-09T07:00:38.424-05:00Out of Therapy, Into Holistic PlayMy son is officially finished with OT and speech! They were ready to release him several months ago, but I felt there was more to be done, so kept him in rather than take a break and fight to get back in. Then we all got to the point of dreading the trip and wondering if it was time to stop, so we did.
The long-awaited social skills group did materialize, and he had 4 sessions of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-38865709260105835712016-07-30T13:13:00.001-05:002016-07-30T13:13:32.742-05:00AO Year 5 PlansBefore I get into year 5 (warning: its unconventional), I should briefly tell you how year 4 went.
Pretty well, considering how I stretched it out to fit the therapies in. I think it got a little too thin for a while, and the term 2 exam reflected that, but we got back on track and the term 3 exam restored my faith in his abilities (and mine, as the teacher!). As always, thank Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-20790922614365500202016-07-09T19:06:00.000-05:002016-07-09T19:06:18.240-05:00Getting Started Homeschooling Guide
What did I want to know when I started homeschooling? Everything.
However, that's a tall order, so I started with the basic information I could find in library books, then looked at internet resources. I dug deeper and deeper and deeper, collecting and sorting information, until I stumbled across philosophies and methods that were right for my family.
I get a lot of questions from Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-41387291351775164222016-06-22T17:24:00.000-05:002016-06-22T17:24:15.392-05:00NIrV Minecrafters BibleThis is my first Bible review, not counting the preschool version. I enlisted my 11 year old son to help with this one, because...Minecraft. This is considered a Children's Bible, and the NIrV stands for New International Reader's Version. Special content is Minecraft themed, and the full-color, full-page illustrations throughout are in the familiar style you see on the cover Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-91562052699517948882016-06-15T20:42:00.001-05:002016-06-15T20:42:13.995-05:00UtopiaI have not found Utopia. But I did read Utopia and have decided that I don't ever want to live there.
As part of the Back to the Classics Challenge of 2016, I chose to read Utopia by Sir Thomas More because its also a chance to pre-read for AmblesideOnline year 8 (we are about to begin year 5!). I helped lead the discussion of this short book on the AO forum, and enjoyed the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-33246433581090015272016-06-14T06:30:00.000-05:002016-06-14T06:30:07.221-05:00This Sensory Summer
Summer is here, and with warmer weather comes new sensory experiences. Take advantage of as many as you can without losing your mind.
Occupational and speech therapy is on-going, but both therapists say he is doing really well and all he needs is time with other children to practice social skills. He needs *guided* time with other children, though, for it to be effective, I think, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-72262012392460386752016-06-08T07:00:00.000-05:002016-06-08T07:00:34.608-05:00Paradise LostAs part of the Back to Classics book challenge, I took up Paradise Lost by John Milton. This is an epic poem, Book 1 of which is read in Year 8 of AmblesideOnline, so it also counts for pre-reading and therefore part of my "homeschool teacher Professional Development". Killing all the birds with these stones!
I did make it through all 12 books, although I was tempted to give upAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-60361666487674254402016-06-06T09:00:00.000-05:002016-06-06T09:00:17.608-05:00Then There Were NoneAgatha Christie, the greatest mystery novelist of all time, some say. I put off reading her, assuming the language would be difficult or outdated, or the ending predictable. I was very wrong.
As part of the Back to Classics reading challenge, I chose Then There Were None, which was first published under the name of Ten Little Indians. (I suppose that name was deemed Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5311618432925119940.post-4147083885293176202016-06-04T16:10:00.000-05:002016-06-04T16:10:18.874-05:00Its Been A Year!It has been a full year since we got the diagnoses . The information has sunk into my brain, and several books on Asperger's, ADHD, and processing speed have been read. The therapies have become routine, and small changes have been happening. Mostly, I'm learning to accept he is who he is and to have more realistic expectations of what he can and cannot do, and where thoseAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577409651042520324noreply@blogger.com0