Bre's Big Week....Last Week....

She chose a new hair color, *started a new job, and received official notice that she's been accepted as a Junior at Eugene Bible College.

New job - CHOCOLATE store in the MALL. She loves it. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Insanity on the Stability Ball

Before Mike left this a.m. he put more air in my stability ball. I've been debating what to do about this "Phase Thing".

(This is not me. This is not my house. This is a replica of MY stability ball.)

Phase 1 helps you establish a regular workout routine, drink water and eat breakfast. I'll write about THAT later. ::snort:: I pretty much had that down.

Phase 2 asks you to add strength training, to identify and conquer a weak food area and to keep a food log. I already keep a food log and began my own personal Lent last week. I decided to move into phase 2. Phase 3 is to make food boring and I'm simply not ready for that. Since one of the 5 elements of the brain change is being truthful, I'm going to hang out here (and I need to spend 4 weeks depriving myself of my weakness before I move on anyway) until I'm ready to make food boring. ::snort::

I've had a hard time finding TIME to add strength to my cardio - and I've proven over and over that my sluggish body NEEDS 60 min of cardio to maintain or lose any weight......but Chantel (see review below - it's not to late to enter) has workouts that take 25 minutes in Never Say Diet. I have a ball and can do this at home.....so.....

Mike blew the ball up bigger - it was really flat. I tried the work out tonight....It's harder than it looks. ::snort:: Though that may be because Stacia delights in jumping on top of my tummy while I try to do some sort of ab walk out...abs walk? Hmmm....mine roll.

I did great until I hit this exercise:

(This is not me.) This hurt my aging knees BAD. The next was a wall lunge (couldn't find a photo) and it hurt terribly too...... I know that I have to baby my knees. I do not want to re injure the thing and be out of cardio for months.....but what can I do instead of these wall squats and lunges to work those muscles without hurting my knee. Ideas?

To prove I'm NOT a wimp, I ignored the wimpy wrists and did the "push ups" - they hurt too - but not as bad. ::snort::

In other news I bought a digital scale as those little lines are simply too far away at 5:30 a.m. It is a fancy thing but I can't figure out how to make it work. ::snort:: According the scale I have now and the one at the gym I lost 2 lbs last week. My grace-filled goal is 3 lbs a month.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Nolan's Knight Book

Nolan asked me yesterday if we could just make his Knight Book without the fancy folds. ::snort::

Here he stands with his finished product!

Yes, I'm going to share a dozen or so photos...because these are a LOT of work and this represents the completion of our study on the Middle Ages. We have moved on to the Renaissance. I have noticed that Arielle is spending a lot of time hanging around this week. She says she's bored.....we can't have THAT. Bored with the Renaissance? I need to find out what is going on and possibly pull her in to some of our activities. But you want PICTURES - don't you? ::snort::

I love this game. It's a pocket with various historical events on cards. They put them in order. I would LOVE to find some history cards pre-made that I could purchase and use to "play timeline games" . Anyone know of such a thing?

....and what about Zander's Knight Book? HIS is the book that will be in the "double folded" lapbook. I didn't have rubber cement (and can't find any yet) and so I used Elmers. I put it under heavy books to dry but it was still bubbly.

Remember my wonderful husband who carves pumpkins with power tools? He's cracked me up again. He had just the thing for Zander's lapbook.

ANY PROJECT CAN BECOME A BUILDING PROJECT! ::snort::

Zander's folder is in the vise in the garage. We'll probably work on it tomorrow - wait tomorrow is THHHHHHHuuuurrrrrsssssday - probably Friday.

Nolan informs me this is the THIRD lapbook we've finished already this year. One on the election, one on Christmas Symbols (which we began in 2006 - do you see WHY he's so impressed with our current track record?) and this one on knights. I guess he forgot about my very own lapbook compiled with political cartoons of Sarah Palin. ::snort::

You can see more of our lapbooks at Our Lapbooks Page.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

In the Hands of a Child - Kit Pack - Sale Announcement

*This is the 4th or 5th small homeschool business I know that is deeply affected by the upcoming passage of CPSIA. Jeff and Kate Estes are discontinuing the sale of their Hands & Hearts History Discovery Kits. I LOVE these kits. This legislation means well but I don't believe the consequences of the bill were clearly thought out. Kate Estes has written more about the act, including steps you can take to get this ammended here.

Please note I've never used In the Hands of a Child's Kit Packs....If you have used these would you care to comment as to the difference between a project pack and a kit pack? If I buy a kit pack, why would I need the matching project pack? I AM looking for lapbooks for the rest of this year. LOL

Without further comment....below is a letter from In the Hands of a Child:

January 12, 2009

Dear Valued Customers,

Due to the new CPSIA law In the Hands of a Child, for the time being, is discounting our Kit Pack inventory in order to lessen our possible loss in the event that an exemption is not granted.

