Homeschooling A Family's Journey

Another book I am reading right now is Homeschooling A Family's Journey. I just started this book about a family who never set out to homeschool but ended up homeschooling for several reasons, one so far that has really struck a chord with us. (Yes, we are homeschooling this year.) I will probably add to this post often so if it shows up at the top of my blog again, that's why!
Here are some quotes that we relate to all too well:

"But when we asked the teacher what kind of help she thought our daughter needed to improve she said, 'Why would you want to improve her performance? She's above average, isn't she?'"

Here is a part of the story they told when a test their daughter took had an obviously correct answer marked wrong:

"Yes, the answer is correct. But that's a fourth-grade answer, and your daughter is only in the second grade. She isn't supposed to know that yet."

And another quote, this one in regards to the parents' decision to homeschool:

"...that we could do worse than fail - we could refuse to try."

Wii Active

I splurged a couple weeks ago and bought Wii Active. I rationalized it by saying I'm done paying the monthly fee for Curves and only two months of Curves pays for this. (I haven't been using Curves because I don't have childcare beyond my work hours...) Wii Active is very fun! There is a lot of strength training and cardio. It is a great workout each time. You get a personal trainer that encourages you as you work out. Right now Chris and I are doing the "30 Day Challenge" which adds different activities each day and tracks calories burned, etc.
There are some frustrating parts of Wii Active though (but it is still COMPLETELY worth it). If you don't have the nunchuk held in your hand just right, you might get "yelled" at for not doing the exercise correctly. Or if you stop to wipe the sweat (boy, do you sweat with this!), it "yells" at you. But overall, it is a great workout! We can do it at home rain or shine, under a ceiling fan, and without childcare!

Turbo Dry Jet Dry

Yeah! Our plastic stuff is dry from the dishwasher! All those bowls and cups and measuring cups and plastic storage containers are dry! They don't have to sit out on a towel all day! Yeah! All of this thanks to Turbo Dry Jet-Dry Drying Agent! (We used to use just regular/original Jet-Dry.)http://www.finishdishwashing.com/product-finish-jet-dry-turbo-dry.php Yeah! (Can you tell this is exciting to us?!?!?!)

Modoc

I just finished a captivating book, "Modoc The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived." There were two pages I dog-eared because I just liked them. I thought I would share:

"Nature hears one voice and obeys it. That is why ten or ten thousand birds may rise from the surface of a lake at the same time and yet never touch one another. Man hears only his own voice. He constantly bumps into another." (p. 143)

Not that I'm one of those "one with nature" girls or that I am Hindu (as the person who said this is) but it just seemed very profound to me. As humans, we are so selfish and so busy worrying and thinking about ourselves that we bump into things. Birds listen to others and therefore can rise at the same time without collision...

"Oh, from time to time, I think about them all and what happened, but it's in the past now and the past gives us our strength, so to be sad about gaining strength is not very wise, is it?" (p. 275)

I just thought this was a good way to look at life. I'm not saying to ignore the past or to not ever feel sad, especially when there is very good reason to be sad, but that positive outlook is amazing! (I'm trying...)

Ped Egg

I just bought the Ped-Egg: one of those "as seen on TV" products. This one claims to take away all the hard calluses on your feet easily and with no mess. I LOVE IT! If you have nasty callus-y heels (like I did), you need one of these! It is so easy, so quick - no soaking and scrubbing forever. It's one of the things I have to add to my "Things For Which I Do Free Advertising" on the sidebar! (You can order through the TV website (http://www.pedegg.com/?directLoad&uid=6CA2D2A172B514C26C082CF6BDC37F92) for $10 PLUS shipping and handling but I only paid $9 something for mine at WalMart (no S&H). It was worth every penny!

Hope Rising

Here is a book I read a couple years ago. It's about broken horses helping broken kids. I heard about it on Focus on the Family and borrowed it from the library. It's a bunch of different short stories from the ranch so it is very easy to read for a little bit, put down, and come back to later.

The Wonderful Way Babies Are Made

by Larry Christenson

This is a great book for the child who asks, "What is sex?" OR "How do you get pregnant?" Each page has a rhyming stanza, geared toward the younger group of kids, as well as an additional paragraph, just for the older kids. It is written from a Christian perspective and is tasteful and very well done.