Frugal Series: Hotels

I haven't done a post in a while on being frugal, so I am thinking that after vacation would be a great time to post about hotels. Now let me explain the difference in being cheap and being frugal in regards to hotels.

Cheap is what we look for when we are just needing a place to pull into around midnight, pass out, and get back on the road the next morning in a hurry. The price can go as low as your imagination allows as long as it is a clean place. In this circumstance I highly recommend that you ask to see the room BEFORE reserving it for the night, if you should find a room for say... $39 or such. Believe it or not there are some decent ones, BUT we typically go the frugal route. Mostly, because it is too hard to find a room that is cheap and clean.

Frugal is when the price may be higher than we want to really spend, but the extras offset the higher cost. For use this means usually paying $60 - $100 a night (usually on the $70 - $80 range). What we look for are hotels that have breakfast included. For our family we would easily spend $20+ if we had to eat out for breakfast the next morning. We also like to have a room with a microwave. We always travel with a cooler, but a mini-fridge is a nice bonus, too. A microwave is great for travel meals. What I mean by "travel meals" are things that our family does not eat a lot of on a normal basis, but can be made quickly, heated up easily, or eaten cold. A few examples are: canned soup, ramen noodles, popcorn, pre-cooked items from home (bbq sausage, etc.), canned veggies, sandwich items, oatmeal, etc.. Another option that is a money saver, but I confess I have not done is to go to a nearby store and buy frozen dinners to heat in the microwave. I am not a fan of these, but sometimes the kids think it is ultra-cool.... for now anyway. Probably twice in my kids existence we have purchased Kid Cuisine meals and they are cheap and highly appealing to children. They get to pick out their own meal complete with dessert, so it is a great way to make eating frugal fun.

The point is it needs to be a great place to stay that caters to families. Last winter the kids and I went with my husband on a short business trip. We stayed in a Hilton in downtown Houston. The staff was so "uppity"... you know... "snobby". Obviously, they are accustomed to serving clients that are there on business, but acted like the kids were a foreign species. We walked up to a pastry counter and, as kids will do, mine put there hands on the glass and peered in. They were in sheer delight and awe until the lady behind the counter asked them to not touch. Seriously, I know they probably left a handprint or two, but what kid would not touch the glass. Rude... rude is the word and disrespectful of children. I felt like my kids could not speak while we were there. That is just not the type of place I want my children in. Also, there were no microwaves and no breakfast included. There was a mini-fridge and it was stocked with drinks and snacks, but the prices were outlandish.

This past weekend I had to choose between the convenience of being on-sight at the THSC Conference hotel or staying at a more family friendly hotel down the road. I am so glad that we chose to stay off-sight at The Best Western Woodlands. They had a nice warm pool outside. I say this because many of the more expensive hotels we have stayed in have indoor pools, but are often chilly. We appreciated the warmth. We had a microwave in our room and a mini-fridge. Our room had free Wi-Fi internet, iron and ironing board, blow dryer, tissues, coffee and coffeemaker, soap dispenser, as well, as soap and shampoo dispensers in the shower. There was nothing missing that we could have needed. The breakfast included homemade Texas shaped waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy, various jellies, plain and blueberry bagels, toast, danishes, mixed tropical fruit, four cereal choices, 2% and whole milk, orange and apple juice. On one of the days the sausage and gravy were replaced with hashbrowns and grits to give some variety. If you did not have your own computer the hotel also provided one in the lobby for their guests. The staff was friendly and always nice to our children. And this is our experience at all such similar hotels. Two other hotels we stayed in this Summer were equally as great, so I want to mention them, also. The Holiday Inn Express and The Hamilton Inn.... these two were a little more upscale having all white super soft bedding and choices of soft and firm pillows, but the hospitality and family friendly atmosphere was there.

There are so many great hotels that are like this. Comfort Suites, Days Inn, and many others should get a mention. Make sure on your next trip you consider all these factors. The ONLY drawback for our family was having to commute daily to our conference. We were two overpasses away... a mere 15 minutes including parking the car in the free parking garage at the conference site. Not only do I feel we were good stewards of our money with this choice, but our kids experienced a good family friendly staff at our hotel.

