Homeschooling Kortney

I have to say that homeschooling Kortney has been pretty easy.  Frankly, it's quite relaxing having her home.  Between homeschooling and playing piano together I think we are closer than we have been in a long time.  Below are a few tidbits of information about my days with her.

1.  I don't have to pry her out of bed in the mornings.  I usually try to have her up between 8:30 and 9:00.  She usually gets started on her work right away.

2.  She likes to do her school work in her pajamas.  She will get dressed for the day after her work is finished.  Oftentimes, I will find her working in her room; especially on cold mornings. 

3.  Most days she gets all of her work done in about two to three hours.  Below is what her course load is:

Daily Devotion:  Devotion is done first before anything else in the morning.  Devotion time consists of prayer time, bible reading, and reading from a book that will help her grow as a person. I have her pray for ten minutes daily.  Her Bible reading right now consists of thirty days of girly themes from the Bible.  Her devotional I won't mention by name as I know she would be really embarrassed if I did.  All I will say is that it is about real life issues that teenagers face.

History:  Her text is Land That I Love.  It is American History with Christian views left in the text.  All of her curriculum is Christian based.  Both her and I have found this to be very interesting.

Math:  Algebra 1 using Saxon Math.  The cool thing about this program is I ordered the teacher videos to supplement my lack of math skills.  Right now she doesn't watch many of the videos as she understands what she is working on.  However...when she gets stuck I refer her to the videos.  Every problem covered in the text/tests has a video.  It's WAY awesome!!!

Science:  Kortney has been struggling a bit in science this year.  Each section has a TON of information.  Being the great student that she is, she asked if we could slow down a bit in science so that she could take notes.  So...that is what we have done.  Controlling our own schedule is one of the great benefits of homeschooling.  As of right now she has learned about the creation of the universe and about stars and constellations.  I think I am going to have her create a Power Point presentation on a constellation as a project so that she can continue to work on her computer skills as well.

Grammar:  I have been absolutely astounded at the fact that I have learned that my daughter has not been taught proper grammar after eight years of being in school.  By this point in her schooling she should know most rules about grammar and be writing more reports and other various larger writing projects.  Grammar should come naturally at this point.  For the last three weeks all we have been working on are capitalization rules and this has been a struggle for her.  Good thing I'm an English major as I have been able to give extra help and attention in this subject.  This is a subject we now work on together.

Spelling/Vocab:  She does great in this subject.  I am a little worried that the words are not challenging enough.  However....one thing that I really like about this spelling program is that test days cover several weeks at a time and she has to know what vocab words are a part of her list.  Each week builds off the next.  That is how I learned and to this day remember words that most people can't.

Health:  This has been pretty easy for her.  She has been working on cells, the heart, and muscles.

Literature:  I love the literature she has been reading.  Its Christian based and she is reading some awesome stories that I was never able to read as a kid because I was in public school.  There are also speed comprehension tests, which she has not done in public schools.  She also has to do book reports, which she has never done before either.  I have kept all my English Literature books and every once in a while I will catch her reading from them.

Poetry:  She dislikes poetry quite a bit.  I was a little wary about the poetry program.  We are only to spend two to three minutes a day on poetry.  Then after four weeks she is to be tested on the poem by writing the poem on paper from memory.  I thought there was no way that she was going to be able to remember this poem by spending such a short amount of time every day working on it.  Boy was I wrong!!  She already knows the poem and could write it if I tested her tomorrow.  You can say I was blown away.

PE:    Have not really focused on this yet.  She will be starting bowling season in a few weeks.  That counts...right?!?  She has also asked to go running with me.  I guess thats her way of kicking me in the booty and telling me I need to get moving again...LOL!! 

Music:  She has piano lessons once a week.  She also plays piano for our church at least once a week.  I am very proud of her dedication to the piano.  This is something she has wanted to learn and she has stuck with it for several years; even when she wasn't able to take lessons because I was ill.

Home Economics:  I guess daily chores could fit here.  Kortney also cooks one meal a week.  She picks out her own recipe and I only help if she asks.  She has loved this!  I think she likes it because if she cooks that means I do the dishes...LOL!!  Last week she made Chicken Cannelloni using a Macaroni Grill recipe she found online.  It was AWESOME!!!

4.  I have learned the hard way that Kortney and Jake cannot work in the same room together or we have crazy days.  Ha...I learned this on the first day of school.  Like I mentioned earlier, she either works in her room or in the office on my desk.  I mean really....you guys want to fight over pencils?!?  Ha...if you go back to the first picture I posted you can see what I'm talking about...LOL!  On the dry erase board shown in the picture Jake wrote, "Kortney stinks."  Then she writes a reply that says, "Good!"  Sibling love...LOL!!!

5.  Yesterday she told me she was proud of me.  My jaw dropped to the floor.  I asked her why she was proud of me and her reply was, "Because you are taking the time to homeschool me even though it is not something you are entirely comfortable with."  This really made my day.  I can never say it enough....I LOVE YOU, KORTNEY!!!  More than you will ever know.

