School's Out!!

(Old photos of our homeschooling room - from the fall of '07.)

We finished our school year yesterday! :) We had a great year and it's hard to believe we now have a 5th grader and a 2nd grader (plus a tag-along preschooler!). The kids had a great year and became more self-sufficient with their work (in a good way). We switched to a heavy reading-intensive curriculum, Sonlight, this year, and while it was good, it wasn't my favorite curriculum. I think my favorite will likely always be Winter Promise! If we go back to homeschooling, I think I will definitely use WP again!

We planned to homeschool our children for several years and eventually send them to school. With the completion of this school year, we have been homeschooling for six fantastic years! It has flown by!

After lots of prayer, discussion, school tours, and more prayer, we decided to enroll Riley & Quinn in a private Christian school for the fall for a variety of reasons. We are excited about it, but I will really miss homeschooling them every day. We get to do a LOT of fun things together and I'm learning a lot, too!

We do believe, however, that this is the very best decision for our family for this year. We may bring them home again next year, or the following, or have some kids in school, and some home . . . who knows? What we do know is that the Lord is in control and He will have them where they are supposed to be. It's been a difficult decision but one we feel is best.

I'll still have little O at home, so although I'm leaving 4th and 1st grade behind, I'm transitioning back to preschool - bring on the crafts, alphabet magnets, glue, and lots and lots of books!!

We are looking forward to a year of change, growth, and new opportunities for the kids!

Friday Fill-Ins

Today is our last day of school for the year! :) It's been a good year, but the ending is bittersweet as we are not homeschooling next year. More on that tomorrow!

This week's Friday Fill-In . . .

1. The mountains or about anywhere(!) is my favorite place to travel to.

2. When I think about my childhood, I often remember vacations with my family, riding bikes with my next-door neighbor, Sara, and my mom baking cookies after school!

3. Someone who loves you and doesn't judge you makes for a good friend.

4. The wind in the trees, the rain on my skin, get me back inside!! :)

5. Taking a vacation is so exciting! (Wish I was planning one now!)

6. My best friend knows when to talk and when I need my space.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ccelebrating the end of school with the kids (we have plans - but if I list them here, Riley will find out the surprise early!), tomorrow my plans include Riley's end-of-the-year piano recital and packing up school books and Sunday, I want to enjoy church with my family, play outside, and work on clearing out our school room!

And I want to give a special shout out HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my great parents who are celebrating their 40th(!!!) anniversary on Sunday, as well. Thanks for setting a great example; we love you both!! :)

Parenting Potpourri - Dry Erase Notes

I love to build my kids up and encourage them as much as possible. Certainly nothing forced or fake - but encouragement when possible! One of my favorite ways of doing this is by leaving them notes where they are likely to find them (thanks to my own mom!). I'll leave notes in suitcases, backpacks, lunch boxes, beds, or on the kitchen table. But by far, my favorite place to leave a note is directly on their bathroom mirror!

It's super-easy to do - and you don't even need paper! Just grab a fun, colored dry-erase marker, and start writing directly on the mirror! Get wild & crazy and use even TWO or THREE different colors! :)

We love to leave notes this way, and they wipe right off. It's a great way to start your child's day on the right foot - especially if they have a big event coming up, haven't been feeling well, or you had an argument recently (that *never* happens in our house! HA!). Give it a try and see how your kids respond!

P.S. Works great for marriages, too. :) We do this often.

Mid-Week Money Tip - Favorite Links

Really, who doesn't love saving money?? It's a fun hobby. :)

I read and enjoy several simple, fun, personal finance blogs and enjoy learning new tips and ways to save. I know I have mentioned several here before, but here's a list of some of my current favorites! My favorite sites are ones that are humorous, simple, and very practical. I don't read them to get rich(!), or to learn how to invest - just to learn simple, everyday tips that we can all use to save money.

You can also join most of their mailing lists so you can receive their emails versus always having to check their web sites. Don't be afraid to cancel once you have joined their lists, though; some sites send out WAY too many emails!

Do you have any other favorites?

The Simple Dollar

Money Saving Mom

Frugal Dad

Clipping for Cash

Get Rich Slowly

Deal Seeking Mom

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Family Life - Beach Vacation!

