Peek at our Week: February 4-8

Grace-Filled Writer
 Sometimes we get a chance to do something out of the ordinary and fun! My mom found this cool rock growing science kit for us to try! I was more excited than the girls at first I think. 
Image result for magic rock growing set

Our days here in the south have been really warm…sorry Northerners! So we stepped outside for this one. The girls stirred but I did most of the chemical work since we weren’t exactly equipped for safety and the directions sounded a bit scary to this non-chemist. So Grace took over the camera and snapped some shots of me trying to figure out what I was supposed to do! 


Here I am trying to figure out if I’m doing this right! The way these directions read I felt like I might seriously maim somebody if I missed a step! 

Since I’m not really up on my chemicals and their side effects I did most of the handling and pouring. The girls stirred and placed the rocks. We “planted” the second batch and are waiting for them to grow overnight.

In other news, we changed up math significantly this week. Rose and Beth are using Math Essentials Algebra and Pre-Algebra programs. They are thriving with this program even after just a week! Grace is continuing on with Math Mammoth, but we are option for the Gold series which is a bit more concise each day. She loves the change as well. 

So why did we change?

For the last two years my daughters have tested using the Woodcock Johnson assessment test. I had been under the impression this was mostly used for kids who couldn’t handle sitting through a bubble test. My very dear friend and fellow homeschool mom became a test administrator last year so we gave it a try. WOW! I was so impressed with the amount of useful data I obtained and wished we had been doing this for years. The information is significantly more helpful than any bubble test and my daughters thoroughly enjoyed the testing process.

Through this test we were able to determine that all three girls needed a bit of a change for mathematics. Rose especially made enormous strides over this previous year and was absolutely ready for Algebra I which completely surprised me. In all our years of math struggle something has finally clicked and she’s doing great! Beth was a bit “behind” because of a difficult illness last year. Behind just meant she hadn’t finished her 5th grade curriculum, but through this testing we determined she was also ready to move on to something more challenging. Grace as well scored well above grade-level and we realized we were keeping her from thriving because of the sheer amount of work each day in math. The change is good and we are ALL happy! 



Everything else is as it has been. Heart of Dakota continues to challenge and engage my girls in all ares of their learning. Basketball season is coming to a close for Rose and Grace has just a handful of games left. Clogging starts back up in about a week so we will continue to stay busy, but not as much as we have been. I’m so glad for these opportunities, but I’m not exactly sad that the basketball season is coming to an end!

I forgot to take any pictures the last two week of schooling so I will try to keep my camera out this week on my desk. We are in a groove at the moment which is wonderful because most of the past winters this is about the time we start getting the blahs. Getting several sunny days where we could work on school outside certainly helped! It was so very sunny the girls were more comfortable with sun glasses on while sketching on the front porch.

Vitamin D for the win! 

Adventures in Odyssey Club: Celebrating a New Year and a New Album!

Grace-Filled Writer

There is a thrill that abounds in our home when a new album is coming to Adventures in Odyssey! We couldn’t wait for this album, Trial by Fire, knowing there would be answers to much of Buck Oliver’s mysterious past! 


We weren’t disappointed, especially with the 3-part ending to the Mr. Skint and Buck Oliver story arch! If you haven’t heard how this all plays out, you need to go back to their introduction to the town of Odyssey. That would be one of our other favorite albums, The Green Ring Conspiracy. 

Next you will want to listen to The Ties that Bind. This brings Buck Oliver back to Odyssey and into the lives of Eugene and Katrina Meltzner in an unexpected way! 


Buck is in several more episodes which are a lot of fun, but the most important to this particular story arc is Out of the Picture from Under the Surface. 


This will catch you up so you have a better background for what happens in The Long End Parts 1-3. This deals a lot with family history and heritage. It also deals with the idea of choosing right from wrong and can lead to some great conversations with your kids. Be aware that there are some subjects which may be a little harder for some kids such as the death of a parent, adoption, and kidnapping. 

We had fun listening to each episode around our kitchen table during the lunch hour. We often do this when new episodes pop into the Adventures in Odyssey Club app, which is the first of ever month for the Adventure Club episodes and several weeks in a row twice a year for the albums. It’s so fun to have early access to these shows! 

You can to by joining the club! It is a wonderful addition to your family entertainment for both kids and adults! 

Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own


Week in Review: January 21-25

Grace-Filled Writer
I’m a pretty strict homeschooler. We have plans and we stick to them. Learning happens. Curriculum is finished. 
But… 
Sometimes, when I know the week is going to be turned upside down ahead of time, I intentionally change my plans. This helps me handle it all without feeling guilty that we didn’t check all my planned boxes! This was one of those weeks. We had a youth group trip planned early in the week and A LOT of basketball happening, so we changed things up a little with our learning. 

The one and only lunar eclipse shot I got that wasn’t blurry because I was shivering so badly! The plan was to use a tripod, but it was COLD that night I couldn’t imagine staying out more than the few minutes I did.(I have a couple of autoimmune oddities that keep me from managing cold well.) I went to bed early, set my alarm, got up the two daughters who wanted to see it live, and bundled up before heading outside to our driveway. It was really amazing! 

We had a great time snow tubing in the NC mountains with our youth group!



My Beth absolutely LOVES pandas. She’s the one who looks the most giddy in the photo below. We found out a local museum was showing this fantastic documentary and I knew we needed to make time to see it before they moved on to something new! It was so much fun! I’m not a huge fan of the 3D aspect, but it wasn’t too overwhelming. 


Right now it feels kind of like our lives revolve around basketball. I have two gals playing and a husband assistant coaching. It is making for a SUPER busy January, but it is incredible for both of them. Rose plays with a homeschool league and Grace is having a blast with Upwards. 






We also played this really fun game my in-laws got us for Christmas! It’s called Trekking the National Parks and we all love it! 


Learning can take all shapes and sizes. There are a lot of memes making fun of how homeschoolers go to the museum and call it science or play a game and call it math. The thing is, it’s a great way to learn and provides memorable experiences which often turn into more learning opportunities and inspiration. We learned unconventionally this week, and it was fantastic! 

Next week…back to routine! 

New Year Update

Grace-Filled Writer
Well, we are 2 weeks into the new year. 2019 has been busy, but blissfully uneventful for our family. A mild cold is finishing its course through the house, but it isn’t anything too serious. School started back last week without a hitch, and we are busily running around for basketball season. As part of our Christmas we spent an evening at Carowinds. This is a dream-come-true for me! I’m a huge fan of all things Peanuts. 
We are back in full swing with Heart of Dakota. The girls are not all on the same unit numbers, but they are all near the beginning of each of our guides. It has been a while since we found ourselves in relatively the same place. 
Rose is working through Missions to Modern Marvels. We are also completing some high school course work and charting out what high school will look like. British Literature was a bold choice for her first high school course, but she’s excelling. She really enjoyed Shakespeare and is currently reading Paradise Lost. I’m excited she’ll be getting to some of my favorite authors soon. 

Beth is excitedly diving into Resurrection to Reformation. She’s super excited to be in this guide and while Creation to Christ proved to be a stretching year, she’s very comfortable now with the idea of independent work. I often find her already working hard when I come down for the day. 
Grace is eagerly devouring Preparing Hearts. She too is embracing independence and loves our use of the Master Books history spine, The World’s Story. She’s in 4th grade, and this is a middle school text, but the reading level is perfect for her and the biblical perspective more in line with our world-view. It’s engaging and good for us to read together. We do not use all of the extras which go along with it. 
In between school at home the girls have their Wednesday science class, church activities, and basketball. Clogging starts up next month and Beth is especially excited for that! My husband and I are contemplating trying it out as well. We’ll see…
Christmas in Florida was warm and sunny. We enjoyed an unusual December snowfall her in the south a couple of weeks before we left, so the warmth and sunshine was a nice reprieve. The girls especially had a wonderful time with their cousins. 

I’ve started using a planner this year, The Christian Planner. I have found that using this has significantly increased my productivity and decreased my stress level. I’ll be posting on Instagram about how I’m doing as well as using Motivated Moms printable chore list. I like the app, but since that is in a restructuring phase I’m finding the printable lists to be immensely helpful. 

