Happy Hearts Homeschool

When did your child start grasping phonics?

{ 01:18, 2006-Apr-30 } { 9 comments } { Link }

My son is nearly 6 years old. He is very good at math & smart as a cookie. However he doesn't seem to be grasping phonics at all. Is this normal? My fellow friends say their kids were reading by six. I know they learn at different rates. When we work on his letters he just starts rambling guesses of every letter he can think of. So we have set it aside for now. I read to him a lot & he practices writing his letters off & on too. We are very patient...it's just our daughters were getting it down by this age & I wanted some input from some other Moms out there.

Preserves with wax on top?

{ 01:13, 2006-Apr-30 } { 3 comments } { Link }

Does anyone know how this is done?

I remember my grandmother making & giving cute jelly/jam filled glasses sealed with wax on the top as gifts around the holidays. She would tie a dainty ribbon around each one. I was so little that I don't recall what kind of wax was used or how or when you do it. If anyone can help me I would like to start her tradition again. Thanks!

Bible Circle Time

{ 09:35, 2006-Apr-29 } { Posted in The hearts of our Children } { 1 comments } { Link }

Years ago, my little girl came up to me & said, "Mommy, I have an idea! We could have our family devotions and sit in a circle. We could take turns reading the Bible too. And make prayer requests." She claimed the name of this time "Bible Circle Time" & it has stuck. We so look forward to it...drawing close after the hustle of our day, dinner, & chores, etc. Brushed teeth, jammies, blankies & Bibles all gather in a circle on the floor. We each take turns reading from the Bible (well...my son isn't a reader yet), we talk about what God is saying to us through it-what it means in our lives...then we talk about who & what we should pray about. Each family member has their own request & each of us pray for the one on our left-going around the circle. It all ends with a group hug ( or pile!) and kisses goodnight. On days when we have missed this special time- we have truly MISSED this time. It's such a blessing and it is so precious to me that our little one thought of it!

The Joy of a child

{ 09:31, 2006-Apr-29 } { Posted in The hearts of our Children } { 0 comments } { Link }

Just yesterday my 8 year old was rolling on the grass & said "Mom, come roll with me!" I thought to myself "Yeah, right...I may never be able to get up!" But, looking at the joy in her eyes, I went for it! We were so happy. The smell of the fresh cut grass beneath us & the bright blue sunny sky above us...rolling over & over in circles. Giggling like crazy. I praise God for these moments that remind me what I was like as a child & just because I am almost 40-I don't have to lose that. Not only does my Joy come from the Lord, but so often from my children. They remind me to keep it simple. To relax. To enjoy the little blessings along the way. Oh, she helped me get back up! LOL

The Power of Your Love

{ 11:29, 2006-Apr-28 } { Posted in Praise and Worship } { 0 comments } { Link }

Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed, renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I’ve found in You
Lord I’ve come to know
The weakenesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love

~ chorus ~
Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side
And as I wait
I’ll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love

Lord unveil my eyes
Let me see You face to face
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me
Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life
In living every day
By the power of Your love

And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love
(repeat)

Darlene Zschech Lyrics

Hungry

{ 11:27, 2006-Apr-28 } { Posted in Praise and Worship } { 0 comments } { Link }

hungry I come to You
for I know You satisfy
I am empty
but I know Your love does not run dry
and I wait
and I wait
so I wait for You
so I wait for You

chorus
I'm falling on my knees
offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

broken I run to You
for Your arms are open wide
I am weary but I know Your touch restores my life
so I'll wait for You
so I'll wait for You

I'm falling on my knees
offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for
Oh, I'm falling on my knees
offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

and I wait for you
and I wait for you
and I wait for you
and I wait

I'm falling on my knees
offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for
Oh, I'm falling on my knees
offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

hungry I come to you,
for I know You satisfy

What if your mother doesn't support homeschooling?

{ 05:21, 2006-Apr-28 } { 8 comments } { Link }

I love my dear Mother very much. She is very involved in church & family, always has been there for us. She is creative, an idea woman, and taught me so much about the Lord growing up. She is also very quick to voice her strong opinions of things. I have always been a people pleaser & it is very hard to not have her approval in our homeschooling life. We grew up on a beautiful farm & had a blessed childhood with loving parents. It's just so hard when we talk & she puts down teaching in the home so much. I try to convey all that our children have benefited and all they have learned & how they have changed in character opposed to when they were in public school, but unless they are in a certified teaching center-it seems to fall on deaf ears. Does anyone have any advice on this? I would really appreciate some godly sister insight!
Staying Strong in Him-Karyn

Pouring out our hearts...

{ 04:17, 2006-Apr-28 } { Posted in The hearts of our Children } { 1 comments } { Link }

In Lamentations, the Bible tells us to
"Pour out your hearts like water before the Lord, for the souls of your young children".
I will be adding bits & pieces of what I have learned in my journey as a godly mother through the years. I pray it will bless your life too.

Chickens & Quail

{ 04:05, 2006-Apr-28 } { Posted in My wannabe farm } { 0 comments } { Link }

We have 3 Button Quail who lay tiny little breakfast eggs for us very faithfully. My husband is wanting me to pickle some up soon...so I will let you know how that goes! They are so very fun to watch...so curious & social....following the leader around & around.

We also have chickens. Finally. I have wanted some for a while, but we just couldn't get a coop together. There are so many wild animals out here in the mountains, that we wanted to build our fence first & then place the coop within that. So here we are! I forgot that it takes 9 months for them to begin laying eggs...so we have 8 months to go! LOL The mild smell takes me back to my fond farm memories of childhood. One of my chores was cleaning out the hen house & placing fresh hay about. It warms my soul to be doing it again. It is a simple little thing I know...but it's great!

American Heritage Girls

{ 05:49, 2006-Apr-27 } { 1 comments } { Link }

My daughter has been so blessed by a new Troop in our community this year; American Heritage Girls. It is a Bible based scouting program for girls. She has made new godly friends & so have I. Most are homeschooling families too. It is wonderful to see her learn things I sometimes forget about...like how to sew on a button or tie a strong knot! A lot of heritage skills that are often forgotten or not shown to children of today. I love the term "Homestead"...it's so homespun! The simple way of life is so calming in such a crazy world. We are fortunate to live in the country, and my trips to town are always a bit crazy with it's fast pace & I am ever thankful to the Lord who brought us out of that place.

Spring

{ 03:11, 2006-Apr-26 } { 1 comments } { Link }

It looks like spring is finally in the air! We have had a long winter, with lots of rain & snow. Although it was a lot of fun, we are itching to go wading in the creek & get outdoors to play in God's great sunshine!
Do any of you ever get down with the flu for a week & then have trouble jumping back into school? I strive to keep the flow of things, as it is so much more pleasant...but recently I had pnuemonia & yikes! Things just fell apart for the week! The house, the chores, the rooms, the schoolwork...all of a sudden things appear unorganized & it's discouraging.
I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Just Beginning

{ 02:36, 2006-Apr-1 } { 3 comments } { Link }

Yesterday, we receievd our first issue of TOS magazine. It was so wonderful to
read so many stories & experiences of fellow homeschoolers that I had to come here & join too!
We are homeschooling our 8 year old daughter. This is our first year. She was attending the local public school until the beginning of 2006. Her class was
a 2nd & 3rd grade blend (she in 2nd) and she began to fall further & further
behind. I sat in the class, listening to the unorganized drama of other
children, the disrespect for their teacher, the outbursts, and the way the 3rd grade work was trickling onto the shoulders of the second graders.
My daughter
has always been a slow learner. She has a slight hearing loss & learned
phonics at a later stage than most. When I went to the teacher for ideas, she said they would work on my daughter's learning issues later in the year! I thought, "Well she will be even more behind by then!" We took her to Sylvan's learning center for a complete evaluation & to get a base
idea on where we need to start. We found out that she is missing a
huge amount of the basic skills needed to be a successful learner.
This was very discouraging, however, we pulled her out of
public school & she has been flourishing ever since!
It has been such a blessing to see our daughter's confidence
in her learning skills grow. She used to hate reading, but now she begs to
stay up a little bit later & read! Seeing things "click" as she is
shown the basics of the phonics rules has been an excitement.
I went right back to the beginning. Many things she already knew, but
we found key basic skills that she didn't know as well.
The building blocks are coming into place with a solid foundation.
Many of my friends
are homeschooling moms too & have been a great encouragement
for us.
I hope to meet more homeschooling families on this blogger.
I wish to gain more understanding and helpful advice along the way.
We are so thankful to be homeschooling.