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!

Posted in Teaching Tips, Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

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!

—-

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.

—-

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!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

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!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

February 16, 2008 by KellyH.

Our schedule has gotten off-track just a little. Last Thursday my husband returned from a business trip in the afternoon. I couldn’t go grocery shopping because I was waiting for him to call for a ride home from the airport. I couldn’t go Friday because we had the day off from school and spent it an hour away visiting grandparents. I couldn’t go Friday night because we had other commitments. I finally went this evening (Saturday) even though I dislike shopping on weekends/evenings. Not only has my “mom” routine gotten off-track, but some of the children didn’t finish up school on Thursday, so they’ll be working on Monday to catch-up. I’ll have to go through my lesson plans and rewrite them to fit in the catch-up day. But, that’s okay–that’s what makes homeschooling so great! We are not working on anyone esle’s schedule but our own. If we need to spend more time on something, we do. If we need to wrap it up quickly, we do. If we need to postpone it, we do. You’ll hear people refer to “teachable moments.” That’s where flexibility comes in. As we drove to visit grandparents yesterday, we observed the devastation caused by ice storms a couple weeks ago. Trees cracked at the top, and branches totally ripped off… the poor trees looked so sad and wounded, my heart broke. We were able to discuss how the damage happened, which led to weather and other science-related issues. There was a pile for burning branches in the community where my parents live. This led to another scientific discussion about heat, and “reactions.” Flexibility. Rabbit Trails. Teachable Moments. Call it what you like, it all comes down to educating our children according to God’s perfect plan: through the family. I am so thankful that we homeschool, and that my children feel they can ask anything, discuss anything, comment on anything… they enjoy having conversations with us!

Posted in Teaching Tips, Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

February 13, 2008 by KellyH.

Every now and then, homeschooling parents will come across a program or book that they feel is a must for their students to complete or read before they officially graduate. Although there are many books that I’ve read that I would like my children to read as well, only one has been so well-written that I felt it needed to be a “must read” for my children.

Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables, by Phil Vischer, is that book.

Phil had a dream–a dream of furthering the Gospel message and pointing children in the Right Direction. Surely God was blessing him when that dream came true in a big way. So… what happened? Where was God when it all came crashing down? Learn from Phil in this excellent book that will point you (and your high school student) toward the path that focuses on God.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

January 14, 2008 by pattycov.

You know why? Because my children will not get out of bed when they are supposed to! We started back to school last Monday after 3 weeks off and going into our second week back, my daughters are struggling more than ever. Typically, both of them are up by 8:00, at the latest. That gives them time to clear the fog from their sleepy brains, eat some breakfast, and do their morning chores in time to start school by 9:00. Yes, it varies in actual start time on occasion but we try to hit the mark most days. However, these past 6 school days have been a joke. At first, I was very relaxed about it — oh, they are just recuperating from all the festivities, traveling and inconsistent bedtimes — but by now, I’m running out of patience!

It doesn’t help that this time of year also creates a little lethargy in myself. Getting up while it’s still dark takes quite the effort on my part (and on my husband’s part — his foot on my backside pushing me out of my warm covers). But thankfully, because of a commitment to provide daycare for my cousin’s daughter, I am up and at ‘em without fail.

Any ideas for breaking your children out of a “sleeping in” habit? So far, releasing the aforementioned commitment (Dayna) into their bedroom is at least waking them up. She is my secret weapon for now!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | 2 Comments »

November 30, 2007 by bigfamily4Him.

OK, now don’t get your thoughts on the wrong path here, the big house does not refer to prison (although some days my children would argue that).   I’m Holly, joyous mother of 10 children, and veteran homeschooler of 14 years. Six of the past 14 years we have been using Weaver and they have been the best and easiest years of homeschooling.

Presently we are on volume 2, chapter 10 which is one of the white chapters and the last one of that volume. Sometimes these white chapters still intimidate me but after I  look over them several times and write out my lesson plans the “intimidation factor” disappears. In this particular chapter Early American History is the subject for dissection and I chose to use the Time Travelers unit study of New World Explorers to enhance our study. It has been great fun as we dry fruit and meat for our journey, make our flag for our ship and journal in our captain’s log. I plan to post pictures on my homeschooling blog http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/bigfamily4HIM to show our progress. In September our town has a Heritage celebration and I purchased several items including ink wells, ink pens, hard tac and a compass from the reenactors tent store. I find small additions like this really help to liven up our studies.

 Another great find to help with the Bible end of our studies has been the Herein is Love commentary series put out by Shepherd Press. These are commentaries written for children and since 7 of my ten children are age 10 and under this has really helped this busy mom to put the wonderful meatiness of the Weaver Bible study into little people words.

I am really looking forward to encouraging all the weaving moms and just being available for questions. I have been greatly blessed by all those on the Weaver boards and extend the invitation to leave some comments.

Weaving in the big house 4 Him,

Holly

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | 1 Comment »

November 29, 2007 by pattycov.