So there you have a very long overdue update. I’ll be back to weekly updates at the end of this week! 

Adventures in Odyssey: Our Constant Travel Companion

Grace-Filled Writer

Our family really loves going on road trips! Whether day trips or overnight stays we are always up for an adventure. The one mainstay on our trips is Adventures in Odyssey! On really long road trips to Florida to visit family we would often take our entire CD collection in a case! You never know which one you might want to hear! Thanks to the Adventures in Odyssey App we don’t need to take the entire thing anymore! 
Now when we travel I make sure to download several episodes within the app so we can listen without WiFi or using data. Sometimes I download a story arc, but most recently I’ve just been picking some of our favorites. If you haven’t tried this series yet, you can always start with this set! 
This one has some of the best episodes about travel and vacation as well as some other super fun adventures! The best part is you have access to every episode of Adventures in Odyssey ALL THE TIME! Not only that, there are many bonuses within the app like the original  animated series, behind the scenes interviews and info with the podcasts, and Radio Theater dramas produced by Focus on the Family. It’s an excellent value and the best part is you can give it a free trial. 
Take some time to check it out and see all the advantages of subscribing to the club! 
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own

Me and My Great Ideas: Portable Watercolor Palette

Grace-Filled Writer
My poor husband indulges me endlessly with my crazy ideas! He supports me like crazy, but I have a feeling he feels like this more often than not…


So my latest idea comes from my desire to pursue my long forgotten love of drawing. I want to learn more about watercolor, especially with regards to painting nature. So I got it in my head a few weeks ago how great a little portable palette set would be. So off I went searching and scouring. Trying to find cheap, but questioning if they were any good. Then I stumbled upon “do it yourself” palettes. I found one I liked and off I went! 


I’m incredibly pleased with how this turned out! 


I’m well known for saving any little container I can. You never know when it will come in useful to store something! This is one I’ve had for ages, maybe since high school? I honestly have no remembrance of its origins. It has something to do with Coke because that’s what is on the inside, but otherwise I’m clueless! I’ve seen a variety of little boxes used, but I was looking for something compact, but not too compact, metal, and close-able. I don’t care it’s a bit banged up and dented. 

So based on the idea from the blog post I found on pinterest I used hotglue to create a divided palette. I lined the bottom with tin foil because I wasn’t sure how well the glue would stick to the container. I made 3 layers total of my grid and had this sweet little palette when I finished. 

I then filled in each compartment with liquid watercolor. You can see some of my colors are a little old, but I don’t care. I’m not trying to sell my art or anything. This is just for my own personal joy. 

I read a fantastic article a few weeks ago about how people are getting away from artistic endeavors which simply bring joy because they are so concerned about perfection and mastery. I am choosing to enjoy art and painting without desiring to become a master! 


Next I mushed the paint into the corners so it would fill the spots. I started with a brush to do this, but ended up using tooth picks. 

Next I made little labels identifying the colors of my palette so I know what they look like and their names. 


I painted the lid white, stuck on my labels, and glued in some bottle caps to make color mixing areas. It’s now sitting up on a shelf drying out because the idea is to have dry pigment rather than wet. I think it’s just adorable and I can’t wait to give it a try! It will be a few days while it dries, but I’ll post some art I create using this fun little tool! 

Have you created something recently? 

The Seven Deadly Friendships by Mary DeMuth: A Book Launch Review

Grace-Filled Writer
 Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a friendship where something seemed off? Maybe you felt like you were always walking on egg-shells. Maybe you braced yourself for the sales-pitch that you knew was coming. Maybe you always feel inadequate or unhappy after spending time with the individual. Our world is full of relationships and sometimes those relationships are unhealthy. 


Seven Deadly Friendships by Mary DeMuth is the first book I’ve ever read that deals head-on with a variety of unhealthy personalities as they relate to friendships. By the end of this book you will be able to identify toxic friendships in your life and know what to do about them. We can be so afraid of repercussions that we remain in close friendships we shouldn’t have any part of. Other times there are relationships we cannot avoid for whatever reason, but if you can identify exactly what is going on you can be prepared and know how best to preserve yourself and others around you. 

