Hey, Where Is She?

I'm here, I'm here.  I am attending the virtual homeschool conference at Heart of the Matter.  Day one was pretty cool...I am listening live to these people who are who knows where, they are answering my questions in the text box, it's just neat to me.  I know my kids think it's old hat, but it is new to me lol.  In between the talks I have been downloading the freebies and visiting the "vendors" and getting some great deals on ebooks.  My back hurts from sitting in this chair so much, and my head hurts from the headphones I borrowed from ds, but hey, no pain no gain lol! 

I missed a lot of of yesterday's talks, as it was evaluation day for us.  We got the evals done and turned in just on time...what a load off my mind!!  I knew it would get done and that things would be okay, but it just lingers in your thoughts until it actually does get done.  Now we are just waiting for Monday and the start of our school year! :)

I will get my posts on the homeschool planning process up soon.  And thanks for all the comments from those visiting from my link up at 5 Minutes For Books!  Lots of "kindred spirits" there. :)

5 Minutes For Books: What's On Your Nightstand?

5 Minutes For Books, possibly my favorite new site, is hosting a couple of monthly carnivals that I am excited to join in on.  The fourth Tuesday of the month is What's On Your Nightstand?  Well, I'm so glad you asked! :)

Yes, I realize this is not my nightstand, although it is next to my side of the bed, so technically...anyway, it's my new bookshelf, lovingly referred to now as The Library.  As part of our planning and preparation for the new homeschool year, my wonderful dh moved this super set of shelves from our garage to our bedroom so I could put all our books in one central place.  I love it.  And I get to stare at it every night in bed.  As such, I have been looking at books I haven't read or even seen in years.  Which has led me to read them again!  I have been enjoying visiting long forgotten places and characters while re-reading my collection of books.  I just finished The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan, one of my favorite authors of all time.  I am now starting the Mitford series by Jan Karon again.  Oh, what fun! 

This brings me to the other monthly carnival that 5 Minutes For Books is hosting, this one on the first Tuesday of the month. 

The Classics Bookclub!  For the month of August we will read Pride and Prejudice and then link up on Sept. 2 with our reviews and impressions of the book.  And guess what?  Pride and Prejudice is on my bookshelf. :)

So be sure and join in on these cool new carnivals at 5 Minutes For  Books.  Hey, mom needs to keep up with her reading, too!

Exercise Challenge

Yeah, may as well just change the title to "Exercise is a challenge" lol.  Sigh.  I have been deep in the throes of planning our next school year and have let everything else go by the wayside.  Yep, everything, including exercise.  I think I should say especially exercise, seeing as how I did actually manage to throw a load of laundry in and run a few dishes under some water every now and again.  But did I ever take 30 minutes and slip in a Leslie dvd?  No.  Sigh.

So answer me this.  Why do you lose physical stamina so quickly?  I mean it's been two weeks since I exercised.  I popped in a dvd yesterday morning and did a measly 1 mile walk.  And it was a workout!  I mean my arms hurt after only lifting them by themselves, no weights or anything.  What's up with that?  I got mad that I only slacked off for a few weeks and seem to have lost any and all stamina or fitness I acquired in the past months of working out.  Phooey.  (Oh come on spell checker!  You redline dvd but not phooey?!?  And redline is an acceptable word?  I guess my grasp of vocabulary is better than I thought.)

Anywho, we have one week before we start school again.  I am spending this week getting everyone, including me, back on a schedule.  Do you know how hard that is when it doesn't get dark here until, like, 9pm?  So it's back to getting up earlier than the kids (although this summer 9am has been getting up earlier than the kids lol,) exercising, and starting my day off the right way.  Why doesn't the right way feel as good as the sleep-in-and-read-books-all-day way?

Destination Disney: Attractions Outside The Parks

Destination Disney is hosted every other Friday by Jennifer at Snapshot.  This week's topic is things to do outside of Disney World.  Admittedly, when we go to Disney, all we do is Disney lol.  We stay on site and really immerse ourselves in the experience.  However, there is soooooo much to do in the Orlando/Kissimmee  area.  When we first started going to Disney, many moons ago, we stayed off the property along Irlo Bronson Hwy.  This road has tons of restaurants, hotels, shops and attractions, and is still close to Disney.  We stayed in a hotel that was next to Old Town.  This is a cool place to spend an evening with the family, and from the looks of the website, has gotten bigger and better since we have been there.  To see more cool things to do in the Orlando area, check out Destination Disney.

