Haircuts

My youngest son has made up his mind that he wants a haircut. Not because people mistake him as a girl, but because he says it gets in his way while eating and playing and makes his neck hot. So, we made a day of it and went to Great Clips.

I no longer have my clippers or I would have done it myself. I have done my husband's and both my boys' hair before and it didn't turn out too shabby. After his hair was clipped short I decided to cut his older brother's hair myself and borrow my neighbor's clippers. It turned out pretty darn good :o)

My Daughter

Here is a picture of my daughter, Tatiana, in front of my garden in her new wheelchair. We bought this for her on Ebay and got it fitted to her and new parts made and at Shriners Hospital and Care Medical. It turned out wonderfully! It is the best thing for a little bit of offroading :)

and since our house is super small we like it best for inside as well, although sometimes it is hard to maneuver in tight places. My husband also built a small concrete ramp up to our front door for her so the house would be more wheelchair accessible.

New Kitten

My husband brought home a kitten that he got from a free box at a yard sale. I have only once had a kitten before when I was younger and that was only because my sister brought one home. My mom is allergic so we didn't keep it that long. My parents had dogs and so that was what I was used to having.

We decided on Curry as his name. He is very playful and is already litterbox trained. I also like the fact that he gets rid of creepy crawlies for me. Here he is snuggling with Tatiana. She loves how soft he is and he likes to play with her hair :)

UPDATE: Unfortunately, we had to find a new home for Curry because my son, Jaedan, is allergic.

Nature's Bounty

I have planted a large garden in my backyard and had the boys help with planting, weeding, and watering. My boys love helping me out in the garden. I looked out there today and two of the yellow crookneck squash were ready to harvest. We picked them and a whole bunch of Oregon Giant peas. Take a look...

Homeschooling a blind child

I am currently taking correspondence courses from Hadley School for the Blind. Since the moment my daughter became blind I have wanted to find out more about how I can help her. I have researched all over the web and found wonderful websites helping me along my path of teaching her. I am currently in the process of building a webpage about my findings... http://www.angelfire.com/ut2/superdolphin/blind.html

I am trying to find resources about how to go about homeschooling a totally blind child.
I have found these links so far that are helpful...
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/blind.htm
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Meadow/8921/homeschool.html
http://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/homeschool.html
http://www.growingstrong.org/homeschool/index.html
http://forum.homeschool.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3167&PN=1
http://www.nhen.org/media/default.asp?id=278
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Edeedaze/
http://viphs.blogspot.com/
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/corecurric.htm

Extracurricular Activities and Field Trips

Since I am starting to homeschool my children I feel the need for them to be in some extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, art, drama, music, scouting, dance, home economics (cooking, sewing, etc.), language, and various clubs, are an important part of education. I think that my oldest son would benefit from doing some kind of martial art (I am thinking maybe Karate) because he needs the discipline it teaches. My youngest son needs something that will put some of his overabundant energies into good use. Maybe something like gymnastics (tumbling) or some other sport. My daughter would probably love some kind of music therapy...possibly something like Kindermusik, Gymboree, or Music Together and/or some kind of animal therapy...maybe with a hypoallergenic dog or a mini pony. I also want to start my boys in swimming classes, a 4-H club, and Boyscouts when the time comes.

I also love incorporating field trips to museums, zoos, farms, aquariums, aviaries, fish hatcheries, the ocean, parks and recreation, playgrounds, historical sights, monuments, factories, libraries, observatories, sanctuaries, nature centers, gardens, orchards, greenhouses, pumpkin patches, hospitals, fire stations, planetariums, etc. These are such awesome places of learning.

New to Homeschooling

I am somewhat new to the art of homeschooling. I have known many people over the years who have done homechooling with their children and I have admired their strength and discipline. I have wanted to homeschool since before I was married, but I had never really had the guts to. Now after putting my first born through Kindergarten in the public school system I realize that it is best for him and my other two children to start homeschool.

