I find myself not really wanting to post in my blog.  That makes me really sad since I have had this blog since 2008.  I blame Instagram.  It is easy and quick and there is immediate response from my followers.  Yes we have been busy but not THAT busy. 

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Here is the family.  Our get togethers when I was younger was 70+ people.  Much smaller now….

Keilee’s play is over.  It was wonderful.  They sold out every performance!  They had a “Meet and Greet” at a local library the week before the show which was so fun.

She met several new people in this play.  She met 3 homeschooled girls that she didn’t know that she LOVED.  They seriously had a blast together.  They are all older than Kei but as she says, “They are homeschooled so they don’t act older”. 🙂  Plans have already been made to hang out with these new friends. 

Here are some pictures from the Show.  The first picture is of Kei and Emma Jo the little girl from “Aristocats”.  I wish I had videoed her.  She was saying to Keilee, “I wish you were my sister, I love you, you are my best friend” over and over.  It was the sweetest thing.

Cousins and leaves….

Keilee had her biggest order to date on her Etsy shop; she had to make 9 Snowmen headbands.  She completed them and they have already been delivered.

1.  Working on her Smash Journal.
2.  This is a BOW HOLDER she made.  She used an old paint canvas, fabric and bows.  I love the way it turned out.
3.  A dog she rescued.
4.  Nomad hates Algebra too!
5.  Working on her Periodic Table.  She spent hours on this too.  She got the idea from Jess at Teachable Moments!

Keilee has been spending HUGE amounts of time on DIY.  This is an AWESOME website.  Please go check it out.  It is a community where you collect badges for all sorts of things; art, fashion, Minecraft, Science, History, drawing, and SO MUCH MORE!!  She has been chosen “Editor’s Choice several times and seriously has spent hours each day here.  She has met a LOT of homeschoolers too.

This project was to design clothes from “unusual materials”.  She used wrapping paper for the skirt and newspaper for the top.  I thought she rocked it. 

Our church is doing a 30 day ‘movement’.  Here is what our preacher said in his blog:
It’s not too late to join our #Yes2Yes 30 day generosity challenge!!! Too many of us are programmed to say “No” when someone asks us for help. So for the next 30 days, challenge yourself to say No to No… Someone may ask you for $20 and you can only give $2, that’s okay!!!! The amount isn’t important but the heart of generosity is!!! Each time you say “Yes,” post, “I did it!! #Yes2Yes” on Facebook and/or Twitter. There’s no need to brag about the details of what you did, but we do want to know who’s stepping up to the challenge!! We’re creating a generosity movement that will serve as the CATALYST to the EPIC impact that we’re making in all of our communities!!!!

So if you want to join us in saying Yes2Yes please hashtag on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter:  “I did it!! #Yes2Yes”   Keilee and I have done it multiple times and it is so fun to actively seek opportunities to say YES!!

Keilee decorated our house last week.  She did 90% of it herself. 

Yesterday Abbie and Emma came over and they baked and baked and baked. There was also listening to Disney Pandora and Wicked.  They were singing at the top of their lungs.  When they were done we took the cookies and candy to the USA Nursing Home.  This is the place my Mom was before she died.  Several months of Keilee’s 2nd grade year was spent at this place.  She tries to do something every year.  The girls delivered the cookies and then sang Christmas songs for about 20 minutes.  No preparation went into the singing but it was beautiful.

So that is a very quick update on our lives the last several weeks. Hope yours have all been awesome and you all have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.

Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white’.” — Bing Crosby

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick – even when you’re home.”  ~Carol Nelson

Linking with
Mary at Collage Friday
Sylvia at Friendship Friday

It started out so lovely.  A field trip to General Joe Wheeler’s home.  The kids were well behaved and knew the answers to every question the guides asked.  I just love that about homeschoolers.  Our guide said she had never had a group of kids that knew so much.

His house is amazing.  There are only 5 items in it that are not original.  He served in the Civil War, the Spanish American War and in Congress for years.  His daughter Annie is also fascinating.  There were 4 girls and 2 boys in the Wheeler family and the boys had their own house right outside the main house.  Most of the boys thought that was too cool! 🙂

Our tour guide definitely knew what she was talking about.  She was full of interesting stories and information about the family and the contents of the house.