The best part of this book is that it is steeped in God’s Word. I love that the author’s goal is to help readers heal from hurt without allowing any bitterness to remain. Satan’s goal is to steal your joy and destroy your healthy relationships. This book will help you see where things are wrong, but will also give you the tools to move forward in a healthy, God-filled way! 


Here is a sneak-peak at the people you will meet in the book. The tricky part is identifying which individuals are in your life because you need to deal with the different characters in different ways. I also think it is healthy to assess your own heart and make sure you are not slipping towards any one of these identities. We don’t like to see ourselves as the problem causers, but if we as Christians took more time to invest in allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us, He could use us more fully and we may find the relationships around us becoming healthier! 

As I read this book I realized the Lord has been teaching me much of this over the previous year about relationships and I personally used this book in a different manner. I quickly was able to identify some of these individuals in my own life. As I read I looked for ways to pray for them. Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from relationships with toxic individuals, but what if that is not fully possible? We should recognize the role of prayer in these relationships. As I read I made a private list of ways to pray for specific people. Although there are times when friendships need to end, none of the relationships I was evaluating were at that point. 

I encourage you to go take this fantastic quiz and see if you may be in one of The Seven Deadly Friendships! Then grab the book and learn the right way to move forward! 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review. I was note required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own

Balancing Diapers and Deadlines from Lisa Tanner Writing: A TOS Crew Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Lisa Tanner WritingWhen we moved to North Carolina I remember praying the Lord would provide just 5 piano students for me to teach from my home. Initially I was discouraged because I didn’t even have one student! Then I discovered I was pregnant with Grace. After she was born the Lord provided 1 student. That was nine years ago. Last year I was teaching 36 students! Woah! The growth that happened meant I had to quickly figure out how to manage it all with littles all around me! We weren’t homeschooling until a few years into my piano teaching business, but when we did that added a completely different dimension. I floundered around as my time became more and more limited. Oh how I wish I had Balancing Diapers and Deadlines from Lisa Tanner Writing  during those early years of my at-home business! 
Balancing Diapers and DeadlinesSitting down with this course was like sitting down with a cup of coffee and chatting with a good friend. The author’s writing style is easy going and easy to read! You will feel encouraged and challenged throughout every section. I appreciated that they were “bite-sized” and I could work at my own pace. If you have ever tried to get anything accomplished with your kids running around, you know why this is important! Thankfully by the end of this course the author will have guided you so that you can accomplish lots with all of your littles underfoot. For the most part, I have already implemented many of Lisa Tanner’s ideas into our home, but it took me years to figure out these needed changes. As I said before, I really wish I’d had this course years ago! Some of best advice concerns how to handle chores.  


I knew I could relate to the author when she admitted her hatred of laundry! I felt like I could have written what she did about how she used to handle the laundry, and honestly how I often do handle the laundry much to my family’s frustration! I have the beginning of a plan implemented, but the post-drying plan is non-existent so it piles up clean. I appreciated reading her real-life example of her laundry plan and although her particular way of structuring this frustrating chores works for her family, I don’t think that it will for ours. The great thing is that it doesn’t have to! The author has inspired me to think outside of the box and find something that will work so that I have one less stress in my life. 


Another section that has me thinking differently is meal planning. I already typically plan meals, but it does take quite a bit of time and I often think there must be a better way! The author suggests a FULL YEAR of meal planning! WOWZA! That is quite an undertaking. She even provides meal plans for you for five full years which is completely amazing! We definitely could use a different system although, again, I’m not certain a full year will work. I plan to start with a month at a time to see how that works. The one issue we are facing that makes this harder is we have had to make some diet changes for 2 of us in the last 6 months. Buying in bulk is difficult because of our small pantry. However, a monthly plan may work out for us. I can’t wait to give this a try! 


I absolutely loved Making Your Minutes Count and have found this the easiest and best implementation for me. When you homeschool and work every minute counts! Not only that, I have two part-time jobs as well as a slew of church responsibilities since my husband is the pastor. I’m also pursuing free-lance writing more fervently. This means that my “spare minutes” are precious few. Having a game-plan in place ahead of time is just what I needed to make this more reasonable. 

Over the summer I acquired a desk just for me in our schoolroom! I love having this space just for me to sit and work. After getting it organized the next step was to get a plan in place. I have a sweet little notebook I use to organize my various roles, jobs, and responsibilities. On separate pages I use a different color ink for a to-do list. I also include due dates so I have an idea of what needs to be done first. This has worked really well for me to organize the craziness of my life and include some down-time for me as well! 

Productivity is one of the harder areas for me. I’m learning to fight against my natural bent towards procrastination and be as productive as possible. What is beautiful about this course is no matter where you are in your life, how many kids you have, or your personality, you will  glean wonderful helps and insights. If you are a work-from-home mama, or hope to be one day, grab this course and start your journey to productivity!

Balancing Diapers and Deadlines {Lisa Tanner Writing Reviews}Crew Disclaimer

Adventures in Odyssey: Meaningful for Adults Too

Grace-Filled Writer
While Adventures in Odyssey is great entertainment for the entire family and is geared towards children, it isn’t for children only. There are some audio dramas that my kids love and I do enjoy, but they do not hold as much meaning for me as an adult. Adventures in Odyssey helped me discover a most meaningful verse of Scripture that has seen me through many difficult times when it feels like the Lord isn’t listening. 


This album is one of my favorites because of the themes of the stories, but specifically the episode A Glass Darkly has special meaning. In this show Trent DeWhite prays for God to help him with an opportunity he has to try out for a special children’s orchestra playing his cello. Everything seems to fall into place, until it doesn’t. Despite Trent’s good choices and prayer, he continues to be blocked from a good thing because of misunderstandings and false accusations. Even at the end of the episode Trent has no idea why the bad things happened to him that prevented him from being a part of the orchestra. In his discouragement he approaches Mr. Whitaker who reminds Trent that we can’t always see the full picture here on earth and we must trust the Lord is at work even when it feels like He isn’t listening. He reminds him of 1 Corinthians 13:12…

For now we <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-28678V" data-link="(V)” style=”box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>see in a mirror dimly, but then <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-28678W" data-link="(W)” style=”box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-28678X" data-link="(X)” style=”box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>have been fully known. (NASB)

The most wonderful part of this episode is the closing scene. The listeners get a glimpse of events happening which Trent never learns. We see the hand of God even though he doesn’t. It is tempting to feel difficult circumstances are unfair, but who are we to question God’s ways? There are somethings things happening behind the scenes we will never know, and if He does show us, it is only by His goodness that it is revealed. 

Christmas Day 2012 – I had surgery 3 days before Christmas to remove a benign tumor discovered in my intestine. This is one of the moments the Lord reminded me of this verse to encourage me. 
This particular episode has encouraged me through surgeries, loss, and just all around bad days that seem to be no fault of my own. While I had read this verse over and over, the deeper truth was revealed to me through this episode. I’ve had the opportunity to remind my kids of this truth when they are having rough days and trials. Most importantly, this verse has become a part of my testimony I share whenever I have the opportunity. 



Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

Week in Review: October 22-26

Grace-Filled Writer
Well we were back at school, but a lighter version of it. We took last week off from school and this week eased back into things. I’m learning we need some weeks like this, especially since we are ahead of things! Generally that means we complete literature, math, and read biographies for history content. This week we worked through some more Take Time for Art projects and the girls also still attended their science class so the only difference is the intensity of how much we do. My girls are bright and I like to challenge them, but this only benefits if they also have some down time. Their brains work better this way! 


What I found happened was even though I didn’t assign more work, they chose to do some other things on their own. I found my girls playing games together than increased strategy and math skills, working on their novels, creating more art, and just playing like sweet little girls should have the time to do! 


Then we enjoyed some time with my nieces and nephews later in the week. I sure do love these kids! Our church had a fall festival on Saturday too which was a great way for our church to show love to our community. We had some great conversations with people and saw how the Lord is using this fun event to build His Kingdom!


I manned the slide all day and I’m happy to report there are no injuries! Well, except for my voice. You have to be a bit loud to make sure the kids listen and stay safe! 

What were you up to this week?