Back to School 2012-2013 Curriculum

We're starting our school year next Monday, August 27th and I think our curriculum choices are final. ;-)  I had most of my choices made last spring and felt pretty good about Riley and Ruben's plan, but kept second guessing myself with Angel's history and language arts.  She LOVES to read and wanted a literature base history.  We used My Father's World the past two years with success.  The MFW U.S. History to 1877 incorporates the Bob Jones University Press United States History text, which is a great program; however, it's not literature based.  MFW was very tempting to me because it's all laid out with very little teacher prep.  But, after much discussion and prayer, we opted for Beautiful Feet.  BF incorporates great living books and is fairly well laid out for me.  I also bought the Notebooking Pages Treasury membership as Angel will be notebooking her essays, biographies, and other notes as she reads.

Here's what else we've settled on.....

Angel 11th grade

Beautiful Feet Early American and World History and the first part of US and World History (She will finish US and World History in 12th grade)
Notgrass Exploring Government (Never Before in History & Under God - parts of MFW)

Thinking Like a Christian, Assumptions That Affect Our Lives, & Growing Up Christian - Biblical Worldview plan from MFW
Math-U-See Geometry
Apologia Chemistry
Lightning Lit & Comp American Literature Early to Mid 19th Century
Spelling Wisdom by Simply Charlotte Mason for dictation
Short Lessons in Art History and Artistic Pursuits
Computer Literacy (I'm still working on pulling this together.)
The Thinking Toolbox & The Fallacy Detective


RileyAnn 3rd grade
One Year Bible for Kids
Parables From Nature - one chapter per week
Mystery of History Vol. 3 modified and supplemented for younger grades
TruthQuest Renaissance, Reformation & Exploration book lists
Galloping the Globe (continued from last year)
Math-U-See Gamma w/Calculadders
Nature Portfolio Throughout the Year
Burgess Animal Book - one chapter per week
Language Lessons for the Very Young Vol. 2 - Queen Homeschool
Explode the Code 4, 5, 6 (she loves these, so we'll use them for review)
Pictures in Cursive C, D, E - Queen Homeschool
All About Spelling Level 2
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading Level 2/3
Misc. readers (Sonlight Core C Advanced)


Ruben 2nd grade
Math-U-See Alpha
All About Reading
Getty Dubay handwriting
One Year Bible for Kids
Parables From Nature - one chapter per week
Mystery of History Vol. 3 modified and supplemented for younger grades
TruthQuest Renaissance, Reformation & Exploration book lists
Galloping the Globe (continued from last year)
Nature Portfolio Throughout the Year (Ruben's interested in physics so we may choose a different science for him.  I'm currently looking at a physical science curriculum by Exploration Education.)
Burgess Animal Book - one chapter per week

I would also like to incorporate some formal art lessons with RileyAnn and Ruben.  I'm looking at Artistic Pursuits K-3, Book 2, which would coincide with our history study.  We have several books for picture study.  And of course, all three kids will be doing weekly nature study and narration.

Let me know what you think.  I'd love to see your plan.....

9 Weeks...

Here's our chubby baby taking a bath.  He smiles and coos....oh so precious!

Apologia Science

We've used several Apologia Science books at the middle school/high school level.  This year Angel will be using Exploring Creation with Chemistry by Dr. Jay Wile.



I'm also considering Chemistry 101, the DVD series and Micro Chem Lab Kit as supplements.  I must admit, being a business major, I've never had a chemistry class and thus feel slightly intimidated by it. However, I'm confident, given our past experience with the other Apologia science courses, that it will be a good experience.

Also, I must share the Donna Young site.... http://donnayoung.org/apologia/index.htm  She has brilliantly pulled together several free resources to accompany the Apologia courses including lesson plans, lab reports, and supplemental websites.

I really appreciate the lesson plans.  We've used them the past two years with Physical Science and Biology.  It's saves me a ton of time trying to create my own.

I've attempted the Apologia Young Explorer series a couple of times unsuccessfully.  We started with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day, but I felt kindergarten and 1st grade were a bit too young.  I could see if you were using them with an older student, having the younger ones tag along.  Maybe if  we could have gotten past the classification section, it would have gotten better.  Also, if I were more science minded, maybe I could have gotten the kids to buy into it ;-)  Instead, we opted to use The Burgess Bird Book for Children.  What a treat that was!  You can read more about it here and the follow-up here.

On the other hand, I think the middle school/high school Apologia science courses are great!  Angel enjoys the conversational tone.  I appreciate the fact that they're written to the student and allow an independent study.  This year we're going to give Chemistry a whirl and see how it goes.  Who knows, maybe I'll even learn something ;-)

Zillions of Zucchini

We recently found ourselves with an abundance of zucchini.  So I've been searching for new ways to serve it.  We've had zucchini raw, steamed, baked in ten loaves of bread, and Pizza Zucchini Boats.  But my favorite new zucchini recipe was Creamy Corn & Zucchini by Kraftfoods.  I did substitute non-name brands that I had in my cupboard.  I also used a red onion and skipped the cilantro because I didn't have any.  It was relatively easy to make and tasted great!  I recommend it.  Click the colored links to check out the recipes.

Creamy Corn & Zucchini

History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations

I recently mentioned our use of History Pockets in another post.  This was a really fun way to make ancient history more alive for younger students.  RileyAnn spent two years using this book.  It fit nicely with our Bible/History study.  She completed What is History?; Ancient Mesopotamia; Ancient Egypt; and Ancient Greece in 1st grade when we read the Old Testament.  This past year, for 2nd grade, she completed Ancient Rome; Ancient China; and Ancient Aztec World when we read the New Testament and studied the middle ages.

I just finished binding her History Pocket book.  I used good old fashioned duck tape for reinforcement.

The duck tape seals up the inside of the pocket and provides reinforcement where the binding holes will be.  Once the pockets are all taped, then I hole punch each one as well as the cover.  

Then I used some of The Farmer's baler twine to tie it all together. 

I should also mention that before hole punching the cover, I laminated it with clear contact paper to make it sturdier.  Riley and I are both tickled with the way it turned out.  Riley's History Pocket book will serve as a great keepsake of her study of Ancient Civilizations.  

There are many different History Pocket books for various time periods. We will be incorporating them into our exploration and U.S. history study.  You can find out more about the other books in the series here.  

Seven Weeks and Silly Kids.....

Levi is 7 weeks old today and he fits right in with the other silly kids :)

Take Your Pediatrician With You

What a handy little book!!  I recently checked out Take Your Pediatrician With You, by Dr. Christopher S. Ryder, from the public library.  It's a very comprehensive guide with simple health information regarding illness and injury common to children.  Dr. Ryder covers topics from Traveling with Children, Common Childhood Illnesses, and Summer Woes, to Accidents, Injuries, and Emergencies, and everything in between.  The final part of the book even guides you through the steps of assembling a medical kit for children that could really be used for the entire family.

Though each chapter is short, 8-12 pages, Dr. Ryder provides a wealth of information for "keeping your child healthy at home and on the road".   I wished I would have checked this book out a few weeks sooner when RileyAnn developed a case of poison ivy on her legs followed by some other rash on her torso.  Thankfully, after my trial and error, she did heal.  However, with the tips in the book, it could have been sooner rather than later.

Another bonus to buying this book is stated on the back cover.  "The author's royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Chance Children's Home in Johannesburg, South Africa."  Dr. Ryder has traveled extensively practicing medicine in the U.S., England, and South Africa and has an apparent heart for the children of this South African orphanage.

Take Your Pediatrician With You provides common sense suggestions for keeping your child healthy.  Whether you're traveling with children or at home, I recommend this book.

Six Weeks Today.....

Wow....six weeks old today! Where does time go?

You met grandma for the first time last week....

She was much happier about it than you ;-)

Blogging Out Loud for 11th Grade Plan

So, I'm in the process of planning 11th grade. I thought I had things figured out. The problem is I just keep second guessing myself. The last couple of years I knew what I wanted for Angel and this year, I keep changing my mind.  We used My Father's World for 9th and 10th grade with supplement. 