The first three weeks of home school have been great!!  Kortney has been working so hard and I am SO very PROUD of her and the proper young lady she is becoming.

Letter's To Soldiers

For the next several months I will be working on a program called Project Rudolph. I am very excited to be a part of this wonderful charity created by Tawny Campbell. Project Rudolph is a program where gift bags are made and either mailed as Christmas gifts to soldiers who are deployed or handed out to soldiers in person at the AMC Passenger Terminal throughout the month of December. Last year 14,000 bags were made and delivered. A Project Rudolph gift bag consists of a decorated brown paper sack lunch bag filled with goodies. The goodies consist of one hand written letter from an adult, two hand written letters/drawn pictures from children, a Christmas ornament, German candy and American candy. Currently, we are in kick-off mode for Christmas 2010 and we could use all the help we can get. The hardest item to come by is the letters. I want to share a few letters with you.

These letters are from children:


To any service member,

'Sup, homie? Thank you for your service, dude. That's really cool that you do something like that. My bro is in Iraq. He likes it. Have fun on your leave.

Peace,
Joshua B (Oakley, Idaho)


Thank you,

Thank you to those who are fearless. Thank you to those who put on a face of stone every day to save the whole idea that our country is based on-freedom. Thank you for preserving the way of life that we all take for granted. Thank you most of all for being one of the few brave enough to take up this cause.

Taylor (Murtaugh, Idaho)


Dear Soldier,

Thank you so much for doing this for our country. You are awesome! I hope you aren't too cold and lonely over Christmas. I REALLY appreciate you (a lot). Thank you so much!

Love,
Laynee (Oakley, Idaho)


Dear Soldier,

I appreciate what you are doing for our country and everybody else. Every time my dad watches the news I hear about people going to Iraq and Germany and sometimes getting killed in other places.

My dad is in the Marines. He has gone to Iraq and fought for the country just like you soldiers. My life is trying to do good in school and hope to try to go to college to be just like my dad.

Sincerely,
Duane J (Burley, Idaho)


I've heard some amazing stories about how these letters have touched the hearts of the soldiers away from their homes during the holidays. This is something EVERYONE can be a part of. In the next few posts I will be sharing more about how the program works, some adult letters, and how YOU can be a part of this wonderful cause!!!

Please watch this Military Tribute video "American Soldier" - Toby Keith.  It is a very heart touching tribute.  It's people like those shown in this video who are receiving Project Rudolph gift bags.

A Mirror's Reflection

“Maturity is that time when the mirrors in our mind turn to windows and instead of seeing the reflection of ourselves we see others." - Unknown


Today I looked in the mirror. Shocking?? Not really...I look in the mirror every day. However, today was a bit different. I saw my hair...which was messy because I had just climbed out of my nice plush bed. I saw my ears, eyes, cheeks, mouth, and neck. Yes...these are things I see in the mirror every day, but what made today unusual? A memory from several years back...that's what!! See...it's not about what's on the outside that matters; it's really about who we are on the inside. Friends from Idaho...many of you have already heard this story so please excuse the repetition. Sometimes we all need little reminders, and this came back to me today.

Several years ago I attended a funeral of an acquaintance. While sitting there listening to friends and family speak about their loved one sharing memories, funny stories, and words from their heart; a life changing thought entered my mind. What if that was me in the casket? How would people remember me? What would my friends and loved ones say about me? Would I be proud of the legacy I left behind? My heart sunk to the floor as I thought about these things. I was not very proud of who I was. I used this experience to try and become a better person; a person WORTH remembering.

Now I do not share this story to discourage anyone. This is just what was on my heart when I woke up today. I share it for two reasons.

1). Sometimes we do not give ourselves enough credit for who we are. We are our own worst critics. It is in our nature to see the worst in ourselves. Today I encourage you to go against that nature and find a few things that are positive about yourself. I dare you!! Get a pen and paper, take ten minutes and write down five positive things about yourself. It's not going to be easy...but give it a try.

Here are mine:

a). I have a good heart and care about other people.

b). I sing pretty well.

c). I'm there for people when they need help.

d). I'm a motivated person who likes to get things done.

e). I have a lot of love to share.

2). Are we leaving a legacy worth remembering? Now...face it...we are not going to make everyone in our life happy. It's just not going to happen. So...casting all of life's jerks aside...how do you want to be remembered? I challenge you again to write down five things you would like to be remembered for. Ha...this dare is a bit easier...but not much…hehehe.

a). I want my family to remember the love I have for them.

b). I want my friends to remember me as one of the best they have ever had.

c). I want strangers see something different in me; that they will walk away saying, "Wow, who was that lady!!"

d). I want to be remembered as a person who gave my all in life, no regrets.

e). I want to leave a legacy of love, warmth, and service. I want those left behind to be proud of who I was on the inside and how I displayed it on the outside. Proud to have known me!

I encourage us all to be who we know we are supposed to be. Take the steps today to see the best in yourself and offer that part of yourself to others. You won't regret it!! It will change your life in ways you cannot imagine!!!

"Live Like You Were Dying" - Tim McGraw