I have been researching the best way of teaching them. I have been reading about learning styles and the multiple intelligence theory. The web is full of information on this that is very interesting. My children are still very young so it is a bit difficult to tell which styles they excell at. I haven't really had a professional opinion about the learning styles so I don't know if I am totally correct but I am going to experiment later to see if I am.

My oldest son is now 6 years old and has a love of games, and math. I believe he is a visual (spatial) learner and mathematical (logical) learner. There are two different types of visual learners: the picture type and the print type. My oldest is very much the picture type. He sees pictures of things in his mind to represent concepts and objects. He loves math and does it very well. He loves using manipulatives and the abacus to help him visualize the problems he is trying to work out. He also loves music...so maybe he is a little bit of an aural (auditory-musical-rhythmic) learner as well.

My youngest son is 5 years old and loves outdoors, art, inventing, and eating (I am not particularly worried about the eating thing because he is very energetic and burns a lot of calories). I believe my youngest son is a physical (tactual-kinesthetic) and visual (spatial) learner. He fidgets and can’t sit still for long. He always wants to get up and move around. He is the print and picture type of visual learner. He likes to learn how to spell simple words and write them. He sounds them out letter by letter out loud...so maybe he is also a little bit of an aural (auditory-musical-rhythmic) learner. He is a chatter box...so maybe a little verbal (linguistic) learner also.

My daughter is 3 years old and loves music and to be held, rocked, and cuddled. She is definitely an aural (auditory-musical-rhythmic) and physical (kinesthetic) learner because she is totally blind. She craves attention by touch and has a great sense of rhythm. You can learn more about her by going to this website... http://lovequilts2005children.homestead.com/TatianaA.html

I think I am a naturalistic, visual (spatial), and aural (auditory-musical-rhythmic) learner. I love the outdoors...camping, hiking, biking, gardening, horseback riding, beachcombing, boating, etc. I also love dolphin, whales, and horses. I love making crafts out of nature too. I love photography and try to be very organized. I have a good ear for music and when I played violin in school I learned primarily by ear. I love listening to books on tape since I can accomplish twice as much when I do. You can learn more about me at my profile page... http://www.geocities.com/finamoon/index.html

I believe my husband is a physical (tactual-kinesthetic), verbal (linguistic), and naturalistic learner. He has the great ability to take things apart and put them back together correctly with very little to go by, to think outside the box, and to make beautiful things with his hands and tools. He is always thinking about how and what other people might think about things so that he may better understand them. He also loves a challenge. He has a great big heart and would someday soon like to save the world. Some of his hobbies and interests include: woodworking, nuclear power [he was in the Navy on a nuclear powered submarine before I met him and he has worked at a combined cycle power plant (CCPP)], windsurfing, aikido, biking, teaching animation, public speaking, debate, sentient rights, global warming, and cetacean communication. You can see his woodworking website at... http://www.brianmabel.com/

My Homeschooling Style

I am a member of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints. We are also known by many as LDS or Mormon. I am also a mother of three beautiful children. Two boys and a girl. I am homeschooling my children in an eclectic way. Eclectic homeschooling is simply; selecting and using what seems best from various sources, systems, or schools of thought. This approach combines some of the elements of the other approaches. I am using the combination of elements from Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, Waldorf, Montessori, Classical, Unschooling, and LDS/Christian approaches. I might combine other approaches if I feel that they go well with what I am teaching.

I love the idea of incorporating these things into my homeschooling...
Character Building/Living Books
Lapbooking/Notebooking
Flashcards/Charts/Worksheets
Copious (abundant) Reading: Dictation/Narration/Phonics/Library Visits
Writing: Copywork
Mathematics: Manipulatives
Art: Picture Study
Music: Composer Study
Foreign LanguageBible/BofM Study
Homemaking/Nature Study and observation/Nature Journal

My Winnings

01/18/07 Preschool prize pack in the LearningCurve.com "Helping Families Grow" sweepstakes: Go Tools prize pack contains: Go Go Garage, Rescue Chopper, Boulder Bash Playset, two Tool Belts, two Go Tools hitch-ups, A complete set of Go Tools vehicles.