Homeschool Planning: 8th grade. One Down...

I finished my planning for ds2's 8th grade.  Here's a look.

Math          Abeka Pre-Algebra

Reading      Dear Mr. Henshaw, Maniac McGee, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Old Man and The Sea, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, The Jungle Book, Treasure Island, Robin Hood, and The Hobbit.  We will cover a book a month, with 2 months for The Hobbit at the end of the school year.

History       Across The Centuries

Language    Spectrum Writing Grade 8  He will do a worksheet once and week, and write a paragraph once a week (usually based on the book we are covering.)  We have used Abeka's language program from the start, and he has a very good grasp of grammar.  We are concentrating on writing this year.

Spelling      Natural Speller

Art       Usborne Introduction To Art and Art Masterpieces to Color, using Harmony Art Mom's lesson plans.

Nature     The Handbook of Nature Study's Outdoor Hours

Science     Chemistry for Christian Schools (rethinking this one...may just use some kind of workbook.)

 

I have the first week completely planned.  I have all the math, spelling, history and art lessons planned for the year on this wonderful planning sheet, ready to be transferred to my lesson plan book each week.  I have lessons for the first two books mapped out.  I used Homeschool Tracker to input lessons and print them out.  I have them in a folder for him to reference throughout the week.

Let's break it down with some pics, okay?  First I decided on which subjects to cover with ds this year, and which curriculum to use for each, using this planning sheet.

With that decided, I ordered what I needed off the internet and made a trip into town to buy the rest (4 stops, but got it all in one day!)  With the resources purchased, I started making a scope and sequence plan.

Here is the one for reading...just a list of what books I want to cover and a timeline for when we may cover them.

This is a shot of the quarterly planning sheet from Donna Young.  I used them for subjects like math and spelling that I could plan a whole year for.  I then can transfer the lesson plans from the quarterly sheet to my lesson plan book.

My favorite lesson plan book.  I buy one for each child I'm teaching every year.  It has large blocks for writing assignments.  When we complete an assignment I highlight it.  This is a great resource for me to use every day to keep us on track, and also a great tool for our yearly evals.

I found a cute blank monthly calendar and mapped out a tentative schedule...math, reading and spelling every day, writing, history and science 2x a week, art and nature study on Fridays.

Here is the weekly assignment sheet for ds, printed off of the lessons I typed into Homeschool Tracker.  If any of the assignments get graded, I can go back into the program and record the grades.  Super for yearly reports for the eval, and also for making the transition to a public high school as ds1 did.  I don't actually keep grades when the kids are younger, but as they enter middle school I do, as that is what the high schools and colleges understand and expect. 

Is that it?  I think so lol.  I hope this helps someone just starting out, or even someone just needed a little encouragement or a change in their routine.  I know it has helped me to blog about this process of homeschool planning to keep track of what works and what doesn't!  Next up in this little series will be ds3's 2nd grade and ds4's preschool plans.  Also a post on the costs of this endeavor.  Stay tuned!

A Day Off...

...is just what the doctor (or in this case my dh) ordered for this stressed-out-had-it-up-to-here-with-books-and-planning homeschooling mom. :)  After 5 straight days and even some nights of planning for the next homeschool year, I hit a wall.  I actually had a very productive day Friday, (I'll post on it later,) but I was so frustrated and involved in all this that it just felt like I was making no progress at all and that I would never be ready for this year.  I know, it sounds strange and all, but I was really aggravated and snapping at everyone and freaking out a little.  So, dh nixed my plans for keeping at it all week and called for a day off.  What's a day off like for us?

Don't hate me because I live near paradise!  Yep, we headed to the beach.  We actually live near 4 wonderful beaches, but today we chose to go to Destin.  Man, just look at that beautiful white sand.  There is nothing like it.

The water can't be beat either.  For reasons all my fellow mommy bloggers will understand, I did not partake in the water activities today.  But don't feel sorry for me...

A shady spot with a cool, gentle breeze, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, a big cup of iced water...I wasn't exactly hurtin' ;)  However, lest you think me lazy, I did perform very important duties from my little nest.

You know what this means?  This is the dreaded "I have water in my eye" run.

Oh yeah, that's the ticket.

Back to the fun!  But sometimes it's more than just water in the eye.  Sometimes it's a triple whammy of water in the eye, nose and mouth!  That's where I come in...

The human towel.  The only cure for the triple whammy of water.

Now we are home and I am only getting on the computer to write up this post (I feel like I wouldn't be living up to my blog name "Fun In The Sun" if I didn't actually show ya'll some fun every once in a while.)  I'm off to wash off sea water and white sand, curl up with a book, some kids and probably some cats, and enjoy the rest of my day off.  Insert contended smiley face here.

Homeschool Planning: The Library a.k.a. my 100th post

I can call it the library now, instead of just the huge amount of various books we own, because they are all together here...

Isn't that just beautiful?  These shelves are big and solid wood.  They were cast out years ago from some office where dh works  and he salvaged them.  They have been out in our garage since we moved into this house (oh, only about 5 years now lol.)  In our old house I had a lovely homemade shelving system for our library.  And now I have one here!  Before now all our books were scattered everywhere...in individual bedrooms, out in the garage, in closets, in boxes on the floor.  Now they are all together.  Not only that, as I have been gathering said books for this organizing project, I have been putting them into a Works database...it doesn't look like it from the pic, but the list has over 400 books!!  (There are some children's books on a small shelf in the living room that account for a lot of that number.)  Now I will know what I have and what I need for school.  Now I won't forget to use a resource because I couldn't find it or forgot we had it.  Now I won't buy anymore copies of Huckleberry Finn (found 3 lol!)  This project took all day but it is done and I am happy. :)

Now for the bad news.  The A.C. started making a goofy noise and has quit. :(  Not good here in the Sunshine State.  Not good at all.  We have a window unit running but it hardly cools the room it's in, let alone the whole house.  It's like 85 degrees in here and it's night!  So dh being the wonderfully capable and totally handy man that he is has been troubleshooting all evening and has the problem narrowed down to a few parts, ranging from $7 to $Oh man we have to buy a whole new unit.  He'll know more in the morning after he replaces a few things.  Sigh.  I sure hope it's the $7 thing.  Try finding an A.C. guy to replace your unit in the middle of summer in Florida.  Yeah, that's right.

So there is my progress on the homeschool planning front.  At least I have an excuse to spend all day planning tomorrow...it's too hot to do housework!!  Thank goodness I let dh talk me into a laptop.  Guess who has dibs on the chair by the window unit? ;)

Booking Through Thursday: Vacation Reading

5 Minutes for Books has a cool meme up this week: Booking Through Thursday.  This week we are asked about books and vacations.

Do you buy books while on vacation/holiday?

Do you have favorite bookstores that you only get to visit while away on a trip?

What/Where are they?

Our vacations are almost always to Disney World, and yes, they have unique bookstores I like to visit.  There is one in Disney Studios that is based on the bookstore Ellen DeGeneres had when she had a sitcom on t.v., and then I browse the books at Virgin Record Store in Downtown Disney while my older boys drool over the cd's and music merchandise.  I usually pick up a book or two but never have time to read any while we are there.

Taking A Tag Break

We interrupt our homeschool planning reports for a fun tag. :)  Pam has tagged me with a meme about my husband.  I've seen this on other blogs, and it's been a while since I've been tagged, so why not?

Who is your man?  Daniel (I never call him Dan)

How long have you been together? Married 20 years.

How long did you date?  3 years

How old is your man?  42

Who eats more?  He does.  What a strange question!

Who said I love you first?  He did!  We were doing the whole "I like you so much" thing and he said, "Well I like you so much I love you."  Still remember that to this day. :)

Who is taller?  What a coincidence.  Dh had the tape measure out last night and we all measured each other.  He is taller.

Who sings better?  He does.

