July 4, 2008 by KellyH.

Although it’s just the beginning of July, thousands of homeschooling parents around the world are gearing up for their child’s senior year of high school. As school begins again in the next month or two, they’ll start to make plans for graduation next spring. Having just gone through this process, I shared how it was organized in my article, Organizing a Homeschool Graduation, at Suite101.com.

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July 2, 2008 by KellyH.

I’ve become a contributing writer for Suite101.com. My first article, titled Clean Up Your Homeschooling Area, was recently posted. I hope you enjoy reading it!

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June 30, 2008 by KellyH.

I just made the most amazing meal! I don’t know why I haven’t tried it before, except that I was afraid my family wouldn’t eat it. I’ve had bland chicken and dumplings in the past, but this recipe tasted delicious!

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Chicken ‘N’ Dumplings

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 T. oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 can biscuit dough (10 biscuits)

Cut the chicken into large pieces. Place in a large saucepan with the vegetables and chicken broth, and simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender (about 5-10 minutes).

While this is cooking, combine the oil and flour in a small saucepan to form a paste. Add the milk and spices, and then heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken, while stirring constantly.

Pour the sauce into the pan with the chicken and vegetables. Stir until the sauce is blended into the chicken mixture. Place the biscuit dough over the chicken pieces, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the biscuits are done.

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That’s all there is to it! If you’re interested in more delicious recipes like this, check out Miserly Meals, by Jonni McCoy. That’s where this recipe came from. This is so easy to make, you can even make it for lunch! And if my family liked it, your’s will too!

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May 12, 2008 by KellyH.

Warm weather brings so many distractions: prepping the pool for summer; hikes in the nature park; parking farther away from building entrances to get more exercise; cleaning up the yard; and the list goes on. Although I’m not much of an ‘outdoor’ person, I do enjoy relaxing outside while visiting with friends and relatives. Last week I had the opportunity to do that while visiting my mom.

My two youngest were daring enough to swim in the lake at Grandma’s house. These two are fish; they had splashed around in our in-ground pool the day before as it was filling. I think the lake was slightly warmer, but not by much!

Church activities and out-of-town visitors are another big distraction. Two of my sons are helping with the Upwards football evaluations this week, keeping them busy after supper each night. My cousin called today and we hammered out plans for her to visit with a few of her children. I say “a few” because she has twelve. Yes, I said twelve, and the ten youngest are boys. She’s only bringing five boys, leaving the other five with their older sisters and father.

How can I best utilize these distractions for educational purposes? I’m hoping to keep the children informed and involved in all that’s happening and being planned. I’ll keep them focused on seeing the world through God’s eyes with guided discussions and questions when possible. I’ll also use the distractions to keep the children busy while I plan out our next unit of study!

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May 8, 2008 by KellyH.

A few years ago I made myself a new dress just in time for Mother’s Day. I also made my daughter a matching dress, and we attended a Mother/Daughter luncheon at church in our new outfits. I’d never made myself a floor-length dress before, and it was a challenge finding somewhere to hang it for pinning the hem. I decided I needed a Singer® 151 Adjustable Dressform. I’ve made three more dresses from the same pattern since then, and I simply love the way they fit!

It’s been fun teaching my daughter about using the dressform, and showing her how it helps to make dresses that fit properly. I think, as Mother’s Day approaches again, that it’s time I bring my dressform out once again and make myself another dress!

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May 7, 2008 by KellyH.

Okay, I know this isn’t the program from the Weaver line. I’ve been using Success in Spelling (from the Weaver line) and my son is still a terrible speller. So, I picked up a copy of Spelling Power from a local homeschool used book store. I was amazed at how similar it is to Success in Spelling!

I’m going to use Spelling Power for a year and see how it works for my children. I’ll probably find a way to combine the two programs, taking the best ideas from both and merging them to tailor-fit my children’s needs. I’ll let you know how it goes a year from now.

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April 15, 2008 by KellyH.

I just had the privilege of assisting (ever so slightly–I took photos) with a bird rescue. I’d noticed an American Avocet hanging around the pond at the local golf course, so I contacted the Tulsa Audubon Society and let them know. Today, on our way home from piano lessons, my son and I saw people at the pond trying to catch the bird. We stopped to see if we could help. The gentleman who lives across the street had a really good dog who also assisted. Here’s a few photos…

The Avocet is now being cared for by a veterinarian who specializes in rehabilitating wild animals.

Thanks go out to John Kennington, current President of the Tulsa Audubon Society, and Gail Storey, Vice-President.

And, of course, a special thanks to Zoe for her help in rescuing the Avocet!

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April 10, 2008 by KellyH.

While I was in California last month, I almost stepped on a Banana Slug. How I managed to miss it is a mystery, but when I doubled back from my walk (about 20 feet from where I found the slug) it was right there, bright as a banana! My kids would have LOVED to see it!

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April 3, 2008 by KellyH.

And that means time for the BIG sale!

Save 20% On All Weaver Curriculum Products For Homeschooling! Click Here!

Remember, all sales made through this blog, and through the Unofficial Weaver Pages, earn a commission for the site. Commissions are used to keep the site online. Excess monies go into the Blessing Fund. The Blessing Fund is a way to assist families who are struggling financially so they can obtain homeschooling materials. If you’d like to help bless someone, there is a box explaining how to do so on the front right of the site.

If you have the opportunity between purchasing new during the sale, and purchasing used, and the cost of new is out of your reach because of shipping costs, please contact me! I can help you get the new materials!

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February 19, 2008 by KellyH.

This morning I received an email from a woman asking for info about Penmanship to Praise. I thought I’d share some of my response here. Penmanship to Praise (or P2P, as we like to call it) is a penmanship program written by Becky Avery, the author of The Weaver Curriculum. Within each book you’ll find colored cardstock with both cursive and italic alphabets. (Although I’ve never seen the A Beka or BJU programs, I’m told that the cursive and italics in P2P are not quite the same–seems no two companies are alike when it comes to how to form letters.) The younger levels also have a page that is block-style, and the older levels have a page that compares the three styles. I tend to teach cursive myself, and have been known to ‘change’ a letter or two if I don’t like how it looks on the chart. You need to choose the level based on the size of the lines that are comfortable for your child. I started my then-1st-grade son on level 1 last year and after about a month I moved him up to level 2 because the lines were too far apart and he was writing sloppy. P2P is set up in three sections: Memory Verse Choices, Practice for Praise, and Border Sheets. The Memory Verse Choices section is co-ordinated with the Weaver volumes, with all the memory verses for each volume listed by chapter. This is the only program within the Weaver Curriculum that has the Bible verses printed out (New American Standard), but it is just as easy to use your own choice of translations. The verses are merely type-written, not done in cursive or italics. The child is expected to “translate” the verse to the proper form on their sheet. The Practice for Praise section gives suggestions for letters to focus on each week, and then provides four days’ worth of practice sheets (Mon-Thur). The Border Sheets are for Friday, when the student writes the week’s verse in their best penmanship. There are detailed instructions at the front of the book that explain how to use the program, but as with any curriculum you are free to adapt it since you are the teacher. You can get a free sample of the program from AOP if you call them. They’ll send you sample sheets from each level so you can see the various line widths. Again, this is very important for placing your child in the correct level.

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