Thank you! 2010 Homeschool Blog Awards

Thank you for the nomination of "Best New Homeschool Blog" in the 2010 Homeschool Blog Awards. It's thrilling to see the dozens (hundreds?) of amazing homeschool blogs posted. How fun to be part of such a great list of fellow homeschoolers. Guess my reading is cut out for me?

Again, much thanks for thinking of me.

Now, back to homeschooling... ;)

Bringing Grace and Hope...

I apologize in advance for this slight detour from math-i-ness, but school issues pale in comparison to the impact that this story has had on our lives...

Almost 5 years ago, this gorgeous baby was born in China.

Photo removed.
For unknown reasons, his biological parents could not care for him. He was eventually delivered to an orphanage. Although he was cared for, he did not have a family to love him like their own. At about the time this photo was taken, his life could have taken a very different path, with years of institutionalization ahead of him.

Yet, around the world, people were already rallying:

• In Oregon, USA, Grace and Hope for Children was working to provide him a foster family.
• A sister agency, Hope4China, located in Scotland, looked for an individual sponsor willing to cover the cost of a foster family.
• The sponsor, a Scottish woman, paid to keep him with a Chinese foster family for what she later would call, "all for the price of a daily newspaper."

At the time, no one had any idea what this would mean...

The 20-day-old infant went to live with a foster family, who loved him like their own. He grew from a beautiful baby to a charming toddler to a thriving 3-year-old. That loving 3-year-old joined our family 18 months ago.

He is a happy, loving, well-adjusted child. We know that the first three years of life are absolutely crucial in a child's development, especially where attachment and relationships are concerned. The loving care he received in foster care has allowed him to go on to form bonds with us. We do not take this for granted.

I won't go on and on...or my computer might short-circuit in a puddle of tears.

Since my son arrived home, we have learned about all the earth angels who cared for him. We didn't know about them when we picked him up, but one internet connection led to another and another and another...til we've fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Angel hands around the world have carried him...physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially. (Someday we will also thank his Heavenly angels! In person, that is.)

For the last year, we have attempted to pay it forward by sponsoring another child from our son's orphanage. We will continue to do so. However, the list of children needing foster families continues to grow. Knowing what a huge difference that early, loving experience can make, we want to do more.

SO...that's my long-winded way of saying this...beginning November 1st, all the Amazon commissions we make here will be sent to Grace and Hope toward sponsorship of another child. As you probably know, when you click through this site to Amazon they give us a minimal commission at no additional cost to the buyer. That money will now go to Grace and Hope.

I appreciate the interest you've shown in this site. It's fun for me. A hobby. And I'd like that time to go toward a worthy cause. My own selfish reasons, really. I'd like to know that somewhere, someday, another kiddo will have an expression like this. Photo removed.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Visit the Homeschool Showcase!

Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers are hosting this week's Homeschool Showcase. Pop on over for a visit! :)

One Lovely Blog Award

I just received my first blog award from Renee at Little Homeschool on the Prairie. Thank you, Renee, for the thoughtfulness and encouragement!

Rules for accepting the award:

1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.

3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.

OR

The fun rules for recipients:

1. Put the One Lovely Blog award logo on your blog and/or in a new post.

2. In a new post, share 3 things you think are lovely

3. Pass the award on to 3 fellow bloggers.

4. Link the nominees within your post.

5. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.

6. Share the love and link to the person whom you received the award.

There are two sets of rules for this award. So choose the one you like and go for it! 

Here's mine:

Three lovely things:
1. Homeschooling my children.
2. Watching my children flourish after graduating (at various ages/grades) from homeschooling.
3. Reading blogs from exceptionally creative homeschoolers!

I would like to award the following bloggers:
(Yeah, it's more than 3, but who's counting...)

Joyful Learner--for being incredibly creative and purposeful with her preschool daughter! I love her weekly math postings!

Around the World in 40 Weeks--because I drool every time I read about the cooking she does for her country studies and I love the idea of studying a country a week.

All Things Beautiful--for sharing so many fun, hands-on projects.

Jimmie's Collage--yeah, she's already well-known. But, man, do I love to read her stuff! She's the homeschool blogger I'd most like to meet...and a trip to China wouldn't be bad either! ;)

Stop by and visit these blogs. You'll be happy you did!

Not Back to School Blog Hop: A Day-in-the-Life

The "Not Back to School Blog Hop" topic for this week: A Day-in-the-Life. I'm not sure if we have typical days around here. ;) How 'bout "Days of Our Lives?"



[Deep voice.] And these are the Days of Our Lives... [Yes, I was once a Days of Our Lives addict. When I was young. And childless. Now that my life IS a soap opera, I don't need to watch one.]

A typical summer day begins...

*The big kids try to sleep in. The little kids and the dog wake them as they run up and down the hall, screaming with glee.

*Or, on a "food preservation" day, I wake everyone early to go pick produce before it gets hot. (Not that it's been hot here this summer!) Our family picked around 180 pounds of blueberries in July and put 150 pounds in the freezer. We're now moving on to beans. Twenty, 2 quart bags, in the freezer so far. Corn starts in a week or so. The kids LOVE to help! (And I have a bridge to sell you...)

Once the big kids go back to school...

Lizzi leaves with Dad by 7am for high school. Anakin departs by 8:30am. Usually the little boys and I head to the couch for some read aloud time. Then LilDude (8) plans his day using his homeschool schedule pocket chart. He enjoys planning his own schedule. (Don't we all?) His plan indicates when he'll be working independently or with me so I can do other tasks when he's scheduled to work alone.

This year he'll be learning with:

• Bridges math** (from The Math Learning Center) along with LOTS of Living Math books.
• Sonlight Core 3 history (with many hands-on activities...) 
• Writing Workshop--I'm originally a high school/middle school English/language arts teacher. Serious. How the whole "elementary school math specialist" thing came about is one big mystery. So I'm reverting to my roots and doing some writing workshop style lessons with him.
• Art--We'll return to Roger Kukes' Drawing in the Classroom.
• Science--Determined to use the bazillion materials I have on the shelf, I think we'll start with some AIMS books.
• Music--Violin lessons continue. 
• P.E.--I try to incorporate mandatory time outside. :) Outside play time is so crucial to child development. 
• Foreign Language--I'm conflicted. I taught the older kids Spanish. But GG came to us fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese. Despite our efforts to retain it, he's lost it already. I don't know whether to try to focus on that, teach Spanish, or work on the language from LilDude's birth country, Korea. 

**Math Classes--LilDude will join me in a homeschool math class one morning/week. On these days, GG (age 4) will do preschool play with his friend and another mom while I teach. This year we'll begin with a class on Place Value Structures, using base 5 to explore what we know about place value. Each class will begin with a living book and continue with lessons using hands-on manipulatives, games, and some interactive calendar activities. [Class blog entries begin in Sept!]

On the rare days that I work outside the home, my students go to Nana where she gifts them with a lifetime of elementary school teaching experience. Her creative ideas are endless!

When LilDude's school schedule ends, it's time for lots and lots of play. Well, actually, his schedule is filled with play time. But that's what our homeschool life is all about!

[Deep voice.] And so concludes the Days of Our Lives...

So what does a day in your life look like? Join the blog hop! ;)