Organized Home School Mom

Home School Articles

2007-07-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have recently added a series of links to home school related articles. These articles are very helpful. You will find the links on the sidebar.

I Found the Cutest Christmas Gift!!

2005-11-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

Photo Stamps!

I have already ordered a sheet of photo stamps for each of my family members! I uploaded my photos into the photo stamp program, used their cropping tool and chose the best border color to match each photo. It was so easy and fun! I can't wait to see their faces when they open their presents. I am also sending them to extended family!

The neatest part is that these are real postage stamps that can really be used to send mail! How fun is that?? You can put your own photo stamp on postcards, letters or anything you need to mail!

Math - Ugh!

2005-11-29T05:36:00.000-08:00

Math - There are not any shortcuts. I wish I could get that through my children's heads. Especially in math. They must do all of their work every day, have it graded and be tutored on each of the problems they missed. This goes back to my post on accountability. I have to ensure that this entire process happens each day. Math cannot wait a few days.

My children are very good about getting most of their subjects completed but my youngest continues to try to get away with not doing his math or more precisely, he doesn't do portions of his math. He simply skips over what he can't instantly recall.

He does struggle with remembering what he has previously learned so math programs that jump from skill to skill without repetition of previous skills are not well suited for him.

I have taught fractions, decimals, and percents so many times that I keep thinking this will be the last time I have to teach this skill. They know it now. Well, lofty thought. I have gone back to a math review for my youngest. I am having him do the Key-To series in my attempt to get those skills stuck solidly in his head. He needed to move onto algebra but is struggling with basic concepts making algebra impossible.

The Key-To series only works on one skill family for a whole series of books. It should give him plenty of repetition and quickly bring his skill level up to the level required to be able to complete his algebra program.

I suppose one of the best benefits of home schooling is the ability to work with each individual child on the exact material that would benefit them the most.

I thank the Lord for allowing me the ability to continue to home school. I pray for clarity of thought and the ability to see my children's real needs and my role in fulfilling those needs.

As always,
Blessings,
Julie

Happy Birthday Jacob!

2005-11-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today is my son Jacob's 22 birthday. This year he is celebrating with his new wife - Brannan : )

Jacob - I just wanted to sing you "Happy Birthday" but just doing it over the phone this morning wasn't enough.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Jacob !!!
Happy birthday to you : )

I love you and I am proud of the man you have become.
Love,
Mom

Christmas Time Is Upon Us!

2005-11-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

With Black Friday here and gone already, the Christmas season is officially here. I suppose it is not even politically correct to say "Christmas Season" anymore but it will take a herd of pigs flying directly overhead to get me to drop the word Christmas from my vocabulary. In fact, I am going to make it a point to say it several times throughout this post!

Being a home school family is especially rewarding during Christmas time. We have time to do special projects geared toward the real reason for the season. Christ!

One of those Christmas projects has been to create a Jesse Tree. A Jesse Tree is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Christ by making special ornaments, each symbolic of a prophetic scripture. All of the scriptures are based on the Isaiah 11:1 that says:

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

Of course that branch was Jesus.

The Christmas ornaments are placed on the Jesse Tree, one each day along with a reading of the scripture that the ornament is symbolizing. By creating a Jesse Tree, not only do you learn more of our savior but also have a craft project for your family to participate in together.

There are many, many websites with Jesse Tree instructions and ornament patterns. Type Jesse Tree into a google search to find the one that best suits your family.

May your Christmas season be blessed.

Julie

What Is Thankfulness?

2005-11-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

I got to thinking about the holiday that is upon us and I wondered if my son knew what the word "Thankfulness" really meant. So I asked him. All of his answers contained the word thanks, thankful, or some other derivitive or else expressed the things he was thankful for. As the, "Always seeking a teachable moment" home school mom, we set out to find the dictionary definition.

Aware and appreciative of a benefit (Dictionary.com)

I guess this year is a particularly hard year emotionally for me - (I say that every year around the holidays) but this year, I have the pleasure of working a 14 hour shift on Thanksgiving. I keep thinking to myself, "I sure don't harbor any feelings of thanksgiving this year." But - when I wipe away the dirty smudge of discontent that buries my thankfulness, I find I am overwhelmed with things to be thankful for.

It seems the most important one is that God has ingrained within the human race the ability (and duty) to be thankful in all circumstances. For this I am thankful. What would life be like if we never experienced the feeling of thankfulness.