Who is smarter?  I am book smart.  He is "things" smart.  He can fix just about anything and tell you how it runs.

Whose temper is worse?  Kinda even here.

Who does the laundry?  I do.

Who takes out the garbage?  Me again.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?  If you are facing the bed, I do.  But in the bed I'm on the left. ;)

Who pays the bills?  I did until about a year ago when dh took over.  He wanted to reduce my stress.

Who is better with the computer?  I am better at navigating the internet, he is better with functions and applications.

Who mows the lawn?  Our sons!  But dh "weed whacks."

Who cooks dinner?  I cook, dh grills, although he does a mean breakfast lol.

Who drives when you are together?  He drives, I drive him crazy.

Who pays when you go out?  What's "going out?"

Who is most stubborn?  Me

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?  He is.

Whose parents do you see the most?  Mine.

Who kissed whom first?  He kissed me first.

Who asked who out?  He asked me to a Eric Clapton concert.

Who proposed?  He did, but I bought the ring.

Who is more sensitive?  I would say he is on some things, I am on others.

Who has more friends?  About equal.

Who has more siblings?  I have 4 brothers, he has 2 brothers and 3 sisters.

Who wears the pants in the family?  We both do.

How did you meet?  I have known dh all my life!  He is my brother's best friend since forever.  We did not start dating until I was a senior in high school.

That was fun!  And a nice break.  Now, I have to get back to the planning adventure.  I think everyone I visit has already been tagged, but if you haven't, please join in and leave a comment so I can visit your post.

Homeschool Planning:Day 3

Day 3 of spending most of the day planning.  Things are going well.  I have a pretty good routine going, where I get up, shower and dress and hit the computer.  I work on plans all morning with breaks to feed or tend to kids.  They have been doing well entertaining themselves in the mornings...ds1 and ds2 by sleeping in and the little ones with Legos and games.  I work until noon and stop to make lunch and play with the kids for a while.  Around 3:00 I do a quick sweep of the house, starting laundry, making beds, doing dishes, swishing down bathrooms and vacuuming.  Then it's dinner time and I take care of making and cleaning up after that.  I have also been lucky this week to have dh take over baths and evening playtime so I could do some more work.  However, not tonight!  One of my favorite t.v. shows is back for a new season and I will be glued to the tube for at least an hour tonight lol!  We don't watch much t.v. around here, especially me.  Just nothing really worth it.  Plus with it being summer we are outside tending the yard or just playing.

So just what did I do today?  Completed a scope and sequence plan for ds2's reading and made lesson plans for his first two books.  Then I decided while I was going through books to tackle the dreaded project of making a database of all our books.  Whew, my fingers are on fire with all the typing!  But I have a good Microsoft Works database going with over 150 entries already.  Too hot to tackle the books on the shelves in the garage, so maybe before or after my show tonight I can do that.  Or maybe I'll just give myself a break and read a little. :)  Still, progress is being made!

Homeschool Planning: Getting There

I did get to continue planning last night and have started ds2's lesson plans.  I have his math plans finished through December and the lessons for the first book he will read.  My stupid printer (don't tell it I said that, they are very sensitive ;)) is almost out of ink AGAIN and I really don't have the money to shell out for ink this week!  This will put a crimp in my planning for sure.  I also probably won't finish all the planning this week as hoped, since the items I ordered online won't be here until next week.  But I still feel like I am making good progress.  My ultimate goal is to have plans put in place for all three boys in all subjects through December.  Why plan so far ahead you may ask?

As a "veteran" homeschooler (that's what people have been calling me when I mention that we're starting our 10th year.  I need to remember to wear the tag like a badge of honor, not another reminder that I am old) I know all too  well that life gets in the way of homeschooling.  A lot.  And that you can find out a month into things that the curriculum choice you made doesn't work for your child.  And for me, having plans made up several months in advance really helps get us through these challenges.  And keeps me somewhat sane.

So, anyone else in the planning stages?  How long does it take you?  How far in advance do you plan?  Will you come over and help me?  Just asking lol.

Homeschool Planning: More Progress!