While we are still praying for this situation to work out for all small businesses we feel that it is in our best interest to lessen our possible loss. And what better way than to pass the savings on to you, our wonderful customers, who are praying with us through this difficult situation!!

Please help us clear our shelves and enjoy a 35% savings on all Kit Packs!! Savings will be automatic! Spread the word and help us empty the shelves!!

This sale will continue until our Kit Pack inventory has been exhausted, so purchases will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

Once they are gone, they are gone!

In the event the law is modified, In the Hands of a Child reserves the right to bring back Kit Packs in the future at full price without any discount, implied or expressed, during this sale.

Cannot be combined with any other offer, special, discount, coupon or sale.
Super Member discount DOES NOT apply to this sale.
Tax and Shipping not included in calculating discount price.
Not valid toward prior purchases.
No rainchecks.

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG? YOU CAN RECEIVE A FREE KIT PACK!

Help us spread the word by posting the above notice on your blog. Then place an order for at least 1 Kit Pack, email us the link to your blog where the notice is posted along with your order number and your choice of Kit Pack and we’ll add it to your order. How easy is that?*

*Please note customer is responsible for shipping costs for free Kit Pack, shipping will be combined with original order if email is received same day as order is placed notifying us of blog posting

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Oh the Things Mom Will Learn...

I found the answer to question number 1. I also found a zillion other lapbook videos but I'll not watch them now....THIS is the one that I needed...restraint De'Etta..... ::snort::

Lapbook Lessons - Double Lapbook

So - I felt a bit like a dolt watching this but now I know how to do it - and it is NOT what I was doing. LOL Quit...LAUGHING....there are a LOT of ways one could "glue the two folders together"...and I've tried them all! You know there are!

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Lapbook Help

1. What do they mean when they say, "glue two folders together". I can see a example of this here. How much of the folders do you glue together?
2. We are looking for lapbooks to do during our unit study on the Renaissance and Reformation. These could be on composers, inventions, scientists, cathedrals...whatever of the time period or one lapbook that sort of generally covers the time. We've opted not to do the TOG lapbooks because they look boring to us.
3. We LOVE Homeschoolshare.com but don't see a lot there that we can use. If you have resources for this - please share.

Choosing Joy! and mayhem
©2009 D.R.G.

Highlights of Monday

My biggest accomplishment by far was figuring out HOW to make this little "Code of Chivalry" book. The cutting and gluing is easy - the folding is challenging for me. I honestly need someone to make a video on all these folds...I'd buy it. Or a lapbook with blank booklets in it so that I can see and touch and play with all the various folds. We got it done. Today (Tuesday) we try to assemble the folders. We shall see.

Our next event was speech. The District Speech supervisor observed today. She is "very happy" with the progress Nolan is making. I'm happy. I lose sight of progress in the day to day work of seeing progress... (does that sentence make any sense to anyone else but me?) In a wild change the mean librarian was INCREDIBLY nice and friendly. She even gave me the site and password that their school uses for internet sources. I can't figure out WHY she's so nice....I wonder if they got word that I was very perturbed by the school districts "behaviour modification" policy. I thought it was this one school and my heart was breaking over the treatment of children that I've observed. I have since discovered that this is a district wide policy. I can only pray the parents know what is going on at school. It has been a huge lesson to me on the importance of taking time to really talk with my children each day to find out what is going on when they are out of my eyesight. ::snort::

United co-op.....I like meeting the truck and visiting with Julie and Shirley. I like watching the kids unload the van. ::snort:: I like sorting at my home - last night with Heather - and I enjoy seeing everyone when they pick up their groceries for the month. I sure hope I can find a new United co-op wherever we may go - of course I'm pretty sure I've been spoiled as we pay wholesale and not co-op prices....oh well.

Mike got home in time to take Jared to practice. While he was gone I delivered groceries and then made pancakes for dinner. When he got back we delivered a car to the mall and went to Albertsons to buy MORE milk. They were out of whole milk for some reason - but we got 10 more 2% - with instructions that Zander NOT drink it as the Vit A palmitate will send him crashing and soaring. LOL

I had fun talking with Niki and Harlan when they picked up their food. They'll be moving to Anchorage in May. She hopes to start or find a co-op like ours up there. There are two positions in Alaska on the "requirement list". One is in Anchorage and one is in Fairbanks. Harlan is from Fairbanks and Niki is from Anchorage. I enjoyed the rousing conversation as we compared the two spots. We continue to be in prayer about where GOD (via the USAF) will send us next. The kids have started composing a list of things they want us to look for in the next house. Big yard tops the list, as well as "big play room". LOL

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.