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!
Julie

Indoor Home School Activities

2005-11-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

The weather has finally turned cold! I almost feel like Winnie the Pooh on the blustery day because the wind has picked up so much. Our forcast says it will continue to get colder throughout the day so . . . I am planning some indoor activities to bring us together closer as a family.

Some Ideas:

Play our favorite card game
Make a giant pot of home made soup
Get our surfaces ready for Christmas decorations (Oops, did I say "Work"?)
Start organizing our box of photos to try making our first scrapbook
(My family loves digging out the box! I imagine they will love scrapbooks even more.)
My son wants to learn game programming so I pulled that book off the shelf.
Pop some popcorn and watch a great movie together
Set up the card table with a new jigsaw puzzle
Put out a bowl of unshelled nuts
Get the black walnuts from our tree out of the husks (messy job - dyes your skin black but they will make a great addition to our bowl of unshelled nuts!)

Well, that is a start. I don't plan on being bored this winter and I don't anticipate my children being bored either. I love the wintertime. I think it is my favorite time of the year. Hopefully we will all draw even closer together this winter as we share a variety of indoor activities but more importantly - It is my desire that as a family we all turn our hearts and minds even more to the Lord and draw closer to Him.

Blessings,
Julie

This Beautiful Autumn

2005-11-03T18:11:00.000-08:00


I wanted to take a minute to encourage everyone to enjoy
the cool weather and the spectacular fall colors. 
God never ceases to amaze me with the magnificence of
His creation.
Blessings,
Julie

For a fresh approach to organizing your home school curriculum
Go To:The Full-Year Notebook System

Full-Year Notebook Affiliate Program

2005-11-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I finally got my new affiliate program up and running on the Full-Year Notebook website. There is a new URL to sign up as an affiliate. If you are interested in adding an affiliate product to your website or blog, go to:

Full-Year Notebook Affiliate Program Information

Registration is quick and easy. You receive your affiliate link immediately via email so you can use it almost as soon as you sign up.

To see the product go to http://full-year-notebooks.com

Affiliate tools will be added to the website soon.

As always, Blessings to you,
Julie

Cold Weather Meals

2005-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

As the seasons are changing, I am finding it enjoyable to start thinking about the cold weather recipes I have wanting to cook for my family. Chili, Stew, and Chicken Noodle Soup are the three that are highest on my list. Yum!

Actually eating the food takes second place to my memories of these foods. I love it when we have all been outside - working, playing, hiking, or any other outdoor activity that works up an appetite- all bundled up because of the cold - then come back into the house after the food has been simmering all day long.

The warmness of the house combined with the aroma of home cooking has seared fond memories into my subconscience, not just from my current home but also from growing up. Being the loving mom that I am, I want to pass fond memories of home on to my children who will hopefully pass them on to my grandchildren : )

There are many heritage related aspects of home and family that I desire my children to pass on to future generations and food is probably the least of them but for now, the leaves need raking and the crockpot is empty. I think I will go take care of them both right now.

Blessings,
Julie

Do you need recipes? Are you bored with the meals you have been serving to your family?
Click the link for this incredible collection of recipes!

Working and Home Schooling - Accountability

2005-10-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Just this past week I have realized that I have not been following through with the most important aspect of being a working home school mom. I have not been checking my kids work on a daily basis. We had a wedding this past week and because mom (me) was busy with preparations before the wedding and out-of-town company after the wedding, kids took unapproved time off of school. No wonder we end up working all summer long every year.

This year, I am going to focus most of my attention on accountability. I have the perfect home school curriculum planner and record keeping system to do all of my planning and record keeping but even having the perfect planner does not make up for daily accountability.

I hate the feeling of being behind. The Full-Year Notebook System takes away a lot of that stress but the kids still have to do their work. The only way to ensure that daily work is getting done is to have a time set aside each day for me to check their work. I also like to restrict activities until their work is checked but this usually makes me feel guilty if I am unable to get to it early enough in the day so this is a flexible rule of mine. If it is my fault, they can participate in the activity as long as all of their work is finished before I check it. If it is their fault that they have not finished their work, they cannot participate in the activity.

I don't like to resort to the flexible rule because they have to do work based on what I checked. If they have already taken off for the day, it is very difficult to get them back to correct their mistakes or do additional work in areas they don't understand. I also like them with me as I am checking their work. That way they can see that they are the ones who made the mistakes and I am not the bad guy who just marks everything wrong because I am out to get them. I guess I consider this as "Tutor Time" rather than just checking their work.

My sister has a saying - Inspect what you expect. She told me this saying years ago when we were discussing daily household chores. I find it to be an appropriate saying to apply to school work as well.

Because I am looking forward to having the summer off this year, I am hereby committing to being more diligent about daily Tutor Time! I hope some of you will make this same sort of committment.

Blessings,
Julie

They're Married!

2005-10-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

As the newlyweds honeymoon at a resort in the Ozark Mountains, I have been busy throwing together a website with some of the pictures taken at their wedding. It was so beautiful. We couldn't have asked for a prettier day for an outdoor wedding.

This is a temporary website that I literally threw together (with the help of my niece Emilie : ) so please don't expect too much!

http://full-year-notebooks.com/wedding

These young people have made some committments to each other and to God that most wouldn't dream of making. Included in those committments was to experience their first kiss as husband and wife. There is a photo on the website which captures that special moment.

Watching them kiss for the first time was like experiencing the joy of training them up in the way that they should go. I had my doubts at times. There were days that I felt I was wasting my time because my kids didn't hear a word I said much less the still small voice of the Lord. I kept plugging away, day after day, year after year in obedience to what I believed my Father was encouraging me to do and this past weekend I was able to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

Both of these young people were homeschoolers and I am delighted for my son to have chosen such a lovely young lady who loves and serves the Lord. He was raised to seek his bride's hand only after receiving the blessing of her father. In our day and age it seems a little out of place to be so formal with seeking parental approval but I imagine it will save them tons of heartache in the future and they are free to live their lives knowing they are loved and supported by a strong family network.

Blessings,
Julie

If you ever struggle with organizing your student's curriculum, you may want to consider purchasing The Full-Year Notebook System to help you get your home school materials organized.

Getting Married!!

2005-10-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished shopping for a dress for my oldest son's upcoming wedding. Only one more week before the big event! Who would have thought that it would be so hard to find a simple yet appropriate dress? Not only that but shoes, foundation, accessories - no wonder I am one of those strange but few women who don't like to shop. Yuck! But at least I have a new, beautiful dress : )

I am very excited about the wedding. It is only a week away and I am busy preparing for out-of-town guests. My mom and dad are coming as is my sister and 5 of her children. My son Joel will be on leave and has just arrived back in the states from Diego Garcia where he has been for the last four months. He will be home early in the week next week.

I guess the thing I love most about this young couple is that they both love the Lord and spend time each day with Him. They live three hours apart yet take time on the phone each night to do their devotionals together. It just warms my heart to see the Bible laying next to my son's bed.

I had my doubts early in his teenage years when I was sure he never heard a word that was taught to him but watching him grow and mature in the Lord as well as in his relationship with his soon-to-be wife has been a huge blessing to me. I have learned that children are going to grow up and turn out the way they are going to be despite me, not because of me. I am proud of him. He is going to be an excellent husband and father.

Home School Curriculum Planner

2005-09-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

I have been hard at work finishing my new website. Full-Year Notebooks.com has been around for a long time and the site desperately needed to be revamped.

Finally, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I didn't do it on my own, I had help from Cricket or I never would have gotten it done so quickly.

If you would like to take a peek, you can click on this Home School Curriculum Planner link.

I have some additional items that I know will bless you but I was not able to get them listed on the website yet. Keep checking back because the Getting It All Done materials are going to be the next project on which I intend to devote my time.

Whereas Full-Year Notebooks concentrates on getting your home school materials organized, Getting It All Done branches out into organizing all of the areas of your home life, not just your home school.

Blessings to you,
Julie
Home School Curriculum Planner

Home School Record Keeping

2005-09-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

I think one of the hardest things I have had to learn as a home school mom is how to keep track of my children's school work. When my oldest son graduated, I had no idea how to count lessons learned as credit on a transcript. It was even worse when my second born son joined the Air Force. I really didn't believe he would go to college so I was very laid back about the way I recorded his school work. Boy was I wrong! Not only did he go on to college in the Air Force but he has done very, very well! (No thanks to my record keeping : )

Since that time, I have learned to keep track of my children's school work. I am no longer worried that I won't have transcripts for my younger two children. I created a Record Keeping System that has proven to be invaluable as a record keeping system as well as a home school planner. This is the system I use in my own home school and I honestly don't know how I ever got by without it.

I was able to adapt it so other home school families could utilize it in their home schools, too. It takes all of your favorite home school materials and teaches you how to plan your school year so you can complete all of your materials during the year. It even includes instructions for how to plan for those unexpected life events that usually ruin all good home school plans. In the process of creating your home school plans, you actually create the perfect record keeping system.

The system basically works like this:

You analyze your materials
Then - Prioritize
Lastly - Organize

By the time you are done, you have a whole year's worth of curriculum organized into one notebook per child broken down into weekly assignments. The weekly assignments become the basis for your record keeping system.

Of course, any mom can organize her home school in this way but why reinvent the wheel? I choose to learn from those who have gone before me. Click Here for more information about this record keeping system.
Blessings,
Julie Anderson

Working and Home Schooling

2005-09-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

A little over three years ago, life took a dramatic turn for our family. Someday I may go into the details of that situation but for now, it is enough to know that I became the head of household and the financial burdens of my family now lie squarely upon my own shoulders. In reality, the Holy Spirit is the Head of my Household but my role within my family has changed to include that of income producer as well as home school mom. I have tried to learn the skills to be able to be a work at home mom but for the time being, I am also working an outside job.

How does home schooling fit into a working mom's daily schedule? With great care, planning and cooperation from the children. I have to say that I have finally realized that life will never be the same again. It is time to put the past behind us and move forward. If our family is going to thrive, we must work together to accomplish our goals. I can no longer focus on homemaking like in the past. The children have had to learn to help with daily household tasks such as cooking, cleaning up after themselves, and kitchen and bathroom chores, etc. My children are older and don't need constant adult supervision but a schedule and weekly assignments are critical to achieving success.

I also have a work schedule that helps significantly to maintain the maximum number of hours I am home throughout the week. I work on a compressed schedule so I only work three 14-hour days per two week pay period. These are long, hard days but it gets my part-time work schedule finished with the least amount of disruption to my family's life schedule. It looks like they may be adding two days to my bi-weekly schedule which will be an answer to prayer for our financial needs but it will add more stress to our life.

Also, as another way to add to our family's income, I list home school and other merchandise on ebay. I highly recommend this to any home school family who needs to cushion their income. If you don't know where to start, I found a great resource to help me get started. It is a downloadable ebook written by a home school mom who has used ebay to build her 4000+ volume library FOR FREE! using the techniques she teaches in this book. How To Sell Books Using Online Auctions has been a wonderful source of advice and I believe it would be helpful for those just starting to learn about ebay as well as those who already have some experience selling on ebay because she goes into all of the smallest details to help you be successful.

If you are a home school mom who finds herself needing outside employment just to meet her family's financial need, please share with us how you are able to manage your time and resources.

In future postings, I will be going into more detail on successfully combining home school with work so be sure to check back often.

And as always, I desire to speak God's blessings to everyone I meet.
Blessings,
Julie Anderson

Starting A New School Year

2005-09-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

I just got home from church where I was made aware that some of the moms are feeling like a doe in the headlights because the school year is upon us and they are not prepared for their children to start back up after summer vacations.

I can relate because my 16 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with Macular Dystophy and can no longer read. Even though I had made plans for her education, it was very much reading based and I will have to start all over again. For the moment, she is listening to educational audios that were lent to me by a precious friend. Over time, we will be learning how to adjust to this condition and we will learn what low-vision devices will help her the most. Until then, I am winging it, which is a place outside of my comfort zone.

My son, on the other hand is all situated because his Full-Year Notebook is already completed for the entire year. He knows exactly what to do each day because it is spelled out for him. This does not take the place of teacher interaction but it does allow him to know what to do next. It becomes his responsibility to come to me when he has questions about his school work instead of me going to him to get him started each day. This has been the most significant step I have taken as a home school mom.

If I was going to be offering a tip of the day (which I am not : ) - today's tip would be to recommend that every home school mom quit putting the cart before the horse and let those students pull their own carts! By this I mean, if the mom's attention is required to get the student started in the morning and she becomes preoccupied with another important task, those students should have the tools available to get their school work started and later, when mom is available, they should be well into their day's work.

Of course, the age of the student has to be taken into account and the older they get, the more responsiblity they can handle. Let's give them responsibility and make them accountable! This relieves the stress of home school more than anything else I have done over the years.