Then my phone rang;  it was a friend asking if I had heard what was going on.  Evidently they had found a ‘suspicious device’ on a chemical train at  Daikin Plant; a plant that was about 6 miles straight down the road we were on.  More and more people called asking me where we were and had I heard.  Moms had their phones out trying to figure out what to do.  I’ll admit it, I was a bit freaking out.  The main reason is that we heard they were evacuating everyone in a 5 mile radius.  Schools had already been released and MY house was within a 5 mile radius.  And my dog was home.  I knew Keilee would just be wild.  News was sporadic and not always reliable.  It reminded me a bit of that game, “Secret” where you tell the person next to you a secret and it is passed along until it comes back unrecognizable.

My favorite part of the day was when a circle of Homeschool Moms joined hands and prayed.

We continue the tour outside expecting at any moment to hear the sirens go off.  I don’t know what we would have done.  Chemicals are airborne and we were standing outside not that far from the plant.

Then the tour was over and we all decided to go eat lunch in the OTHER direction.  By this time we had heard that they were evacuating within a 25 mile radius and had closed the highway to get home.  So we went to this little restaurant called “Mama Jeans” which was my Mom’s name.  As we were ordering my brother called and said it was 2 Kilos of marijuana and it was all clear.

We were a relieved bunch of Moms and kids and a Dad eating lunch that day.  It made me think though, what would I have done if this had been ‘real’?  If they had evacuated people [which turned out to be untrue, although they did evacuate schools].  I had very little money with me, none of my medicines I take daily, the dog was home alone and there would have been nothing I could have done about it.  It was all very frightening.  It  made me think that maybe we should all be better prepared in case the worse happens.  I think about things like that at times; but I am always at home in my scenario.

What would YOU do if something like that happened?

Feeling thankful,
Homeschool Rocks,
Karen

We have been so busy.  One of the million of reasons I love Homeschooling is that if we have 3 days a week that is slammed full, Keilee can still do all her schoolwork on the other days.  Early on I would sweat if we didn’t check off each thing on a list every single day.  No more.

Co-op Art Journaling and Drama. 

These classes are awesome.  We have all learned so much and had a blast.  I can’t believe that this Monday is the last class until 2014.  Monday was Super Hero Day so Keilee was Batman.

Poppy Day and Anti Bullying Skits

For this Drama Class I gave them each a Fairy Tale and they had to completely rewrite it and perform it.  They did a GREAT job!

1.  Watching “My Little Pony”.  She LOVES all things Pony.
2.  Playing “10 Days in the USA”  Great game.
3.  Keilee’s Smash Journal.  Her Thanksgiving Page
4.  More Smash Journal
5.  Crocheting and watching a documentary.
6.  At the thrift store.  Keilee and her PINK hair.

Gymnastics! 

Play practice!  And knitting at play practice!

1.  CATCHING FIRE PREMIERE!!  It was awesome!!! Seriously.
2.  Keilee sitting in Abbie’s lap at play practice.  We ADORE Abbie!!
3.  Our church is moving into a new home in Sept 2014.  We had a service in our new home.  My favorite part….he told us to take 15 minutes and walk all over the place and pray.  It was amazing to see everyone walking around, touching walls and chairs and praying hard!
4.  Singing Christmas songs at practice.
5.  Voice lessons

We ate an early Thanksgiving with my cousin.  We used to be best friends and more like sisters, but we have lost touch and recently gotten back in touch!  There was about 15 or 20 people there and Keilee and I had a blast!!!  Keilee sold 3 headbands and got 10 orders!! 

And next week is Thanksgiving!  I hope yours is wonderful and full of love and family.  I wish I could get together with all my blog friends and cook Thanksgiving dinner together and have our kids running and laughing and playing and creating and then sit down with everyone for a HUGE Homeschool Dinner!!  

Homeschool Rocks!!
Karen

“Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won’t do that.”  ~Walt Disney

Linking with:
Mary at Collage Friday
Sylvia at Friendship Friday
Renee at This Week…..

The speed at which time passes just amazes me.  It was just Summer.  And now it is November.  As a child and teenager time seemed to go so slowly.  The older I get the quicker it seems to speed by.  Keilee has always been aware of time going quickly.  I’m not sure why but she has always said, “Time goes so fast”.

There is a tree on the outskirts of our town that I have taken pictures of Keilee since she was 6 or 7.  It is a beautiful tree that has branches almost down to the ground.  It is spectacular in the Fall.

One thing that I do most weeks is talk to Jessica at Teachable Moments.  I consider her one of my dearest friends even though we have never met ‘in real life’.  It is hard to be a single Mom at times and she always listens to my concerns and gives great advice!!  We have so much in common and at least once during each conversation one of us says, “I was just saying that same thing!”.  I love how the internet has made it possible to have friends that don’t live within a certain amount of miles.  Thank you Jess for always being so supportive.

Algebra is going well.  It has made a huge difference to sit down with Keilee and do each lesson with her.  [Another idea from Jess :)]  I am amazed by how much I am enjoying Algebra.  I hated it in school.  I am the same way about History and Science.  I never cared for either one but I LOVE them now.  It is amazing to me how much it matters what teacher you have and how the information is presented.  

Kei is doing Biology from CK-12. They are FREE courses on the iPad.  They even have workbooks for some classes.  She LOVES Science of any kind.  Go check them out if you have an iPad.  You can get them in the iTunes Store and they open in iBooks.

Play practice is going great too.  Keilee knows her lines and even though this is not an ‘over the top’ character she is enjoying it.  “Miracle on 34th Street” is such a sweet story.

1.  Learning back handsprings.  These things scare me to death!
2.  Voice lessons.  Her voice teacher is so lovely.
3.  Yes she wears her tiara around the house.
4.  I have been waiting to see an Ender’s Game movie for 25 years since I read the book.  Keilee has read it too and we were very happy to how they did it.
5.  Working on herb pages.  I got her a “Medicinal Plants” coloring book that she is really liking.  I so want to learn more about plants and herbs as medicines and things.

At a bridal shower for my great niece and at a Halloween party that was postponed because of weather.  Keilee DID NOT like the ride and she loves rides.  She didn’t like being upside down!

This was a slower paced week for us and I loved it.  Next week is crazy busy again.  The weather is getting colder and we like days that we can snuggle in and read or play games.  We are trying to find a TV series to watch on Netflix since they took off our beloved “Monk”.  Any suggestions?  I can’t believe it has been 1 1/2 years since we have had cable.  We rarely miss it.  Usually only when Alabama is playing football and it isn’t on CBS.  We do watch “Castle”, “Once Upon a Time”, and a couple others but with Hulu Plus we can watch them the next day. And for $7.99 compared to almost $100 for the cable!

Happy November!!
Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children:
One is roots. The other is wings….” Hodding Carter, Jr

 “Kids spell love T-I-M-E.” – John Crudele

Linking with
Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday”

Halloween night was stormy and windy and not fit for goblin or monster.  So we stayed snuggled in watching scary movies and Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin.  Nomad was dressed up as a honey bee. This was Keilee’s costume from her very first play when she was 5!

Thankfully Keilee got to wear her Halloween costume several times!  She was asked by Everyday Sunshine; which is a non profit organization that is producing a TV show to broadcast at Children’s Hospitals throughout the country; to face paint at their Halloween Hoot.  She had a blast and the kids loved her!  She just adores little kids.

Then we went to the Renaissance Faire Sunday.  This is always our favorite fair.  I have been taking Keilee since she was 4!!  See the Ferret? She was in love.

These are some of the pictures Keilee took.  Her 2 favorite subjects, animals and kids.

We stopped by a cotton field on the way home from the Ren Faire. We always take Cotton Field pictures. 🙂

Working on a Mushroom page from “Handbook of Nature Study”.  I think this is a book we have used most of all the last 7 years.  Fall beauty.  Keilee at Gymnastics doing a back kickover.

Saturday night the Old State Bank was having a haunted ghost tour.  Not with people who jump out and such but the Alabama Paranormal Society was there doing readings of all sorts.  Keilee loves, didimentionLOVES, all things ghosty.  My Momma did too.  So she was beyond excited.  It was very informative, lots of history and such.  She got to use dousing rods and the EMP detectors and more.  They had 8 stations set up.  One was in the old vault.  This was used as a surgery room during The Civil War.  They closed us in and turned off the lights and did recordings with us asking questions.  We also saw many orbs in some of the video equipment. 