Had another productive morning in my planning adventure.  Well, there were a few annoying interruptions, but I still got a lot done.  I set up my homeschool software with our new year, including schedule (tentative), and new subjects and books/resources.  I then was a little tired of being on the computer, so I decided to start putting up some of the decorations I purchased yesterday.

Here is our new calendar, complete with weather tracker!  Very cute.  Also a poster with the Pledge on it, and a poster of the periodic table for ds2 as he is tackling chemistry this year

 

And our new "bulletin board."  I didn't want to buy and put up a huge bulletin board, so I made my own.  I got a large display board (only $2.50) and trimmed it with some decorative trims ($2.99.)  The display board and my wall are both white so it's kinda hard to tell it's even there lol!  I plan on putting things related to whatever we are studying at the time and holiday/seasonal stuff here as well.

This is my gigantic pile of laundry which has been neglected during this planning process.  And now I can't deal with it because of the beautiful creature that has decided to nap there lol.  That's our cutie pie Winston the cat.  Do I put him in the pile with the whites or darks???

Okay, off to make lunch and do the afternoon thing...playing with young'uns, cleaning my house, etc.  Hopefully I'll be able to continue my planning adventure this evening after dinner.  Well, there's always hope!

Tuesday Reviews: Blistex Lip Infusion

Angela at Homeschooling And Loving It hosts Tuesday Reviews, where we can share our opinions on books or products that we have found useful.  This week I'm sharing about my new favorite lip product, Blistex Lip Infusion. 

I have very dry skin, and that includes my lips.  Chapsticks have never worked for me, and Vaseline is so greasy and all.  Over the years what I have used most is plain old Blistex ointment.  It really penetrates and works.  But now they have come out with all kinds of lip products and this new Lip Infusion is my fave!  It tastes great, really does moisten well, and goes on like a high gloss so I don't even need to add more product on top.  Head on over to Angela's to see more product reviews and join in yourself!

My thoughts on coupons and bargain hunting

I am not meaning to offend anyone here, point fingers, lay blame...no mean intentions at all. Just me putting to "paper" my thoughts that have been swirling around in my head with all the hoopla on coupons, bargain hunting, stockpiling, whatever. I use coupons and buy sale items. It's great! I save at least 10% on every big shopping trip for groceries and sundries (about $20 on average!) I get my coupons out of the Sunday paper (one Sunday paper that is local and that I also relish reading) from company websites like Betty Crocker or General Mills, and coupon websites such as Smart Source. Oh, and when I'm lucky the products I buy will have coupons in or on the package.

Even my little bit of couponing draws ire from people in line behind me or even cashiers because it takes up their time or they don't believe my coupons are real. I would have to say that the frenzy of late with all these blogs and websites devoted to getting things for free at drugstores and books detailing how you can use coupons to stockpile has probably contributed to retailers' doubts and reservations with frugal shopping. I am sure the drugstores never intended their "money back" or "rewards cards" to be used by one person with 4 different transactions buying multiple shampoos. And the coupons available to shoppers in their local papers or online are meant to save you on your purchase of the manufactures' item...not to be photocopied, transferred or sold, or used in multiples of 5 or 10.

I know that most of the people doing this are just having fun getting great deals and saving money. But if these kinds of practices continue, we will all lose out on savings. Just yesterday I was in Target and saw a sign posted saying they no longer were taking a certain coupon due to fraud. And yes, I know, using multiple coupons or "stacking" or buying 12 shampoos to get reward money is not illegal. I just question whether it's a good idea to take advantage of such opportunities. It's a good thing to save money by using a coupon or to get rewards for buying certain items. It's not so good to abuse the privilege.

Homeschool Planning: We're On A Roll

 

Today was a great day in my planning venture.  I completed planning the general curriculum for ds2 and ds3 and have purchased all the main books I will need for them!  I know, I am amazed myself.  And all this after sleeping on the couch last night with ds3 and his cough. (And ds4 because he thought we were having a sleepover and he was missing out on fun, and the kitties, who must have thought the same thing.)

Here is the breakdown of the basic curriculum plans for ds2, 13yo(today!), 8th grade.

Math:  Abeka Pre-Algebra
Spelling:  Natural Speller
Language:  Spectrum Writing Grade 8
History:  Across The Centuries
Science:  Chemistry For Christian Schools BJU
Art/Music:  Lessons from Harmony Fine Arts using Usborne Introduction To Art and Art Masterpieces To color.
Nature Study:  Continue with Outdoor Hour Challenge using The Handbook of Nature Study.
Reading:  A variety of classic books using unit plans off the internet.  Dear Mr. Henshaw, Manic Magee, Gulliver's Travels, The Hobbit, The Diary of Anne Frank, Huckleberry Finn, The Old Man and the Sea, Treasure Island, The Time Machine and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

And here is the plan for ds3, 7yo, 2nd grade.

Math:  Abeka Math 2
Spelling:  Natural Speller
Language:  Various exercises from a workbook
History:  Abeka Our America
Science:  Abeka  Enjoying God's World and Health, Safety and Manners
Art/Music:  Abeka Art 2, listen in on ds2's lessons
Nature Study:  Continue Outdoor Hour Challenges
Reading:  FIAR  and similar lessons using classic books (list is long, will be in different post.)

Whew!  I am just so relieved to have that done.  And after a few clicks on my computer keyboard and a trip into town (and 4 different stores) I have all the basic books purchased.  Woo Hoo! (Aw, come on...woo doesn't get flagged by the spell checker but hoo does????)  The list of purchases and total expenditure for the year will also be another post.  Now on to the nitty gritty of actual lesson plans.  Bring on the caffeine!!!

Homeschool Planning: It's A Start (Just Some Jibber Jabber)

I had a pretty productive weekend as far as planning for the new school year goes.  I found lots of good deals on supplies, and cleaned out and reorganized my file crate.  I really, really hope to spend most of the week hitting the planning hard and getting a good chunk of it done.  This past week has been tough, with ds3 being family member #4 to come down with the dreaded virus that started back in June with ds4.  It's really not that bad an illness, a day of fever, a day or so of congestion, but the worst of it is the cough!  It's like a never-ending cough.  We have dubbed it the summer long cough lol.  And apparently the virus lives for quite a while, as ds4 caught it in June and it went through him, me, ds2 and now ds4, almost a whole month later!  And we all still have the cough.  Just a darn tickle in your throat that no lozenge or amount of Vicks Vapor Rub seems to help.  And poor ds3 has just started the venture, and that is when the cough is most aggressive, keeping you (and the household for that matter) up at night.  So....I haven't had a good week for planning.

But for my weekend, well, that was a bit better.  I found some good deals at Wal-Mart, with .05 notebooks and .88 markers.  Then at Target I found a big pack of glue sticks for .99, a 2-pack of scissors for <$1.00, and a bunch of school stuff in the $1.00 bin, like a state notebook and a cute little mini-globe.  Today at Office Depot I picked up .01 folders (they limited it to 20, but I had dh buy 20 as well), .01 compass and .01 eraser tops.  They had other penny deals, but it was stuff I didn't need.  There I also bought a big box of colored file folders (to supplement my file crate and use for our newfound love of lapbooking) and some new file holders.  When I was checking out I saw a 12 pack of mini Sharpies for $2.99 and couldn't resist!  When they rang up $12.99 I asked why and found out the sale had actually ended yesterday, but the cashier gave them to me anyway.  What a deal.  I clipped them all to a metal key ring and used them for my file organizing.

The file crate before.

My file crate now has dividers with holders for all 3 boys and myself, and sections for summer, fall, winter and spring, as well as science, history, reading and lapbooking.  In our sections I'll put whatever notes and paperwork I need for the boys' current lessons, and in the seasons' section I put folders for all the holidays and filled them with ideas I get from the internet or magazines.  Same with the school subjects as well.  I am hoping this new system will work this year for me.  In the back of the crate I'm storing homeschool catalogs, completed lapbooks, and the 5 pocket files I store the boys' completed work in by subject (to use for their portfolios.)

I know this seems to be a lot of jibber jabber, (take that spell checker HA!) but I just want to chronicle my planning this time to see in the future what worked and what didn't.  And since I have begun blogging, I have pretty much stopped journaling.  So here I journal.  Just ignore the crazy lady behind the curtain and move along! LOL

Destination Disney: Wow Photo

Jennifer at Snapshot hosts Destination Disney where every other Friday we get the chance to share about all things Disney!  This week is a photo carnival with the topic "Wow."  One of the things that came to my mind was when Expedition Everest opened at Animal Kingdom and we saw it for the first time.  Truly a wow moment!  It's the biggest, baddest thing going at AK lol.

Other wow moments...

Snow in Florida lol!

This thing from Star Wars thrills my sons.

The Motor Stunt Show at Disney Studios.  Lots of wow moments in that show!

Spaceship Earth and Peter Pan...wow.

Those are just a few of our wow photos from our latest trips...I mean really, there are just too many wow moments to capture them all. :)

Homeschool Organization: Keeping It Real

Brenda at The Family Revised is looking for ideas and inspiration for organizing her homeschool and asking us oh so organized homeschool moms to post our perfect school rooms.  Oh, wait, this is a "keeping it real" post...whew, then I can participate :)

Our schoolroom is our dining room.  A nice little room actually, with a window looking out to our front yard and street, and it is still open to the living room so I can keep an eye on my little one if he roams.  Right now I guess you could say the room is in transition...it has it's summer wardrobe on.

This is one wall, where we have our chalkboard, world map and some posters. 

This train table is not normally in the schoolroom...dh is converting it to a Lego table for ds3.  I don't know how I'm going to convince them to move it out again in August. 

Here is my dining room table.  Normally it is a full sized oval, but dh broke it down to this little circle and moved it from the center of the room to make room for the train/Lego table.  I actually think I like the table in this position and at this size so I may keep it like that for school.

This is command central folks!  My desk.  I love my desk.  It has taken years, but I finally have it pretty much just like I need.  My many planners reside here, I recently added the cork board for posting important memos and such (on there now: receipt from haircut, schedule of reading events at library, letter from Great Sunflower Project...boy that's probably more than you ever wanted to know!) and my ever present Disney World mug filled with water.  Oh, and my new laptop! 

Here is one of my many attempts at organization.  A file crate which now is a catch-all for papers, notebooks, looks like there is an empty shipping envelope in there...Okay, the file crate is supposed to have files arranged by season to store ideas and materials for school (summer has 4th of July, fall has Halloween, etc.)  Those files are in there, it's just that everything else has found it's way in there too.

My ds's bookcase.  Right now it only has ds3 and ds4's books on it.  Ds1 and ds2 keep their's in their rooms.  When we are schooling I have little plastic tubs on top labeled with the theme of whatever we are studying (like space) and the season or holiday (Easter, etc.) and have corresponding books in them for easy reference.

Okay, here is where the nitty gritty is.  My hall closet stores our school books and supplies.  I have the shelves labeled (Mom's books, ds2 books, library books, etc.) so the kids can find and replace their supplies easily.  On the floor I have a box of reference books (dictionaries, atlas, etc.) and ds2's reading books for the year.  The drawers hold paper products, art supplies and various science materials (beakers, etc.)  I really want to get a rolling cart for some of that stuff to keep in the school room.

One shelf up in the closet.  Go up any further and you're looking at my towels.  Oh, look, one is peeking down right now.  Anyway, the top shelf in the picture is my shelf with my planning books, test books and reference materials.  And on a bad day it's filled with magazines and other stuff I just didn't want to put in their proper places lol.  Right now the closet is pretty bare as I cleaned out books from last year and haven't gotten all the books for this year yet.

I don't know if any of this inspires or helps anyone else, but I hope it does.  I know it has inspired me to get going with my school planning and get organized lol!  I am going to visit those who have linked to Brenda's post and hopefully gain more inspiration!  You should too!  Thanks Brenda :)

Cool New Sites a.k.a. Oh, Great

Oh great, just what I need right now. Two cool new sites to occupy my time. But how can I resist? They are "sister sites" of 5 Minutes For Mom and while they just launched, it looks like I will like them just as much as their older "sibling" lol. Actually, besides the two above, two other sites launched as well, 5 Minutes For Going Green and 5 Minutes For Special Needs. Check it out (please! so I won't feel like I spend way too much time on the internet!)