L.I.F.E. ACADEMY ~ 2010-2011

Ready.... to live

Set.... to learn

Go!

Our curriculum choice this year is Robinson Curriculum.

To create self-learners is our main goal~
to be able to educate oneself is a limitless opportunity;
the possibilities to succeed are endless.

NICK ~ a senior

BIBLE:
Pilgrim's Progress, The Study of James

Math: geometry/algebra II

Science: Environmental Overkill, Access to Energy

Civics: The Federalist Papers, US History Documents, The Diaries of George Washington (series)

Economics: What has Government Done to Our Money, Economics in One Lesson, On that day began Lies

Literature: Call of the Wild *(not RC), Tom Sawyer, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Huck Finn, Life on the Mississippi, To Kill a Mockingbird

Language Arts: Writing Composition, SAT study skills, and Vocabulary

Electives: French, Fitness Training, & Basic Car Mechanics

*Senior Project:
List 3 career interests; research, interview, and job shadow for those careers.
To be done 1st 3 quarters.

TJ - 8th grade

Bible: New Testament- daily reading

Math: Saxon 7/6

Science: The friendly Arctic (geography), Seasonal Nature Journal

History: Christopher Columbus, The Life of George Washington (series), Biography of Ben Franklin, Life of Davy Crocket

Literature:
A Boat to No Where *not RC
Swiss Family Robinson
Robinson Crusoe
Treasure Island
The Vicar of Wakefield

Language Arts:
Professor Klugimkopf's Old Fashioned English Grammar
Prof "K"s Spelling Rules
Daily Grams-junior high- *not RC
Creative writing-30 min per day

Electives: French, Weight Training, & Cooking

Katie- 3rd grade

Bible: My Prayer Journal *, New Testament Study

Math: Saxon 5/4

Science: Tale of ... (animal series), Seasonal Nature Journal.

History: Christopher Columbus, The Life of George Washington, Our Hero General Grant

Literature: Bobbsey Twin (series), Lil Pruddy, Dottie Dimple (series), 5 Little Peppers (series)

Read-alouds: Little House on the Prarie (series)* ~we are on book 2

Language Arts: Prof "K" Old fashioned Grammar & Spelling, Easy Grammar *(3rd grade)

Electives: Ballet, typing, & recorder

Andrew- Kindergarten

Bible: New Testament Study w/ sissy =)

Reading: Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Penmanship: Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Science: Nature walks, animal study (per letter of the week)

Readiness Skills: 'Letter of the Week' study to be done w/ Bryson, along w/ many hand-on activities. =)

Bryson- TOT School Fun

Up until Kindergarten, I choose a variety of activities. Mainly, I choose to do a letter of the alphabet per week. I prefer Abeka's preschool cards for this. Here are a few sites that make my job as 'teacher' so much more fun:

Totally Tots

No Time For Flash Cards

Confessions of a Homeschooler

dltk-teach.com

letteroftheweek.com

~I have endless supply of links when it comes to those fabulous toddler years, but I limited it to my favorite resources =)

Living
In
Faith
Everyday...

MONDAY MUSINGS....

Where's Flat Brat Charlie?

Having Story Time w/ Aunt Chanelle.
Poor Charlie has not had many outings in the great northwest as of yet. His first trip out with us we went to Alki Beach...such a beautiful place...and I, yes I, left Charlie at the pizza place. *gasp* Thankfully a dear cousin was still there and saved the day! Maybe there is a reason we have chosen not to have a baby #7 =)

Athletics vs Academics~

Today is our 1st day of the school year.... 2010-2011
Today is also a day I needed to take Nick to the urgent care.
Ummm, yeah, those places are never very quick...
so...
we will begin school....
tomorrow.
Ofcourse tomorrow is when he will see the orthopedic surgeon and most likely have a cast put on his wrist. He did play a great game yesterday, and the 'take out' was at the end of the game. Did I mention he was already seeing a chiropractor and doing physical training for a hip that was jolted out of place while we were in California? Hmmm, the next soccer tournament is in 3 weeks...wonder how that will go?

Vacation vs Education
Have school books; will travel~

Next week we head to Oregon for a couple of weeks...sorta.
We get to house-sit for a dear friend. The kids are thrilled to spend some time in our hometown. Fred is needed in Oregon for a period of time for his job, so this was perfect timing for the family. Our precious dog Asia will not be so happy...she gets to stay home with the Grandparents. I may need to go back occasionally to check up on her, as she is lost without a house full of kids... seriously.

Reunions vs funerals~

I had a family reunion this past week-end. I have always like them. I like seeing family. I especially love to see my cousins! My mom is one of 8 children... I have lots of cousins... I think it is a beautiful thing! My dear Grandpa's time is almost up... he will soon get to go up to Heaven...what a glorious thing that has to be! We were blessed to have the reunion very close to his home so that we could take turns going to visit him. He is such a sweet man.

Just wondering...

If I should cut most of my hair off for a good cause?? It has been a very long time since I have had short hair... but I am blessed with lots of hair... the lovely girl I want to help does not. It would be a kind thing to do....hair is a funny attachment... a part of us, yet not really. I am still thinking about it....

Grateful for...

the unique relationship I have with each individual child we have. My heart's love is beyond what my mind can comprehend... full and overflowing indeed.

What IS Weird?

Please note: comments made here are how we approach ideas in our lives. My comments are not intended to point fingers, nor judge;
This is just how WE approach things.

I find it interesting when I hear the statement,
"I don't want my kids to be seen as weird."
From personal experience, I hear this from Christian parents.

So, what is WEIRD?

definition: odd, strange, unusual, not sensible

What IS the worry? That we do not want our children to stand out amongst their peers? To be seen differently? Especially in todays world, why is that such a bad thing??

Are we weird?
We have a dress code.
Boys~ no baggy pants, no side-wearing ball cap, no piercings.
Girls~ no middriffs exposed, short/skirts/dresses are to be no shorter than the tip of your fingers when you arm hangs down. Ear piercing only.
Clean is encouraged, lol.
I find it strange to go to the little girls/young lady section at the department store only to find~sexy~encouraged.

Am I weird?
I choose not to drink (alcohol, that is).
My dad was a drug addict, my sister's dad was an alcoholic;
all of it was ugly.
I, as a child, did not have a voice to how I felt.
I, as an adult, can politely decline.
I now have a choice.
I find it odd that my choice makes others feel awkward,
yet I am not judging them.

Is it weird to realize TV/movie/game ratings are there for a reason?
M for mature; I find that to be an oxymoron!
How 'mature' are we really being to want to watch sex/nudity, violence for entertainment, or listen to swearing & trash talk?
And shouldn't we, as adults, be the role model of what is morally acceptable for our eyes, ears, and mouth?
In California, I had the opportunity to show my kids how to step outside the 'normal' box. While eating pizza with the teammates from the soccer team, they were planning to go see a movie. One kid asked if I wanted to go with them. (I am the cool mom after all ;^) It was rated-R, so I declined. "Why?"...I don't do rated-R..."Wha?" w/ puzzlement, "why?"....cuz there ain't nuttin' in rated-R that couldn't have been made a PG. The kid whips out his phone to confirm the movie rating, which ended up being PG-13.
This teen did not find my choice weird, but adults will find it unusual.

As a family, are we weird because we:
1) have more than the statistical 2.5 kids?
2) want to raise our own kids?
3) live in a multi-generational home?
4) play together/pray together?

Are our kids weird because they:
1) get along?
2) are well behaved?
3) choose to be homeschooled?
4) wait to date?

Why is it a seemingly a bad thing to be considered unusual,
when our choices seem so sensible to me?

*HEADS UP ~
lots of pictures ;^)

S
A
C
R
A
M
E
N
T
O
, CALIFORNIA

A College Showcase Tournament in Davis, Ca. on Nick's 17th birthday. How cool is it to be able to play soccer on your birthday in triple-digit temperatures! 103 was the average.

Those who injure their back in their last play of the game gets to relax back at the hotel in the pool.

As the rest of the guys show off their trick skills...

...yet, we still have to let the coach show them how it is really done.

Ha, Coach Jake does not look as refreshed here at the In and Out Burger...

but
we
are
enjoying
the
air-conditioning,

Ice tea....


...and
good times
with team-mates.

After the games were done, we were able to take a day to explore Old Sacramento...

Joe did not offer us free crab....





~but we did enjoy the opportunity to hang out with our goalkeeper's Grandpa.

...so we swung by a Car Museum...

...where we all found a common interest beyond soccer. =)

All in all, Nick and I had a great time. I am thrilled that Aunt Chanelle and oldest brother Joe could come with us on the trip!



... we did have to kill about 3 hours of time waiting at the airport, where as Nick was getting bored...

....and I was getting worn out. =)

TO BE

OR

NOT TO BE....

...a college student.

The choice to homeschool is an amazing journey. In our home, the children do get to decide. They get the summer to ponder their choice, and once a decision is made, it is a year commitment.

Nick was pulled out of public school the second week into 4th grade, and he never looked back. Now entering his senior year, new choices are coming up quickly. College, Trade School, Military, on-the-job training to name a few. Trying to pin a "what do you wanna do when you grow up" on a young adult is amusing to me....trying to pin down college options for a Christian-conservative-athletic male is not such a laughing matter.

Add in deciding on which colleges to visit;

Encourage student to write college application essays,

introduction letters to the coach of interest of a specific sport,

and to prepare for admission tests, SAT, and ACT tests.

Research scholarship options,
know grant deadline for applications,
and plan college financing;

Start acquiring letters of recommendation for said colleges,
create an on-campus budget,
and complete a housing/mealplan applications when neccessary.

Now, these are the things I do know is part of the process...
Now I need to spend time on discovering the things I don't know!
Suggestions are welcomed! =)

In the meantime,
I refuse to be overwhelmed,
yep,
definitely
refuse
to
be
overwhlemed....

FLAT BRAT CHARLIE...


is our summer time guest!!

Charlie belongs to a fun family in another state. We are going to spend our days showing Charlie some fun sites, sharing our interests, and spending time doing every day activities.

psssttt....Where's Charlie? Why playing with puzzles, of course.

~Thank-you BAILEYS!!!
He has had a very warm welcome (you must of sent the sun with him), and he has dove right into the flurry of activities around these parts. =) Blessings to you all!

I
N
D
E
P
E
N
D
E
N
C
E

DAY....

FREE to eat,
FREE to play,
FREE to do many things,
most importantly, FREE to pray.

RED, WHITE, & BLUE cupcakes...

and a tasty steak...

Yep, these are the days....

Katie-girl being funny;
Grandpa being funnier...

SMOKE BOMBS- Um, yeah, not sure how healthy inhaling all that smoke really is, but the littles thought it was super cool.

SPARKS
are not my thing...
I was sent in the house...
they had fun with out me...
it was probably a good thing.

DAD was not probably the best example of safety...go figure.


Must be why
the boys
like the fireworks
so much....

~FREEDOM isn't FREE~
So don't forget to thank those who serve our country or have served our country, & respectfully remember those whose lives were lost so that we may live with the freedoms we have.

~GOD BLESS AMERICA