Stuffing Six Into A Hotel Room With Two Beds

We are back from the THSC Homeschool and Family Conference and mostly unpacked. Oh yeah... I remembered what I was missing in the packing... and before we left. Yeah! It was a sleeping bag. When you have four kids and two adults to stuff in a room you have to have some extra bedding or two rooms. Since my children are so young there is no way we are opting for the extra room option. Even if we had two adjoining rooms I would not be able to rest with the possibility that one of them could just wonder out of the room. What we do for now is usually create some bedding or use a sleeping bag on the floor for my three year old. But you have to make it feel special! So this time I moved a chair out of the corner and put a sleeping bag folded into fourths in the corner. I then moved the chair back up to it to enclose it in like his own little room and told him he had his own little "man cave". He loved it and thought he had the most special bed in room! I soon realized that his corner bed was beside a nightstand that made it even more cave-like. He truly thought this was the coolest bed ever and would beg to stay in there. After awakening one night and getting in bed with us he soon realized he was not in his "man cave" and cried to go back there where he promptly fell right back to sleep.

Normally, we put Sahara in the bed with us. This time the room had a little bench seat in the foyer of the room. So, we moved our bed over a few inches and slid the bench in like a co-sleeper. We pushed the bed up firmly and used an extra blanket from the hotel room closet for more padding. It made the perfect little bed for her. The first night she crawled off the end and went walking and I awoke in horror to her screaming and looking for us. I retrieved her quickly and cuddled her into our bed and she fell right back to sleep. On the second night I just pulled her into bed with us from the beginning, but to my amazement on the third night she slept in her little bed ALL NIGHT LONG. Seriously, you have to know that this is a girl that is quite use to her place cuddled alongside her Momma in bed. She must have been exhausted! Hmmmm.... I guess a day a waterpark, followed by three days at conference, ending with a evening concert will do that to a girl. ;)

Anyway, I just accidentally "published" this unfinished post, so I will quickly rap this up. The older girls (six and nine) shared a bed and me and my husband shared a bed. Of course, part of the time we shared our bed with the kids, but hey... we had some moments with only three or two of us in the bed.

Hmmmm.... What Am I Forgetting?

Well, the packing is done and we will head out tomorrow morning to the THSC Conference. We are packing SUPER light for this trip and it has me thinking, "What am I forgetting?" Seriously, I have:

• one small suitcase with all the kids nightclothes & underwear/diapers (I like having all the bedtime routine stuff together
• one small plastic tote with all the personal hygeine items for us all
• one small suitcase with Sahara & Caden's clothing.... five outfits each
• one small suitcase with Sierra & Savannah's clothing ... five outfits each
• a duffle bag style suitcase for me... I like the big pockets in each end & side for seperating personal items... like make-up (argghhhh)
• another duffle bage style suitcase for my husband
• one computer case with my laptop & the mini laptop inside... yes, both will be stuffed in the single size laptop bage ;)
• one battery/electricity operated cooler..... because we got tired of buying ice & throwing away food on our five week vacation.
• a couple of very small beach totes for our waterpark venture
• A mesh tote bag with all our swimsuits
• Two small individual baby backpacks for the two little ones.... includes daily supply of diapers/undies, emergency clothes for Caden, tiny toys, Fun Pad & crayons. I will also be adding Dum-Dum suckers & Smarties, as well, as raisins, etc. for moments of desperation to quiet them if necessary. ;)
• The stroller.... is still up for debate whether to bring it. I am leaning toward doing it. I think it will be a bad move if we do not. Hmmmm...
• Okay, I think I need to add my purse.... and a box of "stuff" for my older two kiddos (books, coloring, small toys, etc.).... and some food is on board.

Okay.... okay. I am off to bed. That helps to clear my mind. And there is always a Wal-Mart/etc. right around the corner, right?!

THSC Conference

We are getting packed up for the THSC State Convention and Family Conference. We just got in and haven't even finished all the unpacking! Wow! This is pretty crazy. I think it would have been easier to go straight from our other vacation to the Conference, but my husband wanted to travel via our family van. We had a great trip with our bus, but we have spent the last five weeks in it and everyone is ready to travel in the van. The funny thing is after we get on the road they are going to remember how tightly we all have to be in the family van and they may be wishing we were back in the freshly cleaned up bus! Ha!

We are really looking forward to conference. My two older kids are ready to be spies on a mission for God and my two little ones are ready to crawl all over us while we are attempting to listen to the workshop speakers. You just never know what it will turn out like when you take your little ones. I have to get them a little activity pack prepared before we go. At the conference we usually split up and my husband takes one and I take the other. It is yet to be determined who will take which one. Last year I took Sahara, since I had to do her nursings. This year she may tag with Daddy and switch it up a bit. She is quite a handful, though.... I might take her to avoid Daddy having an anxiety attack! ;) I am also especially looking forward to seeing the Saturday night program with The Redhead Express. I know my whole family will enjoy that I think it will be quite inspiring for my older two who are interested in learning to play fiddle.

Anyway, I better get off here and pack. If we left right now we would only have nightclothes and underwear for the kids. That is just not gonna work! Let me know if YOU are going to the conference, also.

