Homestead in Arcata

School books for sale

I am listing a ton of school books for sale on E-Bay.   I have so many that we never used nor will we use as my baby is a Junior this year .  Where did time go ? 

I have many book for women and a few really old books for the kids to read or for someone to collect. 

My ebay id is : fishen4me.

I have listed about 20 items and have about 80 more to go.  At least until I get to the other boxes .

God Bless, mj

See Ya Later...

Keep those homestead & homeschool fires burning.  I'll talk to you when we get back from vacation!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

40 year old husband, mine

Tomorrow my hubby will turn 40 years old.   He took the day off so we girls can spend the day with him doing what he wants .   We are starting off the day with him sleeping in, then we girls are taking him to Northwoods Inn for lunch, then to the movies to see the new Batman movie.  For dinner we are making his one of his favorites, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob , gravy , rolls.  For dessert chocolate fudge cake with chocolate ice cream.   After the girls are in bed skinny dipping with me .   On Friday we are sending him fishing for the day with his cousin.  We girls already sent him to Mexico for a few days of fishing.  I am blessed that the Lord has sent such a wonderful man to be my hubby.  We have been together for 20 years now , I can't wait to see what the next 20 years bring.

God Bless, mj

20 years now for hubby and I

Hubby and I have been together for 20 years now this month.    It is hard to believe some days and some days it is easy to see.  

20 years ago Michelle was 2 years old, I was coming out of a long relationship, we broke up in July 1988. I was confused at the time of our break up and did not know what I was going to do, but God did.

  I kept seeing this sexy guy who drove a nice car.   We kept looking at each other, checking each other out for weeks.  I finally one day waved at him as he drove by.  My 12 year old sister Tracy was living with Michelle and I for the summer of 1988.  Tracy was seeing a guy named Jason who was a friend of my now hubby.   So we meet in August of 1988 and started talking.  I went away to Mexico with my parents and sister while Michelle was off visiting her father.   When I got back we started dating . 

We hit it off well.  We had some fights, but worked it out.  It is hard when 2 very dominant people are together. It took me years to give him the head of household role.  I had to learn to let him be the boss, boy was HARD

The day we got married( March 1991) is verrry special for me not just because we got married, but because my Bubba (grandfather) picked out the day.  Bubba said you will get married and here is the day and we did!  Thank you Bubba.  Bubba went to heaven in April of 1995. 

Hubby worked and works very hard to take care of his family and he did / does a great good.  He spoils us very much.    We have a good life.  I am so glad that 20 years ago God sent this sexy man my way and into the lives of Michelle and I.

  Over the past 20 years we have added more children to our home, been blessed with 2 grand-babies with one more in the oven.   Hubby has blessed us with our dream's of owning horses.  Ok , it started with horses and then we slowly added more critters .  

When I look at him it is like 20 years has been 5 to 10 years.  When I look at the children and the grand-babies it feels like 20 years.  We are still kinda youngish, hubby will be 40 on the 21st, I will be 39 in Nov.   We look forward to another 20 + ++++++ years together.

Thank you Lord for sending me such a wonderful man to be my husband.  Thank you for making us a family.  Thank you for the love of my life.  Thank you for all the blessings.

God Bless, mj

Thesis is "In the Mail"!

Well...for better of worse, my thesis ~ "The Biblical Basis for Homeschooling Christian Children" ~ has been turned in and I am waiting - w/frayed nerves - to find out what the grade - and reaction! - will be.

So, I have completed my credits for my Associate's Degree in Biblical Studies and am actually 18 credits into my Bachelor's! I attend a small seminary that does intensive degrees (and believe me...they ARE intensive!!). My pastor is the Dean...but that gives me no grace! lol

I'll be graduating on Sept. 13th. It's an odd date for graduation, I know, but a gentleman from Kenya was taking courses on-line and we raised the $$ for him to come and graduate w/us. I think the timing had something to do w/his Visa. But I'm excited!

I'm doing this, mostly, b/c I have no idea what I will be doing after we graduate our youngest dd this spring...our last homeschool graduate! WOW!! After 16 years, it just seems so unreal to think about. The time has FLOWN!

I'm hoping to still be writing and speaking. Maybe her graduating will open a little more writing time. We'll see.