If you are a homeschool mom and a coffee aficionado, I’m sure you understand what I’m implying.  You pour yourself a nice, hot cup of coffee before you get started on your day.  In a perfect world, you would have time to sit and enjoy this moment of tranquility.  But reality says that even if you have a brief moment, it’s rarely tranquil because your thoughts are on what you are pulling together today for your lesson!  You consult your Day-By-Day or other form of agenda, read over your bible study, spend “just a few minutes” on the internet finding just the right information for your lessons and checking email; then, before you know it, your abandoned red-with-gold-polka-dots-from-Starbucks coffee mug has gone cold and it’s contents are uninviting.  It’s sad, but you take a drink anyway and mourn its passing.  Sigh. 

So, on with the show!  I am Patty and I have been a homeschool mom going on four years now.  I have six children, who range from 20 to 6.  Two are step-children, the other four natural.  But in my mind, they’re all mine!  I am only homeschooling my two youngest daughters, who are eight and six, 3^rd and 1^st grades.  I used a conglomeration of materials for our first year of Kindergarten and began Abeka for first grade.  However, the glitter of Abeka quickly wore on me.  By the end of that year, though my daughter was reading successfully and writing in beautiful penmanship, I really felt it was lacking some important substance.  I couldn’t put my finger on it but I knew something was missing.  The first idea that began to catch my interest was the concept of notebooking that another homeschool mom shared with me.  After some research I thought it might be the key to stepping up the fun and interaction in our school day.  Then, after some input from my sisters-in-law, I decided to look into Weaver and I was sold! 

We are weaving into our second year now, though it hasn’t been without some doubts.  By last February, I was ready to get a job at a private Christian school and sign the girls up!  God has been so faithful in this whole calling, though.  Just as I was ready to give up, another friend called me for encouragement.  She, too, was re-thinking her dry curriculum and looking into unit studies.  It completely refreshed my mind of where I had been just a year prior, “looking for substance”.  And she, through the counsel of another veteran homeschool mom, was reminded to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!  This was certainly my turning point.  I realized that it wasn’t exactly the curriculum that I was having trouble with.  I thought I needed more structure when I had complained about too much structure the year before.  Basically I just needed to PRAY!  Of course, I pray on a daily basis, for our school day and all but there’s something different when you are at your wit’s end and are crying out for God to bless your homeschooling experience, to bless your children despite your faults, for it to be ALL Him and none of you.  Needless to say, our school caught fire as I began to document in our personal homeschool blog (www.graceandemilyschool.blogspot.com).  We entered Chapter 6 of Unit 5 in Volume One.  It was the most exciting school experience ever, for us!  From that point, I have not looked back.  Even if we’re in a lull, I know there’s something around the corner.  I have given our school over to the Master, the fully equipped Teacher, the Principal of principles, the most creative Creator, the Mathematician of the stars and sand and hair, the Scientist of existence, the Great I AM of grammar, the — well, you get the point.  It’s all His and I need to consult Him as I serve Him in His ministry.  That all seems so elementary to a seasoned Christian but sometimes us seasoned Christians can overlook the simplest of things.   

I look forward to sharing what we do at school and hope to encourage the “doubters”.   I don’t know what I can offer the veterans, as I am still learning the ropes, but hopefully there will be something here for you, too! 

Blessings,Patty 

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

November 29, 2007 by KellyH.

Just a quick note to welcome Patty and Holly. These two ladies will be blogging along with me to give you a better understanding of what a Weaving family looks like.

If you have any questions or comments, or if you’d like to be considered for the job of Author on the UWBlog, please contact me (unofficial@weaverpages.com)!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

November 21, 2007 by KellyH.

Every now and then my children and I get the opportunity to accompany my husband on a business trip. Before we leave, I “prepared” by finding out who (from the Weaver email list) lives in the area we’ll be visiting.

During the past 11 years we’ve been blessed to meet many Weaving families:

• In Texas, we spent the day at a science/hands-on museum with two weaving families.
• In Ohio, we went to Sea World with a local homeschool group (one of the moms was a member of the Weaver email list and got me in on the field trip).
• Another trip to Ohio allowed us to spend the day at the park with two other families (dads included).
• There’s a Weaving family attending my in-laws’ church in Arizona.

I’ve even been blessed to host other Weaverettes in my home:

• One woman was in town for a Women’s Ministry conference.
• One woman was on furlough and passing through town.
• One woman asked for my help to understand how the curriculum works.

Weaving families are scattered around the world, but with a little detective work it’s possible to find Weaverettes just about everywhere. There are four other Weaving families living within an hour of my home!

How I’d love to meet each and every family from the Weaver email list. I know I will meet many more over the next few years! If you’d like to find Weaverettes in your area, or if you’ll be traveling and wish to hook-up with other Weaving families, drop me a note and I’ll assist you in your search! Perhaps I will be one of the families you bless with a visit!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Print | 2 Comments »