SETHSA 2010 & Baptism Decisions & VBS

I have been wanting to blog about my recent trip to the SETHSA Conference in Houston, TX, but time is a fleeting commodity around here. I left on June 3rd before the sun was up with a group of six ladies total to attend and be volunteers for the conference. We were in charge of helping direct attendees around the new venue, the Houston Baptist University Campus. It was a beautiful location. My team of ladies was the most delightful group of ladies that could possibly exist. Our team was so self-sacrificing. It seemed that everyone in our group was more concerned with others in the group being happy than their own happiness! It was refreshing and relaxing to be with such a wonderful group. We were provided rooms in the dorms and there were no complaints from our little team of ladies. We did have some issues with upper bunk beds, but our ladies quickly solved the problem by setting their matresses on the floor. Voila! No upper bunk beds to have to climb into. We had to divide our time up to be able to cover our work duties and still get to attend some of the workshop we wanted to experience and it went so well. I am in awe of these ladies and how quick they were to sacrifice what they wanted to be "fair" to one another! Truly they were the biggest blessing for me from attending this conference!

What made me laugh and cry at the same time? Todd Wilson of www.familymanministries.com !!! I could so totally relate to the the stories he told of life with children and homeschooling and I was moved to tears, while laughing hysterically, listening to hime talk about a true family man. I have a true family man in my house.... and he was back at home happy to take care of my four kiddos, so that I could attend this conference. I was missing them all terribly, too. I was quite excited to get to buy my hubby a T-Shirt from this family of ten for a mere $10 that says "Family Man" on it.

Also, Todd Wilson was the opening Keynote Speaker for the conference and he talked about the Dream Killers.... those people that are always killing your dreams. There is great power in words... they can be dream killing or dream reviving. He finished with reminding us not to be the dream killers for our children! It was very powerful.

Another thing that impacted me were the workshops about focusing on making a "heart change" in your children rather than focusing on discipline punishments. The speaker was Debbie Bryan from The National Center for Biblical Parenting. In the future I might try to blog about this in more depth, but I would just say that is worth researching on your own and I will leave you with this from my workshop notes: It is not about the suffering... It is about the heart change! So, we want to work on character training and not making our kids "pay" for how they have done wrong.

I also got to hear Debbie Strayer speak about using a unified approach to tying teaching together. It was great stuff! A brief example would be to have the child do some writing, then use that writing to develop that child's spelling list, as well as, focus on the grammatical errors that child is making. She is a friend to Ruth Beechick and her Editor. She is co-author of the Learning Language Arts Through Literature Series and she the co-author to a new curriculum that looks fabulous called Trail Guide to Learning by Geography Matters. Now, I am not running out to switch from My Father's World, but it looks good... just saying. I am sticking right where I am at, but it might be something I look at one day... just never know.

Well, that is my brief run down in these stolen moments. I came back Saturday just in time to snuggle with my kiddos before bedtime and tuck them in. Sunday we went to church and my SIX YEAR OLD, SIERRA, WALKED DOWN TO MAKE HER PUBLIC PROFESSION OF FAITH AND SHE IS EAGER TO BE BAPTIZED!!! Yippee!!! She truly is ready! And now we are on Day Four of our VBS week and it is amazing, also! Life is grand!!

SETHSA Conference in Texas

I am just wondering if anyone out there is going to the SETHSA Conference here in Texas on June 4th and 5th. I will be there working some as a volunteer and I look forward to seeing some of you there.... hopefully, I will get a chance to meet some of that I have never met before! I will be leaving my family behind for the FIRST TIME EVER.... well, with exception to the times I have gone into the hospital to bring home a new baby. ;) Funny thing is that when I told Savannah the time frame I would be gone that is exactly what she compared it to, also. I really had not planned to go to this conference at all this year, but I got a chance to volunteer and attend the conference for free. You just can't bet that! And did I mention that they are providing the lodging for our group of ladies, also. It is a wonderful OPPORTUNITY... an opportunity to be of help and to gain some more insight through the workshops and a chance to put my hands on some materials and physically look through them. Another amazing thing for me as that I can leave my husband here with my kids to take care of them because he will have just finished up his teaching job for the year. He is officially off for Summer after this coming Friday. He is the one person that I trust my kids with. Without him looking after them I would not leave them. Another wonderful thing is that I am getting to take a team of ladies with me. It is an opportunity to share this blessing with them. I don't know alll their situations, but I know that going to conference can sometimes put a strain on the budget and I am just thrilled to get to offer this opportunity to this team of ladies. I can't hardly wait! Now I just have to go and get all my ducks in a row and get prepared.....