Angel much preferred the Beautiful Feet supplement I added last year.  So I thought I'd supplement again with BF this year, using BJU U.S. History as a spine.  There are so many great pieces of literature for this time period. I hate to pass that up.   I know we want Biblical worldview and I know she will spend the last 2 years of high school studying U.S. History with Government in 11th grade and Economics in 12th grade.

I own the following bold pieces of MFW U.S. History to 1877...

Daily Lesson Plans
Answer Key for U.S. History to 1877


Thinking Like a Christian
- Student Journal
- Teaching Textbook
- DVD
Assumptions That Affect Our Lives
Growing Up Christian
Christian Character


US History BJU
- Student Text
- Student Activity
- Student Activity TE
- Tests
- Test Key
US. History Timeline


Under God
- Student Text
- Teacher's Guide
Never Before In History

American Literature Supplement
Early American Literature
Teacher's Guide for Early American Literature
Of Plymouth Plantation
Scarlet Letter Progeny Press Guide
Four Great American Classics
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
My Heart in His Hands
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
101 Great American Poems
Easy Grammar


In addition, I own Notgrass Government in place of Under God and Lightning Lit and Comp in place of  the MFW Literature.  Last year, we decided to do something a little different for the timeline, so I'm not worried about that. 

Lightening Lit covers the following...

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Angler by Washington Irving
Poems by William C. Bryant
Life of Frederick Douglass
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar A. Poe
The Scarlet Letter
Moby Dick
Poems by Henry W. Longfellow


As you can see it's very similar to MFW. So I'm trying to decide if I just piece it all together, which I think is doable with some work, or stick with MFW entirely for ease of planning. My time is very limited these days with the birth of Levi and I still need to figure out Riley and Ruben's plan.  In addition, I am concerned with the BJU U.S. History in that it doesn't spend a great deal of time on exploration which is an area Angel could use some time with.

I've also been toying with the idea of TruthQuest history guides.   They have a three book series called Age of Revolution that covers U.S. History for upper grades.  I love the book lists and we own many of the titles.  This would help me supplement.  But I'm not crazy on the commentary within the guides.  

My brain feels like mush at this point.   Now that I have this typed out, I'm thinking maybe I should take a look at the MFW Daily Lesson Plan and go from there. What do you think?  What have you used for high school U.S. History?  I'm open to any feedback.

I should note, we also plan to use Math-U-See Geometry and Apologia Chemistry.   In addition, Angel will be studying  art, logic, and computer literacy.  

No Longer a Slumdog

I recently finished reading "No Longer a Slumdog" by K.P. Yohannan.  It's a collection of stories of lives that have been changed by Gospel for Asia, who's mission is to spread the word of Jesus Christ with lost men, women, and children throughout Asia.  Prior to reading the book, I was somewhat familiar with the caste system of the Hindus, but didn't realize the oppression of the lowest class or "Slumdogs".  

The book prompted me to watch the 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire", directed by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandin.  Wow, what a powerful film and follow-up to the book!!  I felt compelled to invite family over and share the situation with them in the hope of bringing awareness and opening hearts to pray.

You can request a free copy of No Longer a Slumdog here.  I pray that your heart may be opened to the people of Asia and that you will join me in prayer for a spiritual breakthrough there.

One Month....Good and Bad.....

Levi is one month old today.  He was weighed and measured at his check-up and has continued to gain.  He's up to 9 lb. 12oz and 21.5 inches.  This was wonderful news!!

On the flip side, upon examination the Dr. found that he has an ear infection.  This explains why he's been fussy and doesn't want to be laid down.  This poor little man has been through so much, but God is good and we will continue to pray for healing.  

Four Weeks and Four Decades.....

Today I reflect
As I kiss your cheeks.
I am four decades
And you are four weeks.

Hard to believe
Where does time go?
When I was young
It went so slow.

The first decade
The sun always shined.
Sand box, swing set,
baby dolls and fireflies.

The second decade
I grew like a weed.
From elementary to high school
Graduation, too soon to believe.

The third decade
was down and back up.
When I met your dad,
Joy overflowed my cup.

The fourth decade
loss of limb and loved ones.
God pulled us through with
birth of babies and adoption.

Wee little one
You are so small.
I pray four plus decades
To watch you grow tall.

The weeks will slip by
Turn to months and years.
Band aides on boo boos
To wipe away tears.

Graduation and wedding,
Grandbabies to kiss.
But through it all
Remember this....

Four weeks to four decades
As time flies by,
Always bow your head to the Lord
And reach for the sky.

Above and Beyond.....

I can't believe Levi was three weeks old yesterday....

Today he hit a major milestone.  The public health nurse just left.  Levi weighed in at 1 oz. over his birth weight!

The funny thing is, he slept through the whole thing and is currently resting peacefully.

Thank you God for tears of joy :)

A Big Gain

We are so excited to announce Levi's big gain!  He is 2 weeks old today and back up to 8 lbs. 4 oz.

Though he's not quite up to birth weight, he's making great progress.  Through breast, pump, bottle, and syringe, we're getting there.  We are looking forward to things leveling off and our new normal.

Your thoughts and prayers are heartfelt and we are truly grateful.

God Bless,

Melissa

A Gift

Well, the day of delivery came and went.  Here's our story with photos.....

At approx. 1:30 a.m. on June 18th, I got up to use the bathroom and noticed a thunderstorm brewing.  I made a joke to The Farmer, "Maybe we should name him stormy".  I had no idea what the future would hold.

By 2:30 a.m. the smoke detectors started beeping.  Our electricity went out.  We got up around 3:30 a.m. and lit a few candles.  I suggested The Farmer go to his mom's and try to call the power company.  (She still has a corded phone.)  I am only thinking about getting my last shower in before heading off for the cesarean. I waited anxiously as he left.

Upon arriving back minutes later, he said there was no need to call as he could see the truck lights down the road by the substation.  The utility crew was already at work.  Oh.....thank you God!

By 4:30 a.m., still no electricity.  Now I'm getting worried again.  I ask The Farmer to take me to the substation so we can see how much longer.  (We're supposed to be at the hospital before 6:00 a.m. and it's a 35 minute drive.  I have not yet packed and can't see in the closet without a light.)

It's starting to get daylight as we head down the road.  There are two trucks and two utility workers weathering the rain trying to get us power.  I know one of them.  I used to work with his sister.  Nice family. We pull up and I ask if there's any estimate as to how much longer.  One is on the phone and says just a few minutes.  The other comes over to the vehicle and says lightning struck the transformer and it could be a few hours.  I mention that we have to be at the hospital in an hour as I'm delivering a baby today.  He says they will try to switch us over to another line in the mean time.  I am so grateful for these men, up half the night, trying to get our power back.  I thank them profusely as we drive off.

I mention to The Farmer maybe we should call the hospital and see if there's any way I can clean up there before my procedure.  He takes me to his mother's to use the phone.  I call and they graciously say I can take a shower if we arrive early.  I then call my sister to let her know we have no power so she can let dad know, just in case it's not back on when he comes to stay with the other kids.

We head back home.  I try to pack using Ruben's little flashlight.  It's 5:00 a.m. as we're heading out the door.  Suddenly, the lights came on!  The Farmer says, "Quick, get in the shower!"  I make a scramble for it.    At 5:30, we head off to the hospital.

Upon arrival, a nurse escorted us to our room.  As she prepped the computer and monitor, we snapped a couple of photos....

Ready or not....here we go....

At 8:14 a.m. we are blessed with a beautiful son, Levi, J.C., 9 lbs. 1 oz., 20.5 inches long.  

While I was being stitched up, The Farmer went between the baby and I.  Then the Farmer cut the cord.

I can hear him cry.  I'm sobbing with a mother's love over that prayerfully awaited cry.  Thank you God....Thank you Lord!   

Levi is bathed and cleansed.  "Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean."  Numbers 8:5-6

Approx. 45 minutes later, we are reunited in recovery.  He's beautiful!  

Unfortunately, I had a reaction to the anesthesia and wasn't able to hold him and nurse as soon as I wished.  Levi was also having low blood sugar issues.  

We arrived back in our room at approx. 10:00 a.m.  My sister and RileyAnn were there waiting.  

Big sister's in love.....

Notice the John Deere colored hat The Farmer chose for his son.  He said he thought Ruben would like it ;-)

The next day big brother and another big sister came....

The following day, Grandpa and cousins came...

Levi wasn't quite as happy as cousin Josie.  

6-21-12  Upon release, Levi had lost 10% of his birth weight so appointments were set up for a weight check the next day.  We were finally able to go home, though he wasn't thrilled about his car seat.  

Everyone was happy to be home.  

6-22-12  The next day, back we went for a weight check....

He was down to an 11% loss of birth weight.  We had to meet with a dr., who told us to supplement the breast milk with formula.  We also met with a lactation consultant and attempted to get a breast pump without success. 

6-25-12  Back to dr. for another weight check.  Levi had now lost 13% of his birth weight.  Our 9 lb. + boy, was only 7 lbs. 13 oz.  He was failing to thrive.  The dr. examined him and couldn't find anything physically wrong.  Since there was some cause for concern with his kidney during a prenatal ultrasound, we were sent for a kidney ultrasound.  

After some finagling, we also located a breast pump, but only had an hour to pick it up.  I stayed with Levi for the ultrasound and The Farmer went to get the pump.  Did I mention we were expecting this visit to be a 10 minute weight check?  We were planning to take the other kids for an ice cream treat after since they'd been so helpful.  By this point, they had been waiting in the van nearly 3 hours. 

I was exhausted, parched, and feeling like a failure of a mother.  On the verge of tears, a sweet nurse helped me get Levi to the registration area for the ultrasound.  The registration lady treated me like a 3rd class citizen at best.  We were sent back to the waiting room to wait.  These last few days felt as if that thunderstorm just kept rolling through over and over with little sleep and post natal hormones raging.  Was it ever going to end?

Shortly, I spotted an older lady coming toward me wearing an apron that said "Volunteer Services".  You know babies seem to attract everyone.  She was looking adoringly at Levi and said with a smile, "I haven't been that content in years."  She then offered me something to drink, "coffee or ice water?"  I could feel the tears starting to sting as I whispered, "water".  She returned with a large styrafoam cup full of ice water. Her kindness was like living water. 

Eventually Levi's name was called and he had his ultrasound.  When he was finished, I let the ultrasound technician lead me to an entrance where I hoped The Farmer would find me.  By this point, I felt so weak and small.  Soon thereafter, The Farmer came back for us.  He got the pump and had treated the kids to ice cream.  

6-26-12 Today was Levi's due date. He seemed to wake up and want to eat.

I needed to see the dr. I had been taking an antibiotic for an infection in my incision and since broke out in a rash on my abdomen. I called the on call dr. last night and she wanted me to come in right away, but The Farmer and I were too weary. So we put it off till this morning.

Thankfully, my incision is healing and the dr. felt I was allergic to the surgical scrub they used before the cesarean. So we picked up some hydrocortisone cream, got a few groceries and headed home. It is very apparent to me that our bodies are not made for all the synthetic products of this world.

6-27-12 Back for another weight check. Finally, Levi gained 1.5 oz!! This was his first gain since birth. We were scheduled to come back again in 2 days for another weight check, but opted to have a public health nurse come into our home instead. It's too much running and too hard to keep leaving the other kids. After breast feeding, pumping, and supplementing with formula, we are exhausted. Also. with the great weather, The Farmer needs to get his hay made.

We were so thankful to get through delivery with a live baby, we never anticipated all these struggles. At the beginning of this pregnancy, I was diagnosed with PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), which makes it difficult to carry babies to full term. I have since learned the difficulties of breast feeding with this Syndrome as only 1/3 of women with PCOS are successful. This has been a very emotional battle for me.

We are thankful for all the kind words, thoughts and prayers of our family and friends. But, we are not out of the woods yet. Please continue to pray that Levi thrives and grows healthy and strong like his siblings. God has blessed our family and given us such a precious gift.