07/03/08 Earthbound Farm reusable tote bag in their Earth Day promotion: Earthbound Farm reusable tote, their newsletter with $1.75 in Earthbound Farm coupons, and their 2008 Pocket Guide to Choosing Organic.

08/06/08 For My Kids Giveaway on Loving Heart Mommy: Comfrey Salve

08/12/08 Way Out Wax Summer Basket Giveaway (items included in the gift basket: Lavender Clean Air Spray, Citrus Harmony Small Skinny Pillar, Lavender Large Travel Tin, Escentual Love Colored Votive Glass, Sage Mini Round Pillar, Rosemary Small Travel Tin, Orange Frosted Glass Tumbler, Citrus Harmony Colored Votive Glass) on Simple Home Basics.

09/04/08 Boca Beth Giveaway: Spanish Boca Beth DVD and puppet on Ohana Mama.

09/18/08 Dapper Tag Giveaway at Bizzie Mommy.

10/17/08 Lauren's Hope Contest at Momma Findings

10/20/08 Stella McCartney for LeSportsac Umbrella Contest at Does Mommy Love It?.

11/13/08 No Slip Charlie by Mom Sense Contest at Does Mommy Love It?.

01/26/09 FuzziBunz Perfect Size Cloth Diapers at Barefoot Mommies.

02/24/09 Country Bob's Sauce Contest at Loving Heart Designs.

03/16/09 Baby Bistro Brands 0Toddler Bistro Box Giveaway at Connected2Christ.

03/22/09 Smart Mom Jewelry Giveaway: Teething Bling Gift Set (I picked a Sugarplum donut shaped pendant, Sugarplum bangle, and a Moonstone bangle) at Connected2Christ.

03/22/09 PakNak Giveaway (I picked Kyla Jane, Damsel, and Pinky) at Connected2Christ.

04/28/09 Aller-Ease Giveaway: Aller-Ease Deluxe pillow and queen cotton pillow protector at Amanda / Mommy Mandy.

05/25/09 Nicki's Diapers Giveaway: $20 Gift Certificate (I picked BabyLegs - Tulip, BabyLegs - Chipotle, and BabyLegs - Compote) at Your Mama Reviews.

05/25/09 Safety Cap Giveaway: 24 pack at Connected2Christ.

0/25/09 UPrinting.com Giveaway: 16×20 inch high gloss poster print at Connected2Christ.

05/26/09 The Art of Compassion by Martin Smith‏ Giveaway at GAhome2mom.

6/22/09 Caddy of 12 Luna Cookies Contest‏ for first 100 subscribers to the Stroller Strides newsletter beginning June 1.

07/07/09 500 Business Cards on Uprinting.com Blog Sponsorship Program.

07/10/09 Tiny Prints Giveaway: $50 Gift Certificate at Connected2Christ.

07/10/09 Boob-eez Giveaway at Connected2Christ.

07/16/09 Tupperware’s Chain of Confidence Challenge first 20 to post and enter the challenge get tupperware gift packages (valued at $30/each) on TwitterMoms.

07/16/09 BlogHer Max Factor Sweepstakes: make-up bag and make-up worth $50.

09/01/09 Moving Picture Books DVD Giveaway (I picked Volume 2 Giggles n’ Wiggles) at Connected2Christ.

09/30/09 Faith Works Boutique Giveaway: $15 Gift Certificate at Connected2Christ.

09/30/09 "Extraordinary Teens" Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Giveaway at Connected2Christ.

10/01/09 Large Format Posters 18x24 Poster Giveaway on Uprinting.com Blog Sponsorship Program.