FREE Conference Audios

I also stumbled across this link for some free conference audios. I checked it out to make sure it is okay for anyone to access it and this is the statement on the page:
These audios are provided with permission from CHEC, our state homeschool group. Their website is www.chec.org.
Listen online to the following workshops: (If you would like to download or purchase a title, you will be directed to the website for Best Christian Conferences after you select a workshop title)

As long as you are just listening it is FREE! There are many speakers on the page, but I want to mention that Voddie Baucham and Steve & Teri Maxwell (MOTH/MOTC) are amongst the listings!!! Enjoy!!!

Just a Revision and Voddie Baucham

I just noticed I had a little mess up with a recent post. I just fixed it, but I thinking that some of you may not have noticed the post. Follow this link and let's get to know each other better. I know some of you are working on it and I look forward to hearing your answers. If you are a "lurker" there is no time like the present to show your "face" blog style! :) You may not realize it, but I would love to "meet" you.

Another VERY IMPORTANT THING is that I just found THIS WEBSITE for Voddie Baucham Ministries and it is f~a~b~u~l~o~u~s !!! You can listen to some of Voddie Baucham's sermons and let me tell you that you can't miss out on this. If you want to change your life for the better you want to take time for this. I had the pleasure of hearing him at the THSC Convention in August and it is a life changing thing. If you are already on the track that his sermons are on it will absolutely seal the deal for you. There is an MP3 I have at home called "Getting Your House In Order" that would change this world if the world would just listen to it and follow the instructions. I had the pleasure of hearing it live at the convention and it is absolutely a God thing that a man could speak so clearly from a man's perspective and a woman's perspective. You all know that men and women are two totally different creatures and my first thought was that I was about to hear a man's perspective only.... regarding such things as submission, etc.. I was open to that and had come there expecting it, but I was amazed that he "brought it"... and he brought it from a woman's perspective, as well. Not only that he handled a children's perspective quite well, also. That is not a "talent" or a "great speaker" thing... that is a total God thing!
I wish I could share the MP3s I have... and I am willing, if I knew how.... ;) At least, go listen to the others on the site! Have a blessed day!!

Homeschool Conference Observation

Interesting observation:

On the way home from the THSC Convention

my husband mentioned that what stood out to him

was that EVERYONE was so nice and polite.

They would ALL hold the doors open for you, etc..

So, I don't guess I mind so much

if my kids are weird like that!! ;)

The Last Conference of the Summer... I think ;)

Well, we made a last minute decision to attend the Texas Home School Coalition Convention and I am so glad we did. Crazily, this is the third conference I have attended this summer. I attended one at the beginning of the summer and it was a blessing in the end, but not quite what I was thinking it would be. I walked away with a lot to think about... some good... some not so good. In the end it was a major turning point in my thinking... like I said, some good... some bad. I have spent the summer really sorting through my thoughts and my mixed feelings. A couple of weeks ago I seriously started thinking that maybe homeschooling might be a mistake after all. Anxiety began to set in about the beginning of our homeschool year. Conviction reminded me that God had revealed to me that if I could just look at it long term, then I would see it would be the best thing for our family.

This summer I also got a glimpse of homeschooling that I did not like as much... I won't go into all that, but I have seen a side to it that does not appeal to me as much. My kids are in a position to be hurt by the decision to homeschool in some ways that are hard for me to come to terms with. I have seen their hearts being broken some this summer and my kids are already used to too much heartbreak within relationships outside the doors of our home. Now I do realize I can not protect them from all heartbreak, so we made another important decision this summer that I initially did not want to do. I decided to enroll them in a local homeschool co-op where they will attend classes twice a month. I am not interested in the classes really, but rather have made this decision in an effort to encourage the forging of new friendships with children that are leading similar lives to theirs. So, yes... we did decide to continue homeschooling.

The next thing I did was attend a smaller local conference that made it's debut. The Mid-County Home School Confence and it was such a blessing. The workshop sessions were honestly better than the conference I attended at the beginning of the summer (... uhem.. partially because they were all presented by fellow homeschoolers... rather than people that have never homeschooled... I think that is important... just me and my point of view). Being at that conference calmed my anxiety... roughly by about 90 percent!! So, I got to thinking that maybe one more conference would do the trick, if it was good.

We decided (after I bore my poor husband with all my thoughts and wishy-washy discussions) that it was worth a shot to attend the Texas Home School Coalition Convention. Maybe it would be just the thing to calm those last little bit of nerves. The timing is not so good, but maybe it is just the right timing... My husband returns to his job as a public school teacher on Tuesday following the conference and I am beginning our homeschool on Monday. Anyway, good timing or not we are here and I am glad we made the decision to come. I have never seen this many homeschoolers in my life. It is almost unbelieveable and it really makes you realize that so many people are switching to homeschooling their kids. They are just everday normal people. I "stepped on some toes" after attending the first conference when I jokingly (half jokingly and half seriously) made some comments about my concerns about what my kids would turn out like. I am sorry to those that may have been offended, but I am human... not a perfect being. I do not want my kids to be outcasts or considered strange. And no, I do not want them to be worldly either.. I want them to set themselves apart from the world as Christians (and they already do). If it came down to their salvation or being popular or trendy, then I, of course, would want them to be saved nerds with really out-dated clothing. :) It is great to see that the vast majority of homeschoolers just blend in and do not look strange.... come on.... we have all thought it.... and you should know that I for the most part have no style and need to lose 20 pounds... can't stand make-up , but wear it when I feel I have to... am toooooooo talkative to a fault... dress my kids in hand-me-downs and mostly bargain clothing (although I am choicey most of the time when we are out of the house)... I am not at all trendy and if it remotely appears that way it is only after a shopping spree (rare)... I wear buns and funky ponytails to avoid styling my hair... I am NOT trendy or in-style most days ... nor care, so I don't really have huge vanity issues... BUT I still feel I have an obligation to not make my kids outcasts, etc., if it can be prevented... I want to make them well rounded individuals to the best of my ability (AND GOD'S, OF COURSE). All that to say I am feeling bettter after a trying summer about our homeschooling decision. And I have met some phenominal people homeschooling!!! (more on that later... got to sleep... it is after midnight and the bed is calling)

Back To School Preparation Time

Too busy these days... and no, I am not really accomplishing much, so don't envy me ;) ... wanted to share some info.... A few days ago we went to Manning's Open House for Educators and got to see some new (and old) products displayed and get some freebies. First of all, I got way too many catalogs, but that's okay. They are great for brainstorming and using some of the ideas, as well as, having them to order from, etc.. Some of the other freebies I got were :

Sergeant paints, sculpting clay, markers; various pens and markers; window marker; two Steve Spangler Mentos geysers kits; various scratch pads; decorative note pads; awards tags; achievement/chore sheets; Carson Dellosa sample Panda poster; spray hand sanitizer; bookmarks; etc.. All that and they served Walnut brownies, a variety of yummy cookies, mini sub sandwiches, and drinks. Throughout our visit we were served soda or bottled water while we waited... did I mention we were there THREE HOURS?! Yikes! But I am glad we went.

So, what did I buy? Not much because we had all our kiddos and we needed to get out of there and it was a packed house. I have some things I will go back for, but all I bought was this wonderful little folding ruler made by It's Academic. So, it folds down to the size of one inch, which I think is a great visual way to put into perspective just how much one inch is. Also, when folded down you see the numbers on the side and it shows the odd numbers.... when folded a different way you see the even numbers and at the same time counting by twos. I am going to use it as a visual for fractions, also. Many uses... great hands-on visual and only $1.49 !

What was the coolest thing that stood out for me? Crayola Dry Erase Crayons!! Great for the kids to use on dry erase boards, but also great for the teacher, too. I can't stand how quickly dry erase markers dry up. These crayons are just like crayons only softer making them smooth flowing to write with. Very similar to a grease pencil, if you are familiar with those. The crayons EASILY wipe away. Oh yeah, I did not buy them because they will not arrive in the store for about two more weeks. I tried to find a link, but they are not even on www.Crayola.com, yet. I assure you they exist... maybe we will see them in stores soon.

A couple days later I attended a small local Conference that made it's debut. It was the first annual Mid-County Homeschool Conference (MCHC). They did a great job and I believe it will grow tremendously in the years to come. I loved the workshop sessions and they had a panel of four homeschool graduates that did an Open Forum Q & A segment. They also had a panel of four homeschool fathers that did an Open Forum Q & A segment. All the speakers were local and they were great. It was a great opportunity to re-focus on our homeschool. I have been feeling a sense of fear the closer we get to starting our new year off. And I actually keep pushing our start date back because I don't feel ready. Going to this conference really helped me start to feel a little more ready. Ready or not we will start back on Monday, anyway. :) My husband will go back to work on Tuesday, so we might as well jump in to!

I have been re-organizing our school area, developing a schedule for our day, trying to figure out a strategy to make it all work, begging Savannah to please try to do her work without a struggle, looking through their school books, etc.. Okay, yes... today I begged Savannah and she said she would. And she will.... she tries, but she just is distractable and thinks she has to be perfect which is a bad combo. She is a wonderful kid and just today her Sunday School teacher was talking to me about her. She was the last one to leave the classroom because she was not finished with her project and I looked at her teacher and said something about her "speed" in doing things and the teacher said, "But she has such a sweet, sweet spirit." And she does!! She is a wonderful child.... and I am too hard on her. I just can't fail her.... she has to learn and learn well. And she is, but what is missing is all the fun extras that we have to push out because of all the procrastinating. Urghhh.... she has learned that from us, too. I have to admit that.... all her faults come from us, her parents. Arghhh... reality stinks doesn't it. So, I have to find what we are doing wrong and fix it. Like NOW! One of the speakers at the MCHC said that when you start homeschooling one of the things that happens is God starts to show you your problem areas. She said God let her see she had an anger problem. Yikes.... I'm sure she is not the first homeschool mom to have this revelation. We get frustrated and angry and start crying or squawking like a child ourselves. So, we have to deal with our issues.... not easy... but it is necessary to accomplish our goals. The one thing I said when I started homeschooling is that my biggest fear was that my kids would turn out like me. So, I am working on my issues.... I'm sure if I fix my issues then her will be fixed... simple really... right?! ;)

Okay, so I got a little pick-me-up from the MCHC, but now I am thinking that I might want to make last minute plans to attend the THSC Convention this weekend in Houston. Maybe it would just give me that extra boost and "direction". Maybe my husband could find some support in going and my kids could get another chance to enjoy a conference experience. Anyway, blogging is not something I can spend much time on these days... sorry, no pics right now.... and I have to get off this computer.... arghhhh... quite honestly, I would rather sit here and type and run from all the things that I should be doing, but I can't and I am sorry for that. I hope some of you will stick with my boring blog until I can commit more time to it. ;) Goodnight!!

ONE Simple Summer Project

We have been really busy and trying hard to really get a good routine with homeschooling... Ahem, we are failing miserably, but maybe by mid-August we will get it figured out. I have one that does not like to cooperate, so a five minute assignement stretched easily to 30 minutes and on days like today it is even worse... Seriously, a 15 minute writing assignment turned into 55 minutes of complaining and whining and then, when I finally told her that homeschool momma's can make their kids repeat a grade level and order the same book for next year she promptly did her writing assignment in 5 minutes!!! ARGHHHHHHHHH!!! Anyway, that is all the complaining I will do tonight on here... Moving on! As I was saying we have been busy and I have tons of pics and topics I could blog about, but I am going to stick with ONE Simple Summer Project that we did last week. Nothing grand..... just simple fun!

Supplies:

Permanent Markers (i.e. Sharpies)

Roll of Aluminum Foil

Clear Tape

Scraps of Cardboard or Heavy Paper

Hole Punch & String (optional, if you wish to hang it)

This probably does not require instructions, but cut your cardboard the size you want. Wrap in foil being careful not to wrinkle it up. Tape the foil to secure it in place. If your kids are young, you may want to draw them some designs to color in. That was the route we took. I asked what they wanted on it and drew VERY ABSTRACT images with the Sharpies plus added my cheezy little saying on it. After that I gave it to them to color and add any more details they wanted.

My kids had a great time with this. I know it is simple, but sometimes simple is best. They loved how shiney it was. Another spin on this could be to make different shapes and string them together like a mobile and hang out in the yard for and watch them sparkle in the sun. I have been following a tip that David Hazell* passed on at the homeschool conference... It is better to do a simpler version of a project than not to do the project at all. I totally agree! He used an example of making a sundial. If you can't manage to make the sundial, then rather than skip the sundial project altogether just simply stick a stick in the ground and observe the shadow throughout the day. It is still teaching the concept and you did not drive yourself crazy and stress out to do it! ;) Did I mention I REALLY like him. (*My Father's World @ www.mfwbooks.com)

School's Out For Summer... School's Out Forever...

Okay, well not forever and technically I am refering to my husband the public school teacher. We are going to be homeschooling year round with lots of breaks! And excuse the reference to secular music, but who can resist a song that most of us have sung at the end of every school year of our life! I am so excited because I am ready to gain some order after out trial run of seven months of homeschooling. It has really taken it's toll on our house, but now I have a clearer picture of what I want our homeschool experience to be like. It seems that my husband and I are on the same track ... at least, some. We went our seperate ways at the SETHSA conference with me hoping that we could come together at the end and collaborate what we had gained. It seems that may not have been the best approach and after I realized Cody was just "putting on a good face" for me I suggested we go in a workshop together... the last one of our final day. David Hazell was the speaker and the workshop title was "Developing An Independent Learner". Something you should realize about David Hazell is that you are going to get so much more from him than just what the workshop title states. That is how it should be. Yes, he gave a great cram-packed one hour presentation on "developing independent learners", but in the process he shared his ideas of how the home should be run, scheduling your day, financially preparing your kids, sharing the world with your kids, how to change you to change them, how to teach from different perspectives and ages, etc.. Cody really was on board with what David Hazell had to say and liked his ideas. I was to and that made me realize that many of our (Cody & I) ideas for what we want are the same. I know it seems we should already know that, but Cody and I both very different. I am structure... Cody is unstructure. I think that workshop made him realize that to have all the unstructured time you have to have the structured time. When you have a house full you have "marry" the two... structure marries unstructure... Shannon marries Cody.... LOL! So, if we can have that structure in the early part of the day, then we can have unstructured afternoons. Anyway, I think we can start our Summer restructuring this house! LOL!

