Summer Retreat

Where is your summer retreat?  Is it at the local park or swimming pool?  Do you have a home away from home at the beach or in the mountains?  Maybe it's as simple as in your backyard or your craft room.  For my family this summer, it is the local library.  My girls and I LOVE to read.  I enjoy walking the aisles and just reading the titles, dreaming of the places the pages could take me.  I say "could" because I have so much to do that I am lucky to finish a magazine at the moment.  My first real job was at the local library shelving books.  Now, twenty years later, I am taking my children to the same library for the summer reading program. 
This particular program offers prizes for reading, weekly programs, and introduces children to a variety of books.  There are ample  librarians and volunteers to help my girls choose just the right books for their interests and abilities.  Also available at this branch are public computers, movies and music to check out, lots of sitting room, and games to play.  Our plan of attack is usually for the girls to get their materials first, then they can look through their books while I browse the selection.  Our general rule is that each girl can check out 5 items per visit.  They each have a bag and are responsible for keeping their items in their bag.  I often check books out that I would like the girls to read also, because I like it or it is relevant to a topic we are studying, or some other reason.
Sometimes I allow the girls to check out a movie as an extra treat.  Each library has a different procedure for checking out audio visual (AV) materials.  This library charges per item or patrons can join the AV club for $25 annually, allowing you to check out DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and other AV materials without a per item charge.  The monies collected are used to purchase new AV materials.

A Big Change

Just like everyone else, our daughters' school is a victim of budget cuts.  They attend a virtual school through the state department of education.  Tomorrow is the last day of school unless we would like to pay $500 per student, per semester course to continue.  Unable to afford that bill, we have chosen an alternate program.  We chose My Father's World, a thematic Christian program.  Our girls will start year one of the cycle on Monday.  They will be studying countries and cultures through the eyes of missionaries around the world.  Each girl gets a passport that we will stamp along the journey.  They got to see their daddy's passport today from when he traveled to Iraq and compare it to their passports.  I am thrilled because we will be working together as we learn instead of each child studying something different.  With other programs I am jumping between biomes and classifying minerals, mapping the community and European history.  This allows for much more learning time and less planning/prep time.  There is also more planned out for me, which allows me more time for other things.  Rest assured, math and language arts are assigned based on ability.  We can't wait for tomorrow!

Enjoying the snow

Baby doll is usually unwilling to try anything new.  She always has liked to sit and watch more than participate.  All on her own, she put on her snow gear and joined her sisters in the snow.  She was laughing as much as anyone else, even participating in a snow ball fight.

New Year's Resolutions

Here are our resolutions for this year:

1. Get our schoolwork done on time.
2. Get our chores done without mom and dad complaining.
3. Keep our rooms cleaner.
4. Make friends in our new town.

What are yours?

Christmas Cards by the Nourse Sisters

It's that time of year again!  Annie and Cecilia are taking orders now for handmade Christmas cards.  The prices are $12 for 10 cards or $22 for 20 cards.  Shipping is $4.95 for any order.  You can email me at rejoice.myctmh.com for more information or to place your order.  Please include your shipping address and the quantity you would like to order.  Cards are also available for other occassions.  Let us know what you want!

Bargain shopping!

My youngest daughter needed a dresser.  Hers was sacrificed in our move and we promised we would get one for her when we got to our new home.  My mom and I took a trip to the local thrift store to see what they had and we were pleasantly surprised.  We found the usual treasures, a beautiful pair of red satin ballet slippers for me and some play clothes for the kids.  My mom came across a couple of sweaters and jeans that she just had to have.  In the furniture section, a headboard caught my attention.  It was solid oak and had cabinets on each side.  For $20 it was a good deal, but nothing I had to have.  Just past the headboard, I came across a platform for a bed, the kind with drawers in it.  Seeing no tag, I inquired as to the price.  The guy from the back came out and informed me that it was a complete king set with the headboard I already found.  Even better, it was for a king bed, the size I had at home on a metal frame.  With that in my mind, I continued to search for a dresser for my daughter.  They did not have a dresser, but what we found was much better.  We discoverred an old vanity table in excellent condition.  Although it wasn't what we had in mind, it has seven drawers, enough for her clothes, and she can play dress up at it.  What more could a young princess want?  I left the store with the bed frame, vanity table, miscellaneous items, and a bonus.  The clerk asked the manager if they could throw in the chair that was displayed with the table for free and she said yes!  Total price tag:  $60!

Site Recommendation for Homeschoolers

Happy Monday!  It is the last day of summer and I am ready to see the changing of the leaves in my new neighborhood.  I have to say that I have found a site that I truly love!  Often I come across a site that I visit once in a while, but http://www.learningtreasures.com/ is a site that I go to all the time because I just can't wait to see what they have next!  Their newest additions are dragon and candy corn themed papers!  They have lots of ideas and printables for you to use with your children.  Take a look and I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Please don't forget to let them know that I sent you!

An Early Start

Last year the girls and I made and sold Christmas cards so they could earn a little spending money.  This year, we will be starting early because the orders are already coming in!  Ou youngest daughter wants to buy a bicycle with her earnings and the older two want to buy a Wii with the Wii Fit accessories.  I will get pics posted shortly of some creations.  The pricing will be $1.50 per card or $10 for 10 cards.  We can also do an all-occasion package for the $10 price.  Shipping will be an additional fee to be determined. 

Priorities in Unpacking

My daughters and I recently moved halfway across the country in search of a simpler life. While my husband finishes his tour in Iraq, I am left to sort and unpack thousands (OK, maybe a few less than that) boxes of stuff. We started out very organized when unloading the truck, putting boxes in appropriate areas and stacking them so the list of contents could be seen. As I began unpacking however, boxes were moved and shuffled around to get to other boxes. My goal is to create a home or something close to it for my husband to come back to next week. So what are my priorities? The beds are assembled and welcome anyone to climb up for a nap. The TV, satellite box, and DVD player are hooked up. All of our clothes are unpacked and put away. Because our temporary home is my mom's basement, all of the kitchen boxes are set aside for now. My scrapbooking things are out so I can send lots of thank you cards to my friends who helped us accomplish this undertaking. Next up, school books and supplies so we can be ready for school to start in a couple of weeks. Yippee!

I Feel An Energy Drain Coming On

My children have learned that when someone has a bad attitude, fights, talks back, etc. then the "energy" is drained from the family. The children have a new way of putting that "energy" back: by doing chores. I placed a jar on the counter and filled it with slips of paper with chores written on them. The chores range from sweeping the floor to straightening the books on the bookshelf. When I feel an "energy drain" coming on, the "drainer" must pull a slip and complete that job to give back the "energy." My middle daughter was so excited about it, she volunteered to pull a slip (clean the kiddie pool). No more blackouts here!

Event For Barstow Locals

Clothing Swap

Bring your unwanted clothing and shoes.

Leave with "new to you" clothing and shoes.

July 27th 4 to 6 pm

at First Baptist Church in Barstow (by Rite-Aid)

Infant through adult clothing and shoes in clean, usable condition.

We would like to have the clothing ahead of time to sort it before the exchange.
It is free and we welcome anyone to attend (so please share this post).

The more participants, the better it will work!

Leftover items will be donated to local charities.

To arrange pick up of clothing or if you would like more info, post a comment and I will get back to you.

Wednesday's Wisdom

Summer is a great time to clean out closets and cubby holes. Let the kids get involved and help with the decision making. About every other month, I give each of my kids a storage tub. They are allowed to keep as many toys as will fit into the tub with the lid on. There are a few exceptions such as Barbie houses and doll strollers. Each child may keep one house and one other "big" item. They may also keep a few stuffed animals on their bed. This helps to keep the clutter under control. The remaining items are either stored in our shed in a storage container to be rotated back into their room later or donated to the local thrift store.

Do you have a great tip to share? We would love to hear it. Post it in the comments on Wednesdays or email it to me!

Independence!

My first daughter was a tame child. If you left her somewhere as a baby, she would still be there when you came back. She walked at one year and did not give me many headaches. She did not get into things other than her toys and she was generally happy and content with her situation.
My second daughter was my Tasmanian devil. At eight months she walked. At one year, I found her on the counter reaching for the top of the fridge because she knew candy was there. At nearly five, she has learned to calm herself down so I don't have constant panic attacks. Now, my baby has found her way in the world. Yesterday, I found her standing on the kitchen counter, looking in the cupboard to get graham crackers for a snack. After I asked her to let me know when she wanted a snack, I added Tylenol to my shopping list.