We didn’t have Co-op this week so we spent hours reading and doing Algebra, History, Biology, Nature and more.  I bought an Edgar Allen Poe course from Connect the Thoughts on Currclick.  This is a 25-30 hour course and I thought Halloween was the perfect week to begin.  Keilee has always loved Edgar Allen Poe. 

The leaves are finally beginning to get beautiful so I took some of my annual “Keilee in the Leaves” pictures.  They haven’t fallen so much and when they do that is another ‘photo shoot’.  🙂

And finally my favorite picture of the week.  I always love the pictures of Keilee laughing or acting silly the most!

Happy 1st weekend of November!
Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“And the days dwindle down To a precious few, September, November – And these few precious days I’d spend with you, These golden days I’d spend with you”  ~ Maxwell Anderson

”Love is taking a few steps backward maybe even more…to give way to the happiness of the person you love.” ~ Winnie the Pooh

Linking with
Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday”

Our days mostly flow now.  Every day is not perfect but everyday is beautiful.  After 2 years of being mostly ‘hands off’ of Keilee’s learning, this year I am hands on and it is working so well.  Algebra being the best example.  She can struggle through each lesson but why?  If she was in ‘public school’ she would have a teacher.  It makes the lessons go easier if there is both of us figuring it out as we go along.

1.  At Dress Rehearsal for “Miracle on 34th Street”
2.  One of her Halloween Smash Journal pages!  I LOVED this one.
3.  Doing Algebra
4.  Sign ups for our Life groups at Church.
5.  Cold in the grocery store.  She has been hiding in the toilet paper since she was young.

Keilee was asked to dance in front of our theater for our 3rd Friday celebration.  She invited her best friend who spent the night with us.  They had SO much fun.  There were also a couple of her ‘kittens’ from Aristocats there and dogs, there are always dogs….

Co-op is going great!!  I was the most worried about Art Journaling and that is my favorite class!  Drama is going great too.

Keilee is still loving gymnastics.  I can never get a picture of her doing anything because it is so blurry.  They are working on back hands springs and they scare me to death!!!  Keilee LOVES practicing though.

Keilee played with her Snap Circuits this week too.  It had been a while and I thought they would never be played with again but she put things together for a couple of hours.

Keilee was afraid Nomad was cold this week. [It was COLD here in Bama!!!!] so she put her hoodie on him!

This week she worked on Algebra, Biology, Ecology, Modern History, her Animal Notebook, a documentary on Animals called “Born to Be Wild”, reading, knitting, Smash Journaling, Jesus Calling, CNN Student News every day, Co-op, Mapping the World With Art, gymnastics, play practice, 2 Halloween get togethers and so much more.

I think this 8th grade year is my favorite to date.  I have times I wish Keilee was 7 again but I am loving 13!!!!!!!

Lots of Halloween do’s going on today also.  And tomorrow is our favorite festival of all; The Renaissance Faire!!!  Good times.

Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen

No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. ~ Emma Goldman

Linking with
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday“
Mary at “Collage Friday“

We do Math and Science and History and Writing and Grammar but every spare minute Keilee has she spends creating things in one medium or another.  This week has been such an amazing week.  Co-op is going great, Gymnastics is going great, play practice is going great.  But it is our time at home that I have loved this week.

The weather was so nice the first of the week.  Keilee played outside and built a Water System.  I love that she still plays in the dirt.  Manicure and all.

She also played Frisbee with Nomad.  I hate that we can’t let him just roam the yard but we don’t have a fence and he is not good at staying where he should!

We did 3 Algebra lessons that were pretty painless.  We read History.  She did 2 Grammar lessons, she wrote in her new blog, we did Mapping the World With Art, she is making an Animal notebook full of different animals she really likes and their behavior.  She is doing it in Notebook Publisher. I won a free LIFETIME Membership last year and it is awesome.  We found a new book that I bought on Kindle and am reading aloud to her.  It is called, “Love, Life and Elephants: An African Love Story”   I actually found it on Christie Brinkley’s Instagram account.  She recently went to Africa to aid in saving the elephants and she mentioned the book.  Africa is where Keilee wants to go when she is a Wildlife Rehabilatator.  She tells me I will go with her.  I just smile.