Sorry for the picture-heavy post, but I heard a few of you wanted more photos on my blog! ;)

We were fortunate to spend a week at the beach in late April! We had been saving some money for awhile and looking for the right time and place to go. We used a travel agent and he found us some great rates which enabled us to even FLY out of Fort Wayne directly to St. Petersburg, Florida. We had great weather, a fabulous condo across the street from the beach, and terrific family time together! We MOST enjoyed playing in the sand, the ocean, and at the pool. :) Here are some favorite photos from the week.

Our cute - and spacious - condo!

My favorite boys

Enjoying a walk on the beach

Our super-adorable daughter! :)

Cute Quinn in the light of the sunset

All three enjoying the sand and surf

My poor family being attacked by Owen's shark pincher!

Another seafood dinner outside at sunset - beautiful!

View from dinner one night at sunset

The boys loved seeing the alligators!

Miniature golf - Brad and I tied - ugh! We are so super-competitive!

The pool was fabulous and our condo had tons of toys!

Pelicans everywhere!

One of our last days at the beach - playing in the sand at sunset!

We LOVE the beach!!

Menu Plan Monday - Garlic Corn on the Cob - Yum!

This week is our last week of school for this school year - yay! We are thankful for having had a great year and glad to be wrapping things up. Here's what's on our menu this week - looking forward to grilling out this summer! Speaking of . . . we need some new grill tools. Where did you purchase yours and do you like them? I don't want to spend a fortune . . .

Monday - Pool/Poker Party with friends - out of town
Tuesday - Grilled barbecue chicken, red potatoes
Wednesday - Chicken Tacos, corn, chips & salsa
Thursday - Grilled steak, garlic corn on the cob (shown here!)
Friday - Homemade pizza to celebrate the last day of school!

Thanks!

Thanks for voting in my poll regarding what you'd like to see here! Starting Monday, here's what you'll find:

Mondays: Menu Plan Monday and/or Recipes

Tuesdays: Family Life/Photos

Wednesdays: Money Saving Tips/Finance Info

Thursdays: Parenting Potpourri

Fridays: Friday Fill-Ins

Saturdays: Homeschooling Info/Thoughts

Hope you'll join me and come back to visit often!

Friday Fill-Ins

Time for this week's Friday Fill-In! I can't believe it is ALREADY Friday! My week has flown by - how about yours? And I'm really, really ready for a long, holiday weekend! Starting my Friday morning with a trip to the dentist is not my idea of a good start to the weekend, though! Fortunately, I don't have to go often.


1. Watermelon -- the best food to take on a picnic.
2. Summer is great - but when it ends, I am more than ready for fall!
3. I can't wear flip flops (the whole strap-between-my-toes drives me nuts!).
4. To love someone is to care for them in physical, practical, hands-on ways.
5. The walk from my old dorm freshman year to my 8:30am music class was a long hike.
6. When I crave food, it's usually something crunchy and salty.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to celebrating my mom's birthday and my husband's birthday, tomorrow my plans include absolutely nothing(!) and Sunday, I want to win when I play in a poker tournament! :)

I need your opinions!

I'm starting to get back to blogging and want to follow a more regular schedule. So while I've already got a working day-by-day plan in my head, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

What do you enjoy reading on my blog? My meal-planning info? Homeschooling tips/ideas? Finance tips? Tidbits from our everyday life? Viewing photos? Please vote in my little poll in the upper right-hand corner - thanks! :)

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Quinn's laughter never fails to make me smile. It's contagious!

2. I'm looking forward to the end of the school year and start of our summer activities! We'll be busy - that's for sure!

3. Dave Ramsey on the radio, Lady GaGA on my ipod . . . is what I'm listening to right now.

4. Potato salad must have nothing in it! Really, I just don't like it no matter how it's made!

5. Pizza Hut pizza was the best thing I ate today.

6. Today was productive and uneventful. (That's a good thing!) :)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching our kids' drama performance , tomorrow my plans include hanging out with my good friend, Joy (dinner, scrapbooking, talking, and just having fun together!) and Sunday, I want to play games with my family and digi scrapbook!