So, when he gets home in an hour I am ready to get the ball rolling! I can't wait to collaborate on our ideas and really focus on what we both want for our family! I am very excited!

Bible At The Center

More Conference talk about David Hazell... In his workshop he said that he and his wife had searched various curriculums trying to find one that Bible was the center of and they never did. Sure there were the ones that had Bible in them, but it was not the focus. The focus was academics. So the question becomes what are we teaching our kids concerning the Bible?

When we have a dentist apoointment, etc. and we take our schoolwork along is it Math and English we are focused on taking with us? Are those the subjects it is important not to miss? Shouldn't it be Bible?! Think on that.

When we miss schoolwork completely for a day, what do we "make-up"? Once again is it Math and English? Not Bible? What is the message we are sending our kids? Math and English are more important than Bible!! Yikes! Is that the message we want send? So, let's put Bible at the center!!! Let's send the right message!

So, this is my version of David Hazell's story that lead to the development of My Father's World curricula. By the way, I would totally switch to MFW! I am not because I am going to make use of what I have for the three R's and apply the principles I want into it. If you are searching for curricula I would highly recommend looking into MFW.

Home From Conference

I am home from the SETHSA Conference and I have much that I want to share. I would love to share it all in one post, but I am not going to have time to sit and type as I have much work to do this week. Unpacking for six will consume much of my time, as well as, another busy week. My kids all have VBS this week at church! I am so excited for them. VBS was a precious treasure for me as a child the few times I got to attend. I was not raised in church, so I really looked forward to the one time of the year that I would get to go. I would go to my aunt's house for the week and go to VBS with my cousin. I soooooo loved it!

Okay... re-focusing on the conference. First thing I want to share is a program that I am interested in that goes beyond Chore Charts. And let me just say first that I am strongly considering the MOTC (Manager's Of Their Chores) system, but I saw this one and I am intrigued. See, I don't really want to be going behind my kids forever asking and nagging them about what they have done... Nor do I want to have to check off check marks or put stickers on their charts. I have tried some approaches like that and I simply forget the chart myself then, it does not work out and we are back to square one. I want to make them accountable for their own actions. So, I bought the book for the Accountable Kids system. You can check it out at www.accountablekids.com . Go check it out, if you are interested and I plan to review it somewhat here on my blog after reading the book. The system is quite expensive for multiple children, but would be worth it if it works well. I chose to read the book before I invest any more in it... and I am considering using it a bit differently, too. After reading the book I will know if I can adapt/merge it with what I have in mind or if it needs to be used as it is. The basic theory is that your kids come to their board at the start of the day and as they accomplish their goals they move their cards over. They then go to mom and ask for their "Privilege Card" which they take back and hang on their board. The responsibility and accountability falls on the child and they learn that there are consequences for THEIR actions and without confrontations. If done properly this system encourages SELF discipline. Now couldn't all of our kids use more self discipline!? You can't have too much of that! ;)

You are going to be hearing a lot from me about David Hazell! I know.. I said that last post already, but what I want to quickly share right now is that if you go to his website at www.mfwbooks.com you can buy his workshop CDs super cheap!! I could have gotten his recordings at the SETHSA conference for $7 each, but he has his own on the site for $3.95 each or you can order all SEVEN for only $17.50 !!! I have had a couple of you say that you would love to go to his workshops, so stop waiting for the chance and order his CDs. I went to THREE of the four he did at the conference and I wish I had gone to the other one... Shucks! I missed it, but thank you God that I went in the other three!! Also, I know he is going to be at the THSC Convention in Houston, TX in August. I know a couple of you are going to that, so you are going to get to see him there. Take advantage of seeing him then!!! Seriously, if I end up going to that one I will go to every one of his workshops. :) Well, maybe just the ones I missed, but I might attend a repeat! Hehehe! I just looked and one of the workshops that really hit the nail on the head for me ("Combining Classical, Charlotte Mason, and Unit Studies") is not on his list of CDs. I really enjoyed it and found myself thinking, "Yeah, that's me." after every sentence he said. I was suprised because there is so much confusion for me about "labeling" what type of homeschooler you are. I have not been in it long enough to know what all the methods are, so previously I thought I must not have a category! LOL! Apparently, I am turning out to be Ecclectic which encompasses Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, etc.. Previously, I had thought I was for sure not Classical or Charlotte Mason, but he talks a bit about some misconceptions. An example of that would be that some think that to be Charlotte Mason you have to teach your kids to speak French. He explained that CM believed in teaching a second language, but not a specific one. CM lived in Europe and France was a neighboring country, so it made sense to teach her kids French. In Texas you might teach Spanish because we border Mexico or you mighth simply choose a language significant to your culture (Ex. You live USA and speak English, but are Spanish and so you teach your kids Spanish, also). (.... to be continued... goodnight!)

Conferences Is Over!

We are still in Houston at the SETHSA Conference, but it is over! Whew! No one mentions how tiring it is. I heard all about how it can be life changing and refrshing, but not about the exhausting part.

I have to say that I did enjoy it in the end, but it started out as kind of a let down to me. OOOOhhhh... did I say that?! I am being totally honest here, so I hope I do not step on anyone's toes. The first two workshops I went in were just not worth my time and it is sad to say, but it seems that much like the public school system we are so desperate to gain knowledge and encouragement that we will take anything we can get. I have never mentioned on my blog that I used to work for Region 5 Education Service Center in Texas in the Special Education & Pre-School department. I used to put together Conferences and Workshops for the public school system. Ok....Ok... yeah... my husband and I are a strange pair for homeschooling.... a public school teacher and an ex-ESC employee. Given my experience I know good speakers are few and far between. I think I thought that it would be different and better in the homeschooling world! And much to my suprise there were actually Presenters that were public school teachers who had never homeschooled. On day two for the first workshop I chose I got one of those.... Do I have to tell you how fast I walked out of that workshop! And after some thought I realized why the Presenters name was so familiar to me... I think the ESC had used her for workshops. Her information was good and useful and I will keep the handout, but I didn't come here for something I can get in a handout. I am way to informed for that. I want to hear from someone that can speak about the experiences I am going through! I am not writing this to focus on the negative side, but I think it has to be said that as homeschoolers we need to expect more! Make sure that when you got to Conference this summer or in the future that you GET what YOU go for! Keep your focus on what you want to attain and search it out... and don't be afraid to POLITELY walk out and look elsewhere. And on that note... I do not want this to turn into a rant so off of that and on with other things.

When I walked out of that workshop I meet two amazing ladies in the hallway. I did not initially realize that they had also walked out of the same workshop. We began talking and I got more from talking to them than they will ever realize. We exchanged names and email addresses and I so look forward to contacting them in the future! I also met another lady that just moved to Houston from Oklahoma and immediately noticed some common ground. I only wish I was nearby to offer her some support.... maybe through email will be enough. I can't imagine being a newbie homeschooler and new to the area, also. I think I can put her in touch with some people or just be a friend and that is all great. We exchanged email, also. My husband met some guys, but of course God will have to work a miracle because men do not exchange contact info. ;) It did my husband good to talk with some guys involved in homeschooling. Of course, now my husband is more aware of the nerdiness factor for male homeschoolers and we will be on a mission to make sure my son who is surrounded by girls will not be a "weirdo" (husband's qoute). Uh-hem.... I am totally on board with that, too. It is a great thing to be a Jesus Freak, homeschooling, individually different, and kind young man, but you can do it and look good at the same time.... ya know! My goal is not to raise a total "momma's boy", but rather to raise a man that can lead his home when the time comes. I challenge you as mothers to do the same. They are with us so much that this will need extra emphasis and even so much that I am going to have Man School for my Caden. Watch for coming blogisodes of Man School coming soon! LOL! ;)

What was good at the conference? Seeing other homeschoolers, being able to look through the materials on display, and the freedom to drag your kids along through it all without concern for what they SEE or that they are a bother to others. What I mean by that is that is nice to be around people that enjoy being around kids! The speakers that I saw that were good were Charlene Notgrass and Rosie Watson. And I will go into that more in a future post, but for now I "should be" packing, so I have to keep it short. The speaker that I saw that was GREAT was David Hazell. He is the co-founder and co-writer of the My Father's World Curriculum. Once I skeptically wandered into "a guy's perspective" workshop I went to all his workshops from then out! I did not expect it!!! I totally got more out of one hour with him that I got out of the entire conference. Awesome! I will blog about it all later.... gotta run before they kick us out of this place!! Hehehehe!!