We painted pumpkins twice this week.  Once she and I did it outside and Wednesday a friend came over and he and Keilee painted small pumpkins.  I love the way they turned out!

One of the things that Keilee is SO into is her Smash Journal.  She works on this hours each day.  Keilee has always said, “I can’t draw, I am not artistic” which is hysterical to me.  She is one of the most artistic people I have ever seen.  I think she is finally beginning to believe it.

Here are her pumpkins.  Aren’t they adorable??

 We have plans this weekend and the weather is just perfect.  It is finally Fall here in Alabama.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of love and beauty and smiles!

Homeschool Rocks,
Karen

“In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.” ~Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Linking with

Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday“

We have been having such a great October.  October is full of fun things to do.  There are festivals almost every weekend. 

We went to Skate Day and Keilee sold a Minnie Mouse headband. I had to take a picture of them together.  We have been going to Skate Day for 7 years!  I can’t believe how fast those 7 years have gone by.

We go to the Fiddler’s Convention every year.  I remember working at the Fiddler’s Convention when I was in college.  This time we met some friends there and had a great day listening to all sorts of music.  We are listening to “Christy” on audio book and this kind of music goes along perfectly with it.

Co-op is going GREAT!!!  I am loving both my classes and the kids seem to like them too.  Each Monday during Art Journaling I play a genre of music in the background [Thanks Jess ;)]  This past week was the 50’s and they said they didn’t like it but then sang along with several songs.

My brother is laid off due to the furlough and we went to his house one afternoon.  They live in the country with woods right behind them.  We went on a Nature hike and saw the coolest things on the trees.  Eddie said he mailed a picture to someone and they told him they were “Coral Mushrooms” but I thought they looked more like Cauliflower mushrooms.  Some of them were as big as dinner plates and they are edible.

1. Keilee’s freehand drawing of Stitch.  She has been drawing so much.
2.  At a “Cowboy” parade drawing on the sidewalk.
3.  Walking Nomad.
4. The weather has cooled off a bit so Keilee got out the footie PJ’s.  We LOVE “A History of Us”.  We read aloud and just follow every rabbit hole that comes up.
5.  At play practice.  “A Miracle on 34th Street”  Keilee has a smaller role, around 48 lines, but one of her best friends is in the play too! They are having a blast at rehearsals.

Keilee has been hard at work adding items to her Etsy shop.  Please check it out if you have a chance.  She has sold several things and has orders for 4 more headbands.

We spent yesterday ‘changing out our closets”.  Do y’all do that? We don’t have big enough closets for all our clothes so we switch out ‘Summer’ and ‘Winter’.  Keilee is ready for Halloween and has already gotten her costume.  It is SO cute!!

I love our days this year.  The way they flow.  I am doing Algebra I with Keilee and while it isn’t always fun and games we are getting through it.  At times I even really like it.  She doesn’t though.  She is still reading so much and her Smash Journal is simply beautiful.  She is doing Ecology and making her own “Animal Behaviors” notebook using her “Animals’ book and Notebooking Publisher.  She spends huge amounts of time editing photos on her Instagram account.  So many people around her age do edits but I really think her’s are so cool.  They are unlike any I ever see.  We are both participating in Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts for October challenge.  It is something I look forward to each morning. 

So the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are getting cooler.  Our trees are just now beginning to change color.  We still have tomatoes!!  Just a couple but it seems late for them.  I love Fall!

Happy weekend all,
Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“When nothing is sure, everything is possible”.  ~Margaret Atwood
 “A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.”  — Charles Brower

Linking with:
Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday”

October!  How can it be October?  October is our favorite month.  I don’t know what it is about October.  Is it because it is Fall and the world is so beautiful? Is it because, after a long, hot summer, cooler temperatures are near?  Is it Halloween?  We do love Halloween around here.

We went to the Botanical Gardens last week.  It was gorgeous. Not fall leaves yet, but beautiful nonetheless.  We met friends and had such a lovely time.  The also had their scarecrows out.  We loved “Cousin It”.  My Mom always called me that when my hair was in my eyes!

 We went with a Co-op group and they got to fish and had a butterfly lesson among other things.  

 Keilee has always LOVED cows.  All her life.    I’m telling you she is a farm girl at heart.

The gardens were still full of beautiful flowers and statues and more.  See Mr. Rogers?

 She especially liked Sheldon from Big Bang.  See his ‘soft kitty’ in his bag?

 She did some photos for her edits that she does on Instagram.  I picked out this outfit and LOVED the pictures I made.  With my iPhone!  This looks exactly like clothes I wore back in the day.  🙂

Art Journaling and Drama are going GREAT!!!  I seriously love them both.  I have 9 kids in Art Journaling and 16 in Drama!  Keilee continues to create all the time.  Her Smash Book is amazing. I wish you could see all the things she has done.  I need to make her make a YouTube video.  Her Etsy shop is going great.  She has had several orders.

She made this Minnie Mouse bow and wore it all day.  She got TONS of compliments and several orders for more!  I thought it was adorable!!

We are working our way through Algebra I.  I sit with her and do the problems along with her.  It still isn’t her favorite subject but we are ‘both’ surviving it.  So far….  We are still reading “A History of Us” for History.  We learned about Joe McCarthy and everything that entailed.  I rented “Good Night and Good Luck” about Edward R. Murrow and his quest to bring down McCarthy.  We learned so much from it. 

I also subscribed to Quest Magazine on the iPad.  It is by Knowledge Quest and we really like it so far.  We also got our first copy of National Geographic that I subscribed too. 

So all in all a very sucessful end of September.  Now we can’t wait for all the fun things in October.  I ordered Keilee’s Halloween costume yesterday.  Can’t wait to see her in it.  And festivals galore!! 

Homeschooling Rocks!Karen

“Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all aglow.”
–   Author Unknown

“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October.” 
–  Nathaniel Hawthorne

September is zooming by. I can’t believe it is already the 3rd week. This week has been full of busy. The kind that makes me throw our schedule out the window. After almost 7 years homeschooling I am good with that.

This past week was my nephew Seth’s 18th birthday. I can not believe he is that old. He is Keilee and I’s favorite person. Besides each other of course.  He always loved me so much when he was little.  He said he was going to marry me.  Keilee also dug potatoes for the first time in Eddie’s garden.

Sunday was my Mother’s birthday and Eddie and I took Keilee and Katherine to Tennessee riding around.  I enjoyed spending the day with my brother and niece.

 1.  Keilee had an expensive pair of sandals that broke so I took them to a shoe repair shop.  It was this very small place filled with shoes and junk.  It was so cool.  I think most people just throw things away but I am so glad I spent $6 to fix her sandals.
2.  Another page for her Smash Book.  She used real leaves, raffia and an insect wing she found.
3.  Nomad after Keilee lint rolled him. 🙂
4.  A bottle of paint blew up in Kei’s face.  AFTER I made sure she was ok, I had to take a picture!
5. Art Journaling class at Co-op.  This class is SO MUCH FUN!

Gymnastics class is going great.  Keilee is LOVING it.

We went to see the Nina and Pinta this week.  We aren’t huge fans of Columbus but it was cool seeing the ships and reading all about them.  Keilee got into an argument discussion with a crew guy about the fact that Columbus wasn’t a good man.  The guy actually had read tons about this and talked to her for about 15 minutes.  He gave her a different perspective on it and now she wants to do more research.  We ran into some homeschoolers that we know.  I wish there was a secret handshake or wink.  We see people all the time out and about and wonder if they are homeschooled. 🙂

I found this author who’s name is Michelle Eisehoff.  She is offering FREE books to teachers.  She is a former teacher and now she homeschools her children.  She will send you the books free in ePub or PDF format.  These are Historical books written for elementary/middle school kids.  She also has FREE resources to go along with them all.  I emailed her and she immediately emailed me back with the books I requested. VERY nice!!  Please check out her site and get your free books!

This is my favorite picture this week.  If you follow me on Instagram you have already seen it.  I love the combination of little girl playing in the dirt and young lady with her French manicure. She is growing up way too fast!

We have plans for the weekend.  It seems like there are festivals every single weekend in September and October.  Wish you could all join us!

Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen

“The lessons we learn outside the classroom are equally if not more important than the ones we learn inside. I can’t emphasize this enough. We learn how to live life, the most important lesson of all.”  Unknown

Linking with
Mary at “Collage Friday“
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday“