We started homeschooling in August! As you can see, I haven’t posted a single entry since then. I didn’t even visit this site once. Busy does not even remotely describe my life since then. Here I am, Christmas break, reflecting back. I am supposed to stay in bed because my daughter wants to bring me breakfast. I think about all the things I need to be doing, but yet here I sit because I want to encourage sweet acts of kindness. You see, I’ve learned to appreciate the little moments, to really enter them and savor each one. So, I will sit here, waiting, and delight in the gift of bacon and eggs being delivered. My other sweet daughter is curled up next to me. She has her little laptop and is keeping me updated on all the cards she is winning as she immerses herself in Reading Express. So here we sit, together. I listen to the chatter downstairs, take in the smell of bacon, the warmth of snuggles and I am truly thankful for this life that is being lived.
Planning Out The Year
It is that time of year when most homeschooling families are planning out their upcoming school year! I have been researching curriculum for quite a while and have finally narrowed all the choices down (I will list out all our curriculum in an upcoming post!). To make it easy we will be teaching most of the subjects together and tailor them to our children’s individual needs. Also, we are homeschooling through a charter school, and our kids will have class once a week at the school. In addition we joined a homeschool co-op in our area that the girls will be going to once a week. Iris and Daisy will be playing soccer and Rose would like to sign up for some art classes. We plan on trying out a schedule of six weeks on/one week off. We will see how it goes as flexibility is one of the many perks of homeschooling!
I was super excited to receive my Erin Condren Teacher Planner in the mail while we were on vacation! When I opened up the box, I was a little disappointed that the planner was not exactly what I had ordered, but I have experienced great customer service with them and they are making it right. Over the past several months I have written pages of notes everywhere on this or that, so it will be nice to bring it all to one place and put the pieces of our homeschooling puzzle together! So…. let the planning begin!!!
Here is a link to the Erin Condren website: https://www.erincondren.com/
P.S. I am not affiliated with Erin Condren or anyone else! I am just in love with their teacher planners and they threw in lots of freebies if an order was placed before the end of June! 🙂
Vacation Adventures
We just got back from an amazing family vacation visiting family and friends! It was so refreshing to be back under the Montana sky again (there is a reason why it is called Big Sky Country) and to be able to look across the rolling plains of South Dakota. It was wonderful to be around people who love our great America as we celebrated the 4th of July. The girls got to experience their first rodeo, visit Mount Rushmore, and many patriotic songs were sung and deer/antelope spotted as we covered miles of unpopulated territory. We can’t wait to go back again and have more adventures, but for now we are rejuvenated and ready to settle back into everyday summer life at home!
School Is Out
Yesterday was the girl’s last day of public school. It has left me with a mixture of emotions and I’m sure the girls felt this too.
We love their teachers. I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful they are. They knew just the right things to teach each of our daughters to help them grow as little people. There are some really precious teachers out there and God has given these teachers such a special gift to share with our youth. I’m so glad my daughters got to experience this gift.
The girls and I love the sweet friends we have made. There have been some really treasured ones. We are hopeful these friendships will continue as we all live close to one another and we are looking forward to summer fun and good times in the future!
As we end this chapter, we are sad to say goodbye; to say goodbye to teachers, friends and simply a life as we knew it. We are thankful for the memories that have been made, and the experiences we have had. Change is hard, but we are so, so EXCITED to begin our new adventure!
Monster Cookies
These are the best cookies EVER and definitely our family favorite! I remember my mom making these when I was a little girl! Years later, I found myself looking everywhere for a recipe that matched the cookie that I remembered. One day I was at a friend’s house, and I saw THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR Cookie Companion cookbook on her bookshelf. As I was flipping through the book my attention became drawn to the centerfold where photos of yummy cookies and bars where portrayed. As I turned to the first picture, I noticed the recipe right before it….. the MONSTER COOKIE RECIPE!!!! After making this recipe, I knew this was it! The BEST Monster Cookie recipe ever!!!! I have to share it with you!!!
MONSTER COOKIES
3 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I put less in)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I put less in)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter unsalted, melted (I use salted and it turns out just fine!)
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I do ¾ cup of creamy and ¾ cup of chunky)
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you prefer more or less)
3/4 to 1 cup M&Ms (if you prefer more or less) (the recipe also calls for butterscotch chips, which I do not put in)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugars, vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda and salt. Stir in melted butter and peanut butter, followed by oats and flour. Stir in other ingredients. Let dough rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Drop the dough by ¼ cupfuls onto baking sheets. Use fingers to flatten the cookies slightly, then bake them for 12 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
Sit down, put your feet up, and relax with a “few” fresh baked cookies and a class of cold milk!
Enjoy!!!
Big Decisions
Our family has made the huge decision to teach our kids at home, otherwise know as HOMESCHOOL!!! We have spent many hours/days/months pouring over this life change and what it will mean for our family. Our eyes are weary of scouring blog posts, watching You-Tube channels, and reading facebook comments. Our ears are ringing with all kinds of information, after listening to podcast upon podcast and other seasoned homeschool mom and dad advice.
We want to make the right choice. We want to pick that perfect curriculum. We want to be prepared. As every mother or father does, we want the very best school experience for my kids. We want them to love to learn and to be well-educated. We want them smiling and anticipating the next lesson. We want them to be happy at home and love the choice of being homeschooled.
There may be other mothers or fathers who are thinking of beginning their own homeschool adventure. We want to tell you it IS possible. It will not be perfect. We are not perfect, but we will do our very best to love and teach our kiddos and raise them to love others, love life, love learning and above all love God. I want to share what I have learned along the way in hopes that it might help you.
Let’s begin this adventure!
Life Love and Chocolate Kisses 