But if you think of me, please keep my never level in your prayers while I wait for it to be reviewed. Thanks.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Homeschool debate over credits, how many???

We home school our babies.  We only have Kristi left , she will be in the 11 th grade next week.   My debate is over how many credits should she take?  In California you need 220 credits to graduate high school.  Michelle had 300 and Shayna had 400.  Kristi already has 195.   How many should she take?

Kristi will be going to college full time as well as high school full time.  Her college classes earn her double the credits.  She will get them for college and high school.   We are thinking maybe 100 credits this year for high school. Idea below.

Classes:

Bible *....10 credits   =10

Math* ....10 credits        =20

English* .....10 credits     =30

History*...10 credits      =40

Science*...20 credits plus college class of science     =60

Us Government*.....5 credits              =65

Economics's*......5 credits                     =70

P.E*.......10 credits                           =80  last year have to do.

Dog training classes year 2 ....20 credits plus college classes.     =100

Home ec year 3 ...... 10 credits.              =110

Yearbook year 3........5 credits.        =115   

so we are at :   115, plus 12 college credits each semester.  Eight of her classes are a must in high school they have *.

That would bring her up to 310 credits to start her senior year.

Kristi wants to be a certified service dog trainer when she is done with high school, If she keeps going like she is she will make it.  Both Shayna and Kristi love that they have so many credits in high school and love the idea of shaving off college classes while in high school. What would normally take most students 4 years in college will take them  2 years .         

Does anyone else do this?    This is done by our babies choice , not just ours.   Does anyone else have a driven child or children ?  Our babies are not just doing school.  They do school for about 5-7 hours a day.   They have free time, serve in the church 2 days a week, plus all vbs, are in the 4-h, show their horses, pigs, they ride , go to concerts,movies and more.  Life is not just school  I am trying to say.

Kristi college class of science earn her 20 credits a year because they are college level, as well as her dog training classes.   So if we take away 20 credits (because they are doubled) that is 95 credits, most children take 60, so that is not bad.

Me, just trying to get it all together for next week.

God Bless, mj

Here we go, a one word Meme...

Here is a One Word Meme

1. Where is your cell phone? Couch
2. Your significant other? Couch
3. Your hair? Brown
4. Your mother? live
5. Your father? live
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night?  Great
8. Your favorite drink?  Soda
9. Your dream/goal? Healthy
10. The room you’re in? Livingroom
11. Your church? Good
12. Your fear? Dying
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Moved
14. Where were you last night? Home
15. What you’re not?  Alone
16. Muffins? Allergic
17. One of your wish list items? Rottweiler
18. Where you grew up? California
19. The last thing you did? Movie
20. What are you wearing?  Dress
21. Your TV? On
22. Your pets? 100+
23. Your computer? Grey
24. Your life?  Fulfilled
25. Your mood? Ok
26. Missing someone? Janet
27. Your car? Truck
28. Something you’re not wearing? Make-up
29. Favorite store? E-bay
30. Your summer? Fast
31. Like(love) someone? Hubby
32. Your favorite color? Blue
33. Last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Stress
35. Who will repost this? ????

My husband says:....

My husband and I just took the 1930 marital test.  I got a 91 and he got a 131!!.  But what is funny is what he just said, that if we were in the 1930's we would have never met .   I come from a well to do family and have a famous dad.   He is a man who's family is not a well to do family ,he's a country boy/man, or as he calls himself a "redneck boy" .  

It is so funny how things change.   I have changed  from when I was younger.   I am different and the same as to how I was brought up in many ways.  My husband has changed too.   He is the same and different from how he was brought up in so many ways too.

  I am glad that the times have changed, because I could have missed the man of my dreams, the love of my life, my husband.

Just silly thoughts hubby and I shared,  God bless, mj

Where is God When it Hurts?

Another blogger basically asked on her blog: "Where is God when it hurts?  Why is it that so many sincere, dedicated Christians seem to suffer or have bad things happen to them?"  Well...you know me...I couldn't resist a somewhat lengthy reply.    So, I thought I would blog it here. 

PLEASE feel free to give your opinion on Where is God When it Hurts?

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

I think it's very natural for us to wonder this, to even complain about it to the Lord. But He is a BIG GOD and He CAN take it! I don't think He gets angry when we question Him, or even get mad ... just don't STAY there!

When our little girl died...I asked over and over again, "why?" Just 3 weeks ago yesterday, the husband of a dear friend of mine - a wonderful godly husband and dad - was killed on his motorcyle on his way to work; a lady (who turned out to be a pastor's wife, poor thing) pulled out from a stop sign and he was killed instantly. He was wearing his helmet, going the speed limit, he had the right-of-way...did everything right. But the Lord has our days written out in His book of life and we live and serve at HIS pleasure; especially Christians. None of us are promised tomorrow.

We also need to remember that we live in a fallen world. And especially as Christians, we have an enemy who HATES us, whose greatest desire is our fall and our pain. Sometimes I think he picks the strongest in faith to drive in the biggest hurts...like Job, I think God has told him not to take our lives. After the shock and sadness and anger and grief start to fade - just a little - I pray that we will all be faithful enough to remember that something about this will serve God's purpose to expand His kingdom...we may never even know what that was...but HE IS ALWAYS WORKING.

As Nanny said in her comment, the Lord PROMISED not to give us more than we can handle. And I admit, I've looked up and asked, "Lord! Are You SURE you have the right person, here? Cos, I think You made a mistake picking me!" But...I put one foot in front of the other, I pray, I trust and I live. Sometimes - at least for a while - that's all you CAN do.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf

Anyone Use Multi-Year Unit Studies?

This is our 16th (and last ) year of homeschooling and up until this past spring, I was the county homeschool coordinator for 11 years. During my first couple of years as coordinator - and while our girls were still little - I noticed that many wonderful homeschool families were graduating students that made awesome grades and many were going on into college or trade school...but...even though they "made the grade" they couldn't fry an egg or change the oil in their cars!

It was then that I decided that little by little as we progressed through life and school - and MOST ESPECIALLY when they were in Jr and Sr high - that I was going to concentrate on Life Skills along w/the academics!! I have all girls and we have raised them to aspire to be wives/mothers...if they have some sort of career before then or find something they can do for pay at home, fine...but I wanted my daughters to know more than I did when my hubby and I were married! My mom was a working mom and if I hadn't had home ec in school, I probably wouldn't even know how to read a recipe. I didn't want my girls' husbands to suffer through all their 'experiments' like their sweet Daddy did w/me! lol

All that to say that I found a couple of really neat multi-year life skill unit studies!! (Maybe I'll post my reviews of them here sometime.) One is Far Above Rubies which can be used for 7 (YES!! 7) years! Through Jr & Sr high years. (It also has a boy's counter-part: Blessed is the Man which can be used along w/a girl using F.A.R.) This is a great product but once I got it, it had too much reading and research for what I wanted. THEN...I found out about Training Our Daughters to Be Keepers at Home. This one is a 4 year study - basically the high school years. Now, when I got this one, it was a little too much hands-on than what I wanted. What did I do?

For the last few years we have worked through it combining the two. When I start my planning I look through both studies and decide which units for each study can be used together and assign them that way. Mind you...this is done VERY loosely!! These books are basically - in our household, anyway - a guide.

What we have been doing over the last several years (and our oldest daughter who graduated from our homeschool in '06 is still doing) is as we study something we are adding to each girl's 3-ring notebook and making them each a Life Skills Manual as we go!! They will have these manuals to take w/them into THEIR homes when they leave to become keepers of their homes!

We have covered so much already...we have added recipes from the studies, themselves, plus our own family favorites and favorites passed down through the generations (each one of these recipes is made the day we add it to the binder); we have taken a tour of a funeral home and learned about what happens to the deceased, pricing, the process of grieving...we opened this up as a field trip w/others and as my pastor is the funeral home director he spoke about the difference in how a saved and unsaved family grieves, the promise of heaven for the believer...basically we wanted to take the mystery and scariness out of the process. The reason behind this is that my husband and I lost our 1st beautiful daughter to SIDS when she was 3 months old (22 years ago) and we had to make all those must-be-made-NOW decisions in the midst of our grief and inexperience. We have covered different home repairs projects, courtship and marriage, childbirth/child care, caring for the elderly, gardening, knitting, sewing...and so much more w/much more to do.

We also have written some of our own unit studies...some of which are expanded ideas from what we were working on w/the other studies.

So...I am wondering if any of you have ever used any multi-year unit studies and what your experiences were like.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf